A/N: Hey Guys, so I think it's time I introduce myself, I'm Robin. This is a collab story between me and my GORGEOUS friend Maddy who I love... Okay, so since this is a story written between two people, the chapter should come pretty fast. For these first few weeks, I'll be updating it almost EVERY day because we already have thirteen chapters written! Once we get past posting the things we've already written, the story will probably be updated on a bi-weekly basis. Please, please review, because it gives us a lot of motivation to write. Getting reviews makes me want to go rush and post a chapter, and even just hearing "I Love it, please update quicker!" is amazing. REVIEWS MAKE ME POST THE ALREADY WRITTEN CHAPTERS FASTER GUYS! GOGOGO!

"Okay," James says, glancing around at the circle of children—and me, around him. "Time for lunch. You can go to the dining hall to eat." The circle disperses, and I start a fast walk over to the field I know Alice is coaching in. I can't believe she did this to me, she must have known! Was this on purpose?

"Lily!" cries a voice behind me, and for a second I think its James's. The footsteps behind me are too light, and the pitch of the voice too high. "Lily!" it calls again. Pivoting on my heel, I turn to see Oliver, the young boy from before, sprinting toward me at top speeds.

"Oh, hullo Oliver," I greet him kindly, patting him on the back as he bends over, his breath short from the small distance he ran. He straightens up once he is finished, addressing me with a large smile.

"You know, I'm going to be a second year this upcoming year. A Hufflepuff second year." With this being said, he closes one eye awkwardly, which I then realize is supposed to be a wink.

For a few seconds, he just stares at me, trying to gaze into my eyes. I let my eyes wander to the grass, refusing to have an 'intimate moment' with a twelve-year-old.

"Well, Oliver, that's great for you… Is there something you need?" I ask, slowly starting to back away toward the field I was headed too. He now looks nervous, and is wringing his hands together. Oh shit, this isn't another James Potter, is it?

"I was wondering if…" he starts, "Willyouhavelunchwithme?"

"Huh?"

"Will you have lunch with me? I mean, with me and my friends," he inquires, looking up hopefully at me. Bloody hell, how do I turn him down nicely? He seems like a sweet kid, yet slightly cocky too. He has blonde hair, which falls right on top of his eyelashes, and looks tall for his age. Not tall enough to trick anyone he was older then twelve, though. James would give me hell if he saw me eating with the little squirt.

"Lily, come on!" calls someone to my right, who I instantly recognize as Alice.

"I'm sorry," I say gently, "but I've promised my friend Alice that I'd each lunch with her, maybe another time?"

The bright and happy expression seems crushed, but only for a second. "Promise you will another time?" he asks.

"I…" I trail off. Alice is now tapping her foot, still waiting for me to come. And leaving Alice waiting is never a good idea. "I promise."

"Great! See you later, Lils!" he calls, using some God-awful pet name for me. When did he come up with that? God, nicknames were horrible, especially for me. James always called me Evans, Sirius called me Lily Flower, and now this little guy was calling me Lils. Would it ever end?

"Finally!" she jeers, "Who was that?"

"Alice, this is not your time to question me! This is my time to be made at you for not telling me that Potter was going to be my teacher!" I snap.

"Sorry," she sighs with a shrug, before widening her eyes an asking, "Can you ever forgive me?"

I grumble a "Whatever."

I spend the short walk to the dining hall explaining to her about the class and what Oliver had been asking me.

"Aw, Lily and Oliver sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage—wait, wouldn't it be illegal for you to marry him?" She laughs as I bury my head in my hands.

"I regret ever teaching you the sitting-in-a-tree song."

"Who's Lily sitting in a tree with?"

I didn't think it could get any worse, being here at this camp, trying to overcome my fear, as well as spending my entire summer with James Potter. Obviously I was wrong.

"It's a Muggle thing," explains Alice, before pulling out a brown bag from her tote and setting it on one of the many round tables in the dining hall.

"What are you doing here, Black?" I gasp, taking a seat next to her, because I think I might collapse if I continue to stand.

"Coaching, of course. I'm the best Beater at Hogwarts," he brags, before sitting down next to Alice.

I scoff and say, "I'm pretty sure that's Amos Diggory, in Hufflepuff."

"Diggory?" bellows Sirius in outrage, "That tosser who thinks he can swing a bat? Evans, you really are an insane bird." I just shake my head, before seeing James approaching the table.

"Oh no," I say to Alice, "We are not sitting with them." She opens her mouth to retort, when Sirius snakes his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close.

"Come on, Ally, you gotta stay," he whispers loudly, so even I can hear. She shoves him away, now not only her face, but her entire neck red with embarrassment too. Alice, being the reclusive bookworm she is, doesn't get that much attention from boys. Well, that and she has a boyfriend who is training to be an Auror, one who could kill anyone who tried to hit on her.

Alice had been friends with the Marauders from her very first day at Hogwarts, knowing them through pureblood connection. I had never quite warmed up to them though, and hung out with Mary and Marly when she was with them. Of course she would want to sit with them.

