A/N: Hello! Yes, it is me again, with a brand new chapter! I have to say, I think this is one of my favourites so far, and it is the longest one I have ever written! That should be exciting, right? I thought so too!

This chapter is very James/Lily centric, so that is something to look forward too - and I apologise in advance. For what? You will see soon.

Now, replying to last chapter's reviews:

j-jip: Thank you so much! To be quite honest, I surprised myself coming up with that. I have so many ideas!

Eliza (Guest): Wow! Thank you so much for the compliments Eliza! Perhaps Emmeline Vance is actually a Muggle who worked for the Order? Maybe she brew potions - I don't think you have to be magical to do that. Nevertheless, it is not farfetched to think the Order had at lease one queer member, is it? Thank you again!

Also, special thanks to Kekejo99 for the review!

I've finally created a Fate Works in a Funny Way Cheat Sheet! Tons of information, and you can find it right here: cheatsheet

While I was writing this chapter, the songs I kept playing over and over and over again were: Talking Body by Tove Lo and Style by Taylor Swift. You should check them out!

Disclaimer: I'm so not Jo. Also, Charlotte my wonderful beta, I could never do this without you.

Onto the story!


I woke up inexplicably tired. Dragging myself out of the warmth of my bed was a very, very difficult task to accomplish. I felt like lying down the whole day but sadly, there could be no such thing. It was a Wednesday and not a Saturday, after all.

I only had Defense Against the Dark Arts in a couple of hours, but as tired as I was, I couldn't manage to sleep any more. As I made my way down the stairs into the common room, I discovered that James Potter also could not.

His eyes were dark and the bags under them were even darker. Clearly he was very tired; anyone paying attention could see it.

I made my way over to him and he stiffened. "Morning," I yawned.

"Hey." He lifted his head to look up at me. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question." I shook my head at him. "Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither. I've been working on Head Duties for about forty minutes now," James informed me. "These Slytherin gits have been docking so many points… I am trying to find some reasoning, but I suspect most of it was out of irritation."

Revising the point docking was very often a tricky task, and that belonged to no one else but the Head Students. Prefects had the power to dock points, but the Heads had to make sure they were docked within reason, and with an actual causation. Otherwise, we had to file two reports – one for the Headmaster and one for the Head of House – in order to regain the points. Bureaucracy.

"I can finish doing that if you'd like…" He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. "Or, we could both get dressed and slip down to the kitchens, eh?" I smirked at him.

James smiled back at me. I climbed up the stairs to my dormitory and stripped off my clothes. I entered my shower – oh, the privileges of a private bathroom! The water was warm, and I washed away any remaining sleepiness.

With a fresh outfit and slightly damp hair, I made my way to the Head Boy's bedroom. We greeted each other again, and stepped through the portrait hole. The corridors were just short of empty, for every student who was awake was in the Great Hall.

The stone floor was cold, and the stone walls were colder, but thanks to my recent wash, or maybe it was something else, I felt very warm inside.

"Have you begun studying yet?" I asked him, trying to make conversation.

"Not really, no," he said, scratching his head, messing up his hair in the process. "How d'you reckon this whole mentouring thing is going?"

"I'm not sure, actually. And we really ought to speak to others about our little idea. It can't be only Seventh Year Gryffindors."

"We need to branch out," he admitted. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, I think we should really ask the Prefects. Most of them are pretty decent people, and they can help us get a hold of more students."

"And we need to work with some Hufflepuffs too, the Slytherins pick way too much on them." I started to frown, but quickly changed my mind.

We reached the kitchens in no time – really, why was time flying by so fast? – and Twichet, one of the House Elves, greeted us with her usual high-pitched voice.

"Master Potter, Miss Evans. What can Twitchet get you?"

"Just some tea. Thanks, Twitch'." James smiled at her.

"Oh, Twitchet?" I called her.

"Yes, Miss Evans?" She looked up at me, with big, bright, hopeful eyes.

"Do you happen to have some toast?"


We had our breakfast, and later walked over to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Stenbridge was already inside – when wasn't he? – and so was Peter Pettigrew.

I sat down next to the trembling figure. "Hey, Petey. How are you?" I asked sympathetically.

"Oh, you know, a bit tired, but aren't we all?"

"I know what you mean. Especially with Head Duties, I can never find time to work on anything!"

"Yeah, and Prongs too, with Quidditch and what-not."

"You really are very insightful, Pete. I don't know why you never talk to anyone."

The conversation ended like that, for I could see Peter struggling to put his thoughts into words. The classroom began to fill, the usual students arrived and the lesson commenced.

"Good morning, class," Professor Stenbridge greeted us all. "I hope you had a lovely breakfast. Now, I will collect the essay on the Inferi I assigned for homework."

With a flourish from his wand, a little cardboard box navigated between the students, who carefully, or not, placed the twelve inches of parchment inside.


The Defense class was, at best, uneventful. There was a pop quiz, but it wouldn't affect our grades at all; it was simply preparation for the N.E.W.T exam we'd be taking the following May.

Marlene and I walked to the Great Hall with great excitement because I was famished. Really though, I was a growing woman - I needed my nutrients! My mouth watered just thinking about mashed potatoes.

