A/N This is a James/Lily fic with some Marlene/Sirius Pairing. I'm writing this for my own enjoyment and hope that you all like it too! Disclaimer:Characters belong to the Harry Potter Franchise.

It was by some miracle that Lily Evans found herself staring into a floor length mirror in one of the McKinnons many bathrooms. The reflection she was presented with showed her standing in a stupidly expensive set of emerald robes, with a plunge down the front that was just revealing enough to let anyone who knew her well know that these robes were clearly borrowed from a friend. Said friend was of course the annoyance that had practically begged Lily to come with her to the party tonight, using one or two blackmailing techniques in the process. Marlene was giving a knowing smirk in the background of the reflection as she caught Lily admiring herself, not that Lily would ever admit to it. Leaning in closer to the mirror she tucked a stray strand of auburn hair back into the elegant up do that Marlene had spent a good half an hour and a fair amount of grumbling about lack of magic, trying to perfect. After one final assessment of her make-up Lily turned to face her friend, trying to ignore the nerves brewing in her stomach.

"Alright I'm Ready". With an exasperated 'Finally' Marlene Mckinnon got up from her seated position on the bed and headed towards the door. Lily followed and couldn't help feeling a small amount of jealousy about the way Marlene's silver robes, clung and fit perfectly to her athletic build or the way her skin glowed and blonde hair shined. With a shake of her head Lily cast off the feelings and focused instead on the chatter that was coming from her friend's mouth.

"…which is all fair enough but I really don't see why Mary couldn't come either, it's not like she can't just get a portkey from New York, and what's so special about some big ball dropping, it sounds ridiculous to me." Lily laughed at how put out Marlene was about their other friend's lack of attendance to tonight's party.

"She can't 'just get a portkey' her family are muggles remember, besides it is tradition for her to spend New Year's Eve in New York, you know that, why it's a surprise to you all of a sudden is beyond me." Was Lily's reply.

"You broke tradition, you're coming!" Lily wasn't hurt or surprised by the way in which Marlene made this point, because she whole heartedly agreed with her shock at the acceptance of the invitation.

"Technically I didn't break tradition, my family broke tradition on me, and I'm only coming because I don't want people to find out about Mr Shreddy.' Lily looked pointedly over at Marlene for the last part but just earned a laugh in return and a mumbled comment on how a sixteen-year-old really shouldn't still sleep with a teddy. The two girls continued with their back and forth bantering and jibes until they reached the main living room of the house. Waiting by the grand fireplace stood the rest of the McKinnon's. The two youngest, Marcus and Malcom, identical twins and in their second year of Hogwarts were both tapping their feet impatiently, looking rather disgruntled in the dress robes they had been forced to wear. The mother of the family, Clara Mckinnon was looking radiant, the blonde hair from which her only daughter had inherited was sleek and long, her robes, a pale blue, seemed to emit a glow, that Lily thought must be due to some kind of spell.

"About time girls." Murdock Mckinnon was a short man with a rather fabulous moustache and beard that more than made up for the lack of hair on his head. "Mac's already head off, got bored of waiting for the two of you to 'prissy up'. I believe that was the term he used." Mac being the eldest of the McKinnnon clan was as handsome as his sister was pretty and had the sass to match. He had graduated Hogwarts two years previously and Lily was rather fond of his quick wit and carefree outlook.

"Right we all better head of snappish, we are already 20 minutes later than what is fashionable. Girls you go first." Exclaimed Clara, anxiously glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece. With a role of her eyes at Lily, Marlene gracefully stepped into the green flames and with a shout of their destination she vanished. Next it was Lily who slowly, and much less gracefully clambered over the fire guard and into the flames. The twist and turns of floo travel often made her uneasy so it was with as steady a voice she could muster that she shouted out…

"POTTER MANOR".

Lily had never been to a wizarding party outside of the school until now, and never a party with so much grandeur. As she fell onto the hearth and righted herself she thought for a bazar moment that instead of falling through a fire place, she had perhaps fallen into one of her favourite novels and landed herself in a Great Gatsby party. With a few blinks of her eyes she took in where she was, a grand ballroom, decorated with baroque detailing and the most marvellous fresco painting on the ceiling portraying the heavens that twinkled and moved like any other magical painting. The room was crowded with witches and wizards of all ages and sizes, but not only wizards, was that a centaur that just wandered past? And were her eyes playing tricks on her or had she just seen a leprechaun swing from a chandelier? 20's swing music was playing loudly over the chatter and laughter of the party goers and champagne towers were floating through the crowds, which no matter how much they were knocked into, never spilled a single drop. With a disbelieving laugh Lily rushed over to Marlene who was standing next to Christmas tree to rival the ones at Hogwarts.

