A/N: Anoleflash pegged my little grammar mishap…see…what had happened was this: My computer likes to tell me that SLID is not a word (I use it a lot). So I was being faseeshus (facetious) and the…poophead I am and typed in SLIDED…just to piss off my computer (yes, really) and it didn't mark the word wrong….(idiot x 5) so NATURALLY I forgot about the word thus leaving it unchanged before uploading it to here. I'm sorry. Rofl, it won't happen again. (I'm throwing my computer off a cliff.)

UGHHHHHHHHHHH. My freakin dashes always get removed when I upload, so it looks like I'm not breaking to change the scene. For real? That's got to be confusing sometimes. HOW DO I FIX THAT?

(and also, this chapter is freakin long, so I didn't proofread it…sorry, but I DO have a life…if you find anything either A) ignore it and pretend it's not there or B) pretend it's not there and ignore it.)

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It was late when they finally got back to the Gryffindor common room and as Lily had suspected; Remus, Sirius, and Peter were waiting for them there.

Remus was the first to speak as they all stood up, "What happened?"

James and Lily, who previously had been holding tight to one another's hands, snatched them away. Lily hugged her arms tight to herself as James exhaled slowly and sat on the edge of the couch. He told them everything from his father's death to leaving Hogwarts to take care of his mother.

"Well come with you," Sirius said after a brief moment in which they all took in everything James had said, "Help you with your mum and all…You say all the time we don't owe you anything but you've been there for us more times than I can count, mate."

James shook his head smiling at his best friend, "You'd just get me into trouble, besides…" he looked at Lily, they stared at each other in silent understanding before he said, "Lily's already offered."

They sat there in silence for another moment before Lily, realizing how drained she now felt said, "I'm going to bed."

She stood and brushed James' shoulder lightly; he looked up into her eyes and took her gaze to mean, 'if you need me, you know where I am.'

She waved to the others and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Well I'll be damned," She heard Sirius say, she stopped walking and listened, "You just chose your first girl over us."

She could see the tops of their heads over the balcony railing and say James turn to protest but Sirius cut him off, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

He then put his hand on James' shoulder and said, "Just ask her out already, man. You don't honestly think she'll say no, do you?"

Lily smiled and walked into her room, closing the door behind her before she could hear anything else.

The lantern was on in her room and she appeared to be alone. She couldn't help but wonder where Mary was this late at night as she sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment.

"Dear daddy, mum, and Tuney; I hope you all are well. Mum and Dad: The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, would like to meet and talk with you. Don't fret, I'm in no trouble. We'll explain more in person.

"Tuney, I hope school is well and Vernon is still treating you right. See you soon! All my love, Lily."

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The next morning, because Mary usually woke her up and never came back the night before, she overslept. Late for breakfast, she ran down to the Great Hall.

"Did you hear?" Jonathon McLaggen, a boy she'd broken up with a few months before and frankly did not enjoy the company of, said walking up to her.

She shook her head, "What?"

"Mary's been poisoned."

"What?" Lily stopped abruptly.

Jonathon turned around to face her, "We found her in a deserted stairwell. From the looks of her she'd been trying to make her way to the hospital wing and collapsed, fell down a flight of stairs.

Lily gasped, turned away from him, and ran to the hospital wing.

She burst through the doors to see several people surrounding a bed towards the back of the room.

She ran to them and pushed her way to the center to see her very still, very beat up looking, roommate.

"Who would do such a thing?" Lily asked quietly.

"Dunno," Cory Mason, a Ravenclaw in her year, said quietly from beside Mary.

"But I found this in her pocket," He handed Lily a folded up piece of parchment.

She opened it and read, "Next time, cheat off someone else, filthy mudblood."

Lily cleared her throat to keep herself from panicking and yelling out. Mary cheated off of everyone, most people never cared.

But she knew this handwriting; it was so familiar it made her dizzy.

Lily turned at once and left the hospital wing, her eyes still glued to the paper.

At once it hit her; she knew that sloppy, slanted handwriting anywhere.

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Mary got out of the hospital Wednesday morning, Lily helped her to their room and into bed before dressing in her nicest robes and twisted two pieces in the front of her hair to the back of her head, pinning them there.

She walked slowly up to the seventh floor to meet Professor Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Lily," Dumbledore said kindly.

Lily smiled, "Morning Professor."

"Right this way," he said pulling the little black pouch from his cloak again.

Lily stepped into the first and said, "The Leaky Cauldron."

