A/N: Hello everyone! :D

This random plotbunny wouldn't leave me alone! Hopefully it makes some sort of sense.

Review if you like/dislike. Review if you think it's crazy or cute. Just plain review.

Enjoy!

She couldn't believe it. It was over. Five years of friendship, down the drain. Severus Snape was no longer her best friend.

It was once again that fateful date and Lily always took time to reflect on what had happened. Even now, two years later, she had a hard time accepting the fact. How could he just throw away their friendship like that? And for the Dark Arts, of all things!

Lily sat in her bedroom, sobbing. It was almost time for to go down for dinner. She really regretted promising Alice that she would go. She was in no state to be seen in public. But, a promise was a promise. So Lily dragged herself into her private bathroom (being Head Girl had its perks) and looked at her reflection.

She was a mess. Her hair stuck out in random places. Her eyes were puffy and tear tracks streaked down both cheeks. Her nose shone tomato red. She was in no condition to be around anyone. And yet, the fates seemed not to care.

"Alright, Evans?"

Lily sighed with annoyance. Potter never learned, did he? One would think that after seven years of being turned down, he would understand that she wasn't interested. But he never gave up. Lily knew from previous experience that he wouldn't leave unless she responded, and even then there was a chance he would wait for her to come out before he was satisfied that she was okay.

"I'm fine, Potter." Lily didn't hear any movement. "I am really alright, I swear." Still no movement.

"Do you want me to wait for you?"

Lily groaned. "I'm going to be a while. Just go on without me."

"Never."

Damn him. "Fine. Just give me ten minutes then."

"I'll be waiting." She could hear the smile in his voice. She wanted to go out there and slap it off his face, but then remembered her current condition and decided against it.

Lily returned her gaze to the mirror in front of her, sighing sadly at the sight it provided. She really did not want to go down for dinner, especially not with him being there. She hated that even after all of this time Snape still tried to apologize, to act like he deserved to be forgiven. That she had been the one who overreacted. Who did he think he was?

And now Potter was here to add more stress. Sure, he was probably trying to be nice since he knew what day it was. (Alice had told him, the traitor. 'In case you have another nightmare.' Yeah, right.) And Lily appreciated that. Potter had slightly matured over the years since the incident. Yes, she had noticed. She just didn't think it necessarily merited all the credit that Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene were so willing to give.

As Lily was too exhausted to change out of her pajamas she had been wearing during her sobfest, she merely lifted her wand and transfigured her current attire to a loose pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt. She wasn't going out to impress anyone, so what did it matter how she dressed?

As she was casting concealment charms on her eyes, nose and cheeks, an unwarranted guest entered her bathroom. Well, at least he waited until I was dressed, Lily thought dryly.

"What is it, Potter? Not quick enough for you?" Lily didn't even give him her full attention. She continued looking at the mirror as she fixed her hair.

Unbeknownst to Lily, James flinched at the tone of her voice. It was cold, which he was used to, but it was also emotionless. Whenever Lily quipped at him, her voice usually had some sort of emotion, whether it was anger, annoyance, or authority. An emotionless Lily scared him more than an angry Lily ever could.

"I just came in to make sure you were okay," he replied uncomfortably. He used all of his self-control to keep from hugging her; she would mostly likely hex him or something equally painful.

"I told you that I'm fine."

"I know." James mustered up his courage before cautiously adding, "I just know what today is and I thought – "

""You thought what, Potter?" Lily snapped. Who did he think he was: coming in here and saying he knew what was good for her? "You thought you could come in here and your mere presence would cheer me up? You thought that your stupid comments would make me forget losing one of my best friends?"

"Um," James didn't know how to reply. What was he thinking?

"You thought that the one person I would want to see would be the person who tortured Sev while we were still friends?" Her voice was rising in intensity now, nearing hysterical volumes. "Well, you thought wrong."

"Lily…"

"No. Don't Lily me." Lily turned toward the door, exiting out into the common room the two shared. James followed her out. Once in the middle of the room Lily turned to face him, pointing accusingly in his direction. "You don't know the half of it."

"Then tell me."

Lily froze. That was not the response she was expecting. "Wh-what?" she spluttered.

James strode forward confidently, stopping a few steps away from her. "Tell me what happened between you and Snape."

Lily bristled and turned away. "You have no right to ask me that."

"Lily," his voice was softer now, nearly soothing. "If you tell someone, you'll feel better."

"Why would I tell you of all people?" I never even told Alice the whole story, and she's my best friend. Lily thought.

"I assume you told Alice everything?" When Lily didn't respond he nodded, as if he expected as much. "See? You should tell someone who's not directly involved. It'll help."