"I can't believe it, this is incredible!" Lily cried over the music in awe. Marlene only laughed in response and whilst grabbing on to Lily's hand she started to pull her into the throng of dancers.

"Just you wait until the fireworks, by Merlin you will love them." Marlene shouted over her shoulder as the squeezed and slid between the crowd, Lily followed her friends suit and took a glass of champagne off the tray that floated past them. Marlene seemed to have spotted a friendly face, for Lily was yanked in a different direction towards what looked like an extravagant buffet and drinks table.

"Why am I not surprised to see you two here" Marlene said with a raised brow and a laugh. The two boys she addressed turned in unison, one had his hands laden with an obscene amount of chocolate truffles whilst the other had two freshly cracked open butterbeers.

"Stocking up for the long night ahead" Remus Lupin replied holding up his chocolate covered hands whilst Sirius Black gave Marlene a wink before turning and pointing a bottle at Lily.

"Merlin's saggy underpants, Lily Evans at a Potter Party, I must have been spiked because surely I'm not that drunk after one glass of champagne!" He joked before leaning in and hugging Lily who couldn't help but stiffen up as he did so. It's not that she didn't like Black, in fact since the beginning of term the pair had had a strange and irreversible bonding session over sibling fallouts, it's just that she hadn't realised that their acquaintanceship had reached the hugging level. She was much more relaxed however when Remus gave her a short and awkward hug, attempting to keep his sticky hands away from leaving marks upon her robes. Remus was her favourite out of the group of friends whom called themselves the 'Marauders', as he was much more well-mannered but also a fellow prefect with whom she'd spent many hours getting to know on patrols of the castle.

"You really want us to believe that you've only had one glass of champagne, the party's been in full swing for an hour by the looks of things" Scoffed Marlene as she downed her own glass champagne, following on by tugging the second beer out of Black's reluctant hand. "Speaking of the party, where is my young host of a cousin?" She said, craning her neck to look round the vicinity.

"Now now Marly, you know I'm not the host, just a humble party attendee like yourself." A voice said from behind them. The group turned in the direction of the voice to find none other than James Potter, looking the most well-kept and smartest that Lily had ever seen him in her life. The robes he wore were as black as his hair, which although had been attempted to have been brushed back, was slowly starting to rebel against, what Lily could only assume was a mass amount of hair product and enchantments. The dazzling smile that adorned his face turned into one of surprise when he saw that Lily was among the group he had just addressed, and whilst his eyes glistened playfully Lily could see that there was more unreadable emotion there too, in fact it seemed like he looked quite uncomfortable at her presence.

"Evans! Wow, you look… you look stunning" The words seemed to have slipped out on their own accord but the last part was lost on Lily as the sound of the arrival of Peter Pettigrew, who jostled his way through the crowd and into the little circle, drowned it out.

"Those bloody, thieving con artists, why the bloody hell did your parents invite leprechaun's again Prongs?" He called out looking extremely flustered and the only way Lily could think to describe it, pissed off. His explanation was followed by the sound of a leprechaun cackling as he flew overhead and dropping a load of galleons atop of Peter's head. Lily who had read up extensively on Irish wizardry took these coins to be fool's gold and laughed along with the rest of the group as Peter muttered angrily to himself and shook a fist at the place the little green man had disappeared from.

"I believe they became rather fond of a few of them on their recent trip to Ireland, Pete" Potter replied, he seemed to have gotten over or rather decidedly moved on from the surprise of Lily's presence and was back to his arrogant, confident self.

"Come on let's go in to the other room, where the crowds are less and the company is younger" Lily followed the rest of them and seemed to be the only one stunned by the proclamation of the 'other room'. At the front of progression Black was taking the micky out of his best mate.

"'Evans... wow you look stunning'" he imitated, as James shoved his shoulder with an 'oh fuck off'.

The group laughed and joked with one and other, drinking the drinks in hand before taking more off the floating trays that they passed before crossing a very grand entrance hall and entered a much smaller but no less grand room that Lily took to be some kind of living room. Potter had been right when he said that this room was way less crowded and the party goers that had gathered here were all closer to her own age, many of them fellow Hogwarts students, whilst there was a handful she didn't recognise at all, though she got the distinct impression that they were French. Her hunch was confirmed as she watched Potter wander over to them, proclaiming loudly "Mes cousins, comment jouissez-vous de la fête?".

"James is French on his mother's side, those are his cousins." Remus stated in response to Lily's questioning gaze, who blushed at being caught staring.

