The next morning Lily awoke after everyone else had already gotten dressed and left for breakfast. Despite the fact she cried herself to sleep last night she still felt excitement over the first classes of the year start. This morning she had Potions with Slughorn; potions just came naturally for her although that means she'd have to see Severus which she was not keen on doing. That was when she realized the time.

She had to skip breakfast in order to make it to potions on time. She scrambled to get ready but when she was done she had five minutes to run down seven floors. She ran along the dungeon corridors when Dorcas a Ravenclaw with whom she was friends ran into her. "Hey" Lily greeted as she ran she only had a minute before the bell rang. "Hey" Dorcas greeted as she easily ran with her. "So I had a question." She started

"Shoot."

"Well; you know Remus?" She asked uncertainly. Lily stopped running and turned to look at Dorcas.

"Yeah?" Lily asked looking at her queerly.

"Well I kinda like him and I know your friends with him or used to be at any rate."

"And?" Lily implored.

"Well could you tell me anything that would help about him?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

"He likes honesty; he likes to be honest and he likes it in return. He likes either mysterious shy approachable girls or girls that have a wild interior. Look I can't talk right now because I'll be late but if you need anything else ask ok. I know he had his eye on you a few years ago that may or may not be the case still but you should talk to him." Lily said hurriedly.

"Alright can we talk about this later in private?" Dorcas asked uncertainly. Dorcas was never really this unhinged; she always used to be so self assured. Lily finally let the fact she was going to be late for potions slide.

"Yeah sure." Dorcas turned and left but when Lily was about to she called out to her. "Lily; we both know that you used to have a crush on James. There has to be a reason why you keep saying no." Lily's heart throbbed painfully especially bad since those old wounds had been ripped open recently. This pain made her voice more harsh than necessary.

"Tonight Dorcas; not now." Dorcas taken aback at the thunder in Lily's voice just waved and ran to class. Just then the bell rang. Lily sprinted down the hall into the class where Slughorn neglected the fact she came in three minutes after the bell. She took the open place next to Mary. She took in the people around her there were only a couple of Ravenclaws and only four other Gryffindors besides herself. Remus, Sirius Mary and James were the other four to Lily's chagrin. Slughorn was fiddling with a bunch of papers at his desk when he finally pulled one free.

"Ah the seating chart!" Lily froze fate once again was going to kill her. One by one he pointed to each seat but instead of sitting next to James she ended up sitting next to Sirius. Lily's tense pose thawed as she picked up her stuff and moved next to Black. She sighed Sirius never completely liked her but it was better than James.

"Hi Evans." He greeted.

"Hey Black." Lily responded politely.

"So when are you going to forgive James flower." Ok maybe she would take James. Lily gave threw him a disgusted look.

"That's not a reply." Sirius said smugly. However before Lily could hex him James threw a paper ball at his head. Sirius threw James a dirty look but didn't talk to her for the rest of the period. As Lily walked out as Remus came up to Sirius and Mary who was at his side.

"So when are you going to tell James?" Remus asked him knowing this conversation would annoy him.

"I'm not going to." Sirius said throwing Remus a dirty look.

"Tell him what?" Mary asked interestedly.

"Oh I don't know; what am I referring to Padfoot?" Remus chuckled darkly clearly angry at Sirius. Sirius snarled in anger at Remus who was walking away. Mary looked at Sirius questioningly.

"Sirius?" Mary asked on the verge of annoyance.

"Remus wants me to tell James something. Something I can never tell him, because it's horrible what I did. It'll affect everything we stand for. It'll affect us." Sirius said knowing Remus got him into deep shit.

"Sirius you can tell me." Mary half begged all traces of annoyance gone. She stared into his grey eyes and she was instantly sucked in; she was drowning in that sea of grey. If he couldn't tell her this there was a lot more he couldn't tell her. Mary knew he had a right to his secrets but if it involved her in some way then she had to know.

"Mary, please not now; later." He asked of her with an unexpected harsh edge to his voice. Mary was not taken aback by his sudden mood change but she slowly turned her back on him and walked away.

The rest of the day passed by in relative ease except for Lily who was dismayed to find that James was in all of her classes. Thankfully he did not sit next to her or even try to talk to her. Eventually Lily wandered down to the great hall for dinner and sat near Mary who looked forlorn.

