Disclaimer: The magnificent J.K. Rowling, without whom I would not be here writing this as I am, created the characters and world behind this.

Author's Note: Hey y'all. Okay scratch that, I don't say y'all, but you get the point; hello readers. Thanks for being awesome as always and I know I suck about updating new chapters, but hey it could be worse! I know it's not Sunday as I hoped but at least it's here. Have fun reading

~Julia

(Lily's POV)

"Remus, here's a schedule for you. Would you mind sharing this with the others?" Lily handed her fellow prefect a quickly written out patrol schedule before getting up to hand out 3 more schedules among the other houses.

Remus, placing his teacup on the table, replied, "Yeah, it's no problem." Lily was reminded of last year, Remus and Lily working together as Prefects. She was sure that he would have been Head Boy this year, but then of course there is his furry little problem, as he called it, to worry about.

Lily handed out the schedules to the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw 7th year Prefects. When she gave Ella the schedule, Lily could practically see the giddiness radiating off of her. So I guess this whole matchmaking thing would be easier than it looked.

Then, despite the fact that she really did not want to, Lily walked over to the Slytherin table. It only took her a few seconds to locate Severus, who was sitting with his friends; he was shifted slightly away from them, though, as if he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Almost immediately, several students were sneering at Lily, a look of disgust upon their faces. Lily happened to notice a few of the students who had "confronted" her, however they were very occupied in picking their food. Yaxley was the only one stupid enough to say anything to Lily. "What the hell do you want, mudblood? Here to deliver a message from that boyfriend Potter of yours?"

Lily, used to this type of treatment, merely rolled her eyes, "Thanks for that, but no," turning to Sev, "This is the patrol schedule for Prefects. Could you show this to the other Slytherin Prefects? If they have any problems with it, they can talk to James or I about it." The only response Sev gave to Lily was a minor nod.

Yaxley, on the other hand, grunted in disgust, mumbling of what Lily detected were the words mudblood and die in a hole. The only thing that shut him up was when his toast accidentally fell out of his hands and somehow smacked him across the face; Lily had no idea how such a thing could've happened.

As Lily was returning to the table, settling in next to Emmeline and Alice. She was just about to take a bite from her exceptionally delicious looking muffin when Sirius came barreling into the Great Hall. By the time he reached them, he was panting like he'd just ran a marathon without stopping, gulping for air.

Once his breathing was under control, he leaned over to whisper something in Remus' ear. After a few seconds, Remus' eyes, which usually held a calm steadiness, were now wide-open in shock; whatever Sirius had told him obviously sparked some anxiety in him. In a matter of milliseconds, Remus was out of his seat and walking towards the doors and Sirius was only a stride or two behind him, Peter following up the rear. The whole scene couldn't have lasted more than 30 seconds, but the Great Hall caught on that something was off; a quiet wave passed over all of the students.

Lily sat still as her friends around her continued wherever they had left off in their conversation like nothing had just happened. She was still trying to figure out was going on when one thought hit her. Where is James? Something was wrong and it had to do with him.

Without waiting until Alice had finished talking, Lily blatantly said, "James isn't here."

The three girls looked at her like they were waiting for her to finish speaking. Emmeline spoke up, "Yes Lily we know, but why does that matter? I know you have a crush on the boy but you're acting like it is a world crisis."

Marlene went to say something but Lily cut her off, "No, you don't understand, James wasn't here when Sirius ran in, which then led to Peter and Remus storming off like it was an emergency. I am just worried that…"

"Listen Lils, the worst it could've been was some Marauders prank gone wrong," Alice laid a hand on Lily's arm and continued, "Everything is fine, trust me. If James was really in any trouble, Sirius would've told you what was going on, okay?"

Lily thought about it again. Alice had a point, if anything was really wrong, the boys would have told her. Alice was right, it was probably just a stupid prank that went wrong and they were just saving their butts from expulsion.

Marlene, deciding to completely change the subject said, "Can we please talk about how hot Sirius has gotten this year?"

"Mar, he's always been hot. Why do you think Mary has been in love with him since she came to Hogwarts?" Emmeline and Mary MacDonald were cousins, Mary being a year younger than them, and she was completely crazed when it came to Sirius Black.

Alice giggled, "Remember the first time Mary saw Sirius? It was like Lily the first she made a perfect potion."

Lily sternly glared at Alice, "It wasn't that excessive." When the three girls gave Lily a stern glare, she said, "Okay, maybe I did get a bit excited, but that potion was really hard!"

The four girls burst out laughing. Any traces of worry in Lily's mind were almost diminished, however a slight candle of doubt still flickered in and out of Lily's thoughts.

Walking into Professor McGonagall's office with another student was intimidating enough, but knocking on the giant doors when your second half of your job was absent was not the most settling thought.