"It's crazy I know, I came to my first one in second year and couldn't believe my eyes, and I'm from a wizarding background. Though I have to admit they are somehow getting rowdier and more extravagant with age." Lily appreciated Remus' friendly chatter, as Marlene had abandoned her to follow Black to a collection of crates on the far side of the room. "I am curious though, as I'm sure most the population of this room is as to what brought you to a Potter Party?" She could tell he was trying to act as casual as possible, but she could sense his nerves at asking the question. She understood his puzzlement as it was no secret that herself and James Potter were no best friends. She didn't, as many people believed, hate the boy, yet there was an air of arrogance and entitlement that had always bothered her about him. It hadn't helped that throughout the earlier years at Hogwarts he had insistently bullied her childhood friend, Severus Snape, and pulled many, harmless though annoying, pranks on her and just about most of the population of the school. She could see why it would be strange for her to be there, especially as the pair hadn't said a word to each other since the 'incident' at the end of the previous year, which had resulted in the ending of her friendship with said Severus Snape. Glancing over at the boy who had moved on from his cousins and was now laughing at what must be a funny story being told by the Prewett twins, Lily turned back to Remus to reply.

"Believe me Remus I'm just as shocked as you, but alas my dreadful sister threw the most dramatic fit over the idea of me being present around her new fiancé so here I am, an orphan being dragged to a party by her evil friend." She threw an arm in front of her brow with a dramatic flourish for added effect whilst Remus laughed at her antics.

"Merlin Lily, you can be so over dramatic I doubt you were dragged anywhere, no one would turn down a party invitation, not even you. And talking about dear Petunia I am shocked to hear of this Fiancé, how is it I'm only hearing of him now?" Black had returned, this time a firewhisky in hand and slightly tipsier. An arm was thrown haphazardly over Lily's shoulder which despite her efforts, would not be shrugged off. Potter had also come back over and seemed to look a bit disgruntled at the interaction between his friend and Lily.

"I didn't know you had a sister?" Lily, who had been busy trying to wriggle out of Blacks grasp stopped what she was doing and looked up into Potters quizzical face.

"Well how would you, you never asked." She responded in dry humour and just like that the cloud of tension that had been hanging in the air seemed to clear, and maybe it was the champagne taking its effect, or just the holiday spirit, but Lily felt relaxed for the first time in a long time around James Potter and his friends.

"I best go and say hello to the others." With a fleeting smile that Potter tentatively returned she headed off into the crowd, grabbing a glass or firewhisky on her way and leaving a perplexed but cheerful boy in her wake. Lily waved and returned hellos to fellow classmates as she passed, occasionally stopping for longer with those she was better acquainted with until she final found Marlene who seemed to be having an intense discussion with her eldest brother.

"…I'm nearly of age, what difference does a few months make, surely every little helps!"

"Yes, yes, every little does help but that doesn't change your age Mar, you're too young and whilst you're at Hogwarts there is very little you can do to be honest, not to mention Dumbledore just won't allow it!" Mac was sounding exasperated by the time Lily reached the pair.

"Am I interrupting?" She enquired sipping on the firewhisky which bloody hell was strong.

"Not at all, the conversation is over. How's your night going Lily?" Mac asked, looking relieved at the interruption and a chance for a change of topic. Marlene on the other hand wasn't having any of it.

"Yes, you were, and perfect timing, on a scale of one to ten how fed up are you of being treated like a child Lils, being told everything's just fine and dandy when anyone with eyes can tell it's not. What if I told you there was an organisation outside of Hogwarts that is standing up to the Death Eater movement? Would you want to join regardless of age?" Marlene spoke with fierce and precise authority despite the alcohol that had taken effect on her. As Mac spluttered on his drink at his sister's blatant lack of secrecy of the topic, Lily pushed through her own alcohol induced brain and reflected on the many Daily Prophet's that had disturbing and horrific headlines plastered over the front page. She relived the anger she felt, every time the stupid newspaper landed in front of her, anger at the injustice of it all.

"For fucks sake Marlene" Mac groaned at the same time Lily replied.

"Of course, I would join. I have more reason to hate those fuckers than most of the people fighting against them. After all I'm a 'mudblood'". Whilst the others gasped and reprimanded her for the use of the word Lily felt a kind of vindictive pleasure in saying it. The word didn't offend her, it was the implication of it that did, and she had recently taken to responding to it in a similar manner to which their Headmaster, Dumbledore had spoken of Voldemort; fear of the name only increases the fear of the thing itself. If Lily feared the word 'mudblood' then those who tried to use it against her would win and she refused to give in to what they wanted. Mac, who looked thoroughly pissed off with his sister excused himself and slunk out of the room and back towards the ballroom.

