Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling. The plot of this story was greatly inspired by the movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Author's Note: Thanks to JeNnIfEr88, Sam's Firefly, cerdinalz, CrazzyD', Whitelight72, Untamed Loner, pyscho-pyro-shrink, piggy396, Katie, born-to-perform, Miss Myrtle360, koolkatkt123, xxquidditchjunkiexx, Lillith Potter, mrspadfoot4eva, lizziee, potterchik, ameo, ourlittlesecret7, Rylie D, (-),naturalnin, litchisaretoosweet, DarthRoden aka Carl, RubyBinds, AddictedtoCookies, Lover4oneshots, Aria Sparks, Disaster Strikes Again, ThePranksterQueens, JPx3LE, lovin potter, EboniteEvans, bananas, Lauren the Oxymoron, serindraxx, evahyoung, asianhomiequeen101, onesmartgoalie, Asian-Novelist, siriusforeva, prongsxlilyflower, jess, Jessi-Black33, zuska1985, JeminaDOTM5, thehalfbloodprincess, Mara Valdez, Eriskay, coffeegirl123, Sarah12345, LCH8292, A.M.bookwrm247, and NJ MacReiley the Helpless Romantic for reviewing! You are all amazing! Seriously, some of the comments that you all leave brighten up my day! You are such sweeties! Okay, and now on for the final chapter, for real this time!
Three days after Lily and James's incident in detention, James still found himself studying his hands. Had he really been capable of hurting Lily like that? True, his grip only left a slight bruise, but it shocked him nonetheless. He never imagined that he possessed enough anger to ever hurt Lily. After all, she was his one true love. She was the one girl that he pictured himself growing old with, as silly as it sounds.
The fear in her eyes made him shudder every time he pictured the situation. It was a look he prayed he would never see again; a look of pure horror. It was as if he were Voldermort and she an innocent victim. He shook his head, not wanting to picture it any longer. He hated seeing it. Despised seeing it.
"You okay, mate?" Sirius asked, placing a hand on James's shoulder, causing him to jump.
"Fine," James lied, shocked to see that he wasn't alone in his room.
"You sure?" Sirius questioned, his face conveying that he didn't believe a word James said.
"I'm just thinking about the other night," he honestly answered.
"Evans," Sirius stated. "Of course you're thinking about Evans."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, James, it's just that the amount of time and energy you put into thinking about her, it's like you love her or something," Sirius replied, trying his best to hide a smirk.
"Love?" James questioned. "You've got to be kidding me… I don't love her, at least not after what she did to me… I can't love her. I'm too humiliated to love her."
"Prongs, I'm going to say this as your best friend," Sirius began. "You are absolutely bonkers."
"What?"
"If you can't see that Lily Evans was perfect for you, you must be completely daft. I mean, honestly mate, how often are you going to come across a witch as smart, beautiful, funny, and charming as Evans? Not to mention one that you can have a good time with," Sirius responded.
"Now you're bonkers," James retorted. "So what if she does have some good qualities about her, what she did was wrong and I can't forgive her for it."
Sirius sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers, "James, you need to let it go. You were both equally stupid in this. Sure she tried to drive you away by dating you, but you made a bet about her and only stayed dating her because of the stupid bet. Both of those are idiotic. You need to let it go."
"The bet was your idea," James accused.
"I know, but I didn't think she would actually date you."
"Jeez, thanks," he sarcastically replied.
"Well, it's true… And she wouldn't have ever dated you if it weren't for her stupid plan, so really it all worked out well. But that's not the point. The fact of the matter is that you love her, you wouldn't be acting this way if you didn't. You need to put her plan and your bet in the past and talk to her," Sirius informed his friend.
"I don't love her," James stubbornly argued.
"Yes you bloody do!"
"No I don't," he persisted. "And even if I did, but I don't, she doesn't love me. She got so mad at me during detention that she stormed out."
"Only because you were being a dick."
"She still hates me."
"Maybe if you would just talk to her, you'd find out differently," Sirius suggested.
"No, I know for a fact that she hasn't forgiven me," James replied. "Besides, I don't love her and I don't care about her either. It doesn't matter that she seemed perfect for me, or that we had fun together… I don't love her, I really don't."
Even as the words left James's lips, he knew they were dishonest. Of course he loved Lily, he wouldn't have dreaded over their detention together so much if he didn't love her. She was perfect for him. She was everything and more he always dreamed of. But he couldn't go and talk with her as Sirius suggested. He was certain that Lily didn't love him, and he wasn't about to go and make a fool of himself now. He'd already been humiliated enough.
