As the first day of classes came around everybody was wishing they hadn't. Well... almost everybody. Lily and Remus were practically begging McGonagall for their schedules when she came around their way.

"Professor! Professor McGonagall. Over here!" Remus yelled with apparent delight.

McGonagall strode over here and looked at Remus' and Lily's beaming faces. "What is it?" she snapped.

"We just wanted to see our schedules. We're very excited to start classes." Lily replied eagerly, while everybody but Remus rolled their eyes at her eager demeanor.

"Very well then." she said while shuffling through a rather large stack of schedules. "Here you are there. I might as well give you all yours so I don't have to walk over there. I am getting to old for this." she complained.

"What's crackin' Minnie?" Sirius exclaimed, an exuberant grin plastered on his handsome face.

"Black, Sirius; Here you are. And don't call me Minnie!" she said moving onto everybody else, and seeing his retort on the tip of his tongue, she replied to his unanswered question. "No, Black, you can NOT call me Minerva either!" Sirius' face fell with disappointment at these words.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins first!" Lily exclaimed.

"You should have dropped it like me Lils," Remus said. "Well, we always have Potions with the Slytherins. I would rather spend the least amount of time with them as possible." He countered, seeing Lily's eyebrows rise all the way up to her hairline.

"I am NOT dropping Potions. It's an easy O for me! Besides Slughorn loves me! There are barely any Slytherins in that class. The only people that DO take it are Severus, that Avery bloke, Bella Black, Malfoy, Kylie, Alice, Frank, James, and miraculously, Sirius and I!" she argued heatedly.

"Do you still talk to Snape?" James asked, his face flickering from curiosity, hatred, a tinge of jealously, and flitting back to curiosity in a second's time.

"No, we stopped talking after that day by the lake in fifth year. Remember that?" Lily said, giving him an especially reserved glare. Her hair even started to get hot.

"Cool down, Firecracker." Hearing her dad's familiar nickname, surprisingly, she almost immediately calmed down. Her shoulders relaxed, jaw unclenched, and the fire slowly faded from her emerald eyes, her hair cooling down to room temperature.

"Sorry. He deserved it." She muttered darkly, stabbing her eggs and toast in the process.

"Jeez, Lily. What did the poor eggs ever do to you?" Sirius asked lightly, causing everyone to laugh.

"Come on you lot. Potions time." Kylie said. As they all walked out of the Great Hall, Lily felt a soft tap on her shoulder. Surprised, she spun around swiftly, promptly whipping the mystery person's face with her lustrous red locks. Seeing who it was again, she pivoted on her heel, smacking the victim on the face once more, only this time with more vigor. Her mystery man grabbed a firm grasp on her petite shoulder, so she couldn't move.

"Sod off Malfoy," she growled menacingly.

"Tsk, tsk. Now our Head Girl shouldn't talk to other students like that, especially fellow classmates." Malfoy said innocently, yet so full of malice. Putting on a fake cheery voice, a fake smile, and innocent eyes, Lily replied.

"Oh, how ever so foolish of me." Lily said in a sickly sweet voice. Discreetly pulling her wand out of her robes she continued. "What would you like, Lucius?"

"That's more like it, Mud-Blood. I see you've finally learned how to respect your superiors," he growled, a smug look on his face gradually appearing. The others, finally noticing Lily wasn't with them, assumed she had dashed off to the library last minute, since she nearly always had a book in hand. They just shrugged it off, not thinking much of it. Meanwhile, Lily and Lucius were in a heated duel, a while away from the Great Hall, as to not to catch much attention from the professors. The students… well that was another story; the students of Hogwarts were ALWAYS up to watch a good duel, most commonly a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin rivalry. Now, to see two seventh years actually duel, not just the baby throw a hex or two at each other duel, but a REAL duel. That was a REAL treat.

Throughout the first floor corridor down to the dungeons,a distinct chant could be heard. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" was all that could be heard really, along with dramatic gasps, applauds, and the occasional scream of pain from Lucius or Lily. They even had reserves. For Slytherin, this odd bloke named Marvin Mulciber, he was a Death Eater, or suspected one anyways. For Gryffindor, Alice, who actually went back for Lily, was her reserve. In this case they weren't fighting to the death, thankfully. Only until somebody was disarmed.

Lily and Lucius reluctantly bowed to each other. The split second one's head snapped up a large slew of harmful and elaborate curses, hexes, and jinxes alike flew through the hall, illuminating even the darkest of corners.

