Chapter 50

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter…or Star Wars….

A/N: Also, I am terribly sorry for the delay. I know it has been close to a year since I last posted. It's been a bit crazy. But this chapter is almost twice as long as any current existing chapter.

Lily and James slipped back into the house and quietly returned to their respective rooms just after sunrise. Lily tried to go back to sleep but she couldn't quiet her brain. She was glad James had thought of putting wards on her house. She just hated that it was something that had even occurred to him. Despite how he tried to pretend he didn't she knew he worried about her. After what happened on his birthday she really couldn't blame him. She worried about her and all the other Muggle-borns, too. And her parents, who were guilty by association in the minds of Voldemort and his followers. She finally gave up her futile attempt to go back to sleep at seven. She went downstairs and entered the kitchen to find her mother putting the kettle on.

"Lily, what are you doing up this early?" her mother asked surprised.

Lily shrugged, "I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. So I decided to up."

"I can't remember the last time you got up this early voluntarily," her mother said with a chuckle.

"I always get up this early at school," Lily replied searching for bread to make some toast. "Where's dad?" she added.

"He's in the shower," Mrs. Evans replied. "I'm glad you're up actually. I wanted to talk to you about something and I was trying to figure out when I'd be able to," Mrs. Evans said calmly as she placed a pan on the stove. She picked up some bacon she had placed on the counter and began carefully placing it in the pan.

Lily looked over at her mother. What could she want to talk to her about? Had she overheard her and James talking about the war? Had she noticed them sneaking out this morning? Excuses and explanations started running through her head. She wished James were awake. He was so much better at making up excuses on the spot.

"Now, I want you to answer me honestly," her mother continued still facing the stove.

Lily looked at her mother a bit perplexed as to why she was addressing the frying pan and not her.

"I promise not to be angry or upset," she said.

"Mum," Lily asked, "What are you on about?"

"I know things are a bit different than when your father and I were young but I was eighteen once, too."

Lily froze in her search of the refrigerator for the jam. She wasn't, she couldn't possibly be talking about what Lily thought she was talking about.

"I remember what it feels like to be young," her mother continued still concentrating on her cooking.

"Mum," Lily tried to interrupt.

"It can be hard to think with your head and not your hormones sometimes. But I just need you to understand that sex can have life changing consequences…"

"Mum," Lily said again and she noticed that her voice was several octaves higher than normal.

"Lily, I'm not angry," her mother said finally turning to face her. Lily could tell that she meant for her tone to be placating. "I'm just concerned. It's my job as a parent. I just want to make sure you're being careful."

"Mum," Lily said again, this time in a slightly calmer voice. "James and…we don't, I mean we're not, we're not having sex."

"Lily, it's okay. You're eighteen, I'm not going to punish you. I'm just…"

"Concerned, yeah. I heard you. But we aren't, really. Why would you think that?" Lily asked confused.

She was wracking her brain trying to think of anything she and James could have possibly done or said. But she was coming up blank. They had been more reserved in front of her parents than they usually were in the Great Hall at school.

"Lily, I'm not blind," her mother said trying to repress a smile. "I've seen the way you two look at each other."

"The way we look at each other?" Lily asked confused.

Her mother smiled, "Yes, the way you look at each other. It's pretty clear that you are crazy about each other."

"He is pretty fabulous," Lily said smiling back at her mother. "But we aren't…I swear."

"Have you talked about it?" her mother asked. "I know you must've thought about it," she added.

Lily could feel her face flushing. How could her mother stand there so calmly and ask her that?

"Um, well," Lily tried.

"Lily, remember to breath," her mother said cheekily.

"Maybe, but I'm not ready, we're not ready," Lily said staring at a spot on the floor several feet away from her mother.

"And has he tried to pressure you?" her mother asked.

"What?!" Lily exclaimed. "No, he would never…"

Her mother held up her hands.

"Good, she said. As long as he's being respectful of your feelings, that's all I care about," her mother said. "Now, could you please get me the eggs. Your father should be out of the shower in a few minutes."

Lily handed her mother the eggs and then grabbed the tea kettle, which had started to boil. She brought it over the tea pot her mother had been preparing when Lily had entered the kitchen and carefully poured the boiling water in to steep. Lily returned the kettle to the stove and went to get the milk pitcher and sugar bowl to put on the table.

She tried to focus on her task to bring her swirling emotions back into check. She couldn't believe her mother thought that she and James were shagging. She kept replaying the previous evening over and over in her mind. She understood what her mother meant by the way James looked at her but did she look at him in a similar way? It had never occurred to her that the way she looked at him revealed her feelings to others. But she still didn't understand how that lead her mother to thinking they were sleeping together. At least her mum had believed her when she said it wasn't true. She'd thought about it; she was sure James had thought about it. It had been a long time since they had talked about it but Lily was comfortable with the boundaries they were currently maintaining.

Lily's ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of her father.

"Lily!" he said sounding surprised but pleased, "What are you doing up so early?"

"It's not that early," Lily said. "I'm always up this early during the week at school. I woke up around 6:30 and couldn't fall back to sleep."

"Well, it's a pleasant surprise," her father said. "I wasn't expecting to see you until I got home from work. Do you and James still want to borrow the car tonight?"

"Yes, please," Lily said. "James has been bugging me to take him to a movie ever since Remus tried to explain what one was."

"I still can't believe he's never seen one," her father said.

"Lily," her mother said.

