"You! You know who Lily Evans is, right?" James looked at the small second year girl.

She nodded, looking at him with adoration in her eyes. The James Potter was speaking to her! Wait until all the others heard about it!

"Go tell her to bring me my broom this bloody instant!" He nearly shouted before remembering his manners. "Please."

The girl smiled as she looked at his trademark grin. He was James Potter and he was asking her to do him a favor. Classes could wait. She galloped up the stairs to find Lily Evans.

She didn't have to look very far. Lily was sitting cross-legged upon her bed in the seventh year girls' dormitory.

"Can I help you?" Lily asked kindly.

"James Potter asked me to tell you to bring him his broom, please."

"I doubt he said it that nicely. And you can tell him that I'm holding it hostage until he returns the book he stole from me!"

The girl nodded and turned to walk away.

"Thanks," Lily said to her back.

James looked mutinous when he saw that the second year returned without his broom or Lily. "Where the bloody hell is she?"

"She said she's holding it hostage till you return her book?"

"Book? What bloody book?"

"Haven't the slightest idea." The second year shrugged, keeping her eyes on his face.

"She's so bloody unreasonable." James sighed. "The staircase turns to a slide if a bloke tries to go up, right?"

The girl nodded, again.

"Have you a broomstick?"

"No, sorry. Don't play Quidditch."

"What floor is the seventh year girls' dormitory on?" James had a wild look upon his face.

"The fourth…"

"Then I'll have to make a run for it, won't I?" He smiled at her confused look before walking backwards toward the portrait hole. "I'd suggest moving," he said nicely.

She barely moved out of the way when he tore by her in a mad run, dashing up the stairs and taking them three at a time. He was panting by the time he reached the doorway of the dormitory he wanted but it was worth it. He made it.

Without bothering to knock, he walked in.

"Manners, Potter. Lost yours?" Lily said without looking up from her books.

"Yes. I'd ask to borrow yours but I know you lack them." He retorted. "I need my broom."

"Pity. I need my book."

"I haven't got any of your books!"

"Liar! I know Mary lent you that bloody book." Lily glared at him.

"What book?" James looked truly baffled.

"Fine, don't admit. Whatever. Take your bloody broom." Lily pointed to her trunk. "It's in there."

James grinned at her as he went to retrieve his prized possession. "Oh my darling princess broom. Missed you so, I have." He whispered, caressing the smooth wood.

"Are you talking to yourself or the broom, Potter?" Lily looked amused.

"The broom, Evans."

"Such a shame. I suppose I won't have to call St. Mungo's yet. And here I was wishing I'd be rid of you."

"Not yet you won't." He winked at her. It was a wink that caught her unaware. She hadn't been expecting it. It was oddly flirtatious and yet somewhat serious. It was a wink of promise.

Lily shook her head. She wasn't used to overanalyzing anything that dealt with James Potter.

"So what are you up to?" He asked, seating himself on the edge of her bed.

"Studying… what are you doing, James?" She looked at him perched upon her bed. Who did he think he was?!?

"'James'?" James smiled slightly.

"Potter," she corrected before berating herself silently. Drat that stupid wink! And then him sitting on her bed. It had all gone to her head. Momentary weakness.

"Oh no, no way. Now that you've called me 'James' it's here to stay."

Lily sighed. "I suppose you're going to ask to call me 'Lily' now, aren't you?"

"Au contraire, mademoiselle. I'm not going to ask." He grinned at her.

Lily didn't reply. She tried to engross herself in her studies but every sentence she read flew out of her head and her eyes kept flitting up towards him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked after about five minutes of silence.

"Sitting, Lily. That doesn't disturb you, does it?" James answered innocently.

"Why are you still here?"

"Why, I'm hurt. Here I am just minding my own business and you're sitting here asking me why I'm still here? Oh I'm very, very hurt."

"You know what I mean, Potter."

"No. And no going back to surnames. We've made the leap, we're friends now." James looked at her. "Aren't we?"

The look in his eyes was completely astonishing. His eyes were staring at hers with a hint of worry, a fear of rejection. There was no possible way for her to hurt those eyes, even if she wanted to.

"Yes, I suppose we're friends," she paused, "James."

James strove to make sure his true emotions wouldn't betray him. She couldn't know that this was all helping him win her, someday. At least he hoped it was. But he was content to hear his name spoken from her lips.

He replied lightheartedly, pretending not to feel anything but a little happiness. "Glad it's settled. Now I'll answer your question. I'm here because the staircase has turned to a slide and I haven't got much of a desire to draw attention to the fact that I came to your room. I figured you wouldn't want many people to know."

Lily rewarded his thoughtfulness with a smile. "Thanks, James."

"No problem, Lily."

They sat in silence for a bit, each contemplating the unique situation they were in.

James thought of his joy at being in the same room as Lily without her yelling at him or wishing him dead. In fact, she was even content with him there. She was calling him by his first name; he had retrieved his precious broom; it was a good day.

Lily was thinking about how awkward it would be to explain this situation to anyone who entered. James Potter was seated quite comfortably at the foot of her bed, leafing through some of her magazines. Mary would simply laugh and further accuse her of playing hard to get. Marlene wouldn't say anything; she'd smile knowingly but keep her silence. Neala Waters would be annoyed and nosy, begging Lily to tell her if James Potter had said anything about her. Lily's fourth roommate, Kyna McMillian, wouldn't notice. Kyna was the kind of girl who didn't really care. She could walk past Dumbledore and McGonagall snogging, not that that was something Lily even wanted to imagine, and not notice it!

