A/N: Hi everyone! Welcome to my new Jily! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! If you're looking for something else to read in between updates (I plan to release a new chapter every Sunday) then check out my one shot A Mission For Two or my longer Jily The Cat Chronicles.

Anyway, a quick disclaimer: I came up with the plot of this story but the world of Harry Potter and its wonderful characters belong to J.K. Rowling - if any of the characters in this story are OC I think you'll know.

With that boring stuff said, on with the first chapter... and happy reading!

Chapter One

The scarlet steam engine chugged out of platform 9 and ¾ as though it were in a race with the wind hurtling alongside it. It trundled along the tracks with the occasional violent jerk as its fuel pulled it forwards, adrenaline building the further it moved. The suburbs whizzed past the big windows, which rattled slightly, and boasted its large houses and leafy gardens. A small park with swings and slides seemed to wave merrily as the train spurred on past it and the trees bristled their branches in greeting.

Inside the train, the occupants of the corridors did not return these pleasantries, all of them were too focused socialising with one another to pay attention to their surroundings. Compartment doors were wide open as friends spilled in and out of them, chatting loudly and happily about all the things they had done that summer. Anecdotes were shared, tans and new haircuts complimented, and hugs were exchanged left, right and centre.

A red-headed female shuffled her way through the milling students, lugging her trunk behind her and keeping her head low so that her deep red hair hung across her lightly freckled face and bored emerald eyes.

'– Excuse me.' she muttered as she attempted to edge past a couple making their relationship known to the world by kissing furiously in the corridor. The girl of the two had her right leg stuck slightly behind her, showing off her scarlet high-heels and perfectly tanned legs, meaning the red-head's trunk could not squeeze past as well.

'Could you move your leg?' she said a little louder, as the girl with the red shoes moaned into her boyfriend's lips and moved her hands into his hair, dislodging his rectangular glasses as she did so. The red-head sighed and gently pushed pack the girl's foot with her own. Then she yanked her trunk across, accidently knocking it into one of the girl's bronzed legs. 'Sorry.' she said and hurried on along the corridor, keeping her head down.

'Evans!' the boy called after her, pulling his face away from his girlfriend and revealing a large amount of smudged pink lipstick on his face. He was in fact incredibly handsome if one removed the smeared lipstick from the equation with tousled hair, which was jet black and stuck up at the back, so it looked permanently windswept, and endearing hazel eyes that danced with energy. 'Hey, Evans!'

But the red-head ploughed on without the slightest indication she had heard him; not even the slightest adjustment of gait or the smallest flinch at his volume.

A group of 5 or 6 heavily orange individuals (though they claimed they were simply sun-kissed) jostled her as she continued on her way, all making sure to shove her as forcefully as possible as they passed. The red head kept her head bowed and moved forwards without a single word so that she soon had left them two corridors behind.

Then, as if someone had grasped her by the scruff of the neck, she straightened herself and turned at an exact right angle to face the compartment door beside her. Through its window she could see a gaggle of females lounging on the compartment seats, laughing and gossiping. As she slid the door open, all the girls turned to face her and all at once they stopped talking.

'LILY!' they all chorused, charging at the new arrival and enveloping her in a large, bone crushing hug. When they finally let go, Lily dragged her trunk into the compartment, levitating it easily into one of the overhead racks as the shortest of her companions shut the door.

'You didn't write all summer!' a girl with a round face and corn coloured hair accused, wagging her finger in an accusatory manner but beaming at Lily nonetheless; her name was Alice Prewett and she was well known as one with a big heart, who was nearly always smiling.

'I was starting to think you'd lost your hands or something.' another girl named Hestia Jones said, grinning at Lily with her dark brown eyes crinkling in a light-hearted manner. She had peroxide blonde hair tied in a messy ponytail and rather pouted lips.

Lily smiled briefly and then her eyes met a pair of striking blue ones, belonging to one Marlene McKinnon, who rolled her eyes as she plonked down onto her seat and produced a magazine. The girl who had shut the door winked at Lily and sprawled herself across the nearest seat – Mary MacDonald, a short, brown-haired female with greyish green eyes which she often likened to the English seaside.

