Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I still have no money for you to take. Besides JKR is the only billionaire author, she's richer than the Queen, what does she need my hard earned money for?

Chapter 17 Should I?

Lily went up to her dorm and was glad to find it empty. She collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What had just happened? She was immune to James's smile. She'd spent years training herself to be so. Lily couldn't take the silence. She flicked her wand a few times and the record player the girls had began to play.

Apparently, whoever had been using it last had been listening to one of Lily's records because The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" started to play. As she lay on her bed listening she couldn't help but think about James. He did have something…she couldn't deny it any longer, she Lily Evans…liked James Potter.

She sighed. Knowing what she wanted to do, but not sure if she could bring herself to do it. It had been easier when she couldn't stand him. How could he do this to her damn it? This was all Dumbledore's fault. Yes, that was it, he was to blame. He chose James as Head Boy, forcing her to work with him! Forcing her to see that he wasn't the arrogant prat that she thought. If it weren't for Dumbledore…okay clearly she was losing her mind. She was blaming Dumbledore for her feelings for James. She needed a distraction. With that she got up and grabbing her homework, headed for the Library.

Lily skipped dinner that night. She couldn't be in the same room with James at the moment. Her emotions were too muddled and she was sure that if he even looked at her she'd blush, mostly because just thinking about the way he'd smiled at her earlier and her reaction made her blush. She was hungry, however, so she sneaked down to the kitchens to grab a bite to eat. James had showed her how to get there one night on one of their nightly patrols when she had been hungry.

"Here you are Miss," one of the elves said as they brought her a plate of steak and kidney pie and some pumpkin juice.

Lily wasn't sure how she felt about house elves. She couldn't deny that they certainly seemed happy but part of her couldn't help feeling uncomfortable at the thought. When she had asked James about it he had said that setting most house elves free would traumatize them to no end. Plus most wizards treated their house elves perfectly nicely. Lily couldn't deny the Hogwarts house elves seemed very well cared for. 'Oh well, too much serious thought, I might go mad.'

Monday afternoon found Lily in the library once again. She had not been nearly as productive yesterday as she would have liked and the homework just kept piling up. She wanted to get some of it done now because she had patrol later with James so she wouldn't have a lot of time after dinner to work on it. Plus her mind kept wandering to a certain messy haired Head Boy and it was taking her a bit longer to do her work than it normally did.

At nine o'clock on the dot Lily met James at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"You ready?" James asked.

"Of course."

"Well then let's go."

"James," Lily began once they were out of earshot of the portrait hole.

"Yes, Lily?" James asked. Had she made a decision?

"I, well, I just wanted to…say I'm sorry about yesterday?"

"Huh?" James asked confused.

"The whole turning you into a duck thing and not being able to turn you back," Lily explained.

"Oh…don't worry about it. It's not like you did it on purpose," James replied grinning at the memory.

"Well, I wanted to apologize anyway."

"If it makes you feel better then I will accept your apology," James said flashing her that heart-melting smile of his.

'Just do it. Say you'll go with him,' the voice in Lily's head demanded.

"Also if you'd like to have another study session I'm free tomorrow. If tomorrow isn't good we can try to find another day, but I have Quidditch practice Wednesday and Thursday and the guys and I have plans for Friday."

"Tomorrow sounds fine," Lily replied smiling.

"Good. We'll go over untransfiguring people," James said with a grin. "So how are things going, other than Transfiguration?" James asked.

"Pretty well. I got a letter from my Mum the other day."

"How'd she send you a letter, I thought you didn't have an owl?" James asked confused

"Oh, I sent her one with one of the school owls and she sent me a reply with it," Lily explained.

"Ah. So anything exciting going on at home?"

"Nope, Petunia Mum are deeply engrossed in wedding plans."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Petunia did apparently finally tell Vernon about my being a witch but I guess Petunia must have convinced Vernon that she has no interest in a 'freak like me.'"

"I still can't believe she thinks you're a freak!" James said his frustration evident. "She told him?" James added.

"Yeah. But don't tell anyone. I didn't know she was going to. I figured she'd take the secret to her grave. I'm not sure how her telling him is affected by the International Statute of Secrecy."

"You know, I never thought of that," James said. "I'm not sure how the laws would be applied to Muggles. I suppose the Obliviators would just modify his memory and tell her to keep quiet," he added thoughtfully.

"I'm not too worried to be honest," Lily said casually. "I've only met him a few times but I'm fairly certain he'd rather live in a box on the street than admit to being connected with magic."

They passed the rest of the patrol with pleasant conversation interrupted only twice, once by Peeves sticking gum in all the locks of all the rooms on the fifth floor and once by a Ravenclaw sixth year and a Hufflepuff fifth year they found in the Entrance Hall broom closet.

"Really?" James admonished them. "The Entrance Hall broom closet? You should find a better hiding place next time."

Lily, however, although she appeared calm and collect on the outside was having a raging battle with herself. Should she go with him? She liked him; it was stupid to deny it. Everyone said he really liked her and he was so easy to talk to. In some ways he was even easier to talk to than Marlene and Katie. But he had always been such an arrogant prat and she'd sworn back in fifth year that she would never go out with him…

As they approached The Fat Lady Lily turned to James.

"Um, James," she began.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I've made a decision, about you're wanting me to go to the ball with you."

"Oh, um okay," James said nervously. His stomach suddenly felt like he had eaten very hyperactive butterflies.

She was silent for several moments; she couldn't look at him…

"Well…" he asked quietly.