A/N: I loved writing this chapter. Personally, I think it's much better than the last one, although I have some doubts about the last part. Lily has an epiphany in this chapter, one that might make some of you happy. However, it's not all going to work out quite yet.
A quick note to a reviewer who said last chapter was a bit short-my chapters always end up being around six pages, for some reason. (Bonus-this one's nearly eight!) I agree that they are a bit short, so I'm going to work on increasing my chapter length by a few pages. We'll see how that works out...
Anyway, thank you for the reviews and enjoy!

Chapter 9

The next morning, as I curled my hair, did my makeup, and picked out my clothes, I wished Marlene was there to help me get ready.

Little, unimportant things like that made me miss her more.

I pushed that thought to the back of my mind, told myself I would write her after patrols, and went down to breakfast.

I saw Remus sitting alone at the Gryffindor table and slid onto the bench beside him. "Good morning, Remus."

He didn't reply, too busy staring down at his copy of the Daily Prophet. I tugged the paper out of his hands and read the headline.

The Werewolf Registration Act: Will It Come Back to Bite the Ministry?

The Werewolf Registration Act requires all werewolves to register with the Ministry, and, oncethey come of age, submit to a tracking charm. The Act was highly controversial among supporters of werewolf rights. Others fear this Act could be dangerous, ending in werewolf retaliation, as many werewolves have joined the dark side. (Continued on page 6)

The paper ripped and I suddenly realized I was gripping the edges for dear life. "A tracking charm?" I heard myself all but yell. "That's infringing on your personal rights!"

"Shh! And I gave up my 'personal rights' when I became a dark creature," Remus muttered.

I stared at the boy, horrified. "You're not a dark creature!"

"Yes, Lily, I am. Go look it up in the library. I should be under 'W'." He pulled the torn paper from my hands and folded it neatly, standing. "I'm going back to my dorm."

I grabbed his arm. "Remus, you're not a dark creature. You just got bitten by one. You've never bitten anyone, have you?"

His eyes darkened and a muscle in his jaw twitched slightly. "Almost," he said shortly.

Surprised as I was by his admission, I continued. "And they're working on potions that will help you-in a few years, you could be cured."

He sighed tiredly. "Look, Lily, I'm glad you can treat me like a normal human being, but most of the world can't. Here at school it's been amazing-I have friends. You; James, Sirius, Peter-they've done more for me than anyone could ever imagine. But when we graduate...you all will be searching for jobs, you'll get married eventually, maybe have kids. I can't have any of that."

My heart very nearly broke for the weary, vulnerable boy in front of me, his life made so complicated through no fault of his own. I hugged him tightly. "Don't worry about tomorrow, Remus," I said. "There's enough to think about today."

"Yeah," he said, squeezing me back for a moment. He drew back and gave a wry smile. "Like how James and I may end up dragging Peter and possibly Sirius back to the castle after they've gotten smashed on Firewhiskey this afternoon"

I frowned disapprovingly. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Wormtail's a bit of a lightweight and Sirius makes a point of getting drunk once a month."

"You can tell Sirius that if he doesn't enjoy his firewhiskey in moderation I'll be after his hide," I declared in my best Head Girl voice.

"Tell him yourself." Remus gestured to the approaching James and Sirius. The former had a grumpy, brooding expression on his face, while the latter was saying something quietly and slapping him on the back.

"Hey, Lily!" Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jerked my gaze away from the two black-headed boys and turned to see Everett.

"Uh...hi, Everett. How are you?" I asked politely.

"Great," he answered cheerfully. "I was wondering...would you possibly like to go to Hogsmeade early? We could visit Honeydukes' and the like before lunch."

He sounded so hopeful, I couldn't say no. "All right. You can wait over by the entrance...I'll be there in just a moment." Not deterred in the least by my pointed dismissal, he trotted over to the doorway.

I unfolded Remus' torn paper and shoved it in James' and Sirius' faces. Their eyes widened as they took in the words.

"This is Bullshit," Sirius snarled. "Tracking charms? How is that legal?"

"They don't consider werewolves people," James said darkly, "so it's not considered an infringement on a person's rights, I suppose." He glanced over at me for the first time. "Gilchrist looks like he's just about to wet himself over there."

