Disclaimer: Same disclaimer applies, everything's J.K. Rowling's, except the plot.

A/N:Here it is! Raw and untouched. No beta, if you see something let me know! I just wanted to get the chapter out to you!

Chapter 11: Growing Strength

"I never thought I'd be saying this… but I've never been so happy that we're muggle born."

Lily giggled, and glanced over to her over worked owl, Wilma, who was currently tucked under her wing napping.

"Well my owl certainly appreciates it. She flat out refused to carry anything for me today. Our electricity using families are quite convenient during times like these."

"I love using owls, but you can't beat the telephone's handiness," Judith added.

"So how was the first –post divorce Christmas?" Lily asked, hesitantly.

"Christmas Eve with Mum, Christmas Day with Dad, meh," she replied dully.

"That's it?"

"That's it. Andy came to Christmas Eve; it was a nice distraction so to speak."

Lily rolled the word distraction around in her head; it wasn't much of an endearment for one's boyfriend. "Distraction, right. Well what did he get you?"

Judith immediately took off with her answer, as though she were waiting all along for Lily to ask, "Oh Lil, he gave me the most beautiful shirt, he knows an embroidery charm! And listen to this! He gave my sisters and my mother gifts as well; I don't think Alice will ever take her shirt off."

Lily let out a low whistle, "Well someone's upping their game, and did you deliver?"

"God, I think so-"

"You put out!"

"What, No! Lil, oh no!"

"Drat, I was trying to catch you off guard, get a confession out of you,"

"Well we haven't done that…. But honestly… I don't think it's far out."

Lily sat in silence flabbergasted; Judith was always considered the goody good of their year. This would devastate her reputation.

"That's not too far out… how far out is everything else?" Lily asked.

"Um, far out would be the wrong term."

"Should I use the past tense?"

"Yes!"

"Oh my Judith! Could you please make an effort to keep me better informed? How far past are we talking?" Lily asked, insulted.

"Quite?" Judith responded as a question, and then rushed to make up for it, "I promise, when we do the deed, you'll know!"

"Hmph," Lily responded, but really was troubled by this.

"Well I've got to go! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year."

Lily felt uneasy as she hung the phone up. Her best friend was about to go do a seventh year, and her and Derek weren't anywhere near that. Were all the others in her year jumping ship?

She thought about how great it felt when Derek was kissing her, but then her mind wandered to her losing it to him in some abandoned corridor on the cold stone walls. No thank you.

1974 would be the year the Potter's decided to shake things up in the wizarding community.

The Potter New Year's Ball was a tradition going back 120 years, from the first year the manor was built. But this year would be different; it would mark the first year a muggle was invited, as Lily's parents had received an invitation. Despite the fact that the Evan's had a clear link to the wizarding world, this was a huge deal. This year also marked the first year a muggle born had been invited; Lily.

As it was, Lily was currently relaying this information to her parents, in hopes that they will relinquish their invitation.

"I don't think we should go," Mr. Evans said to his wife.

Lily sighed in relief and sat back in her chair. At least she had dissuaded one of them.

Her mother was not convinced and if anything, Lily's argument had proven to encourage her mother to go.

"So your saying you don't want to join me in making history?" she quipped back.

"It wouldn't be good history, Lily already said, beside the Potters and maybe a few others, we won't be well received. I'm thinking of our safety!"

"It's never been a problem at Easter Brunch, has it Lily?" she replied, addressing Lily.

"I've already explained that Mum. Why won't you listen? The Potter's gave everyone the impression that you WERE a witch, and left them to assume I was half or something."

"So why can't they assume the same now?"

"This isn't a Christian holiday is it? Minimal magic is used on Christmas and Easter in respect, but its New Years, people will be lighting off fireworks from their fingertips," she replied pinching the bridge of her nose.

Lily's Mum turned to her Dad, "I just don't think the Potters would invite us if there was an issue of our safety."

Lily had to jump in again, she felt as though she were being the adult one, "There IS an issue of your safety, and mine for that matter. The Potters invited you I'm sure with full intentions of protecting you. But do you want to make them choose if it came down to that? Make them curse one of their other friends?"

"You see dear? We shouldn't put them in that position," her father remarked.

"Mum, I don't even think I should go, and I'm a witch! The three of us alone can not fight a prejudice this strong."

Lily awoke startled that very night as a paper airplane smashed into her face. She opened her eyes to see Petunia standing over her with a murderous glare, and a very red face.

