Say hello to chapter four! I hope you enjoy it! In other news...OH MY WIZARD GOD, DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2! That was THE BEST Harry Potter movie I've ever seen. And I cried like a baby as soon as I saw a certain person dead. Goodness, I couldn't stop after that. And then The Prince's Tale? AHH! Best Alan Rickman performance EVER. That man had BETTER win an Oscar! Anyways...enough of my spazzing over the awesome movie...Enjoy said new chapter. ^_^

"Lily, there's a letter for you," Alice said as she pointed towards my bed.

Looking, I saw familiar handwriting and let out an annoyed sigh.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's another Slug Club invite," I said, opening the letter. "It's the night before Halloween. And he wants us to dress up! I am so tired of these things! Why Slughorn thinks I want to be 'collected' is beyond me. I can't even stand going to those things. Especially since Snape is there."

Alice was tactful enough to keep silent as I ranted, especially once Snape was brought up. I crumpled up the letter and set it on fire with the tap of my wand.

"I'm sort of glad I was never invited to one," Alice said with a laugh.

"Not invited to what?" Marlene asked as she walked into the room, letting her bag drop to the floor with a thunk.

"The Slug Club," Alice said, smirking.

"Ah," Marlene said, nodding. "I'm glad I've stopped going. They're terribly boring. And he's terribly nosy. Asking all these poor new kids things about their family. You know they're only invited because of someone they're related to. And I heard Slughorn tried to get Potter and Black, but they refused to go. I think old Sluggy gave up after a while."

I let out a noise of disgust.

"What's with her?" Marlene asked Alice, who was still smiling.

"Potter," Alice said in a stage whisper.

"Ah," Marlene said, grinning in my direction.

"I'm going to start Flitwick's essay," I said, standing up suddenly. "I don't want to fall behind."

"We have a week to do it, Lily!" Alice cried.

I shrugged, grabbed my bag, and stalked out of the dormitory, passing Potter and Black on the way out.

"Hey Evans!" Potter shouted as I ignored him and kept walking.

Grumbling, I made my way to the library, not paying attention to where I was going until I ran right into someone.

"Oh, Merlin! I'm so sorry!" I cried as I instantly dropped to pick up my books and help whoever I ran into. When I looked up, I froze.

Severus was watching me warily as I stared up at him, frozen.

I stood slowly and looked at him.

He looked paler than usual and his black hair was lanker. He looked rather unhealthy. And he was watching me apprehensively before I stooped to gather my things. He stood still while I grabbed my things.

I was suddenly furious.

He could at least have the decency to help. He was the one who ran into me.

"Hey! Evans!"

Potter's voice rang out over the heads of a few first and second years.

"You forgot your Charms book!" he was saying. "Alice told me what you were doing and I thought I'd –"

He stopped mid speech and I looked up to see him glaring at Severus, who was slowly reaching into his pocket.

"What happened?" Potter demanded, looking down at me. He dropped down beside me and helped gather my books and parchment, which were sodden with spilled ink.

"It's nothing, Potter," I said as I snatched a book from his hands.

"It is not," Potter said, standing. "What are you doing, Snivellus."

"Walking, Potter," Severus sneered. "I assume I'm allowed to do that?"

"I'm not stopping you," Potter replied. He stood with his arms folded over his chest, his glasses slipping down his nose as he continued to glare at Severus.

"Enough," I said, standing up, my arms full of parchment and books. I looked from Severus to Potter and back again before I stalked off. But just as I turned the corner, a loud bang had be dropping my things as I raced back to Severus and Potter.

Severus was hanging upside by his ankle while James sported a large gash on his arm and cheek.

"STOP IT!" I shouted. I pulled out my wand and quickly thought, Librecorpus!

Severus crashed to the floor, but immediately scrambled to his feet, his wand back in his hand.

"STUPEFY!" Severus shouted as Potter deflected it easily, laughing harshly.

