Thanks for the reviews, Pratha, CB, Nupurlath and Anna. Cheers!

Pratha: Thank you so much! It's nice to hear that you like the story. Here is the next chapter, hope you like it too!

Anna: Thanks! I enjoy writing their incantations – they're mostly in Latin, and that's where Google Translate comes in! I think there's a lot of scope for new spells – which is why, I'm providing some more variety as compared to the original series!

Nupurlath: Haha, I understand… But I think it's a part of growing up, you tend to drift apart a little, especially after you start going out with someone and spend more time with them, thereby spending less time with your friends… I guess that's what I'm trying to show! Hope you find this chapter just as enthralling!

booknerdpearl: Thanks! Hope you like this one too!

CB: Exactly!

Guest (Jan 15): Thank you! Wow, I'm glad you felt like reading the sequel after reading the first part… I will definitely update as fast as I can! Here you go, next chapter – enjoy!

Hello everyone, here is chapter nine. Readers, please review. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

Chapter Nine

"I think I've had enough of this dance."

Lily awoke on Christmas morning to find a small stack of presents at the foot of her bed. She got out of bed happily and freshened up before returning to her bedroom, excited – she liked opening Christmas presents, it was always so much fun! She glanced at Liz's sleeping form on her bed, and debated inwardly whether to wake up her best friend… Deciding to go for it, she gently shook Liz awake.

"Ugh," groaned Liz, "C'mon, go away, Lil… It's Christmas, let me have a little lie-in!"

"C'mon – presents!" Lily sang, and Liz gave her a disbelieving sort of look. "What're you, twelve?" she said, a little disdainfully, but her mischievous smile took the sting out of her remark. "Five," Lily responded dryly, "C'mon! Christmas – it's the season of giving! And getting – because others give, too!"

Liz shook her head. "Fine," she said, sighing, "I'm up, I'm up… Let's open some presents!"

Lily nodded enthusiastically, and put thought into action. She opened Adam's present first; it was an ornate sort of Wizard's Chess set, and she immediately arranged the chessboard with increasing wonder – the white pieces were made of pure marble, while the black ones were slate; all the pieces had a lustre brighter than the sun. She studied the exquisite designs, too – the King and Queen both wore crowns fashioned down to the last detail and carried swords (Lily noted that the Queen's soft and more delicate features disguised her supreme effectiveness on the board), the pawns seemed to be replaced by soldiers who carried spears, but she was fascinated by the other pieces. The Knight was actually a knight, a horse rider equipped with a sword and a shield; the Bishop seemed to be replaced by camel rider instead, carrying a spear; while in place of the two Castles, there were two elephants with mahouts riding them, carrying a bow and arrow. It was truly an original Chess set…

"Wow!" she heard Liz exclaim. "That's just – wow! He must really like you, Lily…"

Lily turned to face Liz, suddenly fretful. "Dammit!" she exclaimed, "And all I sent him was a pair of Keeper's gloves! Oh – that's rubbish compared to – to this!"

"Yeah, it is," said Liz with a straight face, and Lily immediately punched her. "Not helping!" she exclaimed, and Liz laughed. "Oh, lighten up – it's the thought that counts, I always say! Besides, where d'you think he got this amazing Chess set?"

"India," said Lily, "That's where he's gone for the Christmas holidays – his parents wanted to go somewhere exotic and far away to celebrate his Dad's promotion." She examined the Chess pieces more closely. "This set – it must have cost him a fortune!" she said, "Oh, no… What does this mean?"

"Either he has a lot of money, or like I said – he really, really likes you," reiterated Liz. "I think you must have made quite an impression in his head! And look, there's a letter, too – perhaps that'll explain!"

Lily immediately tore the letter open, and read:

Dear Lily,

Thank you so much for the new gloves – it couldn't have come at a better time; my old pair was getting quite battered! And these are seriously the best in the market – they have the best material and make to grip the Quaffle, so – thanks, it was very thoughtful!

Please find enclosed a little something I came across in India – I know your birthday is quite close by, and instead of two separate presents, I thought that a big one would be a good idea! I found it at one of the bazaars – that's a market – in Delhi (that's a city in north India). I tell you – this land is so colourful! I'm having a great time here – we went elephant-riding yesterday, and I'm going camel-riding tomorrow. It's such an amazing place, Lily – it has such a rich history! They've had magic since the 6th Millennium B.C., for instance… Can you believe that? Imagine the History of Magic classes these people must have to go through! The Indian school of magic is called Maayavidyalaya (I know, quite a mouthful, isn't it?), and its location is a well-guarded secret (no surprises there).

Anyway, I digress. The Chess set (which you'd have certainly opened by now) represents the armies of medieval India – apparently, there were several tiny kingdoms, and each one has their own unique history. Most Muggle kings were highly hostile towards magic, but some were more tolerant, and wizards in India often posed as saints, seers and sages (colloquially known as rishis or sadhus) to provide advice to these tolerant kings and help them with battles and wars with other kingdoms. Witches are less prominent, though – most of these saints were wizards. In the Chess set, aside from the King and Queen, the Elephant represents the Castle, the Horse replaces the Knight, the Camel is the Bishop, and the Pawns are essentially foot soldiers – infantry formed a substantial part of the armies, see?

I hope you like it, and I'd like to play a game with you once we're back at school, Lily – although I'm quite certain you'll destroy me! And I'm sorry I can't be at Liz's for the party, I hope you have a good time! Say hi to her for me, and do congratulate her parents on my behalf.

Have a Happy Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Oh, and Happy Birthday in advance, too!

Yours affectionately,

Adam

Lily set the letter down, feeling a warm glow spreading across her body, mingled with a sense of relief. So, this was part birthday present, too – it certainly made her feel less guilty. It still seemed to be a very expensive gift, though… "We've been going out for a little more than a month now – don't you think this is a little excessive?" she asked Liz nevertheless.

"If you think that's excessive, you should see what James is going to get Ollie," Liz said with a little smile, before her eyes widened, as if she shouldn't have said that. "What?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes, "What's James getting – er, Ollie?"