"So Lily, I've been meaning to ask you… what happened between you and Sniv… I mean Severus Snape?" James said conversationally.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him a bit surprised.

"Well you two were thick as thieves the first few years here. And then fifth year you stopped being friends or something? Did you have a falling out?" James laid himself across the foot of her bed, facing her. "Cos if so, you could fix it."

"Are you advocating friendship with a Slytherin?" Lily asked in a mocking tone.

"Yep, suppose I am."

"Are you ill? Taken a fall upon your head?"

James laughed. "No, no falls or illness. I've just noticed."

"Well it really wasn't a falling out. We just… drifted. And then him calling me that… that word didn't help much."

"You mean back in fifth year? But Mary told me he apologized later."

"Yes, he did. But it was still there. Laugh if you'd like but our last conversation was about you." Lily smiled ironically.

"Me?" James looked so confused.

"Well we sort of fell out about you a while back. Severus is convinced that… oh never mind, it's a silly theory. But we argued about you and the other Marauders. About you saving his neck and then fancying me. I kind of defended you. Of course I insulted you later on but it was still me defending you, whom he hates, and arguing about his friends."

"What'd you say about me?"

Lily laughed. "Ever the arrogant, huh James? But it doesn't matter. This won't go to your head, much. I only said that you didn't practice Dark Arts and weren't evil. But I did say that you were an arrogant toerag."

"Interesting use of adjectives. What was Snape's response?"

"He didn't really hear the rest. I think he focused on me insulting you and left rather happy. And then there was the whole… scene. After O.W.L.s, remember? We argued that night."

"You should work it out, still." James spoke firmly. "He's had a hard time and it's not his fault. His dad's a bit… off."

Lily nodded. "I know. Trust me, I know. But that doesn't make it right. Besides, I didn't like his mates much."

"But he's not too bad, you know that, right?" James had no idea why he was pleading Severus Snape's case to Lily Evans but he was. His mother, in an attempt to calm his hatred, had sat down with him one afternoon and told him exactly what Severus Snape faced when he went home. After hearing that, it was no surprise that Snape had turned out the way he did. His home life was practically as bad as Sirius's! Of course that wasn't much of a reason to act the way he did, he could have changed, but no. It wasn't completely his fault.

Lily shrugged. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore but friendship with Snape wasn't it. He'd changed from the past. Altered and immersed himself in the Dark Arts. And she wanted no part of it.

James let the subject fall. Plucking absentmindedly at the covers upon Lily's bed, he spoke again. "So since we're on the bad subject topic today, would you mind if I asked you a question?"

"As long as you're not asking me out." Lily covered her mouth with her hand. Those words had shot out of her mouth, practically of their own free will. She felt bad for the venom that they carried.

He laughed it off. "No, no. Definitely not asking you out. I'm only asking why you so strongly despised me?"

Lily opened her mouth. Her reply was prepared. But then, slowly, the door to the dormitory opened. Mary, Marlene, Neala, and Kyna all walked in together, taking in the sight of James Potter lying across the foot of Lily's bed.

"Hullo ladies," he said from his position. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Quite lovely. Though you wouldn't know since you're shut up in the dorms." Mary replied with a wicked smile.

"Have any of you seen the others?" He asked.

"They're in the library." Marlene supplied, sitting down upon her own bed.

"The library? Are you sure?" James gasped.

"Yes, I'm sure. I was just down there."

"Sirius too?"

"Sirius too."

James sat up. This meant that the Marauders were in the stages of planning a prank. And they hadn't even told him? How insulting.

"We'll continue the conversation later, right Lily?" He smiled at her hopefully as he clambered off her bed.

Lily couldn't help smiling back. "Sure we will, James."

He walked out of the room a happy man, oblivious to the screeches that were erupting in the room he had just vacated.

"'Lily?' 'James?'" Mary mimicked. "When's the wedding?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "We're friends now… sort of."

"Oh la la." Mary grinned at her. "I demand to be a bridesmaid."

"At what wedding?" Lily asked innocently.

"Yours. To James Potter."

"You're off your rocker, Mary darling. How much has Sirius given you to drink?"

"I'm not, Lily. Mark my words. You'll marry him."

"Oh no she won't!" Neala cried out.

"What do you mean?" Mary looked at her surprised.

"James Potter doesn't fancy her anymore. Haven't you heard?" Neala smiled. "Peter Pettigrew told me that James doesn't fancy her at all. He fancies some new girl, though Peter doesn't know who."

"He just randomly told you this?" Mary raised her eyebrows at Neala. "Seems rather dodgy, doesn't it?"

Neala shook her head. "He told me in secret, of course. He accidentally let it slip that James didn't fancy Lily anymore but refused emphatically to tell me who he did fancy."

"I don't believe you. Or rather, I don't believe Peter Pettigrew. He's always been a bit dotty. I think he's wrong." Mary replied obstinately. "James and Lily are meant to be. It's practically written in the stars. In fact, I'll ask at our next Divination lesson if it's up there."

Marlene hadn't been paying to the attention to the conversation. Instead she was studying the very solemn, very pale face of Lily Evans.