Lily Evans should not have worn jeans. Sitting in front of her best friend's house on a stifling July day, the pants felt like they were radiating heat. Her Beatles t-shirt was sticking to her stomach, and as she stood on the porch, she had to lift it up repeatedly to avoid the pool of sweat quickly forming. Her hair, deep red and usually smooth, had swelled and was shooting in all directions, springing out of the two braids she had attempted to wear it in.

"Nevaeh!" She yelled, pounding once again on the door of the small suburban house. "We are going to miss the film!" The door suddenly swung inward, revealing her best friend with a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes.

"Honestly, Lils, we have twenty-five minutes and we're apparating. There is no need to go all prefect on me." Nevaeh looked, as usual, perfectly put together. She was wearing ripped jeans and a yellow t-shirt that didn't quite meet her pants, showing a small amount of tan skin in between. Her dark hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and a flower crown of plastic daisies rested just above her forehead. Nevaeh strolled out the door and pulled it carefully shut, holding her wand lightly in her right hand as she did so. She carelessly pointed it back toward the door, hearing the click of the lock sliding shut, before linking her arm with Lily's. The two looked at each other and grinned before feeling the familiar compression in the bases of their spines, and disappeared from the porch with a crack.

The film was nothing special - the girls had chosen it because it matched their timing perfectly, and Lily had begun to forget the details almost as soon as she walked out of the theatre. They had not been the only ones searching for a respite from the heat, and they were joined by a mass of people as they stepped back onto the street. The heat was oppressive, like a weight on Lily's pale skin, and she eagerly nodded when Nevaeh suggested they stop in a nearby ice cream shop. Lily devoured a double chocolate cone with sprinkles, while Nevaeh chose to eat a single vanilla scoop with a spoon. The whole afternoon was filled with giggles and inside jokes, and there was much talk of the pair's return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September. Both were excited, but also filled with some apprehension for the coming school year, which would be their last. As the sun began to creep further toward the horizon, Lily sighed and stood, stretching her tall figure. Nevaeh followed suit, and the two seventeen-year-olds walked into the adjoining alley so that they could apparate. As Nevaeh began to turn on her heel, though, Lily threw her arm out and breathlessly whispered something.

"What?" Her best friend said, leaning in close enough that she could see the pale freckles on Lily's nose.

"I think something is wrong," Lily whispered, her face drained of all color. "I don't know why. I just have this… feeling." She shuddered and seemed to shrink, the intensity of her sudden fear hitting her in a physical way.

"Okay, honey. We'll get you home. We'll do side-along. Don't worry, though - we just had a wonderful afternoon, and I'm sure you'll see everything is just fine when you get back" Nevaeh wrapped her in a sort of hug from the side, rubbing Lily's forearm, now covered in gooseflesh.

There was an echoing crack as the two disappeared, reappearing in a playground down the street from Lily's house. Nevaeh dropped her arm to grab her friend's hand, and felt all of Lily's muscles tense as they both spotted smoke rising from somewhere down the road. The two began to run frantically, not knowing exactly what was happening, needing to assure themselves that the terror in the pit of their stomachs was there without reason. But as Lily's combat boots and Nevaeh's converse slapped on the steaming pavement, Lily could no longer find her breath. She tried to tell herself that this wasn't real, that it couldn't be real, that what she was seeing was some kind of hallucination. But she couldn't wake up. When the two arrived directly in front of Lily's home, or where her home had been, Lily fell to her knees, an unearthly scream escaping from her lips. Her house had been the site of some kind of explosion, and all of the walls had been nearly leveled. In a moment Lily was back on her feet, running toward the smoking wood that had been her front door.

"Mum!" She shrieked, looking around wildly, her face a sheet of disbelief. "Dad!" It was now that the gaggle of policemen who had been milling about noticed her, and one quickly came up to her. The man placed his hands on Lily's shoulders and guided her away, to where Nevaeh still stood, her flower crown on the ground and tears on her cheeks.

"What was your relation, ma'am?" The man asked of Lily in a baritone voice. Lily heard nothing, though, her gaze fixed at the house, mouth slightly agape. "Ma'am?"

"She lived there, you incompetent arsehole!" Came the sound of Nevaeh's voice. "Where are her parents?" The policemen looked suddenly quite uncomfortable.

