A/N: Prompts at the bottom to avoid spoilers!


It was past midnight when the infamous prankster duo tramped back towards the Common Room, uniforms soaked at the hems and black hair slicked to their foreheads.

After a quick scan of the Marauder's Map, they shoved the cloak into James's bookbag and Sirius grinned at the Fat Lady, who affixed them with a stern glare.

"Now just what you two are doing out at this hour…"

James winked at her. "Babbity rabbity."

She was still tutting as she let them in. Sirius stepped into the room first, greeted by immediate applause.

"Butterbeer, Black, old boy!"

"Bloody brilliant, I bet, can't wait to see it tomorrow!"

Corks popped and first-years giggled, and the two boys bowed and drank deeply. Someone shouted, "TOAST!" and Sirius leapt onto the table, bowing.

James jumped up beside him and raised his bottle into the air, his smile wrinkling his eyes. "To friendship." He drank deeply. "To loyalty." Another swig. "To the utter and merciless humiliation of Slytherin House at breakfast tomorrow!"

Laughter followed this announcement. Little Antioch Macmillan, his scarf nearly swallowing him whole as he did so, scooted forward until he was nearly under their table. Peering up with wide eyes, he asked, "What did you DOOOO!?"

But the darlings of Gryffindor didn't answer. They blessed the boy with warm smiles which made his eyes water, then plopped onto the best couch, the one closest to the fire, where Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had been sitting with a pretty red-haired seventh-year. But as the boys approached, Lily scooted away, her wavy hair bouncing above her robes.

The Common Room quickly emptied, soon leaving just the five, a flickering fire, and a scattering of toffee wrappers. And still Lily spoke not a word.

"Lils?"

"Yeah, James?" Lily didn't look up from her parchment, quill in her hand. She had moved to an armchair, her Transfiguration papers filling the table in front of her.

"You avoiding me, Lily?"

She laughed humorlessly. "From the moment I met you, I knew I would spend the rest of my life avoiding you."

James took a seat on the shoulder of the chair and motioned as if to put his arm around her. When Lily moved closer to him, he pulled her into an one-armed embrace.

She sighed. "I know what you two were doing, James." Putting her quill down, she added, "I know you weren't just playing some silly prank. And I don't like it."

Silence followed her words. He and she would be full time members of the Order soon - they had accepted that danger without so much as a question. But James was plagued by nightmares where Lily or Sirius or Remus or Peter of his parents were found dead, and he knew he wasn't the only one.

"And what about you, Lily?" He pulled her closer, his voice shaking. "Sneaking out to send messages to Aberforth? Brewing potions in that secret classroom of yours? Do you think I like that."

"James." Lily put her hands on his knees, almost trembling. "James, it's not yours to like. Merlin, if something happened to you because of...well...this is my war, James. I'm the Mudblood, I'm the freak, I'm…" She broke off, biting her lip to stop her tears from spilling. "I'm sorry James; I'm such a mess, it's just… go play a prank on Slytherin and mess up your stupid hair and steal that stupid Snitch and don't let Mudbloods like me be such a burden…"

Her cheeks were damp now. James pretended he didn't notice, instead running his fingers through her hair. "This is my war too, Lily. And the boy who played some silly prank all day? You didn't like that boy much, Lils. Remember?"

She let out a chuckle. "Yeah. I guess."

And then neither of them spoke. There were so many things to say, and left unsaid the young couple had said them all. They simply held each other. And if at some point during the night the five youngsters found themselves together, sleeping on that prized couch, Albus Dumbledore might have taken a picture.


Written For:

Harry Potter Fanfic Challenges:

- Randomized prompt: Lily Potter, common room

- Jily competition

- Pairing Scenario Challenge, Task 1

- Ultimate Writer: Write About Your OTP (Angsty)

Hogwarts Assignments and Challenges:

- Assignment 3, Gryffindor, Mythology: The Olympians, Task 5: Write a Story Set During Wartime

- 365 Prompts: (Era) Marauders

- 2018 Resolutions: Write a fic set in the Marauder Era, Write about someone who died during the first war

Hogwarts Houses Competition:

- Round 2, Gryffindor, Category: Short, Prompt: "From the moment I met you, I knew I would spend the rest of my life avoiding you."

Challenges by the Dozen: Write about your OTP

Word Count: 684