"The trick to loving is letting go." - Anon

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter

A late January afternoon found me stiffly walking through the empty corridors, back from another run around the lake, although there had been no confrontation with Black this time. As I was wearily ascending one of the staircases near the common room, I heard the distant din of a single raised voice. Nearing the tower, outside the portrait hole was gathered a large crowd, and from the gaping hole Lily's voice was shrilly shouting -

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, POTTER? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET IT INTO THAT SUPER-THICK SKULL OF YOURS THAT I DON'T WANT TO DATE YOU? IN FACT, FORGET THE GIANT SQUID, I WOULD RATHER DATE MCNAIR, OR AVERY, OR NOTT, OR EVEN LUCIUS MALFOY, RATHER THAN SPEND ONE MINUTE IN YOUR COMPANY."

I frowned and sped up as Lily's dulcet tones hit my ear. Although Lily's temper was an infamous legend of Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry, its short fuse normally led to a short explosion, which burnt out rapidly. This outburst seemed rather different, judging by the size of the crowd that had been drawn in by the din.

"I HATE YOU! EVERY LITTLE THING ABOUT YOU DISGUSTS ME. YOUR LAZINESS, YOUR ARROGANCE, YOUR INANE PRANKS, BUT MOST OF ALL YOUR DISREGARD FOR ANYONE'S FEELINGS BUT YOUR OWN. YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THE HORRID LITTLE BOYS WHO LOOKS UP GIRL'S SKIRTS, EXCEPT THAT THEY HAVE THE EXCUSE OF NOT KNOWING ANY BETTER. BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING IN EITHER THE WIZARDING OR MUGGLE WORLD WHICH COULD INDUCE ME TO GO OUT WITH YOU."

"YOU PROFESS TO LIKE ME, TO CARE FOR ME, TO LOVE ME EVEN, AND YET YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HUMILIATE ME IN FRONT OF THOSE FOR WHOSE OPINIONS I CARE, NOTHING BUT RIDICULE ME FOR MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE WIZARDING WORLD, NOTHING BUT DISGUST ME AS YOU CRUELLY BULLY WEAKER AND LESS TALENTED MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL. YOU ARE WORSE THAN THE SLYTHERINS WHOM YOU SAY ARE PURE EVIL - I SAY IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!

"THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR BEHAVIOUR WHICH HAS EVER SHOWN ME WHY ON EARTH YOU WERE SORTED INTO A HOUSE OF COURAGE, LOYALTY, AND NOBILITY, WHEN ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVER SAID OR DONE HAD BEEN NOTHING BUT COWARDLY, INHUMANE, HEARTLESS AND MALICIOUS. SO WHY CAN'T YOU JUST STOP BOTHERING ME, AND UNDERSTAND THAT WILL EVERY SINGLE PART OF ME, I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

With these last words resounding around the Gryffindor common room, Lily flung herself away from the middle of the crowd, and pushed her way up to the dormitory. Seeing that the show was over, the spectators began to disperse, chattering excitedly about the latest development in the Lily/James hate/love relationship. Out of the corner or my eye, I saw Katie and Alice making their way up to the dormitory to find Lily, and began to follow them. Lily would definitely be in need of her friends after that outpouring of her emotions. She had shouted at Potter before, had ranted and raved over many things, had been so stressed during the OWL period that it was a risk just to take a deep breath within her hearing, but I had never ever, in the six years that I had known her, seen her as angry as that.

Then again, Potter would have deserved it. Over the years, he had frequently humiliated her, for example by finding her diary and reading it out, showing bits to people that he said proved that she harboured a crush on him, stolen her underwear, replaced her clothes with very revealing substitutes, at really bad times such as in the changing rooms back when we used to have flying lessons, and so she once had to walk back to the Tower in a mini-shirt and boob tube as the rest of the girls had already left.

And every time that she had confronted him about it, he had merely laughed it off, careless of the embarrassment that he had caused her. The thing was, had he followed her around like a lost puppy, and begged her to go out with him, she might have been able to pass him off as an idiot. However, he was remorseless in his antics. Potter preferred to ask her out in public, and when he was inevitably refused, he would laugh off her rejection, and make some comment, such as "Women!" to amuse the crowd. It was no wonder that she viewed his proposals for dates as nothing more than demeaning pranks. Yet this time, it appeared that he had gone too far.

