It may have been a while and I apoligise for abandoning this story for over a year! But hopefully a few more chapters will appear this summer! - CO x

Lily

"What are you even doing here Patrick?" I asked incredulously. The boy in front of me looked slightly confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked "I was helping you!"

"But I never asked for your help!" I could feel my face burn red as I got angrier. Marlene slipped off to the toilet without us both noticing.

"Oh yes, I forgot how independent you like to be" he said. Then the memory came back; the excuse I had given him as to why I didn't want to date him anymore: "I'm sorry, I just want to be on my own for a while".

"Patrick, I-"

"Forget it Lil" he turned to pick his jacket up from where he'd dropped it on the floor "you know, I thought we had something but I guess we just weren't right in your mind". How was he so good at making me feel guilty?

"Patrick" I started again "I am sorry. Truly."

"Nah, I get it" We looked at each other for a moment and memories began to flick across my mind – walking hand-in-hand around the castle, him carrying my books, laughing together at the dinner table…his auburn hair was still glinting in the light; that was my favourite thing about his appearance.

"Why?"

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Why did you break it off?"

Oh Merlin. If I was honest with myself I didn't have a concrete reason…there was just something there…I mean Patrick was…is…a great guy but it just seemed like our whole relationship revolved around school and not a lot else. Sure, we went into Hogsmead together and had dinner a few times but in the whole eight months we were together I hardly felt like I was in a proper relationship. It wasn't that which finally made me do it, there was just something nagging me in the back of my mind and to this day I still haven't worked out what it was.

"Um…I guess I just didn't feel the same anymore" I lied.

"Oh right, well I guess I'll leave you to it then seeing as you don't need my help". There was another gust of wind and then he was gone again.

"Is he gone?" Marlene stage whispered from behind the divider which separated the toilet doors to the rest of the pub.

"Yes Mar, and your support was really helpful by the way" I huffed and flopped back into my chair.

"Anytime mate!" she grinned hopefully.

"Hi, my names Tom and I'll be your server this afternoon" A tall gangly boy with an already receding hairline had approached our table and completely cut short my annoyance at my best friend. Me and Mar just looked at each other and giggled.

"You're new here aren't you Tom?" I asked.

"Umm…yeah started a few days ago…"

"Well good sir" Marlene began, picking up her menu triumphantly, "you should probably know that as this is a pub everyone orders food at the bar". Tom flushed a deep red and began stuttering inaudibly.

"Don't mind her she's just teasing" I reassured him. He turned to leave but-

"However, as you're here we'll have two pumpkin juices, two cheeseburgers and a large fries" Marlene ordered quickly, adding a cheeky wink on the end. Tom laughed and said: "Of course Madam, is that all?" before striding back behind the bar.

"You know I see real potential in him" Marlene said matter-of-factly "I can definitely see him owning this place in the future". I rolled my eyes.

"Mar, you are totally bonkers".

By the time we struggled through the McKinnon's front door the pale light of day was drawing to a close and darkness was creeping in from the corners. Somehow, we had managed to stumble our way up her front drive from where the Night Bus had dropped us a few streets away.

"I have at least three bits of gravel stuck in my shoe" I moaned as I dropped my shopping in the middle of the hallway and collapsed into one of the reception chairs. I was too busy tugging on my useless shoe to notice the footsteps emanating from the hidden corridor. Marlene straightened quickly as a mass of shaggy black hair ran at her, picked her up and swirled her round.

"Sirius!" She giggled. She threw her head back and laughed harder as Sirius continued to spin her. A mixture of emotions stirred in me, was that jealousy? Their relationship, even though it was a secret, was still the happiest I'd ever seen (except Alice and Frank but they were practically married already).

A small smile flickered across my face as I turned to place my shoes on the rack. It quickly disappeared, however, when I was met with a stony glare.

"Where were you?" He asked, his voice shaking a little.

"What is it to you?" I snapped back. By this time Sirius had but Marlene down long enough for her to hiss "Lil!" Oh right, I was supposed to be playing nice…

"Sorry, I mean: We were at the Leaky Cauldron" I forced a kind of smile onto my face. It hurt.

