I don't own Harry Potter blahblahblahblahblah

Rumours were flying around the castle by breakfast time the next morning about two newly-formed couples; Lily Evans and Benjy Fenwick, and Dorcas Meadowes and Remus Lupin. Dorcas had failed to tell Lily of her new romantic development until the two of them went down to breakfast in the Great Hall when a fourth year mentioned it in passing.

'You seemed so happy with your own "romantic development" that I didn't want to … you know, steal your thunder, or whatever,' Dorcas said nonchalantly as she slipped a Knut into the owl's leather pouch in exchange for the Daily Prophet. 'I didn't think it was that important anyway.'

Lily stared at her friend in confusion and exasperation. When it seemed that Dorcas was in fact serious, Lily shook her head and continued eating her porridge. 'So … how was it? Snogging Remus, I mean. Was he good?'

Dorcas shrugged. 'I don't really have any frame of reference,' she said. 'I suppose it was quite nice. A bit weird and sloppy at first, but it was okay.'

Lily blinked, again confused by her friend's calmness in response to the new development in her life. 'What do you mean, "no frame of reference"? Haven't you ever … kissed someone before? Never?'

Dorcas shook her head. 'Not a big deal, is it?'

Lily wasn't sure whether Dorcas meant that in reference to the fact that she had never kissed anyone before last night, or saying that kissing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She chose not to delve any further into this conversation and shook her head. 'No, not a big deal.'

They ate their breakfast in silence, apart from Dorcas sometimes remarking on something she read in the Prophet, until Hestia and Marlene appeared. Marlene was wincing at the loud chatter in the hall, and being guided to the table by Hestia as if she couldn't walk independently.

'Good morning, darlings – or am I still allowed to call you that now that you're both someone else's darlings?' Hestia greeted them cheerfully, plopping down beside Dorcas. Marlene, squinting, tentatively took the seat to Lily's left and reached for the toast. 'I'm afraid Mars Bar here has a bit of a headache, if you know what I mean and I'm sure youdo,' Hestia continued. 'Actually, Lil, your friend Severus stopped us on the way in here. He said he wanted to talk to you ASAP in the same place as the one you were supposed to meet him at yesterday.'

Lily's heart stopped. 'Shit. Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit. Shit,' she muttered, smacking her hand against her forehead. 'Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.'

She stood up from the table so quickly she accidentally knocked Marlene off her seat. Marlene was slow to rise from the floor and glowered at Lily as she did so. 'I've gotta go, guys,' Lily apologised. 'I was supposed to meet Sev yesterday but we had that party, he must have been there for – oh, Merlin, I have to go!'

And with that hurried explanation, Lily turned on her heels and sprinted outside. She cursed forgetfulness – both for last night and for leaving her coat in the Great Hall. It was bitter outside. There had been a mixture of snow and sleet the night previous and everything outside was slippery, which meant that Lily fell no less than four times before reaching Severus under the giant chestnut tree by the lake.

'Sev!' she cried, breathless, as she approached him. 'Sev, I'm so sorry! My friends threw me a party and with that and the prefect meeting, I completely forgot! I am so, so sorry! Honestly, I don't know how I could have been so stupid, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Are we okay?'

Severus looked down at her. 'No, Lily, we are not okay,' he grimaced. 'We haven't spoken in weeks and then when I actually make an effort to talk to you, you "forgot" and end up at a party, kissing that Fenwick of all people -'

'What's wrong with Benjy?' Lily interrupted, sensing another one of his rants coming on. 'And don't act like you were waiting for me to reach out to you when that's clearly what I was doing all along! Which one of us ignored the other when the other specifically saved them a seat on the train? Which one of us pretended not to be home when the other called around? Don't act like I'm the bad guy in that situation. I understand, of course, you being mad that I forgot about yesterday, but - no, let me finish – but you can't act all "holier than thou" because I slipped up one time. Especially when you've been nothing but a dick of late.'

Severus blinked. He said nothing for a while; he just stared at her with such hurt in his eyes that she wondered if she had said something even more offensive than she had meant it to be. 'Did you like your gift?' he asked eventually, in a voice so quiet she could barely hear him above the wind.

Lily felt a stab of guilt. Severus's gift remained where she had left it yesterday morning before darting off to class. It lay beneath the hairy green cardigan, unopened, untouched and out of her mind until just now.