"Er – have you heard of Freddie Greengrass?" said Liz, looking a little unwilling as she spoke. Lily shook her head, wondering who on earth Freddie Greengrass could be… "Am I supposed to have?" she asked, and Liz grinned slightly. "Well – he was a famous Quidditch player about forty years ago – so, no," she said, and Lily rolled her eyes. "What does he have to do with James?" she pressed.

"Er – you see, Freddie Greengrass captained the Tutshill Tornadoes at one point," Liz said, "He was a Beater – and a brilliant one, at that. For ten years, the Tornadoes held the record of conceding the least number of goals in the League – their Keeper was decent, but Greengrass and his fellow Beater – they were outstanding, and usually made sure that their opponents couldn't score a lot of goals, and even made their own ok-ish Chasers seem threatening. But Greengrass attained legendary status at the 1934 Quidditch World Cup – it was in the final, against Germany – that's where the rivalry with West Germany stems from, see?"

"Right," said Lily, wondering what the point of this tale was.

"Anyway – just like the last World Cup, Germany's front three was top-notch, they'd scored more than a hundred goals, and their Seeker had caught the Snitch every time. But in that match, Greengrass alone whacked Bludgers more than fifty times, and made sure that our Chasers stayed on par with theirs, and we were even leading by about twenty points when their Seeker caught the Snitch. Before the match, it had been widely expected that we'd lose by three hundred points at least – but Greengrass single-handedly kept us in the hunt. If only we'd caught the Snitch!" she exclaimed, a little sadly.

"Hmm," said Lily; her interest in this story was slipping, and Liz must've sensed this, for she quickly said, "Right, point is – Greengrass's performance was widely lauded – and he received several honours; for instance, the best Beater in the League is awarded the Freddie Greengrass Medal every year. And so, when he passed away recently – may his soul rest in peace – the Beater's bats he'd used throughout his career were put up for auction. And James – he bought one of those for Ollie. He said he'd tell me about her reaction later – but I'm sure she'll be delighted!"

Lily couldn't help it; she was unable to keep the derision out of her voice as she said, "My – that's even worse than this Chess set, then… They've been going out for what, three weeks?"

"Probably two," said Liz, and Lily snorted scornfully. Liz shrugged and continued, "Well – you know James, he's never exactly been lacking when it comes to being elaborate, has he? And besides – why are you so bothered by it?" She regarded Lily curiously, and Lily blushed a little.

"C'mon – I just think it's a little soon," she said defensively. "Besides – James is a friend, so isn't it my job as his friend to point something out that is weird?"

"It's also your job as a friend to be supportive," Liz countered gently. "I mean, c'mon – what he gives her is his business, we don't need to interfere… Do we?"

There was a pause as Lily mulled over the wisdom of Liz's words. She's right, she thought. Here I am, interfering again… It never ends well, does it? "I guess not," she said, a little reluctantly, before looking out of the window wistfully. It had only been about a week since Slughorn's Christmas party, but she was already missing Adam… Oh, I wish he'd be coming to Liz's parents' anniversary celebration, she thought for the umpteenth time. All of their friends had been invited, as were several other prominent wizards and witches (as well as their families), most of whom worked at the Ministry of Magic. Liz had told her that her parents had received special permission from the Ministry to strengthen the protective enchantments around Huntington Cottage for the occasion.

"It was mighty fine of your parents to allow you to come here for Christmas," she said Liz, who was midway through opening another present. Liz snorted and said, "Ha – as if! I'm telling you –your invitation came as a godsend for them, they were delighted with the chance to go to France for a second honeymoon!"

"Liz!" Lily exclaimed, embarrassed; Liz had a certain degree of shamelessness when it came to making innuendos. "My – just a month with Black, and such language!" She gave Liz an impish smile, and her best friend had the grace to look a little abashed. "C'mon, I was like that even before I started going out with Sirius!" she said, a wicked glint in her eye, and Lily shook her head. "As much as I'd like to say that's not true – it is, you're shameless!" she said, and Liz laughed.

Lily's other presents were quite satisfactory, and she came to James's present last… It was a t-shirt, well-made with a picture of a Snitch, a Beater's Bat, the three goal hoops, a Quaffle and two Bludgers – with a caption above them: 'Converted!'. She couldn't help it; despite her current irritation with James, she grinned.

"Nice – creative," said Liz from behind her, laughing slightly. Lily turned to her and said, "Yeah – if everyone I'm friends with plays Quidditch, I guess it was only a matter of time before I was converted, wasn't I?"

"That's true," said Liz, holding up a thick book. "Look – this is what he got me," she said cheerfully, and Lily read the book's title: Ancient Runes of Constantinople. "This is grand – Constantinople has some of the richest runes in the world!" Liz exclaimed as she leafed through the fat book. "And for good reason, too – it was the capital of the Muggle Byzantine Empire, but what the Muggles don't know is how much wizards and witches assisted the rulers in battle. I read once that the Cataphracts – heavily armoured cavalry that formed the basis of the Byzantine Army – were so successful in battle because their armour had several powerful enchantments on them, that protected them as they fought. In return, the Muggle kings offered money and resources to the wizards, who wanted to explore and make sense of the Runes scattered all over Eastern Europe and present-day Turkey…"

Lily nodded, eagerly taking in all this information. She couldn't help feel a little disappointed, however; James's gift to Liz was so thoughtful – it was evidence enough to see how much Liz' face was lit up while she talked about one of her favourite subjects. Didn't he tease her, Lily, for practically living in the library? Then why hadn't he given her a book called Ancient Charms of China, or something like that? Sure, the t-shirt was nice, but a book would've been a whole lot better…

She smiled at Liz distractedly; her friend was still going on about the Runes of Turkey, and apparently, she hadn't noticed Lily's foray into her own thoughts. She compared the t-shirt to her own present to James: it was a book on obscure Curses, something she was sure he'd appreciate. In contrast, the t-shirt (though comical) seemed to be – more generic than personal. She stared out of the window, trying to push away the tiny twinge of disappointment…

