Thanks to madsdagirl, Amenti and tennisjock for reviewing:) Thanks also to messyblackhair66 and Amenti again for adding this story as a favourite. I hope you like this chapter!

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Ch 6: The Other Side of the Story

Sometime before daybreak, James awoke. Trying not to wake Lily, who was still fast asleep, James rose from the bed. His stomach groaned with hunger since he had missed dinner the night before, which was incredibly unusual for him.

Never one to go hungry, James crept up to his dormitory with the Marauders map clutched firmly in his hand. Retrieving his invisibility cloak from his trunk, James headed to the kitchens to scrounge some early breakfast from the house elves.

After tickling the huge green pear in the picture of a giant silver fruit-bowl and pulling the door open, James was met with an interesting sight. Sirius was standing with his back towards James but still there was no missing the mound of food in his arms. Éclairs, jam tarts, biscuits, donuts, cream cakes, all piled on top of each other. Sirius really was amazing. With all that he ate you would have expected him to be the size of a house. But instead he was lean and muscular with broad shoulders and was incredibly handsome. Although, at that precise moment in time with cream and custard covering his face, he was not at his most dashing.

"Fancy seeing you here Padfoot! Having an early breakfast where you?" James smirked as Sirius spun around, grinning broadly.

"Didu wanshum?" He managed, spraying James in the face with food. He held out an éclair, offering it to James.

"Thanks, just what I felt like."

For a while, James and Sirius sat in silence as they made their way through their pile of sweets, ignoring the scurrying house elves, all trying to prepare breakfast for the castle.

"Where have you been all night, mate?" Sirius eventually asked between mouthfuls.

James contemplated whether he should tell Sirius something so personal, especially since it wasn't his to tell. Eventually he gave in; after all, Sirius was his best friend.

"Prongs, listen to me. That girl is more trouble than she's worth. She really is. I know you've fancied her for like ever but it really is time to move on. Find someone else. Have some fun. I hate to be insensitive but she will never go out with you. You're just going to have to prepare yourself and accept that the giant squid will be accompanying her to our graduation, not you."

Sirius really was no expert at matters of the heart. To him, if a girl played hard to get, they were too much trouble. People like Sirius didn't get turned down by girls, only they could do the turning down or breaking up. As much as James loved Sirius like a brother, he was not necessarily going to take his advice on this matter.

Lily was worth it. She was kind, generous, funny, smart and beautiful. James wasn't ready to give up on her just yet. If she still hated him at the end of the year then there was nothing left he could do and he would have no choice but to give up on her and move on. But right now he still had 7 months of the school year left to convince her to fall in love with him.

"Thanks for the advice but I might not listen to it this time. Give me two months to get her to go out with me or I'll give you 10 galleons." Well, his parents would anyway.

"Woo-hoo, I'm gonna be rich in a couple of months!" Sirius exclaimed with glee.

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After Sirius had departed back up to the boys' dormitory to get some more sleep, James headed back up to the room of requirement. Lily was still fast asleep and for the first time in 12 hours, looking peaceful.

James couldn't get back to sleep and had nothing to do but he didn't want to leave Lily. He didn't want her to wake up sad, scared and alone after all she had been through. So, James pulled up a chair and watched Lily as she slept.

She really was beautiful but like most truly beautiful people, she had no idea. Lily wasn't beautiful in that showy way that some are. She was beautiful in a shy and self conscious kind of way. At a first glance she would look like many others, quite pretty but with nothing special. But then at a closer look you would notice her beautiful dark red hair, sparkling emerald eyes, shaped like almonds, her flawless pale skin, her soft pink cheeks and her delicate nose. But she had more than just her outer beauty which was enhanced by her warm and loving personality. God, it was frustrating for James sometimes. She never seemed to have any flaws! Well none that he could see anyway, except for her fiery temper but even that was saved almost exclusively for him.

"I'm sorry Lily." James whispered gently as his fingers brushed lightly over her face. "I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through. I'm sorry you lost your parents and I'm sorry for all the frustration, anger and hurt that I have caused." James took a deep breath. Even though she was still asleep, it took him a lot of courage to share his feelings with her, even if she couldn't hear.

"If I could, I would take away all the pain you are suffering. You don't deserve any of this! You are so kind and friendly to everyone and yet you have to suffer while slime like Snape never get misfortune, unless you include that fact that he is an evil little oddball with no friends, greasy hair and someone I particularly love jinxing." James continued. "Not that I would jinx him of course." James lied quickly, just to be on the safe side.

James was on a roll and couldn't stop now. "I know you hate me and I would do anything to change that. Well, almost anything, no being friendly with Snivellus or anything. Ergh, I feel nauseous just thinking about it!" Ok, need to stay on track! "If you could ever bring yourself to forgive me, even be friends with me but I won't push my luck, it would mean a lot to me. I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like a sop and you're probably surprised to find out that James Potter actually has feelings but surprise! I am actually capable of having emotions and feelings."

James couldn't believe how easily his words were coming. It was almost like keeping a diary with the small exception that some slimy little creep can't get their grimy little fingers on his thoughts and embarrass the hell out of him. After bottling up his emotions for so long (most of his life actually) James felt like a weight was being lifted from him. Speaking all of this aloud allowed him to realise things he never really knew before, like how many things he really was capable of feeling. After tonight he might even be upgraded from having the emotional range of a spoon to the emotional range of a bowl. A very small bowl.

"I promise I'm not as bad as you think I am! I'm not saying that the way I treat people is always right, it's only right most of the time instead of all. Joke, that was a joke! But I wouldn't be half as arrogant and show offy if I wasn't trying to impress you all the time, and no I am not trying to wheedle my way out of every bad thing I've ever done."

"And like it of not, Lily, but I really do like you and I care about you. And I would never use or hurt you the way Sirius does to the girls he goes out with, if you can even call it that." The joys of being able to blame things on somebody else! "Or the way I've hurt or used one or two girls. Possibly more but we are trying to focus on my good points here not the bad ones, not that there are many." If there was one thing James wasn't good at it was definitely modesty. It was almost impossible for him to admit to things he had done (the bad things obviously, he had no problem owning up to the good things and really, who does?) so this really was a big step for him. He was being as honest as it was possible for James Potter to be.

"I think I've done enough of a confession this morning so I think I'll stop myself here before I get carried away. And embarrass myself even more than I already have. Thank God you're asleep!"

James rose from the chair and stretched his legs. He felt most exhausted than if he had just run a marathon. Who knew expressing your feelings could be so tiring?

Walking back over to the bed, James lied back down on top of the covers and fell fast asleep.

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Lily was in shock! Who knew James Potter could actually be deep? Unbeknownst to him, Lily had heard every last word James had said to her. His hand brushing her face had woken her and before she could let him know she was awake, he was spilling all his thoughts. If she had opened her eyes then she would have embarrassed him to no end and he probably would have denied everything he said. She had had no choice but to pretend to be asleep through the whole escapade. And come to the shocking realisation that James Potter wasn't actually the monster she had always made him out to be. He seemed almost…nice.

If she was totally honest, Lily was truly grateful to James after last night. He really had proven himself to have a heart and think of someone other than himself. She felt slightly guilty after her outburst the previous night but she wasn't sure she had the courage to apologise. To James Potter no less! Or the courage to tell him that she had heard his confessions. Maybe she would tell him later. Maybe not. Maybe.