A/N: Firstly I am so sorry for not updating before now! I had quite a bad case of writers block when it came to this story, none of my ideas seemed to quite fit, and then I moved away to Uni and one thing led to another! But I am back now, one semester in and I seem to have settled down, time to start doing what I love again :) Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you continue to love this story :) Also, I am looking for a BETA to proof read my work and bounce some ideas off of, if you would be interested, please contact me via a personal message or a review. Enjoy!

Lily Evans was having an awful day. No wait, awful was an understatement. She had been up all night in the room of requirement, seeing to the needs of one of her clients, and now Professor Alabaster was on her case about some essay she hadn't done. The students around her watched on in confusion as the greying Herbology teacher ranted on about the importance of keeping up to date with work, even when she had Head Girl duties. No one had ever seen Lily Evans in trouble before the summer, but it was now becoming a frequent occurrence. The teachers worried that the Head Girl job was getting too much for the young witch, especially having lost her family just months before, while the students laughed as one so mighty could fall so far. Many of the more bitchy girls in the year had made comments about the state of her, how her hair was dulling, her beautiful green eyes dimming to a broken grey. Her friends found themselves being pushed away, confronted with a Lily who was cranky and selfish, ignoring their needs to focus on some herself. Within the first week arguments had broken out as the three girls fought, leaving Rowan and Alice in tears as the red-head stormed off, refusing to speak to them again. Everyone knew that something about Lily Evans had changed, but it was only James Potter who was determined to find out what.

"You will report to me for detention tonight at 6pm Miss Evans, considering you are the only one who has not completed the essay it seems only fitting that you should pay the price."

Lily's mind hurriedly ran over the people she was meant to meet with tonight. Jones at 5pm, and then Black at 7pm...she should be able to squeeze in a detention, as long as she didn't eat. Then again, she never ate anymore anyway.

"Yes Professor."

The class sunk back in to its normal flow, quills scratching as the class made notes on the various suitable uses of Devils Snare, but James Potter refused to take his eyes off the back of Lily's head. Ever since finding her in a mess on the Hogwarts Express the previous month he has been determined to find out what was going on, but she was a very tough case to crack. He had tried following her, but she always vanished before he could work out where she was going. He had tried talking to her on rounds, but her answers came in snapped single words as she stormed away from him, always refusing to meet his eyes. This girl was anything but the girl he had fallen in love with, but he still could not get over the way her lips had felt against his in the happiest moment of his life. He had known in that moment that Lily Evans was his past, present and future. Now he just needed to work out a way to get that Lily back, the Lily who had been his friend for the last year. The Lily he loved.

"Oi Prongs, stop staring in to space, I need you to concentrate so you can do this essay for me later." Sirius was sat on the other side of James, playing with his hair and idly running his left hand over Rowans knee. She was scribbling constantly, seemingly ignoring her boyfriends antics, but had a tiny smile on her lips that only came from pure happiness.

James shook his head slightly and started writing, pulling his mind away from Lily for the time being. He needed to work out a plan to get closer to her again, but that could come after class.

Lily looked down at her watch as she fixed her hair in the room of requirement. Jones had pulled it out of its neat ponytail, and the knots had created were too stubborn even for her wand to fix. Quarter to Six. Sighing, Lily pulled her hair up in to a messy bun to hide the knots, and quickly applied some concealment charms to her neck and wrists, hiding the bruises. He hadn't been particularly rough today, he did like to grab her. Luckily he had been quick, enjoying her mouth for 20 minutes, before pulling his pants up and departing the room of requirement.

Lily was grateful for everyday that she managed to maintain her virginity. The boys who came to her often asked, but they knew that they would have to pay Edmund an awful lot to get that privilege, something none of them could afford. So instead they came to her, groped and molested her, used her hands, breasts or mouth to get their release, and then left, the money on the floor for Lily to send back to Edmund. That was their arrangement. But she knew the day was getting closer when Regulus Black would get tired of waiting. He was particularly hard on her, and she knew that with his money, it wouldn't been long before he paid off Edmund and took her. Her heart broke every time he touched her, he was worse than the others because he actually talked to her, telling her how if he wasn't magically sworn to secrecy he would be fucking her in front of Sirius and James, making them watch as he defiled their 'flower'. He spoke of the marauders with such contempt that Lily wanted nothing more than to rip his black heart out, but she had to stand and take his abuse as he used her. One day, she would get her revenge.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she straightened her blouse and walked out of the room of requirement, making sure to check in the viewing glass that there was no one outside. Turning left, she rushed up to the Owlery where Isla was waiting for her, leg already out to receive the envelope full of money. Then, Lily made her way to the Greenhouses.

