Lily dashed down the hallways, eyes blurred from the tears and her breathing ragged from the strain on her lungs. Crying and running never was a good idea.

She felt her legs give out from under her as she neared another turn in the corridor. Lily stopped her sprints and sunk down next to the suit of armor, no idea where she was. Burying her head in her knees, she heard Dumbledore's words replay in her head.

"My dear, Lily. I am so, very sorry to be the one to tell you this."

"Lord Voldemort has stricken again."

"Your parents are dead."

Dead.

Petunia had not been at home when her parents were attacked. She was safe but, Rose and Harold Evans would never breathe again. She would never hear them tell her she loved them again. Rose wouldn't make her a cup of tea when she was hurting. Harold wouldn't hug her in his arms and warn her about boys. Her parents were gone. Dead. No longer alive. She was alone.

Petunia would blame her, of course. She would tell Lily that if she wasn't a freak, than her parents wouldn't have been murdered. Petunia was right. It was all Lily's fault. She knew that it was. If she had never gone to Hogwarts, than Voldemort would never have targeted her parents. She wouldn't have made her family a target for the blood-purists to aim for. Harold and Rose could be alive, making her tea and wrapping her in their arms.

She could hardly breathe as she heaved out her sobs. They hurt her, but not as much as the news did. She couldn't do anything but cry. Lily missed all of her classes that day. She had never moved from the spot she found herself in at nine that morning.

"Has anyone seen Lily?" Dedicated friend that she was, Mary MacDonald was running up to every person she could find in the hallways as she looked for her redheaded friend.

"POTTER!" Mary ran up to James, who along with Remus, Peter, and Sirius, turned around.

"MacDonald." Sirius acknowledged her.

"Have any of you seen Lily?" She frantically asked, looking at all of them for an answer.

"Um, no. Not since Ancient Runes, this morning. Why? Did she not come back after that?" Remus answered.

"What do you mean 'not come back?'"

"Well, she was called out of class right before it started." Remus replied looking at his friends and Mary for any signs of understanding.

"No one has seen her since then?" Mary asked again, hoping for a change in answer.

"No." They boys all answered.

"Well where the hell is she, than!" Mary screamed at them before burying her face in her hands.

"I'll help look, Mary." James said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you guys go back up to the tower?" He asked, looking at his friends. They nodded and heading back, James and May setting off on their mission.

"Is she okay? "

"What's wrong with her?"

"Should we get someone?"

"She won't let anyone near her. She just screams and cries harder."

A group of younger students were surrounding Lily by her suit of armor. She was starting to feel claustrophobic and cry harder. They were whispering about what to do and it wasn't making her feel any better. She was still where she dropped down earlier and had no idea how long it had been since then.

"Lily?" Mary finally found her when a first year with common sense went to fetch her. When she reached out to touch Lily's shoulder, however, she slapped her away and screamed. She was freaking out and hyperventilating and looking wildly at everyone around her. Mary had jumped back, now even more concerned and frantic, having no idea how to handle the situation.

James stepped out from behind Mary and crouched down in front of Lily in spite of everyone's protests. He laid his hand on top of hers and she started to hit him too, but he didn't move away. He let her pnd against him until she finally sagged into his arms and sobbed some more. He lifted her into his arms and started to carry her away from all of the staring kids. Mary was on his heels as he headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius, Remus and Peter kicked everyone out upon his arrival and he sat on the couch with Lily still in his lap as he soothed her pain. Even Mary let them be after a while because James seemed to know what he was doing.

The next morning they were found asleep on the couch that everyone had left them on the night before and an understanding was made. Lily Evans no longer hated James Potter and James Potter never stopped and never will loving Lily Evans.