See, told you I'd put it up soon, true to my word! This one's a bit longer than the last.

To Messrs Padfoot and Prongs: thanks for the kind review! I was dreading a terrible one for my first chapter, you've successfully boosted my self esteem!

Anyway, enough from me! Read on!

Chapter Two: Seventh Year Secrets

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing. I will pretend I do.

Seven years later…James' P.O.V.

"JAMES POTTER!!!"

"Oh no, not again" I quickly duck through the Gryffindor portrait hole and dive onto the couch, sprawling myself out to make it appear as though I have been there the entire time. Moments later, Lily Evans storms into the room.

"Why do you have to keep doing that to Severus? You know I hate it. Your other pranks, I can deal with, but…"

"Oh, come on, Lily, I've been in here all afternoon! Haven't I, Sirius?" But she doesn't fall for it. Well, I'm sure no one would. Except perhaps that idiot Snape.

"Sirius, there's no point sticking up for him, I KNOW it was him."

"Nah, he's been here the whole time, Lils, I swear!" But the twinkle in his eye gave him away – damn him!

Lily tries to keep from smiling, and lunges at Sirius, ignoring me, still sprawled on top of the couch. She grabs a handful of Sirius' precious hair.

"Yow!!! My hair! You evil woman, let go!"

"Not until you admit it was James!"

"It wasn't James!"

"Okay, until you admit it was James AND you then".

"Oh, well, when you put it that way…"

"Why do you get so angry when it's me, but when it's Sirius, you couldn't care less?" I asked Lily sulkily.

Lily rolls her eyes. I know why. I'm the instigator of the pranks against Snape, everyone knows how much I hate him. It was only because he had been Lily's friend. I had been jealous, obviously she knew that. And even though they weren't friends anymore, I still feel the need to do it. I don't really know why I keep pranking Snape. It's not like I'm that mean to anyone else, Lily knows that too...

He'd liked her for years, he couldn't remember when it started, but it was probably on that train ride the first time they'd been to Hogwarts. She'd ignored him the whole time, of course, but he'd felt awful when that chocolate frog went up her robes. And of course, he'd tried to get it out. After a brief period of utter hatred, she'd come around. In fact, James could have sworn she'd had a thing for him at one point. But then it seemed to disappear and they were no more than friends. He kept asking her out, and he got the feeling she didn't mind all that much, but she never said yes. She used Snape as an excuse, but he couldn't help thinking there wasn't at least something more to it.

Watching Lily and Sirius bickering, James felt a little jealous. They were both good friends with him, but lately he got the feeling he was being left out just a little bit.

"Sirius, don't make me punch you!" Lily glared at him, struggling to free herself as he lifted her off the floor with one arm.

"You wouldn't!" Sirius putting his free hand to his heart, a look of feigned shock upon his face.

"No, you're right, it'd only make you lose a few more brain cells, we wouldn't want you getting even LOWER marks would we?"

"Hey! I beat you in the last Transfiguration test!"

"Yeah, dunno how that happened."

"It's called genius, Lily. Pure genius. And you're looking at it right here." Sirius put her down and lifted his head proudly. Lily grinned.

"Sure you don't mean pure – "

James got up, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up, both of you, I'm going to go somewhere I can concentrate. Lily, don't wait up for me, I'll be in my room." And he ducked out of the portrait hole.

Lily gave Sirius a concerned glance. "What's up with him?"

Sirius just shrugged. "I'm sure he's just stressed about the N.E.W.T.s and everything. Anyway, where were we?" And he grabbed her long red hair and began to make loud chopping noises.

Outside the portrait hole, James could hear Lily and Sirius laughing and screaming at each other. He sighed. He didn't know quite what had gone on with him lately. He just knew that he would rather it be him in there with one of them.

"Cut it out, James, they're friends too, you're being a nob," he muttered.

"Who's being a nob?" Remus asked as he passed James to get into the common room.

"You!" James grinned.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Someone needs some sleep I think."

James was lying in his bed, staring at the blank ceiling above him, when he heard a light knock on the door. Lily.

"Can I come in, James?"

"Mmph."

She opened the door quietly and turned on the light, accidentally tripping over his discarded boxers and slamming the door shut with a loud BANG.

"Ah, sorry! You were already awake anyway though," she grinned, but then suddenly replaced it with a serious expression. "So, what was up with you earlier? It's not like you to be all studious."

"Oh, nothing, I'm just not in the best of moods at the moment," he shrugged, trying to give what he thought was a convincing smile, sitting up slightly.

"Oh, okay. Sirius thought you were stressed about N.E.W.T.s..."

They both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Lily smiled at him.

"Well, at least we know you're not going insane or anything."

Lily and James had been elected Head Boy and Girl for their seventh year. No one had been surprised at Lily. She was popular in the way that everyone genuinely liked her, and although she wasn't the smartest at everything she gave her best shot and was always willing to lend anyone a hand. James Potter, on the other hand, was more of a surprise. He was popular and funny, and smart without really trying all that hard, but he always seemed to be in trouble. He never willingly tried to hurt anyone (the incidents with Snape were, of course, exceptions), but it was popular belief that Dumbledore would choose someone more...responsible, like Remus, to be Head Boy. But, it seemed Dumbledore had chosen well. Lily and James were good friends, and worked well together. They could often be heard arguing loudly in the corridors, but that was either after James had hexed Snape, or asked Lily out. He did one of those things at least once every day, so their fighting was a regular occurrence. But they didn't last long, and neither could think of a better person they could share the position with.

Lily sat on the end of James' bed.