"They were inside, I'm afraid. It looks to be a gas main explosion… and we, err… we haven't found any survivors. I'm awfully sorry." Lily suddenly swiveled her head to look at the man.

"Are you trying to say my parents are dead?" She asked bluntly, no emotion left in her voice. The shock of what had just occurred was beginning to set in, and she hardly felt Nevaeh hug her tightly from behind.

"Er… I suppose so, yeah. Like I said, I'm awfully sorry." Mumbled the policeman, who by now had begun to drift away. Lily continued to stare in the direction of the destroyed house, not thinking, trying desperately to avoid feeling. But the reality came crashing down in debilitating waves, and she went almost limp as Nevaeh supported her entire weight. Lily began to moan, small, pitiful sounds, coming from somewhere deep inside herself. Nevaeh tried to stop the flow of her own tears, strictly telling herself that there would be plenty of time to be selfish later. Right here, right in this moment, everything had to be about Lily. Nevaeh whispered a small spell to make her best friend lighter and she lifted her up, bridal style. She stumbled down the road, the girl in her arms seeming as small as a bird, until they were far enough away from the policemen. Nevaeh then apparated into her own bedroom, laying Lily on her bed, before collapsing onto the ground herself. The pain of the world was, in that moment, too much for the girls to bear, and they both fell into sleep without resistance.

When Lily woke, it was not morning. This she could tell from the strange silence of the house, and the utter darkness of the bedroom. In those first moments after she opened her eyes, she did not immediately remember what had happened hours earlier; but it all came back in one terrible moment, and Lily suddenly wished she were dead. Anything to make this pain stop, to halt the rush of memories assaulting one another in her brain. Her mother waking her up on the morning of her birthdays, jumping at the foot of her bed while singing a silly song. Her father sneaking her ice cream after dinner when she was in trouble and stuck in her room. The way her parents wrote her a letter every Wednesday without fail, including unimportant details about neighbors they had learned at the grocery that made her feel as if she was sitting at a stool in the kitchen. Her mother stroking her head as she cried one night, her hand smoothing down the tightened muscles in Lily's back. Her father leaving her little cartoons on the notepad on her desk, signing each one with only a heart. The pain was physical, like somebody was exploding a balloon in her chest, pounding on her ribs with a hammer. She wanted to cry but was too overcome with emotion to do even that, sitting still while her whole world seemed to implode around her. She let her hand fall off the bed and felt the wood floor, her fingers grasping for her wand. As she grabbed it, though, the seventeen-year-old was unable to perform a second-year spell to put herself to sleep. She searched through her memory for the spell but it seemed to be wiped clean, the only thing left pain. She lied quietly next to the sleeping Nevaeh, who still had tear tracks tracing the muscle of her cheek. Lily let her sadness rock her back to sleep, and she drifted off into the space between consciousness and dreams.

Nevaeh was the first to wake to the pale sunlight filtering onto the floor. She staggered out of bed and into the hall, still wearing her jeans from the day before. The door to her parents' room was closed and she opened it carefully, cringing at the sound made by the old wood. Inside, her parents lay under the covers, peaceful. Next to the bed were two red suitcases, matching, both carefully zipped shut. Nevaeh inhaled sharply as she saw the suitcases, and remembered what they were for; her family had been planning a trip to Spain for months, and they were set to leave this afternoon. Nevaeh's whole body felt drained, her back sore from sleeping on the hardwood. Mentally, however, she felt even worse. The Evans family had been like her own - Lily's parents had treated her as another daughter, and Nevaeh still could not believe that what had happened was real. There was no way that two people who were so happy, so normal, so alive just hours ago would never hug and tease her again. And then there was Lily. Lily, her best friend in the entire world, who was now experiencing a pain Nevaeh knew she could not yet know. She had no idea how to help her, but also knew she would try with everything she had. Lily would never be the same; this, Nevaeh could guess. The most she could do was walk through this nightmare with her friend, and that process had to begin with Nevaeh pleading to cancel Spain.