I was just about the descend the staircase to go and comfort my poor friend when I turned my head to see in what sort of way he would be laughing off this rejection, and perhaps to overhear his habitual flippant comment. What I saw instead of the expected sight took me aback. Instead of laughing and joking and continuing with whatever he had been doing before the altercation, Potter was sitting on the edge of the couch. He was as pale as any of the ghosts in Hogwarts, his face blank and emotionless, as if he was trying to take in what had just happened. Remus and Peter were attempting to talk to him, but from the lack of emotion on his face I'd say that he couldn't even hear them.

And then something happened that I would never have expected from the proud James Potter. His face crumpled, and his head fell forward into his hands. Before it reached them, I thought I saw something glisten briefly on his cheek. Remus leaned forward and placed a hand in a comforting way on his shoulder, and Peter anxiously chewed his lip, as James abruptly stood up, sharply shaking off Remus's hand, and ran up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

Remus, one arm still outstretched, looked amazed, and then turned and shook his head hopelessly at Peter, who shrugged, face worried. Remus motioned to the portrait hole, and Peter nodded, and then they hurriedly walked out of the common room. I looked up the girls' staircase, and then up the boys', torn. Lily, my best friend, needed me.

Yet in the end it was behavioural psychology that decided me, as well as a little curiosity. Although, of course, there are many exceptions, women cry on average at least four times as much as men. The novelty of seeing the usually suave James Potter crumble into tears had tugged at my heart-strings, and Lily had Alice and Katie to look after her at the moment anyway.

I looked up the staircases again, but in my heart I already knew what I had to do. My feet propelled me across the common room, and I began to ascend the staircase to the boys' dormitories.

I stopped outside the door marked "Sixth Year Boys", and hesitated once more, before going in. Gently pushing the door open, I immediately saw that the room was a mess, and once I might have considered it bad had I not seen my older brother Dan's house at university, shared with five other boys, and no outside supervision. That truly had been a sight to behold.

On the right, on the bed against the wall with his head in the pillow, lay James Potter. I grimaced, and then made my way quietly over to him, feeling extremely shy and awkward. Upon hearing my footsteps, he raised his head slightly, and in a choked voice whispered:

"Go away Remus. Just let me be alone."

I hitched a breath, unsure of what to say, when he raised his head and turned to look at me.

"I said go awa…" At the sight of me he stopped.

I felt compassion rise within me as I beheld his red eyes, and pained expression. This was not the blasé James whom I knew, not the arrogant James who was one of the heroes of the school, not the fun-loving boy who had pranked every resident of the castle.

"Come to gloat, have you? Or are you just here to deliver another harangue or a curse from her, since the very sight of me disgusts her?" he asked belligerently.

I took a deep breath.

"Lily doesn't know I'm here." I mumbled.

He frowned at me, uncomprehensive.

"Look," I sighed, "I think…well…I believe that maybe - I've been wrong about you."

His frown deepened.

I sighed again, this time in frustration, and took a seat on the bed next to his, facing him. Looking him in the eye, I questioned:

"Do you care about Lily?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do."

"No, I mean, do you really care about her, or is she just some long-standing game or bet or whatever, that you are merely trying to win?"

He looked affronted – "I care deeply for her, whatever she may believe, although it doesn't even matter now."

"Are you certain? I do have two older brothers, you know, and as lovely as they may be, I have known them to make bets to try and win over the women who have perhaps scorned them. The thrill of the chase, and all that."

"Look, I may just seem to be some "horrid little boy" as she put it, but, well…she's the only girl I've really wanted to date since I first got to know her in second year. But she won't have me, so what does it matter? She seems to prefer fun-suckers, like those Hufflepuff prefects, or hard-working bores like the Ravenclaws. And now muggle-hating gits like the Slytherins, not to mention various types of sea-food which inhabit the lake."

"So why do you annoy and humiliate her, then?"

"It's not like that is ever my intention! I'm just trying to get her to notice me, but I swear, that girl has no sense of humour! Every prank which everyone else finds hilarious, she seems to find cruel and vindictive, and every conversation seems to turn into some argument with her about why she hates me!"

"Not every conversation." I interjected.

"Huh?" he looked up.

"The one when you and I went on that date, remember? You two spent the whole way back talking and laughing like you had been friends for years!"

"Yeah… well – it was false hope. She won't even look at me after this, let alone even listen to what I have to say. Anyway, why are you here – to question me?"

I shook my head.

"Look… James… Lily will probably kill me if she finds out about this, but… well… I want to help you."

He stared at me wide-eyed for a few moments before he found his voice.

"You want to what?"

"Help you."

"Help me what?"

I rolled my eyes; boys could be so obtuse.

"I want to help you get Lily to give you a chance."

I had expected protestations that all was lost, or rejection because he didn't need my help, but for the second time that night, James Potter surprised me.

