Dislcaimer: I own nothing; this is all JKR's :)

Summary: Her lip was violent-red, and she was shaking with grief. "Don't touch me James – how dare you! Don't – just please go away I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU!" In which Alice Prewett loves a guy who is too busy loving her best friend. L/J. R&R?

Genre: Drama Drama Drama and romance. Cause what's life without it? ;)

Rating: T

and a HUGE thank you and love to TheHorcruxHunter, an absolutely SENSATIONAL beta. :)

Prologue

Is that bloody owl in my dream? At least, I hope it's an owl.

She placed a pillow over her face and tried to block out the persistent tapping on her window. Only a Hogwarts bird was capable of making such a racket. Maybe the owl forgot that school had been over two weeks ago and that the book lists don't come out until August.

Her night had already been interrupted by mild nightmares, but it was sweetened by sweet sixth year memories that she has had been storing in the innermost crevice of her mind to pull out and smile at on a rainy day.

The next tap made an impact that would surely shatter her window at the next attempt. Figuring it would be prudent to blast the bird out of sight with her wand rather than have her parents overreact and call the Magical Law Enforcement, she got up with a groan.

She pulled on her midnight blue nightgown and tied it tightly around her waist. She slipped on her ever-white unicorn slippers (that seemed to defy dirt and grime – she could have sworn her dad had gotten them embellished with some type of goblin enchantment) and walked over to her large window.

Nothing there.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. The leaves of the family apple tree rustled gently, almost like a soft sigh. She surveyed the area quickly, very cognizant of the time and the structure of the Prewett Estate; its blueprint made it very easy for a wizard with bad intentions to hide. She retreated a few steps to grab her wand, keeping her eyes fixated on the window.

A dark silhouette seemed to appear of nowhere, and she shakily held out her wand.

Then, a light chuckle.

"Who do you think you are? An over-age witch?"

She lowered her wand at once and quickly pulled her window all the way up in one swift motion.

"James?" she called out, aghast. It was two weeks into summer vacation, and James was already at her house? A new record for Potter.

"Alice?" he said teasingly.

She leaned out the window and looked at his face. He smiled at her surprise and came a little closer. He was on his new broom, wearing an old black shirt and jeans. His hair was being easily manipulated by the wind and his cheeks were a bit flushed, most likely from flying as far as he had to her house. She didn't know what to say. She was acutely aware of her nightgown, but she didn't care. All she knew was that James Potter had come to her house...at night... looking disheveled, but messily perfect. Her heart seemed to be caught in her throat, because she seemed unable to formulate the necessary words required to invite him in. He must have realized that she was momentarily stunned, and he quietly flew into her room while she wordlessly moved aside.

After a few seconds, she smiled very widely.

She watched him as he leaned his broom delicately on the wall adjacent to her bed. He stroked it with the same gentleness a mother would give her newborn. She bit her lip to hide her stupid grin.

She reminded herself that her parents were still asleep and would not take kindly to finding a boy – but he wasn't a boy anymore, she observed, interrupting her own train of thought. He had grown maybe only an inch, but she spotted a faint shadow of a minor incident involving a razor on his chin, and his hair had gotten noticeably thicker.

He looked at her when she giggled at the thought of her James using a razor.

"What's so funny?" he asked with his hands in his pockets. He strolled over to sit on her bed.

"You treat your broom better than your friends," she lied. She wrapped her arms around herself, even though it wasn't cold.

He shrugged and just smirked. "Nice shoes," he commented.

"Thanks." She wiggled her toes and the little unicorns bobbed their heads as if in agreement with him. Why was she being so quiet and awkward? "Why are you here so early?"

He shrugged again. "I dunno. I felt like it. Mum and Dad already know I'm gone, so they're not worried or anything." He looked at her and she felt compelled to say something else, although she didn't know why.

"When's Sirius coming over?"

"Whenever he feels like it, I suppose. There's a really nice breeze in here," he said. He reclined on her bed and supported his weight with his elbow, closing his eyes contentedly.

She really liked this – just James and her, kidding around, doing nothing in her room. But what nagged on the back of her mind was the fact that it should feel natural, completely natural for her, like James and Quidditch - yet it didn't for some reason.

Because James was James, he thought nothing of the fact that he came by two weeks after school had ended; because she was Alice, it meant everything to her.

She chewed on her lip and walked over to the bed, casting a last look out the window. The night really was lovely.

She sat down, closed her eyes, and pretended she could feel the same kind of peace James felt.

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