Crossing the compartment, Lily seated herself on the floor of the compartment and leaned against the wall beneath the window; when on long train journeys, Lily preferred to feel the vibrations of the train as it rattled along. Her friends, well used to this practice after 6 years of travelling together, said nothing in regard to Lily's slightly strange habit.

'So, Marlie,' Hestia said grinning wickedly, 'what's this you wrote about Kingsley starting to work with you?'

All of the girls in the compartment sighed simultaneously and their expressions became slightly dreamy.

'Ah, Kingsley, what a babe…' they murmured as one, as though this were a religious prayer. Marlene had gone a little pink despite her glazed eyes and her friends quickly returned to complete alertness as they waited for her answer.

'He started working with me at The Leaky Cauldron, so I got to see him lift boxes every day.' she said, her voice as casual as she could make it, but her eyes gave her away and the others, except Lily, who was conjuring a cushion for herself to sit on, smirked.

'He does have a nice arse.' Lily agreed, coming to Marlene's rescue. There was a murmur of assent about the compartment.

'Kingsley Shacklebolt: owner of Gryffindor's best arse – sod it – of the whole school.' Marlene mumbled miserably and Hestia, her eyes sparkling mischievously, pinched her cheek. 'Do that again and I'll fucking… I'll –'

'Don't worry, Marlie, I'm sure he'll let you have a squeeze.' she joked, and Marlene scowled, shoving her slightly.

'Piss off!' Marlene groaned, curling up in her seat as Hestia laughed.

'Callum's arse isn't bad either. 'Specially when he wears those jeans…' Mary piped up decisively and Alice exchanged an exasperated look with Lily, smiling as she did so, while Hestia cackled, and Marlene pulled her arms over her head, muttering to herself.

'C-Callum? As in Callum Hayes?' Hestia wiped tears away from her dark chocolate eyes and deliberately chose to ignore the warning look Lily sent her. 'That explains a lot actually…' She smirked as Mary puffed up her chest indignantly.

'Like what?' she challenged defensively, stiffening visibly in her seat.

'He skipped past me earlier – funniest sight I ever saw.' Hestia grinned and winked saucily at a passing 5th year passing in the corridor outside and they turned a colour that could easily rival the vivid scarlet of the train's paintwork.

She laughed merrily, and Lily shook her head despairingly, closing her eyes as she did so; Hestia had an incredibly carefree outlook on life and could often be quite reckless in both her decision making and her social life, meaning she would frequently push the buttons of those around her, bringing then close to boiling point. 'Is anyone gonna ask about my holiday?'

'No.' Mary responded grumpily, and Hestia pouted in exaggerated fashion. When no one in the compartment reacted, she let out a very loud, supposedly disappointed, sigh.

'Lil?' Hestia prompted, her eyes wide like a puppy's.

'Fine.' Lily opened her eyes. 'Did you have a good holiday?'

'Did I ever!' Hestia gushed at once. 'Remember that Durmstrang bloke I wrote to everyone,' Hestia looked pointedly at Lily, who stuck out her tongue, 'about? Well, he offered to be our translator –'

'Oooh! He offered to be your translator!' Alice squealed, unable to seem uninterested for too long. Mary giggled slightly and Alice soon joined her. Marlene snorted at Hestia's impatient face while she waited for them to calm down and Lily closed her eyes again, grinning faintly.

'And he took me and my parents round Berlin and then mum and dad wanted to go off on their own for a bit, so we went back to the hotel and…' Hestia wiggled her eyebrows as she trailed off which increased the volume of giggles tenfold and resulted in Mary and Alice having to clutch each other for support.

Lily opened a single eye and took in Hestia's slightly glazed eyes, smirking, before she took to plaiting her hair into a long braid which hung over her shoulder. She and Marlene waited for the others to return mentally to the compartment. They re-entered the conversation just as Frank Longbottom walked past their compartment with his best friend Kingsley and waved at Alice, who beamed back at him, watching him until he was out of sight; Marlene had purposefully focused on the window for the duration of this.