---
"How're you doing Lils?" Kelsey asked as she approached Lily's bed. It had been three days since the detention incident, which only worsened Lily's sadness. Other than class, she didn't leave her room at all. She only sat on her bed, putting her pajamas on immediately after class, and buried herself in her homework. It was a nice distraction away from the real world, away from her thoughts about James. The only bad thing about it, however, is the fact that once she completed her work, she was left in solitude to play over the events in her mind.
It was those times when she would do one of two things. One of them being locking herself in the bathroom, the shower to be exact. She would stand there, allowing the hot water to wash away her sorrows. Lily often went there when she needed a place to cry. It was ideal because with the harsh sound of the water hitting the tub's floor, the sounds of her cries were drowned out. Her other option was to lie in bed, her covers pulled high over her head. This way, she could pretend she was invisible, hiding from the world.
Today, she was doing option two. The red, luscious sheets were hiding her pale face. Kelsey had to yank them backwards to reveal Lily's puffy red eyes. She hated seeing Lily like this, but didn't know what to do to help her sobbing friend.
"Go away," Lily muttered.
"Lily, please get out of bed," Kelsey pleaded. "Or at least tell me what happened to made you so upset."
That was the other thing. Lily told her friends about the breakup, but couldn't bring herself to inform them about what occurred at detention. It was too painful to hear James's voice in her mind, telling her that she was fake, that everything they ever had was fake.
Lily shook her head, indicating that she wasn't ready to talk quite yet.
"Please, Lils," Kelsey asked.
Still no response.
After a moment of silence, Kelsey's face lit up and she said, "Lily, if you won't tell me what's going on, will you do something else to get your feelings off your chest? When my parents first split up, my psychiatrist suggested writing letters to both of my parents, letting them know how I felt. That way, I didn't have to face them, but I could still tell them how they were affecting me."
"You have a psychiatrist?" Lily asked, looking up at her friend.
"Yeah, I have for years."
"Oh, I didn't know that," Lily commented. She paused for a moment before saying, "Tell me more about this letter thing."
"Well, you write the letter, yours would be to James, and let him know how your feelings. It's a way that you can get everything you've ever wanted to tell him off your chest… You can give him the letter today, in two weeks, or two years. In fact, you don't even have to give him the letter at all for it to work though. It's just a healing process for you. I know I still have letters for my parents that I haven't been able to give them quite yet," Kelsey explained.
"And it actually makes you feel better?" Lily questioned, looking a bit skeptical of the situation. All her life she never really bought the whole psychiatrist thing. She always thought of them as being people who overcharge others and aren't even useful.
"I think it does," she replied.
"Thanks."
"Are you going to write a letter?" Kelsey asked.
"Maybe," Lily replied with a sigh. Who knows, if she was really bored enough, she just might do it.
"Okay, well I've got to meet Pettigrew at the library to work on some stupid Herbology project, but I'll see you later," Kelsey said, making a quick exit as she spoke.
Lily sat there in her room, Kelsey's advice floating around her brain. Maybe it would help to write a letter… besides; it couldn't leave her much worse than she already felt. She reached over to the desk that stood next to her bed and fetched a piece of parchment, quill, and ink. She set it on top of a book to provide a hard surface and stared down at the empty page in front of her. Dipping her quill in the thick ink, she covered the quill with blackness. She dabbed it onto the blank page and wrote Dear James. That was all she got to before her mind went blank. She stared down at the almost blank page. She didn't know what to write.
She let out a large sigh, and to herself, she muttered, "This is stupid. Absolutely stupid." She placed the quill in the ink jar and allowed it to bob up and down in the liquid. Looking down at the parchment, she sighed and crumpled it within her hands. The paper felt rough beneath her grasp and the tiny corners dug deeply into her palms.
Once it was in a ball, she tossed it toward the trashcan. It deflected off the rim of the barrel and spun towards the carpeted ground. This was a bad sign. Generally, she never missed the basket. Ever since she was a little girl, and her father picked up the habit of tossing used paper into trash bins, Lily always copied him and made the basket. Today, however, the crumpled piece lay next to the basket.
She grabbed another sheet of parchment and began to write again. Dear James. She stopped writing, and sighed. What now? What did she have to say to James? She couldn't think of anything, which was very stupid. After all, they had such a strong history together these past few days. Still, she didn't know where to begin. Should she tell him that she still cared for him? Did she still care for him?
