A/N: I've been away at university for all of one week and this is essentially how I feel. Sorry I've been so busy; I'll update 'Stupid' as soon as I can. Hope this small one-shot will tide you over for a little while.

Dad,

I dont know if I'm the only one to write you but I'm not Albus and I'm defanitly definitely not James. Their strong and confident and stuff. I know its only been a week but I want to come home.

I miss Godric's Hollow and the Burrow. I feel sick but Madame Pomfree says I'm not. She says I'm just homesick. I think shes an old stick of beeswax. I want to come home. I dont have any friends here and I miss you and home and Aunt Hermione and Mum and Uncle Ron and even Romulus and my friends and I want to come home NOW. Please come get me as soon as you can.

Love, Lily

xoxo

She carefully blotted up a teardrop that had fallen onto the small piece of parchment and read it over through blurry eyes, deciding that it would do. She rolled it up and tied it hastily with some string from her pocket and stood shakily. She didn't care that people would see how she looked. She wanted to go home, and now.

Lily stumbled down the stairs leading to the common room and flew across it to the portrait hole, which she just about fell through upon reaching it. The alarmed stares of her peers did nothing to deter her. She paused at the end of the corridor, unsure of which way to turn, when she heard laughter from around the corner to her left. Lily froze. Suddenly the prospect of being seen in such a state was horrifying; she pressed her back against the wall and held her breath, hoping that whoever it was would pass on by her without noticing she was there.

She had no such luck. It was a group of older boys—older than fourth years at least, by their deeper voices—and as they passed, one of them spotted her.

"Hey, runt! Miss your mummy?" he jeered. Lily felt fresh tears well up in her eyes at the cruel laughter that followed.

Then there was a sickening crunch—and the boy who'd said it slammed into the wall, a red mark already showing on his cheek. One of the boys had punched him, Lily realized. Her savior turned to her now, and more tears formed as she recognized her oldest brother. She pushed herself away from the wall and ran to him as he knelt down, reminding her fiercely of their father, and threw her arms around his neck as he shushed her quietly. "It's okay, Lils." Hot tears slid down her cheeks. She felt so ashamed. The other boys had grown silent around them. James pulled away and stood up, taking her hand as she wiped her eyes. She couldn't stop sobbing but tried to keep it as quiet as she could. He glared at the boy who'd been mean. "Pick on someone your own size, Canterbury."

"F— off, Potter," the other boy muttered, and Lily gasped at his language. That was a horrible word.

James looked down at the crumpled piece of parchment in her hand and asked, "Do you want me to come with you to the owlery?" Lily nodded tearfully, having decided that it didn't matter if these boys saw her cry. They'd already seen anyway. He glanced around at his friends. "Meet you in the common room later, guys." The others nodded and sauntered off in the direction Lily had come, the mean boy shooting James one dark look before following. She instinctively moved closer to her brother and clung tightly to his hand. With a reassuring squeeze, he led her down the halls and up at least three different flights of stairs until she was hopelessly lost before emerging in the owlery. James whistled. His owl, Rory, appeared from somewhere up in the rafters and glided down to light on his arm. Lily clumsily tied her letter to Rory's leg and looked up at James, who smiled and whispered something to the owl before nudging her into flight. Lily ran to the window and watched the beautiful creature disappear into the evening sky; it was amazing how owls knew exactly where to deliver a letter without anyone having to give them directions.

They were silent for a long time. Lily watched the sun sink down behind the mountains in the distance. Once it was gone, James stirred behind her. "What did your letter say?"

"I told Dad I want to go home."

"Why d'you want to go home, Lils? I thought you were excited to be at Hogwarts."

Lily shook her head very slowly, new tears finding their way out of her eyes. "I miss everything."

"Well, everyone gets a little homesick at first, but—"

Lily whirled around. "I'm not just a little homesick! It's horrible here—Professor Gregory's boring, I don't have any friends, my room's too cold, and the other girls all think I'm a tomboy because I know how to ride a broom! I hate it here! I hate it here and I want to go home!" She burst out crying again, and James came over to the window and held her, sitting down with his back against the wall and pulling her into his lap. He rocked her gently back and forth, murmuring soothing words into her hair. Lily tried to control her sobbing, to lower the volume as best she could, but sniffling and hiccup-y breaths could only be kept so quiet. She felt miserable. And she had never missed her dad more.

Shadows lengthened, and the room gradually darkened. Once Lily had calmed somewhat James got to his feet. "C'mon. You don't want to be out after curfew."

They walked all the way back to Gryffindor Tower hand in hand, Lily fighting the strange urge to put her thumb in her mouth. She felt silly. She hadn't sucked her thumb since she was four years old, for Merlin's sake. As though he could sense her discomfort, James squeezed her hand just before they stepped through the portrait hole. The Fat Lady tch-ed in concern when she saw Lily's face, but James swept past her and pulled his little sister across the common room, where her face burned in response to the stares of the other Gryffindors. At the base of the stairs he hugged her again. "You go on up to sleep, okay Lils? I'll be down here if you need me." She nodded miserably and turned, raced up the stairs into her dormitory room, and flung herself facedown onto her bed, crying again. She felt like the biggest baby in the history of the world.

At least she had her brothers there to take care of her.