It's not like McGonagall was scary, but she and her position were both extremely intimidating. In some ways, Lily thought that Dumbledore was easier to talk to and generally be around than McGonagall.

"Come in," a voice came from the other side of the door, very easily distinguished as McGonagall's.

Lily entered the office, closing the door behind her. She looked up and saw McGonagall staring up behind her glasses from her desk. "You wanted to see me Professor?"

"Yes. As your House Headmistress and you being Head Girl, any scheduling or concerns you have should go through me. I hope you and Potter finished scheduling the first month of patrols?"

Handing McGonagall a copy of the schedule Lily said, "Yes, and we have already handed them out to the other Houses' Prefects. No one had a problem with how it's sorted out so far."

The professor slightly nodded her head, "Very good. How have your classes been so far? Are you enjoying your subjects? I saw earlier that you have almost every period filled with a class.

These types of conversations were the ones that made Lily like her teachers; teachers who genuinely cared about their students were the best ones. "Yeah I am, thank you for asking. They are all wonderful. Even though there have only been two days of classes so far, I can tell I am really going to enjoy all of my subjects this year."

McGonagall had a smile on her face, "Well I am so glad that you have achieved so much while you have been here at Hogwarts. I always knew you would be one of the brightest."

Lily usually hated getting compliments from teachers, but McGonagall said it in a way that didn't make Lily feel like she was just a student in her eyes, but as if she was an adult wizard who was respected. "Thank you so much, Professor."

Standing up behind her desk, McGonagall replied, "It is true, and you really have come a long way. Well, I mustn't keep you longer, you are free to go."

Before she could go, Lily had to ask one question, "Professor, I know this may seem odd, but by any chance do you know where James has found himself off to today? It's probably none of my business, but did Dumbledore call him to his office? I am only concerned because the last I saw him was this morning and then he didn't show up to breakfast, which halfway through Remus, Sirius and Peter bolted out of the Great Hall. I just didn't know if…" Lily slowly stopped speaking once she realized that she had been rambling.

McGonagall only smiled at Lily's worriedness, "Believe me, I'd rather you be concerned for him than hate him. However, I am afraid I have no idea where that boy is."

She was sure that's where he'd gone off to, that his father had some message or Dumbledore had to speak with him about who knows what. "Okay, thank you anyways. I better leave you to whatever important tasks you have."

"Oh, well between you and I, it's my husband and I's anniversary and he is planning a special dinner. Although I don't suppose it will be very edible, he's not the best cook," Seeing as Lily looked like she was intruding on information she didn't need to know, McGonagall changed the subject, "Yes, you better be off. Finishing that Transfiguration paper up that is due tomorrow, correct?" And the stern McGonagall was back.

Lily nodded, "It's already written, just have a few minor fixes to finish up with."

"Of course, I should have known you would have already done it. Well, I will see you in class tomorrow Miss Evans." Lily bowed her head slightly and headed towards the door. Just as she was opening it, McGonagall called out, "Oh, and I wouldn't worry too much about James if I were you. Those Potters know how to handle just about anything and James is probably the sturdiest one I have met."

"I won't. Have a nice evening, Professor. Enjoy your anniversary dinner."

Professor McGonagall smiled, "Oh, I will." As Lily walked out of her office, she could hear McGonagall humming, which sounded like an old waltz.

Lily, frustrated with her Charms paper, threw down her pen onto the floor. Not only were her first few days of classwork infuriating, she had been stuck with all the Head Student work for the day; James still hadn't been seen all day. There were rumors that he'd been in Hogsmeade getting drunk all day and knowing the Marauders that wasn't an unlikely situation, but James has some serious explaining to do.

Ten minutes after Lily's mini-explosion, James came stumbling in, laughter following up behind him; Sirius, Remus, and Peter came toppling through the door. The four boys were falling over each other, snorting at what was obviously only funny to them.

The second that they saw Lily staring at them they stopped laughing immediately, only Peter trailed off in a few giggles. As though he couldn't completely open his mouth James mumbled, "Heyevans, how're ya doin'?"

"Oh come on James, don't tease her," Remus thoughtfully slurred. "I am sorry if we are invading, we can leave if you want."

At least it was Remus speaking and not Sirius, "No it's fine, if you guys want to stay down here you can and I can go to my room…"

"Nonsense!" Sirius' voice boomed as he plopped himself down next to Lily, looping an arm around her shoulders. "Lily's cool enough to hang with us, right guys? James you don't mind, right?"

James' face instantly blossomed, a bright red spreading all across his cheeks and even reaching to his ears. "Oh well of course not, Lily and I are swell friends, why on earth would I care if she hung out with us? The more the merrier!" The words were spilling out of his mouth, most likely due to James being drunk. His usual calm demeanor had vanished, replaced by this nervous, out-of-character behavior. Lily had to smile to herself; it wasn't often that James ever stuttered a word, let alone complete sentences.