When Nevaeh left her parents' bedroom, she was not careful; she stomped and slammed the door, a tear splashing onto the ground as she did so. She did not understand how her parents could be so heartless, how they could care so little about a girl that meant everything to her. They were refusing to let her stay home from the trip to Spain, which meant that Nevaeh had only hours to sort things out for Lily. Nevaeh's parents simply didn't understand. She needed time to grieve the Evans', and that mourning would not happen on the sands of Spain. And, more importantly, she needed to be here to keep an eye on Lily. Her parents would not even help her find a place for Lily to say, mumbling something about "that sister of hers" before ignoring her again. And Petunia was not an option - she had already moved in with that whale of a boyfriend she was seeing, and had made it all too clear that she did not want Lily in her life. At this point, there was only one person Nevaeh knew would help her without question, the only person she knew would not refuse her, and who would certainly respond within hours: Dumbledore.

As Nevaeh sat at her desk to write the letter, she noticed that her hands were shaking. She went to grab a quill and ink but could hardly steady her fingers enough to dip the tip of the feather. She tried to tell herself that there was no time to worry about her own feelings right now - that the girl just on the other side of the door was relying on her. She quickly scratched out the letter, basically asking for any help the headmaster could suggest, before sealing it without rereading and sending it away. As her owl flew off, she could hear the beginning of stirring in her room, and Nevaeh ran to the kitchen for supplies. She walked back into the bedroom with two glasses of water and a box of cereal, with a bottle of firewhiskey carefully concealed behind it. When she entered, she saw Lily sitting up in the bed, her face swollen and her hair a snarled mess. She looked shell-shocked, eyes wide and confused. Nevaeh dumped her stuff onto a chair and grabbed a hairbrush off of her dresser. She sat behind Lily on the bed and the redhead allowed herself to be pulled backward, so that her head rested in Nevaeh's lap. Nevaeh quietly pulled the two scrunchies from her friends braids and began to work the hairbrush through the tangles; Lily remained silent. Even after her hair was smooth Nevaeh continued to run the brush down the length of curls, calming both girls slightly. Nearly an hour later Lily whispered the first thing she had said since before they had arrived at the scene.

"It wasn't a dream?"

"Oh, love. How I wish it was."

After a moment of silence there came a slight clicking on the window, and Nevaeh looked to see her owl with a letter in its talons. She carefully moved from under Lily, who was staring at the ceiling with a look of unadulterated sadness, and grabbed the parchment from the bird. It had only a few sentence written on it, in a curious and looping font.

"Ms. Avery-

Ms. Evans is quite lucky to have you looking out for her. I have made arrangements to have her stay with close friends of mine, a family I would trust with my life. I will collect her around two in the afternoon, shall you permit me. My condolences to the tremendous loss you must be experiencing as well; I only wish I could do more.

Enjoy Spain, and do not fret, for Ms. Evans will be quite alright,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Nevaeh relayed the news to her friend, whispering, and sat cross-legged across from her. She waited for Lily to begin speaking, the silence full and uncomfortable.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Vay. I just… don't understand." Lily eventually said, closing her eyes against another round of prickling tears.

"I have no idea, Lil, but I do know what we could do right now." Nevaeh said, reaching behind her for the food she had brought earlier. "I know you probably don't want to eat, but if you drink this glass of water, I am fully prepared to get drunk off my arse by noon."

The ghost of a smile almost played on Lily's lips, but she quickly looked serious again.

"Anything to forget." The redhead said, downing the water in two gulps and grabbing the bottle of firewhiskey, drinking directly from it. Normally, Lily hated the taste, but she almost relished the burning. It took her mind out of the spiral of memories it was trapped in. Nevaeh grabbed the bottle from her hand and took a swig herself. The girls continued like this, Nevaeh's parents leaving them alone, their portkey to Spain not set until seven that evening. It was a few minutes to two when they heard a single knock on the door, and Lily hiccoughed. The bottle was half gone and she was completely unaware of her surroundings, as she had drank much more than her friend. Nevaeh, suddenly frantic, fumbled for her wand and whispered a sobering spell, giggling as she did so. Mid-laugh the spell took effect and she realized who must be knocking, and she quickly ran to the door. Checking herself over to see that she still had her clothes from yesterday on, she grimaced but opened the door to see her headmaster. Dumbledore had deep lines set in his face and his eyes seemed thoughtful, less playful than usual.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Avery. Is Ms. Evans ready to leave?" He spoke quietly, choosing to ignore the aggressive smell of firewhiskey emanating from the girl.

