Author's Note: If you're wondering about the song quotes at the beginning of the chapter, it's just something I've always liked to do with my fics. They usually inspired a scene in the chapter, or I felt that it was representative of a character or a feeling they're having. I might set up a playlist on Youtube with all the songs I choose, so if you're interested in that, let me know. Enjoy.

Also, warning: there's mild recreational drug use in this chapter and probably in many chapters in the future. This story is set in the 70s, people. Did you really think there wouldn't be any?

"There is a stone wall around your heart,
nothing left now to do but to start chipping away, day by day,
until we see it break apart
Hear me talking about
Let it be known, it can be done, bit by bit and one by one,
If the two of us try from both the two sides, until we see the sun
You're phenomenal.
Two drops in the ocean
Just go with the motion, dear."

-Two Drops in the Ocean by 311

Lily closed the door to the Heads' common room behind her, flinging her book bag onto the ground with a loud smack. She loosened her tie, unfastening the top two buttons of her shirt before turning around, ready to bury herself in the squishy dark blue fabric of the sofa.

She yelped at the sight of Sirius Black lounging on the very sofa she was just daydreaming about.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked, her hand on her chest as she attempted to keep her heart from leaping right out of it.

"Waiting for James, he went for a run 'round the pitch. Always does before tea." His silver eyes followed her form carefully as she sat down in the armchair – she didn't feel comfortable with sharing the same space as him, not with the animosity he seemed to emit in her presence as of recent. "Didn't think I was coming to see you, did you?"

She ignored the small amount of malice that leaked into his tone. "I was more interested as to how you managed to get in here, actually."

"James gave me the password."

Lily rolled her eyes. Of course he would just give the password out to his friends, without even asking her how she felt about it. What if she had been indecent? Not that she would have any reason to be indecent in the common room that only she and James had access to. As much as it seemed he'd changed, some things had stayed the same; in this regard, he had clearly only thought of himself.

She met Sirius' gaze when she once again felt his eyes on her. An awkward, stifling silence settled over the room like a blanket. He kept looking at her, as though daring her to concede defeat by looking away. She refused to be cowed by Sirius and whatever problems he might have with her.

"Why is this happening?" She asked him honestly, although irritably. His gaze finally strayed from her face, looking down to study his fingernails and some likely imaginary dirt underneath them.

"I don't know what you're on about, Evans," Sirius responded flatly. She was about to open her mouth again when he straightened up at James entering the room.

Lily's mouth dried up suddenly at the sight he made. His shirt was nearly plastered to his skin, sweat from his exercise soaking into the fabric and giving his skin a slight sheen. His hair was still mussed up, sticking out every direction, but covered in sweat just like the rest of his body. She felt as though her eyes were glued to his chest, watching it rise and fall more quickly than normal; it was clear he had kept up a still fairly quick pace on his way back up to the dorms.

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, and she forced her eyes up to James' face – he looked just as surprised as she had been to see Sirius there. Maybe Sirius had lied to her about James giving him the password; she wouldn't be surprised if he was clever enough to figure it out on his own somehow.

"Padfoot," he greeted, his voice low and a touch out of breath. "Lily."

Lily felt her face flush from hearing her name leaving James' mouth in that low timbre while simultaneously looking as though he had walked out of a Muggle fitness magazine.

"Figured it wouldn't be long before you figured out the password," James told Sirius, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "I have to admit, it actually took longer than I expected. Almost a whole month into term? You might be losing your touch."

"I just wanted to let you… get settled in, before coming in and taking advantage of this deliciously first-year-free common room that you kids have all to yourselves," Sirius answered, standing up from his place on the couch. "I figured I would swing by and get a tour before heading down to the Great Hall."

Lily felt as though she had become invisible during the interaction until James' eyes flickered to her briefly.

"Er… yeah, I just need to wash up first," he gestured at his sweaty form.

"I quite like you all sweaty. Very manly," Sirius said. A smirk made its way onto his face, and he looked back at Lily before turning to James once again; there was a mean glint in his eye when he spoke again. "I'm sure Bones would say the same."

Lily looked away quickly, her stomach churning uncomfortably at the mention of their classmate. James'… whatever it was they were.

"My room is just up the stairs there," James told him, ignoring the comment about Amelia. "I'll just be up in a minute."

Sirius didn't look happy at the subtle dismissal, his eyes narrowing and looking back and forth between Lily and James until he turned on his heel and made his way up to James' dorm. Once the sound of his door closing echoed from the top of the stairs, Lily looked back up at James. His hand rose to his hair again, and she found herself following the movement; she was startled to see herself becoming entranced by the habit she once found infuriating.

"I'm sorry if he just barged in. He tends to do that."

"He said you'd given him the password to get in," she told him. He looked bewildered.

