A/N: It has been months since I posted and I do apologize sincerely, dear readers (if I have any left, lol). I was finishing my crazy spring semester and I had a lot of personal stuff all going on at once, so I was just trying to survive the intense uphill battle. It was very trying. But! Things have settled a great deal so I am back to writing, yay.

Chapter 25

Who's To Say?

Severus spent the day after his run in with Remus much in the same state as James: furious, yet minus the occasional sadness, and with fuming silence. Snape said very little to his Housemates all throughout Wednesday and let his intense anger cloud his mind as he primarily focused on what had transpired the previous night. He got through meals and classes in a routine fashion but he was so consumed with hatred and outrage that he stayed exclusively within the confines of his thoughts. His roommates were initially somewhat curious to know where he had been most of Tuesday night but when he curtly told them he was forbidden to say (by order of the headmaster), they dropped the subject with indifference and did not pay Snape much more mind.

Severus was nothing short of livid about the entire situation. He had been the victim, he had been the one sent to his death, and it seemed as though Dumbledore was on the side of those bastard Gryffindors! His hunch about Lupin being a werewolf had finally been confirmed and his swift contentment should have been justified, but yet it was not; he was being mandated by the headmaster to remain completely silent about the situation or face dire consequences himself! He could not even tell another person! He was being given an ultimatum, the victim in this! And Lupin and Potter were getting away with no reprimands whatsoever, which seemed utterly insane to Snape. They were just as guilty as Black in the Slytherin's eyes and he wanted to see them all rot! Dumbledore said Potter did a great thing by "saving" Severus' life but he could not agree with this; the last thing he wanted was for that prat to receive more praise and to be indebted to James Potter, of all people.

Snape was beginning to bitterly wish the werewolf had simply ripped him to shreds because it would have been better than dealing with this. Forced to keep an enemy's secret… the irony!

He hated Black, he hated Potter, he hated Lupin, and he resented Dumbledore. He wanted vengeance. The only potentially promising thing Snape observed on Wednesday in his fuming silence was that the Marauders were hardly seen and definitely not as a unit. Potter had been quite angry with Black as he recalled, so he was assuming the bosom buddies were not going to get over this quickly. If it turned out to eat away at and eventually destroy their annoyingly close friendship, then Snape would find some peace of mind and feel less violated, and it would be quite amusing to watch. However, their break up would not be enough to appease him because he felt that he needed to pay them back personally, and he wanted it to be painful.

"Walton, I may need your help." Snape alerted that night as he paced in the common room.

"With what?," Mulciber replied, sounding a bit aggravated with the request. He let the book he was reading continue to obscure his face, "And finally decided to talk, have you?"

"It involves revenge— years worth of revenge." Snape explained coldly, ignoring the last comment. Mulciber's book slowly lowered to reveal his face as he peered at the other Slytherin, whom had ceased pacing.

"I'm listening," he said closing the tome.

"I want to plan something big for the Gryffindors. I want to get them like we never have before." Severus revealed with crossed arms.

"Sounds interesting," Mulciber half smiled, "Well, if this is the case, I'd be more than willing to help you, Severus!" Snape nodded once.

"I don't want to rush it. I want it to be well thought out and guarantee those idiots suffer," he elaborated.

"As it should be! I myself have realized we have been so easy on them this year."

"They'll never dream of messing with me again." Snape muttered, looking at nearby second years doing homework.

"You know, Snape, it's times like these that remind me why the Dark Lord was interested in you!" Mulciber grinned.

Remus met with the headmaster on Thursday as scheduled and James had to wait anxiously until their next shared class together to hear what Dumbledore had told the prefect. Conversely, it was not as detailed or eventful as the captain imagined it would be but Remus did appear to be somewhat less stressed and worried.

"He just kept assuring me that Snape is going to keep quiet about it, because he'll have to answer to Dumbledore if even one little thing slips out," the Lupin boy relayed as he and James sat at their desk, working on the day's Charms assignment.

"Did he say what he'd do to him?" Peter inquired, standing in front of them holding a piece of parchment. He had gone to get the class' instructions for its next essay as a distraction to speak to his dorm mates.

"Essentially, that he would be expelled if he told."

"And that's enough to stop him?" James mumbled darkly.

"I think he threatened him with something else as well but he didn't say much more." Remus affirmed.

"And it's good enough for you?" Peter pondered.

"It is, actually. I trust Dumbledore totally; Snape won't say anything. Now, he's probably going to treat me 100 times worse, but…"

"Well, as long as you feel a little better, Moony." James said.

"I do. He seemed really sympathetic about the whole thing," the prefect mentioned, trailing off. Peter nodded and then vocalized:

"I should get back to my desk. Flitwick has looked at me more than once."

"Don't tell him anything I told you. I don't want him knowing." Remus alerted quietly. He was referring to Sirius, whom Peter was sitting with and was sending occasional glances in their direction.

The Pettigrew boy studied Remus for a moment and then nodded sadly before going to the back of the room where his seat was.