"Yes, sir." Nevaeh said, opening the door and gesturing for the man to enter. "I really just don't know what to do, or what to say, or what to say to my parents to make them understand…"

The headmaster was nodding understandingly as she said this, but there were a few awkward seconds of silence after her words where neither in the pair moved, shifting weight from one foot to the other. All of a sudden, the student shook herself and declared that she would go to fetch Lily. Dumbledore was left standing in the immaculate living room, his head bowed slightly. As Nevaeh entered the bedroom, Lily was curled into a fetal position, the firewhiskey held in her hands.

"Lily!' Nevaeh said as she shook her shoulder. "Dumbledore is here!" Lily moaned in response, the smell of alcohol coming off of her body in waves. Nevaeh quickly performed a few whispered spells and saw an abrupt change in Lily as she sat up, tears still dried to her cheeks. Nevaeh reached behind her into the dresser and pulled out an old jumper, dark blue and baggy. She helped Lily take off her shirt and quickly pulled the jumper on her, deeming the jeans good enough for the moment. Lily walked as if she was half-aware of her surroundings, waking up slightly when she noticed Dumbledore. The old wizard gripped her hands upon seeing her come into the living room.

"Ms. Evans, I can not convey in words how sorry I am for your loss."

"Thank you, sir." Lily said, her green eyes meeting the blue of her headmaster's in a brief moment of understanding. Lily suddenly felt as if Dumbledore could see straight through her, and she wondered if the picture he saw was skewed by the smell of firewhiskey she was sure remained on her. She gave a few sniffs of the air, suddenly beyond thankful that Nevaeh seemed to have thought of everything. Lily turned to the girl still standing awkwardly behind her and enveloped her in a hug, laying her head on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Nevaeh."

"Me neither. I will owl you every single day, Lils, I promise, and I'm expecting the same thing, alright?" The two girls rested their foreheads together for a long moment and then broke apart, Lily shaking herself slightly for composure. She gripped her wand tightly in her hand and stood next to Dumbledore, giving a curt nod to indicate that she was ready. The pair left the house, leaving Nevaeh standing in the doorway, biting her lip and wondering what the next weeks would hold for her friend.

Dumbledore and Lily walked a few blocks down the street, Lily following blindly. They eventually came to a small field, and Dumbledore stood in thought for a minute before taking a sharp turn off the pavement. The two had barely said a word since leaving the house, but the old wizard motioned for Lily to come next to him. They stood somewhat exposed in the field, but it was the best option for apparating that wasn't in the direction of the wreckage.

"Ms. Evans, if it alright with you, I think side-along apparation would be best?" Dumbledore said quietly, holding out his arm for Lily to grab. She did so and almost immediately the pair disappeared, leaving the muggle world behind with a slight pull on their stomachs.

When they appeared again, it was at the intersection of two smaller country lanes. Both were grass and the only thing distinguishing them was a small, ornate sign and the trampling of grass from footsteps. Dumbledore turned down one of the roads without hesitation, obviously comfortable with the path, and began to walk quickly. Lily nearly had to jog to keep up with the wizard's long strides, but she managed until the house came into view. At that point she fell still, her eyes frozen and her mouth slightly open. The word house was not the right one. The place was almost a castle, a huge, sprawling display of grand architecture. The view around the house was breathtaking, rolling hills and trees as far as the eye could see. Lily looked disbelievingly at Dumbledore.

"This is where I am staying?" She asked. They were some of the first words she had spoken in many hours, and her voice was hoarse and scratching. She had not felt any inclination up until this point to inquire about who she was staying with - she quickly realized this was a mistake, but resigned herself to finding out in her due time. The pair began the long trek up the lane to the front stoop of the house, a long stretch of stone ending near two giant crimson doors. When they arrived, Dumbledore reached into one of the long pockets of his robe and pulled out a small golden pocket-watch.