"I didn't," he said, confirming her suspicions of Sirius' dishonesty. "Not sure why he would've told you that. I didn't think you would appreciate my mates just coming in here unannounced."

"You don't need to apologize. You haven't done anything."

Silence fell over them, but it wasn't the same unsettling kind that Lily had experienced with Sirius earlier; it was comfortable, filled with a new level of understanding that she and James had never had before. Before they had been friends, this moment would have been the perfect chance for them to spring at each other's throats.

"Well, I'm sorry, anyway," James said, breaking the silence. "That might be happening a lot more now that he knows how to get in. I'll try to make sure he only comes 'round while I'm here."

"I didn't realize you had a part-time job as a babysitter," Lily joked. "Maybe I would've gone a little easier on you all these years."

James huffed out a laugh, looking down at his shoes as though he was embarrassed. She felt herself smiling at the glimpse of vulnerability from him.

"Well I'm really going to wash now, before Sirius comes back down here and drags me to the Great Hall without letting me change. No matter what he says, I don't think anyone would appreciate the sweat coming off of me right now."

"It suits you."

The words blurted out of Lily's mouth before she could stop them. She felt her face heating, knowing soon it would rival the shade of her hair. When she peeled her hands away from her eyes, James looked shocked, but ultimately amused.

"What I meant was – "

"That you find me quite dashing?" he asked cheekily. She picked up a pillow from the armchair and threw it at his head. He ducked out of its path with no problem, laughing at her feeble attempt.

"A word of advice: never try out for Quidditch, Evans. I'm afraid your performance would be abysmal. Reminiscent of Ravenclaw last term, even."

"That's low, Potter."

They both continued to grin at each other until a loud banging sound emitted from James' staircase.

"That's my cue," he said. Picking up the pillow Lily had loosed on him, he made his way over to where she sat and placed it into her lap. He stared at her for a short moment, a small smile still on his lips, then turned and went up to his room. Lily let out a long sigh, leaning all the way back into the armchair so that her chin rested on her chest. Hugging the pillow to herself, she closed her eyes, the image of James' wet shirt against his broad shoulders and chest burned into the back of her eyelids.

"Oh boy," she whispered to herself. "Okay. You're attracted to James Potter. No big deal, right? No problem. It's fine. We're good here. No… nope, we're not good here. You're talking to yourself. Oh, Merlin."

She pushed the pillow onto her face and groaned into it.

Sirius watched Marlene roll the cigarette paper back and forth, attempting to keep all of the sticky leaves from falling out either end.

"Why don't you just charm the thing to roll itself?"

Marlene huffed before moving her head in to lick the joint closed.

"Some things you just need to learn without magic, on principle. I wouldn't be such a mischievous criminal if I couldn't do it by hand."

"I didn't realize you were a criminal at all."

"Oh, shove it," she replied, voice muffled as she talked around the joint before holding her wand up to the tip to light it. "You and Lily both refuse to acknowledge my true criminal nature."

Sirius remained silent, watching the smoke leave Marlene's mouth and mingle in the dark night air of the Quidditch pitch. Marlene passed the joint to Sirius, their fingers touching perhaps a moment longer than necessary. But Marlene didn't focus on that; she was more interested with Sirius' sudden silence at the mention of Lily Evans.

"So, what's your problem with her, then?" Sirius shrugged, ashing off to the side before taking another hit. "C'mon, Black. I know you've never been friends before – "

"We're not friends now," he interrupted. Marlene's head drew back, shocked at the coldness of his response. He rolled his eyes, trying to take another hit, but Marlene snatched the white paper from between his fingers.

"First off, jerk, it's my hit, you've already had two," she told him irritably. "And secondly, was that you trying to convince me that you don't have a problem with Lily? Because you did rather poorly if so."

"I didn't say I don't have a problem with her," Sirius snapped in reply, and again Marlene was off-put by the venom in his words. Then she rolled her eyes so hard she could have sworn they went back up into the inside of her head – Sirius was clearly afraid that Lily would get all of James' attention now that they would be forced to work together.

"Don't worry, Black, you'll still get your allotted Potter-time –" she stopped, giggling. "Potter-time. Potty time. Get it?" Sirius snorted, and then they both burst into laughter. It took a few moments before they calmed down again and Marlene retrieved her train of thought. "James will still be your best friend, even if he has to spend more time with Lily."

"That's not what I'm pissed about."

"Then what are you pissed about?"

"Pass that and I'll tell you," he said, nodding his head at the unlit joint between her fingers. "You've let it go out." She handed it over to him, waiting patiently as he relit it – but probably only due to the fact that she was zoning out staring at the stars. Ten minutes passed with the joint going back and forth between them before she realized that he was just going to let her stoney mind forget about the conversation altogether.

"So? Why are you pissed at Lily?"

Sirius sighed.