Her prolonged silence told Severus what had happened.

'So what? You threw it in a corner and forgot about it? You're very forgetful recently, aren't you, Lily?' he cried. 'Do you wish you could forget me altogether and just exist happily, gallivanting around with your popular friends, and your popular boyfriend,' he spat, 'and popular Potter and his popular cronies -'

'I'm not even friends with Potter!' Lily exclaimed, insulted at the very idea that she could even tolerate that toerag. 'Where on earth did you get that idea?!'

'Oh please, you two in the Three Broomsticks last weekend?' Severus sneered. 'Sitting together, drinking, you laughing at all of his stupid jokes! Or at least, you used to think they were stupid. Do you agree with his dim-witted observations now, Lily? Has being friends with him rotted your brain that much?'

Lily was speechless. She couldn't for a moment believe that Severus, of all people, was accusing her of being friends with Potter. With Potter! How dare he? When he who, of all people, knew of her hatred for the boy, her disdain for just about anything he did! Friends with Potter. She scoffed.

'I spoke with him then because his friends were talking to my friends, and it was easier than sitting uncomfortably in silence for over an hour. Are you honestly angry about me politely laughing at someone's jokes? Sev, you're being ridiculous.'

Severus seemed to swell with rage. 'Me? Me being ridiculous? Lily, how don't you see that you're in the wrong here?! We haven't spoken for weeks – yes it is your fault! - and when I reach out, you go to a party and act like a slut – oh, please, Avery told me his cousin told him she'd seen you do a lot more than kissing in that corner! - and when I make an effort to get you a present I knew you'd love, you toss it in a corner and forget about it! And now you're friends with that imbecile!'

'For the last time, we are not friends!' Lily roared. 'I detest Potter and you know it! Not that it matters. And who is this cousin of Avery's? Because I am one hundred per cent sure he doesn't have any cousin in Gryffindor! Even if he did, there would be nothing to see, because I only kissed Benjy!'

Severus refused to say another word. He stood in the exact same position, as if petrified, outraged. Lily yelled at him a bit more for his stupidity before storming off back to the castle, where it was warm and no one was accusing her of befriending a toerag.

Lily spent the rest of the weekend fuming and there was nothing her friends or even Benjy could do about it, try as they might. Sunday came and went, with Lily still refusing to explain the cause of her wrath, and by Monday morning, her friends were almost too afraid to ask. Almost.

'If you tell us what's wrong, you'll feel better. A trouble shared is a trouble halved,' Hestia chimed as she took her place in the Potions room. She was shot a reproachful look and hastily changed the subject. 'Did anyone actually get that essay done? I only got about three quarters of it done. Twelve inches is just too much.'

'That's what she said,' Black slid into the bench adjacent. 'How's the German? What's his name again? Sebastian, right? Anyway, Lily I don't know what you did to Snivellus but he's just not the same old bubbly Snivellus we all know and love. Even a good-natured skull engorgement – not that he needs it – couldn't cheer him up.'

Lily simply glared at him and went back to leafing through her textbook. Black was joined by his friends, two of whom waved cheerfully at Lily. The other, who usually winked or requested Lily's hand in marriage, said nothing. He just sat down beside Black and began discussing quidditch strategies for the game at the weekend.

Professor Slughorn ambled in, squeezing down the aisle, muttering, "someone been moving these ruddy desks closer together". Lily suspected it might just have been an excess of crystallised pineapples. He took his place at the top of the classroom and began telling them about the Draught of Peace.

Lily found herself unable to pay attention for the second time in as many weeks, and chided herself for being surprised when the rest of the class stood up to begin brewing their potions. She hurriedly followed suit and was soon stirring an orange liquid in her cauldron.

'Perfect, as ever, Miss Evans,' Slughorn beamed as he drifted between desks. Dorcas, who was sweating over grey sludge, scowled. 'I have something for you, after class. I think you'd be very interesting – interested, I mean.'

Lily smiled back at him and went back to shaking more porcupine quills to add to her cauldron. Marlene and Hestia looked at each other knowingly and went back to trying not to set themselves ablaze, as a student in the year above had famously done with this same potion last year.

Slughorn announced that time was up some time later, and Lily poured her white potion into a phial to present to him. It seemed only she had managed to brew it correctly, as the rest of the class had a broad range of coloured potions. Ellie Hume had actually managed to make a tar-like substance that Slughorn chose to ignore. When he came to judge Lily's, his face lit up.