'Soo, Frank and I have our anniversary coming up.' Alice announced joyfully, and her four friends groaned loudly. Marlene removed her gazed from the countryside whizzing past and looked down at her magazine with a shiver. 'I still need to get him a present. Any ideas?'

'Just shag him and be done with it.' Mary replied cheekily, and Alice attempted to look cross, a feat she failed for her face was so naturally happy. Marlene snorted from behind her magazine, Hestia laughed, and the corners of Lily's lips twitched slightly upwards.

'Mary!' Alice whined, making a rather amusing sight as she tried to glower while her mouth remained stubbornly smiling.

'What about you, Lil?' Mary asked interestedly. 'Been seeing someone? Had a summer romance?'

'No.' Lily responded shortly. 'I was busy helping Tuney move in with Vernon.'

'Maybe we should be happy you didn't write then.' Marlene commented, reaching out and ruffling Lily's hair. 'Sounds boring.'

'Thanks.' Lily said, with a dry smile and began to undo her braid. 'But I'm hoping for a boring year anyway.' She paused. 'No romance for me.'

'What?' her friends asked in shock.

'N-nothing? Nothing at all?' Mary stuttered, her eyes wide as she regarded Lily's indifferent face. 'Not even the tiniest bit of fun?'

'I'm glad you're being so supportive.' Lily remarked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

'Tell you what you need,' Marlene stated decisively, 'a quick shag – 15 minutes in a broom cupboard – no strings attached – just a one off – and you'll change your mind.'

'Yeah, Lil!' Hestia agreed eagerly. 'I could set you up with Zabini! He's fit as fuck and pretty good for some fun on a rainy day – if you know what I mean.' she added with a wink.

'I'm not shagging Cino Zabini!' Lily cried wearily.

'Well, not him then.' Hestia said, waving her hand impatiently. 'What about Matthew Scott? He's quite good looking and he's a good shag.'

'Merlin, no!' Marlene dismissed. 'He's got the worst fucking breath known to man.'

'Fine, then. Amos Diggory? No – I want a go with him first. John Dawlish? I know he's thick but he's not actually bad in bed. George Corner? I heard he's got this trick whe–'

'What's wrong with wanting one year without hanging off the arm of some bloke who can't grow a proper beard but always says it's because he doesn't want to?' Lily questioned with mounting frustration and Hestia looked a little taken aback.

'That's actually a pretty good analogy.' chortled Alice as her mind brought forth an image of her own boyfriend's slightly depressing failure to grow facial hair.

'Anyway, it's our first year of NEWTs, which'll be stressful enough without having to play puppy eyes at someone for all the ruddy hours of the day and night.' Lily explained with a quiet sigh and yawned widely.

'Sounds like someone didn't have a summer romance but a summer rejection.' Marlene muttered but only loud enough for the subject of her words to hear. Lily, however, did not react and removed her jumper, rolling it up and placing it on her shoulder so she could use it as a pillow. She rested her head against it and sighed slightly.

'I'm so fucking tired.' she said, stifling another yawn. 'I didn't get to bed till 3 am.'

'What were you doing?' Mary asked curiously, a knowing look crossing her face.

'Playing Quidditch.' Lily responded, and Marlene snorted.

'Haha.' Mary said, pulling a face. Lily grinned. 'What were you actually doing?'

'Tuney called us for a late-night decorating session of her ruddy house and I ended up walking in on her and Vernon shagging.'

There was a sharp intake of breath from all her friends as they recoiled. Lily wrinkled her nose.

'Is that the reason for your sudden 'no romance' shit?' Hestia asked shrewdly.

'You witness Vernon fucking my sister and see if you still want anything romance related in your life.'

'Poor you, Lil…' Alice sympathised and smiled comfortingly at her. Lily returned the smile and shrugged a little.

'It's happened now.' Lily closed her eyes. 'Can we talk about something else?'

'Sure.' Marlene answered hastily because Hestia looked like she wanted to pursue the subject. 'D'you lot know who's Quidditch Captain? I know it's not me.'

'McGonagall didn't give it to you?' Alice said in surprise and Marlene shook her head. 'She's mad!'