I glared at him. "James, I don't know what your problem is, but I don't see why you're taking it out on me."

He ignored me and reached for the toast. I glanced at Sirius, who shook his head slightly.

"I'll see you at dinner, then," I said, irritated and upset at James. "Have a lovely time drinking yourselves into oblivion."

I hurried across the hall to Everett and we left for Hogsmeade.

"I had a good time, Lily," Everett said, smiling at me.

"I did too," I answered, honestly enough.

He hesitated for a moment then started moving closer to me. I wondered if he would really try to kiss me on the first date. He answered my question when his hand found my lower back and pulled me flush against him, lips seeking mine.

While I was not really one for snogging on the first date-and snogging was undoubtedly what Everett was going for-I returned the kiss, albeit rather uncomfortably.

It wasn't really terrible. Everett, I supposed, was a good enough kisser. I just felt like something was missing. Never really a romantic, I didn't expect sparks, but I did expect there to be some sort of heat-even if it was more along the lines of desire than sparks. And why was I thinking about James?

Besides, no one should be able to analyze a kiss while the kiss itself is happening. Nor should they be thinking about another boy. A good kiss should impair brain function.

A moment later he broke away, looking even more cheerful. "So..."

Oh no. I knew what was coming.

"...would you like to do this again sometime?"

I closed my eyes briefly, gathering my Gryffindor courage, and regretting the kiss-talk about mixed messages. "I had a really good time today, Everett," I said as earnestly as I could. "But I think we may be more compatible as friends. Besides, I don't think relationships are a good idea during NEWTs year."

"Oh," he said a bit blankly. "That's fine, of course. Just thought I'd ask. See you later, Lily."

"Bye," I said, feeling rather bad as I observed his drooping shoulders. When he had disappeared, I ducked into the Gryffindor common room.

I glanced around the room, nearly empty but for a few younger kids scattered around playing chess and exploding snap, and spotted Sirius lounging alone by the fire.

I crossed the room and plopped down beside him. "Hey."

He looked up. "Hey, Lils. How was your date?"

"Lils?" I asked, laughing.

He grinned. "Everyone needs a nickname."

"It was okay, I guess." I began braiding the tassels on the edge of the rug.

He watched me silently.

"Sirius...have you ever felt sparks when you kissed someone?" I asked a moment later.

He laughed. "Never would have pegged you as the hopeless romantic type, Lily."

"I am not," I protested.

"Believe what you like. But to answer your question, I have."

I looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, James set me on fire one time when he walked in on me snogging someone in our dorm. Forgot to lock the door."

I snorted. "I'm not sure why I even asked."

I started to get up and head up to my dormitory when he tugged me back down. "Why did you ask?'

"It's rather silly, actually," I began, flushing slightly. "My date set me thinking. I've been on quite a few dates to Hogsmeade, but I've never clicked with anyone. It's been awkward, boring, even fun, but I've never really liked any of them as more than a friend. I might have had a crush on them before the date, but afterwards, I discovered I didn't like them very well, or they weren't someone I could love...or...I don't know! I'm confused."

"You'll find someone you 'click' with, as you put it, someday," Sirius reassured me. "The world is much bigger than Hogwarts, you know. There's no rush, is there?"

"No rush," I agreed, sighing. "Wait, why aren't you drunk?" I wondered suddenly.

Sirius shot me a look. "I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me, Lily."

I blushed. "Sorry. Just, Remus said..."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, he did, did he. Well, I usually would be...but when we go drinking, two of us have to stay sober."

I raised my eyebrows in question.

"To drag the two drunk ones back," he elaborated.

"Wait, Remus got drunk?" I asked curiously.

He snorted. "No, 'course not. He only gets drunk on very, very special occasions."

Suddenly it occured to me. "James?" I asked angrily. "He can't do that! He's Head Boy! He could lose his badge...and over such a stupid reason. And speaking of him and bad behavior, why has he been such a prat today?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe you should go talk to him," he suggested.

"He doesn't seem to want to talk to me," I said, upset that James was suddenly angry at me for no reason.

"Will you please just talk to him?"

"You're his best mate," I protested.

Sirius gave me a strange look. "Don't underestimate what you mean to him, Lily. Besides, I can't fix this."

"Why not?" I huffed. And boys thought girls were confusing.