She emerged in the Leaky Cauldron so swiftly that she slid out on her back and knocked over a chair right next to where Petunia stood looking around. Petunia screamed and Lily roared with laughter as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Merlin's beard, Lily Bell, did you just come from that hearth?" Her mother asked bewildered.

Before Lily could say anything Dumbledore emerged behind her, graceful as ever.

"How do you do, Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" He said reaching out and shaking Lily's fathers' hand.

Mr. Evans was grinning at Dumbledore, obviously impressed.

"Wonderful and you…er…?"

"Albus Dumbledore," He nodded, "Please, call me Albus."

Lily laughed before she could stop herself. Dumbledore smiled and said, "Let's sit; they have wonderful brandy here."

After a meal and a few drinks Dumbledore smiled and began, "So we're here to discuss matters about your daughter leaving Hogwarts to help take care of a woman who has just lost her husband."

"But…what about her schooling?" Her mother asked, now concerned.

"I'll be traveling to them twice a week for private lessons and at the end of term they'll return to Hogwarts for their N.E.W.T's, Lily will come home for the summer of course, and hopefully return to Hogwarts at the start of their seventh, and final, year."

Her parents were listening intently; "Pardon me, Albus," Lily's father said, "But you said…'they'."

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, the woman and her son."

Her father's eyebrows raised, "Her son."

He looked at Lily and she couldn't help but laugh at his reddikulus expression.

"Boys, flower?" Her father asked elongating his vowels.

"No, daddy," She said smiling.

"They are here, if you would like to meet them." Dumbledore said politely.

"They are?" Lily asked surprised.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded and her mother chimed in, "Yes, I think we'd like to meet them."

"Very well," Dumbledore said standing. He walked through back doors that lead to the second floor.

A few moments later James and Evangeline; followed by a rather burly looking nurse appeared from behind the door.

Lily smiled when her eyes met James'.

"Hello," Evangeline said quietly, smiling kindly, "I'm Evangeline; this is my son, James."

They took their seats; James beside Lily, then Evangeline, and then the nurse.

"Potter?" Petunia popped up leaning forward, completely interested in the conversation now.

James looked at her and nodded, "Petunia, right? Good to see you again."

Then her father blurted, "Oi, so this is the boy you kis-"

Lily coughed, choking on her butter beer.

She didn't dare look at James but glared at Petunia, who smiled and winked, blowing a kiss to her sister.

"No daddy, that wasn't-"

"Yes, sir," James nodded, "That was me."

Lily aimed a kick at him under the table.

He cringed but smiled, "I'm not going to lie to your family, Lily."

"That's the same boy that Snape hates, daddy." Petunia said.

Lily rolled her eyes and her father said, "Why does he hate you, James?"

James cleared his throat; Lily smirked; now he was going to lie.

"Multiple reasons, Sir."

"Such as?"

James cleared his throat again, "I was mean to him all the time when we were younger. But to be fair sir…it was I was jealous of him."

Lily laughed at the terrible lie, and her mother looked him over skeptically before asking, "What on earth do you have to be jealous of?"

James turned a little red before saying, "Lily."

It took a second for them to all realize what he was saying; He was jealous because Snape had Lily, and James wanted her.

Lily turned slightly pink for thinking he was lying, and the thought of James being jealous of Snape because he liked her.

Petunia banged her hand on the table and pointed at Lily, "I told you!"

They all jumped and Petunia answered her parents questioning looks, "She used to complain about this boy, called Potter, who wouldn't leave her alone and was mean to Snape. I knew it, I knew he liked you. And I knew it was him," she pointed at James one her last sentence.

Everyone, including Dumbledore, was looking at Lily; So she groaned, "Do we really have to talk about this? That is not why we are here."

Dumbledore chuckled, "I'm sure they're interested in knowing who their youngest daughter will be staying with."

"Well said, Albus." Lily's father said, "So, you like my daughter."

"We're just friends, daddy-"

"She's amazing, sir."

Lily looked at James, his face was completely serious.

"Pardon me," Evangeline said, "But I have to agree with my son; You see, my husband just…passed on and…my son, I fear, wouldn't have been nearly as strong as he was if it wasn't for your daughter being there with him."

Lily's mother was smiling, but her father still looked skeptical, "No boys." He murmured.

Lily and Petunia exchanged looks and stifled their giggles behind their hands.

They were getting older; Petunia had been with Vernon well over a year now, and her father just had to face the facts that one day; they were going to grow up.

"If you could give my husband and I a moment alone please," Lily's mother said politely, standing to her feet and walking outside with her husband.

Dumbledore nodded, "Certainly."

As soon as they were gone Lily sunk down in her chair.

Petunia laughed, "That went well."