Lily bit down her nerves as she walked up to the door of the classroom. Before this year she had never had a detention before, but now on October 5th, she was experiencing her 3rd. The stress of her new lifestyle was ruining her life, and she knew it, but she had to continue. She had degraded herself too much to go back now. By pushing away all the people who cared about her, she was able to maintain an existence where none of them would be harmed. Especially James. Lily briefly thought back to the day that she had received that first letter from James over the summer.

My Lily Flower

Its only been a day since I have seen you and I am already going very slightly crazy. I hope you will forgive me for kissing you like that, but I couldn't stand the thought of going home for summer and not having felt your lips against mine. This last year with you as my friend has been so incredible, knowing that you don't hate me anymore makes me so happy, but I know that I would always have been empty if I did not try to pursue you one more time. If you wish, my Lily Flower, I will treasure that kiss forever, and never push you for another, knowing that I tried my very hardest to have you. I will be your very best friend if that is what you ask of me, but that is not what I desire in my heart. I want to be able to call you mine, I've been pining over you for so many years, Padfoot says that I should be the giant puppy! He bet me that I would never kiss you, and while I took the bet, it was merely because I know how good we can be together. If I get to share a perfect kiss with the most beautiful girl in the world, why not earn some money from the fool so I can buy you a present? I spent the ten galleons on the bracelet enclosed in this letter, I really hope you like it. Please Lily, will you be my Girlfriend? You will never regret it, I promise.

Please reply,

James x

Lily had sat in her room staring at the letter for hours, the grin on her face so wide it could not be hidden. She knew she had to go work the bar later that night for her second shift, but suddenly that awful task did not seem so horrible. She had a way out, James was her way out. Slipping the gorgeous beaded green bracelet on to her wrist, Lily made her way downstairs and towards Edmunds office.

"I think you underestimate what I want here Edmund. You will complete this task for me, otherwise the Dark Lord will hear about it. Do it, or he will see that you and all your little girls are ripped to shreds!"

Lily pressed herself in to a tiny closet as the door to Edmunds office burst open. Through the cracks in the wood, Lily saw Lucius Malfoy, a boy only 3 years older than herself, gliding down the hall, the dark mark on his arm clear for all to see. She shivered in fear. The Dark Lords followers were not to be messed with, and she remembered Malfoy to be brutal in his skills. It did not surprise her that he had been recruited.

Once she was sure that he had gone, she moved out of the closet and went to knock on

Edmunds door. She was very disturbed by what she had heard, but the calming weight of the bracelet on her arm reminded her that she had a way out now, she would get out of this, and then tell James' parents of Malfoy and Edmunds involvement with the Dark Lord. They were Aurors and would know what to do.

"Enter."

She opened the door, walking in with confidence in her stride.

"I'm leaving. Tonight."

She cut to the chase, looking this evil man who she had blindly trusted in the eyes. However, she had not expected the anger in his eyes as he met her gaze.

"No you are not. I took you in, gave you a home and a job when all others had abandoned you. You owe me a debt, and you are not leaving until it has been paid."

"I will pay it. Give me an afternoon, I will meet my friend and get a loan off of him, pay you the money and then I will be out of your hair. You will get your money for the week I have been here, don't you worry." and much more besides she thought, as she thought of the fate that awaited him once the ministry knew he was in league with the Dark Lord.

With a flick of his wand, the door slammed shut behind her. She twirled on her toes, her eyes looking for an escape route, seeing the anger in this mans eyes.

"You will not leave."

"I've found someone who wants me, you can't keep me here!"

"Aaa, the same person who gave you that bracelet? I see the letter in your pocket? A boyfriend? Does he know what you did last night? Does he know how you have become a whore? Does he know I will kill him if he touches you? You are mine now Evans, and if you even THINK about leaving here then everyone you have ever met is going to know how disgusting you are, and then I am going to kill you."

Lily looked him in the eye, they were blazing with anger. He meant it completely. Here he was, a dangerous man who was in league with Voldemort, and she had gotten herself trapped. If she wanted to save her reputation, and her life, she was going to have to do what he said.

"Now give me that bracelet and that letter, and go back to your room. I will call you when your first client arrives."

Lily shook her head, pushing the door of the herbology theory classroom open. There was no point dwelling on that day and the joy that had been in her heart. She could never have him now, no matter how much she wanted James. She had to keep to her plans and keep him away. But for now, since she had a boring hour of detention to kill, she would dream of her hero.

And then she came face to face with him.

Hope you enjoyed :) I'm sorry if it feels rushed or pushed, I needed to use this chapter to get myself back in to the story, and back in to the characters. I hope your looking forward to the next chapter as much as I am :) Review :)