"Yes," Lily asked cautiously. Her mother's tone had become serious again.

"What happened at school back in March?" her mother asked.

"What?" Lily asked. Trying to keep her voice neutral. "I told you in my letter."

"Yes, we know," her father said. "We weren't going to say anything until after James left," her father said glancing at her mother.

"But since we have you alone at the moment," her mother said giving her husband a pointed look.

"I told you it was a prank gone wrong," Lily said with what she hoped was an over dramatic sigh. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The jinx I got hit with is harmless, when one isn't walking down stone steps…"

"But I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about it. It's a school of magic, accidents happen. But Wizards can heal a lot of things that Muggle doctors can't. My friend Marlene had her arm broken in two places and a concussion during a Quidditch match last year and Madame Pomfrey healed her in about two minutes. She didn't even need a cast or anything. She just had to spend the night in the hospital wing to make sure her head was okay. There's nothing to worry about," Lily said in her most soothing voice.

"Okay, we just worry is all," her mother said. "Some day when you have children you'll understand why we worry."

"It's okay, Mum," Lily said. "I'm going to go take a shower before James wakes up."

"What about breakfast?" her mother asked.

"I can cook something for James and I when he wakes up," she said smiling.

"Well, alright then," her mother said.

Lily left the kitchen and walked as quickly as she could without actually running upstairs. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water. She managed to hold in her tears until she was actually in the shower. She hated lying to her parents. But how could she possibly explain to them that there were people in the Wizarding World who hated her because her parents were Muggles. People who hated her so much that they probably hadn't thought twice about jinxing her in a way that could have left her permanently injured or dead. She doubted they even felt any lingering guilt.

By the time she had finished her shower she had managed to calm down a bit. She dried off using her wand and then wrapper her dressing gown around her and returned to her bedroom to finish getting ready.

When she was finished she slipped quietly down the hall. It was passed the time her father usually left for work and she paused at the top of the stair to listen for the sounds of her mother downstairs. She heard the water running, dishes clinking, and the sound of the radio. She continued down the hall and peeked into her parents' bedroom through the open door. The light was off and the bed had been made. She walked up to James' door and knocked gently turning the knob cautiously and opening the door just a crack.

"Who's there?" she heard James' groggy voice ask.

"It's me," Lily whispered.

"What time is it?" James asked.

"A little after eight," Lily said still whispering. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Sure," James said quietly. He picked up his wand and whispered, "Lumos."

Lily slipped in and left the door open just a crack. She walked over and sat down heavily on the bed next to him.

"What's wrong?" James asked cupping Lily's face with his hand and turning it towards him.

Lily sighed and leaned forward capturing his lips with hers. She reached up burying one hand in his hair the other one gripping his should and deepened the kiss. After a minute James pulled back.

"Lily," he said cautiously. "It's not that I don't want to snog you, but if your parents were to walk in here right now, I'm certain they would not be pleased. I don't think that counts as open," he said indicating the door that was open less than an inch. "And I'm pretty sure they wouldn't approve of us snogging in my bed either."

Lily leaned over resting her head against his shoulder. "I know," she said quietly. "I just, I needed. I'm sorry I woke you. If you come downstairs I will make you some breakfast and then we can go for a walk. I can't explain it here. My mother might overhear."

"Okay," James said.

Lily sat up and looked at him. "I love you," she whispered.

James smiled, "I love you, too. Now go, before we get caught and your parents throw me out."

The corner of Lily's mouth twitched and James smiled back. Lily got up quietly and made her way over to the door. She turned around and whispered, "Don't you fall back to sleep now."

James' smile was slightly marred by the look of concern on his face. "I won't," he said.

Lily peered out the crack in the door to make sure the coast was clear before exiting the room.

She rejoined her mother in the kitchen and pulled the eggs and bacon back out of the refrigerator placing them on the counter.

"How was your shower?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Refreshing," Lily replied.

"Is James up?" her mother asked as she turned off the water and dried her hands on a dish towel.

"Yeah, he woke up shortly after I got out of the shower. He should be down in a few minutes," Lily said. "I know you just finished washing it but may I have the frying pan please?"

"As long as you wash it when you're done," her mother said.

Lily laughed, "Not a problem, Mum."

Lily placed the pan on the stove to heat up and realized that she had left the bacon on the counter next to the refrigerator. Without thinking she pulled her wand out of her back pocket and flicked it at the bacon which flew into her outstretched hand.

"That will never cease to amaze me," her mother said smiling.

"Good morning, ladies," James said entering the kitchen.

"Good morning, James," Mrs. Evans said. "Did you sleep well? Was the bed comfortable enough for you?"

"Very comfortable. Slept like a log," James said as he walked over to where Lily stood cooking.

"Morning, love," he said quietly giving her a quick kiss on the temple. "What's for breakfast?"

Lily cast a sideways glance over at her mother before answering, "Bacon and eggs."

James raised an eyebrow quizzically at her. Lily responded by giving him a look that clearly said she would explain later. James shrugged in agreement.

"So, Lily, what are you and James planning on doing today?" her mother asked.

"I thought I would give him the grand tour," Lily said. "Then tonight dad said we could borrow the car to go and see Star Wars."

Lily magically transferred the bacon to a plate and then put the eggs on to cook. James was leaning against the counter next to the stove watching her and she couldn't help but glance his way every few seconds. He was smiling at her in a way he seemed to reserve exclusively for her and she couldn't stop from smiling back at him.