'Well, you've got the silvery-white colour,' he boomed, his moustache dancing. 'And the signature silver smoke. Now for the test … aha! Perfect, Lily! Top marks. Five points to Gryffindor for the most outstanding Draught of Peace I have ever seen

in any classroom. Bravo, Lily, bravo!'

Several students rolled their eyes. Peter did an exceptionally accurate impression behind Slughorn's back, sending his friends into fits of laughter and actually causing Remus to snort loudly. Slughorn ignored them and moved over to Dorcas. 'And what do we have here – oh my word! What in the name of Merlin have you done, girl?! This is abysmal at best! Oh dear, oh dear ...'

Slughorn continued to review everyone's potions until the class ended, at which point he beckoned to Lily to approach him. When all the other students had filed out of the class, Slughorn reached into his desk and rummaged around for a second or two, before re-emerging with a small wooden box. He presented this to her with a sort of pomp and pride, as if he was awarding her a Nobel Prize. Lily smiled, bemused, and opened it.

Inside, nestled in green tissue paper, was a fine golden chain, its small pendant in the shape of a fish, with glistening gems for scales, which changed colour when Lily gently took it out of the box. She looked up at Slughorn, wondering why on earth would he give her a necklace.

'I was speaking to Professor McGonagal after the conversation you and I had last week,' he began. 'She mentioned that you were extremely talented at transfiguration, and charms too. She said you were always the first to admire a bit of really well done magic, which I myself have noticed in you too.

I took a trip to Diagon Alley at the weekend, and happened to come across this little beauty in a stall there. The old man selling it kindly told me the fish scales have been bewitched to change in accordance to the holder or wearer's mood. For instance, the scales are currently orange, meaning you are … hang on, there's a booklet here somewhere … ah, yes. Orange means … stressed. Not about potions, I hope! Nothing to stress about, my dear, I have never seen a more talented witch when it comes to potions, and I doubt I ever will! Anyway, I thought the magic used was very clever, and I thought you would find it interesting.'

Lily was momentarily speechless. Surely it was inappropriate for a teacher to present a gift to a student, especially a gift worth as much as this one must have been. 'I couldn't take this, Professor,' she stammered. 'It's beautiful, and you're right – it's very interesting, but I couldn't possibly …'

'You can and you shall!' Slughorn boomed. He laughed heartily for a number of seconds before sobering up before her eyes and suddenly appearing very serious. 'My dear, I must sincerely apologise for the way I responded to your very valid suggestions last week,' he said sincerely. 'Naturally, as Head of House, it is not a pleasant thing to be told you are not doing your job correctly – no, you were absolutely right, my dear, don't apologise. I'm afraid I may have acted a bit rashly. I am so very sorry for not hearing you out that day.

But since then, I have looked into the matter, and you can rest assured that all of that behaviour has been put to a stop, and if I see any kind of rise in it again, there will be severe consequences, no matter the house of the student. I cannot even begin to express my admiration for you, for having the guts and the gall to approach a teacher and actually chastise him!' He threw his head back in laughter as Lily watched, completely bewildered.

'The nerve of you, girl! Very admirable, to stand up for one's beliefs. Never lose that, Lily. It is a wonderfully important quality, to be cherished and held onto.'

Slughorn was looking at Lily with such affection, she was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. She didn't know what exactly he wanted from her. It was not normal behaviour for a teacher to bestow an expensive necklace on a student and then to begin listing off admirable qualities he saw in her.

'You must think me strange, mustn't you?' Slughorn chuckled, seeming to read her mind. 'I admit, it is rather strange. Better not tell anyone about this fish. Might be seen as favouritism and where would I be then? Speaking of favouritism though, you have undoubtedly heard of my little club?'

Merlin's beard, Lily thought to herself while Slughorn promoted his club. Merlin's unkempt, scraggly beard. This is actually happening. What the hell am I supposed to say?!

'So, we're having a little get-together tonight, as it happens,' Slughorn said. 'Just a small supper, only a few of us there. Come along, why don't you? The people there are all extremely interesting, and I'm sure you'd make friends there that you might not get the chance to meet other wise.'

Lily didn't know what to say. Her body decided for her and she found herself nodding enthusiastically, saying, 'Yes, of course, Professor, I'd love to!'