Or should she mention that she was sorry for all the pain that she caused? Should she tell him that if she could do it over again, she would have never dated him in the first place? However, did she really not want to have ever dated him? Did she want to forget all of the good times they had together? She was so confused.
She reread what she wrote. Dear James. Shit. Was that all she really had? She let out a small noise was frustration before crumpling up this paper and sending it flying toward the trashcan. She didn't even look to see if it went in or not. Instead, she grabbed another sheet of parchment and forced the quill into her hand.
She wasn't going think about it anymore. That wasn't what this was all about. It was about writing down the first thing that enters your mind. It's about writing down what you instinctively feel, not trying to make it sound professional. After all, it was just a letter, not a paper to be graded.
She dipped her quill in the ink once more before draping her hand across the paper. Before she knew what happened, her hand began scribbling like a lunatic's. The words flowed from her brain directly into her hand, writing down exactly what she was feeling.
When I set out to lose a guy in less than ten days, I didn't expect to become attached. I only thought that it was going to be about me. I only thought I would scare away someone; make him wish he never met me. It was selfish really, using someone for my own benefits. But I wanted nothing more than to get him off my case. I was sick and tired of the constant phrases he kept sending my way, such as, "Hey Evans, how about a game of wizard's chess. If I win I get to kiss you, if you win you get to date me." Followed by my response of, "I thought winners were supposed to get a prize, not a torture devise." Of course the list goes on, annoying words similar to those passed between us. I believe it's quite obvious why I wanted it all to end. I couldn't handle it any longer.
So when the suggestion came up of dating my pursuer, just to drive him away, I anxiously jumped for the opportunity. I believed it was my way of getting back at him, not to mention a perfect way to get him off my back. However, the one thing I didn't expect to happen occurred. I fell in love with him.
It wasn't all at once, but slowly over time I could tell my attitude towards his antics was changing. I did anything possible to make it stop though, not wanting to give into my own emotions. Looking back on it, I was horrible. I didn't understand why he wouldn't leave me after just two days of dating. I was too blind to see his own plans unravel.
He had a bet with his friends; one that involved me. If I was in love with him by the end of ten days, he'd win money. If not, his friends would be the proud owners of fifty galleons. I should have realized this from the start. After all, what self-respecting man would ever stay with a woman who decorated his room pink and added feminine products to the bathroom?
I was blind though. I didn't see it at all. Perhaps I didn't want to see it either. I'll never forget our first kiss together. It was unlike any other I've ever experienced. His lips against mine were electrifying and sent shivers down my spine. If I hadn't been so obsessed with attempting to make his life a living Hell, I would have seen the passion. I know my body could feel the passion. It hated my mind for forcing the kiss to end. But it did come to an end. We were both left speechless for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. I could clearly see a yearning for more in his hazel eyes; one that I was sure matched my own.
It was then that things started to change for me. The kiss was too magical to pass off as just another kiss from some guy. It was the kiss, from a certain guy. It was breath taking. It was the type of kiss that couldn't come from just two ordinary people putting on an act. It was real.
Still, my brain was telling me no. It forced me away from my natural instinct. Instead, I was harsh and carried on with my plan. It made his life a living Hell, yet he stuck through it all. By day five of our relationship, we went to Hogsmeade. I was completely awful to him. I took him to an absurd restaurant, one that any sane person wouldn't step foot into. Once again, we shared a kiss. This one felt even more electrifying than the first. Of course, my stupidity took over once again and I forced us to stop our romantic act. The plan was the only thing that was important to me at that moment.
Yet, later that day, we got into a fight. He left me then, giving me exactly what I wanted. Yet, something didn't fell right about it. It felt weird not to have him around, almost sad. It was as if I spent the previous five days with him and couldn't bear to be apart any longer. Thankfully, we made up. I put on an act about it though, claiming it was torturing me to stay together. In reality, I couldn't have been more thankful.
It was that day that I believe a turning point came. I no longer found him repulsive. I no longer wanted to fake date him. Yet, I went along with the plan anyways, just to please my friends. I'll admit to the fact that I was weak. They were having just as much fun as I had originally been having by driving him away. It was all a game, but I didn't want to play any more. I wanted to be with him, but my friend's hopeful faces made me forget my needs and continue with the plan.
Whenever they were around, I was awful to him. Yet, when it was just the two of us, things changed. We engaged in truthful conversations, played games of Quidditch together, and even found ourselves in a magical night of passion. To say that the magical night we shared, by the fire, was dishonest would be a complete lie. It was at that moment, on that beautiful night, that I made the decision to not care what my friends said. That night it was just him and me. No one else was important.