When Lily's mother left the kitchen James leaned over to watch her until she was out of sight. When she was gone he pressed a brief, yet passionate, kiss to Lily's lips. He was still perplexed and more than a bit concerned about her bizarre behavior of less than half an hour ago.

"Are you sure you're alright, love?" he asked quietly. "You seem…" James hesitated unsure of the right word, "off."

"Later," Lily said quietly. "We'll go for a walk after breakfast," Lily said.

"I'm fine, really," she added trying to sound reassuring when she turned and saw the look of concern on his face. "Do you want some tea?" she asked tapping the kettle, she had forgotten to put it on the stove the Muggle way, with her wand to boil the water.

"Yes, please," James responded. "Would you like any help?"

"Could you get the tea pot from over by the sink and put some tea leaves in it? They are in the canister next to the refrigerator," Lily said pointing.

She stretched up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss before transferring the eggs to the plates and carrying them over to the table. With a flick of her wand the pan flew over to the sink and began to scrub itself.

"So much for the International Statute of Secrecy," James said with a chuckle.

Lily rolled her eyes. "My parents are already fully aware of what I am. And honestly, who would believe them if they told anyone."

James laughed as he added the leaves to the tea pot.

"Delicious," James said as he finished eating. "I didn't know you could cook."

Lily laughed, "Well, I don't really get the chance at Hogwarts, now do I. And it's only bacon and eggs," she added.

"Well, it was still delicious," James said smiling.

Lily picked up their dishes and brought them over to the sink to be washed.

Once the dishes had been put away James was eager to be underway and get to the bottom of Lily's odd behavior.

"Mum!" Lily called. "James and I are going out. I'm going to show him around but we should be back by lunch time."

"Alright, have fun," Mrs. Evans called from somewhere upstairs.

James and Lily walked in silence for a few minutes. There was a light breeze putting a chill in the midmorning air. Lily shivered and James wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked. She leaned against him for comfort as she tried to put her thoughts in order. She appreciated James not pushing her to talk to him the moment they were out the door. She wasn't sure exactly how to put her feelings into words and needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts.

She had no clear destination in mind as they walked and before she realized where they were going she found that they were at the playground she used to play at as a child.

"This is where I found out I was a witch," she said quietly slipping out from under James' arm and talking his hand.

"Here?" James asked confused. "McGonagall didn't come to your house? I thought that was how it worked with Muggle-borns."

"I knew I was a witch before I ever got my letter," Lily said quietly. "And about Hogwarts, and well, lots of random bits and pieces."

"How?" James asked completely perplexed.

"Severus told me when I was nine," Lily said looking at James cautiously. Severus was a particularly dangerous topic to begin with, let alone discussing him with James. "He had seen me doing magic when Petunia and I were playing here."

James quirked an eyebrow, "Did he see you fall and bounce or something?"

"No," Lily said. "I did magic by accident on occasion but I discovered that I could jump off the swings and stay up much longer than should have been possible. I could make flowers open and close at will. Little things like that," Lily explained with a shrug. "And he saw and guessed that I must be a witch."

"Seriously?" James asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Lily said. "You sound surprised. I probably would have done the same thing at nine if our situations had been reversed."

"That's not what I meant," James said, still unable to hide his surprise. "I might have said something to you, too. What I meant was, most children who know they are a witch or wizard can't control their own powers when they are that young. And you were doing magic on purpose, without knowing what you were. That's more than a little impressive, Lily."

"Oh, well, it was nothing big," Lily said shyly.

"Hey, now, don't sell yourself short. There's a reason you're in the top of our class," James said smiling. "Now, are you going to tell me what's upsetting you?"

Lily sighed and led James to the woods on the other side of the playground. They walked into the woods a little way until James couldn't see the playground.

"I don't want to be overheard," Lily said in response to the perplexed look James gave her.

James nodded and looked at her expectantly.

Lily opened her mouth and closed it several times.

James reached out both his hands and cupped her face gently rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his hands for a moment before finally speaking.

"I guess it started this morning with the wards on the house."

"We didn't have to do that," James said. "I wasn't trying to upset you…"

"I know," Lily said cutting him off. "Please don't interrupt. I'm not upset with you," she said quietly. "I agree they were a good idea. It's more that fact that they are more than likely necessary for both my and my parents' safety that is upsetting," she explained. "It was very considerate of you to even think of it."

"So that's what you're upset about?" James asked.

"Don't interrupt," Lily reminded him. "That was part of it. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't so I went downstairs at around seven. Dad was in the shower and Mum was in the kitchen making breakfast. And so I was already a little off about the whole secretly putting wards on the house and then Mum," Lily hesitated.

"Yes?" James prompted.

"Well, she asked me if we were having sex," Lily said with a roll of her eyes.

"She what?!" James yelped. "We've been well behaved. Why would she think that?" He said all of this very fast.

"I don't know," Lily said. "Something about the way we look at each other."

James quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I don't know," Lily said. "It took me a few tries but I finally got through that we are not. I told her that we had agreed we weren't ready to take that step yet. So then she was concerned that you might try to pressure me into it."

James snorted. "Like you would stand for that," he said. "I'm pretty sure you'd hex me if I tried. Not that I would because I'd deserve more than a good hex if I did."

"Does it bother you that I'm not ready?" she asked suddenly looking at him.

James was struck by how far they had come in their relationship. The first time she had ever brought up this topic she had barely been able to string two words together and now she didn't even hesitate.

