A/N: And so begins another story. My hopes for it are: for it to be finished, for it to be good and well received and for it to be plausible. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best. ) And to everyone the reads this, please review. Wouldn't you like to make me happy? Reviews make me happy. Everyone who reviews gets a cookie. Yay!

DISCLAIMER: I didn't create Harry Potter because I'm not JK Rowling, I don't have any legal rights to any of the merchandise, yadda yadda yadda. Everyone knows that drill, right? Good.

Everyone who did not know Lily Evans very well thought that she was perfect. She excelled in school, was made Head Girl, had a very cute cat and a very handsome owl, had long auburn hair and shockingly clear green eyes and had a sense of humour.

But she did not have a boyfriend because Thomas, a seventh-year Ravenclaw and her boyfriend for the past eight months, had just broken up with her. The news of their breakup spread like wild fire throughout the halls of Hogwarts because during their time together, they had reigned as a Hogwarts power couple, with her being Head Girl and his being the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain.

The day after the "Big Breakup" Lily couldn't walk down the school's corridors without people—mostly girls—running up to her to express their sympathies.

"Oh, gosh, Lily. You must be so sad!"

"He was such a good catch. What did you do to drive him away?"

"I'm actually so sorry. He wasn't good enough for you."

"What are you talking about? He was hot!"

"Shhh! I'm trying to comfort her, dork!"

Lily didn't really listen to any of the comments. She walked around in a daze, aware that her eyes were swollen from crying the night before. She was still emotionally raw and remained that way for the next week. During the days after that she was in denial. After that she became ferociously angry. Then came the sullenness and the depression.

Unfortunately for everyone but James Potter, that final stage lasted the longest.

---

"Lily? Lily!"

The redhead blinked and stared at the brown-haired owner of the voice. It was McKenna Simmons, her closest friend. The two girls had a few similarities, but in many ways they were polar opposites. Both were opinionated weren't afraid to stand up for themselves, but McKenna was more so. She was extremely outgoing and open about anything and everything. She had a shorter fuse than Lily but was also quicker to laugh. She could be extremely friendly, was easier to love and yet she was easier to hate.

"Lily, can you even hear me?" said McKenna. She was beginning to sound agitated.

Lily blinked again and nodded her head ever so slightly. She could hear the usual sounds of the Gryffindor common room again.

"Are you okay?"

Lily nodded again. She was okay if you ignored the fact that she was thinking about Thomas… still.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

Lily shook her head. She didn't want to admit that she still though about the BB a lot. If people found out they'd think that she wasn't worthy to be Head Girl. And she couldn't have that happening.

"Don't lie to me," McKenna pressed. "I know you are. You've got that look in your eyes."

"What look?" said Lily defensively. "I haven't got a look."

"If you don't have a look, than I've never had sex."

Lily stared at her friend with a slightly disgusted expression. "That's something I really didn't need to hear."

"Don't be prude."

"I'm not!"

McKenna rolled her eyes and said, "That's not the point. The point is that I know you were thinking about Thomas and/or your breakup. And Lily," she said hurriedly knowing that her friend would try and interrupt, "he's not worth mourning over like that. He's nice, he's charming and all that but he wasn't perfect. He wasn't perfect for you."

Lily wasn't listening. She had heard that speech many times before and was sure she'd hear it many times again.

McKenna sighed. "You've got to get over him."

"Was it my fault?" Lily murmured, staring out the window. "Did I do something wrong?"

The brown-haired girl made a strangled noise resembling a pig being slaughtered and looked ready to slap some sense into her friend.

"Could I have done something else? Was I annoying? Did I annoy him?'

"NO," McKenna exploded, "BUT YOU SURE AS HELL ARE ANNOYING ME NOW."

"What?"

"This isn't like you!" she exclaimed. "You've never been so dependant on boys before. You've never let someone just ruin your life by breaking up with you. I never thought you would be one of those girls..."

"What girls?"

"One of those! You know, like Marissa…" she waved her hand in the sixth-year's general direction, "… and Heather…" this time she pointed, "and you know, girls like that! Girls who think that they're incomplete if they don't have a boyfriend. Pathological flirts. Your typical hormonal teenager."