"Mer what's wrong?" Lily asked incredibly concerned for her friend.

"Something's up with Sirius and it has something to do with James and us. He was incredibly angry about it. Remus brought it up and looked equally pissed."

"Well you guys have this relationship based on honesty." Lily almost smiled but as ridiculous as it sounded, it was true. They knew everything about each other or so Lily thought. "So he'll tell you when he's ready."

"Yeah I'll go talk to him." Mary got up and walked up to the Gryffindor common room where Sirius was bound to be. However as she got to the fat lady portrait she wasn't so sure she wanted to know. She turned away from the portrait but then what Lily had said rang in her mind and she pushed the portrait open. As she expected, Sirius was at a table in the corner of the crowded common room doing an essay assigned by Flitwick on sleeping charms. She took the seat across from him; He only looked up at her.

"So what is it?" She asked. Sirius's heart sank Lily was her sister and after finding out that Lily liked James may be even after all this time; And then for her to find out that he ruined it because of a jealously problem; it would ruin them. He stared into her eyes and leaned in for a kiss from her. At first their lips touched but then the pressure in Mary's chest exploded and she seized his mouth with her own. Then he grabbed her waist and pulled her face up to meet his. He tasted her thoroughly knowing that it could very well be the last time. With every touch there was an electric reaction pulsing throughout each of their bodies. Then he pulled away leaving Mary dazed from the kiss.

"Do you still want to know?" He asked seductively. Mary finally regained her composure.

"Don't think for a second I will forget about this. But that was one hell of a kiss." She grinned at him his and her worries forgotten for the time being. Wanting to be on top Mary led him up the boy's dormitory stairs with a seductive smiled playing across her luscious lips.

James P.O.V present:

Ah finally the day was over now I could go fly on my broom for a little while before I go to sleep. I hurried from the great hall up to the Gryffindor common room. The halls were eerily silent and I wished to leave them as soon as possible. Silence was uncomfortable for me as it reminded me of a death eater attack. I jogged up the stairs and into the common room. Strangely enough the common room was empty as if it was after hours.

I turned to sit in the chintz chairs and stared into the fire watching the colors fade from yellow to orange to red and back again. The motions of the shadows were calming I could almost forget about Lily. I could almost forget about the fact I couldn't tell her we became animagi. But what I could not forget was that she said if I had told her we might have been together, or that we might still be together. Even as friends; I winced, I don't think I could do the friends thing not without an ulterior motive. But it would be better than nothing a part of my brain whispered. I sighed this was way too hard but there was no way I could give up not now. Not when she revealed there was a chance and maybe there still could be a chance. Suddenly I heard someone coming down the dormitory stairs. It was Sirius coming down looking mildly pleased. He sat down on a chair near the fire next to my own.

"So any luck with Lily?" he asked.

"None." I didn't really want to talk about her right now. Thinking about her was painful enough but talking about it was even worse.

"Well you know her she'll come around eventually mate." Sirius encouraged. It was odd in second year he was against Lily and I but in the last few years he'd come around maybe it was Mary.

"Don't think she will not this time." I replied.

"Why what happened?"

"She said didn't care that she wasn't friends with us anymore but I told her she wouldn't be so pissed if she didn't." Sirius cocked an eyebrow. That was when Remus and Peter came blundering in through the door with the map underneath Remus's arm. Sirius immediately looked solemn which was rare for him. He usually enjoyed himself when all marauders were together.

"Hey guys." Sirius began which a pleading tone. This was going to be bad if Sirius was already pleading and looked guilty. Remus and Peter sat in chairs near us.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"So Wanna tell Mary about Remus and us by any chance?" He asked. That was when I lost it.

Normal P.O.V: Later that day……

Lily was walking the dungeon corridors on her way up from Slughorn's office when she heard a disturbance echoing from across the hall. When she saw a group of Slytherins among them Bellatrix Black and Lucious Malfoy, she quickly hid. She could see that they were not tormenting anybody but she eavesdropped.

"That was when he burned it into my arm right there." Lily could not see who said it and did not dare to turn around in case she got caught.

"We all know what it's like because we've all had it done." A smooth deep manly voice interrupted.

