A/N - I know that it's been a while, but as I explained in my other fic that I recently updated, I only just got a new laptop since the old one died. Anyway, here is another update for you! I know more people read this story than the reviews show, because I can tell by looking at its traffic. I really appreciate reviews, so please, please take a few seconds to let me know what you think! I'm sure you all thought it would be super sweet and wonderful since James and Lily finally crossed the line from new friends, into a possible budding romance. Well, i've thrown you quite the curveball, so please don't hate me.

Time seemed to move so quickly in the Evans household. James supposed that it had to do with the fact there was a wedding happening the following day. Lily had been running around, trying really hard to help her mother keep things together before everyone showed up the next morning. James made a mental note to never throw a wedding at home, he'd never seen people so stressed out.

For some reason, he had the feeling that Lily was trying to make up for something. Like if she helped enough with this wedding, it would make up for the fact that she and her sister didn't have a good relationship. He watched as she checked over seating charts, made desserts, and even helped pitch the big white tent in the backyard. And, she did all of this without magic even though she was of legal age now. He tried to help as much as he could, but he was virtually useless without magic. Lily's parents didn't mind if he used it, but Petunia sure did, judging by her menacing look any time she caught him using it. He didn't care what she thought of him. He stopped using magic because Lily looked embarrassed every time Petunia got upset when James used it.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you." he said when they finally had a free moment together before bed. She'd come into the spare bedroom he was sleeping in to say goodnight, and he knew it would be his one opportunity to really talk to her during this busy weekend.

Her brow puckered slightly in confusion, until understanding dawned on her face. "You didn't embarrass me at all. My parents think you're quite the laugh. I just always feel like Petunia is judging everything magical, which she probably is, so I try to stay away from it when I'm around her."

"Why do you care, if she's so horrible to you?"

Lily looked confused again, as if she didn't understand his question. She leaned into the doorframe, absentmindedly tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears. "She's my sister."

"That fact doesn't seem to make her go out of her way to care what you think." he points out, feeling just as confused as she looked.

She shakes her head, looking like she can't put her thoughts into words. She stares at him quietly for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "It doesn't really matter. Petunia and I used to be close. We used to be friends. But magic changed that. I think she was jealous that there was something in my life that she couldn't have. But even more so, I think she was hurt that she couldn't be a part of something that defines who I am. In her eyes, this is something special. And if she can't have it, or share it with me, then she rejects it and opts for normalcy instead." Lily explains.

"And you feel at fault for that?" he continues to prod.

"I know it's not my fault. But I feel like the least I can do is try, even if she doesn't." Her tone suggests that she doesn't want to talk about her sister anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

The day of the wedding passes by in a slow monotonous blur. Muggle weddings were much more dull than wizard ones, and so James found himself tuning out during the reception once the actual ceremony was over. But this time it really was not his fault, because Lily was hardly speaking to him. He watches her dart around, charming everyone she came into contact with. She really was brilliant at impressing people, not that he thought she really tried very hard. She was currently talking to an older couple, who had previously introduced themselves to him as Lily's aunt and uncle, from her mother's side. She was animated and lovely, and the couple seemed enamored. He found himself jealous that they were enjoying her company and he was not.

"She's even prettier than she was the last time I saw her." James turns his attention from Lily's socializing to a young man standing beside him, also looking at Lily. He was a little taller than James, with sandy colored hair and expressive blue eyes. He smiles kindly when the two of them make eye contact and holds out his right hand.

"James Potter." says James, taking it.

"Daniel Murphy. Nice to meet you. Are you Lily's new boyfriend?" He was very direct, and James appreciated it, even if the question made him uncomfortable.

"No, we're just friends." For some reason, this sounded like a lie. "She just needed someone to go to the wedding with."

"But you like her." Daniel presses. He wasn't asking, he was stating. There was a slight edge to these words as his eyes went back to looking at Lily. Something in expression looked, or rather felt, familiar to James.

"You like her too." He points out.

"Yes I do, very much. I moved in next door this past summer and we dated until she had to go back to school." Daniel says all of this nonchalantly, still watching Lily.

"Why'd you break up?" The questions tumbles out of James' mouth before he even registers that he's asking it.

"She was going back to school. Well, that was the excuse that she gave me. But I felt like she was just passing the time with me over the summer, like she knew it wasn't going anywhere." His eyes never leave the sight of Lily as he talks about their fleeting summer romance. "We only broke up about a month ago." He adds. Something about Daniel makes James feel very sad, and very lonely.

"Oh." was all James could say.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" James asks Lily later that night when she comes to say goodnight before going to bed. She looks beyond exhausted, but also pleased, as if she'd achieved her goal for the day.

"Nine in the morning. They're only opening up the fireplace in Dumbledore's office from nine to nine-oh-five, so we can't be late." She replies, starting to turn away from him in order to walk out the door.

"I met Daniel Murphy today." he says, before she is out of earshot. She walks back into the room, an odd expression on her face. She looks apprehensive before she smiles apologetically at him.

"He's a nice guy." She finally says.

"You broke his heart." James says dryly.

"Did he tell you that?" Now there is a slight annoyance in her tone, and she even rolls her eyes.

"No, he didn't. But I'd recognize the 'rejected by Lily Evans' look anywhere. I know it really well." he reminds her. His tone isn't friendly, and he doesn't understand why his anger is flaring up right now. After a tense moment, he realizes that it's because Daniel reminds him of himself. He also starts to wonder if breaking hearts was a Lily Evans specialty. The casual way in which she seemed to have tossed her old boyfriend aside while he continued to nurse a hopelessly pathetic crush on her felt painfully familiar to James.