Sirius ground the heel of his hand into his forehead. "Just talk to him," he pleaded.

"Fine," I answered, standing and starting towards the stairs.

I climbed the steps slowly and stared at the door of the seventh year boys' dorm. Finally, I pushed it open and made my way to James' bed. His curtains were pulled shut. I yanked them open.

A fully dressed James was sprawled across the bed on his stomach, face buried in the pillows.

"Go away, Sirius."

"I'm not Sirius," I said.

The head raised and he squinted at me. "Er-Lily?" Then, "Where are my glasses?"

I wordlessly handed him his spectacles off the bedside table and he sat up and settled them crookedly on his nose.

His brows were drawn together, forming an adorable crease, and he was biting his lip worriedly. "I've been a bit of an arse today, Lily," he said gravely.

I almost laughed at his expression and tone of voice.

"I was just... feeling off."

Obviously this wasn't the whole truth, but I decided not to press him.

"I'm sorry," he concluded.

I grinned. He was awfully cute when he was worried. "It's okay, James. We all have our off days. Would you like to visit the Kitchens with me before we have patrol?" I decided it would be best to simply ignore the drunk-head-boy-fiasco.

He sighed, looking relieved. "Sure, sure."

He straightened out his robes and grabbed his Head Boy badge and the Map from under his bed.

"To the Kitchens, then," I said, leading the way out of the dorm.

"So, how was your...date?" He asked as we left the common room, half-swallowing the last word.

I glanced sideways at him. "Not great. I gave him the dreaded, cliche, 'let's be friends' speech."

"So you aren't going out?"

"No. Guess I haven't found my Prince Charming yet," I joked.

"Who?"

"Muggle reference," I replied, shaking my head and laughing a little.

"I'm sure you'll find this Charming person eventually, whoever he is," he laughed, eyes twinkling down at me.

Out of the blue, I felt a strong urge to lean up on my tiptoes, wrap my arms around his neck, and press my lips to his. The idea seemed perfectly natural and rather appealing. In fact, I thought there might very possibly be sparks.

I mentally slapped myself. What on earth was I doing?

"Uh, Lily?"

"Yes?" My voice had jumped a few octaves and I could feel my cheeks flaming a bright red. Had I really just fantasized about kissing James? Granted, he was a highly attractive male, but still-friendship had its boundaries.

"Oh, you just kind of zoned out...are you okay?" He sounded concerned.

"Fine." My voice refused to return to normal.

"You're really flushed," he said doubtfully. "Do you feel sick?"

"No, no, I'm fine," I insisted. "Just, uh, hungry."

"Right," he said, obviously doubting the truth of this statement.

I remained flustered throughout our little dinner in the kitchens and part of patrols. James kept attempting to make conversation and finally asked me straight out about my distraction.

"You seem distracted. Do you want to talk about anything, Lily?"

"We're leaving school in eight months," I blurted out, feeling suddenly panicked about that fact, and forgetting that this wasn't even what had been bothering me.

"Yes, I suppose we are," he said, sounding surprised. "Is that what's bothering you?"

I thought for a moment. Leaving school wasn't what I was afraid of-it was all the things that would inevitably follow. I didn't want to lose contact with any of my friends after school, as we moved on with our lives, took the final step into adulthood. I wanted all my friends to stay securely in my life: Alice, Marlene, the Marauders-but especially James.

I couldn't quite imagine life without James.

Nor could I understand why he was so very important to me all of a sudden.

Yes, we had become close friends over the past few months, but something had changed. I was terrified by the fact that, after school, we might drift apart. After all, I did not have the seven-year bond with James that Sirius and the other Marauders did.

And strangely, I was worried. Worried that I wouldn't have James anymore. Worried that I felt so strongly about that fact, and most of all, worried that he didn't share my feelings.

But what were my feelings?

Somehow, I felt that they had crossed the line of friendship and drifted into dangerous territory.

Because, unless I was quite mistaken, I loved James Potter.

In a completely crazy, non-platonic way.

If Lily's 'falling' seems a bit quick for some of you...well, I think she's been falling in love with James since the beginning of this story-she just didn't realize it yet. This is an important chapter, though, with a very big milestone, so I would appreciate if you would review and tell me what you thought about it.