"He's probably pissed off to go and suck up to some aurors" Marlene scoffed. Lily responded with a hum of agreement before following Marlene back into the crowd trying to shake the dark thoughts of war from her mind.

The night moved on, and the party became even wilder to the amazement of Lily, who thought it had reached its peak when Sirius had drunkenly flown his broomstick whilst pouring champagne into the open mouths of the crowd bellow, shouting out 'CHAMPAGNE SHOWERS' as he did so. It was nearing midnight when she found herself completely lost coming back from the toilet on the first floor. She wasn't even sure she was meant to be upstairs but the que for the toilet on the ground floor was too long for her drunken bladder to bare. She was cursing the stupidly large house for having too many hallways and rooms when she stumbled through a door that she was convinced would take her back to the main stairwell. Once again, she had taken a wrong door and had ended up in a smart looking office. Curiosity peaked, Lily moved further into the room examining a glass cabinet that stood proudly on the desk. Inside stood a Large purple vile with a label reading 'Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment' and in a fine print below that it read 'Two drops tames even the most bothersome barnet.'

"I thought I heard somebody thumping around in here." Lily spun round so fast she almost knocked a picture frame off the desk. In the doorway lent James Potter looking a lot more like his usual self with his hair finally back to its messy state, his shirt untucked and partially unbuttoned and his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck. "I just snuck of to my ensuite, the que downstairs is far too long." He stuck his thumb over his shoulder pointing it vaguely off in a direction. "I don't know if you've noticed but there's a party downstairs." Realising he was giving her a bit of an odd look, Lily spoke up.

"That's why I got lost, I came up to find a spare toilet and couldn't find my way back' she excused before glancing back at the cabinet and potion. "Did your dad invent Sleekeazy's" She questioned, laughing to herself as she looked back at Potters messy hair. "Is that what was taming it earlier" She hiccupped as another laugh came out, this time she was thinking of the potions slogan, tames the most bothersome barnets her ass. Potter grinned back at her, pushing himself off the door frame and walking further into the room.

"Yeah he did, there aren't many Fleamont Potter's believe it or not." This only encouraged Lily's giggles which James found to be infectious as he was soon laughing with her. Between gasps Lily managed to choke out

"Your dads name is Fleamont? I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh it's rude" but she couldn't help break into giggles again.

"Yeah he's aware of how ridiculous it is, my grandad was a bit of an eccentric. Mum calls him Monty for short, refuses to use his full name." Lily noticed that he was giving her that strange look again, but this time it was accompanied by a warm smile. Glancing at the clock behind Lily, James turned to leave the room.

"I would follow me unless you want to spend the New Year count down by yourself in a study." He called over his shoulder in a typical arrogant Potter manor, yet for reasons unknown to Lily she wasn't offended by his blunt and commanding voice, rather she found it quite funny and with another round of giggles she ran to catch up with him.

As it turned out finding the main staircase was much easier to find when accompanied by one of the hosts, and the two teens were soon among the many making their way outside onto the vast grounds of the house.

"Lily, James over here, Merlin we thought we'd lost you guys, look its nearly time." And Marlene was right as up in the dark sky, through falling snowflakes gigantic lights appeared in the shape of numbers.

TEN, NINE, EIGHT

Marlene had grabbed Lily's hand.

SEVEN, SIX, FIVE

Sirius had gathered them into a circle putting his arms round their shoulders.

FOUR, THREE, TWO

Lily was squeezed between Marlene and James, she didn't even care that his arms were around her shoulders, for hers were around his waist.

ONE

"HAPPY NEW YEAR" The crys and shouts of the party were deafening over the fireworks that were lighting the sky, and the circle she was enclosed in was jumping crazily whilst Black chanted '1977' over and over. The circle broke as Auld Lang Syne began to be sung by a large group of middle-aged wizards and soon Marlene was grabbing Lily's face in both hands and planting a kiss on her lips.

"Happy New Year" she squealed and Lily laughed giving her a squeeze as she returned the sentiment. She turned to find Black attempting to plant a kiss on Potter's face who was laughing, trying to back away from his overly affectionate friend. At Lily's laugh Black turned on her instead, enveloping her in a crushing hug he wished her a happy new year before rushing of to find Potter's parents. Lily hugged both Remus and Peter wishing them well before turning to Potter. He was standing awkwardly as though unsure whether or not to approach her but in her inebriated state Lily thought nothing of wrapping her arms round his neck.

"Happy New Year Potter." She whispered.

"Happy New Year Evans."