"Conjunctivitis!" Malfoy yelled, determination, wanton, and hatred burning through every word. Lily however expertly dodged it, and replied with one of her own curses.

"Flipendo!" The fight lasted several minutes before some of the nastier hexes started to come into play. Malfoy even used Crucio once or twice that added a few selective choice words from enraged Gryffindors, and some cheers from the more malicious Slytherins. Thankfully Lily was an expert at dodging hexes. She had experience from standing in the crowd, front row, trying to stop the duels. As always spells go awry, so after the first time she got hit with 'Furnuculus' she vowed to learn how do dodge spells that summer, and succeeded with flying colors.

The last spell he used she had never heard of before, or even read about. Now we all know Lily is a bookworm, that much is obvious. She knows the library better than Madam Pince, Filch (who has a crush on Madame Pince), even Remus! Ask her for a book, she'd find it in ten seconds flat.

Malfoy did this odd slashing motion with his wand, which emitted a purple flame to come out of the tip. Lily was so surprised, she forgot to dodge it. Then the most unexpected thing happened. The spell didn't hit her. She was braced for the impact, but to no avail, it never came. She opened her squinted eyes slowly, and let out a gasp of surprise, horror, and awe.

In front of her none other than James Potter lay at her feet, motionless. Kneeling down slowly, still not blinking, nor making a sound, she silently conjured up a streter and levitated James onto it. Thankfully Malfoy was surrounded by a bunch of praising Slytherins and intense ire and wrath, so he didn't notice her. Her other friends unfortunatley did. They followed her and kept badgering her with a bombardment of questions. Her only response was silence in itself.

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing Madam Pomfrey let out a small scream of her own once Remus had told her James had been hit with a spell of purple flames. Apparently it was VERY advanced dark magic. The curse was almost never used unless by a powerful dark wizard, such as Voldemort or a key Death Eater. Since it was a noverbol spell none of them caught the incantation. Madam Pomfrey of course, knew every curse, hex, jinx, spell, and/or charm in the book. Sure she couldn't preform them all but she knew then back and front. This particular curse was called the 'Eradico Curse'. What it did was collapse one of your lungs, puts you into a coma, temporary quadriplegia paralysis (for those of you who don't grow up with parents in the medical field quadriplegia paralysis is when you are completely paralyzed. So he wouldn't have been able to move even if he wasn't in a coma.), a big gash appeared in his back, steadily flowing with fresh blood, AND there was possible brain damage.

When she explained this, the girls were silently crying for their friend, wondering if he would ever be the same again. The Marauders even had a set of tears glistening in their eyes fearful that James would never recover from this.

Ever since Madam Pomfrey explained the situation to all of them, Lily had not left James' bedside. It had been a month since the accident and there was no improvement of his condition. The only time she got up was for classes, bathroom breaks, and sleep. Then only other time she would leave his immobile presence was if Madam Pomfrey was re-dressing his bandages, she even had done this herself once or twice while Madam Pomfrey was busy with other patients. When Sirius' or the Marauders came to visit she occasionally gave them privacy, but only if they asked for it.

Her grades were steadily dropping, and she always felt inexplicably guilty. Her normally glittering emerald eyes, were now faded and dull with only the slightest sign of life. She didn't know why but whenever she saw something she thought of James. Even a quill! James loved to draw, and always sent her these sweet pictures and notes that he drew himself. Lily would have never admitted it at the time, but she thought they were sweet even when she hated him. She kept every single one in a magically expanded box underneath her bed.

"Lily! Snap out of it!" Lauren said one day alone in their dorm. (Alice, Morgan, and Kylie had already gone down to breakfast.)

"What?"

"Stop moping around like a lazy ass, and get back to your normal self." she pleaded.

"I don't know what your talking about." she said defiantly.

"Bull crap. Ever since what happened to James you have been moping around here, and depressing everybody!"

"Well sorry for being concerned, it's better then not caring at all like you lot." she argued heatedly, this of course was the wrong thing to say.

"Not caring? NOT CARING?" Lauren shrieked shrilly.

"Do you call sitting up with somebody through the night, crying over them, and constantly worrying about them not caring?" she said incredulously.

"We ALL care about James, just because you feel guilty about him taking the curse for you doesn't give you the right to say we don't care. I know your hurting Lily, but you've been a b(insert remaining four letters here :) to everybody since then, and it's really starting to get on our nerves. We can only tolerate you for so long Lily Marie!" Lauren cried exasperatedly. "James wouldn't want you like this. He loves the lively, proud, brave, smart, funny, stubborn Lily. Not this." she said lowering her voice into a soft whisper." I AM NOT STUBBORN!" Lily shouted, at this Lauren laughed full of new found mirth.