We sat with the Marauders – James was across the table from me, so I barely lifted my eyes from my plate – and just as Professor McGonagall was passing, Remus ruffled Sirius' hair.

"Oi!"

"Mr. Black, if you spent half the time you spend on your hair studying, you'd be more likely to pass your N.E.W.T.'s," Professor McGonagall retorted.

"Lucky thing I'm naturally brilliant, isn't that right Professor?" he smirked at the Deputy Head, and I could swear I saw the corners of her mouth twitching.

The food was amazing, as usual. Really, where did those Elves learn how to cook? Every single meal was brilliant.

"Well, sadly not all of us can be like you," I sighed. "Oh, Sirius Black, love of my life, could you please pass the salt?" I winked at him.

"Thought you'd never ask," He deadpanned.

I had always liked Sirius. All of the Marauders, really. Sure, when they were younger, they were annoying little twats who caused way too much ruckus – and I was usually stuck with cleaning after them – but they were good kids really.

"Oh, Remus?" Marlene asked. "Have you listened to that new Unlucky Ammunition record? It's brilliant," she exclaimed.

"I have! Track two is brilliant, don't you think?"

Once again, Alice was away with Frank, somewhere down the House Table. I loved her deeply, but she really was happier when she was with Frank. Her whole face lit up whenever he was around, her eyes were brighter and her smile was wider, and the same thing went for the bloke whenever dear Alice was nearby.

For some odd reason, Dumbledore seemed to be watching the students very attently, more that usual. His half-moon shaped glasses were crooked, hanging from the bridge of his nose, and he was wearing his ever so famous purple dress robes. Really, did that man not own any other colour?

His eyes were positively glinting, and a smile played on the old wizard's face. I felt like he was staring right through me. Then, he whispered something in Professor McGonagall's ear which caused her to chuckle.

I finally decided to look up at James – really, I had no idea why I hadn't done so before – and found him laughing along with Peter about some weird, absolutely unfunny joke Sirius had told.

You see, James always laughed at the most unfunny jokes. His laugh was warm, and loud, but in a very calming way, and it was always a very genuine sort of laugh. The sort of laugh that made your eyes crinkle and caused you to tear up a little bit.

I found myself smiling at the sight. After ridding my head of such thoughts – really Lily, James is your friend! – I made a mental note to check with the other Prefects how their Mentouring was going, and to inform some of the most recent ideas that James and I had come up with.


The morning had passed in a blur. For some reason, I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything; my mind was simply somewhere else, but I refused to acknowledge the nature of such distracting thoughts.

Luckily, the afternoon class wouldn't been too hard: I had a natural talent for Potions, at least according to Professor Slughorn. I think the reason I had liked it so much from the begining was that it reminded me of cooking with my mother and Petunia. You simply needed to watch the heat and work your way around a recipe.

Being a Muggleborn, I had much more confidence in practical classes like Potions that had clear directions to follow than I had in others, like Transfiguration.

We'd probably revise the effects of Gillyweed or something along those lines, and Professor Slughorn would ask Remus to wait around for a bit – surely to deliver him his first batch of the Wolfsbane Potion. The full moon was just around the corner, and he needed to take the potion every day of the week prior to the transformation, so it was the most probable turn of events.

I really admired Remus and found him extremely brave for facing such painful transformations and yet still managing to be kind and warm to those around him. He was very lucky to have such good friends; most wizards ran away as soon as they discovered someone to be a werewolf. Complete rubbish, if you ask me but that's life, I suppose.

My mind drifted off to James, again. Lately, it seemed he was the only thing on my mind. It was getting harder and harder to behave normally around him. In my head, there was a very perfect logical explanation for it. James used to be my best friend, who proceded to end said friendship without any explanation, and now he was back in my life with full force. It was only natural I found myself thinking about the situation.


"Earth to Lily?" Marlene waved her hand dangerously close to my face. "Anybody home?"

"Uh, what?" I was very confused, my vision was blurry, and the exhaustion was finally affecting me – I told you, I woke up tired.

"Come to the dormitory with me? I need to grab my Potions book," Marlene requested. Her shiny blonde hair was secured in a long plait and she wasn't wearing her House tie.

"Sure." We stepped out of the Great Hall and made our way to the Seventh Floor.

"Password?" The Fat Lady – the portrait who guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower – asked.

"Cherry Mice," Marlene replied, and turning to me, she added.,"Just wait in the Common Room, I'll be right back."

I stepped through the portrait hole. To be quite honest, I hadn't entered the Gryffindor Tower a single time for almost a whole month. My routine was always the same, the only places I frequented were the Great Hall, the classrooms, the library and the Head Offices and dorms. Well, on mornings such as today, I often visited the kitchents, but that hardly counts.

The fireplace was unlit, and just short of two students were inside the common room. Well, it was obvious that it would happen, with it being lunch time and all. Most students were eating or walking on the Grounds with their friends.

Marlene was true to her word, and after just a short four minutes she was back in my sight, Potions book in hand.

"I'm here, I'm here," she huffed, tired. Her cheeks were rosy from climbing all the way to the seventh year dorms, and her neat plait was now messy. I fixed it for her, and then we walked all the way down to the dungeons, where the Potions class would take place.