'Fantastic!' Slughorn clapped his hands together in delight. 'My office at half past seven, then. I look forward to seeing you there.'

Lily smiled and nodded and retreated from the dungeon, the fish glowing a bright blue.

'And he just gave you a necklace?' Hestia asked for the fourth time in less than five minutes. 'Just gave you a necklace for no reason?'

'Sounds pretty fishy to me,' Dorcas smirked from behind her book. 'Oh, come on, that was funny!' she cried when her friends glared at her.

Lily continued flicking through pages of Hairy Snout, Human Heart. 'He told me to go to his office at half seven,' she said. 'For supper with the Slug Club.'

Dorcas gasped and dropped her book, and in the process of picking it up, accidentally elbowed a giant stack of books on the table beside her, sending them cascading to the floor. Madam Pince swooped in like a hawk, began shrieking so loudly and in such a high pitch that no one could understand a word except, "heathens" and "no respect." The three of them were banished from the library, chased out by their bewitched school bags.

'I can't believe he finally asked you!' Hestia beamed excitedly.

Dorcas looked sullenly at the floor as they strolled to the common room, Lily and Hestia chattering incessantly. Dorcas, as everyone was aware, was incredibly ambitious, and would most likely do almost anything to be invited to a Slug Club meeting. That didn't mean that she wasn't pleased with her friend for scoring an invitation, but she had always hoped that she herself would get one too.

The two girls continued babbling with excitement even when they were sat down in the common room, supposed to be studying. The situation worsened once Marlene got back from quidditch practice, soaked to the skin and covered in mud. No one was more excitable than Marlene, who squealed and began jumping up and down (sending mud and water flying onto Dorcas's homework), and didn't stop squealing until almost five minutes later.

'It's twenty to eight,' Dorcas announced flatly, not taking her eyes off of her mud-speckled parchment.

Lily checked her watch, gasped in horror and jumped up. 'Gotta go, already late!' she cried, and ran straight to Slughorn's office, crashing into a group of third years who were unwisely positioned in her way.

She rapped on the door once and it swung open immediately. Slughorn stood before her, dressed in velvet green robes and holding his arms wide. 'Lily, my dear, glad you could make it,' he boomed. 'You, late! We were starting to worry! And you, usually such a punctual girl! Not to worry, not to worry. Take a seat, by all means! There's one beside Regulus there. We were just discussing …'

Lily didn't listen to what they were discussing. She took her seat next to Regulus Black, and looked around the table. Merlin, she thought. She was the only one wearing her robes. Why had she not thought to change her clothes?!

She recognised everyone seated around the large mahogany table; Regulus, to her right, was of course Sirius Black's little brother, but also the seeker for the Slytherin quidditch team. Seated to his right was Esther Eastly, easily the plainest witch Lily had ever met, in every aspect from her looks to her talent. Lily supposed she must be related to someone important. Beside her was Michael Carter, Head Boy. He was remarkably intelligent and it was rumoured that he had mastered Legilimency. Next to him was by far the most beautiful girl Lily had ever seen in her life – Angelica Bloom, a seventh year prefect of Hufflepuff, renowned for being the most intelligent witch in her year, as well as the kindest. Alexander Shrewsbury, beside her, was a very distant descendant of Edgar Stroulger, as he made a habit of reminding people. And to Lily's dismay, seated next to him was Morfin Mulciber. Just the sight of him made Lily's skin crawl.

'… And what is your opinion, Michael?' Slughorn asked. 'As a nephew of a prominent member of the Wizengamot, you must know more about this than any of us could hope to! Do you agree with the new bill?'

'Oh, one hundred per cent,' Carter simpered. 'Werewolves are a dangerous threat to our society. My uncle told me that there is in fact a werewolf who blackmails officials and the like by threatening to bite their children. Children, Professor. What happens when more of them join his line of thinking and rise up, slaughtering innocents? Frankly, I'm surprised this bill is actually up for debate instead of being passed immediately.'

Slughorn nodded, musing over this thought. 'Yes, yes, a very intriguing position. One I'm sure a lot of wizards share. Angelica, thoughts?'

