Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/added my story/last chapter, I get a smile on my face every time I hear about it. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much and please, if you have any suggestions about what I should write about please tell me I'd love to hear your ideas! ^_^

Italic, Lily's thoughts

Bold Italic, James' thoughts

'What the heck happened?' Lily stormed at the boys as soon as they turned about to face her,

'Lily, look...'

'No Sirius,' Lily cut across him 'don't "look..." me, tell me what the hell happened now or I swear to God you'll regret it!'

'Guys,' Peter interrupted

'What?!' They both started at him, turning away from each other. Peter nodded to James, who still hadn't regained consciousness,

'This isn't over,' Lily threatened as she turned to attend to James' wounds.

Oh, God. What have you boys done? Lily thought to herself as she removed James' ruined shirt to get a closer look at the wounds. What she saw made her, Lily Evans, wince.

There were several scratches on James' shoulders, neck, and lower abdominal but the thing that caught Lily's attention straight away was the deep gash across James' chest which deep red blood continued to flow out of.

Immediately Lily took her wand from her beside table where she left it before going to sleep and moved it steadily back and forth over the wound in James' chest muttering an incantation under her breath.

Sirius and Peter took up place on the opposite side of the bed from where Lily was working watching her anxiously.

When the gash appeared shallower, Lily stopped with the incantation and instead went over to her beside cabinet, brought out two bottles of potions, headed to the bathroom, came back out with a basin filled with water and two wash cloths.

She placed the basin on the bedside table and added three drops of the liquid in one bottle and four drops from the other into the water and used her wand to mix the potions with the water. Lily picked up one of the wash cloths, dipped it in the basin then brought it out and placed it across
James' chest. She did the same with the other one but instead of using it on James she came round to Peter and Sirius and began to rub it gently across their wounds.

'Explain,' she said stone cold, to Sirius while she worked on the scratches on Peter's face.

'I guess you wouldn't believe me if I said he tripped and fell?' Sirius joked weakly

Lily threw him a look which said 'don't you dare mess with me, this isn't the time'. Obviously Sirius got the message because his smile faltered and he looked to the floor nervously.

Wow, this must be big! Sirius is never nervous...

'I don't feel right telling you this without James. I'm sorry Lils but can we just wait till tomorrow, I promise we'll explain!' Sirius pleaded, Lily agreed but only because she could tell this was obviously a difficult subject.

'Okay, but tomorrow, I'll hold you to that!' Lily threatened before turning to him and attending to his wounds.

When Lily was satisfied with their condition she sent Peter to take a shower while Sirius was instructed to go and get some food and drinks from the kitchen, 'eating and drinking will help you, and if you walk about it'll loosen you off a bit. Your muscles are really stiff...'

So while they were busy Lily sat on James bed dabbing the cloth that had been dipped in wound-cleaning potion and essence of dittany which would help heal his wounds. James stirred lightly under Lily's gently hand, he flicked his eyes open and gazed up at Lily who was looking softly at him.

'Hey,' he muttered groggily

'Hey,' she replied. She took in his completion and noticed he was deathly pale. Shifting off James' bed she headed back over to her bed and brought out a third potion from the cabinet beside her bed,

'Don't go...' James said sitting up slightly not noticing that Lily had just went to retrieve something.

'Hey,' she said going back to sitting on his bed, 'don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.' She said as she gently stroked his hair out of his face as he lay his head back on the pillow, 'but tomorrow you all have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.' She threatened.

James opened his eyes and tentatively looked up at her through half closed eyes; Lily saw pain and something else... sorrow? Sadness? She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

'Lily, I'm sorry! I realise this is a big shock for you and I promise we'll explain tomorrow, I just-'

'James, leave it.' Lily threatened, 'Here, drink this!' Lily said handing him a cup of the potion that she a just retrieved.

'What is it?' James asked sitting up slightly and taking the cup from Lily's hands,

'Blood-replenishing potion,' she explained 'you lost a lot of blood and you're really pale looking. This'll make you feel better, I promise; as well as the food and drink Sirius is getting.'

'Ah, I wondered where they were.' James muttered

'Peter's in the bathroom and Sirius is getting the food, I don't know about Remus, I haven't seen him all night.' Lily explained casting a weary glance to the bathroom where from she had just heard the shower turning off.

Lily took the empty cup from James' hands and, along with the two washcloths, placed it in the basin ready to wash out.

'After Sirius comes back with the food, I'm giving all three of you a sleeping potion. You need to sleep and I think you'll be in too much pain for it to happen naturally.' Lily said standing up and placing the basin on her bed ready to wash it out when Peter came out of the bathroom. Just at that moment Sirius emerged from the staircase looking considerably less pale and healthier.