"Why?"

I frowned.

"Why?" I repeated. "Why?"

I paused, and considered this.

"Because… I think you might actually care seriously about her." I finally replied. "You see, Lily, and all my other friends are of the opinion that this is all just some big joke to you, and I'm not sure that Lily understands why someone as… well smart, popular, and generally well-liked as you would want someone like her. Don't get me wrong, she does have confidence, but the fact that you're a pureblood, and she's a muggle-born weighs more with her than she lets on.

"The wizarding world can be quite… well… it can make even the most confident muggle-borns feel like they're second rate, and with the blasé way you shrug off of her refusals, and the way in which you… hex the Slytherins, she's come to the conclusion that you only are only messing around with her."

"She feels that?" he queried, incredulous. "She really believes all that pure-blood nonsense?"

"As a muggle-born myself, I know how demeaning it can be to be called a "mudblood", and how the little snide remarks of the Slytherins get to you."

"And… well… I honestly think you could make her happy. I think that if you could just… just get her to understand where you're coming from, you would be able to bring out the best in her. I feel so bad for coming here, behind her back, because she's my best friend. But since she's my best friend, I want what's best for her, and if you make her happy then that's all I can really ask for."

"You want what will make her happy. How am I making her unhappy? Unless… she likes me?" he leaned towards me eagerly.

"I wouldn't tell you that if I knew, Potter. I'm breaking her trust most likely by just doing this, but to give you private information: that would be really crossing the line. And I don't want to give you false hope, okay? There is a large possibility that this might not work, but at the end of the day, however much work we do, it is all down to Lily. We are just going to show her who you are, instead of this person she holds in contempt. However, in the end, it will be Lily's choice if she dates you. I can't do any more for you than that; it wouldn't be fair on Lily."

"I understand. It's not like I want to force her to go out with me. I just want her to give me a chance."

"Good." We exchanged smiles.

"So… where do we start?"

"Well, first off, we have to get her to speak to you. So…"

"You lock her in a broom cupboard with me until she forgives me?" he asked hopefully.

"That is exactly the sort of thing that will damage your chances forever! I thought you believed in her free will."

"Yeah… what a bummer."

"We have a long way to go." I sighed.

"I'll behave now, I promise."

"Fine. Now, as I said, we need to get her to forgive you. The first stage will be the hardest part, as it will involve you steering clear of her, and any situation which might anger her further."

"You mean I have to avoid her?" he enquired, looking crestfallen.

"Yes. After all, 'The trick to loving is letting go.' "

"Oh."

I patted him on the hand.

"So, first things first, you need to go and apologise to her tomorrow. The best place would most likely be the Great Hall, at breakfast. Go up to her, and although she'll probably make some comment or get angry, just apologise, and then walk away. That should avoid a confrontation, and show her how mature you are."

He nodded again.

"So what do I say in my apology?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to say, as that would mean that it wasn't sincerely coming from you, but if you remember what she said to you in her rant to you tonight, you should find enough material. One piece of advice I will concede though, is to keep it short, and simple, without embellishment, so that she knows you are being sincere."

"Right. And after I have walked away?"

"I think she just needs some space to calm down after your argument, and digest the apology, so if you avoid speaking to her, except when necessary, or banal sentences such as "Good morning," or "Could you pass the salt," that should do the trick. Also, try not to let her catch you hexing Slytherins, or pulling any pranks for a while. So if you avoid speaking to her too much, or pranking in her presence until after Easter, we can enter phase two."

"After Easter?" he echoed, looking dejected. "That's 6 weeks."

"I know. But she just needs some space. Who knows, she might even find she misses you?"

He perked up at this.

"Right, well, I'd better go and see how she is." I turned, and began to make my way across the clothes-strewn floor towards the door.

"Rose?" I turned back to him. "Thank you." He said seriously, looking me straight in the eye.

I nodded and smiled.

"Good luck!"

Upon opening the door I came across the other three Marauders, all pressed up against where the door would have been. I froze at their enquiring looks, and muttered:

"Just needed to borrow Transfig notes", before hurrying down the staircase and up to my dorm.

Upon entering, I encountered my friends all on Lily's bed, and as she caught sight of my, Lily lifted her arms out to me, and at the sight of tear-stained face I rushed across the room and threw my arms around her, as Katie and Alice both drew back to give us some privacy. With my arms around my best friend, I felt twinges of guilt at what I had just done. Yet the remembrance of but upon Potter's reddened eyes did a little to assuage this guilt, although as I rocked a crying Lily, I offered up the silent prayer:

"Please can he not hurt her. Please can I have done the right thing."