Bloom was looking at Carter with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. 'Completely opposed to it, Professor,' she said determinedly. 'Werewolves can only rise up, as Michael says, if they are being forced down. Oppression will only lead to further tensions. I think the Ministry have to try and appease with werewolves, and arrange a situation in which every one is happy and no one's children are in danger. I agree, of course, that the particular werewolf Michael mentioned is without a doubt evil and deserves to be thrown in Azkaban, but surely we shouldn't let that one represent all werewolves? They could just as well judge us to be evil just because we are of the same species as Gellert Grindelwald. I'm sure there are thousands of peaceful werewolves, living oppressed just because of a select few who give the rest of them a bad image. This bill will only make the situation worse.'

Mulciber scoffed. 'Sounding like a true sympathiser. I bet you're all for the freedom of house-elves, too,' he sneered with disdain.

'Actually,' Bloom rounded on him. 'I am very much all for it! House-elves are -'

'Let's not get too heated,' Slughorn intervened. 'At this table, we share opinions respectfully, not with the intention to make others feel inferior or belittle them for their beliefs. Now, Lily, our newest addition! Tell us; what are your thoughts on the proposed bill? Pro or anti?'

Lily swallowed the mead she had just taken a gulp of. 'Er … I don't think I know enough about the bill to make an informed decision just yet, Professor,' she lied, not wanting to speak out so early in the meeting.

Slughorn laughed. 'Of course, of course! Clever of you, making sure you don't say the wrong thing in front of the wrong people. But you're among friends here, Lily! Speak away, and do not fear judgement from us!'

Lily looked around the table at the faces staring at her expectantly. 'Well, er … I'm not sure I agree with it,' she began nervously. 'I mean, I can't see how segregation could possibly help the current situation. Just today, actually, I was reading Hairy Snout, Human Heart, and it was absolutely heart-wrenching. The things that writer had to endure, from discrimination to actually having to go into hiding for fear for his life. I agree with Angelica; if we suppress werewolves, they will only rise in anger. We'll have a repeat of the Goblin Rebellions.'

Mulciber scoffed again, and muttered something inaudible. Lily shot him a dirty look before smiling sweetly at Slughorn.

'Interesting,' Slughorn nodded appreciatively. 'And you, Esther? Surely your brother-in-law must know something about it?'

Esther didn't even look up from the pudding in front of her. 'I expect he does,' she said. 'But I haven't spoken to him for years. My sister fell out with my parents when I was eleven, see. Haven't seen her or her husband since.'

Slughorn gave a disappointed hum. 'Pity, pity,' he sighed. Lily got the feeling that Esther Eastly would not receive another invitation. 'Moving on, Regulus, you were telling me earlier about …'

Lily tuned out. Mulciber was sending her looks so ominous that she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Should have kept your mouth shut, she scolded herself. Should've just said you didn't even know enough to begin to form an opinion. Now he's got another reason to hate you.

The meeting finished up at half past nine, at which time Slughorn looked at a clock and exclaimed in shock. 'My, my, how time flies!' he chuckled. 'You'd all better run along back to your common rooms or we'll all be in trouble! Filch would hang us all from our thumbs in the dungeons!'

Lily gladly stood up and left as soon as she could.

It was bitterly cold as students took their places in the quidditch stands on Saturday afternoon. Lily had found Benjy, and they sat together, along with Hestia and Dorcas, who sat with Remus, and of course Peter and Black. Wind howled so loudly through the stands that they could barely hear each other speak.

The stands filled up quickly. Unsurprisingly, Slytherin supported Ravenclaw in this match. Hufflepuff seemed divided, and Lily noted that many of their students chose not to carry a flag for either team, but rather for their own.

The teams emerged from the changing rooms and took to the sky. Madam Hooch released the Bludgers and the Snitch. She then gave her usual speech about "a nice, clean game", which of course fell on deaf ears, before releasing the Quaffle.

'Aaaaaand they're off!' cried Aaron Burbage from the podium. 'And Gryffindor take the Quaffle first! It's McKinnon to Potter and back to – oh, no, that's a bad throw from Potter, and now it's Ravenclaw's Wolfe, Merlin's beard, just look at him go! It's Wolfe to Greene and Greene to … no one apparently. And Potter's reached it just before Wolfe could get there! Wow, look at that for a dodge! He shoots – he doesn't score! A spectacular save from Barry Ryan!'

Ravenclaw and Slytherin erupted in applause. Potter looked to be cursing heartily and McGonagal gave him a stern look. Black and Peter were yelling but Lily couldn't quite make out what they were saying over the wind and the cheering.