'Nah,' Marlene replied indifferently. 'I asked her not to.'

'Why d'you do that?' Hestia and Mary said in unison, both staring at her as if she had transformed into a whale before their very eyes.

''Cos Lil's got a point – this is our first year of NEWTs. I don't need the whole shit that comes with being Captain as well as our shitload of work – I'm always behind work as it is so I don't need something that'll make it even worse – I don't mind having a few days without detention.' Marlene defended.

'Why are you two such swots?' Mary said, looking at Marlene and Lily with disappointment. They both shrugged in response.

'That doesn't answer my question.' Marlene reminded them. 'Who's Gryffindor Captain?'

'James Potter.' Lily mumbled sleepily as she shifted her position slightly.

'Potter?' Mary squawked unbecomingly. 'Merlin, we're in for a fun year.'

'That's what you get for playing Quidditch.' Alice said, laughing at Marlene and Mary, who were all too aware of the early morning training sessions that awaited them.

'Who's his slag of the week?' Hestia asked the compartment at large. 'Anyone we know?'

'Doesn't matter.' Marlene grumbled, crossing her legs in her seat. 'She'll be out the picture by next week.'

'It's…' Mary paused for a moment, wracking her brains for the name that danced tantalisingly on the tip of her tongue. 'Oh, what's-her-face?'

'Charlotte Davis.' Alice piped up from her seat. 'She's all right bu–'

'But a bit thick. Mary concluded.

'Where does he find them?' Hestia sighed and pulled out a bulging bag of makeup. She began to apply a scandalously red lipstick, holding a small compact mirror before her, as they all glanced towards Lily to access how deeply she was asleep.

'You know he'd be a lot better at winning Lily over if he stopped shagging anything in a skirt.' Marlene said matter-of-factly, having decided Lily was indeed sleeping, and she rustled her magazine importantly. 'Ah well, if McGonagall's gone and picked him for Captain there's hope he'll pull his head out of his arse.'

'He'd better do it soon,' Mary replied, running a hand through her hair, 'or he'll lose his chance. She'll take a while to win over even once he's stopped being a wanker and we've only got two years left at –' she broke off for Lily had moved in her sleep. The four of them waited with baited breath but Lily did not move again. 'All I'm saying is he needs to hurry up if he wants to win Lily over.'

'But we've still got two years.' Alice reasoned.

'One.' Marlene corrected. 'If she sticks with this new resolution of hers, he's only got one.'

'One to woo her.' Hestia pointed out. 'He's got two to stop being a tosser.'

'We're talking about Potter.' Marlene argued back. 'He's not going to get the hint for a long time and if she keeps up her 'no romance' thing, he won't bother till next year.'

'They'd be a wonderful couple.' Alice said happily, smiling at everyone else in the compartment.

'That's all very well but if we don't come up with a solution soon it'll be too late.' Hestia responded briskly clapping her hands together in a business-like manner. 'Any suggestions?'

No one said anything.

'Why does Potter have to be such an idiot?' Mary wailed after about ten minutes of silent thinking, dramatically putting her head in her hands.

'Someone get a painting of Callum Hayes' arse and quick!' Alice called out jokingly and the others, except Mary, who glowered playfully, and Lily, who was still fast asleep, laughed as the train trundled on into wild countryside.

As the train neared its destination, the girls' compartment sprung into what seemed a military procedure. Marlene and Mary pulled down the blinds of all the windows at precisely the same time while Alice and Lily, who had awoken from her nap not long after conversation had ended between the rest of her friends, flicked their wands, causing everyone's respective uniforms to fly into their hands and Hestia locked the door. The girls changed into their uniforms and stopped to admire the tattoo Marlene had had done on the side of her torso of a koi fish; being a magical tattoo, the koi swam about Marlene's midriff and lower back at a leisurely pace.

They had just finished their changing when the train pulled up at Hogsmeade station and students began spilling onto the platform. Lily attempted to steer a cluster of first years towards the Hogwarts Game Keeper, Hagrid, who held a large glowing lantern and was hollering for the youngest year of students to head in his direction.

