A/ N: Thanks for reading; I tried to get this chapter out as fast as I could. Please review, because it really helps.

Disclaimer: No, I am not on a holiday in Hawaii, so I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling on the other hand, does.


'Where did you put my hair tongs!'
'You have hair tongs?!'
'Yeah! Now tell me where they are!'

It was the usual morning routine in Lily's cabin. Everyone was shouting and yelling in a desperate rush to make it to breakfast.

'Mary! You've been in the shower for half an hour!' Lily called, tapping her foot impatiently.
'I'm entitled to take as long as I like,' Mary's muffled voice called back defiantly.
'Make way, midgets!' announced Holly, striding past Lily and with one flick of her wand, she unlocked the shower door.

Mary squealed and ducked under her towel. Lily laughed inwardly. Holly could solve any situation, just maybe not in the most civilized fashion.

'You pervert, Holly!' squeaked Mary.
Holly ignored her and looked into the shower. 'Mary, did you even turn the water on?'
Mary looked down at her feet. 'Yes.'

It was Lily's turn to walk in.

'Lair!' she announced, holding up a copy of Witch Weekly.
'Where's Alice?' asked Mary.
'Don't change the subject, Mar,' called Lizzie from her bed.
'No, really, where is she?' said Mary, looking around the dorm.

She was right. In all the fuss, Alice had finished getting changed and had gone down for breakfast. Lily sighed, and headed down the staircase herself.

In the Great Hall, the food was as good as ever. The Gryffindor table was relatively empty, except for Alice and a couple of third years.

'Hey, Alice,' Lily yawned, sitting down on the seat next to her.

The others girls filed around her, so that there were two girls on either side of Lily. She glanced over to the Slytherin table, but saw that Severus' seat was empty. Despite everything, her stomach twinged with disappointment. Alice spotted Lily staring, and gently held her by the shoulders, turning her back around.

'He's not worth it,' Alice said softly, so that the others wouldn't hear.

Lily sighed. She knew he wasn't, but he had been the first friend she had made in the wizarding world, and she couldn't let go that easily.

'Helloooooo, ladies!' said a booming voice from the far end of the hall.

Lily grimaced. It was the marauders grand entrance. Half the girl population giggled, and Holly idly twirled her hair with her fork. Sirius grinned, clearly pleased with the effect he had made. Lily turned her head away, so that her hair shielded her face.
The boys made their way to the table and plopped down next to Lily and her friends. James gave a feeble attempt at a good-natured grin. The four girls glared daggers at him and shuffled protectively around Lily.

'Bloody idiot,' muttered Lizzie.

Lily reached for the marmalade, but ended up clashing against James' fingers instead.

He spread his arms wide. 'Ladies first.'

Lily glared at him and took the honey instead. She was surprised that stupid broom could hold James up with that fat head of his.

'Lily, you're mutilating your toast,' said Holly serenely.

'Hey, Holly, Sirius is waiting for you!' said Lily, pointing to the doorway.

Holly turned around, but then looked back disappointedly. Lily laughed unkindly.

Holly looked hurt. 'What's up, Lily? Why're you being like this?'

Lily put on a grin. 'Nothing. Everything's bloody brilliant!' And with that, she strode out of the hall.

Lily pushed past the crowds and began along a deserted corridor. She blindly walked through the castle, taking every secret passage way she knew, determined not to be caught up with. Her head was filled with rage. She hated James. She hated him. She hadn't meant to hurt Holly, he just made her so angry. Suddenly Lily let out a small gasp as she missed a step at the top of the staircase behind the tapestry of Greg the Gorgy, and went tumbling down the set of stairs.

'Ouch,' she murmured distractedly.

Lily lifted her fingers to her scalp and they came away sticky with blood. She lay there, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn't seem to move. Not matter how much she tried, her legs wouldn't lift her. No one will find me, Lily thought numbly. No one but me knows this passage way except me. Well, maybe the marauders do. Hot tears flowed down Lily's face. It wasn't from pain. Well, it was, but not from the physical pain of falling down the stairs.


James watched as Lily strode out of the hall, not being able to mask the longing on his face.

'Slick,' said Sirius, laughing.

'Sod off,' muttered James.

'Yeah, Sirius. Don't be mean to James,' piped up Peter.

Both boys looked at Peter.

'Just no,' they said in unison.

Remus sighed, and James made a mental note to find Lily after breakfast.

'Hey Jamsie!' said Peter a moment later. 'Read this?'

James looked at the mangled Daily Prophet the Peter was holding up.

'You read all this?' said James incredulously.

Peter didn't seem fazed. 'No!' he said. 'But I read the big letters!'

Remus leaned over James shoulder. A frown line appeared on his forehead and he removed the paper from James' hands.

' "Jason Longbottom declared missing",' Moony read aloud. 'That's Frank's dad!'

'I'd wondered where Frank had gone,' said Sirius, looking concerned, and that's a first since Sirius is… well, Sirius.

Frank shared the dormitory with the four boys, and though he had not wanted to be part of their group, James still considered him a friend. Then James smiled to himself, thinking of the time Frank had muttered Lily's friend Alice's name in his sleep. Lily.

'I've got to... er… the bathroom,' said James, feeling Remus' suspicious gaze.

Not waiting for questions, James walked briskly out of the Great Hall, and began his search. Where would she go? James thought to himself. His first thought would be the girls dormitory, a place to boy would be able to follow her, but he decided to check the corridors along the way too. Lily, Lily, Lily. He could never stop thinking about her.

James finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and muttered the password Vajda Tuna only to meet Alice on her way out.

'She's not in there, I checked,' said Alice.

James might have been inclined to believe she was misleading him, but in seeing her deadly serious, mingled with worried expression, he knew she was telling the truth.
This called for a search of the castle.
Alice and James spilt up. James had expected Lily to try and hide from him, but from Alice? He shook his head. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get Lily expression as she left the hall out of his face. It was pure loathing.

After about an hour of searching, James and Alice found each other along the seventh floor corridor.

'I couldn't find her,' James and Alice began at the same time.

Alice looked down. 'I don't know, but I have this feeling in my stomach, and it's just…' She trailed off.

James chewed his lip. The only place he hadn't checked was the secret staircase behind the tapestry of Greg the Gorgy, but surely Lily didn't know about that. Then his lip curved into a smile. There had been many a time when he thought Lily would make a great marauder.

'I'll be back in a sec,' he told Alice, and without waiting for a reply, he headed off to the fifth floor.

Eventually he reached it. At first James couldn't see her anywhere, but then he let out a small whimper as he Lily's limp body at the bottom of the stair case. He ran down, and almost stumbled in his haste to get to the slight figure at the bottom.
Lily's forehead was oozing blood, but she was breathing, and her heart was beating at a steady pace. James sighed with relief.

'Episkey,' he murmured, repeating the spell three times for a better effect.

The blood flow slowed to a dull trickle. Then Lily's breathing turned to dry choking sounds. James heart stopped.

'Alice!' he cried out, the way he had forbade himself to do so when he was a child. Gryffindor's didn't cry out in fear. But this time he couldn't help himself.

Alice pushed past the tapestry. 'How did you know that I'd follow y– oh my…'

Alice rushed to her friends crumpled figure, and although James found himself wanting to cling onto Lily's limp form, he let Alice take her out of his arms.
Then Alice began to cry. Slowly, but surely she wept.

'She might have been do- down her for- forever,' Alice said, hiccupping slightly. Then as an afterthought, Alice raised her wand and murmured, 'Anapneo.'

Lily's breathing steadied, and lost its rasping sound.

'Let's get her to the hospital wing.'