"She's been acting… strangely, around James. A bit like…" he trailed off, staring at Marlene as if he expected her to understand. She stayed quiet until he spoke up again. "A bit like she fancies him. You should've seen her this afternoon," he paused, making a gagging sound. "She was right ogling him after he'd come in from his run."

"And that bothers you?" Marlene asked, surprised. She had thought that Sirius would be over the moon about that, should it ever come to pass. "I thought you and the boys would have a right laugh over this. Lily, finally conceding to her deeply repressed feelings for Potter. I figured if anything, you'd just be happy not to hear him pine over her all day long."

"It's not fair, to him." Sirius stubbed the joint out on the damp grass beneath them before continuing. "He's asked someone to Hogsmeade already – "

"You act like he hasn't gone to Hogsmeade with a date since he started fancying Lily," Marlene said, scoffing at that excuse. "He's gone out with a few different girls. If the rumors are anything to go by, he did more than take them to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer."

"What does that matter? He didn't like any of them," Sirius defended. "He won't. He sees these other girls, but he won't date them. He won't commit to anyone."

"Neither will you."

"It's different, and you know it," he answered back. "You've known James for a long time, Mar. Longer than I have. Maybe you're not as close as we are, but you know him well enough. You know how… deeply, he feels about things. He'll need a relationship at some point. He wants it, now. But he won't do anything about it because she's holding him back."

"So wouldn't you want them to be together?" she asked, still confused.

"She's said some horrible things to him."

"Usually when he was being horrible," Marlene replied, defending her friend just as Sirius had.

"But not always. She flings her insults around and she doesn't think it gets under his skin," he explained. "It does. I know it does. And now, what? She gets to take all of that back? Now, he seems like he's giving a genuine effort to something with Bones, she comes in and has feelings for him?"

"You think she's only getting feelings for him because he might be with Amelia now?"

"I don't know what I think," said Sirius, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. "But I'm sure that James is going to be the one drawing the short end of the broomstick once it's all over."

"Lily is my friend, you know," Marlene told him coldly, her voice hard. "She wouldn't intentionally hurt him." Sirius shot her a disbelieving look. "I mean it, Sirius. She might have said those things about him, to him, once… that's not how she feels anymore."

Sirius sighed in resignation.

"So she does fancy him."

"She hasn't admitted to anything. But I've seen the way she's been acting, just as you have. She probably doesn't even know if she fancies him."

She shivered noticeably, so Sirius got to his feet and held his hand out to help her up.

"Come on, then. Remus will be making his way to this side of the castle now. Don't want to get points docked."

"As if Remus has ever docked points from you lot," she said while grabbing his hand, her cheeks heating slightly as her body collided with his when she stood. Marlene's feelings towards Sirius had changed recently. She felt something shifting between them, but she couldn't put her finger on how, when or why. All she knew was that it left her feeling uncertain in his presence – something that, for her, was irritating to no end. Confident and sure, Marlene was never one to question her stance with a guy.

"Okay, Mar?"

"Yeah," she put some distance between them. "Just stoned."

"Right."

The walk back to the common room was mostly silent, until they ran into Remus on the third floor.

"You smell like grass."

Those were the first words out of Remus' mouth when he happened upon Sirius and Marlene coming up the staircase.

"Only the freshly dewed lawn of the Quidditch pitch, my friend," Sirius replied; the red eyes and glassed-over look gave him away.

"Which you're not supposed to be out on at this time of night."

"I can take care of myself, don't worry, Moony."

"And what about Marlene?" Remus asked, crossing his arms.

"I figured I'd leave her out there, let the thestrals have her."

"Hey!" Marlene protested, punching Sirius on the shoulder.

"Thestrals aren't even violent, anyway. And they only live in the forest."

"I don't trust anything I can't see, regardless of where they do or don't live."

"Okay, I've heard enough," Remus interrupted. "As much as I'd rather partake in your banter than patrol the castle, Lily's waiting for me by the trophy room. We have to escort some first-years back to the dorm, after they've finished their detention with Filch."

"Poor buggers. Catch you in the morning, yeah?"

"You and James will probably still be awake when I'm done with rounds." Remus had lived through six years in close quarters with them; he knew firsthand that they would stay up all night, every night, if it were just the two of them.

The grin on Sirius' face dimmed slightly.

"James isn't in the dorm, remember?"

"Right. Takes some getting used to," Remus said apologetically. It was strange to be without James in their dorms. He had grown accustomed to James leaving toffee wrappers all around the vicinity of his bed and tripping over a mixture of his and Sirius' Quidditch gear. He was happy for James, getting the position of Head Boy; the new dorm was one of the perks of his hard work. Sirius didn't quite feel the same about the position; Remus could tell he was trying to be happy for James, trying to accept the fact that he couldn't get into as much trouble as they used to. It was still a struggle, and a touchy subject for him. He also knew that James' close quarters with the Head Girl were bothering Sirius, as well.

