Be Here Now

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, belongs to the amazing Joanne Rowling.

A/N: Hey! I got out of school early yesterday, thank Merlin! The beginning of this chapter was kind of hard to write, so I hope it was satisfactory.

Eclare LJ and Percabeeth: Yes she is, at least Peter isn't drugging anyone. I hope so too, and I'm sorry, I also feel sad, but I just got a spark of an idea so I had to put that in. :/ Enjoy!

Neogirl31: Fast enough? ;)

By the way, I now have 45 reviews! Thank you ALL so much, not only the reviewers, but the people who put me on story/author alert and marked this as a favorite. It all means SO MUCH to me, so thank you! And here's chapter seventeen!

x.o.x.o.x.

Lily watches her fellow Head carefully. As soon as all the water is swallowed, something changes around James. Lily can't place it exactly, but something turns warmer in the atmosphere.

James breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin!"

Lily gapes at him. "You knew you were under a potion?"

James shrugs. "A subconscious part, I guess," he replies.

Lily nods. "Dumbledore knows what Maya did."

Hilary appears, and squeals when she senses the tension gone. "Jamie!" she cries, running forward and jumping on her brother.

James laughs and hugs her back. "Missed me, Hils?" he asks, winking. Lily carefully searches his undertone for a trace of arrogance, but to her surprise, there is none.

Hilary rolls her eyes, but a wide grin is spread across her face. "Don't flatter yourself," she jokes, slapping his arm playfully.

Lily steps back, watching the twins interact with a sense of jealousy. She remembered the days when she and Petunia had interacted so easily and in such a friendly manner. Hilary turns, sensing this.

"Lily," she says, beckoning her forward.

Lily raises an eyebrow, questioning Hilary silently, but walks forward again. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Marlene and Alice slipping out, waving silently.

"So what's been happening with you, Evans?" James asks, sitting down on a couch with Hilary beside him.

Lily shrugs. "Not much. Got a new boyfriend. Pretty much it."

James's hazel eyes narrow. "Who?" he asks sharply.

Lily tosses him an annoyed glance. "I am quite glad you are back to normal, James-" she pauses, adding in her head, and so much easier to love – "but you shouldn't mess with my love life."

James relaxes slightly. He shrugs. "Sorry, old habits die hard." He pauses, eyes glinting. "Well, I'm always here if you need something, Lily." He winks, making the implication loud and clear.

Lily shakes her head, but she is smiling. "I highly doubt that, James."

Hilary smiles slightly as she watches her twin and her best friend tossing remarks and playful insults back and forth, no longer getting sincerely insulted. "I've got to get going," she says, rising. "It's wonderful having you back, Jamie." Hugging both Heads quickly, she skips out of the room, jubilant at having her true twin back.

Inside the Head Common Room, James suddenly has a memory of something Lily had said to him earlier in the year. "Lily, you… you were raped?"

Lily's emerald orbs widen. "I-I… You remember?" she gasps.

James nods. "I remember everything you've ever said to me, Lily, under the influence of a potion or not."

Lily allows a small smile to form on her lips. "Yes. Yes, I… I was raped," she says quietly.

"Do the others know?" James inquires gently.

Lily intakes breath sharply. "Yes. Sirius, Remus, and Peter don't, though."

"C-Can you tell me what happened?"

Lily studies James intently. "No," she says finally. "You were drugged, but after all the trauma you put me through, it is very hard to trust you again. I'll be going to bed now."

James stares after her, resolving to get that girl before seventh year was over. And he was determined to beat Maya's arse for dragging him so far away from her. They had just had a comfortable talk, but he felt as distant as ever from the elusive Head Girl.

x.o.x.o.x.

Lily sits in the middle of her room silently on the cold December morning of the Hogsmeade trip. In the month since James was released from the potion, Maya had been put on probation, and Lily and Nicholas were going steady. While she is waiting for the date (they had gone on others, despite the lack of Hogsmeade trips), she has no idea what is going on in a deserted corridor.

"If you ever hurt Lily, you'll have to deal with me," growls James Potter in Nicholas Dwyer's face.

Nicholas smirks. He was a true jerk. "You, James Potter, are just bitter that I got my Lily and you didn't."

James scowls. "She is no one's property."

"Oh? I've got her wrapped around my finger," Nicholas replies, grinning maliciously.

x.o.x.o.x.

"How was your date?"

Lily looks at James curiously. Was it paranoia or had she detected an undertone of bitterness in his voice? Ever since he'd officially broken up with Maya, he'd become so much more subdued. "Fine," she answers.

