A/N: 30 days, 30 prompts picked randomly.

1: Beginning (Marauder Era, mostly James x Lily)

Lily didn't believe in epiphanies, in exalted moments of revelation. If she ever fell in love with someone, she wanted it to be slowly, like the peeling back of the layers of an onion. Or something. Unfortunately, her beliefs went down the drain on the 25th of February, 1977.

It was a Friday.

Nine pm, and Lily Evans was sitting in the common room in front of the fire on a squishy red armchair, legs curled under her, the newest edition of Hogwarts, a History on her lap (Remus', he'd gotten it for Christmas, his friends actually got him things he liked and not high-heeled shoes). While no one would tell her this for fear of their lives, she looked rather like a ginger tabby dozing near the fire, one that you just felt like picking up and scratching behind the years and giving a bowl of creamy milk.

So there sat Lily, reading about the first ceiling of the great hall, that had reflected the moods of the various founders (this had ended rather badly when Salazar had had a bad day), when in walked James Potter and Remus Lupin.

The moon was two night ago, Lily knew, and it must have been a bad one, for Remus to have stayed in the hospital wing for so long. None of the marauders had been seen for that duration as well, so it must have been a really bad one. Lily had heard rumours that involved Severus Snape, something to do with Black, the Whomping Willow.

Lily quickly unfurled herself and walked over to Remus. His eyes were closed, and he was leaning heavily on James. His skin was a sickly white, a dozen fresh bruises standing out sharply on his pale skin, and a heaviness to him that Lily had never seen before. Something was wrong.

"Remus, you look terrible!"

Remus nodded, weakly. James frowned at her.

"Back off, Evans." His voice was short and sharp, and wow, this was weird.

She glared at James, taking her gaze of Remus for a moment. "He's my friend too, you know, Potter," she started. "Usually it's Black who's all possessive and- oh!"

It hit Lily then, what had happened. Black, Whomping Willow, Sev, Remus, the empitiness in his eyes, the way he flinched, James' tense shoulders, the way Black had not left the dormitory for two days now-

She said "Oh," again, her brain refusing to function.

"Oh, Remus," she said. There was a lump in her throat. Black, no, Black couldn't have done this, he wouldn't have done this to Remus, Remus was his friend, he loved Remus-

I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!

"Oh, Remus," she said, and she hugged him. She wormed her arm in between him and James, and let him lean on her. People had often praised her ability to hug. She didn't do it too tightly, squeezing just a little bit, knowing when exactly to pull away. He was light, lighter than he had any right to be. She closed her eyes.

She drew away slowly, still letting him lean on her until he shifted his weight onto James. For some unfathomable reason, her cheeks were wet.

"Sorry," she muttered, wryly, wiping her face. "Not very good at comforting people, am I?"

Remus smiled, his face lighting up for a moment, and it was worth embarrassing herself in the middle of the common room to see it. And James- James was looking at her with a deep, unfathomable expression that made her stomach do funny things when she met his eyes. No, Lily, she told herself. Focus on Remus now, not gorgeous-hazel-eyes.

With considerable effort, she tore her eyes from him and looked back at Remus, who still had a faint smile on her face, though she could swear that it now had a pinch of a smirk. She turned slightly pink.

"Well, I suppose I'll leave you to it, then," she said, rather too quickly, before adding, "Black's in the dorm," to James in an undertone.

She picked up her book again and watched as James led Remus to a corner of the common room that had, since third year, been declared as off limits to non-marauders. She watched as James said something to Remus and walked quickly up the stairs of to the boy's dormitory. Remus closed his eyes again.

Lily had thought about liking Remus. He was so much like her that it was almost scary. He read more than her, muggle and wizard books alike, and was the only person she could talk to about the Beatles and muggle politics. He wasn't bad-looking either, she had to admit. She laughed with him and argued with him and cried about Severus to him and joked about how they both had 'monthly cycles' and would have probably killed Sirius Black for doing what he had done if it weren't for the fact that Remus wouldn't want that.

She had thought about liking Remus, but had never really gotten around to it.

Also, well, it probably wouldn't have helped her case that Sirius looked at him like James looked at Lily, and had been known to hex every girl who flirted with Remus.

Talk of the devil, thought Lily, as Sirius ran down the stairs, a whirlwind of desperate energy. He launched himself towards Remus, and then stopped five feet away, waiting for a judgement.

Remus saw her looking, and met her gaze with understanding, before turning to look at Sirius. He said something in a soft voice, and Sirius made his way over tentatively. Then in one fluid movement, he lurched at Remus, and buried his head in Remus' shoulder; he was shaking a little, whether from laughter or tears or relief, Lily didn't know.

So that was that, Lily thought. Maybe it was because she had loved Severus, really really loved him, but had never been in love with him. Maybe that was the difference. Maybe that was why Sirius had got a new beginning, a second chance, when Severus hadn't.

"That's nice to know," said James. She turned over her shoulder to look at him. He shot a grin at her, and moved his hand halfway to his head before jerking it down again.

"Was I speaking out loud?"

"Yep," said James. He shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled at where his friends were sitting, and she was suddenly struck by the enormity of it all, struck by just how much he loved his friends, and he was probably the reason Sirius had a black eye, struck by the sudden realisation that he would do what was right, and would die doing it if need be, and was she seeing the cuts on his face like the Whomping Willow had been attacking him only now and- oh, he had saved Severus, hadn't he?

Then he glanced at her.

"You look like a little ginger tabby, you know, all curled up next to the fire," he said. "I half want to scratch you behind your ears and bring you a bowl of milk."

10 pm, and Lily Evans fell in love with James Potter.

A/N: (Again, yes, sorry.) A new story every day. Probably. These will be completely Harry Potter, no other fandoms, but there will be different ships. Mostly Marauder era, because I can't get enough of them, but there might be one or two other-era fics.

They will mostly be around a thousand words, and also probably interconnected. If I finish early, then MAYBE I'll take requests. This is basically to get me to get off my fat arse and start writing more.

Reviews are awesome and motivating, so pleaseeee review, even if it is to yell at me for being lazy. It'll encourage me and I will give you cookies.