Lily POV

I stood up from the Gryffindor table abruptly and started gathering my things. My best friend, Alice Gennard, looked up at me in surprise.

"Where are you going, Lily?"

"To the library. I want to read up on some spells I heard we'd use in Charms," I replied.

"Okay. Meet you in the Common Room."

I grabbed my bag and headed up to the Hogwarts library. Contrary to what I told Alice, I had no intention of studying. I had been worrying about James' behavior lately, and since it was lunch time, no-one was in the library now. The solitude and quiet would help me think.

I glanced up. The large teak double door stood majestically in front of me. I pushed it open and saw Madam Pince sitting at the front desk, sorting books quietly. I walked to the far end, to the very last table, and put my things down without a sound. I pulled out a random book and saw, on the other side of the bookshelf, a very familiar face. The person looked up, surprised, saw who it was, and his head drooped slightly. "Oh. Hey, Lily." He blinked. "Well, I need to study this for Transfiguration. Nice seeing you." He walked away.

I rushed over to his side of the bookshelf. "James!" I cried, but not so loudly that Madam Pince would hear me. I grabbed his wrist. He looked up at me slowly. "What?" he said softly.

"I want to know why you're acting this way! Why you're acting all depressed when you're alone!" I exclaimed. Madam Pince shushed me loudly.

James looked at me regretfully.

"It's nothing," he said. Then his face became angry. "What's it to you?"

I was taken aback. This was the first time James had ever expressed negative emotion towards me. But I managed to say:

"James." My voice softened. "Just tell me what's wrong."

He faltered. "Fine," he surrendered. "It's the, er...Transfiguration essay. I can't understand it. It's like gibberish."

I frowned. "James. You've been like this since the start of the year, and the essay was assigned last week. Besides, you're already done with it."

"How would you know?"

"It's on the table. 'James Potter' is written near the top."

"Er..." James paused. "It's... Sirius' essay. And, er... he... signed it... with my name?"

I sighed. "James, I'm not that stupid. Now, tell me, honestly this time, why are you depressed?"

James POV

I looked into Lily's eyes. They were bright emerald green. "Well... I don't think I can tell you," I said quietly. I looked down at the black leather toes of my shoes.

Lily forced my head back upright. "Tell me, James. I need to know."

My resistance, so strong a mere five seconds ago, was now crumbling faster than a damp biscuit. Up until now I was successfully not telling her anything, but I just spat it all out like I was on Veritaserum.

"I was in love with you, Lily."

"Was? What happened?"

"Nothing." I tried to hold on to my last bits of dignity.

"Please. I want—I want to... help you." I noticed how she paused before 'help'.

"I was in love with you... And I still am," I said quietly.

Lily was speechless.

"You see, in sixth year, I realized that I was nothing but some arrogant bully who had nothing but a bit of talent on a broomstick. I always hexed people for no reason and such... I feel horrible for it."

Lily nodded wordlessly.

"I tried to stop being so immature. I was concentrating on that, so I hadn't asked you out as often as before. I'm fairly sure you noticed that."

"Yeah, I did," Lily said quietly.

"Then, at the start of seventh year, this year, I tried to make friends with you, because I thought, 'Maybe she might agree to a date someday if we were at least on a first-name basis.' But you didn't even give me chance to talk to you long enough to actually befriend you. Whenever you'd speak to me, it would only be about whose shift it was tonight, who was gonna tell the prefects their assignments, and stuff. But you never let me in." I couldn't believe I was spouting out all of this in one sitting.

Lily looked down, biting her lip.

"Well, because of that, I got depressed. But whenever I'm with Sirius, and Remus, and Peter, I can... take my mind off things a bit." I definitely didn't tell her that that was because I didn't feel the pain as much when I was a stag.

"James..." Lily started softly. "I... I'm so sorry."

And then, all of a sudden, she launched herself into my arms. (Bliss.)

"I am so sorry, James! I can't believe I was so... so... proud that I wouldn't even let you talk to me properly. I was so stupid!" Lily sounded like she was going to cry.

"Lily... Don't... don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault."

"But, James, I made you get all depressed and sad. I feel horrible." We swayed backwards dangerously.

"Whoa, whoa..." I muttered, trying to steady myself. Lily almost fell, so I caught her around the waist.

"James, I'm sorry... sorry for all those things you said I did. I wasn't even aware you were trying to be my friend."

"It's okay now, Lily. At least (well, I hope) you won't... hate me anymore."

Lily frowned. "I could never hate you."

"Well, you certainly gave me the impression that you did."

"I know. I was so wrong." She looked up at me. "Could you not hate me back? Please?"

I looked at her. "Lily Evans, the day I'd hate you is the day the world will end."

"Are you sure?" Her eyes sparkled with threatening tears.

"Of course I'm sure," I told her. "Does this mean you're my friend? Does this mean we call each other by the first name not just because we need to set an example?"

"Yes, James," she declared, pulling me close. (Double bliss.) "We're... friends now."

I wonder why she hesitated before saying 'friends'... I decided to change that.

"Now that we're friends, I'd like to ask you..." My heart beat faster, like never before. This wasn't like all those other times I'd asked her out in the past, since back then I always knew she'd say no. But now, I wasn't sure...

"Yeah, James?" We looked at each other. Her eyes glinted with something; I couldn't tell what.

"Will you go out with me?"

Lily seemed to consider. "Er... I'm sorry, James, but..."

I didn't want to hear anymore. The double bliss I was flying just earlier had crash-landed into the ninth basement of hell.

Lily saw it on my face. "I'm just kidding, James."

I looked at her in shock. "You... you are?"

"Of course I am. Of course I'll go out with you." We hugged tight.

"Thank you. Lily. You know I love you, right?"

"Well, yes... But I think you should know that I love you too."