They had a sumptuous Christmas dinner, with Petunia choosing to grace the occasion with her presence – she seemed to be a little smug, and when Lily ventured to ask her how her typing course was going, she gave a self-satisfied sort of smile before saying that she'd secured an internship at a firm called Grunnings. She went on to explain that her job profile mainly consisted of documentation; a big drill-making company required several reports to be typed out individually, and Petunia had apparently impressed them with her speed and accuracy on a typewriter. Lily felt happy for her sister, and congratulated her; for once, her sister was gracious (although a little imperious, too) and thanked her. To Lily's relief, Liz was being nice to Petunia, too – Liz had a history of trying to be a nuisance to her sister. I suppose we're all growing up, she thought sardonically…

The Huntingtons had graciously invited Lily's parents to their anniversary party; however, Mr and Mrs Evans had already made plans to spend New Year's Eve with Lily's London Aunt. Lily had been a little sad, but she'd secretly felt a guilty twinge of relief, too; she wasn't exactly sure how comfortable her parents would be in a huge room full of witches and wizards, and she hadn't really wanted to put them through that.

Finally, on the morning of New Year's Eve, Lily bade her parents goodbye and Flooed to Liz's house with her trunk for the rest of the holidays. Liz had left two days earlier to help with preparations for the party, and she'd returned to Diamond Gardens that morning to pick Lily up. Lily stumbled out of the fireplace and looked around in wonder: the spacious living room appeared to be magically enlarged, and filled with decorations – baubles, wreaths, tinsels and a large Christmas tree in the centre. There were several floating lanterns – presumably to illuminate the room that evening, instead of the usual Luminescence Spell.

Lily said a quick hello to Mr and Mrs Huntington before congratulating them; she also gave them their present, an enchanted photo frame which, when loaded with several photos, automatically changed the displayed photo every day. The Huntingtons were touched by her gift (indeed, she could see from Mrs Huntington's happy expression that she'd already thought of which photos to add to the frame), and Lily scampered off to Liz's bedroom to make herself at home for the next few days.

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Lily and Liz started to get ready. It was already five o'clock; the party was scheduled to begin at seven, but they were sure that they'd need that much time to get ready. Lily noticed that Liz seemed to be unusually jumpy, and understood; it was the first time Sirius Black would be coming to her house since she started going out with him. "So – Black all ready to meet your parents?" she asked slyly, and noted Liz's blush with satisfaction. Her best friend turned to her and said, "I guess – I haven't told them that we're going out – yet. I was planning to do it tonight – when they'd be in a good enough mood to take it lightly…"

Lily snorted. "Oh, c'mon – they know Black," she said, her eyebrows raised. Really, Liz seemed to be too tense for no reason…

"Yes – but it's a little more complicated than that," replied Liz, worry clearly in her sea-green eyes. "You see – Sirius may come from a prominent pureblood family, but it is a family that has anti-Muggle leanings, and they support You-Know-Who openly, don't they? I mean, look at his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa – Bellatrix made a nice pureblood marriage to some bloke named Lestrange, while Narcissa is engaged to Lucius Malfoy."

"Ugh," said Lily, making a face as she remembered the tall, blond Slytherin prefect. "Black tell you all that?"

"None other," said Liz, as she began to put on her dress robes. "But these wedding announcements were in the Daily Prophet, too – and I'm sure that my parents know all of this. Which is why, regardless of knowing Sirius, I'm sure that they aren't going to be happy when I break the news – that I'm going out with a boy from a family with obvious Dark Side leanings."

"C'mon, I'm sure they'll be fine," said Lily, waving a hand dismissively. "They'll look at the person, not the family –"

"Like you did with Snape?" Liz countered.

Lily paused, thinking hard. Liz hadn't mentioned her former friend for quite a long time, and whenever she had, it had always been with contempt. She sighed and said, "OK, OK – I understand. I tried to look beyond prejudices, and it didn't end well – but c'mon, this isn't like that. Your parents may (if at all) be prejudiced against his family – but they know him, he's met them several times! If they were so prejudiced, why would they even have allowed him to come to your house so many times?"

"Yes – good point – but being a friend is different from being a boyfriend," said Liz, now removing the knots from a few strands of her long blonde hair. "They may be OK with me hanging around with him – but as a boyfriend, that's a whole other game –"

"It'll be fine," said Lily reassuringly, patting Liz's shoulder gently. "Your parents are going to approve – especially now that he's disowned his family, and has been sort of adopted by James's parents, hasn't he?"

Liz paused, before giving her a little smile. "I'm counting on that," she said, and Lily returned her grin before starting to pull on her own dress robes. "Anyway – leave that, we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Liz continued. "What about you? Will you be all right – by yourself? I mean, I may be busy with my parents or Sirius most of the time, as well as greeting a million people from the Ministry…"

"Don't worry, I'll have Marlene and Mary and Remus – and James, too, I suppose," she said, nodding. "Probably do me some good to get out of your company," she added dryly, and received a punch from Liz in response. She laughed mischievously as Liz shot back, "We can start that now, if you like – get out!"

"You'd miss me," replied Lily serenely. Liz rolled her eyes but chose not to respond; she said instead, "Well, I dunno about James – he'll mostly be with Ollie…"

"Oh – right," said Lily. She'd completely forgotten that Liz had invited the entire Quidditch team, too… Adam wasn't going to be there, of course, but Olivia Dunbar would be. Lily wrinkled her nose in disapproval as she thought of James and Olivia; as much as Liz thought they seemed cute together, she still thought that James buying Olivia an expensive collector's item only after for two weeks of dating was excessive – and also, unnecessary. She debated whether or not tell James this; after all, it shouldn't be the case that Olivia was with him only because he was buying her things, should it? Lily couldn't stand it if James was being taken advantage of.