"Tell your freak friends to check the right windows next time they're sending you a love letter, or hopefully a hate letter."

Then she stormed, as much as you could storm silently, out of Lily's room. Lily had to laugh, she had secured her window so that there would be no possibility of a paper airplane window wake up, but apparently her sister didn't.

She looked at the crinkled letter and saw her name scrawled out on it. She knew it was James before she opened it, and her heart fluttered just enough for her to notice it and blush. Inside there was just a short note double-checking that Lily would indeed be attending the ball the next day. She sighed and set it on her nightstand. That was a good question, was she attending? She was definitely playing around with the idea of babysitting her mom to make sure she didn't sneak over there. But then, wouldn't her attendance be the first step to her parent's eventual attendance? Muggle born first, then maybe muggles?

Meanwhile, down the street James and the other Marauders were awaiting Lily's reply.

"I hope I transform into something really grand, you know? Like really big, I'm sick of being the smallest," Peter declared.

"I just hope you transform Pete," Sirius snickered.

"Oi, I haven't seen you make any transformation yet!" Peter yelled back.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but from our research, you'll probably still be the smallest, Sirius the biggest," James added, distracted.

"Hmph, let's all just get transformed, then we'll see whose the biggest," Peter replied.

Remus always stayed quiet during these types of discussions. While he was flattered at the trouble they were going through for him, he didn't feel right encouraging them. He chose instead to change the subject.

"How long has it been since you sent it James?"

James tore his eyes away from his window for the hundredth time, "Well over an hour now."

"Well she must have read it and discarded it then. I charmed it to heat up the longer she let it hit her in the face," Sirius grinned.

Peter guffawed at Sirius's addition, "Good one Sirius!"

"You didn't," Remus said, shaking his head.

"You idiot, no wonder she's not responding! Could of spoke up sooner about this, couldn't you?" James shouted at Sirius.

Sirius put on his best puppy dog face, "I was only trying to help James."

James pointedly ignored Sirius, and Remus jumped in, "In all seriousness, do you think Lily will risk it?"

"Do you think there will be no shows is what's more important," Peter added, seriously.

The other three boys looked at Peter like he had just sprouted horns.

"How, in anyway, would that be more important?"

"Besides, it's not like Mum added a post script on the invitations, 'May be muggles in attendance,'" James replied dryly.

"I was just saying…" Peter mumbled off.

"Well anyways, Lily's better off than her parents will be if they come. But my dad talked to Lily's dad and he reckons that they won't come. I guess Lily's been hell bent on convincing them not to since the invitation arrived."

"Do you really think it will be that unsafe for them?" Peter asked.

"Well are any Blacks invited?" Sirius asked.

"You know they are."

"Well then I guess I'd say it's pretty fucking unsafe."

The four boys eyed each other worriedly, and all wished Lily had given James a reply.

The day after Lily had been woken up by Petunia she not only got yelled at by her mother, for apparently Petunia had suffered burns to her face, but she also got to talking to James.

"I understand why you don't want to come Lils, but you'd be fine. None of the adults will be interested in mingling with you if you're standing near us."

Remus grinned at this. They had a preceding reputation, so any guest who came near them was at liberty to be pranked, and they knew it.

Lily peered around James's form to give Remus a stern look as he was high fiving Peter.

"Just think about it Lily," James added.

"I know it's not that we don't want to go... I am just concerned about what it would mean for my parents if they went, if not their safety, their pride. My mother wants to go so badly, and if she thinks I am, she'll find a way to accompany me."

"Welp we tried," Sirius proclaimed, slapping James on the back.

"Honestly Lily, you're probably making the right choice, I have some nasty relatives who would not take to this change in the guest list lightly." he added, shamefully.

Lily smiled up at him sadly, "If things were different, I'd be there. But for now, I'm planning on ringing in the New Year muggle style."

"How is that exactly?" Peter asked.

Lily shrugged, "Party blowers and confetti."

"How do you get confetti?" he asked again.

"Erm, you buy it, or make it, then throw it in the air? Although, one year, Petunia and I filled balloons with confetti, then when the clock struck midnight we popped them! Made an awful mess... but that was before..." She trailed off sadly. She was literally at a crossroads, stuck between two worlds.

"Well, I'll be going now, Happy New Year," she claimed, with a forced smile.

"Happy New Year," they all said back.

