A.N.: Hullo! It's been ages (three & half years, nearly!) since this was updated, but I finally managed to find the time to work out the kinks and get it up. It's nice & long, though, to make up for the wait -- & I'm trying to write a chapter to follow this, but I won't make any promises on when you'll see it. I hope you enjoy it, whether you're catching up on it again or finding it for the first time. :) Also, please leave me a review, it'll make me happy...and might motivate me to pull together the next section quicker...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related...so, if you recognise it, then it's not mine. I do, however, claim the plot & Lily's friends.

Part Three

Lily Evans and James Potter entered the common room together for the third time that day. This itself was not entirely unusual these days – ever since the year started the two had gotten along without fighting once. The oddity of the scene was the late hour, a whispered conversation by the fireplace, and Lily giving James a quick kiss on the cheek before ascending the stairs.

Judith looked up as Lily entered the dormitory.

"How'd the meeting go?" she asked.

"As good as any planning session with Dumbledore can, I suppose," Lily replied.

"Did Potter do any of the work for this one?" Pamina asked, coming out of the bathroom, towel in hand.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Considering that I wasn't up to my ears in work for it, one would presume that he did his half of the work."

"Pamina doesn't make presumptions like that," Judith grinned.

"I've noticed," Lily said cryptically.

"Well, based on past events, it's a leap of logic I wasn't willing to attempt," Pamina retorted.

"And you couldn't have based anything on my past behavior compared to my present behavior?" Lily asked.

"I could've reached other conclusions from it," Pamina said. Then, in an attempt to get the attention off herself, added teasingly, "And do I note that you are actually defending Mr Potter?" There was a short pause before she added in complete disbelief, "And blushing about it?!"

"Am I really? Oh dear…" was Lily's only reply.

Pamina's eyes had grown close to the size of saucers due to shock. "You don't mean to tell me," she finally croaked out, "that you're falling for his little 'changing tactics' plan, are you?"

"Plan?"

"Yes. That 'I'm growing up' shtick he's pulling to get you to like him."

"Oh, you mean changing all the things that annoyed me."

"What else would I mean?"

"I suppose he is making a semi-conscious effort to mature, but some of it is just naturally growing up. Besides, do you really think I would allow him to change tactics without changing my own?"

"Since when do you have tactics?!"

"Yeah," Judith added. "I didn't realize that you had a plan to deal with him."

"I honestly didn't have one for awhile, but I've learned that to deal with James Potter, you have to attempt at keeping a step ahead of him."

"You mean to tell me," Pamina said in complete disbelief, "that all this time we've been teasing you about Potter liking you, that you've been dealing with it in your own way?"

"Yes. Although it was largely trial and error…and most things tended not to work. He's incredibly persistent."

Neither Pamina nor Judith could think of any way to respond to this comment, so they settled for staring at Lily in shock.

----------

Pamina hadn't dared to bring up James Potter since the above incident in front of Lily, and was successful for the rest of the week – Pamina was rather afraid that her friend wanted to throw her off balance by suddenly defending the boy her friend had once despised. Instead, Pamina seemed to try and find topics that could not connect to that particular boy at all. Lily watched this in amusement, but humoured Pamina's wish and kept the name "James Potter" out of their conversations.

"Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow," Judith said.

"Oh, that's right!" Pamina said, smiling for the first time since sitting down to work on homework.

"Did you actually forget, Pami? That's not like you," Lily chimed in.

"Momentary lapse," Pamina assured them. Then she added, "Anything you two need to get done while we're there?"

"Nothing in particular; maybe grab a last minute gift or two," Judith said.

Lily, however, looked slightly awkward.

"Lily?" Judith asked.

"I…I have another commitment, actually; so I don't know if I'll see you two much in Hogsmeade."

Pamina's eyes lit up. "Do you have a date?"

Lily slowly nodded.

Judith's jaw dropped slightly and Pamina stifled a squeal.

"With who?" Pamina nearly demanded.

Lily blushed furiously. "Do you mind if I wait a bit before telling you? I just don't want the entire common room to know."

"Upstairs. Now," was Pamina's response.

"After dinner."

"Now."

"In the morning."

"Liiilly…."

"Won't work," Lily grinned. "I'll tell you tonight sometime."

"Judith, make her change her mind!"

Judith glanced at each of her friends. "Sorry, Pamina; Lily has full rights to torment us on this one, I'm afraid. That and she looks way too stubborn to change her mind on this."

Lily grinned, "More stubborn than you can imagine."

Judith snickered, but Pamina chose to pout, "Why does she get to be mysterious and I never do?"

"Because, Pami," Judith explained soothingly, "Lily can actually pull it off – you have a hard time with the secretive part of it."

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Dinner had been rather quiet, excepting that every so often Pamina would try to trick Lily into divulging the name of her mysterious Hogsmeade date. They had moved to Quidditch of all topics ("What's Mystery Boy's team?" Pamina had asked and Lily responded "If I knew, would I actually tell you?"), when four boys walked by them. One, however, stopped short and turned back.

"Evans, quick question: are we still on for tonight?"

You could almost feel the curiosity of everyone in hearing distance.

Lily's eyebrow rose (in the I-can't-believe-you're-asking-me-this way), "For that meeting and patrol, we are, Potter."

James merely grinned and said cheekily, "Just checking!" before rejoining his friends and leaving the Great Hall.

"Meeting?" Pamina asked when Lily had turned around.

"With Dumbledore – you know, that one I have before Hogsmeade trips?"

"How could you forget that, Pami?" Judith asked. "You bemoaned the fact the Friday before the last Hogsmeade trip – not to mention every Tuesday since term began!"