Lily shook her head stubbornly. James took another step forward, leaving barely a foot between them.

Lily looked up to see him a lot closer than she remembered him being a minute ago. His eyes were shining in a mixture of concern, amusement, and annoyance. He always had so many emotions when he looked at her.

"Lily, please," he pleaded, "Just let me in."

Lily could feel her walls crumbling. Those walls she had built around her heart after Severus had betrayed her were coming down. And in front of James Potter, of all people. She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. How was he doing this? How was he getting to her when no else could?

She thought back to all James' attempts to get her to date him. They had infuriated her at first, but as time went on she began to somehow look forward to them. They had gone from being annoying to amusing, although she would never admit it aloud. And when James had slowed down with them in fifth and sixth year, Lily had actually missed it. And now here he was, trying to get her to open up because he was concerned for her mental well-being.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real James Potter?" The words escaped her lips before she had a chance to think of holding them back. She clapped a hand over her mouth, embarrassed at her outburst.

James merely chuckled. "He's right here." He smiled an inviting smile and opened his arms to her.

Lily hesitated. Did she really want this? Was it safe to spill her conscience to Potter? Well, I really feel like talking to someone. And Potter did have a point saying that I didn't want to tell Alice since it would hurt her… oh, what the hell! She took the step needed to remove the remaining distance between them and threw herself into James' awaiting arms.

James reciprocated the embrace, drawing his arms tightly around Lily's small frame. He could feel her sobbing into his chest. It killed him to see her like this, but he knew she needed to let it out. He rubbed soothing circles into her back while he whispered comforting words into her ear.

"I know you're hurting," he whispered soothingly. "Right now you feel like you could never love again, what with Snape and your sister. All I ask is for one chance to prove that Snape isn't worth this."

Lily nodded from her place against his chest, silently giving him permission to continue with his speech.

"From the first day that I saw your smiling face, I knew that we would be together forever." James sighed wistfully. Just thinking about that day made him smile. "When I asked you out you said no, but I heard doubt. I could tell that you'd been hurt."

Lily looked up and asked, "How did you know?"

"You had this hopeless expression afterward, and you tried to mask it, but I saw it. But I want you to know something, Lily." He took her hands in his and looked at her seriously. "If you ever decide to give me a chance, I'll never break your heart. I'll never make you cry."

Lily was about to interrupt, but James held a finger to her lips. Lily closed her mouth and nodded for him to continue.

"I'd rather die than live without you, Lily. I know you're afraid to let your feelings for me change, and I understand that. But it's time to let go. Let go of your fears, your inhibitions. Let go off this hold Snape still has over you." James removed his finger from her lips, signaling he was done talking.

Lily took a step back from him. It was a lot to take in. James had not only confessed his undying love for her, (which Lily pretty much knew about but had denied for as long as she could remember), but he also was asking her to give him a chance. He wasn't shouting it in front of everyone in the Great Hall. He hadn't thought up some elaborate ordeal to embarrass her in front of the school. He was asking her, pleading really, to let go of her trust issues and her fear of being broken again.

But could she? Could she really just give up all of her principles on a whim? Did she even like James in that way? Well, I did miss it when he toned down the attention… but does that mean I'm interested in him? Could I ever love him as intensely as he loves me? Lily thought it over in her mind. James had always been there for her, whether she wanted him to be or not. He had helped her with Transfigurations homework when she was struggling. He had covered for her and took the blame if she was ever late to a class so that her record would remain flawless. Now that Lily actually thought about it, James had done a plethora of kind things for her over the years.

All she had done to repay him was treat him terribly. Even Lily knew what she had done was wrong, although she always denied the fact when someone pointed it out to her. So maybe it was true, the saying that goes on about how love and hate are two sides of the same coin. She didn't actually hate James, she actually liked him. She couldn't really imagine a life without him pestering her all the time.

"I…" Could she dare to say her thought aloud?

"You…?" James inquired hopefully.

"I think I've liked you all along and just didn't notice," Lily admitted. She realized that she wasn't only admitting it to James; she was also admitting it to herself. "Well, maybe I noticed and just pushed it away."

"So does that mean what I think it means?" James queried.

"Yes, James. I think I'm ready to talk."

James took her by the hand and led her to the couch, setting her down gently in his lap. Lily didn't protest, so he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Lily sighed, leaning into his shoulder.

"It's a long story," she said. "Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning," he replied. "I want to know everything about you."

And so they sat there throughout the night, Lily telling her story while James listened. He laughed and snarled at all the right places and Lily felt… lighter. She felt as those a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. And it felt… good, just like James said it would.