Once she was no longer needed, Lily hurried after her friends, waving once at a tall male with large bags under his eyes and neatly arranged light brown hair. He returned the gesture with a smile and then turned back to his three friends, who were all joking about something or other. A simpering girl clung to the arm of the bespectacled friend and Lily averted her eyes with a slightly amused smile tugging at her lips, rushing to climb into the carriage her friends occupied.

The musty seats weren't exactly uncomfortable, so Lily sank into one of the ones nearest the door and watched the school's silhouette loom nearer and nearer as they moved towards it. Fumbling in her pocket, Lily produced a small cardboard box and pushed open the lid. She removed a lollypop from its contents and then offered the box around the carriage. Her friends all shook their heads and she shrugged, unwrapping her own lolly and popping it into her mouth as Hestia and Alice began discussing what they hoped the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would be like – good looks seemed a very popular attribute as both Mary and Marlene had nodded eagerly when it was mention.

Lily simply looked out over the dark grounds passing them as the carriage shook and rocked forwards; her face was expressionless as she savoured her lolly and the stars in the sky reflected in her emerald eyes so that they looked more like a stormy ocean than anything else.

After about 10 minutes, the carriage jolted to a halt and the five girls clambered out, all of them glad to be nearing the prospect of food. Peeves, the poltergeist, was ready to greet the newly arriving students with a large box of ink pellets. They dodged their way past and grinned at one another as Professor McGonagall, their Head of House, strode in the direction of Peeves already yelling though she could not hope for him to hear her for another few metres at least. The girls seated themselves at the Gryffindor table and immediately looked towards the staff table to see if any of their requirements for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had been met.

There was indeed a young man sitting at the staff table. He had flaxen hair and a scar that ran in almost an exactly horizontal line from his left ear to his nose; despite this, the young teacher was rather handsome, and Hestia sighed dramatically, declaring that had she been a little older she would already be bearing his children.

Marlene mumbled something incoherent but her friends all exchanged a look and then glanced towards the doors into the Great Hall, where Kingsley and Frank were making their way towards the Gryffindor table. Hestia, Mary, Alice and Lily all wore identically evil expressions and Alice waved at her boyfriend so that the two boys began heading over to where the girls sat.

'Al, I hate you.' Marlene declared and hid her face in her arms.

'What?' Alice questioned innocently as Kingsley and Frank neared them. 'I just want to sit next to my boyfriend.'

Frank did indeed sit next to Alice and when Kingsley spotted Marlene with her head on the table, he grinned and vaulted over the Gryffindor Table with incredible finesse and skill so that he could then plonk down beside Marlene. Lily watched the colour on Marlene's cheeks steadily rise and leant close to her ear.

'Ah, Kingsley, what a babe…' she whispered so that only Marlene could hear her. Marlene would have susurrated something in response, but she was distracted by the fact that Kingsley poked her in the arm, causing her to sit up so quickly one might have thought the table had electrocuted her. Lily coughed quietly.

'Piss off!' Marlene hissed in her direction, but her eyes clearly showed she'd seen the hilarity of her reaction. 'All right, Kingsley?' she greeted, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible; it didn't help that Lily was shaking with laughter beside her. 'H-how were the 24 hours since I saw you?'

'Cold without you, Marlie.' he supplied smoothly and as Marlene froze up, instantly changing the topic to the weather, Lily practically dissolved where she sat, gasping for air. She clutched the table for support and when Mary, who had been giggling for quite some time, caught her eye, she let out an incredibly loud snort and had to start wiping away the tears of mirth that had begun sliding down her face.

Hestia, who had returned to ogling the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, jerked her head in Lily's direction and then glanced at Marlene fiddling with her napkin while Kingsley spoke to her; she attempted to keep a straight face but failed as a laugh bubbled out of her.

'I-I think – I think I'm d-dying!' Mary managed to say through her giggles. Lily nodded, she was laughing too hard to form any whole words, and Hestia actually managed to fall off her bench because her chortles had made her giddy. She pulled herself upwards, shoulders still trembling with mirth, and somehow managed to clamber back onto her seat without her legs giving way.