"I really can't believe Wormtail is taking his feelings into account, like he was so kind to do the same for you!" James grumbled, shaking his head as he picked up his wand. Remus said nothing.

The rest of the school was now aware there was something wrong with the dynamics of the Marauders— something had happened. Many thought the previous day had simply been an off day for the boys and that they had not been seen together for whatever reason, but now that they were all back and it was a new day, something was definitely amiss. Only three of them ate breakfast with each other that morning and when Sirius finally arrived to the hall he was ignored by Remus and snubbed by James; he resorted to eating dejectedly by first years while Peter peered down at him guiltily. Remus' indifference to Sirius also told the other sixth year lions that their friends truly were suffering in their friendship with little hope of reconciliation at this stage, and it seemed to be split down the middle. Who knew that just as their year had finally begun to form an alliance between all of them, for the first time ever, that the bond would be damaged between the Marauders themselves? It was indeed disheartening to witness and they could only hope the riff would not be permanent.

Snape studied the Marauders that day to see if their behaviors would change because of the addition of Remus and he was a bit interested to see that they continued to roam the castle without Black, or at least Potter and the werewolf did. The Slytherin directly crossed their path again since the night of the full moon right as the students were leaving the room for Transfiguration when the boys arrived to the entry athe same time. There was instant tension and explicit staring between the three as their words momentarily failed them and their emotions took over. Snape surely felt his hatred.

"Severus—" Remus commenced carefully, breaking through the silence first. But the snake cut across him.

"What happened has done nothing but increase my hate and disgust for you, Lupin!," he barked, glowering at them, "All of you!"

"We had nothing to do with it, Snape! This stupidity was all on Sirius so you need to take it up with him!" James retorted forcefully.

"Bullocks! You were all in on it, I know it! You may have Dumbledore convinced but not me!"

"Oh, come off it!"

"Think whatever you want, Snape. But I am sorry you had to go through that." Remus offered, peering at him gravely. The Slytherin gazed back at him with outrage as his mouth fell open, brows heavily furrowed.

"I don't want your bloody, meaningless apology!," Snape heatedly relayed in a low voice, "You don't even have the right to address me, freak!"

"I thought I told you to watch yourself!" the captain growled, advancing closer to the snake. Remus' face had become stony as he put his arm out to keep James out of their foe's path.

"Boys, clear the doorway!" McGonagall ordered from her position near her desk. She had observed them in such close proximity to one another and knew no good could come from it. Snape glanced at her and then refocused his powerful glare on the lions, leaving them with a few last words:

"I don't owe any of you buffoons a damn thing, including you, Potter. You didn't save my life! Take it up with Black, you say? Trust me, I will. And then I'm coming for the rest of you!"

The Slytherin then left the classroom in a huff, clearly having the last say on the matter.

"I didn't think it was possible to hate him even more!" James commented, musing his hair from frustration.

"Apparently he feels the same way." Remus murmured.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had practice again Thursday evening and the players were a bit reticent to see what mood their captain was going to be in. They had not really interacted with him since their last practice and that was before the mysterious incident that had caused him to distance himself from his best friend and become easily irritated. There were no visitors from any House this practice and James was rather formal with his teammates in the beginning while he went over their plays for the evening. The typical playfulness and comfort the athletes normally experienced was missing this time, and when they were finished an hour and a half later in the locker room, Kirby spoke on what they were all thinking.

"James, we all know something happened between you and your mates, and we just hope you're okay," he told him cautiously. The Potter boy looked up from silently putting his broom polish in his locker and peered at the Beater, then looked at the other five who were studying him. Elizabeth and Rodrigo nodded.

"Yeah, Jimmy. It's weird seeing you like this." Amy attested. Dorcas merely gazed at him.

"I know," James acknowledged, closing his locker door, "I just… I'll be fine as long as we stay focused in Quidditch and don't stumble."

It may not have been the answer they were expecting to hear but it was good enough for the time being, since they knew he would not say more, and the team slowly began leaving the locker room with the realization that it could not do much to fix its captain's demeanor. Dorcas was the last to leave with Amy; this newfound riff was particularly hard for her because of the silence from the boys. She was significantly close to James and Sirius so being uninformed about their major fight was very difficult to endure, and she had rather thought that James would be willing to talk to her about it.

Lily was in the company of a stoic Remus herself that night as the Gryffindors patrolled the school on their appointed rounds, and her concern for her friend led her to speak to him (or attempt to).

"Remus, are you okay?," the red head asked, peering at him with kind worry, "I mean, I know that's probably a stupid question— you don't seem to be very okay." She had interrupted the silence between them.

"Yeah… I can admit I'm not," he notified, giving a deep sigh.

"So, something really happened between you and your mates? It's just so hard to believe…"

"Yes," the Lupin boy muttered, "What have you heard?"

"Not too much. Potter said that Black used you somehow to play a prank on Snape, and that it was serious. Black essentially said the same thing, that you weren't aware of it," she explained.

