DISCLAIMER: ALL CREDITS GO TO J.K ROWLING FOR THE INVENTION OF THIS WONDERFUL WORLD AND CHARACTERS THAT I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD IN LOVE WITH. ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE WORK OF FICTION AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL PEOPLE, REAL EVENTS OR REAL PLACES.

I needed new friends.

That was the first thought I had this morning when I felt someone yank at my blankets, someone with exceptional upper body strength who had, moments ago, also wrenched open the bloody curtains that provided me privacy, and most importantly, darkness. My body which was twisted into the sheets was unceremoniously dumped onto the hard ground, along with the blanket. Without opening my eyes, I crawled back onto the bed, burying my face into the pillow. Who needed blankets to sleep anyway?

I didn't.

"Wake up," the all too familiar voice chanted, jumping up and down on the mattress and I groaned in frustration as sleep slipped further and further away.

I was going to kill her.

I yelped when I felt cold fingers pressing onto the bare skin of my thighs and shot up, glaring groggily at the figure peering down at me from her position by my head. Kate was smiling, far, far too brightly for the morning, waving a sheet of paper in my face.

"Rise and shine, princess," she plopped onto the bed next to my face, showing me the paper, "Who's your best friend?"
"Mary," I rolled onto my stomach, snatching the paper from her and squinted at it.

It was our class schedule.

Transfiguration followed by Herbology.

Not too bad for a Tuesday morning, really.

"No, Mary is busy snogging Jonathan in the third corridor," Kate smacked my shoulder and I moaned, blindly reaching for the blankets on the floor. I threw it over my head but it flew off immediately and I sighed in defeat. She was too much of a force to handle alone in the morning without Mary, who was a morning person about as much as I was, to act as a buffer. Kate, already dressed in her school robes, was waiting by the foot of my bed, all but dancing with excitement.

She was like an overgrown puppy, that girl. With the attention span of one too.

"Okay, okay," I stuffed my feet into the slippers, "I'm up,"
"I don't think you showed a proper amount of gratefulness for that," Kate pointed at the class schedule, "If I weren't so charming, McGonagall wouldn't have handed it over,"
"Charming," I muttered underneath my breath as I shrugged on my bathrobe, "Yeah, that's exactly what you are,"
"Watch it, Evans," she followed me to the toilet, washing as I scrubbed at my face with cold water, "Why did you come in so late, last night? Were you with James?"
"We were talking to Dumbledore," I said, dabbing at my face with a towel and slammed the door shut for some privacy to change into my robes.

"Oh, what did he say? Did he impeach you two?" her voice was muffled against the door.
"No,"

Thank God.

I quickly changed into my school robes and then glanced at the mirror to look at my hair. I had showered last night and slept with my hair half dry. The result was a messy, tangled dark red mess. I sighed, running a comb through it before I started to brush my teeth.

"Hurry, you're going to miss breakfast," she tapped against the door and I rolled my eyes, jerking the door open.

I had forgotten what Hogwarts morning was like in the girl's dormitory. I was the last one up, as usual, but the dorm was a mess. Clothes, shoes, makeup and books were haphazardly thrown all over the room, some strewn across the floor even. And it was only our second day back.

"You know, Lils," Kate was saying as we jogged down the stairs, my bag bumping comfortably against my shoulder, "You should be more of a morning person,"
"How about you be less of one?" I grumbled back, my eyes glued onto my timetable as I tried to memorise it. Because chances were, I was going to lose the piece of paper within a week, and I might as well have ask the Whomping Willow to be nice, than ask Professor McGonagall for a new one.

"Fuck," someone slammed into me and I tumbled back into Kate, rubbing my forehead as I glared up at Sirius, "Watch where you're walking, Evans,"
"Who told you to charge through like that?" I snapped back, cradling my wrist. My nose stung from ramming into his shoulder.

"You have eyes for a fucking reason," he retorted, rubbing his shoulder whilst furiously glaring down at me, "Dammit, Evans, is your head made out of bricks? Why does it hurt so bloody much?"
"Stones actually," I snarled and he opened his mouth to retort but Remus just shook his head.

Sirius' mouth snap shut at that and he grit his teeth and looked away from me, muttering something about girls with wool in their head for brains.

That arse.
"Both of them aren't really morning people, are they?" Kate remarked from behind us and we both turned simultaneously to scowl at her.

"Sirius needs his morning milk before we can let him loose," James, who I hadn't noticed, chuckled from next to her and handed me the schedule I dropped.

"Thanks," I muttered, shoving it in my bag.

"But bloody hell, Lily," James was shaking his head, "How many classes are you taking? Potions, Defence, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Arithmacy and Divination?"

"I need them," I informed him, my tone matter of fact and he raised his eyebrows.

"Are you planning a career in Gringotts with a side job as an Auror and a seer?"

