Ache

Chapter Four

Three Months Later

Lily walked into the common room with a pile of books from the library. She laid them down on one of the table's by the Gryffindor windows and took a seat. She gazed outside at the nice sunny day and reluctantly lifted her quill.

'Good evening Lily'.

Lily turned and smiled towards Remus. 'How are you?'

'Fine, thank you and yourself?'

'Yeah, great actually.' She smiled pleasantly

'Haven't seen you around much lately.'

'Probably because Potter has stopped pranking me.'

Remus smiled. 'Ahh, yes he has. James has been settling down quiet a bit. Sirius on the other hand hasn't changed the slightest. Why are you still coped up in here Lily. It's a perfect day outside.' Lily still held her pleasant smile and opened one of the books.

'Studying.'

Remus nodded. 'Well I'll talk to you later then.' He walked over to his group of friends. Lily watched as he took a seat next to Peter. James and Sirius were seated towards the middle of the booth, both with a couple of girls between them. James held one arm around Sarah Whyte's shoulder. She kissed him affectionately on the cheek. Lily listened as Sirius told them to get a room. James stood with a cheeky grin on his face. Sirius pulled him back down laughing. 'This would have to be the longest relationship I've seen you in Prongs. A month!' James chuckled and nudged him. He looked around the room and met Lily's eyes. She looked down to her books and felt his eyes leave her.

There group headed out the common room a few minutes later. Lily didn't look up again, she still despised him. Even if he had changed a little over the last few months. He had settled down, I'll admit to that. But his still the same arrogant reckless twit.

Twenty minutes later Lily found herself closing up her books and heading outside to her group of friends by the lake. Victoria was pleased to see her out in the sunshine. Lily's life seemed so perfect at the moment. Assignments, lessons, sleep, she even took up another lesson to give her higher marks. Every thing was falling into place.

James and Sarah were linking arms in the distance. Lily watched them for a minute. Even he was falling into place. They hadn't spoken since the night of there argument. He hasn't even tried to prank her. Maybe something went through his thick head after all. Lily continued to watch them. James was throwing a pebble into the lake and laughing at a joke she had told him. He doesn't look like his playing girls anymore. He looks like his, and I don't like to admit it, but he seems more mature. All the same I still dislike him.

_

James watched his pebble skid across the waters surface. Sarah took a seat on the grass. He looked across the lake and saw Lily. He turned away from her remembering seeing her back in the common room. He didn't mean to gaze her way but somehow his eyes always found her. He couldn't stand seeing her alone studying, what with having her hair messily tied up into a bun. The rich red curls falling gracefully around her face. He sighed. She was one of the main reasons he decided to leave the common room, to rid her from his thoughts. He didn't glance back across the lake again.

_

Dumbledore had the head students and prefects on extra patrolling hours within the next few days. Lily took to patrolling the upper towers of Gryffindor while James took the lower corridors. Lily was glaring outside one of the large open windows in her designated tower searching for anything suspicious or strange. Dumbledore had been very secretive lately and she really wanted to know what was going on. James came up her corridor; she turned at the sound and noticed him. He smiled at her. She blinked. This would have to be the first intended interaction they've shared in three months. Hesitantly she smiled back. She didn't know why but his smile seemed so sweet and sincere.

'Would you like to go on a quick break with me? We have another hour or so, so I reckon a glass of water would do us well.'

She nodded and followed him down the corridor and into the portrait hole. Inside, the fire was still lit. James had already poured two glasses and handed her one of them. She thanked him and took a seat on a couch facing closest to the fire place. James took a seat beside her. 'Anything out of the unusual?' He asked her

'huh?'

'Patrolling. Did you find anything unusual?' Start with small talk; she mightn't chew your head off so soon.

'Oh, no I didn't, did you?' She took a small sip and gazed into the flames of the fire.

'No. So how have you been?' James asked politely.

She could feel his eyes on her. 'I'm good, and you?'

'Yeah good.' His eyes left her and settled onto one of the many framed paintings on the walls.

She finished her drink and stood. 'Well I better get back to patrolling.'

'Lily,' James reached out and grasped her wrist standing. Lily spun round in reaction. The sudden closeness overwhelmed her. She looked up at him feeling his warm breath on her, his eyes glowing from the fire.

'Yes... ' She breathed, her body trembling. She could still feel his grasp around her wrist. He didn't answer straight away. The rise and fall of his chest was the only movement between them. Lily now uncomfortable with the silence took a step away from him, her body easing. He watched her as she put her glass down and finally managed to put some words together.

'I wanted to thank you for your help with the Charms exam. With out your help three quarters of my parchment would have been blank.' He tried looking away from her. Remember my feelings for Lily are unfair on Sarah.

'Oh, that's alright.' The silence continued. 'I watched your last Quidditch practice.'

He smiled at the memory. 'Yeah I know.' He had seen her from the air and almost fell off his broom when I bludger got him from behind.

'The girls wanted to watch so I thought I would join them, give some patriotism to my team. You were brilliant.'

'Thank you. I err, noticed you've been studying every chance you get. But that's pretty normal for you Evans.' Keep it simple.

'Back to surnames aye Potter. Are you going to start pranking me again?'