Alice and Frank didn't notice, they were quite in their own world, and Marlene was purposefully ignoring her friends. Kingsley winked at the three laughing females before returning his attention to Marlene. His impeccable timing meant he missed Marlene gesticulate rudely at Hestia, Mary and Lily, who all laughed harder and harder.

Professor Flitwick, the tiny Head of Ravenclaw House, hurried past them, carrying a wooden four-legged stool and an aging Wizard's hat. He was quickly followed by Professor McGonagall, who was leading a large group of nervous-looking 11-year-olds, all dressed immaculately in their black school robes. As she passed the still chuckling Hestia, Mary and Lily, she sent them an incredibly stern look and all three girls bit their lips to stop themselves laughing so that they all resembled cauldrons about to bubble over with Swelling Solution.

'Lighten up!' a male voice called loudly from a little along the Gryffindor table at the trembling first years. 'They don't torture you – honest!'

Several of the first years turned a very mortified pink whilst others laughed along with most of the older students. Professor McGonagall glowered at the speaker, the handsome boy with rectangular spectacles, her eyes flashing dangerously. He smirked back and then snickered with two of his three friends; the third caught the eye of Lily and they shared an identical look of exasperation.

Professor McGonagall began to read out names and as each one was called a small child would scurry forwards and try on the Sorting Hat. The Hat would then shout out the name of one of the four Hogwarts Houses and those sitting on that House table would cheer loudly while the other tables applauded politely (unless a relation on another House table existed as they would easily shout the loudest regardless of what House the first year was sorted into).

This process repeated itself for at least 45 minutes and it was lucky that people where so noisy in their congratulating for otherwise it was likely the whole school would have heard the rumbling stomach of one Lily Evans; she immediately regretted not purchasing anything from the trolley of confectionary on the train.

But the Sorting ceremony did eventually come to an end and she applauded enthusiastically with the rest of Gryffindor as the final first year became the newest addition to her House. She patiently waited for the Headmaster's brief welcoming words before everyone turned to their plates and began reaching for all the food they could. Lily quickly helped herself to a portion of toad-in-a-hole and set about eating it with gusto, mentally thanking the world for not presenting her with any interruptions.

Marlene on the other hand ate very little because Kingsley's presence making her feel very queasy, so she chose some plain rice to ease her stomach, almost missing her mouth with her spoon on several occasions while she listened intently to her male companion. Mary, who had noticed Callum Hayes' gaze flick to her a few times, ate in an incredibly delicate manner and Hestia, who had gone back to admiring the young teacher, hadn't even realised the food had appeared.

As Lily swallowed the last of her food, she noticed Alice and Frank feeding one another pieces of steak and was quickly put off taking a second helping of her own desired meal. She contented herself instead with seeing how many napkins she could levitate onto Hestia's head with her wand before the peroxide blonde noticed.

However, Lily grew bored once she had reached napkin 27 and Hestia still showed no signs of reacting, so she vanished the tissues and took up making her fork cartwheel in front of her. Fatigue had returned to her and her left hand raised itself slightly as she stifled a yawn. Her brief nap on the train seemed long ago and as she thought of the soft covers of her four-poster bed in the dormitory upstairs, she smiled tiredly and allowed her eyelids to droop a little.

She was forced into an alert sitting position as Professor Dumbledore stood up and beamed around at the students, his arms wide with welcome.

'Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts!' he said, his voice booming into every corner of the Great Hall. 'I have a few words to say to you all, the first being that I would like to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor M Reynolds…'

The Hall erupted into applause as evidently Hestia had not been the only admiring attention the professor had received. He waved his hand in thanks, but Lily noticed his eyes betrayed how awkward he felt at all the sudden attention. Evidently, he had not noticed the amount of flirtatious batting of eyelashes in his direction while he steadily ate his stew. It seemed he had been about as receptive to the appreciative looks as Lily was to the notion that eating too much food was bad for her.