"You got me," I checked my watch and frowned at Kate, "Fifteen minutes till breakfast is over,"
"Come on, let's go," Kate tugged at my elbow, "See you guys soon,"

"Move it, Black," I said when he stepped in my path, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Make me, Evans," he sneered but James yanked him away, clearing the path,"Hey-,"
"Quit being a prat, Padfoot," James shook his head in exasperation, "Let her have some breakfast,"
"Who's side are you on?" Sirius looked outraged whilst James and Remus exchanged a glance.

"I think I have some Honeydukes chocolate in my trunk," Remus said, gently guiding Sirius towards the staircase.

"I have cauldron cakes from the train too," James added, thumping Sirius' back, "It's going to be fine mate,"
I rolled my eyes, "What a big baby,"
"Lily, you're pot," Kate laughed, and pointed to the retreating figure of Sirius, "And he's kettle,"
I grumbled under my breath but I was far too hungry to care.

Eggs. Bacon. Sausages. Toast.

Yum.

"Is Mary really in the third corridor snogging Wood?" I asked as I poured myself another glass of pumpkin juice. Kate snickered as she nibbled on the edge of a toast.

"Yes, thinks they're being really smooth about it too," Kate shook her head and her voice rose a fraction, "Erm. John and I are just… Going to go on a walk. Yes. A walk,"
We collapsed into a fit of laughter at that.

Mary had met Jonathan last year during the final Quidditch match, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, and had been dating every since. I liked Jonathan well enough, he was sweet in a quiet, unassuming sort of way.

"Feeling better?" Kate asked as we climbed the staircase to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Much," I nodded and bit down on my lower lip, "Should I apologise to Sirius?"
"Nah, he probably forgot about it now," she shrugged jauntily, waving her wand around as she skipped, "Reckon we'll finally start animal Transfiguration yet? I always wanted to transform Jones into a rat,"

I rolled my eyes at that. Hestia Jones was our fourth and final roommate, and honestly, I'm not too sure what happened. We all got along fine until fifth year, but suddenly she started acting like a complete bitch to all of us, especially me. I shook the thought away.

Transfiguration and Arithmacy were two subjects I struggled with, meaning I had to put a lot more effort into the two subjects than I did to my others. I had barely scraped an O for Transfiguration and had gotten an E for Arithmacy last year. I sighed again.

Maybe James was right. Maybe I was taking far too many classes but the competitive, inquisitive nature in me couldn't help it. I loved learning about magic, I couldn't help but be greedy to learn as much as I could whilst I had the chance to.

"Mr Lupin, sit in between Mr Potter and Mr Black," Professor McGonagall said as soon as she entered the classroom.

"We didn't do anything yet," James argued as he stuffed his books back into his bag.

"The use of the word yet worries me, Mr Potter," she replied flatly, "Let's go through seventh year without an explosion, or Merlin forbid, a detention,"

"Can't promise that, sorry, Professor" James smiled at the older Professor who just returned it with an unblinking stare.

"Is this a ruse to get me closer to you, Professor?" Sirius winked at her suggestively but her face remained stony and he sighed dramatically, "Alright, alright, no need to push me, Moony,"
Kate was right. He was obviously in a better mood now.

I turned my attention back to class, my thoughts drifting as I gazed out the window to the greenhouses. Outside, I could see the Ravenclaw seventh years marching towards the third greenhouse with large, ceramic pots in their arms.

"Lockheart is so fit, isn't he?" Kate whispered to me and I jumped in my seat, surprised.

My eyes flickered to the Professor who was busy explaining the dangers of human animal transfiguration to notice us.

"Yeah," I looked at the blonde outside, his hair gleaming in the sunlight, "He is,"
"Do you still fancy him?"
"No," I whispered back, blushing furiously, "I don't. I just think he's one, fine, fine specimen, okay?"
"And you want his babies,"
"Maybe,"
"Don't be silly, your red will clash horribly with his skin," Kate said and I nudged her, digging my elbow into her side, "Merlin, Lily! Keep your bony elbows to yourself,"
I was going to take another jab when I noticed that Professor McGonagall was watching us with an impassive stare, her brows low with disapproval.

I managed a weak smile, "Sorry,"
"Pay attention inside, Miss Evans, Miss Skye," she said, shaking her head, "I'm sure Mr. Lockheart will look the same at lunch,"
Kate, being the mad person she is, just cracked up hysterically, seeming to find the situation all very amusing whilst I sank into my seat, my face the same shade as my hair.

Oh god.

I really did need new friends.

"Fancy seeing you here," I said amicably, moving my bag off the bench as Mary approached, her cheeks pink, "Thought you and Jonathan were going to take another walk,"
Her blush deepened, "I knew Kate would tell you!"
"Of course, Kate can't keep a secret to save her life," I reminded her, taking a spoonful of soup. I had spent the afternoon in the library, checking out relevant books to do with my classes, and was starving. Something about the library was physically draining; maybe it was just Madame Pince and her continuous and angry tirade of French. When I had left, she was busy screeching at a table of first years, who, bless their poor souls, didn't know any better than to play Exploding Snap right in front of her.

"I swear, we were just talking," she mumbled into her sandwich and I smirked.

"Mm, I'm sure your mouths were very busy," I nodded.