James wants to reply, but both halt as fumbles come from a broom closet.

Lily sighs.

"I'll do it," volunteers James.

Lily nods. "Thanks."

James pulls out his wand and uses wind to open the door. As the couple realizes that they'd been caught, they jump apart violently.

Lily stares at the scene. Her green eyes usually so full of life and emotion drain of all emotion. They are empty, short tunnels that lead nowhere as they stare blankly at her boyfriend and Marlene going at it like bunnies.

"How could you, Marlene?" she cries, her heart tearing into a million pieces.

Marlene looks into Lily's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I just went out on a date with my boyfriend less than three hours ago, and now my best friend and my boyfriend are going at it like mad bunnies?" Lily asks in disbelief. "Marlene, I truly thought you were better than that." She turns her sickeningly empty eyes to Nicholas. "Thanks, Nicholas. I really needed this." She breathes in sharply. "I lost two relationships today. Don't ever come near me again."

Turning on her heel, Lily runs away, tears streaming down her cheeks and she races to find Alice and Hilary.

James glares at both of them. "Like I said before, Dwyer, watch your back. You hurt Lily, and that will not bode well with the Marauders." He turns to his childhood friend. "Marlene, I've known you since we were seven years old. It's been ten years. I would never have believed this of you. I'm disappointed." And then he walks off, already planning out what to tell the other Marauders, especially Sirius, Marlene's reluctant boyfriend…

x.o.x.o.x.

Lily stumbles into the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dorm with tears streaking her face and her red hair flying all over the place. For the first time, Hilary and Alice see the girl during the summers, not the put-together, brilliant Lily Evans of Hogwarts.

"Oh Merlin! What's wrong, Lily?" Hilary cries, tripping in her haste to get to her friend.

Alice also rushes over, embracing Lily tightly. "Sh, dear, whatever it is, it'll be alright."

Lily offers a wet, sad smile. "M-Marlene was ch-cheating on Sirius w-with N-Nicholas!"

Both young women gasp.

"Oh my Merlin," breathes Alice. "Lily, I'm so sorry."

"Marlene?" cries Hilary. "My friend of ten years?"

"I'm sorry, Hilary," whispers Lily.

"Oh, no, Lily! Don't be sorry! You're the one that was cheated on with your best friend… oh Merlin."

Lily is in the middle of the group hug.

x.o.x.o.x.

"We've got to do something before Christmas," Hilary declares. She gestures up to Lily's dorm, where she is currently wallowing.

"Where's James?" Sirius asks. He has dark rings under his eyes; clearly he hasn't had enough sleep.

Alice smiles slightly. "Upstairs trying to console Lily."

Remus shakes his head. "He's whipped."

Hilary grins. "We've known that for years, Remmy."

Remus frowns at the nickname. "I prefer Remus, thanks."

Everyone laughs except Sirius. He may not have liked Marlene that much in that way, but it still hurt that she had cheated on him. Even he, the great playboy Sirius Black, had never cheated on a girl.

"Sirius?" Hilary asks softly. At the beginning of the year, she absolutely could not stand Sirius Black, but she had warmed up to him.

Sirius (who likes Hilary in that way) smiles a slight smile. "Yeah?"

Hilary bites her lip, shaking her head. "Nothing."

x.o.x.o.x.

"Come on, Lils, please?" pleads James, in the doorway of Lily's room.

Lily doesn't respond. She simply continues sitting on her window seat, staring off into the Hogwarts grounds illuminated by the half moon.

James steps fully into the room, his eyes trained on the love of his life. "Lily, you need to stop grieving. If he wasn't smart enough to see what he had, then he's stupid and he truly does not deserve you. If he couldn't see what a wonderful, kind, loving, brilliant young woman you are, then you shouldn't be wallowing over him."

Lily turns from the window seat. "I'm not wonderful, kind, loving, and brilliant."

James steps further toward her. "Lily Marie Evans, you are the most wonderful, kind, loving, and brilliant person I have ever met."

Lily smiles softly, rising. "Thank you, James." She runs into his arms, albeit hesitantly, and they hug. They hug as friends and nothing more, but both find themselves wishing for more, even if Lily can't fully trust him yet.

x.o.x.o.x.

A/N: Whew, that was quite a hard chapter! I spent all of yesterday and a lot of today trying to get my ideas out and organized. Very hard. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that! I have decided to set a minimum number of reviews before I update again. I want three reviews (total of 48) before I post another chapter. Thanks everyone! Until chapter eighteen…

~TrueLoveIs4ever