"We'll be off then, before Filch catches us," Marlene said, grabbing Sirius' arm and dragging him away. Remus turned to meet Lily at the trophy room.

It had become a sort of tradition for Remus and Lily to go and have tea in the kitchens once they were finished with rounds. Both prefects since fifth year, they were often paired together because they were in the same house. After one particularly boring night of patrolling, Lily had expressed a craving for a cup of tea before bed, Remus had revealed his knowledge of the kitchens – most patrols from then on involved a cup of tea and maybe a snack before heading back to their common room.

After making sure the first-years went to their respective dormitories, they went back down to the kitchens; one house-elf made sure they had everything they needed for their late night snack. Lily nibbled on the edge of her toast while Remus sipped his tea, lapsing in and out of conversation before the words Lily had been avoiding all night bubbled up her throat like acid.

"So, I don't know if James told you…" she started, and the look on Remus' face immediately told her that James hadn't said a word about the night she found him bleeding in their common room. "I guess he didn't say anything, then."

"You haven't said what it is, yet."

"The last full moon…" she regretted bringing it up, wincing when Remus' whole body seemed to stiffen at the mention of his worst night of the month. "the first night of school. James came in and he was bleeding rather badly. I pushed him to answer my questions and – " she paused briefly when she saw his eyes widen considerably, "well, he knows that I know. That you're a werewolf. And I thought that he was a little upset, because he didn't know that I knew, but if he didn't say anything then…" she put her toast down, pressing her hand to her forehead. "It wasn't my business, probably, and it still isn't but… Remus, it's dangerous for them to be out there with you. I'm not fool enough to believe that it's only James that's been helping you with this."

Remus stared down into his tea, looking as though he were searching his own reflection on its surface.

"What are you asking me, Lily?"

"James said that he could take care of himself…"

"So this isn't a conversation that we need to be having," Remus stopped her before she could continue. "If you want to know what James meant, what he's getting up to, you need to ask him. I'm not playing the middle man between the two of you."

Lily straightened up, taken aback by the abruptness of his response.

"This isn't about me and Ja – "

"Of course it isn't," Remus said, shaking his head with a slight grin turning his lips upwards. "I know that it's dangerous for them to be with me during my transformation. They figured it out during our second year, and when they found a way to help me, there was no stopping them. But I gave them my permission, nonetheless. It's my decision. I know the risks. But I'm only letting them do it because they know what they're risking, and they want to risk it anyway, to help me. And I'm thankful for that. I don't regret allowing them to do it."

Lily shook her head vehemently at his defense, not wanting him to misunderstand.

"No, Remus, I didn't mean that it's on you, if they get hurt. But – "

"You know what people will say if they do, and they find out I'm the cause. You're just trying to help," Remus said, his voice softening. He placed his hand over Lily's. "and I appreciate it. But James, Sirius, Peter – they have each other's backs, make sure they're being as safe as possible. It's not my place to tell you how, though. It's their secret to keep, just like this one is mine; if James didn't want to tell you, I won't do it behind his back."

"You're quite a secretive bunch of lads, aren't you?" She said with a small smile, an olive branch to smooth out any remaining tension from the conversation.

"We like to keep up an aura of mystery," Remus joked. "Heard the ladies go wild for that sort of thing."

"According to who?"

"Witch Weekly, of course. Sirius has a subscription, just to keep up with the interests of his current conquests."

"Really?" Lily said in disbelief. Remus burst into laughter.

"No!" he wheezed between laughs. "Could you see Sirius Black reading Witch Weekly?"

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but Remus held up his hand to stop her.

"Actually, don't answer that. There are probably a number of situations in which a person would find Sirius Black reading Witch Weekly."

Lily chewed on her thumbnail, withdrawn slightly at the topic of Sirius.

"I don't think he likes me very much," she told Remus. He sighed in reply, stacking their empty dishes for the house elves to clean up.

"He's just having a hard time, what with James being Head Boy. There's some other things he's got going on as well, with his family…"

"And he's taking it out on me?" Lily asked, confused. "I didn't make James Head Boy. He should take it out on Dumbledore." She chose not to comment about his family; she knew that Remus probably wouldn't reveal anything about Sirius' family life without his permission.

"James spends his time doing Head Boy duties with you. He can't really get up to much trouble with Sirius anymore," Remus tried to explain.

"So he's jealous of me."

"Not exactly…" he trailed off. "Look, I don't know. Sirius has a rotten temper when he's working through something. He'll come 'round."

"Something tells me it's more personal than that. And something also tells me that you know that, too, you just don't want to explain it to me." Lily accused him lightly, but didn't push him. "I'll let you off, for now."