'No.' He replied simply. Lily looked at him. She believed him. This was the first time he had said something that she had taken in without questioning it. 'You've changed a bit.' She told him, 'Only a bit.'

He laughed. 'You haven't.

'Yeah, well. How's Sarah going?'

The sound of his girlfriends name from lily's mouth brought him back into reality. Lily Evans, the girl he had liked for so long standing and willing to talk with him and Sarah Whyte who he was with and who he was deceiving with his feelings for Lily. He shook the thought of Lily. Sarah is the one I have feelings for now, the only one. Lily doesn't even like you. You're an arrogant sleaze bag, remember. ' yeah, we're great.'

'It's good to see.'

'and you? Are you secretly seeing anyone?'

'No'

He smiled. 'Not even the giant squid?'

She laughed. 'Don't worry I'd rather be with you then the giant squid any day no matter how intolerable you would be.' Maybe I should take that back?

'Don't give me a big head.'

'You already have one.'

He nudged her 'Take that back. She giggled. He is being quite tolerable at the moment. 'Nope.' He pushed her onto the couch and threw a cushion at her. She laughed and caught it.

'Your being nice Evans. You know I think you've lost your touch.' Might of said too much...

'Well Potter,' she said standing, 'Maybe that's because you've stopped being an idiot and started to grow up.' She brushed herself off and checked the time. 'We better get back to patrolling.'

Lily walked back to the window she was last at and watched James disappear down the corridor. She could still feel his heat on her skin. For some odd reason, which she'd never want to admit to was that she enjoyed that short time with James and didn't want to leave so soon. Noises from further down the corridor interrupted her thoughts. A few seconds later Professor McGonagall and James appeared around the corridor.

'Professor Dumbledore wishes for you and Mr. Potter to report to him in his office immediately.' Without another word she led them down the dark corridors towards the headmaster's office. A few moments later Lily and James took a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore swiftly closed the door behind them and glared at them through his half moon spectacles.

'I've brought you both here to tell you some grave news. Lord Voldemort has killed numerous wizarding families as of late. The death eaters are increases in numbers and our side is finding it rather hard with the odds.'

'We need to stop this!'

'We are Miss Evans. We are trying our utmost best. Doing everything in a power our side can. I need to speak to you alone, James would you kindly leave us for a moment.' James nodded and left the room.

'What is it professor?'

'Lily, you must understand this, lord Voldemort is not a kind man. He will go to any length to get what he wants. What I'm about to tell you is something you have to promise you will not in any state give revenge of what so ever. Please Lily understand this.'

'What are you saying Professor?' Lily asked alarmed.

'There have been direct attacks on wizarding homes. Your godparents Mr. and Mrs. Finley have been victims on one of the latest.'

'Oh my.'

'Lily, your parents, they were visiting at the time. The Death eaters show no mercy-' Lily stood up her face cold and frozen, then unexpectedly she ran out of Dumbledore's oak doors, her face streaming with tears. James shocked went to stop her. She shrugged him off and ran towards the stairs. James went to follow after her. But Dumbledore called him in. Reluctantly James walked in and opened his mouth.

Dumbledore held his hand up to stop him. 'Please Look after her.'

'What happened?'

'She will let you know if she wishes to discuss it.' James left the room and ran towards the stairs. Lily was already far from the office. He headed towards the Gryffindor tower hoping she had headed in that direction. Soon enough he heard her crying down one of the many dark corridors along the way.

'Lily...' He said lightly. She hid her head in her arms. 'What happened?' He held her arms and took them away from her face. Tears filled her eyes. 'Lily?' He whispered. She collapsed into his arms. He held her tight and let her cry into his cloak. He ran a hand through her hair, comforting her as her cries became quieter. She let him go an hour later, wiping her face. He put his cloak around her shoulders and brushed her hair from her face. She hiccupped. 'I'll take you to bed.' She shook her head. 'What did you want to do?' She shrugged, tears starting up again.

'James.' She hiccupped.

He looked down at her; she had her eyes closed with new tears creeping there way out. He took her back into his arms. 'Yes lily'. She didn't say anything else. Not until she had calmed down from another rise of uncontrollable weeping. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest slow down. Just as he thought she had fallen asleep she spoke in such a small voice James found it hard to hear.

'They killed my parents.' James released her to arms length. 'The Death Eaters murdered them.'

'Lily...', He grabbed her into another tight hug. They stayed in that position for at least another hour as Lily cried and whispered incoherent words. James let her be, stroking her every now and then, knowing he would have been distraught himself if his parents had been murdered. The thoughts back when lily tutored him came in his mind and he remembered her talking about her parents. He had almost drawn tears himself. Lily did not deserve such thing. No one does. This was not there fight; this was not even there world. Muggles dying for the price of what, power. What a worthless death for incredible caring beings.

Lily's cries were swallowed. James picked her up carefully and took her back to the common room. There he took her to her dormitory, after countless spells onto the girl's staircase to let him through. He wrapped her blankets around her with his own cloak still upon her. He left and sat in the deserted common room. It wasn't until the sun started creeping through the windows that he realized it was early morning. He made his way to his own dormitory and laid across his bed thinking of her loss.