The next night, I was ready to tell him the truth. I couldn't bear to keep it hidden any longer. I hated the constant lies that crossed between us. I hated the deception that I brought to our relationship. I was ready to give in. I wanted to tell him of the plan. I thought that if I was the one who told him the truth, that I dated him to drive him away but wound up falling for him, he might understand. Yet, something held me back. I was afraid. What he had was so good, and I didn't want to risk it. I figured that if he didn't know, I could just forget about it all and we could be together, like a happily ever after story.
Looking back on it, not telling him was the stupidest thing I've ever done. He found out about the plan, just as I found out about his bet. I'm not sure which was worse for me, finding out the truth or having him find out the truth. I felt insulted by his bet. It was like a stab in the heart. I thought he was better than that, more mature. I thought he genuinely liked me and wasn't in it for the money. I didn't realize it then, but my initial reaction was correct. He did care about me, a fact I learned a couple nights later, but that's beside the point. At that moment in time, I believed that he used me. He didn't care one bit about me and was a selfish pig. He wasn't the boy that I fell in love with that day; he was the boy I'd been trying to get rid of.
Still, I remember sliding down the stone wall until I reached the floor and crying. His words stung me. I'll never forget the look of anger and sadness all mixed into his hazel eyes. My heart wrenched. I knew he felt betrayed as well. He was humiliated to learn about my plan, just as I was about his bet.
My emotions flipped back and forth between being angry with him and sad about him. Part of me wanted nothing more than to throw him into the Great Lake to fend off all of the creatures that loomed beneath the water. However, the other side of me wanted him back. I wanted to tangle his messy hair in my fingers again. I wanted to hear him whisper sweet words into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.
Two nights later, an unforgettable event occurred. We had detention together, which proved to be an awkward stage at first. Neither of us knew what to do. I was afraid to say what I felt, afraid that he would reject my feelings. I didn't want that to happen, I didn't want him to tell me he didn't love me. So I said nothing. We worked in silence.
However, that silence was broken eventually. Neither of us could help ourselves; the banter came easily to our lips. I suppose neither one of us were truly over the bet and plan. It was still too painful. We exchanged hurtful words, and I found it difficult not to cry. Still, I forced myself to conceal these feelings, something that I'd mastered over the past few days.
Then he said it, and I completely lost it. He told me that I didn't care about our night shared together in the Room of Requirement. He told me that I used him that night, beneath the sparkling stars and next to the campfire. He told me that I didn't love him as much as he had loved me. That was my breaking point. I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed to escape before my tears trembled down my cheeks. The moment the words left his lips, my heart crashed. How could he say such an awful thing?
Of course, I loved him just as much as he loved me. I've never felt this way about any other man before. I've never yearned for any boy to wrap his arms around me and hold me to his chest as much as I have for him. I've never cried myself to sleep before, until he walked out of my life. I've never had my heart broken before, until I met him. To say I didn't love him wouldn't be fair. I've never loved someone as much as I loved him in my entire life. I've never felt this way towards anyone. And I'm not entirely sure what about him draws me in, but something is there. My heart speeds up every time I see him, and I know it must be love.
When he accused me of not loving him, I had to get away. I couldn't even bear to look at him, that's how upset I was. I just needed to get away, escape from the room. I loved him, but I couldn't be with him at that moment. It was too painful.
Then he did something that scared me more than anything else did. He grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let me leave. The look in his eyes made my heart come to a complete stop. I've never seen him like that; it was almost deadly. I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life. I just wanted to get away from him.
At the time, I thought it was because he was scaring me, to the point that he might hurt me. But looking back on it, that's not why I needed to leave. I needed to leave because of his comment beforehand. His physical presence didn't scare me; I knew if I needed to, I could get away. I could use my magic to escape him, not to mention I was confident he wouldn't do any serious harm. He always tried to protect me, even from the non-violent battles I faced due to my muggle heritage.
Now, as I sit in my room, I can only come to one conclusion. I love him. I don't care about the bet, it doesn't bother me anymore. It's not worth it. I love him; and nothing is ever going to stop that.
I'm certain he doesn't feel the same way. I know he once loved me, but he doesn't anymore. Still, I'm content with that. I know how I feel, and just as the saying goes, "it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." I loved James Potter, and I lost him. I suppose it's the way life works…
Lily sat back and examined her work. It felt nice to relieve herself of the burden in her chest. It was finally out in the open. She could go on with her life now. Just as she realized towards the end of her writing, it's the way life works. If she was meant to be with James, it would have happened. But it didn't work that way and there was no use crying over it any more.