"Oh dear," he mumbled, biting his lip, "we are rather early." He dropped the watch back in his pocket and reached a hand up to the door, rapping it sharply twice with his fist. From inside, there was a faint shout, and the pair heard footsteps clicking quickly on marble. The doors swung open to reveal an older woman, with a comfortable figure and wiry black hair streaked with grey. She had a wide smile and kind blue eyes, and after nodding to Dumbledore she reached out and enveloped Lily in a hug. Lily, surprised and taken off-guard, stood rather awkwardly with her hands at her sides, looking to Dumbledore for help. The man simply chuckled and let the older woman have her way. After a moment she stepped back from Lily and held her with her arms straight, almost examining her.

"My name's Euphemia, dear, and I am so happy you will be staying with us these weeks. My boys and I are going to make sure you are very comfortable." Lily was already trusting off the woman, and she gave a small smile and nod.

"Well, I must be heading back to the Ministry." Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. He said goodbye to the two woman, giving Lily a last condolence, before apparating directly from the porch. This left Lily and Euphemia standing in the doorway, the redhead slightly unsure of herself and suddenly acutely aware that she had no luggage nor any clothes.

"You could do with a little more meat on your bones, though." Euphemia clucked while opening the door. The front hall to the house was just as grand as the outside - a domed ceiling and staircases on both sides of the marble floor, carpeted in red with gold accents. Lily could already see that the hallways branching off of this room seemed to go on for ages - door after door, not to mention servants corridors she could guess were downstairs. Euphemia walked (or waddled, to be more accurate) up one of the staircases, checking every few steps to make sure that Lily was following. She quickly named off the rooms as they passed, seeming like she was reading a script.

"This is the green room, the upstairs drawing room, the room where my sons stay…" Lily wondered vaguely whether she knew the woman's sons, and how old they were, but didn't want to seem rude and interrupt. What she did want was a shower, and to be out of her jeans and disgusting shirt. She realized that she had nothing else to wear, though, and wondered how she would manage to go shopping in her current situation. About three doors later Euphemia stopped suddenly, so that Lily nearly ran into her. She turned and lightly pushed the white wooden door, revealing a room decorated entirely in pale purple. It was beautiful, and fit Lily's taste perfectly. The women showed her around briefly, pointing to the bathroom a few doors away.

"I don't know how to thank you-" Lily began, realizing she probably seemed rude for not having mentioned it earlier. She was interrupted by Euphemia.

"Oh, don't worry about all that rubbish. You are very welcome here - we have more space than we ever need, obviously, and I am excited to finally have some female sanity around here. Now, am I to assume that you don't have any clothes, or things?" She said the last part quietly, resting her hand on Lily's shoulder. Lily nodded. "Well, I have plenty of extra things around here somewhere, but we need to get you changed before dinner. I can bring you one of my son's jumpers, and try to scavenge some pants that might fit. We can hit the store first thing tomorrow to get you new underthings, and all of that. I'll leave the clothes for tonight on the bed while you shower."

Lily graciously thanked her, and Euphemia left her with a towel folded on the intricate purple bedspread. Everything in the house was grander than Lily had ever owned - the fabrics seemed expensive, and antiques were all over the place. Lily sat for a moment on the bed, feeling suddenly drained. She felt as if she had used all of the tears in her body, but that didn't stop her from breathing heavily for a moment, trying to regain composure. When she did, she stood and walked into the bathroom, turning the handles on the shower until the water came out steaming hot. She locked the door behind her and stepped into the water, feeling immediately better as the stream washed off the past two days. It smelled faintly of roses, and Lily wondered if it was the same as the prefects' bath at the castle, with magical scents. When Lily finished a long while later she found a hairbrush in the drawer beneath the sink, spending time carefully taking out the knots that had formed after two days of wear. Once her deep red hair lay straight on her back she wrapped the towel tightly around herself, opening the door of the bathroom and watching the steam filter out. She had just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard voices down the hall, and carrying laughter. She felt exposed but knew that running back to her room would be in the direction of the voices, and only make whatever was about to happen more awkward. She made sure once more that the towel was wrapped tightly and stood holding it, trying to make out the figures coming toward her through the steam. It was two boys, the way they walked strangely familiar, and Lily suddenly felt as if her stomach had dropped out from under her. The boys stopped when they noticed her but seemed momentarily too shocked to speak. James Potter and Sirius Black had obviously come from quidditch - they were covered in dirt and a few scratches, and they were both shirtless. They were slightly sweaty, and had broomsticks slung over their shoulders. Lily realized, with some irony, that most girls in their year would kill to be in her position in that moment, with two of the arguably most gorgeous students in the school standing in front of her. All she felt, though, was dire mortification. Sirius was the first who seemed to be able to move, turning his head to look away from the girl wrapped only in a towel. He tried to meet James' eye, but it was no use, as he was focused completely on Lily. James felt flushed and the need to run a hand through his hair, which he did, making it stand even more on end. It was then that he managed to choke out a single word.

