B: Heya guys, sorry I haven't added to the story in such a while... truth is, I couldn't be stuffed. Here's the next installment, it sucks, I'm warning you. Woo, I had my first driving lesson today, yay! Ok, back to you, Story...

Lily might have been back to speaking and, on some rare cases, smiling, but she would still lapse into quiet periods, where her eyes would go blank, as if a curtain had dropped over them, and her face would become haunted again. But after a few well spoken words from Sirius and witty comebacks from Tess, who put Sirius in his place, she would slowly become more animated. Lily had lost almost any interest in returning home after Hogwarts and, instead, had begun planning buying her own home immediately after her exams. Petunia had made it more than clear that Lily was no longer classed as part of Petunia's family and, Lily had to admit, it was a relief. Petunia had despised her since she found out Lily was a witch, and she wasn't.

Sitting curled up in front of the fire one night, one of those nights where the air couldn't seem to decide whether it wanted to be warm or cold, Lily zoned off again. Around her, James, Sirius and Tess were having a full on debate, much to the delight of Hannah, Remus, Anthea and Peter.

'You know,' Sirius said slowly. 'I think we shouldn't have a ball. It's too much hassle.'

'Why, because you have to go though the pain of finding a date?' Tess asked harmlessly.

'Exactly!' James chirped up. 'It's embarrassing, so many girls I've asked have slapped me…' He raised a hand and rubbed his cheek.

'Well,' Tess said matter-of-factly, 'that would be because all the girls you've asked you've been out with… and dumped.'

'You may have a point there.'

Tess grinned. 'I know I do.'

'What about me!?' Sirius asked.

Tess rolled her eyes. 'Sirius, almost every girl is praying you'd ask them, all you have to do is ask the first girl you came across.'

'What about you?'

She snorted and lazed back in her chair, tossing her head over her shoulder dismissively. 'Oh, uhuh, like any guy is desperate to go with me!'

Sirius groaned and shook his head. 'What I meant was, would you go with me?'

The silence stretched out as Tess stared in shock. Lily was torn back from her reverie and she smiled slowly at the look on Tess' face. Looking up, she caught the hint of a smile on James' face. Tess coughed and James and Lily looked back at her, waiting.

'Honestly, I didn't think you'd ask me.'

'I'm asking you now.'

'Hmm…'

Sirius tapped his foot and Lily noticed how his fingers rapped on the armrest of the sofa. She stopped herself just in time from cracking up laughing. He was so nervous! Laid back, relaxed Sirius was nervous! He had never ever been rejected from a girl, but then he had never tried to ask out a girl quite like Tess, who'd rip him to shreds with her wit. Lily turned to watch Tess, praying she'd give an answer soon and put Sirius out of his misery. But Lily hadn't been the only one to notice how nervous Sirius was. Tess had a bright blush on her cheeks and, from the mischievous glint in her eye, Lily knew she was drawing out the moment for as long as possible.

Just as Sirius opened his mouth, his impatience getting the better of him, Tess nodded. 'Alright then.'

She smiled at him, stood and walked past him, up the stairs to her dorm. Sirius relaxed back into the chair, a broad smile spreading across his face.

'See, Sirius?' Lily said, desperately trying not to laugh. 'It wasn't that hard.'

'Are you kidding? That was torture!' He held a hand to his forehead and pretended to topple backwards in a swooning fit.

Lily burst into laughter, ignoring the bright smiles that spread around the room. It was the first time she'd laughed in weeks.

Anthea was pacing, striding from one end of the room to the other. With a sigh, Lily repeated her argument again.

'Tea, it doesn't matter what you wear, Remus is nuts about you anyway. You could go to the ball in a fishing net and he'd love it.'

'Only because he could see right through it.'

Lily groaned and pushed herself upright. Anthea had stopped her pacing and was now standing meekly in front of Lily, as she sat, straight-backed, her legs tucked up beside her, on the bed. She looked just like a ballerina. Lily watched as Anthea gazed desperately at her friend.

'I don't think I'll go.'

'But you have to!'

'No I don't.'

'Come on, Tea! Hannah's going with Tony, that Hufflepuff guy that accidentally jinxed the toilet door on the third floor, Tess is going with Sirius, do you really think they are as paranoid as you?'

At that point the dorm door swung open and Tess and Hannah came marching in, faces stricken and mouths moving a hundred miles and hour.

'Lily, we've got a problem!' Hannah cried, throwing herself dramatically onto her bed and burying her face in her arms, blonde hair splayed out across the sheet cover. Lily stopped herself just in time from snorting in laughter. She could have told them that.

'What's up?'

'We don't want to go anymore.' Tess mumbled, sinking down on the edge of Lily's bed.

'See!' Anthea pointed excitedly, a bright smile spreading across her face. 'They don't want to go either! Yay, I'm not going!' The others stared in amazement as Anthea whooped. She was never really like this, hyperactive and loud, this was more like Tess. Lily squinted closely at the two of them. No, that was Anthea and that was Tess, they hadn't swapped.

'Why not?' Lily asked, exasperatedly.

'Because,' Hannah groaned, lifting her head and looking at Lily through a curtain of hair. 'We can't decide what to wear.'

Lily looked from Tess, who was biting her lip, to Hannah, who burrowed her head into her arms again, to Anthea, who looked away suddenly, and laughed.

'I'm going!' she said. 'And I haven't got a date! If those boys like how you look in your uniform, they're going to love how you look in your dress robes. Now we're going on Saturday or you three will break those poor boys' hearts.'

The three disheartened girls looked at each other and their face split into grins. Tess jabbed a finger at her twin. 'And you weren't going to come, what a wuss!'

'You can talk! You were terrified Sirius wouldn't like you! Sirius! Of all people!'

'And Remus? Give me a break!' Hannah cut in. Lily watched on as the three managed to work their way into hysterical giggles. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes these girls worried her.