Gryffindor tower was silent that night. The girls were all asleep in their beds, except for Marley, who was asleep in Sirius' bed, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

Lily, who had struggled to get to sleep, was tossing and turning in her bed. She woke up suddenly, trying not to cry out. She got out of bed, and made her way to the boys dormitories.

She slipped into James' bed. She knew he'd read too much into it, and she didn't want to lead him on, but given the dream she'd just had, she needed comforting.

James stirred. "Lily?" he whispered, seeing nothing but a blur of red hair.

"Sorry," she replied. "I just..."

James made room for her. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me," James said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"It was awful James," Lily said, starting to cry again. "You were all dead. You and Marley and Sirius and..."

"It's ok," James said, stroking her hair. "It was just a dream. It's not real."

"But it could be," Lily whispered, her tears splashing onto James' bare chest. "We're all going into this war and we could die at any minute."

James closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "I know."

Lily realised something. "James, we've been back at Hogwarts for a day now and you haven't asked me out yet."

"I know. I'm not going to."

Lily couldn't explain the pain shooting through her at that moment. She knew that she didn't like James in that way. "Why?"

"I'm not going to push you, Lily. I've made it clear how I feel, and you've made it clear how you feel. I'm not going to annoy you by asking you out every five minutes when I know what the answer will be. I'd rather have you as a friend than push you away completely."

"Wow, that sounds kind of mature."

James laughed. "Whoever knew that I could be mature?"

"Will you two either snog or shut up?" Marley sounded grouchy.

Lily didn't want to close the door completely on her and James, so she kissed him on the cheek and said goodnight, before getting out of his bed and walking to the door.

"Stay."

She did as he said, and climbed back into his bed. They adopted a similar position to Sirius and Marley and fell asleep.


"Sirius, you're squeezing too tight," Marley muttered when she woke up in the morning.

He mumbled something incoherent in response. She tried to wriggle free but he just pulled her back. He left one arm around her waist and brushed her hair aside with his free hand, before kissing her on the shoulder.

"I'm never getting out of here, am I?" Marley said, sighing in defeat.

"No," Sirius muttered into her shoulder.

"Marley, get up, we're going to breakfast," Lily said, coming out of the bathroom.

"If I could, I would."

"Sirius, let go of Marley. I need her."

"No."

"Please Sirius?"

"No."

Marley giggled. Lily looked at her questioningly.

"I don't think he's ever said no to a girl before."

"I'm shocked that you'd think such a thing," Sirius said cheekily, finally opening his eyes and letting Marley go.

The two girls returned to their own dormitory and got dressed for breakfast. It was the weekend, and the previous day had been eventful.

"Lily," Marley began, once she'd had her coffee. "What were you doing in James' bed last night?"

"Oh," Lily blushed, a deep pink that clashed with her red hair. "Well I, er, had a bad dream, and er..."

Marley smirked. She knew Lily would never ever admit to liking James.

"He's a bit more grown up now, you know? He said to me yesterday that he didn't want me joining the Order because he wants to keep me safe."

"And so you jumped into his bed?" Marley teased.

"No! It wasn't like that!" Lily was getting flustered.

"Yeah yeah," Marley's smirk widened. "I would willingly bet all the money in my vault that you end up with James Potter before the end of the year."

"Don't be silly Marley."

"You were the one who went crawling into his bed in the middle of the night!"

"You spent the night in Potter's bed?"

The two girls turned around. Behind them stood Severus Snape, looking horrified.

"Sev," Lily greeted him coolly, before turning back to Marley and changing the subject.

Snape was gone before Marley said anything else. "You've been spending too much time with James. You never used to wind Snape up like that. In fact, if anyone mentioned anything about James ever you'd verbally abuse him like there's no tomorrow!"

Lily shrugged. "I suppose he's replaced Sev as my best friend now."

"So your best friend went from one creepy annoying bloke to another, less creepy but still annoying bloke? Cheers."

Lily smiled at Marley's dry humour. "You know what I mean. You and Alice and Mary are my best girl friends, and James is my best boy friend."

"James would love to be your actual boyfriend."

"Yes, well..."

"You're actually considering it, aren't you?" Marley said shrewdly.

"No! Well, maybe. No, of course I'm not!"

James and Sirius joined them for breakfast then.

"Finally awake then?" Marley asked Sirius cheekily.

"I don't appreciate you leaving my bed at a ridiculous time in the morning, McKinnon."

"Maybe if you didn't squeeze so hard I'd be more inclined to stay."

"Merlin, I don't need to know what you two get up to," James shuddered. "I'm already having trouble with the idea of my best friend and my cousin actually going out, let alone doing anything else."

"Potter," Snape was back. "A word."

"Sure Snivelly darling, anything for you." Sirius gave a bark of laughter at James' response.

"In private," Snape hissed.

"No. Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of my friends."

Marley was surprised that they hadn't tried to hex each other yet.

"Now." James rolled his eyes, and followed Snape out of the Great Hall.

"Maybe we should follow them, just in case," Lily said, looking worried.

"Wait thirty seconds first," Sirius said. "Give the little slime ball a chance."

In the Entrance Hall, Snape had stopped.

"What do you want?" James asked flatly, trying his best not to antagonise him.

"Leave her alone," Snape snarled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Lily. I know she spent the night in your bed. I overheard her and McKinnon talking."

"If Lily Evans wants to spend the night in my bed then she's perfectly entitled to," James said loudly, unable to stop himself. "And I'll be docking house points for listening to other people's private conversations."