"Gotta do better than that, Snivellus!" he said as another loud bang rang trhough the hall. Severus was thrown into a wall and he slid down it, looking dazed.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted. I pulled my wand out and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" at Potter before turning to Severus. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone," he snapped. "I don't need your help."

He gathered his things quickly and raced off.

I was breathing heavily as Potter snatched up his wand, which had rolled off in the opposite direction.

"What'd you do that for?" he demanded.

"Why did you attack him?"

"For your information, Evans, he attacked me first!"

I was silent a moment before I took a deep breath and said, "Fine. Whatever. Just remember that you are Head Boy. You can't keep attacking people in corridors. You could get the badge taken away from you."

"I never wanted it in the first place!" Potter shouted. "It should have been Remus's!"

I looked at him, surprised.

"Well, I can't disagree with you there," I said after a moment before turning on my heel and stalking off.

"Evans?" he shouted after me.

"What?" I asked, turning around.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" I asked him, nonplussed.

"For being a prat."

I looked at him oddly.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked him.

He shrugged.

"Are you really doing your Charms essay?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Can I come? I need some help."

I sighed. "Yes. you can come."

He beamed and turned, racing down the hall, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll meet you there!"

Despite myself, I was grinning as I entered the silent library and walked over to an empty table by the window that overlooked the lake.

"Hey," Potter whispered as he dropped into the seat across from me. He had his Charms book with him and looked ready to tackle the essay.

"What have you told your friends you're doing?" I asked as I scribbled away on the essay.

"The truth," he replied simply.

"That's a change, Potter," I said lightly.

"Can we drop the use of surnames when we're alone?" he asked me quietly. I felt a shiver of excitement run through me when he said "alone", though I didn't know why. Why do I care that he said that? And then Alice's words were running through my mind: "I've seen the way he looks at you. He's in love."

Trying to be subtle, I looked up at Potter and saw him concentrating so deeply on his essay that his tongue was stuck out to the side and his glasses were halfway down his nose, a crease between his eyebrows as he scribbled furiously. Only once did he touch his hair and that was to move it out of his eyes. At one point, he sat back, looking at what he had written, as he scratched his chin absentmindedly. Then he looked up at me and I realized I was caught red-handed at watching him.

He grinned.

"Problem?" he asked, smirking.

"No," I replied lightly before bending my head over my own essay and scribbling a few words. I glanced up and saw him looking back at his essay.

"What's the problem?" I asked him after a few moments.

"I'm not sure this is right," he said thoughtfully.

"Here, let me see," I said, holding my hand out for his paper. He handed it over and I looked over his words, appalled at the chicken scratch. "How does anyone read this?"

I looked up, smiling, as Potter scowled at me.

"Flitwick does just fine," he replied stiffly.

I giggled and said, "Well, it looks just fine to me."

I handed it back to him and went back to my own. Ten minutes, I was sitting back, reading over my finished essay when Potter threw down his own quill and said, "I think I've finished."

Cocking an eyebrow, I grinned and said, "Really? May I read?"

Potter gestured to his completed essay and I picked it up.

Once I finished reading it, I stared at it for a few moments because I was completely amazed at how good it was.

"What's wrong?" Potter asked worriedly.

I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said honestly. "Potter, that's really good."

"It's James, Lily," he said with a sincere smile. "No one's around. It's okay to be nice."

I smiled and said, "Fine. It's good, James."

"You're surprised."

"I am," I said honestly.

"I am quite smart," James said with a cocky smile. "When I want to be," he added. "So is Sirius."

"Then why act like morons?" I asked jokingly.

"Image," James replied simply, rumpling his already messy hair.

"Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Rumple your hair?"

James frowned at me. "I dunno. Habit, I suppose."

"Oh really?" I asked. "It's a habit to mess up your already messy hair? That makes perfect sense."

James blushed a bit as he said, "I used to do it to try and impress you. And then it became a habit."

"Why would you try and impress me?" I asked curiously.

James's blush deepened and he cleared his throat self consciously.