"But it's getting dark out!" he cried.

"Um…we ran into a few people..." I shrugged.

"It's still getting late!"

"James, chill mate, it's only just coming up for five" Sirius said over his shoulder as he led Marlene back into the hidden corridor, to his room no doubt.

"Right" James shook himself. "So, who did you run into to?"

"Oh, just some…Slytherins…and err Patrick…" I said weakly.

"You what?!" he asked incredulously. A vein started to throb in his right temple and he looked angry. "Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Awh were you worried about me Potter?" I giggled, taking a few steps forward and stroking my finger along his chin so his concentration was distracted. He snapped out of it and turned his head to look at me. From where I stood we were practically nose to nose.

Shit! Much too close! Definitely within too close a region of any part of his body!

I shoved him away from me and stalked back a good few paces.

"So what did lover boy want?" James grunted.

"Patrick" I corrected him "simply happened to be in the pub that we were in at the time that Mulciber and Avery started to pick a fight".

"Ha! A likely tale, I bet he has a tracking charm on you!"

"What?!" I squeaked.

"Oh you know, because you were the first girl to ever dump him. He is always the dumper, not the dumpee" he explained, "He's pining for you".

"That's ridiculous! You're just jealous that I actually dated him and not you!" I snarled.

"That's ridiculous? What's ridiculous is the stupid amount of pathetic excuses you've given me over the years and then you go ahead and date that prat!" James' temper was rising; the tension in the room was almost palpable.

"You know what?" My own temper flared, "I'm not even going to get into this with you! That was the past and who gives a shit about that? If every girl you've ever been with did, she'd be running -no sprinting - in the opposite direction! You disgust me".

"Yeah? Well you disgust me too with all your contradictory snarky comments!" He spat back.

"Whatever, I'll see you at dinner" and with that I turned on my heel and stormed upstairs to my room.

James

Somehow our exchanges always seemed to end in an argument. It starts with one of us showing some kind of concern and then a switch is flicked and we bicker. It got on my nerves when I only wanted to be friends with her – I think.

After that little spat I went to my own room and collapsed on to my bed. I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours when an idea hit me like a speeding train. I grabbed my jacket and ran out the front door before any of the parents could stop me. I stuck my wand arm out at the end of the McKinnon's drive and then jumped back before the Knight Bus could knock it off.

It dropped me in central muggle London, just around the corner from Diagon Alley. I'd come up with an idea to make Lily see that I didn't want to fight with her anymore; Christmas. Or more particularly the present giving part! I strolled down the emptying street in the last wisps of daylight and entered the Leaky Cauldron. That too was pretty much empty; except for a young man I didn't recognise wiping glasses behind the bar. The alley itself was also desolate so I worked quickly going from shop to shop trying to find something that I thought would be suitable before they all closed for the night.

I left Flourish and Blotts without any luck so decided to give up and head back into muggle London to catch the Knight Bus home. Most of the shops on the streets were dark but one of the few with the lights still twinkling caught my eye. Its products were glittering under the fluorescent so I crossed the street to take a closer look and there, right at the front of the window, nestled amongst the pale blue satin was what I had been looking for and just hadn't known it.

The dinner gong had just sounded when I got back so I quickly stashed my shoes and jacket and went to the dining room. Everyone was seated except for Marlene and Sirius but the food continued to be served. Lily sat at the end of the table between Josef and Troy, talking to them quietly. After a few minutes Marlene and Sirius slipped in together looking shifty. As Marlene sat down I noticed that her top was on inside out; I smirked at Sirius who had sat down next to me and he punched me in the arm.

Marlene

"So now that those two have shut up" I grinned, wrapping my arms back around Sirius' neck "What do I do with you?"

"Hmm that's a tricky question" Sirius murmured kissing my neck "but we might need to move out of the public entrance hall".

I laughed and pulled away so that I could drag him back to his room. Once we were in the deserted corridor under the stairs, he picked me back up and tucked me under his arm. I squealed which made him laugh harder so that by the time we were in his room we were giggling and kissing all at the same time.

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