"Blimey," said Peter, "You really think she's going to go home and cut out her own confetti?"

The only response he got was a smack behind his head by Sirius.

Two days later, on New Years Eve Day, Lily found she had almost convinced her mother to stay home. With Lily declaring she wasn't going, and her mother not wishing to go alone, she seemed to have resigned.

Lily was sitting wistfully in her bedroom running her fingers over the beautiful gown her mother had found for her. It seemed such a shame to waste it.

"Knock knock," her mother sounded verbally and physically, knocking on Lily's door frame.

"Seems a shame to waste it doesn't it?" she added, handing Lily a cup of tea.

"I was just thinking that actually," Lily responded, "I'm becoming you!"

"Well it was bound to happen sometime. So, is there anything I can say that will make you want to go tonight?" her mother said, running her hand over Lily's long hair.

"Mum, I want to go. It's not a question of what I want to do, but what I should do."

"You're too young to be thinking the way you are. When did you grow up so fast?"

"I don't know," Lily responded looking at her cup of tea, "I mean I've been dying to go to this ball forever, but now I get invited and its stay home and be safe or go with a big target on my back."

"Whatever happened to my brave Lily? Since when do you chose the safe option?"

"Since forever. When did you peg me for a risk taker?"

"You've always been! You got a mind-boggling letter when you were eleven, and went off into a new world all alone! What if you had chosen to play it safe?"

"That's different! You guys encouraged me, and the Potters, and I wasn't even alone, I was with James!" Lily huffed in her defense.

"Oh and we aren't encouraging you now? The Potter's didn't invite you? You think James will take his eyes off you for one second?"

Lily's eyes began to fill with tears; her chin shook from her defiance and willing to hold them back.

"Lily, its three houses away. If you're uncomfortable, come home. I would hate to see you miss out on such a big opportunity."

"There will be other New Year's Balls."

"If things are as bad as your painting them, maybe there won't be and more balls," her mother said, still petting Lily's hair down her back.

Lily had lost her inner battle, a sob escaped her lips and her mother enveloped her in a hug. James had said it himself; she would have four personal body guards.

Her mother stood up, and was standing behind her playing with Lily's hair already, "Now, how should we do your hair?"

Lily stood in front of her mirror in disbelief that she was actually going. Her mother stood behind her with her hands on Lily's shoulders, and she actually had tears in her eyes.

"You look so beautiful," was all she managed to get out before she pulled a Kleenex out of pocket.

Lily actually enjoyed getting ready, she felt like a debutant. First off her dress came from a vintage store her mother frequented, and was the most glamorous thing Lily had ever seen. It was perfect; a rose or taupe colored chiffon gown covered a beautiful pattern of gold beads. Every time the light hit her, she sparkled like a million diamonds. The dress had a sweetheart top, and she discovered she had cleavage she never knew existed. Paired with her mother's diamond earrings, and her clutch, it meant the only thing new was her shoes, which added inches to her stature, and gave her the best posture she's ever had.

Her mother had coifed her hair down with long, shiny, perfect curls. She hadn't even used magic! But Lily had already decided that once she was out the door she would charm it to stay. Now the only question was how was she to get to the ball?

She figured her options were either to walk in the snow, ruin her dress, and show up in her winter boots. Contact James, get flown over there, or get dropped off by her dad in his car. As she wanted to surprise James, she opted to be dropped off by her dad. She figured she could sneak in through the kitchen door, and no one would even notice.

"Stop fidgeting Sirius, we are your wing-man, we'll keep an eye out for your family." Remus soothed his friend.

"They are not my family!"

"Maybe they won't show," Peter added hopefully.

"Ya maybe, maybe word got about, about you know," James said uncomfortably.

"About Lily being here?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"Oh come on, don't tease him," Remus said.

"Ohhh, maybe she brought some muggle confetti balloons, your family will love that," Peter said, clapping, then being smacked by Sirius.

"Would you guys quit it? I'm about to walk down there, muggle New Years with Lily is better than a wizarding New Year Ball with out her," James said frustrated, running his hand through his hair, and turning away from his friends.

Turning in the direction they were looking, he finally saw her, what they were all speaking of. Lily was being pulled to him by his house elf.

"Master James says that I should always bring Miss Lily to you if I see her. Well I saw her! And here she is!" he squeaked and walked away, leaving Lily blushing in front her four slack jawed body guards.

"Surprise," she whispered, looking only at James.