Our hotel room was a world of chaos. I immediately regretted opening the door.

"Lily! Where were you? This isn't like you, Lily! What were you thinking?"

I tried ignoring my mother's shouting, but she quickly switched from worried nagging to angry scolding when I wasn't answering her.

"I gave you specific instructions to stay in bed! And what did you do? You left! How could you do this?"

She was overreacting, and she knew it. She always started fiddling with her hair, like I did, when her emotions were so high on the scale.

Keeping my eyes averted, I tucked myself back into bed, shoving a pillow over my ear to drown out the noise.

I didn't even remember falling asleep, but when my eyes next fluttered open, our room was flooded with light, and I was again, alone.

My legs were shaky as I walked towards the bathroom, and I caught sight of a scrap of paper on the other bed.

Lily,

We are skiing this morning. The hotel is having a large dining reception this evening with all of the guests tonight. You can join us then if you'd like. Wear something nice.

I'm sorry about last night sweetheart. I hope you feel better.

Love,

Mom

A tiny smile reached my lips. The lodge often had a big reception for everyone, like we all knew each other and enjoyed spending time together. Usually, I would hang around Petunia, and that always ended up being a great time.

A small bell rang at the back of my head, reminding me of a certain messy haired boy who was staying in the same hotel. The same boy I had wanted to get away from. My mind went to all of the craziness we had gotten knotted into in just the past few days. He would probably be at the reception tonight.

If we simply made eye contact, the whole lodge would probably burst into flames.

It would be a disaster.

The day I didn't have to be stocked up in the hotel room turned out being the day I did. I moped around, occasionally reading and sleeping. I thought I heard a distant knocking noise during one of my naps, but I dismissed it.

It was supposed to be my vacation, and here I was. This was absolutely ridiculous. But every time I made the resolve to leave the room, my mind would come up with some miraculous event that ended up with me bumping into James Potter and the world coming to an end. It's not like he didn't know where my room was. If he really wanted to, he could come and pull me along on another near death experience. I wasn't about to put myself out there though, waiting for him to reel me into another one of his crazy adventures.

"Lily! You're not even dressed! The reception is about to start!" My mother's voice caused me to jump half way off of the mattress. I hadn't even noticed her come in. She was wearing a sun dress that I didn't even know she owned.

I'd thought up a whole excuse. The words were right on my tongue. I'm not feeling well again Mum. I'll just stay here. You all can go to the dinner without me. But my mother did not even allow me to try and speak.

"Come on sweetie, Petunia and your father are waiting."

My mother just kept chattering on as I got ready, slipping on a dress that my mother had obviously packed for me, since I did not remember putting it in my suitcase.

"-and did you hear that some people stole food from the kitchens yesterday? That's just outrageous. Why they couldn't have called for room service I have no idea-"

I nearly choked on air, which my mother thankfully did not notice as she ushered us out of the room and down the hallway.

When we were thrust into the crowd, my eyes immediately began searching every face, panic rising in my gut every time a pair of glasses sparkled in the light from the chandeliers.

"This is absolutely lovely, isn't it Lily?" My mother gushed. She was trying to make up for her shouting the night before with all of the nice comments she kept making.

I couldn't bring myself to answer; I was too engaged in my search. Maybe he had decided not to come? Maybe the Potter family had left the lodge?

Just as my spirits started to lift at that thought, he came into my line of vision. A squeak escaped my throat as I dove for the nearest plant.

"Lily?" My mother asked to the empty spot next to her.

Well, this was a rush of déjà vu. Some strange glances were sent my way as I peaked between the branches.

But it was all for nothing. James hadn't even seen me. He moved along with his family, sitting all the way across the room from where my family stood now.

Petunia rolled her eyes at me as I crept back out from behind the plant. I'm fairly sure my parents were whispering about me under their breaths, but I ignored it.

The dinner was spectacular, of course, though I wasn't really focusing on the taste. I stared at my plate whenever the servers came by with another course, just in case they recognized me. I almost transformed into a liquid puddle under the table when the huge, mustached cook waddled by our table.

The staff opened the bar a little while after dinner, and everyone began milling around making pathetic small talk. Petunia caught up with the ski-lift boy she had been flirting with, leaving me to myself. Even in a large crowd, I felt as if there was a humongous neon sign above me, calling out to Potter.

I slid through the throngs of people, making for the direction of my trusty plant. Snatching a glass of pink punch, I settled behind the protruding leaves again, enjoying the drink.

"You really need to learn to hide better."

I'd like to say I was upset. I'd been avoiding him successfully up to this point, but I wasn't even mad that he had discovered me. I was actually the opposite. Even if we burned down the whole place, at least I could have something to do rather than watch my sister flirt disgustingly with some guy.

"Maybe you really shouldn't be looking for me." I replied, absentmindedly scooting over so he could join me on the floor.

"But it's just so much fun." He laughed, as I rolled my eyes at him. We watched people pass by and gossip with each other for what seemed like hours. People watching was usually an enjoyable sport, but with James right next to me, I couldn't focus on the crowd. There was a dose of expectation in the air.