'Prongs,' he shouted 'you're up!' dumping the food and things that he had managed to get from the kitchen on his bed before heading over to James.

'Yeah, Lily's quite good at looking after me.' James said grinning and looking at Lily, Sirius smirked at her and Lily just rolled her eyes.

'Whatever,' she muttered going over to view the food that Sirius had brought up.

She glanced at her clock and noticed that it was already 3am,

That was quick! Lily thought

'Okay,' Lily said searching through Sirius' haul and pulling out three butterbeer's, opening them and added a drop of blood-replenishing potion to two of them along 'all of you eat some of everything and drink these but leave a little bit in the bottom.'

'What did you put in them?' Sirius asked as he picked up a pumpkin pasty and passed some rock cakes to James who took the quickly and divulged them even quicker.

'Blood-replenishing potion, James has already had some and you look as if you could do with a drop or two too,' she said passing him and Peter a bottle that she added the potion to and handed James the one with nothing in it. 'Hey Pete, how do you feel?' Lily asked

'Okay, I think I'll be better when I've ate.' Peter replied eyeing the greedily

'Help yourself,' Lily said.

The boys ate and drank till all the food and most of their drinks were gone,

'Okay, Peter give me your bottle and get ready for bed,' Lily told him. Peter got changed into his pyjamas and cleared his bed so he was able just to fall asleep while Lily added a few drops of sleeping potion to his butterbeer. She handed him the bottle, he drank it and within minutes he was fast asleep in his bed.

Lily did the same with Sirius, and then James till it was just her and a very weary James awake,

'Lily,' James muttered sleepily

'Yes?' Lily asked him getting ready to go back to bed herself

'I'm sorry...' James said just as he fell into a deep sleep. Lily looked down at him and sighed,

'We'll talk about it tomorrow,'

Beep, beep, beep... Argh, why do I have to get up? I'm too tired; I'll just sleep for 5 more minutes...

'What time is it?' Lily muttered as she awoke from her sleep

'Eh, half eleven.' Sirius replied

'What!' Lily shouted sitting bolt upright 'why didn't you wake me?' she demanded

'You looked peaceful,' James said still, unlike the other two, in bed and in his pyjamas.

Lily rolled her eyes and got out of her bed before heading to the bathroom, muttering under her breath as she went.

God, how could they not wake me up? Lily thought as she stood in the shower Half eleven, HALF ELEVEN! I'm going to be in so much trouble, I've never been this late to class before.

Lily got out of the shower, got changed and headed back out to see that Sirius and Peter were in their school clothes but James was still in bed. He saw she was looking and turned his head towards her and smiled, she raised her eyebrows at him as in to ask 'You're not coming?' He merely shrugged his shoulder in response and turned away.

'I can't believe you never woke me up!' Lily said again not removing the frown from her face,

'Well, its Thursday and every first Thursday we sleep late so... Even if you had woken up you'd have to stay here anyway.' Sirius shrugged, Lily rolled her eyes again and headed over to pack her bag for school.

'So what, when do we go to class?' Lily asked icily

'Wow Lils, chill.' Sirius said noting her frosty tone 'it's just school, you're passing all these classes anyway!' Sirius defended

'Whatever.' Lily muttered taking her bag and heading out the door not checking their conditions after last night.

Lily raced along to corridors till she reached her classroom which she entered just as the bell rang to signal the end of that subject.

Lily closed her eyes and regained some strength before heading up to face her Arithmancy teacher,

'Sorry sir, I-I sleep in.' Lily explained not raising her eyes from the floor

'Miss Evans, I would not have expected this from you. I thought you were better than this,' Professor Harmone said

'Yes sir, I understand and I'm terribly sorry.' Lily repeated

'Well, Miss Evans I don't think sorry is quite good enough. You have a detention tonight at eight to catch up on the work you missed.'

Lily nodded not meeting her professor's eyes as she headed out the class,

'Sir, it's not Lily's fault...' James said running into the classroom looking like he had just shoved on the first clothes he could find. The scars were still slightly visible across his neck but not his face; if Lily hadn't seen them herself she wouldn't have been able to tell they were there. He was closely followed be Sirius and Peter who looked slightly more presentable, just.

'Mister Potter, what do you mean it's isn't Miss Evans fault?' The professor asked

'It's my fault; I kept her up all night because she was helping me with my homework and I told her room mates not to wake her because I knew she needed the sleep.' James pleaded; Lily looked at him dumbstruck but said nothing.