"You don't deserve her," Snape spat.

"And you do?"

Snape didn't bother with his wand. He launched himself at James and knocked him to the floor.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, coming through the door, slightly under the thirty seconds that Sirius had advised.

"He started it!" James said, his nose bleeding.

"Liar," Snape hissed, clutching his left arm in pain.

Lily strode over to him, and yanked up his sleeve. There, plain as day, was the Dark Mark. She let go of his arm, horrified.

"Lily -" he began, but she cut him off.

"Get away from me," she hissed.

He did as he was told.

James' nose had finally stopped bleeding. "We should go and see Dumbledore and tell him about the Mark."

Lily nodded, and they left for the headmaster's office.

"Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked.

"Merlin yes," Marley grinned.


Several hours later, Sirius and Marley returned to the Gryffindor common room, Sirius carrying all of Marley's shopping, which James found highly amusing.

"Merlin, Padfoot, you're whipped aren't you?"

"Shut it, Prongs," Sirius said with a grin, dropping the bags in a pile on the floor.

"Oi, watch it, my new shoes are in there!" Marley said crossly.

"I don't get why you bought them Marls, you can't walk in them," Sirius said, flopping into a chair and pulling her down to sit on his lap.

"They're gorgeous, that's why I bought them."

"Doesn't change the fact that you can't walk in them."

"I have you to hold me up, idiot."

"You know, if you weren't sat on his lap, I'd say you've gone back to normal," Alice said cheekily.

Marley made to stand up, but Sirius grabbed her waist and pulled her back down. "No. You're not escaping from me twice in one day."

"I didn't escape earlier, Lily had a genuine emergency that I had to help with."

"Which was?"

"Gossip."

"I hadn't finished talking to you before James and Sirius interrupted," Lily said. "But this bit is for everyone really."

They all stared at her.

"Professor McGonagall says that the sixth and seventh years are having a Christmas ball."

"Excellent, a chance to wear my new shoes," Marley said, grinning.

"You're going to make me go with you, aren't you?" Sirius asked, slightly amused.

"Yep. I think you'd look hot in a suit."

"I'd rather wear a suit than dress robes."

"That's why I said suit," Marley said slyly. "Besides, it's easier to get off when I'm drunk."

"Ah, McKinnon, you know me too well."

"We have that prefects meeting," James reminded Lily and Remus, and they made to leave.

"I'll go and put my stuff away," Marley said, giving a meaningful look to Alice and Mary, and they helped her take it up to the girls' dormitory.

"Did she tell you?" Marley asked as soon as the door was closed.

"Yeah," Mary said.

"She definitely fancies James," Alice added. "She's just in denial."

"I told her this morning that I was willing to bet all the money in my vault that she'd get together with James by the end of the year," Marley said.

"You're that sure?"

"I'm so sure that I'd cheer for Gryffindor naked at their next Quidditch match."

"Oh McKinnon, I'd love to see that," Sirius said, appearing at the window.

"Oi! Stop listening to our conversations!"

"I thought you were talking about me, but this sounds much more interesting." Sirius climbed into the room.

"Do you have anything useful to add or are you just going to blackmail us all later?" Mary asked.

"I'm hurt that you'd think I'd blackmail you with this information, MacDonald. As it happens, I have a plan."

The girls waited for him to share it.

"I need to talk to Marley on her own first."

Alice and Mary left the room, looking suspicious.

"You don't have a plan at all, do you?" Marley laughed.

"Oh I do. The first bit involves shagging you senseless."

"It sounds like an excellent plan," Marley said, before Sirius bent down to kiss her.

He lifted her up, and carried her over to her bed, before laying her down and pulling the curtains around them.

"God McKinnon, why do you have to be so gorgeous?" Sirius muttered while he undressed her.

"Shut up and do me, Black."

Sirius slowed down, teasing her. He kissed her neck while letting her pull off his t shirt. He continued down her body, aiming only to please. Her fingers wove into his hair when he found the spot that she liked.

Her moans spurred him on, and as he surfaced for breath, his hands continued the work. She grabbed him and pulled him back towards her. He kissed her full on the lips, his tongue gently pushing its way in, and their hips moved in synchronisation.


"Are they still up there?" Lily, James and Remus had returned an hour after Alice and Mary had left the dormitory.

Peter nodded.

"How did Sirius get in there anyway?" Lily asked.

"The roof," Alice said.

"Shall we wait for them or just go down to dinner?"

"I think they've been munching on each other, if you catch my drift," James smirked.

"James! That's disgusting!" Lily looked appalled that he could think such a thing.

"And that image has put me right off my dinner," Remus said.

Shouts and moans drifted down the stairs.

"Please can we go?" Mary asked, and everyone that was left in the common room exited pretty quickly.

They'd been in the Great Hall for twenty minutes before Sirius and Marley joined them, feigning innocence.

"What took you so long?" James said, smirking.

"Marley's shoes," Sirius pointed at her feet. She was wearing leopard print platform shoes. "I had to carry her."

"At least I look great," Marley smiled smugly.

"You can't walk! And you're nearly as tall as me in them!"

"Well on the plus side I have a nice strong bloke to carry me around," Marley teased.

"You two after sex are absolutely unbearable," James said. "Please don't do it again. Ever."

"How did you know that's what we were doing?" Sirius asked, winking at Marley.

"We heard you, seven floors down," Mary said sullenly. "And you were up there for nearly an hour and a half."

"Well, time flies when you're having fun," Sirius said with a cheeky smile, and Marley kicked him under the table. "What? It was a compliment!"