"I have not bemoaned – wait." Judith and Lily looked at her expectantly. "This means you won't tell us Mystery Boy's name until you get back from that, doesn't it?" Pamina asked, eyes narrowed.

"Of course not," was Lily's cheerful answer. "I have to monitor you after you're in possession of this valuable information. Can't have it getting out to the wrong sort now, can I?"

Pamina chose to pout again – and was not amused when Judith pointed out that it was becoming a habit.

----------

The common room was uncommonly full this Friday night. Lily was highly suspicious of Pamina and Judith sitting downstairs – and was even more suspicious to see James Potter's friends sitting by the fire as well.

James shuffled his papers and slowly handed some to her. "You haven't told them, I take it?" he enquired in a low, low whisper.

"No," Lily responded in the same tone. "Have you told the lads yet?"

"Nothing more than that hint."

"They don't trust you anymore do they? What a shame, it really must hurt your precious ego," Lily teased.

James tried to hold in a guffaw, but clearly failed when the common room went silent. He couldn't think of something to cover it up because Lily was smiling softly up at him with that sparkle in her eyes….

"I take it you don't appreciate my idea of you doing patrols with Snape," she said in a slightly louder voice. "A shame, really; instead we'll have to deal with you both instead of getting rid of one of you."

If their friends had been quiet before, they were dead silent now – James had an advantage on them, though, since Lily's back was towards them and only he could see the teasing look on her face.

"Ah, Miss Evans, you cut me to the quick," James said, his face the picture of grief. It quickly morphed as he continued with a grin, "And which one of us would you like to see return?"

Lily winked while pretending to think. "I'm afraid, Mr Potter, that I have to keep it a secret." And before James could respond (and, Merlin forbid, before she would be persuaded to flirt with him in front of everyone some more), she turned around. And was confronted with five people staring at her. She pursed her lips slightly…James could've warned her about this.

"Don't you people have manners? Staring like that is very rude."

And clearly it wasn't about to stop anytime soon. Lily redirected her attention to the papers James had handed her. Pulling a few out of the pile she handed them back.

"I thought you needed those," he said. Lily shook her head and he shrugged.

Still no sounds came from the group collected around the fireplace.

"This is utterly ridiculous," James finally muttered.

"Agreed," was Lily's response.

Still silence from the couches.

With a sigh, Lily said brightly, "Well, it's been a long day; I think I should go to bed now. G'night!" She turned upon reaching the stairs to the girls' dormitories, though, to throw one last comment at James; "Don't forget what Dumbledore told us tonight."

"Oh, don't worry," James grinned, "I won't forget that in a hurry. Wise man, Dumbledore."

"You're thinking of the last thing he told us; I'm referring to the second."

"How can you be so sure that's what I meant?"

"Because, Potter, that is something that has been at the fore of your mind for years."

James's grin widened, "Such a worthy cause, though, isn't it? Goodnight!"

----------

Lily had just stepped over the threshold of her dormitory when Pamina and Judith came up behind her.

"Right. Time to start talking, Miss Evans," Pamina declared.

"Yes," Judith agreed more mildly, "I think you have some things to tell us."

They all climbed onto Lily's bed, drew the curtains, and Lily performed a quick spell to keep their other roommates from waking.

"Well," Lily sighed, "where would you like me to start?"

"Explaining that odd scene downstairs would be nice," Pamina said.

Lily sighed wearily. "Tell me what you thought and then I'll be able to explain it better."

"Well," Pamina started, sounded faintly angry, "it certainly sounded like he was flirting with you – and if I didn't know better, I'd say you were flirting back."

Judith, however, gave a faint smile and said, "I say you were flirting with him, Lily."

Pamina turned to stare at Judith – but her head quickly spun back when Lily began to talk.

"You're both right."

"You always said that you didn't believe us; that you wouldn't give him the time of day!"

"No, Pami, I always said I didn't believe you – any of you – when you claimed that James Potter liked me, and that the only way I would believe it was if he told me and clearly meant it."

"So, he's made his case," Judith said.

Lily blushed. "Yes, he has – and I've heard him out – and we've talked about plenty of other things – and I do like him, contrary to common belief – and so we're going to Hogsmeade together tomorrow."

Silence greeted this halting speech.

"You can gloat if you want to – I can handle it, well, a little of it, anyway."

"It's just… I never expected… Couldn't you have given us a hint before now?" Pamina nearly whined.

"And make an arse out of myself if he didn't like me anymore? Not likely."

"You did give us hints, though," Judith asserted. "Earlier this week – after your weekly meeting – you defended him…and blushed."

Pamina sighed, "But that was just this week – I didn't expect such a quick turn around." Then her eyes narrowed, "You're bright red, Lily. There's more to this than you've told. So, how long have we been out of the loop?"

"Er…about a week and a half…ish."

"Ish?" Judith queried.

"Well…the part you want to know is mostly in the past two weeks."

"And before that?" asked a skeptical Pamina.

"That month would probably bore you, to be honest."

Pamina and Judith shared a look, then turned to Lily and said simultaneously, "Spill."

And Lily did so, on that command. She told them how she found herself liking it when his hand brushed against hers – how they could talk about any topic – how ridiculously soppy it was, but it couldn't be helped, that she felt safe when his arm was around her. Lily shared as much as she felt she could, (some things ought to remain private, after all) – and Judith and Pamina added their own comments as she narrated…often punctuated with many an "aww" and "I told you so."

All in all, the girls spent the greater part of the night talking and not sleeping.