"No," he replied after a moment. "One, I wouldn't want to pressure you into it because that's wrong. And two, at the risk of sounding like a pathetic little Nancy boy, when it finally happens I want it to be right, to mean something. Maybe it's because I was raised by two very old fashioned old people," he said with a chuckle. "When dad sat me down at, Merlin, I think I was thirteen most of his talk was about how it's better to wait for the right person and how that makes it so much better. It was terribly embarrassing at the time but it seems to have stuck."

Lily laughed lightly. "It really is a horrible conversation isn't it."

"So is that what you were upset about?" he asked. "You were worried I was getting impatient?"

"No," Lily said with a sigh. "I just wanted to explain the build-up. No interrupting now."

"Okay," James said.

"So I was already keyed up between the wards and Mum wanting to have the talk again," Lily explained. "So then dad came downstairs and then Mum asked me about what happened on your birthday."

Lily paused and took a steadying breath. James looked at her with eyes full of concern. She hadn't spoken about her being knocked down the stairs much since she had been released from the hospital wing. He had tried to bring it up once or twice and she had blown him off claiming that she was fine. He knew that she was lying but he hadn't known how to get her to talk about it. Which he had found frustrating.

"Dumbledore had to write them of course to let them know that I had been hurt but I don't think he explained that he suspected it was deliberate. Or if he did it wasn't clear. They of course wrote me and I wrote back reassuring them that everything was fine but I suppose it was too much to ask that they wouldn't bring it up when I was home."

Lily paused again and James nodded in understanding.

She took a deep breath and plowed on.

"So I did the only thing I could, I lied. I told them it was just an accident. That the jinx is harmless normally, which is true. That it was an accident that I was hit. But it wasn't an accident. It was deliberate. They were trying to hurt me. I'm sure they had a good laugh about it. They didn't care that I was hurt," Lily wrapped her arms around herself as she began to shake her eyes beginning to sting. "They could have killed me and I'm sure they didn't feel the least bit guilty. Heck, they might have done it with the intention of killing me. I mean, who cares if some stupid Mudblood dies right?"

The tears started to fall in earnest now. James wrapped his arms around Lily and pulled her into a fierce hug.

"You stop right there," he said angrily. "Do not call yourself that word. They're all sick and cruel. They're the ones who don't deserve to be at Hogwarts. You are an amazing witch. You and all the other Muggle-borns have just as much a right to go to Hogwarts as the rest of us."

James leaned back and cupped Lily's face wiping away her tears with his thumbs but more tears took their place as Lily's body was wracked with sobs.

"I hate it," she said her voice shaking. "I hate this stupid war. I hate being hated by people for what I am. Sometimes it's so hard to live in two worlds. At Hogwarts there are people that hate me because my parents are Muggles and at home Petunia hates me because I'm a witch."

She wrapped her arms around James and buried her face in his chest. James wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "I love you," he whispered. "I never realized how hard it must be to be you before last night. But you do belong. You can't listen to them because when people start to believe them, they've won," James said passionately. "Didn't I just tell you how powerful you must be to have been able to use magic intentionally even before you knew you were a witch?" he asked kissing the top of her head. He leaned back so he could see her face. "You are smart," he kissed her forehead. "And kind," he kissed her nose. "Even to people who aren't kind to you," he kissed her just above the left eye. "You are beautiful," he kissed her above the right eye. "And I love you," he kissed her mouth.

Lily closed her eyes and bit her lip. She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her breathing. "Thank you," she said trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I love you, too."

"You don't have to go through this alone, you know," James said sliding his hands down to her waist. "You can always talk to me. It's not good to keep things bottled up."

"I know I can," Lily said her voice steadier. "And I know I shouldn't. But like I said on the train at Christmas time. I hate it when it gets to me. I know it doesn't matter. It's just hard sometimes. My parents are great. They're proud that I'm a witch. But it's hard because there is so much that they don't really understand and so much that I just can't bring myself to tell them."

"Maybe you should tell them. About Voldemort, I mean," James said. "I bet they're tougher than you think."

"I just don't want to frighten them," Lily said with a sigh. "They'd be worried constantly. And although they try the whole magical world is a big mystery to them. It's hard for them to grasp things like apparition. How are they supposed to process that some deranged wizard wants me and everyone like me dead?"

James didn't know what to say. He remembered his conversation with McGonagall a few months prior when she said that she wished there was a spell that could destroy prejudice. He completely understood her desire. But all he could do was nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. He and Lily were proof that blood status didn't matter. He would not be frightened away. He leaned down and kissed her, gently at first and then more fiercely. He tried to put a lot of words he couldn't figure out how to articulate into his kiss. To show her that she was loved, that she was special and important.

"Just remember that you can talk to me, okay," he said when they finally broke apart. "I love you and it's okay to be upset but you can't keep it all to yourself. We're in this together."

"Thanks, James," she said quietly playing with the front of his shirt. "I love you, too. And I will try. To tell you when I'm upset, I mean."

"That's all I ask," James said placing another gentle kiss on her forehead. "How can I be supportive if I don't know what's upsetting you. Now," he continued in a more serious tone, "I do believe you promised me a tour of the lovely town of yours."

Lily smiled. She wiped her face with her sleeve. James glanced around and then pulled his wand out of the pocket he had magically expanded in his pants and with a flick produced a handkerchief which he handed to Lily. She took it and wiped her face before blowing her nose.

Lily took a few deep breaths and then said, "Well, these are the woods I used to play in as a child."