'McKinnon's got the Quaffle again and she passes it to – oh wow, she throws the Quaffle around Greene and then catches it again! Some player, that girl is, and very pretty too!' - Marlene went the same colour as her robes but continued flying – 'And she scores! Gryffindor ten, Ravenclaw nil!'

The Gryffindor crowd went wild. Lily, Dorcas and Hestia screamed with delight, chanting Marlene's name over and over. Marlene and Potter high-fived in the air.

'Greene with the Quaffle – what's this? Looks like Rutherford's seen the Snitch! She dives, Pearce dives alongside her, and oh! - she pulls away and Pearce goes crashing to the ground! Fantastic Wronski Feint from the Ravenclaw seeker!'

The entire crowd gave a collective wince as Pearce collided with the ground and lay in a heap on the grass below. He clambered back onto his broom and resumed flying, somewhat slower than he had been.

'Greene still has the Quaffle, passes it to Wolfe, passes it to Stark, back to Wolfe, Wolfe drops it! It's picked up by Potter, he narrowly dodges Greene, passes to Daly, Daly passes to McKinnon, McKinnon – ouch!'

Hestia screamed. A Bludger hit Marlene so hard that she dropped the Quaffle and almost fell off her broom. She hovered in the air, swaying unsteadily and clutching her left hand, which was now hanging limply and resembled a flesh-coloured glove. Potter immediately flew towards her.

'Do you think it's broken?' Peter asked nervously.

'Oh, it's definitely broken. I'd say she'd be lucky if her hand's not completely shattered,' Black replied, looking horrified.

'That's really comforting, thanks,' Dorcas snapped angrily, peeking through her fingers. Black ignored her and continued watching the game. Meanwhile, Ravenclaw had the Quaffle again and scored with ease as Edgecombe was too busy checking that Marlene was okay instead of actually guarding the goals.

Marlene spotted them in the crowd and gave them a thumbs-up, a weak smile on her face, and continued chasing the Quaffle. 'Wow, McKinnon keeps playing!' Burbage exclaimed. 'The resilience of that girl is something else, she is simply – okay, sorry Professor – it's Daly with the Quaffle now, and he scores! Gryffindor twenty, Ravenclaw ten! Rutherford speeds up – ah, yes, there it is! There's the Snitch!'

Pearce followed Rutherford, but Rutherford quickly halted in the air to avoid a Bludger coming her way. Pearce was not so lucky.

'Wow, it's not a good day for you, is it, Pearce?' Burbage said as Pearce was smacked in the chest. 'Looks like Rutherford's lost the Snitch. Look at that – Daly's got the Quaffle, he zooms right past Wolfe and Greene, passes to McKinnon, she flies … upwards, what are you doing, Marlene? Oh wow! A beautiful Porskoff Ploy from McKinnon to Daly, beautifully executed! Daly passes to Potter! And Potter … misses again. Score stands at twenty to ten.'

Unfortunately, things only went south from there. Ravenclaw scored three times before Marlene was hit by another Bludger and Burbage accused the Ravenclaw beaters of targeting her on purpose. Ravenclaw then scored five times more. Pearce took himself out by crashing into the Hufflepuff stands – he seemed to be concussed from the Wronski Feint earlier – and then Edgecombe let in another seven goals before Rutherford triumphantly caught the Snitch. The final score was three-hundred and ten to twenty.

Lily and the other six went to stand outside the changing rooms, waiting for Marlene and Potter. They stood in the rain for almost ten minutes, waiting impatiently, before Benjy said he should get back to his friends and left.

Potter then emerged from the changing rooms, looking grim, and was given a consolatory clap on the back from each of his friends. 'What happened, mate?' Black asked. 'You're usually the best player I know.'

Potter shrugged pathetically. 'Just an off-day, I guess,' he said before turning to the girls. 'Marlene's been taken to Madam Pomfrey,' he informed them, looking unwaveringly at Hestia. 'Her entire left hand was smashed in and we think she's got a couple of broken ribs too.'

Lily, Hestia and Dorcas all rushed to the Hospital Wing and arrived by Marlene's bedside, completely out of breath. Marlene was sat up on the bed, propped up by some pillows while Madam Pomfrey rushed between her and the groaning Pearce on the bed next to her.

'Oh, relax, you're fine!' she snapped at him. 'McKinnon, that hand solid yet?' Marlene nodded, examining her hand. 'Then you can go,' Madam Pomfrey said. 'And I'd rather you stopped ending up in here after every quidditch match.'