"Evans?"

~~ The Previous Day ~~

Sirius flung an arm over his eyes dramatically. "Are we ever going to do anything exciting this summer?" He and James were sprawled on his bed, the lights off and curtain drawn.

James raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

"You mean besides getting utterly sloshed at ten in the morning?" His words were as slurred as his best friend's had been a moment ago. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were off at some fancy ministry dinner with the Minister of Magic, leaving the two Marauders to do whatever they wished at the house. Of course, the boys dove right into the 'secret' stash of liquor they found in their third year of Hogwarts. All four Marauders had been over for Christmas, and Peter had been trying to find a bathroom in the maze of a house. He opened a closet door to find a bottle of firewhiskey precariously balanced on a shelf, with so many other bottles behind it that it nearly fell onto his head. James had never before found the stash, but now it was a common go-to whenever the lads were over. For Sirius, that was constantly, seeing as he walked out of his own household at the end of fifth year, turning his back on the Black family, and his entire inheritance. The Crucio spell his mother had used on him that day was the last he could endure. His family had made it a habit of punishing Sirius for any transgression with Crucio, the torture curse. Not knowing where was safe, Sirius apparated to James' house before collapsing on the front porch. Euphemia Potter had taken one look at the bruised, bloody boy before her before her mothering instincts clicked in. Ever since that day, Sirius lived with the Potters.

Sirius scoffed at James' comment. "That is hardly doing anything exciting," His arm popped off his eyes and hit the wall as he splayed them out once again. "That's just what we always do."

James snorted. Partly because of the truth of the statement, and partially because of the alcohol taking hold of his system. Suddenly he felt oddly calm and anxious, and a pool of dread started taking shape in the depths of his stomach. He swung himself into a sitting position on the end of the bed. "Really, Padfoot? The sobering spell? That got old in fifth year, mate. I enjoyed not having to worry about the world around me for a few hours."

"Wha?" Came the bleary reply of his friend. "I didn' do anything…" He fell asleep at that, beginning to lightly snore.

Rolling his eyes, James slapped his friend awake and used the same sobering spell on him. Suddenly, Sirius' eyes popped open and he darkly glared at the messy haired boy next to him. "What," Sirius said threateningly, "was that?" He growled at the end of his statement.

James leaped back, his hands raised above his head. "I only did what you did to me. If you hadn't performed that sobering spell on me, then we would both still be happy." James replied. He didn't know why, or even how Sirius had performed the spell come to think of it. Sirius had been sloshed, even more than he was. He could barely think straight with the liquor, and Sirius had fallen asleep a few times in the middle of their drunken conversation. Granted, Sirius had downed much more than he did, as he wasn't very good at holding his liquor. This was something the lads would never let him forget. The other Marauders constantly teased him about his shortcoming. He smirked at the thought, that if they teased him about getting drunk, then he couldn't have that many flaws to worry about. However, James also had a story to help him remember to rein himself in, one that was far more mortifying. In his fifth year, Gryffindor had just won the final Quidditch match of the season. The raging after-party was better than usual, seeing as this was the biggest game they'd won, and the seventh years managed to get liquor even harder than firewhiskey. After the first through third years went to bed, the triumphant team brought out the stash, everyone cheering for the team, but mostly for the alcohol. James had a few too many shots, and decided to take another chance at asking the famed Lily Evans out on a date. His feeble attempts had never worked before, but with the alcohol running through his system, he was sure she would agree. Lily was dancing in the middle of a group of friends when he came swaggering up - and promptly vomited onto her shoes. Horrified and instantly sober without a spell, he was now careful of how much he put into his system at one time.