"With your sister and Snape?" James asked curiously, though there was a slight sound of displeasure in his tone.

"Be nice," Lily said. "And, sort of. Petunia and I played here before I went to Hogwarts. By the time I left she thought she was too old for such things. And she was mad at me for leaving, so that probably didn't help."

"Ah," James said. He still had trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Lily being a witch was the driving force behind the wedge that was between her and her sister.

"But Severus and I played here, too. This is where he explained to me about Azkaban and how Hogwarts letters worked for Muggle-borns. And this is where we'd come when we didn't want anyone to bother us," she said. "There's a small river a little way over there," she said pointing. "But enough about that. Why don't I show you around town?"

Lily brought James all around her little town. He was fascinated by the Muggle shops. He found the Muggle snacks at the Green Grocer fascinating and insisted on buying several different kinds of candy.

"Where did you get Muggle money?" she asked him in an undertone as they left.

"Mum owled me some before we left school," James explained. "She had it exchanged at Gringotts. Remus explained to me how it works."

"Oh," Lily said surprised. "Why?"

"What's over there?" James asked pointing towards the other end of town hoping to change the subject. He wasn't sure how Lily would take his answer of because Mum says, 'Paying is the gentlemanly thing to do.'

"Oh, the river is over there," Lily said. "It's called Spinners End but there's nothing to see but houses. Severus' family lives down that way."

"Really?" James asked sounding interested.

"No, we're not going to have a look," Lily said sounding suddenly cross. "I'm sure he stayed at school anyway."

"Probably wanted to study the Dark Arts in quiet," James said his disgust evident.

"James," Lily said sounding both tired and frustrated.

"Sorry, Love," James said wrapping one arm around her shoulder. "He just bugs me."

"I know," Lily said with a sigh. "He used to complain about you far more than you ever complain about him…Of course you did tend to give him reasons to dislike you."

"I was a right little berk," James agreed.

"What time is it?" Lily asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"A little after noon," James said glancing at his watch.

"We should probably head home," Lily said. "I told Mum to expect us for lunch."

"Lunch sounds excellent," James said happily.

Lily smiled. Teenage boys were so easily distracted by food it almost wasn't fair to use it as a tactic.

"So, what do you want to do this afternoon?" Lily after they had finished lunch.

"Um, could we watch the television thing?" James asked.

Lily laughed. "Sure, for a bit. But remember we're going to go see a movie later so you might not want to watch it all afternoon."

"Oaky, but at least for a little while," James said.

Lily led the way into the living room and turned the television on turning the dial until she found something to watch.

"What is this?" James asked.

"An American show called 'Lassie,'" Lily said. "It's about this dog named Lassie and her owner, a boy named Timmy."

Lily sat down on the couch and curled up next to James lying her head on his shoulder. In response James wrapped one arm around her and began running his fingers over her arm. Lily sighed contentedly and turned her head slightly to kiss his shoulder. She trailed a few light kisses along his jaw until he turned and met her mouth with his own.

"I love you," she whispered breaking their kiss.

"Love you, too Lily," James said quietly resting his forehead against hers.

Lily returned her head to his shoulder as the commercial ended and the show returned.

James turned his attention back to the television and was soon enthralled by the show.

"How did she know?" he asked at the end. "And how did Timmy's mother and Uncle know when she couldn't even talk?"

Lily laughed at James complete confusion over the plot of the episode. "It's just a television show, James, it's not real. They're actors, just like in a play. There's a trainer who is off stage telling the dog what to do and they are all following a script."

"Ah," James said. "I thought perhaps the dog was an animagus."

Lily burst out laughing at this.

"What?" James asked.

"James, this is a Muggle television show," Lily said still laughing. "They don't know what an animagus is."

"Oh, right," James said.

"Alright," Lily said. "You had the grand tour, we talked, we watched television. Now it's time to study for a bit."

"What?" James asked.

"James, we have N.E.W.T.s coming up. You may be able to get all O's with no revision at all but I cannot," Lily said rolling her eyes. "I told you before I was thinking of staying at school to study. I'm glad I came home instead but I still need to study. I've barely started revising."

"I s'pose," James said with a sigh.

"If you're cooperative and helpful," Lily said quietly raising her eyebrow suggestively.

"Well, alright, if you insist," James said grinning cheekily.

Lily roller her eyes and pulled on his hand in an attempt to get him off the couch.

"I hate Transfiguration," Lily said an hour later as she and James lay on her bedroom floor surrounded by her notes.

James shifted into a sitting position, placed his hands on either side of her head and began gently massaging her temples.

"Mmm, that feels good," Lily with a slight moan. "My brain feels like it's going to explode."

"Well, we can't have that," James replied. "I'm rather fond of you and it could be rather difficult to find a replacement this late in the school year."

Lily rolled onto one elbow to glare at him.

"Tosser," she said.

"But I'm your tosser," James said smiling at her fondly. "And you love me."

"Shh, not so loud," Lily hissed. "I've already gotten the sex talk today. I don't need the you're too young to be in love lecture. Which will probably come along with the you're too young to get married lecture. One of those is enough for one day."

James laughed. "Sorry, love. Did you know I hadn't realized how automatic saying it was until I was coming down for breakfast this morning?"

Lily smiled back at him, "Me, neither."

She sat up and leaned over to kiss him.

"Lily, are you up here?" her mother called and Lily stopped kissing him abruptly.