"Lily," she blushed furiously and I laughed, petting her hand reassuringly.

"Lily?"
I turned around to see James standing behind me, holding our patrols book with a perplexed expression contorting his features.

"Hey," I patted the seat next to me, "Sit down,"

He looked surprised but he sat down carefully, laying the book on top of the table. I watched him in amusement, noting the wariness in his face. I was just trying to be nice, after all, Dumbledore did tell us to get along, and honestly, James Potter was a lot more bearable now than he was for the last five years.

"The patrols," he pushed the book towards me, "I don't really get it,"
I looked up when I heard the edge in his voice. There was a crease between his eyebrows and I could see that his lower lip pouted ever so slightly and I realised how unhappy and uncomfortable he was to admit to it. I reminded myself that James too, was uncertain about his position as Head Boy.

Maybe we had more in common than I thought.

I offered him a smile, "It's okay, I know it gets a little confusing at first,"
I flipped the book open to the page, pointing at the columns, "The Prefects write the three dates they prefer to patrol for the next fortnight and the book is charmed to arrange it to fit their timetable as best as possible,"
"Oh," James closed his eyes, rubbing his temples with a sheepish smile, "I thought I was going crazy when I saw Amos Diggory's name on Thursday when I could swear it was on Friday before,"
I laughed and pointed to the names in red, "And if there are any clashes, it's up to us to sort it out. Ugly business, really, some prefects get so worked up about this,"

"We can make them duel it out," he shrugged, "Winner takes all,"
"Not a bad idea, Potter,"

"James," he reminded me.

"James," I corrected myself, smiling.
"When are our patrols?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow questioningly up at me.

I hadn't added our names yet.
"I'm pretty much free whenever," I shrugged, shifting back when his hair, the strands surprisingly silky soft, brushed against my cheek as he leaned forward to read the table.

"Well, I have Quidditch practice Monday and Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings," he glanced up at me, "But I'm okay with the other days,"

"Kate's going to throw a fit," I sighed, neatly writing our names into the blank slate for next Tuesday evening.

Kate was much more of a morning person than an evening person. In fact, past five, her mood slowly deteriorated until it was bedtime. Three hours flying around on a broom did nothing to improve her mood.

"Kate will appreciate it when we win the Cup," he waved a hand dismissively.
"Confident, aren't we?"
"It's warranted confidence, Lils," he grinned at me and I blinked, surprised by his use of my nickname.

"Anyway, thanks for your help," he stood up, rumpling his hair, "I have to go make sure Padfoot doesn't…,"

He trailed off, a guilty expression coming onto his face when I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion.

"James, do I need to remind you that you're Head Boy?"

"I know, I know," he said quickly, "Don't worry, they're not doing anything crazy,"
"James, Sirius is crazy," I said flatly.

Instead of getting offended on his best friend's behalf, James just pursed his lips before nodding slowly. That really spoke miles about Sirius, didn't it?
"You know, I think you may be right about that, I might have to take him to St Mungo's to get tested," he said thoughtfully.

"Definitely crazy,"
"Can't really blame him, can you?" he shrugged, tugging at his tie, "Not when his family is a bunch of nut jobs. No wonder he has the emotional range of a pea,"
"A pea might be too generous, I was thinking a rice grain,"
"You are a cruel woman, Lily Evans," he said disapprovingly as he picked up the notebook but I could see a hint of a smile play on his lips.

"Don't let him burn the dorms down," I told him and he grinned at me.

"I told you, the castle is flame retardant," he rolled his eyes before adding, "Unless we use cursed fire or something. Which we won't, keep your hair on Evans,"
With that, he waved at me, giving Mary, who I had completely forgotten about, a salute, before ambling out of the Great Hall.

"You two are really getting along now, aren't you?" she asked, having watched our interaction with a vaguely impressed look.

"We're trying,"
"Good, because James is actually really decent," Mary took a bite from the apple, "And you were really mean to him, you know,"
"He was a prick though," I said defensively.

He was. I could still vividly remember the shouting matches I had with James back in fourth and fifth year as I tried hard to get it through his head that it was not okay to hex others because they annoyed you. He had just laughed in my face before proceeding to ask me to Hogsmeade.

Tosser.
"But you were a little harsher to James because of Severus," Mary shrugged.

I deflated at that, my eyes automatically flickering towards the Slytherin table. He was not there.

"Yeah, I guess," I said softly, swallowing the hard lump that had formed in my throat.

Mary squeezed my hand comfortingly, "It's okay, Lily,"
"Is it?"
"You gave him enough chances," she continued soothingly, "You had no reason to let him continue hurt you like that,"
I sighed, "You're right,"
She was right and it was something I had heard and thought about for years now. Snape and I had an unhealthy, bordering on toxic, relationship and he was clearly going down a path that I could not condone. I spent years trying to convince him to keep away from the Dark Arts, to avoid the likes of Mulciber, Avery and Rosier, but he hadn't listened. Because he didn't want to, he was happy with the life he had chosen and I could do absolutely nothing about it.

So why did it still hurt so much?