Authors note: I don't own anything. Sorry about how short it is but another one is coming in a couple of hours ;)

Chapter 3 – A new school year

Lily talked to professor McGonagall the following morning about her new timetable. Because she was so unsure about what she would do in the future she decided to take Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark arts, Herbology and Arithmancy. She set off with Mary, Emma and Alice to Charms for her first period. They started something new in all of Lily's classes that day and got a lot of homework so first thing after lunch Lily said goodbye to her friends who were off to Care of Magical Creatures and set off for the Library herself.

The next day was just as uneventful as the last until she set off to the Dungeons for her double Potions period with Professor Slughorn.

"Lily! How good it is to see you dear! Had a good summer?" Slughorn came to her as she walked through the classroom door.

"Yeah, very relaxing." Lily said smiling.

"I am going to have a party next week, you will be there won't you?"

"Sure"

"I wouldn't want to miss my favourite potions student! Such talent!"

Lily smiled and sat down.

"Suck up!" Mary whispered in her ear.

"What would you have done?" Lily asked amused.

Because of her successful draught of living death Slughorn gave her no homework for the weekend so she took it easy, by taking walks and reading most of the weekend. On Monday afternoon she had her first Arithmancy lesson of the year, although she loved the subject she was afraid she would get lonely this year. Last year Dorothy, a Ravenclaw girl, had been in the class with her but she had dropped the subject. Lily sat down alone and took out her books. To her surprise someone sat down beside her, looking up she saw it was Lupin.

"Hey Evans, I heard Dorothy dropped the class, so did James and Sirius. Isn't it alright that I sit here?"

"Sure, and please call me Lily."

"Lily then, Remus at your service!" He said and bowed smiling.

"With Potter and Black gone, the class will be much quieter. They hardly got any work done last year! Did they fail the O.W.L?" Lily said, her spirit rising by the idea.

"No, actually they both got Outstanding." Remus said grinning.

"No, seriously? Why would they drop the subject then?" Lily asked amazed.

"Wanted more free time, and they've already decided what they're going to do in the future so they dropped everything that they don't need."

"What if they change their minds?"

"You sound just like me when I was trying to convince them to keep at least one subject they don't need to become aurors." Remus laughed but Lily's stomach sunk a little.

"They are thinking of becoming aurors?" She asked

"They have decided to become aurors. It's becoming popular, especially after the ministry said there weren't enough of them."

"Yeah, at least a lot of us Gryffindors. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Well I'd like to be an auror, but I'm not sure all doors are open to me."

"What do you mean? You're a prefect! You've got really good marks, you are smart, what is to stop you from becoming an auror?"

"What are you thinking of becoming?" Lupin asked, and Lily noticed that this was a change of subject but she didn't push it.

"I don't know, I don't want to just take the same path as everyone else, but then again I'm so mad at you-know-who, how he takes families apart and attacks people like my parents just for being what they are. I feel like I have to protect them." Remus opened his mouth to say something but at that moment Professor Vector started the class and they both directed their attention to him.

In the following weeks Lily and Remus always studied together in Arithmancy and often joined each other in the Library. They fast became good friends.