James gave her a sad look but Lily shot him a look that clearly said, "Hush."

"We're in my room, Mum," she called back.

"Oh, there you are," her mother said poking her head in the door. "What is all this?" her mother asked indicating the parchment scattered all over Lily's bedroom floor.

"We're doing some revision for our exams," James said. "Transfiguration."

"Oh," Mrs. Evans said. "Which one is that again, Lily?"

"When you turn something into something else," Lily said.

"Right, right," her mother said.

"Do you like Transfiguration, James?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"It's my best subject," James replied with a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. His best subject. That was an understatement.

"Anyway," Mrs. Evans continued, "I know you two are going to the movies but are you planning on eating dinner here or going out?"

Lily bit her lower lip thoughtfully.

"You're the guest," she said looking at James. "What would you like to do?"

James shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. We're going out tomorrow night with your sister and her fiancé so we can eat out of you want but we don't have to if you don't want to."

"Let's eat out," Lily said grinning. "We almost never get to go on dates where we can actually go anywhere."

"Good point," James said grinning.

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" James asked later that evening as he and Lily were climbing into the car.

"Of course it is," Lily said with a laugh. "Do you doubt my driving abilities?" she added giving him a threatening look.

"No, of course I don't," James said.

"You fly around 50 or more feet in the air going well over 100 mph and you're worried about doing 60 kilometers an hour in a car on the ground?" she asked with amusement.

"Kilo whats?" James asked confused.

"Honestly," Lily said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't understand how it is that Wizards and Americans haven't switched to metric. It just makes no sense."

"Metric?" James said again. "Is that the weird measurement system the Muggles use?"

"Yes," Lily said. "And it makes a lot more sense than inches and feet."

James just shrugged.

Lily mumbled something James couldn't understand as she turned the keys.

The car roared to life and James jumped a little bit at the sudden noise and vibration. Lily laughed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't laugh. I know what it's like to be on the other side of the Muggle/Wizard cross-cultural phenomenon. It's just kind of a pleasant change to be the one who knows what is going on for once."

"So," James said slowly, "This is what it feels like to be a Muggle-born at Hogwarts?"

James looked at Lily with a new sense of admiration. The last day and a half had been a crazy whirlwind of new experiences. James was not used to feeling out of place or out of sync but that was how he had been feeling for the last twenty-four hours. It had been terribly embarrassing the night before when he had been getting ready to go to bed and couldn't figure out how to turn off the light. He had flipped the switch on and off several times after Lily showed him until she had stopped him out of concern that he was going to break it.

Lily shrugged. "You get used to it," she said matter-of-factly. "And eventually things don't seem so strange and unusual anymore."

"I guess," James said. "But I have to admit I have never felt so, so," he struggled to find the words to explain. "Out of place before. I guess I never really thought about it before. What it must feel like, you know?"

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Lily said sounding suddenly uncomfortable.

"NO!" James exclaimed quickly. "I don't want to go. That's not what I mean. I think I've learned more about you in the last 24 hours than in the last seven years. I just meant, it's given me a new perspective is all. I never thought much about how it must feel to be a Muggle-born coming to Hogwarts, to the whole Magical World, for the first time. I don't think we give you guys enough credit. It can't be easy. And then, like I said earlier, you have to straddle both worlds. It's, well, you make it seem so easy. But now I realize it's probably not as easy as you make it look."

He reached out and gently tucked a piece of hair that had fallen out of the bun she'd twisted it into behind her ear.

"It's hard, sometimes," Lily said. "Not as hard as it used to be, though. In the beginning it was rather overwhelming. And I had known I was a witch and I would go to Hogwarts since I was nine. Or, well, I was pretty sure. It was all so fantastic; I did often worry that Severus was making it all up."

"I never realized that he was the one who told you about magic," James said.

"But that was then," Lily said quietly.

"I'm sorry," James said quietly.

"S'not your fault," Lily said.

"It kind of is," James said.

"No," Lily shook her head. "But can we please not talk about that right now. I'd rather prefer to enjoy our date."

"Of course, Love," he answered. "Where are we going for dinner anyway?"

"There's this great little pub right next to the theater," she said. "I figure we can park the car and then we can grab some dinner, they have excellent fish and chips, and maybe a pint, and then walk over to the theater."

"Sounds like a plan," James said.

James was surprised by how similar the pub was to The Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron, except for the drink menu. He had been distinctly disappointed by the lack of Butterbeer but found that he liked whatever it was that Lily ordered them well enough. And she was right about the food, which was, for the most part, the same as one would find at any Wizarding pub.

When the check came James grabbed it before Lily even had time to react.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, I was under the impression that this was a date and my mother, to say nothing of my father, would never forgive me if I didn't pay," he said. "Why do you think my mother sent me Muggle money," he stated.

Lily rolled her eyes but she was smiling. "You spoil me, Potter."

"My parents raised me to be a gentleman," James said. "And once in a while I actually act like it."

Lily snorted as the waitress returned with James' change.

"We should get going if we want to get decent seats," Lily said standing up.

James stood as well and pulled both of their coats off of the hook next to their booth. He held up Lily's jacket for her grinning. She rolled her eyes good naturedly and slipped her arms into her coat.

"Thank you," she said stretching up on her toes and giving him a quick kiss.

Lily took James' hand as they walked down the street towards the theater.