"Thank Merlin," Remus sighed with over-exaggerated relief. "I wasn't sure I could take the Lily Evans-style interrogation for much longer."

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind lately," she admitted sheepishly.

"I don't think you've ever expressed so much interest in my friends before. The change is quite staggering."

"I'm not interested in your friends," she said too quickly. "I mean, I am in the way I was asking you, but not – "

"Yeah," Remus cut her off before she could go further. "I'm knackered, going to head back up to the dorm. Are you alright to walk back up to yours alone?"

"'Course," Lily replied, waving her hand for him to go. "See you tomorrow."

"'Night," he waved back before disappearing out the entrance.

Lily thanked the house elf on her way out, walking slower than normal to prolong her journey back to the Heads' common room. If James was still awake, she would have to face him as the conversation with Remus echoed in the back of her mind – something she wanted to avoid. James had been making her thoughts jumbled lately, and she might just slip up and ask him outright to tell her everything about their adventures with Remus. With the way Remus had handled her questioning, it became clear that whatever they did to protect themselves on the full moon was more complicated than a simple spell or potion; so much so that they felt a need to guard the secret with as much vigor as they guarded Remus's. She didn't feel comfortable asking James to reveal something so personal to her – and she was sure he wouldn't reveal it to her so easily. She would just have to figure it out on her own.

James huffed, running a hand through his hair in frustration at the new Quidditch team prospects. It was his second year as Captain, last year at Hogwarts, and he was determined to see Gryffindor win the Cup. Their Seeker from last year had graduated and left him with an opening for the position. It was beginning to feel like a gaping hole in his team that would never be filled.

"We can't win without a Seeker, mate," Sirius told him, leaning back and resting his elbows on the bench behind them. "You have to pick somebody." They sat up in the stands, looking down at the field after was, in James' honest opinion, a rather miserable excuse for Quidditch tryouts. Sirius and James still wore their practice clothes while Remus and Peter donned their uniforms, sans robes.

"What am I going to do?" James moaned.

"What about Chris Levin? He maneuvered his way around the bludgers better than I expected," Peter noted. "He could be a good choice. Fifth year, as well. At least you'd know the team would have some good players left after you lot graduate and McGonagall loses the best team she's had in years."

"He'd make a better Beater," Remus said. "He's not quick enough to be a Seeker."

"Regina's quite quick," Sirius suggested.

"She's too good of a Chaser," James shot him down. "I need her out there with me."

They all lapsed into silence, recalling all of the new and returning players. Remus pulled a handful of sugar mice out of his pocket, passing them around to the rest of the Marauders.

"I'm not sure if I should be thankful or afraid," Peter commented as he eyed the charmed candy scurry around his palm. "Are you trying to warn me ahead of time about what's going to happen on the next full moon?"

Remus rolled his eyes.

"You're a rat, Pete. This is a mouse."

"Too close for comfort," Peter mumbled under his breath.

"Do you not want it, Wormtail? Because I'll have it back and eat it myself." Remus made a grab for it, but Peter pulled away from his grip and took a bite out of the sugar.

"Why not just make Marley the Seeker?" he asked in between nibbles. James and Sirius' heads whipped around to look at him. "What? You've seen how fast she is. James said Levin would make a good Beater. Why not just have him take her place?"

"Merlin, Pete!" James exclaimed, jumping to his feet and kissing Peter on the cheek soundly despite his loud protests. "Yes! Best idea, oh, Wormtail, you little genius."

His words came to a halt when he saw Sirius' face had fallen slightly.

"You're not going to be sore about this, are you?"

"It's fine," Sirius replied, but his voice said otherwise. "It's what's best for the team, right?"

"You know I wouldn't split you up if I didn't have to," James told him sympathetically. "I know she likes being Beater more than Seeker. It's what she tried out for. She hasn't even agreed to it, yet."

"She will," Sirius said roughly. He gathered up his protective gear and stood. "I'm headed back up, I need to shower."

"Padfoot," James weakly protested, but Sirius had already begun to make his way down the stands back to the ground. He sighed, turning to Peter and Remus. "I'm not wrong here, am I?"

"He's just having a rough go of it," said Remus. "Everything is changing."

"Of course it's changing," James' voice was snide as he stuffed his own gear into his bag. "It's our last year. We're about to be done with school, out in the real world where – might I add – everything is going to shite and we'll probably be the ones cleaning it up."

"I think that's part of the problem," Remus put his hand on James' shoulder, stopping his movement. "He's not going to stay mad about this, Prongs. He knows that Marlene will do a better job than anyone else you have lined up. But I think you should talk with him – it's strange not having you around as much." The conversation he and Lily had a few nights before resonated in the back of his head, but he held his tongue. The last thing he needed to do was give James fuel for a fight by telling him Sirius had been making his dislike for Lily so apparent.