She dabbed her quill in the bottle of ink one last time and wrote his name across the envelope. She licked the envelope closed, trapping the letter inside. She then tossed it on her bed and smiled to herself. She was ready to move on with her life.
Lily walked toward the mirror that hung on the door. Staring at herself, she realized what a mess she was. She looked awful, like someone who hadn't showered in a week. Sighing, she grabbed fresh clothing out of her drawer and headed toward the showers. It was time to freshen up.
On her way, she glanced back down at her bed and saw the white paper glistening on top of the red sheets. She paused for a moment and thought about the words she wrote on the paper. He deserved to read it, but not quite yet. Maybe in a couple weeks, maybe in a couple years. She wasn't sure when she wanted him to read it, but knew that at some point, when they're both older and have lives of their own, he should read it. He deserves to know the truth.
Just as Lily walked into the shower and started up the water, Rina barged into the room. She walked right past Lily's bed, completely ignoring the letter. She had her own problems to deal with, important manners.
Clutching onto the handle of her desk, Rina forcefully opened the drawer. She pulled out a sheet of parchment, an envelope, a quill, and a bottle of ink. She plopped down on her own bed and dabbed the quill in the pot of ink before going to work on her own letter.
Dear James,
I'm very sorry about what occurred between the two of us the other day. I was totally out of line and can only pray that you'll forgive my odd behavior. I don't know what came over me that day. I hope that we can be friends and maybe start from scratch. Remember, if you need a shoulder to lean against, I'm always open.
Yours,
Rina
She shoved the letter inside the envelope and licked it shut before writing his name on the front of it. She knew it wasn't a perfect letter, but it was good enough. James was in a desperate mood, she was sure of that. Once he read her letter, despite how weak it was, he would surely fall in love with her.
Rina's plan to win over James was happening already, she could just tell. In a few days time she would be his girlfriend, the one thing she'd always dreamed of. James was the one wizard that she longed for, but couldn't have. She loved him, and soon enough, he was going to love her too.
She sat on her bed for a moment and examined the way she wrote James on top of the envelope. She could get used to writing his name, James Potter. As she thought about it, she could get used to writing much more than that… Mrs. James Potter, Rina Potter. Both were excellent options.
Her daydreaming was quickly interrupted, however, as Lily opened the bathroom door and appeared in front of her. Her red hair was still wet, but brushed straight down. Her eyes were finally alive again, showing a side of her that hadn't been seen in days.
"Lily," Rina exclaimed, jumping up from her bed. "I didn't know you were in there."
Lily only smiled at Rina, completely unaware of Rina's letter, which was hiding behind Rina on the bed. "Hello."
"How're you feeling?"
"Really good, actually," Lily admitted. She paused for a moment before asking, "Do you know if anyone is still in the Great Hall?"
"Yeah, I think Sam and Kelsey are in there," Rina replied. "You know, I'm actually going to walk down there now too, if you want some company."
"Sounds great," Lily hesitantly answered.
The two girls walked down to the Great Hall, making small talk as they walked. None of their conversations were very deep, only the occasional "What'd you think of McGonagall's test?" or "Have you done the Potions homework yet?" Other than that, they didn't speak very often.
Nor did either of them really mind the silence that passed between them. They were both lost in thought about their letters to James. Lily was contemplating when she should actually give the letter to him and Rina was thinking about what James's reaction to her letter would be. Ironically enough, neither girl knew of the other's letter.
When they reached the Great Hall, they separated immediately. Lily walked over to her friends, who were very surprised, but also delighted, to see her. Rina wandered over to Tracey, a smile plastered across her face.
"I need you to do something for me," she said at once.
"What is it?" Tracey questioned, looking up from her Potions homework. She wasn't really in the mood to deal with Rina at that moment, but Rina was her best friend, so she focused her attention on the girl across from her.
"I need you to give a letter to James for me," Rina informed her.
"Why can't you do it?" Tracey asked, a skeptical look across her face.
"I just can't," Rina replied. "He was so mad at me the last time we talked; I really can't face him… That is why I wrote him an apology letter. Will you give it to him, please?"
"I've got a lot of work to do," Tracey protested.
"What?" Rina snapped. "I thought you were my friend."
"I am."
"Really? If you were truly my friend, you'd allow five measly minutes out of your busy schedule to deliver a letter for me," Rina said.
Tracey sighed before responding, "Okay, I'll do it. Where is it?"
