James's Worst Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...who do you think I am, the fabulous JK Rowling? Well, I'm not so...yeah. Sorry.

A/N: Man, I have been on a ROLL with one-shots lately! I hope this is enjoyable, and if you like my writing, feel free to check out my other HP fics - there's plenty of 'em with several different pairings;)

"C'mon Evans, just one date, one!"

"Forget it Potter. How many times must I say 'no' for you to get the picture?"

"At least once more."

"And how many times have you said that?"

"I'm afraid I've stopped counting."

Sixth-year James Potter was chasing the girl of his dreams, Lily Evans, all around the Hogwarts grounds. He'd been asking her out since first year, but now he was truly desperate - he knew that he loved her. He'd changed for her, just as she'd asked...why couldn't she see that?

"See? That-" Lily fumed, turning around to face Potter face-to-face. "Is exactly my point! You can't take anything seriously! All you do is use sarcasm and jokes to get what you want - I've never seen you take anything seriously, not once!"

"But I'd change for you, Evans!" James insisted, trying to keep up with Lily as she took off again. "I already have, if you'd just give me a-"

"Chance?" Lily guessed, stopping again. "No. I've seen you in the act too many times Potter...we will never be together! Get it out of your thick head!"

"I'll wait for you!" James insisted. "Until you're ready...you just need to give me something to go on, Evans, so that I know there's at least a chance that we-"

"There is no chance!" Lily screamed. "You've been telling me that you're a 'changed man' since third year. And I've yet to see that side of you."

"I'll show it to you!" James begged, truly sounding desperate. "If you'd just give me a chance! Blimme Evans, you're making it sound like you hate me or something!"

"I do!" Lily screeched, and James was taken aback.

"W-What?" he stammered, feeling a not-so-familiar pinching in his face that let him know tears were on the way.

"I thought it was obvious by now." Lily stated. "You've cost me my pride, my dignity, my best friend...and how much of my time have you wasted by asking me out? No other boys will even go near me, for fear that you'll beat them up or hex them into oblivion, and we're not even dating! I hate you, James!"

Her use of the word 'James' stung worse than her statement would have if she'd only referred to him as 'Potter'. But no...no, Lily was serious about this...she hated him, she truly and utterly hated him. Sighing in defeat, James gave up and headed to the Astronomy Tower, making sure to take his Invisibility Cloak with him.

Sirius Black studied the Marauder's Map carefully. He'd been waiting for James in the common room for nearly an hour, and when he hadn't shown up, Sirius was concerned that maybe some slimy Slytherins had gotten ahold of Gryffindor's star Chaser. So he'd grabbed the Marauder's Map, and searched all over it for the name of his best mate. He finally spotted the little dot "James Potter" in the Astronomy Tower.

"What's he doing up there?" Sirius muttered to himself, wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion.

Sighing, Sirius ran out of the common room, up the stairs, and to the Astronomy Tower as quickly as he could.

When he first got there, Sirius couldn't see James anywhere. He double-checked the Map to be sure he hadn't been mistaken, but no; James Potter was - apparently - standing five feet away from him. Sirius looked left and right, but had yet to spot his best mate.

That was when he heard James.

It was a sound that Sirius had never heard James make in the entirety of their friendship; James was crying. James Potter - mischeif maker and Marauder - was crying.

He must be under his Invisibility Cloak or something. Sirius realized. Sighing, he walked ahead a few feet, right in front of James, and pulled the Cloak off of the young wizard.

"Oh...hey." James said, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Sirius asked, sitting on the floor next to James. "I was coming up here to make sure that no stupid Slytherins got ahold of our star Chaser before the big game tomorrow...what are you doing up here, Prongs?"

"Nothing." James said absently, trying to sound nonchalant. "Just thinking."

"Bout what?" Sirius inquired, though he was pretty sure he already knew.

"Nothing." James shrugged.

"It's bout Evans, isn't it?" Sirius guessed.

James chuckled without humor. "You know me like a book, Padfoot."

"Not hardly." Sirius barked a laugh. "I hardly have enough patience to read actual books, let alone to read you...I just know you."

James rolled his eyes. "I wasn't serious, Sirius. It's a Muggle expression that Lily-"

But James stopped speaking abruptly, obviously trying to stop another wave of tears from pouring out of his eyes.

"Blimme mate, what happened? What did she do to you? Or you to her?" Sirius asked, honestly concerned for his friend.

"I knew she didn't like me." James whispered. "I knew that she was going to say 'no' before I even had a chance to...but I never knew she hated me."

"Ah, Prongsie, Evans doesn't hate you, she just-" but James cut Sirius off.

"Oh, but she does, Padfoot. Told me herself not even an hour ago. Said something along the lines of, "I thought it was obvious by now...you've cost me my best friend and my pride and my dignity...you've wasted my time...no other boys will talk to me for fear that you'll kill them...I hate you, James!" And she actually called me James...not 'Potter' or 'Git' or even 'Idiot'. She called me James, probably one of the first times she ever did...and she had to say it like that."

"She didn't?" Sirius asked. "That doesn't sound like Evans...I mean, we all knew she had a short fuse, but we never knew her to be...mean."

"She isn't mean!" James defended instantly. "She just...she's just..."

"S'okay, Prongs." Sirius said, unsure of what else to say. "She'll come round."

James looked up at Sirius with sad, dependant eyes. "You think so?" he choked out.

"I know so." Sirius assured, smiling.

I know that it was short, but I hope it was okay! It wasn't meant to be long...kind of explores Sirius's and James's friendship:) And I don't usually make Lily out to be quite so mean in my stories (being as I LOVE her with James!) but I don't know...it was James's worst memory, so it had to be bad and it had to come from her...yeah, okay, so enough rambling! Please review!

~PeachyKeen13