"Stop laughing!" she ordered stomping her foot down on the floor, even her hair caught afire. After Lauren's chuckles turned into short coughs she waved her wand and a bucket of water appeared over Lily's head. A small smile started to creep up Lauren's plump lips.

"W-w-w-what are you doing with that?" Lily stuttered hair still alight.

"Nothing," Lauren said innocently as she made a sharp jab in Lily's direction with her wand. Four gallons of ice cold water plummeted towards Lily's head. The splash the ice water made when it hit Lily, could be heard from the Common Room. Lily's shreik of suprise could even be heard from the lake, the fourth floor, the Charms classroom, and the Room of Requirement. Though nobody came.

Unexpectedly Lauren started singing. It was only a verse or two, but it snapped Lily back into reality better than the ice water could have ever done.

"That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa

I wonder, how am I supposed to feel when you're not here
Cause I burned every bridge I ever built when you were here
I still try holding onto silly things, I never learn
Oh why, all the possibilities I'm sure you've heard

That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating (beating)
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa"

That's What You Get By: Paramore

"I am SSSSOOOO sorry!" Lily said unexpectedly flinging herself into Lauren, getting her sopping wet as well.

"It's ok Lily. You know if you want you can get off me now." Lauren said jokingly.

"Oh sorry," she mumbled while wiping the salty tears off her flawless face.

"It's ok. What do you say now?"

"What?" Lily asked confused.

"What do you say?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Do I have to?" Lily whined.

"Yes you do. I think I deserve it at the least. After what I've had to put up with for the past month!"

"Fine. You were right, and I was wrong."

"And," Lauren urged.

"Ok, maybe I'm a little stubborn," Lauren gave her a disbelieving look that changed her mind. "Fine, fine I am... I'm sorry, I know I haven't been myself lately. James wouldn't want me to be like this. If he were awake right now he'd hex me for worrying so much." she chuckled lightly.

"Come on let's go down to breakfast, Alice and Kylie will freak were this late, classes start in twenty minutes."

"TWENTY MINUTES!! COME ON THEN!" Lily said grabbing her friends arm and digging her weight into the ground trying to pull her along.

"I'm coming. I'm coming."

And with that they skipped their ways all they way down seven floors and into the Great Hall, earning funny looks from their peers and teachers.

"Lauren," said an exasperated Kylie.

"What did we say about slipping Lily potions without her consent?" at this Lily laughed.

"Don't worry guys. I'm not drugged or anything. Lauren and I just had a sisterly argument about some stuff. I know I maybe haven't really been myself lately. Also I guess I've been a teensy bit mopey and depressed,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up little miss sunshine!" Morgan exclaimed, "Maybe?"

"Really?"

"Teensy?"

"A bit?"

"Ok, ok I've been a wreck the past month. Happy now?" Lily asked in a flustered manner.

"Yes!" All of the seventh year Gryffindor girls, minus Lily, said in unison. Normally Lily would have never admitted something like that, for some reason though, this was a special case.

Throughout the rest of the day, Lily kept getting funny looks at her happy demeanor. Some of James' fangirls even approached her after Transfiguration.

"Why aren't you all sad today Evans?" Claudia asked scathingly.

"Oh, I've just realized that I couldn't have done anything for James, even though he took that curse for me. Now I know, he did it for a reason."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Another one of his pathetic, overly obsessed, no hope for a cure, fangirls asked in a menacing voice.

Putting on a sweet smile, innocent aura around her, along with an innocent face she responded,

"He loves me," and walked away. Then for the second time in little over a month, a hand grasped her shoulder. It was Renee.

"What did you just say?" she asked acidly. Each step she took, a firm poke pointed at Lily was made.

"He loves me." She drawled, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"He loves ME! He even told me so. I'm his girlfriend! So whatever ideas you have about MY Jamie, you might just want to get those out of your head right now."

"And how many times has he proposed to me? Oh yeah! 987! Wow and how many times has he proposed to you?"

"That's what I thought," and with that she turned on her heel and skipped over to Kylie and Alice who had stayed to watch the affair.

Renee started to splutter at this statement, racking her mediocre brain for a retort.

"Well at least I'm not stupid!" She yelled lamely, at Lily's retreating figure.