A couple of hours later, they stood in the Huntingtons' living room, welcoming several prominent witches and wizards from the Ministry. Lily spent some time talking to Marlene's parents and brother (her sister had been unable to make it), before heading off to exchange pleasantries with Mary's parents as well. Remus had come alone, however, and Lily quickly gravitated towards him, asking him about his holidays. He happily thanked her for the chocolate she'd sent him for Christmas; it was about five times stronger than regular chocolate, and he commented that he'd been sugar-high for a couple of hours after cramming two whole bars of it in his mouth. She was a little shocked, but he assured her that it was a great gift, especially since it helped with his transformations, and he wouldn't need to buy any for the rest of the year now. Gratified, she told him about her own holiday, and was in the midst of relating a funny Petunia story when four people entering through the door caught her eye.

James and Black stood in the doorway, with Mr and Mrs Potter flanked them. Mr Potter looked handsome and rather unlike himself in robes of dark blue, while Mrs Potter looked at her elegant best in her purple dress robes. Black looked chic as he always, but Lily's eyes travelled to James – yup, he was wearing his crimson dress robes again, looking just as attractive as he had at Slughorn's Christmas party. She watched as the Potters gave their gifts to Mr and Mrs Huntington, before James and Black drifted off towards Liz; her best friend seemed to blush as Black planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Well – I hope that goes well," she said, and Remus looked at her in confusion. "Er – what?" he asked, and Lily quickly explained about Liz's trepidation when it came to telling her parents that she was going out with Sirius Black. "I dunno why she's worried," he said mildly, "Her parents know Sirius –"

"That's what I told her!" Lily exclaimed, "But – she's being thick –"

Peter arrived just then with a woman who could only be his mother, looking a little unsure of himself. He hesitantly introduced Lily to his Mum, who was a short, slight woman with Peter's watery-blue eyes. Remus sensed Peter's nervousness and immediately whisked him away to the refreshments table, leaving Lily alone with Mrs Pettigrew, who gave her an appraising sort of look before saying, "Petey's told me about you, dear – you help him with his lessons, don't you?"

"Er – sometimes," she said, a little embarrassed, and Mrs Pettigrew gave her a little smile. "Don't be modest, dear – he thinks the world of you, he does," she said, "He says you're the brightest in your year when it comes to Charms and Potions, and that you're helping him with his Potions NEWT – indeed, it was because of you that he's even able to pursue it, isn't it?"

"Something like that," said Lily, "But Mrs Pettigrew – it's actually Pete's hard work that has him doing well at school – he's eager to learn, and I just help him out a bit here and there –"

"Appreciates it, he does," said Mrs Pettigrew. "My Petey's always had a problem with confidence – he was a lively little child, but ever since his Dad passed he went into a shell…"

"I'm sorry," said Lily quietly, and Mrs Pettigrew patted her hand gently. "Thank you, dear – and I'm glad he's doing well now! He keeps saying that you're the closest anyone's ever come to beating him at Chess… And that's after all the hours he spends poring over old Chess-related books!"

"Yeah – he's really good at it," Lily agreed, and Mrs Pettigrew smiled in a way which made Lily suspect that she hardly ever heard good things about her son. The older witch continued, "His friends – James and the rest – tricky blighters they are, aren't they? I was almost overwhelmed when I invited them over for tea before Petey's third year, they somehow set fire to my best living room curtains!" She shuddered slightly, and Lily smiled. Mrs Pettigrew smiled back and said, "But they're a good sort… Petey's really at home when he's with them. Which reminds me, I should say hi to our hosts, and the Potters, too…"

"Right," said Lily politely, and Mrs Pettigrew gave her another smile before saying, "Look out for Petey, won't you, dear? He seems to like you a lot – says he's lucky you're his friend, that you always stick up for him!"

"Er – I –" said Lily, unable to articulate a response in time, and the older witch gave her a little wave before walking away. Wow, she thought as a smile came to her face. I never knew Peter thought the world of me! Gratified, she began to look around for her friends – and noticed Liz leading Black over to her parents. The moment of truth, she thought; she silently observed from a distance as Liz, Black and Liz's parents seemed to be engaged in some sort of discussion before Mrs Huntington suddenly hugged Black, and Mr Huntington patted his back. Elated, Lily beamed at the delight on her best friend's face, happy that things had worked out…

"She looks ecstatic," said a voice, and Lily swirled to find James standing behind her, the familiar lopsided grin on his face. He bestowed a perfunctory hug on her, before saying, "Thanks for the book – it's something else! I never knew that the Japanese were so Curse-happy!"

"You learn something new every day," Lily replied with a straight face, and he guffawed. "I liked the t-shirt – it's true, you lot have converted me into a Quidditch fan!" she added, and he beamed at her. "Glad you do," he said simply, just as Lily spotted another familiar figure – Olivia Dunbar, looking as good as she'd been at Slughorn's party. Her smile momentarily faded as James waved to her, and she muttered a quick goodbye to him before swiftly walking away, suddenly aware of her boyfriend's absence… She stole a backward glance and made a face at James kissing Olivia; she doubted whether he'd even noticed her exit. Well – looks like that girl has him wrapped around her finger, she thought, a little unkindly.

She stopped to say hi to Mr and Mrs Potter, who took one look at her and said, "Ooh, someone's looking gorgeous!" Lily blushed and replied, "Someone's looking beautiful!" Mrs Potter grinned widely, and Mr Potter cleared his throat and gave her a little wink. "And someone's looking dashing, too," amended Lily indulgently, and Mr Potter gave her a smile with mock-satisfaction. She grinned back at him, happy that she was sharing a good rapport with them – they were certainly amongst the nicest people she knew.

"It's very nice to see you, Lily," said Mrs Potter, "James told us that you both had quite an adventure, helping out your Defence Professor! My, trouble seems to follow you around, doesn't it?" She shook her head slightly, and Lily gave her an embarrassed sort of smile. "Er – when you put it that way – perhaps," she deadpanned, and the older woman grinned. "Smart work with the Obice, by the way," she said, and Lily detected a twinge of pride in her voice which heartened her. "I wish James paid more attention to these little things," said Mr Potter, scratching his chin a little, "That way, he'd waste less time in pointless attacking spells – where is he, by the way?" he added, looking around. "Oh, look – he seems to be charming that young lady there – what was her name again?"