"Up in our room, on my bed," Rina excitedly replied. "Thanks so much Tracey, you're a doll."
"No problem," Tracey said, standing up from her spot at the table. She felt her stomach clench as she stood up. Something told her she shouldn't be messing around with Rina and James's personally lives, but Rina was her best friend. Just as Rina had always said, they were in it together through thick and thin. She couldn't just abandon her friend now.
She made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room with ease and noticed all four of the Marauders seated there. She noticed that James and Remus were both working hard at writing papers, presumably the large Transfiguration essay that was due tomorrow. Sirius and Peter were playing a game if wizard's chess. Her heart lurched again as she saw Sirius. A part of her still really liked him, despite the fact that it was such a short relationship.
She quickly darted up the stairs, not wanting to be caught staring at the Marauders. She immediately went towards Rina's bed and found the letter. She picked it up and was surprised to see how light it was, but didn't question it any further. She started to walk towards the door when something caught her eye. She whipped her head towards the direction of Lily's bed, her eyes catching a white piece of parchment. Wanting to examine it closely, Tracey walked over to the bed and picked up the surprisingly heavy envelope. James Potter was written across the front of it and Tracey's heart sped up.
In her hands, Tracey held two very important letters, both addressed to James Potter. She glanced from one to the other and wondered what to do. She bit her lip slightly, allowing it to become tender against her teeth.
She stared at Lily's letter for a moment. Lily hadn't asked her to deliver the letter to James, but it seemed to be calling out to her, as if instructing her to give it to him. Besides, she knew the full story behind Lily and James. She knew exactly what Lily was going through. Tracey knew that Lily still cared for James, and could only presume that James was crazy about Lily as well.
In her heart, Tracey felt that she should give James Lily's letter. She wanted to leave Rina's letter here, in the dorm, leaving it to rot. Rina didn't belong with James, Tracey was sure about it.
Yet, at the same time, Rina was Tracey's best friend. Tracey immediately directed her eyes towards Rina's letter. Rina was depending on her to deliver the letter. Besides, it was only a letter, what harm could come from it? And Rina was her best friend. She was supposed to support her one hundred percent. Tracey was supposed to be behind Rina in everything, that's what friends were for.
Tracey looked at both letters again, still contemplating which one to deliver. She knew she had to make a choice. It was either Lily or Rina. It was either the girl that she found it easy to confide in or the girl who had been her best friend since first year. It was either the girl who loved James or the girl who was obsessed with James.
She didn't know what to do. Her mind and heart were having internal battles over the issue. It was either Lily or Rina. It couldn't be both. Sighing, Lily looked at both envelopes once more before tossing one aside. She knew what she had to do.
Slowly, she made her way out of the girl's dormitory and down to the common room. She noticed that none of the Marauders had moved at all, all four of them deeply engulfed in their current task. She looked at Sirius once more and bit her lower lips again.
Suddenly, she felt very wrong. The letter she held in her hand didn't feel right. What was she thinking? She chose the wrong letter. She looked at Sirius once more and saw him chuckle softly before Tracey turned on her heel and ran up the stairs.
Once inside the room, Tracey peered around until she found the letter that she needed to give to James. This time, as she descended the stairs, it felt right. She made the right decision, this she was sure of.
Tracey walked over to James and tapped him on the shoulder before thrusting the letter towards him.
"What's this?" he asked, looking curiously at the paper.
"It's a letter, from someone who really needed to talk to you," Tracey replied, a smile forming at her lips.
James looked up at Tracey for a moment, studying her every move. Finally, he said, "Thanks."
"Read it in private," she instructed.
"Okay,' he began before adding, "Why did you have to give it me, and not your friend?"
Tracey paused for a moment before replying, "She didn't know how you'd react… Remember, read it on your own."
---
Lily was sitting on her bed, flipping through a magazine when she heard a large banging noise on the window outside her room. She jumped at once, startled by the noise. No one else was in the room, which only made her heart pound faster.
Hesitantly, she peeked her head out from behind the curtains of her bed and looked toward the window. A boy was hovering at her window, only a broom supporting him. As it was dark outside, she couldn't tell exactly who it was; only the shape of the person.
Lily jumped to her feet at once and carefully crossed the room to get a better look at the figure outside. Once she was close enough to the window, she could clearly make out who it was. Outside her window was none other than James Potter.
Instinctively, Lily reached for the window's latch and pulled the glass door open. His chest was heaving slightly, as if he had just run fifty laps around the castle. His messy hair was more tangled than usual and his cheeks were slightly pink.
"James, what are you doing?" she asked.