"How am I the stupid one here?" Lily yelled back her hair igniting, for the second time that day. Though this was nothing to when she used to hate James. It used to go up in flame at LEAST 13 times a day. He normally asked her out once during breakfast, lunch, and twice in dinner. Then in passing periods, and free periods he asked for her hand in marriage at least nine times a day. He said it was one for every hour he spent looking at her.

"Well," she started in a know it all voice.

"I, would have said yes, if he asked for my hand in marriage. I mean why wouldn't you marry him? He's hot." Renee said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's not all there is to marriage, or dating for that matter." Lily retorted with a roll of her eyes to follow.

Renee let out a deranged laugh, that would have turned even the most desperate boys away from her stunning looks.

"Oh please! That's the only reason me and James are dating. We're both beautiful people! We look good together." she said matter of factly.

"That may be so, but just wait until he wakes up, it'll be a different story." For the second time she turned and walked away, ignoring Renee's fruitless attempts to stop her.

The rest of the day went without much incident. The teachers were congratulating her on her excellent spell work once more, her flawless papers, and happy demeanor.

Sure she got hexed in the corridor almost every passing period. Then again she was always up for a good duel. Some of the teachers who spotted the heated duels between Lily and some of the fan girls just walk away as if they were flies on the wall. Professor McGonagall even gave Lily a small smile when she Transfigured Renee into a tramp, after her seventh attempt at a duel with her. It helped that it would have been her animagus form too. Knowing this Lily announced it to everyone in the corridor that stayed to watch her chase her tail endlessly.

After dinner when they got the Common Room they started recapping the duels in which Lily had gotten into that day.

"Well there was that one with that Cordelia chick. You know from Hufflepuff? She's a real idiot got four OWLs. FOUR! How can you only get four OWLs when we took nine?" Kylie started.

"Yeah she is a bimbo," chipped in Alice.

"There was also that Claudia girl who hangs out with Renee. Lily won that one hands down too."

"Your forgetting the seven attempted duels with Renee. None of these are actually duels, ya know? All they are is somebody jinxed Lily from behind. Lily turns around and points her wand at them lazily. They get hit start crying and run up to the Hospital Wing."

"What is this I hear? Head Girl, goody goody, little miss perfect Lily Evans make somebody cry?" Sirius gasped in mock amazement, sliding down behind Lauren and kissing her lightly on the head. Remus awkwardly sat down next to Morgan, and she blushed. Logan natrually sat down next to Kylie and pulled her onto his lap. Frank and Alice were cuddling next to them. The only one's that had nobody to sit with were Lily and Peter.

"Wow, don't we feel loved Lily?" Peter smirked, shaking his head at their friends tactlessness.

"Oh Lily I'm so sorry!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I'll save you!"

"No Sirius, really it's fine. I'll just--" but was cut off by none other then imagines superhero music in backround Sirius of course.

"AAAAHHHHH" Lily screamed.

"SIRIUS BLACK! PUT ME DOWN! NOW!!" Lily yelled as Sirius lifted her up and threw he over his back, and started running around the Common Room.

"NEVER!!" Sirius cackled madly.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"WHAT'S THE MAGIC WORD?" Sirius teased in a sing-song voice, laughing along with the rest of the Common Room. It was at it' peak too. Everybody was just getting in from dinner, to be met with quite a dramatic scene.

"NOW!!"

"I don't think that's the magic word..." Sirius said in mock confusion.

"No it's not... AAAHHH! What's the problem with you woman!" Sirius exclaimed after recieving a nice hard bite in the butt from Lily.

"LILY! THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND'S BUTT YOU JUST BIT!" yelled Lauren, just loud enough for the whole common room to hear, as well as the early birds up in the dormitories.

"Oh get over it. You so, know he deserved it Lorie." Lily teased.

"Yeah, but it totally ruined by plan to jinx him! He would have put you down then! Ever since you've been happy again, you keep out doing me." Lauren said teasingly.

"WHAT! You dumped ice water on me at seven in the morning! Ice water at seven in the morning! WATER! MORNING! SEVEN! Not the greatest combintaion if you ask me." Lily argued. "And I'm supposed to be the smart one here." added Lily as an afterthought.

"Yeah I did didn't I?" Lauren asked cockily, in a teasing voice, filpping her side bangs to the right in the proccess of her oh-I-am-good-aren't-I act. The rest of the night went by speedily. They all spent it joking, screwing around, and just having a good time. It wasn't until Kylie fell asleep on Logan's shoulder they called it a night.