"Olivia," supplied Mrs Potter, giving Mr Potter a reproving sort of look. "Really, you should pay more attention to our Jamie's letters, Fleamont – incidentally, what d'you think of her, Lily?" she added, facing Lily.

"Er – I dunno, she's OK, I suppose," Lily responded, a little alarmed at being asked her opinion. "I don't really know her all that well," she added truthfully.

"Well – she must be special, if he went through all that trouble to get her that Beater's bat," said Mrs Potter thoughtfully. Lily nodded in agreement, her spirits dampening… Dare she tell James's parents what she really thought? She decided against it – it wasn't her place to say. She politely excused herself, and made a beeline towards the refreshments table.

The evening progressed enjoyably, and Lily socialized amongst some of the other guests. She mostly preferred to hang around her friends, though… When the band started to play dance music, the living room floor transformed into a dance floor before their very eyes, and Mr Huntington led a blushing Mrs Huntington for their first dance – twenty years later, that is. Soon enough, couples were flocking on the dance floor, and Lily watched wistfully from the sidelines, wishing yet again that Adam was there…

She had fun with Remus and Marlene as they tried to persuade Peter to ask Mary for a dance – which he eventually did, blushing furiously. Lily supposed that he was over her by now – else, he wouldn't have done it, would he? Marlene was asked to dance by a Hufflepuff bloke she only knew by sight, and she followed him onto the dance floor willingly. "Well – d'you want to dance, Lily?" Remus asked her, going a little pink, and she grinned. "Yeah, sure – why not?" she said with a shrug, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. They danced for at least three songs, and Lily enjoyed herself despite him treading on her toes every two seconds.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Black stood behind Remus, who gave her a quick look; she nodded, and he graciously allowed Black to begin dancing with her. "Nicely done," she complimented him, "Looks like the Huntingtons like you, eh?" He grinned and said, "Of course – I'm very charming, see?"

"Go and say that to them," Lily said dryly, and his grin widened. "I'm charming – not stupid," he responded, and she rolled her eyes. "That's debatable," she deadpanned, and he gave her a little wink. Then his tone became serious as he said, "I'm glad they weren't shocked or something – I didn't want to make things hard for her, but she was the one who insisted that we tell them. I mean, it's only been a couple of months!" He shook his head, and she said, "Hey, look – she's pretty open with her parents, see? She doesn't like to sneak around and lie…" He nodded in understanding just as the song ended, and someone else tapped him on the shoulder.

"May I?" James asked simply, and Black nodded. "I'll entertain Ollie," he said brightly, and scampered off towards James's girlfriend. James grinned and held out his hand to Lily, which she took only after a second's hesitation. After two fast songs, however, the band struck up a slow Austrian Waltz, and Lily felt a sense of déjà vu… Here we go again, she thought as James put his hands on her waist, and she put hers awkwardly around his neck. "Shouldn't you be dancing with your girlfriend for this song?" she couldn't help asking, and he grinned. "That's fine, Ollie doesn't mind – we danced a couple of waltzes before," he replied as they danced.

"I've been wanting to have a word, actually," she said, making up her mind in a trice; now was the time to let him know of her musings. "Yes?" he asked, and she paused for a moment before saying, "Er – I heard about what you gave – er, Ollie – for Christmas –"

"What of it?" he interrupted, and she sighed before steeling herself. "Er – you've only been going out for a couple of weeks, James," she said gently, "Don't you think something like that is a bit – er, much?"

There was a pause, following which James said tersely, "No." His hazel eyes weren't warm anymore. "She loved it – she was so happy," he added, "And that's what matters, doesn't it? And besides – what is it to you, anyway?"

"Er – I –" she stuttered, debating inwardly whether or not to say it. Throwing caution into the winds, she said, "Look – I just don't want someone to take advantage of you, OK? I just think that buying such expensive gifts this early is not a good idea –"

"You have this all wrong," James cut across her, and this time his hazel eyes were definitely frigid. "Ollie isn't like that – she's a very nice girl –"

"I'm sure," she said quickly, "But look at it this way… You're rich, and –"

"I think I've had enough of this dance," he said, and she was surprised to hear the harshness of his tone. There was a pause, and he continued cuttingly, "I won't humiliate you by abandoning you mid-song – but I'm not going to say another word to you." He fixed his eyes on a spot somewhere behind her shoulder, looking anywhere else but at her.

She had clearly touched a nerve, and she hastened to make amends. "Look – I'm only looking out for you," she said delicately. "Please don't be angry –"

"We're past that now," he snapped, and said nothing more until the song ended. He shook himself free from her and stalked away, while she remained rooted to the spot, adrenaline coursing through her veins. That could've gone better, she thought, upset. I hurt his feelings by suggesting that his girlfriend was a gold-digger… I should probably go and apologise to him. But by then, he'd already begun dancing with Olivia again, and the cheerful smile on his face as he looked at the pretty brunette drove her resolve out of her mind. Her happiness evaporating entirely, she made her way to the refreshments table and poured herself a Butterbeer.

The rest of the evening was a blur. She dully watched as everyone else enthusiastically counted down the seconds until the New Year (she supposed that this was something the Wizarding World had in common with the Muggle World). There were whoops and claps at the stroke of midnight, and several live fairies burst out of the ceiling, showering all the guests with fairy dust. Gradually, the party began to wind down, and everyone began to leave. Lily said her goodbyes to her friends, and gave James a tentative glance; however, he ignored her completely and joined his parents as they left with a final wave to the Huntingtons…

Feeling a sudden urge to be alone, Lily made a quick and unobtrusive (or so she hoped) exit from the living room, and almost ran towards Liz's room. Not even bothering to remove her dress robes, she threw herself on the bed and let her tears fall… I hurt him, she thought. Liz was right, I shouldn't have said anything – oh, why did I do it? Stupid, stupid move, Evans, she scolded herself as tears flowed freely from her eyes. What the heck were you thinking?