"Actually, McKenna, I've always thought you were more of the stereotypical teen," Lily informed her.

"Lately you've become really anti-social and annoying," she said, carrying on as if she hadn't heard Lily. "And I'm only saying that because I care."

"Thanks," said Lily with biting sarcasm. She opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted by someone poking her side. "What?" she snapped, turning around.

James Potter was standing there, smiling cheekily. "We have a meeting to go to, remember?"

McKenna snorted. "Sorry, Potter. It's almost been two months since school started and I still think it's weird to think that you made Head Boy."

"Sorry, Simmons, but I still think it's weird that your mother didn't hex you into another world when she first saw your face," James shot back.

"Ouch," Lily said, looking at her friend, a shadow of a smile on her face.

"Nice," said McKenna. She nodded her head approvingly. "Your comebacks are getting better."

"They were always good," he retorted.

McKenna snorted. "You wish," she laughed. "So are you getting ready for the match?"

She did not need to refer to which match. Everyone in the Gryffindor Tower was obsessing over the upcoming Ravenclaw-Gryffindor Quidditch match. Lily was also unnaturally interested. Usually, she was a mere interested spectator, but this time it almost felt like if Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw to a bloody pulp, it would make her failed relationship easier to bear.

"'Course. The team's been practicing four nights a week. And we've been making up new plays and stuff. They're not going to know what hit them," he announced proudly. He was the captain of the Gryffindor team, and it was no secret that the sport was one of his great loves.

Lily almost admired his intensity. At least he was serious about something. But then he glanced at Lily, said, "You ready yet?" and the moment was gone.

"Of course," she said shortly, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles on her skirt. "I'll see you later, okay, McKenna?" With that, she made her way to the portrait hole with James a few steps behind her.

The two walked in silence for a moment before James tried to make small talk.

"So, er, how's school?" he asked awkwardly.

"It's good."

There was an awkward pause.

"School's good for me too. Thanks for asking, Evans," he half-jokingly said.

Lily sighed, but didn't say anything.

"Wow. I'm really awed by your manners. You're so polite," he teased.

"Stuff it, Potter," she said.

"Why?"

"Why are you even asking?" she snapped, giving him an extremely evil look.

"I'm interested, that's all."

"Fine! Do you really and truly want to know?" She waited until James nodded before exploding. "Because you've been a thorn in my side for the past six years. Because you used to relentlessly and shamelessly chase after me and in doing so, embarrassed the life out of me. Because I'm not in the best of moods right now and because I bloody said so. So just shut up!"

"Oh." James looked at her, a slightly amused expression gracing his features. "You have an awful lot of pent-up anger."

Lily felt like screaming and pulling her hair out. "I do not!"

"Then I must really know how to push your buttons."

"I haven't any buttons to push!"

"Then why are you yelling at me?"

Why? Why? There were so many reasons that Lily had a hard time choosing just one. There was the fact that she was still hung up on her ex-boyfriend, there was the fact that her sister pissed the hell out of her and then there was the fact that her best friend just called her annoying and needy. But she most certainly didn't want to tell James any of that.

"That's none of your business," she said curtly.

"As I'm the recipient of your rather foul mood, I think I'm inclined to at least know the reason you're so… difficult, for lack of a better word," James said breezily.

Lily stopped walking and shook her head in disbelief. "I really can't believe that anyone can think as highly of themselves as you do. You think you're inclined to know the reason behind everything. Well, as the one in the horrid mood, I think I'm inclined to a little privacy. Is that alright with you?"

James didn't answer her so she turned and began to walk, her shoes hitting the floor harder than usual. After a while she calmed down but didn't look behind her, which was fine because James didn't say anything else either. They traveled to Dumbledore's office in a rather uncomfortable, tense silence. Lily reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's quarters and was saying the password when James suddenly broke the silence between them.

"Hey Evans?"

Lily didn't say anything but acknowledged his presence by glancing behind her.

"Er," he started. There was a pause as he stood there taking in a deep breath, "I'm sorry." He pushed in front of her and moved quickly up the winding staircase.

Lily was dumbfounded. "He's sorry?" she said aloud to no one in particular.

Who was he, and what did he do with the real James Potter?