"Sirius can solve his own emotional issues," said James after a moment of taking in what Remus said. "If he has a problem with me, he can come out with it on his own."

"C'mon, Prongs," Peter joined in. "Sirius would never become Head Boy but – in an alternate universe far away from here, where he had become Head Boy instead of you, you would feel the same way – "

"I would be happy for my friend!" James protested.

"Sirius is too, and you know it. But let's face it – you would feel left out. It's our last year, and you two had all sorts of plans in mind on how to go out with a bang."

"We can still do that. Just because I'm Head Boy doesn't mean I'm dead and given up on all forms of fun and debauchery."

"We know," Remus reassured him. "Sirius does, too. But you've been busy and the only time we've gotten up to anything was the last full moon. Considering how often we did before you became Head…"

"Alright," James conceded, holding up his hands in defeat. "I get it, I do. Bloody hell, I thought you said I wasn't wrong here. What am I getting a lecture for?"

"Not lecturing," Peter said while picking up his school bag.

"Just making a suggestion," Remus finished for him.

James grunted in acknowledgment, looking out at the pitch one last time before starting down the steps, followed by Remus and Peter. After he cleaned up he would have to search the Map for Marlene.

"What's got your wand in a knot, then?" Marlene plopped down next to Sirius in the common room. Sirius looked away from the fire at the sound of her voice. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail, loose bits frizzing out all over the place. His mood lifted slightly in her presence, but only to return when he thought of her new position on the team.

"You talked to our Captain yet?"

"James? No, I haven't seen him since tryouts earlier. I didn't see him at dinner," she answered. "What, did he kick you off the team or something? He'll be right sorry about that, if he did. He'll certainly have some new, interesting bludger-shaped bruises, anyway." Sirius smiled lightly at that, and Marlene nudged his arm and scooted closer to him.

"He's got his eye on a new Seeker."

"I hope it's someone good, because we are not losing the Cup our last year. Who's he gotten?" Sirius just stared at her in answer. "That bad? Oh, Merlin."

"No, idiot, it's you."

Her eyes widened considerably, nearly bugging out of her head. Sirius would have laughed if he didn't absolutely detest the thought of learning to be partners with Levin instead of Marlene.

"You're joking."

"I'm Sirius," he said, although the pun lacked the humor he normally delivered it with. She punched his arm. "You walked into that one, Mar."

"He hasn't said anything to me," she told him, confused.

"Head duties, I reckon," He rolled his eyes. "All he ever has time for these days."

"Maybe he changed his mind?"

"He won't," Sirius sighed. "You are the best one for the position, as of now."

"Well, gee, thanks," she scoffed.

"No, you're great, Marlene," Sirius corrected. "It's just… now I have to train with Levin, who has never been on the team before and – "

"That's what you're upset about? That we won't be a team anymore?" She gasped, grabbing his arm and hugging it to her chest while laying her head on his shoulder. "Sirius Black, admitting to missing a woman in his life? Oh, how so many girls would kill to be me!"

"Bugger off," he tried to sound annoyed, but her dramatics made him grin through it. She didn't release his arm or move her head, though, and Sirius found himself sinking into her. He didn't… cuddle, generally. He hated clingy girls, but Marley wasn't one of them. She was one of his mates, same as the Marauders. He refused to acknowledge the way he felt more comforted by her touch than he would be by theirs, however.

"I'll miss us too," she squeezed his arm in reassurance. "But we're still on the same team."

"I know, I know." Sirius looked back to the fire, but Marlene grabbed him by the jaw and forced him to look at her.

"And if you let one single bludger hit me, I will hold it against you for the rest of your life, just so you know."

"If you get hit by a bludger, it's your own bloody fault. A Seeker has never been hit one time since I've been on the team."

"Since we've been on the team. Now you've got Levin to hold you back." She regretted the joked when she saw the way the small grin on his face fell. "I'm only joking, Black. Levin's quite good – he was one of the best out there today."

He nodded in agreement, but the smile didn't return.

Sirius had the ability to look so graceful and stoic when he was moping, Marlene thought. He was no doubt one of the most handsome, if not the most handsome boy in the school. Some of the younger girls would even flock about the locker room after Quidditch matches, hoping to catch a glimpse of him (or James) shirtless – they were absolutely entranced by the intense concentration that transformed him during the game; she had once overheard one girl telling her friends that Sirius looked his best when he was out on the field, ready to take on the world. Marlene knew better, though; Sirius was at his most beautiful when he laughed, a grin that reached his eyes and lit up his whole face with happiness. She figured Sirius would agree, if they could ever talk about that sort of thing without it being a massive joke – she doubted he would ever think the traditional Black stoicism looked good on him.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade anytime soon?" she asked, if only to bring herself out of her spiraling thoughts on Sirius' good looks.