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"Look – just tell me, won't you?" Liz said irritably as they walked back from double Potions. It was the first day back, and Lily remembered with a sinking feeling in her stomach that they still had DADA to go; she wasn't looking forward to a class with the rude and unfriendly Professor Burke. Liz continued, "I've had enough – you haven't said a word about what happened for the past two weeks – and James is just as bad, just pretends deafness whenever I broach the subject!"

"Take the hint, then," said Lily, and immediately received a punch from Liz. "Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hand, and Liz shook her head. "You deserve that – and I think I deserve to know more than 'Things were said!'"

But Lily wasn't listening; they'd just entered the Great Hall, and she'd just spotted someone who made her spirits rise considerably… "See you later, Liz," she said with a little wave to her best friend (who looked like she'd been cut off mid-sentence), and scuttled off to join Adam for lunch. "Hi," she greeted him with a little kiss on the cheek, and he gave her his usual warm smile. "Thanks for the Chess set, it was amazing!" she exclaimed as she sat down in front of him, and his grin widened. "Glad you liked it," he said simply, "And I have some more exciting news to share!"

"Really, what is it?" she asked curiously as she loaded food onto her plate. His grey eyes were uncharacteristically alight with ecstasy as he said softly, "I received a job offer – from the Madrid Guerreros – as a reserve Keeper!"

"Wow, that's – that's incredible, congratulations!" she said, excited and happy for him. He beamed and said, "Thanks! Oh, it's something I've always wanted to do… My Dad knows a few people, and he asked the Guerreros coach if they'd give me a tryout – they agreed, and I spent the last three days of our holiday in Madrid – and during the trial, I saved three penalties out of five! They were impressed… Offered me a contract straightaway!"

"Wow!" Lily said, impressed. "And you signed it?"

"'Course – when the Guerreros come calling, who says no?" he asked her, his tone slightly incredulous, though she could see amusement in his grey eyes. She nodded slowly, thinking hard… It was clear that his future seemed to be in the Continent, away from Britain – and away from the war. "Er – and what about the war?" she asked him, her eyes boring into his.

He waved a dismissive hand and said, "What of it? Spain is where the future is – Britain isn't safe anymore, not when you can get attacked at any time, even in your own home! Playing Quidditch professionally is all I've ever wanted to do, and this – this is a stepping stone to that! And you know," he added, "You should come to Spain, too – look for a job there, away from all this rubbish!"

"Oh – I dunno, I still have another year of my education left," she said with a little smile, and he nodded in understanding. He spent the rest of lunch describing his travels to India in more detail, before asking about her own holiday… She told him about what she'd been up to, leaving out the part where she'd quarrelled with James. Nay, that was between him and her – and unless they sorted it out themselves, she didn't find the need to tell anyone else what was going on, not even her boyfriend.

As she made her way to DADA after lunch, though, her mind wandered back to Adam's news. He was clearly and happily on his way to another country… And what was worse, he seemed to be saying that he was ready to turn his back on the war that was plaguing the British Isles, eager to follow his passion – well, she couldn't blame him, could she? He loved Quidditch… She wished he'd confided into her before signing the contract, though – at the very least, asked for her thoughts on it. Then again, they'd just been going out for a little more than two months, so he didn't have to ask her any of these things…

But as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was sure that the other people whom she knew loved Quidditch – would stay to fight the war, to fight for the good of Wizarding Britain. She frowned as she thought of several people – Frank Longbottom, Gideon Prewett and Fabian Prewett, who were currently in Auror training – she was sure that Fabian Prewett would've certainly considered Quidditch as a career in happier times, he was quite good and his knowledge of Quidditch stats was incredible… Her mind went to the current team. Liz, she was sure, would certainly pursue a career which allowed her to help out with the war, despite her own Mother having Captained the English National Quidditch team. Black and Marlene would probably go into Auror training, and James – James would do the same, without question…

Her thoughts unwillingly went to her quarrel with James on New Year's Day. She'd spent several days trying to decide whether she should just write to him and apologize; once or twice, she'd almost removed her quill and parchment, but she'd stopped at the last second. No… He deserves a face-to-face apology, she'd thought every time, and had resolved to do so as soon as she got the chance.

So far, however, Lily had been out of luck. James had skilfully avoided her all morning, not even responding to her tentative greeting when she'd run into him at breakfast. Well, she'd given him a few days to cool down, but clearly, that hadn't worked… How was she supposed to apologize if he wouldn't even give her the opportunity? She couldn't stand that someone was so livid with her that they refused to talk to her or even look at her – it brought back too many unpleasant memories of Petunia.

Lily entered the DADA classroom, and sat down next to Liz near the front of the class. "How come you're not sitting with Blackie?" she asked with a little smirk, and her best friend grinned. "I'm wondering the same thing, he's more fun," she responded with a wicked twinkle in her sea-green eyes, and Lily snorted. Just then, however, Professor Burke walked in, and Lily wondered for a wild moment if she'd mellowed down during the holidays…

"Right – how many of you dunderheads know how to counter Dementors?" the teacher asked asked, and Lily shook her head. No such luck, she thought disdainfully as nearly everyone raised their hands in response to the teacher's question. Professor Burke smirked. "Is that so?" she asked, in a tone that was condescending and disbelieving at the same time. "Mind explaining how – yes, Miss Bond?"

"Patronuses," said Ashley Bond shortly, and Professor Burke nodded. "Right – that was the easy part, though. You need to learn how to cast a corporeal Patronus – that's what we're going to try to do today, if you lot have the brains and ability to, which I doubt," she added, and Lily sighed. She was getting a little tired of the Professor's attitude…

"Right – stand up, everyone," ordered the teacher, and the class obeyed. Professor Burke waved her wand, and all the tables, chairs and bags stacked themselves neatly into a corner of the classroom. "Well – what're you all waiting for, choose a partner – let's get started," she added, and there was a sudden movement as people walked towards the people they wanted to partner. Lily automatically turned to Liz, who had a mischievous glint in her eye as she called, "OI, Blackie! C'mere – I'll show you how to cast a corporeal Patronus!"

