"Once in a lifetime, we are given people that will mean everything to our story forever."
Everything To Me
Lily Evans watched the golden sunlight filter through the window of the History Of Magic classroom.
It was her last class for the day and she desperately hoped Professor Binns wouldn't assign too much homework.
First of all, she had enough work already to last her a whole week. Second, he was a slow talker so the more work he assigned meant having to stay even longer in this wretched classroom which wreaked of absolute boredom.
Thankfully, class was dismissed soon and Lily ran at top speed to the Gryffindor dorms. After going into her dorm and changing out of her robes, she zipped up the boys' dormitory stairs and into the Marauders' room.
Her arrival was greeted pleasantly with Remus making room for her on his bed, Sirius handing her a hairbrush and winking, while Peter asked her which snacks she wanted from the kitchen. Of course the best greeting was James giving her a kiss on the cheek and whispering, "I'll be back soon love.", before sprinting off to practice.
Lily waited in agony just to get to this part of the day. Where she and sometimes her friends would sit with the Marauders after school doing homework, eating snacks, and joking around.
She lit a fire in the fireplace that had once been Peter's Charms book (James had transfigured it in fourth year and to this day Peter still thinks he lost it in the lake) as she chatted about homework with Remus.
"I know! Flitwick just can't admit to Sprout that he liked her charmswork the other day but he should!", Lily exclaimed.
"Damn straight.", Remus added smirking.
Okay so they weren't exactly talking about homework but SproutWit was more important than whatever Professor Slughorn had taught that day.
They're intense conversation was interrupted by Sirius walking about the ceiling with his wand in hand.
"Pads what the bloody hell are you trying to accomplish with that?", Remus chuckled.
"I'm enchanting our ceiling to go higher without actually modifying our dorm.", Sirius tossed his hair about in the most theatrical movement possible.
"You could've done that from the ground."
"Yes well I want to feel what the ceiling feels when I enchant it."
Lily laughed loudly, Sirius' affairs were always the funniest of the Marauders. They made perfect, logical sense in the most imperfect and illogical way possible. "Mate are you bloody drunk?", she wheezed.
"This bloke would act drunk even if he didn't touch a bottle for months.", Remus answered cynically.
"How about if I don't touch a bottle for a year?"
"Like you could Padfoot.", Remus sniffed.
The room grew quiet but it radiated with a soft warmth. Lily adored the feeling in the Marauders' dorm. It was so loving and safe, it was inarguably the best dorm in the whole school.
Suddenly a loud whoosh came from above. Lily, Remus and Peter watched in blatant awe and amusement as Sirius flew upwards with the ceiling, roaring joyously with a laugh that sounded like a husky greeting his owner.
Peter convinced Sirius to do it again and take him along while Remus and Lily blasted charms that narrowly missed the both of them. Just as Lily thought the room couldn't get any happier she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.
"James!", Lily squealed as she turned around to wrap her arms fast around her boyfriend.
James laughed as he kissed her forehead then spun her around in the air,"I missed you love!".
Sirius chuckled from above them, "C'mon heart eyes join me up here, Peter looks like he's about to throw up."
So the group took turns on the ceiling and on the ground. Firing spells at breakneck speed.
Afterwards, Lily felt so dizzy she thought she might throw up but no matter how much the room was spinning she still felt ecstatic.
She flopped down on James' bed, wrapping his blanket around herself.
Remus opened a window still chuckling, "Peter could you get us some snacks from the kitchen?.".
Peter left dutifully but only moments later they heard a loud crash from downstairs, "I'm alright!", Peter yelled.
Prongs burst into laughter and Lily couldn't help but laugh too. His laugh was contagiously sweet and soon Padfoot and Moony were chuckling along.
Remus cracked open a book.
He yelped as Sirius lunged towards him, swiping some parchment off the bed.
"Pads you bloody illwit those are my Transfiguration notes!"
"Moony what in Merlin's name is an illwit?", James asked.
"Oh don't you see Potter? It's someone with an ill wit.", Lily answered cynically.
"Oh to hell with the bloody two of you!, Sirius ran up towards the ceiling.
"Expelliarmus!", Remus' spell hit Sirius directly and he fell straight from the ceiling. Parchement flew everywhere in disarray as Padfoot let out great bark before transforming into a huge black dog and sticking the landing.
James laughed uproariously as Sirius snarled at Moony.
The door opened and Peter wheeled in a cart piled high with all sorts of treats. Treacle tart, strawberry muffins, french toast, chicken stuffing, pumpkin juice, firewhiskey, butterbeer and many more.
James got up to grab food while Lily cracked open her books to get to work.
Sirius darted in and grabbed a chicken leg away from Peter. The victim transformed into a rat and tried, to no avail, to retrieve his food.
"Here you go!", James handed Lily a plate full of strawberry muffins, her favourite.
She kissed him, "You're the best.".
"All I did was bring food. Damn if I knew that was all I had to do..", James smirked.
He kissed her gently as she settled between his legs and began to work on her Transfiguration essay.
"Lils can you do my Potions homework and I'll do that essay?", James pleaded
"Alright, but you have a Charms worksheet right?"
"Sirius is doing it."
"Astronomy?"
"Moony."
The trading continued and soon Lily was doing everyone's Muggle Studies and Potions work.
James was doing all their Transfiguration and Defence Against The Dark Arts.
Sirius was on Charms and History of Magic duty.
Remus was working on the Astronomy and Arithmetic.
And Peter was on snack duty.
The evening was peacefully wonderful. Everyone was doing the subjects they loved most, or were best at. While drinking firewhiskey and gobbling down piles of food.
Peter had even brought in a music player from the Muggle Studies classroom and put in Lily's cassette tapes.
At around midnight, Lily felt herself slump against James' chest and he wrapped his arms around her and shifted so they were both lying on his bed.
Sirius had fallen asleep in dog form at the end of Remus' bed.
He made some snarling and whimpering sounds so Remus reached out and stroked him behind the ears.
The sounds quelled and Remus gave a small smile before doing the remaining classwork.
Peter wheeled the cart out the door and put on a soft lullaby.
"I love you so much.", Lily whispered into James' ear.
"I love you beyond anything else and I will love you until the very end.", James kissed her gently.
"I'll love you even after the end."
"Don't try to top me Evans I've loved you since first year."
Sometime in the middle of the night, Lily awoke and glanced around.
Sirius was still sleeping in dog form on Remus' bed. While Remus had seemingly face planted on his book.
Peter was snoozing delightfully, he had brought the radio closer to him to listen to the lullaby better.
Last but not the least, James was sleeping beside her a peaceful look on his face.
"You're everything to me.", Lily whispered not sure if he could hear.
"I know."
It was true. James was her everything. So were the other Marauders. Everything about every single one of them. She couldn't imagine how she lived without them for so long.
Lily smiled and went back to sleep but not before she could hear James' second response.
"You're everything to me too."