"Look what good it's done us I mean he won't even let us in on the attack he's planning at Hogsmeade. He won't tell us anything such as when, who's coming, none of it." a high pitched girl's voice continued.

"Moron that's because we're under the watchful eye of Dumbledore he has to protect his secrets. We must finish school so we can be of further use to him what can we do if we're ignorant of magic?" That was when a hand clamped over her mouth and was dragged backwards into a secret passageway. Unfortunately she dropped a bottle of ink and the clatter alerted the Slytherins. Luckily however she was in a passageway and was unnoticed by the Slytherins. She looked to see James Potter as her hero.

"We're in a fight what're you doing here stalking me?" Lily asked surprised.

"Well you see I heard a disturbance like you did except I knew about this little passageway. So, sorry, but I'm not stalking you. " He said sarcastically. Lily just glared at him. Suddenly he changed demeanor; he became very repentant and shy which was unusual for him.

"Lil, for once just look at me without a hateful glare." James pleaded.

"James I did that; I have done that but you crossed the line this time." Lily replied dropping the glare but not the stern and cold voice.

"Lily is it true what you said about us being together? That is if we had told you?" He asked. Lily's heart gave a painful squeeze and immediately regretted telling him that; it was bound to hurt both him and her. She deserved the pain it brought but he did not. He didn't need this on top of his parents dying.

"Yes; but the time has come and gone for that. It hurt too much to keeping liking you so I let it go. I'm sorry for telling you that James. I shouldn't have." Lily said softly holding back tears.

"I'm not sorry you told me that Lily; but I do have one question." James said adopting a stern voice no longer pleading.

"Yeah."

"If we told you do you think we could be friends again like we used to?" James closed his eyes and tightened them as if waiting for impact. He took a step closer to Lily taking her hands in his. Lily swallowed, she couldn't think straight near him, he was like a drug tantalizingly close yet if she took a taste she'd never let the habit go. What was she doing? James Potter it's James Potter get your imagination off of him! Her mind screamed.

Lily squeezed his hands and looked into his hazel eyes. She was falling into them there was no end and no beginning. Nothing held her to the earth except the color hazel; she couldn't feel her feet on the ground or which way her body leaned. It was like being in a drunken stupor only so much better.

"We couldn't be friends like before; too much damage has been done but we could be more than acquaintances. But James understand with this there are no promises."

"But we'd have a shot?" He asked determinedly.

"A better chance than if you didn't." She replied her voice still soft.

"Can we still trust you?" He asked staring hardly into her eyes his grip on her hands strong.

"Yes."

"Lily are you serious about this? And forget the Sirius pun it's so overdone. Answer me truthfully." James spoke in rush all of the words seem to blend into one giant word. Luckily Lily's mind was in overdrive from the quick changing of her emotions so she caught it.

"Yes. Mind you Mary will still be my best friend but I can keep whatever you're hiding, from her. You better make damn sure that they're going to tell me because if they don't agree I will never even, so much as look in your direction." Lily admonished fiercely. couldn't believe after all this time she might finally know. She might get her old friends back and keep the new.

James smiled "Mary won't be a problem. I think they'll agree this time." Lily knitted her eyebrows together skeptically. She was on bad terms with Sirius and Peter. The only one who she seemed to keep in touch with after the great schism was Remus. Two against two; there was no way he'd win this.

"I have my ways Lily-kins." He said to her disbelieving face as if he'd heard what she was thinking. Lily just rolled her eyes but she gathered her books and wandered down the passageway with James keeping pace at her side.

"So what's new?" He asked trying to be nonchalant after their semi-make –up conversation.

"Well apparently according to what I overheard there's going to be an attack on Hogsmeade. Voldemort's orchestrating it but he won't tell them anything about it." Lily said.

"Well would you? Hell they were discussing it in the corridor where anyone would overhear at any time of course he wouldn't tell them. They'd give it away."

Lily sighed, "Yeah you're right Guess that's why we haven't been able to track him or predict where he'll attack next because he's good at keeping things secret."

"That and the problem he's the most powerful wizard since Albus Dumbledore." He added.

"Yeah that too; How is Sirius's family life going I heard he got kicked out this summer?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"Don't talk to me about Sirius." James snapped Lily immediately recoiled.

"What's up James?" Lily asked with her eyebrows cocked. James stared at her sternly refusing to speak.