Lily noticed Black drag a reluctant-looking James towards them, and understood: Liz was giving her an opening. She felt an unbelievable rush of gratitude towards her best friend, who gave her an encouraging nod before linking hands with Black and walking off. Lily turned to James, who deigned to give her a scorching sort of glare… Now is the moment, she thought. He's at least looking at me –

She stepped forward. "James, I –" she began, but he ignored her; he asked the girl standing next to him, "Hey, Bond – want to partner up?"

Ashley Bond gave James a confused glance as her blue eyes went from him to Lily. "Sure, why not?" she said finally, "Considering that the alternative is to work with him…" Lily followed her gaze and felt a dull blow near her stomach; Ashley was eyeing Severus with great dislike, and her former best friend was responding in kind.

"Great," said James, and without even bothering to give Lily a second glance, he went off with Ashley, who gave her an apologetic sort of look before following him. Lily felt a lump rise in her throat, but she angrily pushed it down; she couldn't show him how upset she was, she just couldn't.

"Er – shall we?" said a soft voice, and she turned sideways to find Severus giving her an expectant sort of look that didn't quite hide his irritation which Lily was sure was due to James being in close proximity of her. He gave the retreating James a look of loathing before turning back to Lily and saying, "Look, Lily – I really want to apologize…"

"Save it," she snapped as a sudden thought struck her; Severus had been trying to apologize to her for months now, and she hadn't even given him the opportunity… Had he been feeling how – how she was feeling right now? Well, the shoe is on the other foot now, she thought cynically.

Severus was trying again. "Lily, please –"

"Shut up, Snape!" she snarled. A flash of anger appeared in his eyes, and he said, "So – it's Snape now, is it?"

"Unless you prefer Snivellus," Lily said viciously, her eyes narrowed. James wasn't talking to her, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed with him… Well, Severus would serve an easy outlet for her anger.

"Go away, Snape," said a voice, and she whirled around to find James standing next to her. "I'm partnering with her – so I suggest you get lost." His voice barely concealed an undercurrent of anger, and despite her annoyance at his attitude, Lily felt a strong rush of gratitude towards him…

"Wrong, Potter – I'm her partner," Severus snapped, and raised his wand. James snorted and said, "Is that so? Why don't you ask her which of us she'd rather work with?"

"James," said Lily quickly, taking a step nearer to him. There was a fraction of a second when she saw unbearable pain in Severus's black eyes, before he snarled, "Right, right – well, on your own head be it!" He stormed away towards Ashley Bond, who was standing with her mouth set in a thin line.

"I thought you were working with Ashley," she addressed James, who shrugged. "I changed my mind," he said shortly, and she smiled; she couldn't help it. Before she could begin to apologise to him, however, Professor Burke announced, "Right – now that you all have found your partners, face each other – raise your wands – and cast the Charm!

"Expecto Patronum!" the class chanted all at once, but nothing happened. Professor Burke made a clicking noise with her lips and said, "Pathetic – if you lot have cast the Charm before, I should've seen at least some silver vapour!" She shook her head scornfully, and Lily scowled; she stole a glance at James and was relieved to find him frowning, too… Well, we at least agree on something, she thought wryly.

"You're either rusty – or you're not thinking of something happy," the Professor continued, "Does everything have to be done for you?" Shaking her head, she raised her wand. "Well – here's a demo, then – Expecto Patronum!"

A bright, silver beast shot out of her wand and Lily had to fight down a laugh; it was a boar, complete with a huge snout and two tusks and looking remarkably like the one that had appeared after James's spell, all those months ago in Diagon Alley… It suits her personality, Lily thought with a little twinge of amusement. Aggressive, unfriendly, prone to attacking for no reason…

Professor Burke was talking again, and Lily quickly focused on her. "Right – now, keep saying the incantation as you focus on your happy memory," the teacher said, ignoring everyone's astonished or amused faces at her Patronus with supreme indifference. "Go on – do it!"

Lily cast her mind around; she had several happy memories, the most recent one being meeting Adam for lunch that day. She focused on how she'd felt while kissing him on the cheek, and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" Just as it had back in their third year (when Professor Walcott had taught them the spell), a silver mist came out of her wand; it lingered around her for a few seconds before dissipating entirely.

"You need to think of a happier memory – this one doesn't seem to be strong enough," said James, his voice cutting. She fought down her irritation as she said, "Fine – you do it, then." He nodded and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" Silver vapour shot out of his wand, too – and it lingered for a lot longer than it had for her. There was a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he said, "See? Better than yours! Go on – you try it."

She focused on the first time she'd kissed Adam, but the same thing happened; her mist lingered only for a few seconds. "You need a stronger memory," James said again, before resuming his efforts. Lily followed suit – but for the rest of the class, she didn't progress beyond silver vapour lingering for a minute at most. It was looking like her memories with Adam weren't happy enough…

"Pathetic," said Professor Burke again as the bell rang, "You lot need to do better than this – if Dementors attack you in the real world, you're finished!" Everyone silently packed their bags, and began to file out of the classroom with drooping shoulders; it had been a frustrating class. James was gone even before Lily could finish packing up, and she left the classroom with Liz at a slower pace… If she wasn't even going to get a chance to apologize, how could she even get James talking to her again?

Lily ate dinner with Adam that night, but her spirits failed to rise. She did a passable job of hiding her frustration with James, though, and she was quite sure that Adam didn't suspect anything… She gave a little sigh. She had to do it soon – it was eating her up, just the thought of her friend so angry with her.

"Library, then?" Adam asked as they finished their meal, but Lily shook her head. "You go ahead – I'll join you, there's something I want to take care of first," she said, keeping her voice as even as possible. He raised his eyebrows but nodded nonetheless, and Lily waited for him to leave before standing up. She steeled herself as she approached James, who was sitting with the other Marauders. She wondered where Liz was, before remembering that her best friend wanted to get started with her Runes homework… James was laughing about something, and she felt relieved; perhaps he was in a better mood…

"Er – James," she began tentatively, wincing a little as she saw the laughter on his face being replaced by a scornful look. "What?" he grunted, and Lily almost felt her resolve falter; she shook herself and said, "Er – can I have a word? In private?" James continued to scowl, and she added beseechingly, "Please?"

