Chapter 3:

Love is in the air.

"Hey Lily." He shoved through the crowd, trying to get to the redheaded seventh year. "Lily!"
She turned her head, to see Remus, looking dishevelled and tired.
"Remus?"
"Are you headed to the library? I need your help." She nodded and the pair walked towards the library in silence. Finding a seat, Lily looked at Remus, who stared back at her.
"Um… so what did you want to talk about?" She asked tentatively.
"Oh right! Well you see Lily, I need your advice," Lily nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I have a girlfriend, and I don't know what to do. And since you know her really well, I thought you could help." Lily stared blankly at him.
"You - you have a girlfriend?" Lily asked him, not quite believing.
"Yes, um it's Dorcas." Rems added. Lily stared. Dorcas, Lily's best friend was dating Remus Lupin.
"Oh my Merlin! That's so cute. FINALLY!" Remus was shocked by her sudden shrieks. "You guys are so adorable. I'm so happy for you!" Lily ran around the table and pulled Remus into a rib cracking hug.
"Lily, I can't breathe." Remus choked. "I just wanted to know if there's anything I should know about her." Remus concluded.
"Nothing about her, but I want you to know that if you break her heart, I will rip off your testicles." Lily said seriously.
Remus nodded but Lily could see a slight shudder in his body. He got up and left the library, his bag swinging over his shoulder laden with large textbooks.

James woke up, his stomach flipping over repeatedly. This was the first Quidditch match of the season and his team wasn't ready yet. He, Marlene and Sirius were good of course, but the rest of the team were a flop. The two beaters kept knocking other players of the team off their brooms, which meant that the training sessions had to be postponed due to lack of players. Sighing, he rolled over and fell out of bed, ready to get dressed and have a shower.
Finally dressed in his Quidditch robes, he walked out of the dorm, not prepared for Lily to be there. She was about to knock on his door and still had her fist ready and outstretched.
"Oh, hi James." She began awkwardly. She shifted uncomfortably where she was standing. "I'm not going to the match but I just want to say…"
"Yes…?" James asked with anticipation.
"Good luck James. I know the team… well they sort of suck but, you'll do great." With that, she flicked her head around, red hair flying. James leant against the wall, watching from up high, her slim figure leaving the common room. He quickly rushed back to his dorm, snatched up the map and exited again.

Outside, he searched for her dot, and found her on his level, two corridors away. He quickened his pace, ready to talk to her again. Turning into her corridor, he looked down, to an empty corridor. He checked the map again, and found in one of the classrooms. He saw more names around her and recognised them as names he never wanted to see again.
"Snape, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy…" The list continued, and he only finished reading it when he heard a scream echo from one of the rooms.

Racing into it, he saw Lily levitated shrieking in pain, and squirming. Avery was standing, chuckling with everyone else, his wand held aloft. Whipping out his wand he shot curse after curse at the death eaters, making his presence known. Avery got distracted and Lily fell to the ground, with a deafening crunch. She fell unconscious, as bright spells were shot around the classroom, rebounding off windows and boards. James had managed to stupefy two death eaters and was now focusing on the rest of them. Petrifying Snape, the rest of the Slytherins decided to leave, not wanting to alert any teachers. James fell to his knees next to Lily, scooping her up in his arms.
"Lily, come back Lily, don't die. You'll be okay." James started muttering under his breath. Lily's eyes fluttered open and she looked at James.
"James? What happened?" Lily looked around and stared blankly at the bodies of the Slytherins and Snape.
"Don't worry Lily everything's fine, where are you hurt?" James asked.
"Everywhere." Lily moaned.
"So you can't move?" James tried to prop her up on his knee but this only resulted in her screaming in pain again. He dug around in his pocket for a second and pulled out his mirror, yelling Sirius's name into it. His black hair and handsome features popped up soon and James was speaking too quickly for him to hear properly.
"So you want me to go and get McGonagall and come down to the fifth corridor?" Sirius confirmed. "Alright! On my way." He disconnected and James was left to rock Lily in his arms, her having passed out again. It was half an hour later when the flustered teacher and James's best friend burst through the door of the classroom.
"Oh my…" McGonagall was clutching her chest, her hand on her chest. She recovered and conjured up a stretcher, levitating Lily onto it painlessly. James stood by Sirius and followed the stretcher out the door and all the way to the hospital wing, where he grabbed a chair and watched Madam Pomfrey heal Lily, best she could. As the night wore on, James stayed by Lily. He watched her, his eyelids drooping but never closing.
Finally as dawn was approaching, Lily woke up and was shocked to see James there, his hands resting on her bed.
"Lily!" James yelped.
"Shhh James, other people are here too. What are you doing?" Lily asked resting her head more comfortably on her pillow.
"I stayed here all night waiting for you to wake up."
"Why? Why would you do that James?" Lily pleaded.
"Because… well Lily because I love you." Lily's eyes widened but she didn't say anything. " No matter whatever you say to me, or how much you drool when you sleep," Lily awkwardly wiped her mouth quickly. "you are the most stunning, beautiful girl I have ever seen and I love you." James was waiting for her to say something and when she never did, he gloomily rested his heads on his hands again.
"James," Lily began tentatively. "we've been friends for a while and I don't want to break our friendship by saying this stupid, stupid thing," James was getting nervous now but wanted Lily to continue. "but the truth is, I love you too." Lily smiled pathetically. James just stared at her for a minute, processing the words that she just uttered.
"You love me too?" James muttered.
"Yes." Lily hadn't been expecting him to leap onto her, pulling her into a hug, which lifted her slightly out of her bed sheets. "James you're killing me. Literally, I still really hurt."
"Sorry Lily. Er- go out with me?"
"Oh Merlin Potter you are so hopeless. Of course" Lily grasped James' sweaty hand and they held on until they fell asleep.