Lily sat up again; she looked at James and punched him hard on the arm.

"Ouch," he yelled, "What was that for?"

"Are you trying to give my poor father a heart attack?"

"No, I was just being honest!" he argued rubbing his arm.

"Too honest," she said glaring at him.

Dumbledore chuckled; Evangeline was staring off into space, slightly hazy, and Petunia was grinning.

Lily's parents walked back inside and her mother said, "May we have a talk alone with my daughter and the headmaster, please?"

Evangeline nodded, her and James standing, "It was nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Evans."

Lily and James exchanged a concerned glance before he, his mother, and the nurse retreated back to the hallway.

Lily's father took a deep breath, "We agreed that…we trust you to handle yourself and be responsible without us, so…" he looked at Dumbledore, "She may go, but," He looked at Lily again, "You have to write us every day, and if you get into trouble one time, you're coming home immediately, understood?"

Lily nodded and nearly jumped across the table to hug her parents.

An hour later Lily hugged her family goodbye and stepped into the fire. She landed in Dumbledore's office seconds later.

"Congratulations, Lily," Dumbledore said as he let her out of his office.

Lily smiled, "Thank you, sir."

Lily ran back to the common room; James, as she had suspected, was sitting on the couch alone, and appeared to be waiting for her.

He stood when she walked in, it took her a moment to catch her breath, but once she did she said, "They said yes."

"Yes," James repeated, then he grinned, "Yes!"

Lily laughed and ran to him, she threw her arms around his neck and he spun her around.

He sat her on her feet and they stepped apart.

Lily cleared her throat and picked up her bag which coincidentally was waiting for her on the couch too.

"We should…go catch our last class."

James cleared his throat, "Yea…uh, yea. Let's go."

Together they walked to potions and by dinner the entire school knew Lily Evans and James Potter were eloping, getting married, and moving to the country, or...something like that.

Lily rolled her eyes as she half listened to the stories as she passed.

James smiled and Sirius grinned when she joined them, "So…when are you planning on asking me to be your best man?" she said to James.

Lily laughed and swatted at him, "Shut up."

Lily saw Severus walking alone down a side corridor and figured she owed him the real story, so she ran after him.

"Sev," She called coming up behind him.

He turned, saw her, and his face hardened, "Lily."

She slowed down as she got closer to him, "What's got your wand in a knot?"

Severus shook his head, "Is it true?"

"Is…what? That I'm helping James take care of his mum? Yes; that's true."

"So…you're leaving school to go live with Potter? Are you mental?"

"What? No I am-"

"Why won't you just admit you fancy him?" He yelled, now turning red with anger.

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Sev, you-"

"Don't go."

"What?"

"Don't…go; Lily, please, stay with me."

"This has nothing to do with you! Really, or James for that matter!"

"Oh, what a load of bullocks."

Lily opened her mouth to retort but Severus cut across her, "Me or him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Me or him: You have to choose because I'm not doing this anymore."

"You're joking right?" Lily asked, but when he didn't reply she gritted her teeth.

"You know James doesn't care who I'm with as long as I'm happy and still in his life."

Severus clenched his firsts, "That's rubbish!"

Lily rounded on him, losing all her sympathy, "Just because you wouldn't say that kind of thing and mean it doesn't mean everyone else is the same way!"

He tensed and she spat, "Why do you go play with your chemistry set! See what other poisons you and your Death Eater friends can come up with."

Severus' face changed' his eyes growing wide; Lily spoke quietly, but her voice was fierce and her eyes so fiery Severus had to take a step back, "Next time," She said, "especially when it's my roommate you attack," she pulled the folded up piece of parchment from her bag and shoved it in his hand, "Have someone else write the note."

She turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Severus Snape standing there, completely stunned.

.

"Nice," Sirius said bumping his shoulder with hers as she told the four Marauder's everything that night in the common room, "I'll use that on him one day."

Lily laughed and shook her head, "I don't even feel bad any longer, he finally stepped over the line too far." She shook her head, "I didn't want to believe it, but it's definitely true."

She sighed, "Severus Snape will be a Death Eater one day."

Remus sighed, "I'm sorry, Lily."

She shook her head and smiled, "Don't be, I've got all the trouble I can handle with you lot."

Which was true, but she loved them for it; She could no longer picture her life without the trouble of the four Marauder's surrounding her.

If anything she liked the trouble, and never knowing what kind things Remus would say next, what snarky, half-witted, sarcastic comments Sirius would make, what things Peter would say at all, and James'; she smiled thinking of him, James was a rare breed, not unlike herself, and she didn't even want to picture her life without him anymore.