"Let's get out of here."

It took me a moment to really hear what he had said. I turned my gaze to him, meeting his eyes evenly. It was amazing my glass wasn't shaking, because every nerve in my body had just flared up.

"But what could possibly be more enjoyable than this party?" I asked, sarcasm filling every syllable. I went to take another sip from my punch.

"Why don't you come with me to find out?" A shock rattled through my body, almost causing me to spill my glass all over myself as his voice reverberated deep in my ear.

His hazel eyes stared unblinking into mine, the ever present glimmer in their depths. I had barely nodded my assent before he was pulling me off of the floor and through hallway after hallway.

The sounds of the reception could still be heard in some adjoining corridors, but I hardly noticed the sound over the blood pumping in my ears. We rounded one last corner and I bumped into his back as he stopped suddenly.

I stole a glance over his shoulder, where a tall glass doorway stood proudly only a few meters ahead of us. He made no move to explain when I sent him a questioning look; he only pulled us forward and slid us through the door.

The moon shined down on us, the stars peaking out around it, but there was no light besides. Strange shadows surrounded us; some like claws, others like giants.

"Wha-?" I slowly spun on the spot. James simply grinned as he took his wand from his pocket. He muttered something at a small box attached to the floor and purple sparks emitted from the tip of his wand.

All around us, tiny, twinkling lights illuminated the room, lighting up the leaves they were hidden in.

It was a garden. In a small greenhouse attached to the side of the lodge. It was almost comical seeing the mountains and snow outside the glass, with tulips and begonias in full bloom inside.

James' fingers hooked with mine again as he pulled us deeper into the maze of plants.

"How did you find this place?" I whispered. My voice echoed strangely in the glass house.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I came across it."

"It's beautiful." The fingers he was holding were beginning to feel fuzzy.

James might have nodded, but he only kept pulling me through the gardens. The lights looked more like fairies as we drew closer to the plants, and I was overpowered with the delightful scents and colors of the petals.

I felt a tug on my arm, and turned to find that James had stopped short next to a huge overflow of white flowers.

White lilies to be exact. My steps seemed too loud as I moved toward him. With every inch closer, I felt like the two of us were spiraling down a hole, to something we couldn't handle. His eyes were focused solely on the flowers, but I couldn't bring myself to look at them.

His eyes held a confident look. There was obviously something on his mind, but his lips made no move to speak. Small sprouts of ebony hair fell over his forehead, just brushing the rims of his glasses. My fingers itched to weave through the strands and push them away from his forehead.

Heat bloomed in my chest and all at once I felt that I should be running as far away as I could from this spot, and moving impossibly close to the boy in front of me.

"James," I wasn't entirely sure why I said it, or if anything else was supposed to follow that word. Everything flew from my mind the moment his eyes flickered from the lilies to my eyes. I could have stretched out my fingers and felt the skin of his cheek. He could have moved his head only a small distance and our foreheads would have lightly knocked together. The air was thick around us, between us. It felt like we were sharing breath. He mumbled something that I didn't quite catch.

"You two troublemakers again? Did you happen to miss the 'restricted' sign!?" The irate gravelly voice filled the greenhouse. James and I jolted apart. It came from every corner, I couldn't pinpoint where the Filch man was.

"This way!" James shouted. In another rush of déjà vu, we were running together again, shouts and threats following us in our escape.

"I am really getting sick of this guy." I huffed through my heavy breaths. My legs were turning to jelly beneath me, but I wasn't about to stop.

"You can say that again." James laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.

Once other guests came into our sights, we finally stilled our legs. There was no sign of the creepy caretaker.

James sent a triumphant grin my way, but all I could manage was a feeble smile back.

What was I doing? This was James Potter in front of me! Ridiculous, arrogant, silly, Marauder, Potter: the bane of my existence. What had just happened in the confines of the greenhouse?

What is wrong with me?

James looked as if he was about to speak, but I interjected first.

"I should really go." The words shot from my lips before I could think. My mind was screaming something inaudible anyway.

The glimmer in James' hazel eyes dimmed a bit. His grin vanished and a serious mask replaced it.

"Oh," was all he said. Why couldn't he say something else? James excelled at making situations lighter, turning tension to laughter. Why was he leaving the thick air between us?

"Yeah," the situation had flipped to awkward in just moments. James shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

There was nothing else left to be said. I made to turn away, but his hand caught my shoulder.

He stayed silent, but he held out something small and beautiful in his hand.

It was one of the lilies from the greenhouse.

I could have collapsed right in front of him, sobs racking my throat. I was shaking so violently. The small flower transferred from his grip to mine with no brush of heated skin, James wrenched his hand away.

"Thank you," my voice came out weak, broken.

How had this happened?

"You're welcome." His reply rumbled deep, husky. I imagined that I could feel it vibrate in the floor beneath me.

James' eyes did not leave me as I backed away from him, like I always did.

He suddenly looked so alone, even as people moved all about him.

I whirled away, tripping down the hallway that would take me to my own hotel room, cursing the tears that threatened to spill over.