'And this year I would also like to press the matter of curfews.' A groan sounded about the Great Hall. 'This is for your own safety and I would like to stress, in particular to our older hands, that those below 4th year, curfew is at 8 pm, in 5th and 6th year until 9 pm and 7th years curfew is at 10 pm. The Forbidden Forest is still out of bounds but somehow this notice seems to slip the mind of certain students despite the rather obvious name…'

Professor Dumbledore allowed himself a small chuckle and his eyes twinkled slightly in the direction of four students at the Gryffindor table.

'But now, to bed so that we are all well rested for the day tomorrow!'

There was a loud and sudden burst of cheerful chatter as the speech ended and students began to stand up, making their way towards the exit. Lily shook herself and got hastily out of her seat for fear she might doze off if she remained sat down. She quickly walked over to the boy with the neat light brown hair, who was talking to the two 5th year Gryffindor Prefects, and prodded him lightly in the back.

'Remy!' she greeted and hugged him, all tiredness gone from her face; he grinned back at her once they had let go.

'Lily!' he replied with an equal amount of enthusiasm, imitating her quite accurately. She elbowed him lightly before saying hello to the two other Prefects. They waved back before going to herd the first years towards Gryffindor Tower. 'I wish we could direct the first years.' Remus complained, and Lily laughed.

'Oh, but, Remy, we get the more important job of getting the rest of the school to their dormitories.' Lily told him with false pride. 'Can you feel the superiority?'

'No.' he replied and they both grinned at each other. Then they pushed up the sleeves of their robes and headed over to a gaggle of 4th year girls, who were still seated and chatting animatedly.

'Right, ladies, do you think we can bring this conversation back to the common room?' Lily asked with an air of authority, but she still managed to smile at them, so they left willingly rather than with dark mutters about dictatorial Prefects.

'Someone has Head girl material written all over them.' Remus teased her and smirked in Lily's direction.

'Shut up.' she replied with a half-hearted smile, nudging him as they went to usher the general Gryffindor population in the direction of their tower. Remus laughed at her obvious embarrassment earning him another elbow but just as before it was light and good-natured.

'By the way,' Remus informed her once they had managed to shepherd all the Gryffindors out of the Great Hall. 'I'm not talking to you anymore.' He pretended to look haughty and Lily snorted.

'And why's that?' Lily asked with mock concern.

'Because you didn't reply to any of my letters.' he sniffed loudly, and Lily shook her head as she laughed.

'I was busy.' Lily defended lamely and rolled her eyes as Remus tutted. 'I was helping Tuney move in with Vernon.'

'For 6 weeks?' Remus chuckled with slightly raised eyebrows. 'Nice… Sounds like you were really busy – too busy to reply to my letters.'

'Sorry.' Lily apologised and fiddled with her hair. 'I did read them though… How was your summer?'

'Great, actually. I went to Belgium for a few weeks and ate some of the best chocolate I've ever had.' Then he smirked. 'But you should know that seeing as you read my letters.'

'Oh, shut up,' Lily responded, elbowing him lightly. 'I was just making conversation; it's polite.'

'So is replying to letters.' Remus quipped jokingly.

'Well, what was I supposed to write?' Lily grinned and put on a posh voice. 'Dear Remy, today I moved a box. Love, Lily.'

'It's a start.'

'Dear Remy, today I moved another box. Love, Lily.' Lily said, and Remus laughed. 'And anyway,' Lily added, her voice now back to normal, 'I went round to yours a few times.'

'That's not the point, Lily.' Remus told her, his own voice suddenly serious. 'You're one of my best mates and it's nice to know if you're dead or not in between those times.'

'It was only 6 weeks!' Lily replied a little defensively.

'Lily, that doesn't change the fact that there are death eaters attacking Muggles and Muggle-borns every day.' Remus looked at her with his greyish green eyes and she bowed her head.

'I'm sorry, Remy.' she said softly. 'I just didn't want to ruin your holiday by being a whiny bitch in all of my letters.' She smiled slightly. 'If it makes you feel better, I didn't write to anyone else.'

He returned her smile and nudged her gently.

'I suppose I'll reconsider my decision to not talk to you.' Remus said snootily and Lily grinned. And then, they walked the rest of the way up to Gryffindor Tower laughing about this and that.

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