Marlene nodded, hopped off the bed and strode back to the common room, followed by her friends.

Lily and Benjy made their way through the castle at half past six on Friday, she dressed in yellow and he in red. 'Still can't believe he's throwing a party on Friday the thirteenth,' Benjy joked. 'Things can only go badly.'

They arrived at Slughorn's office and Lily didn't even get to knock on the door before it was flung open. Slughorn stood before them, a goblet of mead in his hand and his round face already pink. 'Lily! So glad you could make it!' he beamed, followed by a small hiccough. 'And who is your friend?'

'Benjy Fenwick, Professor,' Benjy replied, frowning but shaking Slughorn's outstretched hand anyway. 'You've taught me Potions for six years.'

Slughorn simply smiled, clearly having no recollection whatsoever of Benjy, and told them to enjoy themselves before going to talk to someone more important.

Benjy offered to go and get them something to drink, and Lily took the opportunity to admire her surroundings. The normally small office had obviously been magically enlarged in some way, as it was at least three times its usual size. Swathes of pink and red fabric hung on the ceiling, giving the impression that they were in a very large and very flamboyant tent.

About half a dozen cherubs were flying around the room, carrying large trays with goblets of mead, and offering drinks to party-goers. The one Benjy was attempting to approach kept ignoring him and giggling in glee, much to Benjy's frustration. Behind him, a string sextet of what appeared to be animated marble statues were playing a remarkably melancholy tune, considering the holiday.

Benjy gave up on the stubborn cherub and retrieved two goblets from another, returned to Lily's side and handed her one. They clinked glasses and looked around for a bit, Benjy remarking on the room while Lily pointed out people she recognised from the Slug Club or elsewhere.

Angelica Bloom and Michael Carter were laughing heartily in a corner, holding hands and occasionally kissing – much to Lily's surprise. Alexander Shrewsbury stood with a tall, pale man with silver hair, and appeared to be boring him. As she suspected, Esther Eastly was nowhere to be seen. Regulus Black and Morfin Mulciber were standing in a corner with -

Lily's green eyes locked with the pair of dark brown ones across the room. They both froze and stared at each other. 'Lily?' Benjy asked. 'You alright?'

Lily turned around. 'Perfect,' she smiled, and reached up to kiss him. She felt an inexplicable surge of guilt the second their lips met and she couldn't fathom why. Benjy didn't seem to notice. He looked very pleased with himself and took her hand.

Severus remained standing where he was, rooted to the spot for at least a minute before Mulciber gave him a questioning look and he snapped himself out of the shock that seeing Lily had put him in.

Lily had completely forgotten that Severus was a member of the Slug Club. He had been invited at the beginning of fourth year, and was absolutely delighted about it. How could she have forgotten the day he ran up to her in the corridor, beaming from ear to ear – despite the fact that his eyebrows had been jinxed yellow by Potter – and excitedly told her about the invitation? How could she forget that when she had been so happy for him?

She took a large gulp of her mead and decided to try to forget Severus – for tonight at least. He was the one in the wrong, she told herself. He was the one who had accused her of things that were certainly not true, with no basis whatsoever. Sure, she had been wrong for standing him up that fortnight ago, but she had apologised profusely, and all he did was berate her.

It's not my fault, she told herself. It's not my fault … but it is my fault ...

Slughorn was standing by the stage, beckoning to the sextet of statues, clearly trying to get them to either stop playing or to start playing something less depressing. None of his attempts seemed to work, as when they finished the piece they were playing, they immediately launched into an even more mournful one.

Lily finished her mead and was quickly supplied with another by the same cherub that ignored Benjy's existence, much to his annoyance. Lily laughed at his frustrated expression and kissed him again, still trying to distract herself from the fact that she was still feeling guilty.

Lily and Benjy slipped out of Slughorn's office at eleven o'clock, giggling and flushed from the alcohol, and began to make their way through the corridors. Lily heard a sniffling from around the corner from the office door, and recognised it all too well. She sighed. 'Benjy, I just realised I forgot to ask Slughorn about something,' she lied. 'You go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow.'

They kissed again, Lily feeling that same wave of guilt wash over her, and bid each other goodnight. She watched him round the corner and made quite sure that he was out of sight and out of hearing range before she walked tentatively towards the crying around the corner.