"Do you want to come watch Quidditch practice later?" he asked in a clear move to try and change the subject.

"Do not change the subject on me, James Potter," I said severely. "Why did you try and impress me?"

"I…well…I liked you," he admitted.

"Oh really?" I was enjoying myself as James looked even more uncomfortable than before.

He nodded.

"When did you stop liking me?"

"I didn't."

"Then why use past-tense?"

He shrugged.

"You are a terrible liar, James," I sighed before gathering up my things and putting them into my bag. I stood up as James said, "No, wait."

I looked down at him and said, "Okay. Please. Will you please go with me to the first Hogsmeade trip?"

I opened my mouth furiously to reply before he said, "Look, I know I said I wouldn't ask you out again, but I'm being completely serious, Lily. Please. No pranks, nothing. I'll be on my best behaviour. We can even go to Madam Puddifoot's."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"You would step foot into Madam Puddifoot's?" I asked, surprised. He nodded and I sighed. "James, I…I don't know. I just…I don't know."

"You can think about it!" he said quickly. "I just…I really….I want to do it properly."

"Do what properly?" I asked, frowning.

"I dunno," he said with a shrug. "I just want to stop being such a prat and do things right."

I frowned before I said, "Well…let me think about it, okay?"

He nodded, his face slightly hopeful.

"See you later, James," I said before turning and walking out of the library, feeling more confused than ever.

I walked back to Gryffindor Tower in a daze, confused by James's sudden maturity. Did he really want to date me? Was Alice right? Did James Potter love me? It all seemed so absurd and I couldn't believe it. James Potter, class idiot, in love with me, Lily Evans? Merlin's beard, what has the world come to?

After saying the password, I walked over to the couches closest to the fire and sank down into the cushions, wanting to never move again just as Black and Remus ran into the room, holding today's paper above their heads.

"You-Know-Who!" Black shouted as the other Gryffindors surrounded them. "He's killed again!"

Shooting up off of the couch, I edged closer to Black as he read aloud from the paper.

"'Several Muggles were founded murdered yesterday evening,'" Black read aloud. "'The Muggle law enforcements have told the public their deaths were an accident. Several Aurors inspected the Muggle dwelling and bodies and have confirmed they were murdered after being tortured. The Aurors have modified the Muggle law enforcements to have them believe it was accident after noticing the Muggles saw signs of torture. Names will not be released. You-Know-Who is believed to be behind these murders.'"

"Well of course You-Know-Who's behind it," said a burly sixth year boy. Those around him nodded and murmured in assent. "Who else could it be?"

The room was silent as everyone took in this latest news.

"This is only the beginning," Black said seriously, breaking the tense silence. Beside him, Remus nodded solemnly.

How many more will die? I asked myself as the crowd dispersed, still discussing the dark news.

"You okay, Lily?"

I looked up to see Remus watching me anxiously.

I nodded.

"I'm just worried that one day, that'll be my family in the Prophet," I said, finally voicing my fears.

"It won't be," Remus said confidently. He sat beside me and took my hand in his, squeezing it gently "And besides, no Death Eater would go after your sister. They'd be too terrified. She'd scream so loud in fear they'd run in the opposite direction."

I choked out a chuckle.

"Thanks Remus," I said with a small smile.

He patted my hand and left just as James walked in, a wide grin on his face. He winked at me, which I ignored, as he went over to Remus and Black. Peter was nowhere in sight, which I thought was odd.

Where was Peter? It wasn't like him to not be hanging onto to James and Black's every word.

Ooh! I can't wait for the next chapter! Just you wait...it gets better. And I'll you in on something: I originally had Fabian and Gideon in the paper, but then I researched them and found they didn't die until 1981. Did you know Molly was born October 30, 1949? That means she had Ron when she was 40. Dang...Anyways, I fixed this. AND...I hope you liked this chapter! I'm 99.9% sure a new chapter will be out sooner than Saturday. ^_^ Please review! I love them!

~TheTragedyIs13~