"Now, James," Lily said in a voice reminiscent of Professor McGonagall, "We are about to go to a movie. Which is like the television but much, much bigger. There are going to be a lot of exciting things to see and it's going to be a bit loud at times. So, before we get there I feel the need to remind you about a little thing called The International Statute of Secrecy. Which you will technically be violating if you get too excited and it shows. So do try and keep some sense of decorum. Also, it's rude to talk loudly during the movie as other people want to hear."

"Yes, professor," James said in his best monotonous student voice.

Lily laughed and swatted his chest.

"James, I'm serious. It's not like at my house. We will be surrounded by Muggles who don't know about our world. You have to be careful what you say," Lily said. "It's one of the many challenges of being me. Or in your case, with me."

"Completely worth it, then," James said grinning.

Lily smiled back at him and he leaned over and kissed her briefly.

Lily and James waited in the queue and Lily asked about what his friends were doing over the holidays. Sirius, she learned had purchased a flat at the end of the previous summer, and was staying their while James was with Lily but would be visiting James when he returned home after Easter.

"How did he buy a flat?" Lily asked.

"His uncle passed away at the end of sixth year and left him a bunch of go…money," James managed to catch himself before he said gold. And we spent a good portion of last summer flat hunting. He did stay with us before Christmas, as you know, though."

"Wow," was all Lily could think of to say. "He's coming to dinner on Sunday, though, yes?" she asked.

"Of course," James said. "He wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to embarrass us and make snide comments, now would he?"

"As long as he's not too, well, ridiculous. I still have to live with my parents for another week after you leave," she said.

"Don't worry," James said reassuringly, "My mother can usually keep him in check."

"Usually?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, as much as she feels inclined to," James clarified.

Lily laughed.

"How many?" the man behind the ticket window asked.

"Two for Star Wars," Lily said.

James pulled out his wallet as the man gave them the price.

"James, you don't…"

James cut her off with a look that said it would do no good to try and argue.

Lily stood up on tiptoe and with the pretense of giving him a kiss, whispered, "Put the money in the little slot under the glass."

James obliged and the man slid their tickets back out.

Lily took them and wrapped her arms around one of James and lead James inside, steering him towards the snack booth.

"One popcorn, two small cokes, and M&Ms, please," she said to the girl working behind the counter.

"What did you order?" James whispered into her ear.

Lily just grinned at him.

James wasn't sure where to look first. There was a weird machine that dispensed fizzy beverages. A clear plastic box that had some white fluffy substance exploding out of a bowl secured to the top. The display case in front of him was filled with candies that he'd never heard of, though a few he recognized from the store they had stopped in earlier in the day. Even the lights, way up in the ceiling, were strange. Different even from the lights at Lily's house. He knew they must run on electricity, at least he was pretty sure that was the proper pronunciation.

James paid for the strange assortment of food and then followed Lily passed a man who took part of their tickets before returning the stubs.

They settled down in their seats and James examined the snacks that Lily had ordered.

"What are these things?" he asked quietly.

Lily picked up the bucket of white fluffy stuff and offered him some. "It's called popcorn," she said in a low whisper. "It's dried corn that is heated until it explodes and then you cover it in butter."

Tentatively, James took a piece and popped it into his mouth. He was surprised to discover that it was crunchy despite the light and fluffy look. And it definitely tasted like butter. The candy he recognized from earlier.

"Chocolate," Lily whispered offering him the bag.

"And this?" James asked indicating the cup Lily had put in the cup holder next to him.

"Coca Cola," Lily said grinning. "You don't know what you're missing."

James took a sip. The bubbles tickled but it was quite delicious.

Lily looked at him nervously. "What do you think?" she asked.

James grinned and then leaned over to give her a lingering kiss.

"You know, there's something to be said for Muggle snacks," he whispered breaking their kiss.

"James," Lily said in an admonishing tone. "We're in public."

"Are you chastising me for the kiss or the use of the word Muggle?" he asked cheekily.

"Both," Lily whispered.

Suddenly, the lights faded and James looked around in surprise, a look of concern growing on his face. Lily reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm as the projector came on.

"It's alright," she whispered. "This is what happens."

The pre-movie commercials for snacks began and James stared, enthralled, at the screen. Lily reached out and took his hand and he began unconsciously rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"It's so much bigger than the television," James whispered in her ear, clearly in awe of the movie screen. "And why are the snacks dancing?" he added.

Lily laughed. "It's an advertisement," she whispered back. "They want you to buy more snacks."

"I do know what an advertisement is," James said with a chuckle.

"Shh," Lily said into his ear.

James was quiet for a few moments and then an preview for I Wanna Hold Your Hand began.

"Isn't that that band you are obsessed with?" James asked in her ear.

"The Beatles, yes," Lily said excitedly. "I wish we were still going to be home when it came out, I want to see it."

"Have you ever been to a concert?" James asked.

"No, they broke up," Lily said sounding bitter. "Stupid Yoko."

"What's a Yoko?" James asked.

"A person. She married one of the band members. It's her fault they broke up," Lily said still sounding disgruntled.

James decided to let it drop.

James was startled as music suddenly started and what he could only assume was some sort of logo appeared on the screen. As quickly as it had begun the strange logo disappeared. Then blue letters appeared on the screen. James read quickly…A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...James jumped slightly at the sudden sound of the music followed by the words Star Wars in massive yellow letters up on the screen. This must be the movie they had actually come to see. Words began to scroll up and back on the screen. James wanted to ask Lily what was going on but he was afraid he might miss something important in the scrolling text.