"Lily, come on, let's just stay," she mumbles and I agree unenthusiastically.

"So Lily, I didn't know you could play Quidditch. What level are you coaching?" asks Sirius, and I can feel the blood rising to my cheeks. Though my hair is pulled off my neck, and a Cooling Spell placed over the room, I still feel like I'm burning up. Alice and James both burst out laughing, partly at his question, partly at my discomfort.

"What did I miss?" he questions. Alice is still giggling, trying not to spit out the bite of her sandwich in her mouth, so James answers.

"Mate, she's not coaching. She's taking a class. My class." For a moment, Sirius looks as though he is going to explode. He then starts barking out loud laughs, spitting the water he was drinking out across the table.

He tries to catch his breath, and finally chokes out, "But… but you're coaching the beginners' class." James just nods and they all break out into another fit of laughter. I'm now fuming, and can't believe that Alice would be joining in with these prats to make fun of me.

"Guys, stop it," I protest. The laughter doesn't cease. "Stop!" My objections are futile, and I finally wait for when it dies down to just sniggering.

"So, you're like a student?" clarifies Sirius. I nod. "Bloody-hell, this means we have to keep our love affair a secret, Lily-flower!" I stare at him, waiting for the punch line. "What, don't you know? There's a super strict no coach-student thing here. George Craver got fired as a coach last year because of it."

A chocking noise comes from across the table, and I see James quickly swallow and say, "Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, I know. I saw some pretty fine birds on my way in, it's too bad." Sirius nods dejectedly, but James eyes flicker over to me, then down to his food. He continues eating in silence, as do I, as Sirius tells a story to the three of us. After a few moments, I zone out, and my eyes wander to James.

He's tall, he always has been, but he's filled in his lanky form more; I can see his toned biceps through the short sleeves of his shirt. His messy hair is sticking up at even more abnormal angles, maybe an effect of the hot day. His glasses are taped together with a piece of Spellotape and his hazel eyes are shielded by his eyelids, as he is now leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.

"Is anyone listening to me?" asks Sirius angrily. "James is over here taking a nap during my story, and Evans is staring at him like some sort of creepy vampire wanting his blood."

James jerks up, and meets my eyes. Damn, why do I have to blush so much? Now he knows what Sirius said is true.

"For your information," I start, "I wasn't staring at him, I was merely zoning out and thinking about… about pie." I smile to myself, knowing I'm the only one who gets my joke. You know, I really am a clever. I should start my own joke shop…

"About pie? Really Lily? Is food all you ever think about?" responds Alice.

I smile cheekily and say, "Yes, Alice, food is the only thing that ever crosses my mind." She just rolls her eyes and goes back to eating.

"Well, now that everyone's listening again, back to my story…"

That night, as I lay in bed, exhausted and sore, I think about spending the summer with James and Sirius and Alice. I picture me and James growing closer, becoming good friends. Contrary to the popular belief, I don't actually hate James. With everything that happened with Sev—Snape back in fifth year, it was easier to hate him, to despise him, rather than forgive him. It was easier to place the blame on the collapsed relationship with Snape on James then take responsibility of it for myself.

When sixth year had started up again, I was ready for him to ask me out. I spent the summer creating clever ways to turn him down and insult him. But the compliments and date requests never came. He didn't talk to me, he didn't flirt with me, he barley looked at me. I should have been relieved, I should have thanked the Gods for this amazing turn of events… but I didn't. Heartbroken was the only thing I felt. I had lost two people that year, one I never actually liked. I watched him grow and change and become this person I didn't know. I saw him change from Potter to James.

Though he changed, I hadn't. I remained the same stubborn person, and even now couldn't bear to just forgive him, to be nice. This razor sharp part of me always came out around him, hiding the person I actually was, because I was just too scared. James made me feel things…. He made me feel things I shouldn't be feeling.

He angers me, he pisses me off. He invigorates and irritates and makes me feel like I might explode at any second. But he also makes me feel nervous and infatuated and scared.

When he started to date Amanda Hartridge, I felt this weird burning feeling whenever I saw them. I felt jealous, which I had only just admitted to myself. Timothy was… he was great, but I never felt anything more for him than brotherly feeling. I continued to date him, though.

Now, I will be around James every day. My carefully built walls are already threatening to crumble, the foundation starting to sink. I can't let him in, because inside I'm not perfect little Evans, with the snappy comeback or right answer. Inside, I am Lily, the girl whose imperfections and insecurities define her.

Pleasee revieww :) AND as an incentive, I have something special for all you reader. *crickets* Hello? I know your out there! I can hear you breathing! Okay, so if YOU want to be in our story, tell us what you think in a review, and then tell us your name, age, looks, and personality. You can make some of it up if you don't feel comfortable putting it on the internet, and please give us a fake last name and an age RANGE (like 12-15). We want you all to be safe haha! And then, in some of the upcoming chapters, your own character will be apart of it. If you have any story plot ideas too, we'd love to hear them, even though we have the story mostly mapped out. Thanks a lot guys and HAPPY REVIEWING! REVIEWS MAKE LILY NOT HATE JAMES!