Lily walks into the room in silence, sitting down on the edge of his bed slowly. "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head, trying to cool off. He turns to look at her. Her silky red mane is slicked back into a ponytail, so he can see her face even better than usual. Her eyes are apologetic, and he knows that she feels bad that he's upset. But he also doesn't miss the look of discomfort that sits on her face, and he also knows that its because she doesn't want this. He's getting too attached and he's letting his feelings resurface and get in the way of something that was not meant to be meaningful. He's suddenly embarrassed and hurt, and silently promises himself that he is through with this. He gave up feeling this way when he gave up on his feelings for Lily.

He looks away from her. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet and detached. "Goodnight Evans, I'll see you in the morning."

Lily hadn't missed the fact that he'd called her Evans. It felt foreign to hear. He's called her by her surname since the day he learned it in their first year, and only started using her first name two weeks ago. But she associated the different usages of her name with the different relationships she'd had with him.

She couldn't help but feel hurt by his cold dismissal from the previous night, but she also couldn't say that a part of her felt relieved. It was scary how quickly they'd been absorbed into each other's lives, and it really did frighten her. It was why she tried to distance herself from him during the wedding, trying to avoid anything romantic in nature. She didn't know how to repair the hiccup in their new friendship, but she assured herself that it was just that, a hiccup.

She changed her mind once James came downstairs. He was friendly as he said goodbye to Lily's parents, but he didn't say anything to her apart from "Good morning, Evans."

He went through the flickering green flames, and she followed a few seconds after him. They were greeted by a tired looking Professor McGonagall, who informed them that the headmaster was away for the day, so she would be taking over. She let them go immediately, not wasting any time on idle chit chat about the wedding that she couldn't care less about.

The two walked in silence to the common room. As soon as he climbed in through the portrait hole, James was engulfed in a massive group hug by his three best friends. Lily watched the scene jealously, noting that her girl friends were not around to do the same. She knew they were upset with her for shutting them out of her life recently.

She walked quickly up to her room and dumped her bag on her bed, sinking quietly into the floor, wishing that the loneliness she felt would keep eating at her until there was none of her left.

She felt abandoned. Yes, that was certainly the word for it. He had abandoned her and she hated him for it. How could he take her in so quickly, and then turn his back on her for the second time since she'd known him? And just like the first time he'd done it, she felt neglected and hurt. Weeks had passed since the wedding and James hardly ever spoke to her anymore. He seemed just fine though, back to his usual self. Lily had to keep remindind herself that he was probably oblivious to her inner turmoil.

As much as he really hated to admit it, she missed him quite a lot. It was stupid of her to feel that way after only properly having him in her life for two weeks. But she felt like she'd been given a taste of something wonderful and it had been taken away from her before she could decide on whether or not she wanted more of it.

She was staring at him in the Great Hall as he read through his Daily Prophet, not that he was paying her any attention back. She watched as a sixth year girl from Ravenclaw made her way over to the group of marauders, clearly calling out for James since his head perked up once she reached the table. Lily looked on as a smile broke out on James' face at something the girl was saying. He nodded his head, a laugh escaping him. The girl looked delighted that she made him laugh. This made Lily very angry. Who was she to be so thrilled that James Potter laughed at something she said? Lily couldn't even remember the girl's name, she must have been inconsequential.

The girl placed her hands on the Gryffindor table, leaning in over it so that her face was closer to James'. Their eyes were locked as she spoke, and James' grin went from casual and easy going to a dangerous smile. He ran a hand through his hair, and Lily was reminded of how she did the same thing mere weeks ago after all their kissing on the train. Had he really forgotten that so easily? She'd thought that it had meant more to him than he'd let on in that moment, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she'd imagined how intense it was, how positively elated he'd been at their physical contact.

The girl from Ravenclaw was walking back to her table. As she did so, she turned around and shot a suggestive look at James, one that he returned with a wink. Lily was furious. At that moment, she became very aware of the fact that someone had been watching her. She made eye contact with the boy sitting right beside James, Remus Lupin. He had a curious expression on his kind face, and it made her embarrassed that he'd caught her gawking at James. She quickly gathered her things and rushed out of the Great Hall.

"Lily, wait!" He'd gone after. She paused just outside of the grand double doors, wondering if she would regret this later.

"I don't want to talk about it, Remus." She says curtly, starting to walk away again.

"Well, keeping your feelings bottled up certainly isn't doing you any favors. Why don't you tell James how you feel?" he asks her, slightly out of breath.

"Because there's nothing to tell him." She says indignantly.

"I think that you have a lot to tell him. You looked like you wanted to punch Sylvia Sanders in the throat back there." He replies, knowingly. Oh, so that was her name. She couldn't help thinking that it was a stupid name.

Lily grimaces. "How longer were you watching me?"

"Since I noticed you watching him, from the moment you sat down. Lily, if you're upset about whatever's happened between the two of you, then you should tell him. Believe it or not, James is a very understanding lad." She can tell that he's only trying to help, but she knows that this won't get her anywhere.

"Thanks for the advice Remus, but I think things are better off this way." She can't completely hide the lie in her voice.

"I don't think you really feel that way."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because he loved you, Lily. He loved you for years and years and all you did was crush him. You can't blame him for pulling away the moment he sensed those feelings coming back. He just associates them with pain." Remus sounded surprised that Lily had not arrived to this conclusion on her own.

"So what should I do?" She asks, genuinely confused.

"He used to chase you. Maybe it's your turn to chase him."