"Asking me out, McKinnon? I'm charmed." There was that smug grin she missed.

"Shove it." He yelped when she flicked his ear hard. "You know what I mean. My sweet stash from last year's run out, and I'm not patient enough to wait all the way until the first weekend."

"A favor, then." He pulled his arm out of grasp before flinging it around her shoulders. "And what do I get out of this?"

"I won't tell literally everyone in the entire school that you wore a dress for three whole hours at the Potter's Christmas Party two years ago."

"Marley!" Sirius screeched, before lowering his voice. "I lost a bet! How was I supposed to know James really could chug Firewhiskey for fifteen seconds?"

"We know that, but no one else does."

"Fine, I'll get you your candy. But you're a right wench, I don't know why I put up with you."

"I'm quite good looking."

"I had noticed that, yeah."

They sat grinning at each other, Sirius' arm still over her shoulders, until another voice calling for Marlene made them break their gaze. Sirius stood when he saw a certain redhead walking towards them.

"That's my cue to leave," he told her. "Got to inform the Captain we now officially have a new Seeker."

She waved him off, watching him until he exited the portrait hole. Lily took his place beside her.

"You look happy," she said to Marlene.

"Yeah," she answered. "Just talking Quidditch. Apparently I've got a new position."

Lily squealed, congratulating her on becoming Seeker – it was nice, for someone to be excited after Sirius had been so bummed about it. Without him beside her, however, she could admit it disappointed her a little, too. She would miss being so in sync with him on the field.

But she didn't tell Lily that.

Lily sat in her nightclothes, a t-shirt and shorts, at the table in the Heads' common room, working on an essay for Muggle Studies. Although there wasn't much she didn't know about the muggle world, at least from a wizard's perspective, she thought it would be interesting to take the class to do just that – see her world from the wizarding world's perspective. She was surprised to find that she had actually learned more than she expected to; the class covered muggle-wizard relations as well as the mundane things (or so she thought) about the muggle world. That was something she actually hadn't known very much about; it wasn't mentioned in many history books of the wizarding world. She was also surprised to find James Potter taking the class – he came from a well-known Pureblood family; there was really no reason for him to know about that world, or so she had thought.

"Studying hard, Evans?"

She jumped at the sound of James' voice just behind her chair. Had she summoned him just by thinking about him? Looking up, she saw his lopsided grin lighting up his face before he sat down in the chair next to hers.

"Just starting on the essay for Muggle Studies," she gestured to the parchment in front of her. "Have you started?"

"I have, actually," he answered, surprising her. "I started it in Potions yesterday."

"Instead of paying attention to the actual subject at hand?"

"Slughorn just can't hold my attention, I'm sorry," James laughed. "I think it might be his robes. Or maybe his face. Either way, he just puts me off."

She had to chuckle at that.

"I'll admit, his robes can be quite unsightly." She put her quill down and turned to him. "What's your essay about?"

"Trying to copy off of me?" he asked cheekily. She glared at him. "Only joking, of course, Evans. I know you would never cheat off of anyone, ever. I'm actually…" he cleared his throat. "Er, I'm actually writing about my grandfather and his role in muggle-wizard relations during World War I."

"I didn't realize your family had history with the Ministry."

"Yeah. Henry Potter – that was my grandfather – he served on the Wizengamot during World War I," James explained, sounding almost shy when talking about his family.

"Wow. It must be so interesting, having your family history go so far back in the wizarding world," Lily said honestly. She had read about much of their world's history, but to have family that had actually lived it – well, that was something she would never have.

"It has its downsides, but yeah, my Granddad Harry was a pretty good guy, from what I understand." Lily frowned.

"You never met him?" James shook his head.

"He passed before I was born. My parents had me late in life… they didn't even think they could have kids until I came along."

"Miracle child?" She joked.

"Well, of course," he grinned at her, "Couldn't you tell before? I quite thought everyone around here thought I was a miracle to mankind." She shook her head at him.

"So, what exactly did your Granddad do during the war?"

"Well, the Minister at the time – "

"Archer Evermonde?"

"That's the one," he confirmed, then shook his head. "Only you would know that, Evans." She swatted at his arm, but he pulled away after her first hit landed. "Hey!"

"History is important, you know," she scolded.

"I know, Merlin, what are we talking about right now? Anyway, Evermonde forbade the magic community from helping muggles during the war. Some might've said he did it to protect wizards and witches – our magic doesn't work well with muggle artifacts, as you probably already know. At least not without figuring out how the two can work together, first." He ran a hand through his hair. "With the weapons the muggle world had developed then, you can see how this might pose a problem. Wizards don't know how to defend themselves from that sort of thing."

"You should see what they've got now," Lily warned. "Makes what they had then seem pale in comparison." James shuddered.

