a/n-We're just going to ignore the fact that it's been nine months and one day since I updated this story, ok? We're also going to ignore the fact that when I realized it's been so long and I went looking for this story on my computer, I discovered that this chapter was started about nine months ago. Sorry for the long wait. I'm thinking this story is definitely going to be ending soon. Hope you like the chapter!

disclaimer-Not my characters.

Chapter Eleven

Lily collapsed onto her bed after dinner with a small groan. The pleasant happiness she had felt that morning as she left the Charms classroom had long since faded, and right now the only thing she wanted to do was fall asleep and not wake up until July, when the school year was long over.

"Long day?" A voice asked from across the room.

Lily sat up to see Mary sitting on her bed with her homework spread out before her.

"You have no idea." Lily replied, lying back down. "If I never have to have anything to do with school ever again, I'll be the happiest person alive."

"I have a feeling you're going to be saying that every Thursday for the next nine and a half months." Mary replied, trying her best not to laugh. "It's your own fault that you're taking so many classes that the only break you have today is for lunch. But hey, you can skip your homework tonight and go to bed now."

"No I can't." Lily said, sitting back up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I have to go patrol with James."

"James?" Mary questioned, one eyebrow raised. "That's new."

"Honestly Mary," Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm allowed to call a person by his or her first name, you know."

"Yeah, but you calling Potter by his first name is pretty much a sign of the impending apocalypse." Mary replied. "Should I be concerned?"

"Only if you plan on sneaking out of the common room tonight while I'm patrolling." Lily said. "Otherwise, I'm pretty sure that my calling James by his first name is going to end the world."

"Well, it would be nice if it did." Mary said with a sigh. "I really don't want to take that Charms test tomorrow. Or that Ancient Runes one. Oh, or the one I have in Arithmancy."

"It's only the first week of school, still." Lily replied. "Those aren't really tests, Mary. I have to take them, too, you know. They're just to make sure we haven't forgotten anything over the summer because it's N.E.W.T.'s this year."

"Do you think it would be bad if I just didn't take those stupid tests?" Mary asked as Lily began walking towards the door. "I mean, honestly, what's the worst that could happen?"

"You won't get a job." Lily stated, her hand on the doorknob now. She turned back to look at her friend. "Have fun studying, Mary!"

And with another smile, Lily opened the door and made her way back down to the Common Room. She spotted Remus, Sirius, and Peter over by the fire when she entered the room, but James was nowhere in sight, so she headed towards the portrait hole.

"Hey James." Lily said with a smile when she stepped out of the portrait hole to see James leaning casually against the wall. "You're early."

"I promise it'll never happen ever again." James replied. "It's just so…not normal."

Lily just rolled her eyes, but a small smile still lingered across her face as the pair began their patrol. They walked in silence for a few minutes, each left to their own thoughts, when Lily suddenly turned her head to look at James, walking beside her.

"I've been thinking," She began slowly and James was unsure if he should be worried about where that statement was going to end. "And I've come to the conclusion that you have odd friends."

"They aren't that odd." James said with a wave of his hand, relieved at where this conversation seemed to be heading. "And isn't Remus your friend, too?"

"That isn't the matter at hand here." Lily said with a dismissive wave of her own hand. "And they are odd. What was that about ritualistic kitchen raids in class this morning? And your…conversation with Remus today at breakfast? And…" Lily paused momentarily before continuing on, hoping things would go the way she desperately wanted them to. "Well, I had and interesting conversation with Sirius yesterday."

"Oh?" James asked, his attention instantly piqued.

"Yeah." Lily said shortly and without further elaboration.

"What about?" James practically demanded.

"Um…well…you." Lily replied hesitantly, suddenly nervous.

James narrowed his eyes, recalling what his supposed best friend in the entire world had told him the previous morning. "…Sirius said you had a question about homework."

"Sirius lied." Lily said, appalled that anyone would ever think that she, Lily Evans, would ever ask Sirius Black for help with her precious schoolwork. But that really isn't the matter at hand here…

If possible, James narrowed his eyes even more so that they now appeared to be nothing more than thin slits. He, James Potter, had been the topic of a conversation between his best friend and…well…hopefully his future wife, but he didn't want to get too ahead of himself thinking that. Why on earth would they be talking about him?

"Why?" James asked.

"Why did Sirius lie?" Lily asked. Then she shrugged. "Because he can."

"No, why did you and Sirius talk about me?" James amended, a feeling of trepidation rising in his stomach.

Again, Lily shrugged. "It was easier to talk to him than it was to talk to you, I suppose. Besides, I didn't think you'd give me a straight answer about what I wanted to ask…and I'm pretty sure that Sirius gave me the true answer."

"What did you ask? And what did he say." James asked, a bit of intrigue momentarily blocking out the trepidation.

By this time, it was probably safe to say that the two Head students had pretty much abandoned the patrol they were supposed to be on as they were still on the seventh floor and no longer in motion. Although, they had managed to get halfway to the opposite side of the castle from the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I just wanted to know why you've been acting the way you have this year." Lily said. "And Sirius…he said that you really want me to hate you; that's why you kept asking me if I did."

James' eyes widened, most likely in disbelief that Sirius had quite possibly broken the Marauder's code after six years. James wouldn't be certain, however, until he consulted his copy of the code, which was currently sitting at the bottom of his trunk in Gryffindor Tower. Also currently, however, Lily was still standing in front of James and looking as if she expected him to respond in some way to what she was saying.

"Did he really?" James miraculously managed to say in a voice that wasn't a squeak.

"Yeah." Lily said, her brow furrowed as she processed James' reaction and how she should proceed with this conversation from there.

"You know, you really shouldn't believe—"

"I never hated you." Lily said suddenly, cutting James off.

"Erm…what?" James demanded, takenaback.

"I never really hated you hated you." Lily attempted to clarify. "I mean, you definitely annoyed me per second more than everyone else on this planet in a year combined, but that was just frustrating. Hating you would be like…well…if we'd been friends and then you were a complete idiot and…pranked me in front of everyone. But we were never friends before and I never really knew you well, so I've decided it's too hard for me to called what I felt about you pure hatred."

"…Really?" James asked, curious, after a moment's hesitation, not having expected to ever hear any of what Lily had just said.

"Yeah, really." Lily replied, suddenly nervous. She paused again, calming herself with a deep breath before continuing. "And…I hope that doesn't mess up your plans."

"What plans?" James asked, confused now.

Lily just rose an eyebrow at him, somehow amused in her current nerve-wracked state, that he didn't appear to be connecting the dots in this conversation.

"I talked to Sirius yesterday." Lily reminded James. "And he pretty much told me everything—you really should talk to him about keeping secrets for his friends, though in this case it was most helpful."

James nodded, taking a second mental note to re-read his copy of the Marauder's Code after patrol. "But what else did he say that makes you think you're going to mess up some plans of mine?" He asked.

"He told me that you want me to hate you, because it's feeling some sort of emotion towards you." Lily said. "But as I've already said, I recently decided that I never hated you."

"Oh…" Was all James could say, a bit downcast. While he admittedly had rather recently abandoned his idea of getting Lily to love him by hating him first, he had rather been hoping it would work in at least a tiny way. Although, if he really took the time to think about it, it had worked, in a way. Lily never hating him was way closer to loving him than hating him forever was.

"And," Lily continued slowly, "I think you're plan has worked, in a way."

"It has?" James asked dubiously. "How so?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you."