After reading the text James found that he had more questions than answers. What was the Galactic Empire? Who was princess Leia?

"Lily," he whispered. "Who is princess Leia?"

"Sh," Lily said back. "Just watch and you'll see. No more talking."

Lily, who had seen this movie over the Christmas Holidays, knew what was happening and while she was excited to see the movie again, was more interested in watching James' reaction. His eyes, which had become quite wide at the movies commencement grew even bigger, if possible, when Darth Vader made his appearance.

"Who's that?" James asked.

"Sh," Lily said smiling. "You're not supposed to know yet. The movie will explain eventually."

James spent most of the remainder of the movie staring at the screen in amazement. He was so transfixed that he didn't even eat any of their snacks until Lily offered him some popcorn. After a few bites of popcorn, James took a sip of the soda.

When the movie was finally finished and the lights came back on James sat for several moments.

"James?" Lily said finally.

"Where's the rest of it?" James asked. "They can't just end it like that."

"James," Lily said with a laugh. "Keep your voice down. It's a trilogy. There are still two more movies to go."

"What?" James asked.

"A trilogy," Lily said again. "It means they are telling the story in three parts. In a year or two they will come out with another movie and then a third one," she explained quietly. "You'll just have to wait."

"Well, that's stupid," James said.

"Don't be so impatient," Lily admonished. "The wait makes it more fun."

"More torturous you mean," James said.

Lily laughed again and leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

"I take it your reaction means that you enjoyed the movie?" she asked.

"Definitely," James said. "I can't wait to tell Sirius, Remus, and Peter about it! I wonder if Remus has seen it?"

"Come on," Lily said grabbing his hand and picking up some of their trash. "Don't forget your soda cup," she added nodding towards James' cup that he had left.

James picked up his cup and took a sip of his remaining drink. He allowed Lily to lead him out of the theater and into the street.

"Those swords were wicked," James said as they walked down the street towards the car. "What were they called again?"

"Light sabers," Lily replied.

"Darth Vader kind of reminds me of You-know-who," James said.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever heard you call him, You-know-who before," Lily said.

"Yeah, well, we're out in public. Who knows who's about," James said.

Lily noticed that James had his hand shoved the pocket of his coat and realized that he must be gripping his wand.

"Honestly, James, are you expecting an attack?" Lily asked.

James looked over at her in surprise.

"They like to attack Muggle areas at random just for fun," James said seriously. "You do have your wand don't you?" he asked in an undertone, his sudden concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Lily said. "It's in my bag."

"You should keep it somewhere easy to get," James said. "Just in case."

Lily wrapped her arms around James' arm that wasn't clutching his wand and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"I'm sorry," James said quietly. "I just worry about you is all."

He leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

"I can take care of myself," Lily said, though more out of habit than anger.

"Sure, against the riff raff at school," James said seriously. "But the real Death Eaters, they're different. They kill Muggles for fun. They wouldn't hesitate to kill you," James said concern evident in his voice.

"And you for going out with me," Lily said looking up at him.

"It's possible," James said with a shrug.

"They would and you know it," Lily said. "Don't act like it doesn't bother you."

"It doesn't," James said.

"It doesn't bother you that they would kill you for going out with me," Lily said her voice full of skepticism.

"Well, no," James said slowly. "It bothers me that they think there's something wrong with our dating. That they think I shouldn't love you just because your parents are Muggles. That's what bothers me," James explained.

"It doesn't?" Lily hesitated biting her lower lip. "It would be safer to be with someone else," Lily said quietly looking at the ground.

They had arrived at the car. James leaned against the side of the car and turned to face Lily placing his hands on either side of her face.

"Hey," he said quietly tilting her face up towards his. "We've talked about this. No talking like that."

He leaned forward capturing Lily's mouth with his. Lily's hands slid up his shoulders. One pulling herself up closer to him the other coming to rest at the back of his neck, its fingers tangling themselves in his hair.

One of James' hands found its way to Lily's waist, slipping into the gap between her shirt and skirt and gently rubbing the soft, smooth skin of her midriff. The other hand placed firmly on her back pulling her closer to him.

After a few minutes they broke apart, both breathing heavily. James leaned over and rested his forehead against Lily's.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," Lily said wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against his shoulder. Enjoying the comfort that she felt in his arms. "I just worry, sometimes," she said quietly. "I know it doesn't matter. I know you don't care that I'm Muggle-born but…" Lily paused trying to explain what she was feeling accurately. "But it can't be easy having people give you a hard time about going out with me. And don't tell me it's rubbish because I know how hard it can be to be me or Mary MacDonald, or any of the other Muggle-borns at Hogwarts."

"I don't care what they think," James said. "They're wrong, their opinion doesn't matter."

"I know that," Lily sighed. "I know the people who care that I'm a Muggle-born and you're a pure blood are wrong. I'm not worried about that. I just mean, it must be frustrating being a target just because of me."

James sighed and pressed a kiss to Lily's forehead and then returned to their previous position with his forehead resting against hers.

"I don't care what they say or do," he said after a moment staring into her deep green eyes. "You," he continued smiling, "Are worth it."

Lily couldn't help the broad grin that broke out on her face at this. She leaned forward and kissed him. When they broke apart she wrapped her arms around him burying her face into his chest.

James kissed the top of her head and said, "It's getting late, we should probably get going."

"Yeah, I suppose," Lily said. "Mum and dad will worry."

They climbed back into the car and headed back to Lily's.