"What do you want to do after this year?" She asked. "I mean, do you have any idea at all?"

James shrugged. He did that a lot. "No idea really. I mean, obviously if I got the chance, I'd do something with Quidditch, but the chances aren't great, so I've got to have something else up my sleeve."

"Hmm, yeah."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's just, well, I'm not particularly...great at anything, apart from Charms. I don't really know what I could do."

"Lils, seriously, you could do anything. You work really hard, there are heaps of jobs that require dedication and hard work. And you say you're not great at anything...you're smarter than most people here. You just have really high standards. Sometimes I don't think you realise that you're actually a lot better than you think you are."

Lily smiled. "Thanks James."

He felt himself blushing slightly. She always made him do that. Why did he always feel the need to compliment her? Because you like her, said a voice in his head. Of course I do, but she doesn't like me, so it just makes you look like an idiot.

"You know," Lily began, "I think...well, I'm glad Dumbledore chose you to work with me. I mean, I wouldn't have minded Remus of course, I was a bit surprised when it was you! But I think he made a good choice." Now she turned slightly red. James raised his eyebrow at her.

"Are you saying that moi, the one and only James Potter, makes the perfect head boy?"

"Well, maybe not PERFECT, there are some things we need to work on, like your unruly hair..." She ruffled it playfully.

"Oi! You're ruining the look!"

"It looks the same to me" said Lily dubiously. "Like you've just got out of bed!"

"That's what it's MEANT to look like," he said, mussing it back into place, or rather, out of place.

"So, what else do I need to improve on?"

"Well, let's see. Perhaps you could stop hexing every Slytherin you happen to see in the corridor!" Lily pointed out.

"It's only Snape, and -"

"James, you know it's unreasonable. And, I know he's not anymore, but he WAS my friend. And it's not fair to do that, really it's not."

James sighed. "I know. I don't know why I do it."

"It makes me angry James, sometimes I think you do it just to annoy me."

"I don't mean to! Honestly, I just couldn't stand it when he called you a mudblood..."

"What? How many years ago now? I'm over it! You should be too!"

"But...I'm not over you..." James whispered. Oops, probably shouldn't have brought this up again, she's gonna have another yelling fit. But Lily just looked at him sadly.

"James, how many times have we been over this? I won't...I can't go out with you." She looked almost sorry that she couldn't.

James thought it would be best to let the matter drop, but the look in her eye made him want to find out more.

"But, you're never actually explained to me why you won't...can't."

And Lily's mind went back two years ago, as it did every time James asked her to go out with him...

The handsome, dark-haired boy sat on the stairs alone, his head in his hands. Breathing in deeply, he moved his fingers through his long hair out of habit. A movement at the bottom of the stairs made him jump.

"Sirius? I know it's you," a voice called.

"I'm okay, I just...don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Sirius, you owe me an explanation," the girl persisted. As she came into the light, her long red hair tossed behind her, she looked at him with sympathy.

"Sirius, I just don't...I don't understand why you wouldn't want me to go out with him. I mean, he's your best friend...and you, you don't have feelings for me, I know that..."

Sirius swallowed hard. He had been dreading this conversation.

"Lily, I'm really sorry, I honestly don't know what came over me. I think I'm just being overprotective."

"Of who? Me?"

"No...you don't exactly...need protecting."

"Then who? James?"

"Well, no...I don't know, Lily, don't ask me to explain, I just...go out with him, okay? You don't need my permission to go out with anyone."

"I don't want your permission, Sirius. But I'd like your approval, at least."

Sirius paused for what seemed like an eternity. Lily sat down beside him, knowing that he'd come out with it eventually. He was her best friend, well, James' too, but they told each other everything.

"I'm known pretty much as the playboy of the school, aren't I?" He whispered. Lily shrugged.

"Oh, come on, you know it's true."

"Okay, so you are."

"Mmm, that's the thing. I'm not sure I really like it so much."

Lily raised an eyebrow. Sirius was planning on settling down his wild ways? Never.

"So, what does this have to do with me and James? You want to stop being such a playboy..."

"But I'm not, Lily. They're all rumours. Every single one."

"But...I've seen you..."

"You've seen what I've wanted you to see."

"So...you're saying you've never actually slept with a girl before?"

"Well, no, I have, and you have seen me...with them."

"Right. Sirius...I'm not really sure what you're trying to say."

Sirius took a deep breath, burying his face in his hands. After a while, he lifted his head and turned to Lily, who was looking at him with intense concern.

"Lily, I...I'm in love with James..."

Lily looked over at James on the bed. She reached over and took his hand in her own.

"James, I know you probably think I'm leading you on and everything...I'm really sorry, I am. I just...really like you, but not in that way. You're a great friend, and I don't want to ruin that by making it anything more."

As she hugged him, feeling the familiar tingling sensation traveling down her spine, she knew that wasn't true. But she couldn't get involved with him. It would break Sirius' heart.

Okay, I hope you don't think that's completely lame. Don't worry, this is not a slash, I'm totally not into that, I just really hate the idea of Lily and James bickering constantly over nothing, I wanted there to be a reason why they didn't get together for ages, that's all. And I always wanted to know why Sirius never seemed to have any romantic involvement in the books. I'm sure J.K. Rowling's version isn't this, but it's my version!

Anyway, review! And give me ideas for what can happen. At the moment, I have a general idea in mind, obviously James and Lily get together in the end. Anna will be back, and she's not the little frowning bitch she was in the first chapter, don't worry. And more characters come along. I haven't had much Remus so far, so he'll be in the next chapter hopefully. Anyway, tell me what you think please! This is my first fanfic so I need ideas:)