He didn't respond to her question, instead countering her with a question of his own. "Is this true?" At that moment, he pulled out a long letter written on several pages of parchment. It was her letter.
"How'd you get that?" she self-consciously asked.
"Tracey gave it to me," he answered before questioning, "Is it or is it not true?"
Lily's mind was swarming. Why did Tracey give the letter to James? How did she even know about the letter? She blinked for a moment, regaining her focus back on James. He was looking out at her with urgent, hopeful eyes. She felt her heart pound as she replied, "Of course it's true."
His expression lightening up at once, his features relaxing. "Lily, I'm sorry for everything."
"Me too," she softly replied.
"Can we talk or something?" he asked.
Lily peered out at him and bit her lower lip. Did she really want to talk with him now? Yes, she was sorry about everything. Yes, he was apologizing for his actions. Yes, she did love him. But at the same time, something was holding her back. Maybe they weren't meant to be together; maybe they were supposed to stay apart.
"I, I don't know," she slowly stated.
James stared at her for a moment, his expression turning hard once more. They stared at each other in silence for a moment; James floating on his broomstick, Lily standing at the windowsill. Finally, James's eyes lit up and he quickly said, "Hold on one second." He then went zooming off. She watched until she couldn't see him any longer, which wasn't very far away. It was dark outside, difficult to see anyone more than twenty feet away.
Soon enough, James appeared at the window again, returning to Lily. He held out a small bush in his hands and a large grin appeared on his face.
Lily looked at the shrub for a moment before a smile came to her face as well, "It's our love bush."
"I fixed it," he informed her.
"I see that," she replied, the smile still on her face.
"Now, please, Lily, I'm begging you, just come out here and talk with me," James pleaded. He had a desperate look in his eyes, one that made it hard for Lily to turn down.
"James," she began.
"Please," he repeated.
"What if we're not meant to be together," she finally blurted out. She leaned forward a small amount, leaning her hands against the windowsill ledge.
"How can you say that?" he asked.
"James, we tried it, but it obviously didn't work out between us," she replied.
"Or, or Lily just go with me on this one. Maybe you were meant to make that stupid plan. If you didn't, we would have never started dating in the first place. And maybe I was meant to make a bet with Sirius, otherwise I would've lost my mind from all the torture you put me through and would have broken up with you. But we did have those two factors, those were what kept us together long enough to realize that we're perfect for each other," he said.
"Then why'd we break up?" she softly asked.
"I don't know… I do know though, that if you come with me now, I promise it won't happen again," he replied, a genuine look in his eye.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I can't stand to be without you," he answered, flying in a bit closer to her.
Lily felt her heart beat faster. This was what she needed. Her instincts about James Potter were wrong. She couldn't just love him and forget about him. She needed him. She could tell right then, right at that moment. She belonged with James Potter.
She smiled at him before leaning out the window to latch onto his body. He maneuvered her onto his broom, placing her in front of him. He softly kissed the back on her head, her sweet scent of shampoo bringing back some of the best memories of his life.
Just as the two were getting on the broom, the door inside Lily's dorm room slammed open. In walked Tracey and Rina, both girls looking pleased.
However, Rina's pleasure soon faded as she saw Lily and James outside the window. She stared at them, her eyes wide open. Frantically, she looked around the room and spotted her letter still on her bed. She turned toward Tracey and grabbed her by both shoulders, "What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tracey casually replied, looking out the window at the young couple as they struggled to embrace each other and stay afloat on the broom at the same time.
"The letter," Rina snapped, walking over to her bed and grabbing the object she spoke about. "Why is it here and not with him?"
"Sorry, Rina, I must have picked up Lily's letter instead," Tracey replied, a small smile forming at eh corner of her lips.
Rina's entire body clenched up and she growled, "I thought you were supposed to be my best friend."
"And I thought you were supposed to be mine, but things change," Tracey smartly replied, a smug smile still on her face.
"What are talking about?"
"Hmm, well would a best friend use me to break up Lily and James? Or would a best friend use me to transport stupid letters that she was capable of doing herself? And finally, would a best friend obsess about James Potter right after Sirius dumped me? Guess what Rina, the answer to all three is no. You're answer to all three was yes," she stated, her hands on her hips as she spoke. It felt so good to get everything off her chest.
"Tracey, you're not being reasonable," Rina said, although her voice showed a hint of nervousness.