When the teacher turned to face her to tried her best to look innocent and must have succeed because the professor agreed to allow Lily off of detention but warned her that next time she didn't attend his class she would be given double the detention time.

Walking out of class Lily turned to face James,

'What the hell was that for? I can take care of myself you know!' Lily stormed making sure she was keeping her voice quiet so that the teacher wouldn't hear her.

'What do you mean? I just got you out of having detention tonight, and you're mad at me?' James asked puzzled

'Yes,' Lily said

'Do you mind telling me why?' James asked

'Because you don't understand I can take care of myself!' Lily shouted

'Lily, I unders-'

'No James,' Lily cut across him 'you obviously don't otherwise you wouldn't have told that complete and utter lie to Professor Harmone!'

'Lily, I...'

'Don't James, just don't.' Lily said walking about to her next class as James turned to Sirius

'What the hell was that about?' James asked baffled, Sirius shrugged his shoulder and rolled his eyes muttering,

'Women,'

Lily sat with the Marauders at Lunch due to her contract terms but she wasn't happy about it. She didn't speak to any of the three (Remus still hadn't reappeared) and just threw them looks all day.

Eventually it was the end of the day and Lily headed up to Gryffindor towers by herself as she didn't have her final subject with any of the Marauders.

When she arrived in the tower she saw James and Sirius sitting on the couch, heads end and whispering furiously to each other, and grudgingly made her way over to them.

When they noticed her they stopped whispering and looked up at her expectantly,

'I'm still mad at you,' she informed them, they glanced wearily at each other

'Do you mind telling us why you are mad at us?' James asked her

'Not here, upstairs...' Lily said leading them upstairs to their dorm.

When they were safely in the dorm, Lily turned to them but she wasn't going to make the first move,

'Well?' Sirius prompted

'What?' Lily asked innocently

'Why are you mad at us?' James asked exasperated

'What do you expect?' Lily roared 'First; you make me do this stupid dare, then you drench me in water and make me go on a stupid treasure hunt! Then you get me drunk, I've never been drunk before, then last night you appear through the door after me not seeing you all night covered in scratches and carrying an unconscious James, what the hell is that about? So, that is why I'm mad!'

Sirius exhaled slowly and turned to James who nodded,

'Lily, sit down.' Sirius told her quietly

'What?!' Lily spluttered

'Please, just, sit down. Let us explain,' Sirius said again and this time Lily obliged.

James and Sirius sat on either side of her of her and Sirius began to speak,

'First, why weren't you this mad last night?' he asked

'Because I knew something had happened and you were all pretty banged up so I thought I should help you, also you said you'd tell me today so I guess I just accepted that but I wasn't happy about it...' Lily explained

'Okay, well, Remus told you about his... condition right?' James asked tentatively

'Yes...' Lily said wondering where this was going

'Well, what he didn't tell you was that while he... underwent his transaction we stayed with him.' Sirius said studying Lily's face for a reaction.

Holy...WHAT?

Lily almost passed out at that but just stared open mouthed between the two boys,

'Wh-what?' Lily stammered 'you, you can't be serious!'

'Sirius actually, but...' Lily threw him a look telling him to be serious.

Hang on, last night was a full moon so that's- that's what happened to them.

'That's what you did last night, isn't it?' Lily asked the boys 'Remus transformed last night,' she gasped 'and I totally forgot! Oh, I'm such a horrible friend,' Lily said looking down at the ground.

James put his arm around her,

'No you're not Lily; it's not your fault!' James reassured her,

'Yeah Lils,' Sirius said kneeling down in front of her putting his hands on her knees, 'Remus told us about what you used to do for him at his time of the month and we thought that was so sweet,'

'Thanks,' Lily muttered 'Wait, hang on- you said you stayed with him, how exactly...' Lily trailed off.

James and Sirius passed an uncertain look between them before standing up and moving into the centre of the room.

Lily looked at them wondering what they were going to do. Then, before her eyes the two boys transformed; one into a shaggy black dog, the other a majestic stag; just like his patronus.

'You're animagi,' Lily sighed.

Done! Yes, I'm so tired but I didn't want to stop writing because I was really in the mood to write... Anyway as always please review and tell me what you thought, also I have a question for you:

Seeing as we're just about half way through now, I want to know whether or not you'd rather I uploaded...

2,000/3,000 word chapter about every two weeks and there being a lot of them.

OR

5,000/6,000+ word chapters every/every second month and there being not as many.

Please say which one you would prefer because I'm not updating till I've got at least 10 votes for either answer.

Thanks, bye!