James was brought back to the present as Sirius replied to James' earlier accusation. "Performed that sobering spell?" Sirius echoed, "Mate, I was too sloshed to do anything, much less perform an actual spell." It seemed Sirius had been thinking the same thing James had.

James shrugged, trying to look nonchalant on the outside, but on the inside, his mind was churning. What could have caused that moment of dread, that franticness that brought him back to reality? He knew nothing was wrong, but he felt like crying out. The world was crashing down around him, and James had no idea why he felt this way. He hadn't seen anything other than a drunk Sirius when it happened. He hadn't even heard or smelled anything - besides the sloshing of a bottle and the smell of hard liquor - to triggered this emotional response.

"Alright mate," James got up and righted the glasses on his face, "We should get up and do something now." He took long, powerful strides to the curtains and flung them open. Sirius let out and unearthly moan at this sudden light, but got up from the bed all the same.

"Lettie!" James called for the house elf and she appeared in the room with a resounding crack. "Two glasses of water please." Even though both men were sober, a headache still pounded in their recently intoxicated heads.

"Anything for the master Potter. " Lettie bowed and disappeared, coming back with two precariously full glasses of water. Sirius immediately grabbed a glass and downed it, frowning at the bottom when no more was left. Seeing James' almost full glass, Sirius quickly snagged it and drank all of that too.

"Oi! Padfoot you can't go around stealing my things!" Sirius just smirked and fell back onto the bed. Rolling his eyes, James looked around the room, trying to figure out what they were going to do now. His eyes lit up on the two broomsticks in the corner of the room. "Up for some Quidditch?" James didn't even have to look at his friend's face to know there was a telltale wild grin on it.

~~The Next Morning~~

James plopped a huge spoonful of scrambled eggs onto his toast and shook a bottle of hot-sauce until the eggs were drenched. Sirius sneered at his friend's odd tastes as Mrs. Potter started speaking.

"Dumbledore just informed me that a student from school will be staying with us for the rest of the summer. "

James paused his eating and put down his spoon.

"Do you know who? Are they in the same year as us? Do we know them? Are they in Gryffindor? Is it a boy or girl?" He sputtered all at once, slowing the rant as his father raised his eyebrows at James' curiosity.

"Dumbledore didn't tell me much, but I do know that it is a girl, and she is in your house. Other than that, I have no idea who she is. She will be arriving sometime in the afternoon." James and Sirius exchanged glances. It was already 10 o'clock, the two boys having slept in very late after playing quidditch until Mr. and Mrs. Potter came home from dinner. If this mysterious Gryffindor was arriving in the afternoon, then she could be here in only a few hours.

"What room will she be staying in?" James asked this hesitantly, not knowing what he wanted the answer to be.

"She is staying in the lilac bedroom a few doors down from yours." James supposed that was alright, then he would be able to learn more about her. If she wasn't in his year - which he doubted she was, as they had all talked about what was happening over the summer and nothing had been mentioned - then he could interact with someone that wasn't his age. In previous years, he was either hanging out with the marauders, a few of the girls in his year, or upperclassmen. He and Sirius both knew many from quidditch, and they sometimes talked to him at after parties about plays he made. Now he was the upperclassman, and should try talking to younger people.

If this girl was in the same year as he was, then it would probably Marlene, who stopped by earlier in the summer, or Nevaeh. Maybe Nevaeh's parents decided not to take her on the trip to Spain and she needed somewhere to go. But then she would be going to Lily's house instead of his own.

Lily.

She was the one person he would not want to have come. Though many people knew how he asked her out multiple times, (many of them were in the Great Hall, one even consisting of making every pumpkin explode to the tune of a song) he had gotten over his obsessive ways and only asked her out once in all of sixth year. She seemed to hesitate more than usual before declining, and her manner seemed less cold and more… understanding. James decided he would not do it this year. No matter what happened, he simply would not do it again. This was for her, as much as it was for himself. While he still liked and admired her, with her bright green eyes, long, soft red hair, and freckles that show up in the sun, James convinced himself that he was no longer in love with Lily Evans as he had said before. If she was the one to come to stay here for the rest of the summer, James didn't know what he would do. While he convinced himself that his feeling for Lily were no more, James' emotions were still working out what they felt for the pretty redhead. At least there was no chance of Lily to be the one to come, as she was staying with her Muggle mother and father for the whole summer. Thankfully, he would have a few months free of the confusing Lily Evans.

