Chapter 17: Holidays from the Past

"Lily don't do anything well…slightly stupid, like kill me. Okay?" James spoke in a half serious, half joking tone and sighed. "Just listen please, I'll tell you everything!" James whispered to her smiling consolingly—like a consoling smile could right this wrong.

"It was at my parent's winter ball-thing-two years back. I'd had a bit too much to drink and ended up spilling my deepest—and most well known secret to her. That I liked you." James sighed, "I'm not finished…I should never have told her about you Lily, she liked me—a lot and I have to admit. I knew."

"You told someone who likes you that you like me—so what bad thing happened?" Lily asked raising her eyebrow a little further than before.

"Lily—she did a ruddy spell…or else she's a ruddy metamorphamagus, and well…she had left the room and came back in looking just like you, a-and I wanted to be near you so badly that we well…yeah, things got out of hand. And she's been hinting to me all this year and last year…I completely avoided the whole party last year because of it…" He paused for a moment and in that moment Lily felt her jaw drop. "A-and that summer…things happened again…meaningless stuff—"

"No, I don't know what you mean because I don't do that with people I don't care about!" Lily hissed and rolled her eyes somewhat as James tried to salvage the conversation. "So you wanted me so badly that you went with a sham look a like?" Lily was more tetched than she had been before.

"Lily of course I wanted to be with you—and near you. And I wasn't exactly thinking Lil" Lily couldn't take it and cut him off.

"Wasn't thinking? Hmm, I guess not James! I mean you honestly say you love me?" Lily hissed under her breath and clenched her jaw.

"Lily" James said pleadingly reaching out his hand and brushing the hair from her face, his fingers trailing down her cheek.

"James, I can't do this right now." Lily chocked out and the tears began to stream down her face.

"Lily, please don't cry" James spoke softly, almost consolingly, he leaned forward to wipe some tears away but the bus lurched forward as it suddenly stopped.

"Oh god, James are you okay?" Lily asked, as James was now face first on the floor of the bus.

"I've been better" James said as he pushed himself back into his chair, a trickle of blood dripping down from his forehead.

"Your bleeding" Lily cried out leaning forward, she took her wand and healed the wound still leaning towards James.

"Thanks Lily," James cooed and leaned forward brushing his lips against her cheek softly, delicately.

"James" Lily sighed as James kissed her cheek. "I-I just please give me sometime" Lily sighed and looked softly but not-so-intoxicatingly-romantically softly into his eyes.

"Time" James said in a soft fashion, his words fell melancholy on the air like a light coating of ice encompassing the world. "Lily" James said softly, his words not as cold, or hurt as seconds before. "I love you, d-don't forget that. I love you. And I always will." He leaned forward and brushed more tears from her cheeks.

"James, I just need a little bit of time—and I know that you love me—I just need a moment to cool off and to think. I need some time and space to myself." Lily said this while looking into his eyes and noticed a hint of resolve, and yet some mischief twinkling in the corner of his eye.

"Well, I already pain the fair so I'm stuck with you for a bit…but after that, you can have all the time you need, b-but if you end up moving on—tell me." James's words were soft and seemed to be filled with deep sorrow and even love.

Lily nodded, "I'll tell you." Lily felt more tears fall and looking up, she noticed that they both were lamenting over the fall of their relationship. That night on the bus they both fell asleep—well Lily wrote in the memory book and took a picture of James as he slept on the bus. She wanted to keep the memories there forever, both the good and the bad ones. Lily fell asleep and still it felt like it only lasted a moment, and seeing they were on the night bus there was a good chance it did only last a moment. But still, James was now waking her up, smiling at her as he spoke. "We got to your destination Lily," He gave her another quick smile.

"You want to come in? Its late, and we've got a spare room." She gave him a quick smile. She tapped her clothes with her wand and transfigured them into different, full clothes. She stood now in a loose fitting, very comfortable top.

"Sure, I'd really like that." James nodded and slowly began to follow her to the doorway. As Lily opened the front door of her mother's childhood home she knew that James was memorizing her house number. It wouldn't be hard—she did live right near Sirius Black. In fact, right across the way in a cream colored house.

"Number 11 Grimwald Place—how come you never told me?" James asked sounding astonished. Lily sighed and turned her towards him.

"You never asked." Lily spoke truthfully, he never asked if she lived near anyone that he knew, least of all Sirius. He never asked where she lived, or even who lived with her—he was in for a surprise. And that surprise was Petunia Evans. The sibling from hell.