'Sev?' she whispered, unable to see anyone in the dark corridor. 'Sev, is that you?' The weeping stopped abruptly, as if the crier had put a hand over their mouth and was resolutely refusing to make a sound. 'Sev, where are you?'

She retrieved her wand from her pocket. 'Lumos,' she whispered, and a blue light from the tip of her wand illuminated the corridor.

Severus was sat on the floor, leaning up against the wall with his legs folded to his chest. Lily wordlessly joined him on the floor and put her arm around him. He said nothing, and neither did she. They just sat up against the wall for several minutes, Lily waiting patiently as he cried his eyes dry.

'What's up?' she asked quietly once she was quite sure the tears had stopped.

Severus shook his head. Lily sighed acceptingly and they continued to sit in silence for what felt like days. Somewhere in the castle, the clock struck midnight and Severus jumped to his feet. 'Curfew – shit,' he sputtered, looking around in alarm. 'Shit, Slughorn'll kill me!'

'Relax,' Lily soothed, taking his hand and standing up in front of him. 'He knows you were at the party and if he didn't see you slip out, just say you got carried away with all the magnificent company.'

Severus chuckled. 'Yeah, he'd like that, wouldn't he?' he smiled. 'No wonder he likes you so much if you're always saying stuff like that to him.'

Lily smiled. 'Plus, I'm a prefect. You're not getting in any trouble with me around,' she said. 'You sure you don't want to tell me what upset you?'

Severus looked down at the floor and Lily was suddenly and harshly reminded of the scared ten year old boy with the bruised arms and black eyes she had met six years ago. Filled with pity, she reached out and hugged him to her.

She didn't know how long they held each other for.

When they finally parted, still holding onto each other's hands, he was still looking at his feet. 'Sev,' she whispered. 'If something's bothering you, please tell me. Is it Potter and his gang again?'

Severus scoffed. 'I can handle Potter,' he spat. His anger vanished as quickly as it had arrived as he looked at her. 'I miss you, Lily. I miss being friends with you and studying with you by the lake, and hanging out over the holidays. I'm really sorry about everything I said before. I was just really angry and I … I don't know what to say, I'm truly, truly sorry about everything. Even before that fight, you were right, I was ignoring you. I'm just going through some stuff right now and I don't know how to deal with it – it's all so much and I don't know -'

He trailed off, tears springing to his eyes once more. Lily squeezed his hands and smiled sympathetically.

'Can you forgive me?' he asked quietly.

Lily nodded. 'Of course I can forgive you,' she replied. 'If you can forgive me for all the horrible things I said to you?'

Severus nodded and smiled, and they hugged again. The door of Slughorn's office was heard swinging open, followed by laughter and several voices saying goodbye to their host. Lily and Severus took this as their cue to go back to their separate common rooms, and parted ways.

When she finally stepped through the portrait hole, Lily went straight up to her room. Marlene and Hestia were still awake, the latter reading and the former staring up at the canopy over her bed, trying to sleep. Dorcas was snoring.

Lily got dressed into her flannel pyjamas, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed without a word to her friends. She was just drifting off when she suddenly remembered Severus's gift from two weeks ago, still lying under the hairy green cardigan. She quietly got out of bed and retrieved the small red box before returning to the warmth of her sheets.

She undid the red ribbon tying the narrow, rectangular box together and removed the lid. Inside was an ornate silver bookmark, somewhat resembling solid silver ribbon. At the top was a silver branch, sprouting blossoms that fell away into nothing before growing from buds again.

It reminded her instantly of the first time she met him – how he had seen her making a blossom open and close its petals, and told her what she was. She chuckled, remembering how it had initially offended her.

In her memory, Severus had no bruises, no black eyes. He was shining. He was the bringer of a new life, an adventure. She felt her eyes water and chided herself for being so sentimental. With one last smile, she placed the bookmark on her bedside table before lying back down, and drifting off to sleep.

Thanks if you made it through all that! I know it's a good bit longer than my other chapters (so far at least) but when I split it into two, it felt wrong. The first part with Severus was initially supposed to be in the last chapter but that felt wrong too. I don't know why I'm writing this here.

Thanks so much to the wonderful people who reviewed! All of your feedback was lovely and I really appreciate it :)

Next up: Valentine's Day ... and a lot more of the Marauders!