James and Sirius finished the portions of food on their plates and two more after that before going upstairs and actually getting started with the day. As usual, they didn't marvel at the spiral staircases they went up, or the trees in the corner that stretched to the ceiling. The two boys had grown up with luxury being all around them, this was hardly anything grand. James and Sirius made their way up to their rooms, Sirius snickering at James' extensive tie collection at the open of his wardrobe.

"Hey Mate!" Sirius heard James call from his room the next door over. "We never did finish the game last night did we?" Sirius walked out of the closet to find James holding up the same clothes he wore yesterday, now cleaned overnight. Of course, James could wear other clothes, and have his only washed whenever they were really needed again, but the house elves positively loved to work. Even when something wasn't asked of them, if it was previously asked to be done, then the elves just assumed it would be done again. Plus, James admired the way these trousers made his legs look, even if they did look spectacular in anything.

Sirius pulled his wand from a pocket and summoned his quidditch gear from a table in his monstrous room. "I don't think we ever did." Sirius replied in answer to the question asked. "Are you ready to be ended?" A sly grin easily slid onto his face.

Playing quidditch was rather difficult with only two people, but the boys had long ago found a way to do it. They used every piece of equipment normally used in a game except for a beater's bat and bludgers. The quaffle was used regularly, but you had to wait until you were twenty feet or less away from the goalposts, allowing the other person to be able to get in front of you if need be. You could try and catch the snitch at any time, but if you missed it or lost it, the other player could very well be making multiple scores against you. It really was rather simple and the scores of the games were usually very close until the snitch was caught. Currently, James had won 127 games, while Sirius' score was 119. They counted all the way back to their very first game at James' house years ago, and had kept up their battle to be on top ever since.

Their game lasted several hours, with Sirius finally winning by grasping the snitch accidentally while trying to grab the quaffle from James' hands. After doing many well-earned victory laps, Sirius finally joined James on the ground and the pair entered the house. In the middle of the game, both James and Sirius had taken their shirts off at one point or another and were now walking through the house with their trousers on, shirts left forgotten on the field, broomsticks slung over their shoulders. Both were the picture of the hearthrob jock that made girls swoon in every story, and they knew it. As the pair made their way up the stairs to tally the win, carefully take care of their brooms, and shower, Mrs. Potter came down the stairs and clucked her tongue.

"Please, for the love of merlin, put some clothes on before that poor girl sees you half naked!" Both boys knew that wasn't going to happen until their brooms were in proper order, but chorused a 'yes Mum' all the same.

"Wait, Mum," James just realized what she said. "The girl is here now?"

Mrs. Potter clucked her tongue again. "I swear you never listen to a word I say." And with that, she swept down the stairs, more elegantly than anyone else could have, and left the boys to themselves.

As they turned down a hallway, Sirius asked the question that had been on both of their minds. "Who do you think it is?" James had been thinking about this all day, and honestly had no idea. He voiced as much, and Sirius answered with the thought that had been in the back of his mind all day. "What if it's Lily?" Sirius' eyebrows raised and he turned to look fully at James for this question.

James raked a hand down his face. "Merlin... I hope not." Sirius started laughing uproariously just then, and it was now James' turn to look at his friend.

"Just thinking of what it would be like if she was here, the awkward looks, the mad blushes, the arguments! Merlin the arguments would be every single day like they are at Hogwarts." James chuckled a bit too thinking of everything he and Lily had managed to argue about during their stay at the school. If she were the one to stay here, there might even be more tension simply because they would have to be in each others company all the time instead of just classes. Just then they rounded the corner to see steam billowing out of the open bathroom door and around a slim figure in the doorway. Both stopped dead in their tracks and the girl's eyes opened wide at the sight of them. Sirius was the first to recover and looked between his best friend and the girl that would be staying at their house for the summer. James nervously ran a hand through his already windswept hair and choked on a cough.

No, no, no! Not now. Not here. James thought. But only one word came out.

"Evans?"