Dinner had already been going on for fifteen minutes, and Lily was nowhere in sight. Alice was worried. Lily had promised she would come down to eat, despite the significance of today.

"Where's Lily?" Dorcas asked as she took a seat on the other side of the table. She had been with Marlene over at the Hufflepuff table talking to their mutual friend Mary.

"She hasn't come down yet," Alice replied worriedly.

"Hey Meadows!" The girls turned to see Sirius Black heading their way. Dorcas groaned at being called by him.

"What do you want, Sirius?" She remarked tiredly.

"Have any of you seen James around?" Remus asked as he walked up behind Sirius, Peter trailing behind.

"No," Alice replied. "Have any of you lot seen Lily?"

Remus shook his head. "Nope. Is she alright?" Remus and Lily had become friends during their Prefect rounds starting in fifth year. They had started studying with each other for OWLS and that had made them closer. At the end of fifth year Remus had confided to Lily about his lycanthropy. Lily had, in turn confided about her friendship, and consequent downfall, with Snape.

"I don't know," Alice replied worriedly. "She seemed okay when I saw her earlier. She promised me she would come down for dinner and –"

"Lily never breaks a promise," Remus finished for her. "I know." He looked toward the entrance hall, expecting the door to open and admit Lily at any moment. "I hope she's alright."

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Sirius asked.

"Her dorm room."

"Why don't you go check there?" Peter suggested.

Everyone turned to look at him. Peter rarely spoke unless spoken to.

"What?" he asked self-consciously.

"Wormtail, I think that is the smartest thing you have said all day," Sirius remarked.

Peter's cheeks flushed. "Whatever," he mumbled as he sat down and piled food onto his plate.

"Alright then. Let's get going Prewitt." Sirius motioned to Alice as he turned and walked in the direction of the doors.

Alice sighed in irritation. Sirius Black could be an insufferable prat at times. But she was worried about Lily, so she followed him out into the hall and up the stairs to the Heads dorms.

Eventually they had reached the portrait that guarded their destination situated on the sixth floor. Alice was about to knock, but Sirius grabbed her hand quickly.

"It's fine. Jamesie told me the password," Sirius explained proudly. He turned back to the portrait and said "Red Vines." The portrait swung open and Sirius caught it before it could make its tell-tale creaking sound.

"Red Vines?" Alice inquired confusedly as she walked past Sirius and inside the doorway.

Sirius shrugged. "One of Lily's favorite Muggle candies or something." He stepped over the threshold and quietly closed the door behind him.

Alice nodded thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, I remember her saying something about those."

"Shh," Sirius strained his ears, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Alice also strained her ears, trying to pick up any noise.

They both stilled as they heard laughter coming from the couch nearest the fire in the common room. Alice immediately recognized Lily's laugh and Sirius instantly identified James' deep chuckle.

"They're in there together?" Alice whispered incredulously.

"Laughing?" Sirius added, disbelievingly.

The two slowly snuck around the corner and peeked into the room. They were amazed by what they saw. There sat James holding Lily in his lap, both smiling and laughing pleasantly.

Sirius was about to go out and congratulate them, but Alice pulled him back.

"Leave them be," she hissed. "Let's just go and we'll let them tell us on their own time."

Sirius nodded reluctantly and allowed Alice to pull him out of the portrait hole and into the corridor.

Once they were far enough to not be heard, Sirius exclaimed, "YEAH PRONGS!"

Alice only smiled, not having the heart to rebuke him.

The pair made their way to the Great Hall where they informed their group of friends of what they had witnessed. The others were in equal states of shock and happiness. They spent the rest of dinner chatting about it, and once dinner was over they continued the conversation in the Gryffindor common room.

"Did you hear that?" Lily asked. She could have sworn she heard Sirius' voice in the corridor.

James smiled inwardly. He had heard Alice and Sirius the whole time. (Being a Marauder and an Animagus had intensified his senses.) He decided to keep Lily in the dark. It would be a shame to ruin what they had going. He could tell her in the morning.

James shrugged, pulling Lily closer to him. "Nope, Lils, I didn't hear a thing."

"Alright. If you say so." Lily let the matter drop and the duo resumed talking about everything and anything. They eventually fell asleep on the couch, James holding Lily protectively in his arms.

A/N: This little one-shot was actually inspired by the song "I'll Never Break Your Heart" by the Backstreet Boys. I'm a 90s kid, so YES I listen to their music when I'm feeling nostalgic. I just thought how Snape's betrayal killed Lily inside and in my mind James felt the need to comfort her and then this was the result of my always-running mind.

P.S. I just had to use red vines as the password. Sue me.