"Me? Let's talk about you for a minute Rina," Tracey snapped. "You're the one who is gallivanting around James and trying your hardest to try and get him to pay the slightest bit of attention toward you when it's more than obvious that he's in love with Lily. But you can't accept that, can you? I've got news for you though, she loves him, he loves her, end of story. You and James are never going to happen, get over it."
Rina looked like she had been slapped across the face. "Tracey…"
"No, Rina, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be your bitch anymore," she casually replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see how Lily's doing over at the window."
With that said, Tracey proudly walked across the room. She was finally free from Rina's spell. She no longer felt the need to impress Rina or be there for her at any minute of the day. She felt free now. It was an uplifting experience, talking back to Rina then. Tracey smiled and leaned against the windowsill; she saw Lily and James at once and smiled in their direction. The young couple was finally settled and ready to leave.
However, before Lily and James flew off into the darkness, Lily stared straight at Tracey and mouthed, "Thank you."
Tracey beamed out at the beautiful redhead and mouthed, "Thank you," right back at her. If it wasn't for Lily, she'd still be serving under Rina's beck and call.
Lily grinned back at Tracey before leaning her back into James's chest and allowing him to take control of the broom. In a matter of minutes, Lily and James landed softly on the ground and dismounted the broomstick.
James stared at Lily as she stood beneath the shining moon and stars; she looked radiant. Her emerald eyes were full of life, her hair shined, and her pearly white teeth seemed to glow. In fact, Lily seemed to glow. She was fabulous.
"What?" she questioned, feeling slightly insecure as he stared at her.
"Nothing," he softly replied. He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you want to dance?"
To say Lily was surprised was an understatement. She had no idea that James would ever offer to dance, let alone the fact that he knew how to dance. "I'd love to."
He approached her and grabbed one hand into his while placing the other on her lower back. He shorted the gap between them almost instantly, wanting to be able to smell Lily's strong scent. He wanted to be able to stare at every millimeter of her emerald eyes. He wanted to take everything about her into his memory.
As they danced beneath the moonlight, both Lily and James found themselves overwhelmed with happiness. They were finally together, just as it was meant to be.
After several minutes went by, James suddenly perked up and got a curious look across his face. "Lily," he began, "When you were talking about future children, you didn't really want to name them Breeze and Fern, right?"
A broad grin went across her lips and she giggled as she replied, "No, James, not in a million years."
"So you were just kidding about naming a daughter James too, right? Because I'm not going to lie, when you first told me those names, I thought I'd walked right into Hell itself," he half joked.
Suddenly, Lily's face became very serious. "I really like the name James for a girl," she told him a sincere voice.
His eyes went wide, he couldn't believe he already messed. Their newly started relationship hadn't even been in affect for ten minutes yet.
Sensing his fear, Lily quickly said, "I'm only kidding, don't worry. James as a girl's name, that's almost as bizarre as Fern and Breeze." Once she saw his face melt a little, a smile appeared at her lips again. She couldn't help laughing at him; the fear in his eyes, the gullible attitude he just had. It was a very humorous situation, at least from her point of view.
"What'd you laughing at?" he asked, a grin forming at his lips.
"You," she honestly answered, letting a chuckle escape.
"Me?" he asked in a mocking tone. "Well, that's not acceptable." He suddenly stopped dancing with her and picked her off her feet before crashing down to the ground. He pinned her beneath him, which only made them both start to laugh hysterically.
"James," she whined in between deep giggles. "Let me go."
He didn't say anything back, but lightening his weight from her body. He held himself up on his elbows and knees, which cascaded around her small form. He smiled down at her in a way that caused them both to stop laughing. He lightly moved one of his hands toward her face and stroked a lone strand of hair out of her face.
"I love you," he stated, peering down at her.
"I love you too," she said. It wasn't the type of 'I love you' that comes mandatory after someone else mutters the words, it was genuine. Both Lily and James had found their true love.
James leaned down, allowing his body to rest against hers. He placed a kiss on her lips, taking in their sweet taste. He felt her kiss him back at once, devouring his mind, body, and soul into one single mind-blowing kiss.
All too soon, James broke away from her, giving them both room to breath. He looked down at her smiling face and knew his own face expression matched hers.
"You know what this means?" Lily asked, not being able to resist herself.
"What?" he playfully questioned.
"You're going to need to keep the love bush alive for quite some time."
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The End
Author's Note 2: Okay, so here it is, the final chapter! I hope you all enjoyed every minute of the story, I know I did. For me, it was one of my favorites to write! I want to thank anyone who has ever reviewed and/or read this, it means the world to me! Thank you all so much, you are all amazing! Now, I have one final request, please review!