There was another thing I liked about Potions class - its location. Just like the library, the dungeons were quieter than the rest of the castle. However, they were also colder, which could get pretty unconfortable during the winter months. In class, I never personally noticed the chilly temperature, for the heat radiating from the cauldrons was more than enough to keep the whole class toasty warm. The problem was when the students were dismissed, and had to walk through the cold, cold corridors.

Hogwarts really should invest in some Muggle heating devices.


Potions went just as I had predicted. Really, I should have kept Divination on my Schedule. Apparently, I did possess the Sight, no matter what the teacher used to tell me. Or maybe it was just dead old Slughorn who was very, very predictable.

After supper, we still had Astronomy class – it was a Wednesday, and on Wednesdays we always had Astronomy. Professor Vengala never really did anything. Mostly, the students stared at the stars, and some of them even managed to steal a few kisses. You see, the Astronomy Tower was a famous site for snogging. It must be the heights.

"Good evening, everyone." Professor Vengala was a short bloke, and on the chubbier side of the spectrum. His balding head was very round, like a coconut. He didn't have a beard, but he did possess a very long, greying moustache, which he claimed to be in fashion. You see, Professor Vengala was a very… unusual man. He wore sunglasses to class, even though he always teached at nighttime, and he refused to wear robes - he always wore muggle clothing.

The class began, and as usual, no one did anything out of the ordinary, which in Astronomy, meant lazing around. I found myself glancing at James quite a bit. One time, I found him staring back at me, but I didn't find myself to be embarassed. I just kept looking at him.

It was strange, our relationship. It was a newly restored friendship, but it didn't feel so simple. It was difficult to label, that was certain. Personally, I felt there was a very big sense of mutual trust between the two of us. But some time this week, I had felt a shift in the dynamic of our friendship. It was more intense. I'm not sure how to put it, but it was different.

Today the stars were very, very bright. It was a beautiful night, especially for November. The sky was almost completely clear, which was unusual in itself, but even more at this time of the year. No matter how beautiful the enchanted ceiling from the Great Hall was, I had always liked the real deal a lot better.

Professor Vengala droned on and on about meteors and shooting stars, and the position of Venus that particular day.

"Venus is concerned that we use its energies to attract and relate to others, to be social and to nurture understanding, and it makes us more sensitive…" I zoned out, something I seemed to have been doing all day long, and pretty soon, the class had ended.


After everyone left the class, I stayed behind for a little while, and for some reason, James did too. We just stared at the stars in silence, not saying anything, not doing anything. It wasn't awkward; it was a very comfortable silence. But, as I had started to realize, so was everything with James. He had the power to make even the shyest of students feel comfortable and at ease. Perhaps that was why he was such a good Head Boy.

"You know," I finally spoke to James, after a few minutes of silence, "I wasn't immediately thrilled to find out you were Head Boy."

"Oh? Bit of a shocker, really." James gave me a light-hearted smile. I looked up. It really was a beautiful night.

"Don't mock me!" I shoved his body playfully. "I wasn't. It's true. I tried to wrap my mind around the idea, I tried to justify why Dumbledore would pick you of all people. But now it makes sense."

The young Potter – not so young anymore – chuckled. "I tried wrapping my head around it myself for a long time, actually. I've tried figuring out, why Dumbledore chose me. Yes, I've got good grades, and I made Quidditch Captain at fifteen - I know that's impressive. But does it matter? Remus was a much better fit, and it's unfair that he can't be in this position because of something he can't control."

"Then I suppose I shouldn't have made Head Girl either. What do I have on my side? Good grades? Mine don't matter any more than yours do, you know," I told him, truthfully.

"You shouldn't have made Head Girl? You? But you're the obvious choice, Evans."

"Why is that?"

I could never have prepared myself for what he said next.

"Because," he stopped, and held my arm to keep me from moving,"Lily, because you're you. You work your arse off twice as hard as anyone else just to be recognised, and I don't think you mind it all that much. You had your best friend of six years call you a Mudblood in front of the entire school, and then you bounced back from it. You're fair, and you're just, and you're smart. You tutor Second Years, and stop to help when a scrawny, annoying Firstie drops their books. You found out about Remus and you never shut him out. After what Sirius did, you were the only one who never gave up on him. You're the kindest person I've ever met, actually. And that, that right there, is why you are the obvious choice. Because you don't give up on people, ever. You always see the best in everyone, even when they don't deserve it."

I hadn't realized how close our faces were until now. If I took one step foward, our noses would certainly touch. My heart felt like it had stopped. I held my breath, and so did he.

James Potter had fantastic hazel eyes. The kind of eyes that were brown and gold and green, all at the same time. He looked at me so intensely that I felt like he knew every single part of me. After that, James Potter let go of my arm and I took a step back.

"I should probably go," I muttered. James gulped.

"Yeah, you probably should," he whispered back. So I did.


A/N: See? I am very, very sorry. They are just not ready yet!

But really, did you like this chapter? Reviews are Jily surviving and raising Harry with love and cuddles.

Yours,

Adriana