"Muggle innovation has always impressed me – and scared me a little, if I'm honest. But anyway, my Granddad was outraged. He knew these people needed help. Even if they weren't wizards, thousands were dying and he thought if wizards could help, they should. We're all human. He publicly condemned Evermonde for being such a prat, which was highly controversial, obviously. Issues of blood purity were prevalent, even then. A lot of people thought that helping muggles was beneath them."

Anger simmered in Lily's gut at the thought – it came to a boil when she thought of how many wizards and witches today, some even her classmates, probably still felt that way. James placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking. It's not so different now, is it?" His hand slid from her shoulder back into his lap. "I guess that's why I look up to him so much, why I wrote the essay about him. He stood up for what was right, what he believed in. I will, too."

The words cooled her anger almost instantly, replaced with a quiet affection for the boy in front of her.

"Thank you," she said quietly, sincerely.

"What for?" He looked confused.

"For… well, you know. Not everyone is so outspoken about blood equality, and with you being a Pureblood I'm sure – " James scoffed at the word, interrupting her.

"'Pureblood'," he spat, like the word tasted disgusting in his mouth. "Any family who defines themselves by that term is filthy. You know how families like that stay Pureblooded? Generations of arranged marriages and inbreeding, and where does it get them? They produce more squibs than muggles do, yet they think they're better than everyone else. Fuck their 'Sacred 28' bullshit."

"Sacred 28?" Lily asked. She had never heard the term. James rolled his eyes so hard she worried they would roll right out of his eye sockets.

"Some list Pureblood fanatics made years ago," he explained. "It's a list of the longest-running Pureblood families to date. Most of the families who made the cut wear it like a badge of honor; for the most part, it's really just a list of who you know to avoid."

"It's still legitimately recognized?"

"With the amount of Pureblood fanatics still around? You bet. Sirius' family probably has the damn thing framed on a pedestal at Grimmauld Place." Lily had to admit she was intrigued at the mention of Sirius' family; as a muggleborn, she didn't really know much about the known Pureblood families or what their culture entailed. She certainly hadn't thought that Sirius had come from a family like the one James seemed to be describing.

"Black's family is on the list?" James looked at her incredulously, surprised she didn't know, but then shook his head as if to clear it.

"Sorry," he said. "I forget that you don't know a lot of this type of history. Yeah, the Blacks are probably one of the most notoriously ancient, closed-minded families of the bunch. Sirius was the first in his family to not be sorted into Slytherin. And the Sorting Hat didn't even think twice about it."

The statement made Lily begin to wonder who Sirius Black really was.

"I take it that didn't go over well," she prompted, silently hoping James would reveal more.

"Yeah, he actually – " James voice broke, as if he was thinking back on something horrible. "They kicked him out over the summer. And he and his brother don't get on…"

"I didn't even know he had a brother," Lily said before backtracking. "That must have been awful, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for me." James' voice was gruff.

"I know, but he's your friend, and it can't be easy to see him go through something like that. He's staying with you, I'm guessing?" James nodded an affirmation, then cleared his throat.

"Heavy small talk, eh?" he joked, but it fell flat.

"Seems a lot of conversations head in that direction these days," Lily agreed. James grabbed her elbow gently, his callouses tickling against her skin.

"There are a lot of tossers in our world," James began, "and I'm sorry for that. You get blessed with these powers, thrown into this world that you don't know anything about, and there are people who would punish you for that. It's mindless and stupid, but people will do it anyway. Just know that I – me, my mates – we aren't those tossers. And we're going to do what we can about all of this mess when we get out of here."

Lily's eyes misted over, and she swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. She would not cry in front of James Potter. Even if he was being extremely genuine and heartfelt and wonderful.

"Well, if you think you're doing it alone, you're crazy," she told him, her voice watery. He smiled, squeezing her elbow.

"I never had a doubt, Evans. I'm sure you'll be right there next to us." His hand dropped from elbow and he stood, stretching his arms behind his head. Lily looked away from his elongated torso, not wanting to get sucked in like she had before. "I'll let you get back to your essay."

He walked over to his staircase. His foot touched the bottom step when he turned to look back at her one last time.

"G'night, Evans."

"Goodnight, James."

His lips ticked upwards when she used his first name, before turning again and making his way up to bed.

Lily looked back down at the parchment, forcing herself to read the words she had already written. She refused to linger on why a small part of her hoped that James' smile had stayed on his face until he went to sleep.

Author's Note: This chapter is way longer than the first one. I don't know if this is the new standard for chapters in this story, but we'll find out. Also, if you have a problem with teens drinking, smoking and having sex in this story - reality check. Teens have done these things for years in the past, are doing them now, and will continue to do so in the future. Don't read it if you don't like it. On a better note, a new update will hopefully be coming within the next week or so. Thanks for reading!