"Great! Lily dear, how would you like to try some of the famous Marauder Maniac Mix?" Sirius asked comically.

Lily had to cringe. Sirius was holding up a flask full of the foulest smelling liquid Lily had ever come across. Repulsed, Lily said while trying not to gag, "I think I'll pass, but thanks for the offer."

"Fine, more for me!" With that, Sirius tipped his head back, gulping down huge sips of the terribly smelling drink. Remus, Peter, and James sat down, forming a circle between the five of them on the ground.

After a while of them laughing and talking about who knows what, Lily finally said, "So is this really what the famous Marauders do for fun? Hang out and drink?"

Peter laughed, "Yeah, why? You jealous you aren't invited to these more often?"

"Honestly, I am a little unimpressed," Lily said. Remus fake gasped at Lily's statement and the group cracked up in laughter. "I just thought that you four spent your time in secret meetings, planning endless ways on how to make the teachers even more fed up with you. Now I learn that my assumptions of you all intensely planning every single step of a prank out have been a lie! You've got to say, that is some harsh news that was broken."

James piped in, "Evans, I hate to break it to you, but ninety-nine-percent of our shenanigans is completely on the spot improvised."

"My life is a lie!" Lily over-dramatically said.

Peter, lying flat on his back, was gasping for air, laughing so hard. Remus was leaning on Sirius, the two of them eyes closed and clutching at their sides. James, who was sitting next to Lily, had his hands resting in his lap and his shoulders were shaking as he laughed. Lily had to admit, she like this side of the Marauders; for so long, they all seemed so cold and cruel, always playing their pranks on people.

But the more Lily looked back on them all, she realized that whenever they did do something to one of their classmates, it often turned out that the victims were really bullying other students. Yeah, the boys' tactics were a bit extreme but she could see what they were trying to accomplish.

Remus was the only one who never went too crazy, if anything he reeled the boys in from stepping over a line. Then there was Peter who seemed to just be a follower of Sirius and James, but in reality he truly was one of them, contributing as much as the others. Sirius of course often seemed like the ringleader, always taking charge and was probably the most charismatic of the group. However, when comparing him to James, Lily realized that wasn't necessarily true. Yes, Sirius definitely had influence, but James clearly held leadership in the group. Just by being around them, it was obvious that James made the final decisions in the group.

Shaking herself from her own thoughts, Lily realized that it was almost one in the morning. Another thing, everyone had fallen asleep except James. He was walking over from the stairs, blankets in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. He placed his cup down on the mantel above the fireplace and dropped two of the three blankets on the couch, placing the one he held over Remus.

He went on to cover Sirius and Peter with the other two without speaking or even looking at Lily. When he finished, he picked up his tea and started to make his way to the couch, carefully walking through the mess of boys on the ground. Only when he was about to sit down did James realized Lily was still awake. He sat on the couch and Lily rose from the floor, sitting down next to him.

The two sat quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds being James sipping his tea and Lily uttering accio blanket. However, Lily couldn't stand the silence and she desperately wanted to ask James what she had wanted to know all day, "So, where were you? I take that you weren't in the library all day studying by that entrance you made earlier."

After finishing the last few swallows of his tea, he quietly murmured, "I got a letter this morning from my parents..." He trailed off quietly, unsure if he wanted to continue. James looked conflicted, pained that he had to choose whether or not he wanted to tell the whole truth. Just when Lily thought he wasn't going to go one, he blurted out suddenly, "My father was attacked last night."

So many thoughts were running through Lily's mind. Was he okay? Was his mother in danger? Who was behind the attack? James seemed to read Lily's thoughts and stated, "He's not severely hurt, it takes quite a lot to take out dad. My mother and him are at my house and aurors are guarding both in and outside of the house. Our floo networking has been temporarily cut off but you never know." He took a moment to compose himself, his voice sounded on the verge of breaking and his eyes were heavy with desperation and want for comfort. "There isn't an official report on who was behind this but it's not hard to guess."

"Death eaters." That was about all Lily could say, she herself felt like she was going to breakdown in tears, both from fear and anger, she could only guess how James was dealing with all of this. She could at least grasp the fundamentals of his current emotions, she had to deal with constantly being terrified of being attacked nowadays. What had been happening and what had happened to James' father was so immoral and all because some believed they were superior to those without "pure" blood.

All James could do was nod in response. The blissful person Lily had seen earlier was gone, replaced by this terrified boy. But despite his frightful demeanor, he also had a fearlessness to him, a strength that would get him through the dark times to come. Being James Potter he would definitely need it.

Silence settled between the two, words not being able to covey their thoughts and emotions running through them. So they sat in front of the fire, falling asleep curled into balls, Lily worried for the Potter's, and James trying to push away the coming tears that silenced him.