Disclaimer: not mine...

ALICE POV

"How is she?" I had barely stepped into the head's common room when James asked the question.

"She's sleeping. She'll be okay. I think."

He collapsed onto the couch, head in his hands. I'd known James for a long time – we were cousins and frequently visited each other before Hogwarts – but I'd never seen him this crushed apart from when Lily broke up with him and when his parents died. He looked like when Voldemort tortured Lily and killed her parents, he'd actually done that to him. He looked like his world had been torn to pieces, like Lily's pain was his pain, both physical and emotional. I just sat down between Marlene and Mary. We hadn't been as close in the last 6 years, thanks to Lily's feelings towards him and I no longer knew him like Sirius and Remus did. Even then, they were quietly talking in his ear, rubbing his back. He nodded and stood up, starting to leave. Remus turned around to us, "We're going to the kitchens. You guys want to come? Or we can bring something back."

"Just some chocolate."

"Come on Dorky, more like a lot. Lily has a bit of a chocolate addiction. And we could all do with some. We'll stay here with Lils."

He nodded once and followed the other boys out the portrait hole.

REMUS POV

"Hey guys, I think we should head to Honeydukes."

"Moony now is not the time for your chocolate cravings. And we're all starving."

"It's not for me. It's for Lily. Alice said she has a little chocolate obsession and someone (I looked at Padfoot critically here) took the rest of my stash."

"Hey, I was hungry!"

"Shut up Padfoot. Listen. You guys go on ahead to the kitchens. Bring some food back to the common room for me and the girls."

"And where might you be going?"

"Honeydukes. Bye."

"Prongs! Won't u need the cloak or the map?"

"No it's okay I'm head boy remember? I'll just say I'm patrolling."

And with that, he left, jogging towards the statue of the humpbacked witch.

LILY POV

"Come on Lils, the boys are all gone to the kitchens. They'll probably be there for a while. You should come out and we can all sit around the fire."

"Alice…"

"Oh come on Lily! I swear in Merlin's name I will levitate you out of your bed if you don't come out this instant. You got out of the hospital wing 30 hours ago and that whole time you've spent in bed! Now you go take a shower because you smell worse than Sirius after a 4 hour training session. Or we let James up here."

I chuckled, knowing that James would probably pick me up and carry me downstairs, but inside, my heart ached, knowing that he wouldn't kiss me, telling me I was beautiful. However, an incantation shattered my daydreams.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

"MARLENE MCKINNON YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"Sure Lils," she smiled. That wasn't good. I dropped all of about 15 centimetres onto the tiling of the shower. Then, a jab of her wand set the water on. I shrieked as the water soaked through my shirt and shorts that I'd been wearing for the better part of two days.

10 minutes later, I walked into the common room with Mary practically poking her wand into my back. Sure I know they mean well but seriously! I chuckled as I sat down with the others, my hair in a loose bun, lying down on Dorcas's lap.

Just then, the portrait hole opened, and James stepped in, holding a bag that was clearly lumpy everywhere.

"What's in the bag?"

JAMES POV

When I saw her, my eyes lit up. She's clearly just taken a shower and she looked beautiful like always. But after the Lily of the last couple of days, this was a massive improvement.

"What's in the bag?"

I chuckled, "A lot of things Lil, would you really like to know?"

She nodded, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. I smirked, getting ready to upend the bag in the middle of their little circle when an annoyingly loud cry interrupted me.

"Food!"

The aroma of roast and gravy wafted through the portrait hole as the boys came back with a couple of picnic baskets.

"What's this? A feast?"

"Why my dear Marlene, of course it is!"

I chuckled a little at Padfoot's excessive antics, "Well come on you great big oaf, share the spoils."

"With pleasure!"

And with a wave of his wand, a couple of whole roasts chicken, mashed potato and gravy, some salad, a loaf of bread, some roast beef and potatoes, a couple dozen butterbeers as well as plates and cutlery flew out of the basket, "The house elves send their regards and request that we leave everything in the basket to keep the smell out of the room and leave the basket in the room so they can pick it up in the morning. But in the meantime, tuck in!"

I was relieved to see Lily do just that, not that I should be surprised, given she hadn't eaten in a couple of days, but we all joined in, pretty much full, when I decided to upend the chocolates I had gotten from Honeydukes.

"Where did you get all that?"

"Honeydukes. Where else?"

"You didn't steal that did you?" looking up, I chuckled, Lily's scandalized tone matching that on her face

"Relax. I left more than the cost of this on the counter along with a note. We always make sure to do that."

MARLENE POV

We'd actually been all sitting in a circle in the common room near the fireplace for a while, talking and letting the marauders entertain us with their various stories. We were currently drowning in laughter about the time when they'd given Sirius a love potion that made him bellow out the infamous 'Professor Sprout I love you' poem of fourth year. Then, Professor McGonagall knocked on the door. She seemed troubled, but not because we were all in a room that was supposed to be used exclusively by the heads, nor that we had all this food. In fact, she seemed happy to see Lily smiling, but when she asked James to meet her outside, I had a slight feeling not everything was alright with my dear cousin.

He came back, a couple of minutes later, his tear-stricken face hung low, McGonagall actually supporting him until he sat down. He just sat there and cried. It was almost as bad as when he was told his parents died. Then she beckoned for me to go with her.

"Miss McKinnon. It is my extreme regret to inform you that your uncle and aunt, Lorenzo and Stephanie Potter, were murdered – well yesterday now, given the time, by death eaters. I understand they were very close to Mr Potter and you did now know them that well, so I told James first."

I was stunned. Speechless. First of all, McGonagall had just called James, James! True as it was, that uncle Lorenzo and aunt Stephanie weren't the closest of family that I had, the few times I had met them they were just like James' parents, although Stephanie was half blood, but kind, generous, and not giving a rat's ass about blood status. I did know however, that James was very close to them. And now, he was the only one who carried the Potter name. My parents no longer had brothers or sisters or cousins that they actually talked to. But my thoughts turned straight to James. The past half year, it was heartbreak after heartbreak. His parents were killed while he was at a Quidditch match, then Lily broke up with him for the most stupid reason I've ever heard, then his only living relatives that carry his surname are killed as well? I managed to break through the shock enough to resolve myself to help him as much as he needed, in addition to Lily, and climbed through the portrait hole back to the others.

They all looked at me expectantly. James was still crying softly on the floor, Sirius's arm around his shoulders.

"Lorenzo and Stephanie Potter are dead."

Author's Note: hey guys, another massive thanks to those that have stuck with me. I've been busy recently with a drama thing for school but i officially have holidays... starting in a week anyway, not that we do anything in school anyway. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up by the end of the week, I've already started writing it, and then i'll probably be updating a lot more regularly so stay posted! Thank you to all those reviewers and the kind words - i really appreciate it!

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