"Go on, Prongs – we'll be right here," said Black, nodding a little at her as he spoke. She drew in a sharp breath; for once, Sirius Black was being subtle… Would wonders never cease?

Much to her relief, James said, "Fine – be right back." He stood up, and she smiled. "C'mon – let's go outside," she said, and thankfully, James nodded and followed her without question. It was almost dark by the time they came to the castle courtyard, and Lily performed a quick Charm to warm the air around them. She turned around and faced him squarely.

"I'm sorry, James," she said, looking directly into his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry I said those things… Clearly, I was out of line. I didn't mean to hurt you." She lowered her eyes.

"Yeah – but you did," James replied, and she looked up at him again. To her dismay, there was no warmth in his hazel eyes. "You knew it would hurt me – and you still said all that rubbish," he continued roughly.

This wasn't going as well as she'd hoped. "Look, James," she said gently, "All I was trying to do was to look out for you – to make sure that no one was –"

"Taking advantage of me," James cut across her, and she shuddered at the contempt in his voice. "D'you think I'm stupid? D'you think I don't understand these things? And most importantly – d'you think Ollie is that kind of girl?"

"I don't know her well enough to answer that," Lily said, a little pleadingly, and James let out a derisive laugh. "Exactly!" he exclaimed, "And yet – you went ahead and assumed that she was taking advantage of me! You're saying you don't know her – and yet, you're being all judgemental! How could you say all of that?"

"I know!" Lily exclaimed, holding up her hands. "I know, and I'm sorry! I –"

But he interrupted her again, this time with a scornful laugh – a maniacal, out-of-control sound. "Enough," he snapped, "I've heard enough… Just leave me alone, Lily!" And with that, he stormed off, away from the courtyard, away from the castle… Away from her.

"Wait – come back!" she called without much hope, but he was already out of sight. She felt a lump in her throat once again, and her eyes began to tear up… She couldn't go back into the castle, she was sure that Adam would cotton on to how upset she was feeling, and she couldn't confide in him just yet, it was too painful. She sank to the floor next to a pillar, and remained seated, letting her tears fall freely…

She'd hurt him. He wasn't yet ready to let bygones be bygones, and each word from his mouth had struck her like a blow from a sword. He was still livid with her, and she couldn't bear it… Why, oh why, wasn't he forgiving her? Why was he still furious? Couldn't he see that she was feeling terrible about the whole business?

Thankfully, no one was about at that late hour, and Lily remained seated on the ground where she was, surrounded by her own Warming Charm that kept the air around her at a pleasant, bearable temperature. She couldn't help it; she let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. James's anger was something she could still have borne – but the disdain, the contempt with which each of his words was laden was what made her feel terribly ashamed of herself…

As she sniffed, she heard a little sound; she looked up to find a pair of pale eyes, and drew her wand in a trice. However, she lowered it as soon as she saw who it belonged to – a large, bearlike, jet-black dog. This was odd, she'd never seen this dog before at Hogwarts. Did it belong to a student? Nah, that can't be, she thought. Dogs aren't allowed as pets…

The dog approached her cautiously; apparently satisfied that she wasn't going to attack, it came and sat down next to her. "Hello," she whispered, "Who are you? D'you belong to somebody here?"

The dog wagged its tail eagerly, and Lily immediately began to pet its head. "Hang on," she said, and extended her Warming Charm so that it surrounded the dog, too. It regarded the sudden changed in temperature with interest, before proceeding to lick Lily's hand. That was enough for her to start tearing up once again; as if sensing this, the dog placed its head lightly on her lap… She patted its head and scratched it behind its ears. It seemed to want to comfort her, and what was more, it was working…

"Dammit – if only he'd listen to me," she whispered, more to herself than to the dog. "But he's so angry – I doubt if he'll even talk to me ever again!" The lump in her throat was back, but the dog licked her hand again, as if trying to comfort her… "It's like you can understand me," she said softly, and the dog wagged its tail once again. "Well, in that case, what d'you think? Should I try to apologize to James again, or just give him his space?" she asked, smiling for the first time in what felt like days. "Wag your tail if you think I should give him some space," she added, and the dog wagged its tail once again, its tongue lolling out of its open mouth. She chuckled slightly. "Well – if you think so, dog – maybe I will do that," she said, and the dog wagged its tail before licking her hand gently. She gave an inward smile; she couldn't quite fathom why, but she was sure that the dog had understood everything she'd just said.

"Thank you, doggy," she said gently, scratching its ears. "Y'know, I don't see a collar – so how about I name you instead? Let's see – d'you like – er, Blackie? Nah – that's what Liz calls Black," she added, and the dog let out a bark that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. She smiled and said, "My – it's like you're human! Let's see – how about Snuffles? D'you like Snuffles?"

The dog wagged its tail vigorously, and Lily grinned. "Well – Snuffles it is, then – I wish I could keep you, but Hogwarts doesn't allow dogs," she said wistfully. The dog gave her a steady sort of look, before pointing towards the castle with its nose. She nodded and stood up. "Yes – I know it's late," she said. A little worried about James, she said to the dog, "Snuffles – do me a favour, OK? My friend James – I dunno where he went, but he hasn't come back yet – and I'm starting to get a little worried…" She took in a deep breath. "Would you – look for him? Please?"

The dog nodded and gave a little bark that sounded surprisingly reassuring – were dogs even capable of that kind of emotion? She couldn't explain it – she was feeling comforted, and she was sure that James would be all right, especially if Snuffles went to look for him. It was certainly very odd… "Thanks, Snuffles," she said softly, "I was feeling really sad, and you cheered me up – come back to visit, OK?"

The dog nodded eagerly, licked her hand one last time, and took off – away from the castle, in the general direction of the Forbidden Forest. She hoped that it would be all right… She even wondered if it stayed in the Forest, there were certainly several strange creatures that lived there.

"Bye, Snuffles," she whispered, and set off towards the Great Hall, hoping against hope that James would start talking to her soon…

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