"Yes… that's about it." Remus confirmed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. It was quiet. Lily glanced at him; how should she proceed?

"I—" Lily commenced. But she was interrupted by her Housemate who had decided to speak at the same time.

"I can't even look at Sirius, Lily. I don't understand why he did it," he stated, sounding vulnerable and sad. The witch gazed at him with immense sympathy and her train of thought switched tracks at his declaration.

"I obviously don't know what he did and I'm not asking you to tell me, but I really hope you get through this, Remus. If you need a friend to talk to who isn't a Marauder, or if it gets to be too much, I'm here," she told him, squeezing his upper arm tenderly as they ceased walking and she looked at him. He peered back, and his eyes displayed gratitude.

"Thank you, Lily— it means a lot. I'm glad you're my friend," Remus answered. She nodded and the pair slowly began walking once more, "And James… he surprised me, yet again. I've known he's an amazing friend, since second year, but… he's so loyal!" The Muggleborn glanced at him curiously.

"So he… he was able to put a stop to it, then?" the red head posited.

"Yes, thank Merlin. If it hadn't been for him it would've been a complete disaster."

There was more silence as they tread the castle's stone floors but it was brief.

"Do you think this will affect the friendship between you four for very long?" Lily quietly wondered.

"I really don't know." Remus attested, sighing and peering ahead. More fleeting silence.

"Well, for the record, I hope it doesn't," the witch said.

The following day marked the end of the school week and brought with it mild snow. Sirius continued to be slighted by Remus and James and this only increased his misery and isolation, while Peter tried to console him and spent much of his own time with the outcast. Being the third day in a row of a resolute refusal to even speak with him, Sirius had given up his hope of his friends forgiving what he had done. Michelle requested two hours of James' time that evening after dinner because she felt that they had spent little time together during the week, and this was indeed true, so he consented and was planning on this instead of attending the Slug Club meeting at eight o'clock. (The Ravenclaw also wanted to strive to cheer her boyfriend up some because he just had not been himself the past few days).

When it was mid-day and during lunch, James was found slumping somewhat in an armchair closer to one of the common room's windows. He and Remus had returned from eating ten minutes previously and the prefect was upstairs presumably in his four poster, because he had said that he wanted to nap shortly before the next class. The captain surmised that Peter and the traitor were still consuming food in the Great Hall but he was not brooding over this; he was brooding over the entire situation they were all in, how terrible it made him feel, and how he was not even speaking to his closest friend. James' face appeared to sag a tad under all the duress of his emotions, and for the first time he was truly processing them.

James suddenly felt something brush against the bottom of his left leg and he jumped from being startled, coming out of his mental reverie. When he looked down he saw nothing but then an audible 'meow' rang out, and he furrowed his brows slightly. The Potter boy leaned over to the right side of his chair and peered at the floor, only to see a white and brown cat strolling gracefully on the floor.

"It was you, then," he remarked, talking to the animal, "Who do you belong to? You look familiar…" The feline meowed again and then turned around and rubbed itself against James' leg, purring briefly.

"How nice of you," he uttered, bending over some to pet the newcomer warmly. The cat allowed it and flicked its tail back and forth as it was stroked.

"Autumn! Autumn, where are you? Where did you go?" a female voice called. James looked up and saw Lily roaming around the room, apparently in search of something.

"Oooh, ruddy animal!" she murmured, unknowingly pursing her lips like her sister normally did. The witch then turned in a half circle and her gaze fell on James, who was positioned next to a window and petting her young cat.

"Potter! And Autumn— there you are!" Lily announced, surprise and minor relief in her voice. She walked over to the boy.

"So you found my cat," the prefect noted, smiling faintly.

"She actually found me," the captain responded, "I knew that I recognized her but I just haven't seen her much so I didn't realize she was yours." Autumn meowed and trotted over to Lily as if welcoming her owner, rubbing against her leg.

"Yes. I was reading upstairs with the door open a bit and she just slipped out." The red head picked up the cat. James nodded in a languid fashion.

"Well, I suppose she likes you if you were petting her! She's rather picky with people." Lily quipped.

He gave a short lived rendition of a smile but remained quiet, and in the next instant he was staring dolefully at the carpet. She studied him for a moment and observed that he seemed to be quite dejected, which caused her to feel pity and a notion to say something to him. But what? This was Potter, not Remus! Where should she begin, and would she feel awkward speaking about an emotional topic with him?

"Are you all right, Potter?," Well, it was not wonderfully profound but it was a start. He peered at her rapidly and she continued, "Obviously, everything is not great between you and your mates right now, but how are you doing? You look down." Lily was now resting on the arm of a chair in close proximity to him while Autumn sat contently in her lap.

"Er, I… I…," James began, feeling taken aback. Lily was inquiring about his well being!, "I, uh… I am, actually. It's a little tough right now." He exhaled as she nodded.

"I talked to Remus. I don't know the details but I'm really sorry this happened to you lot," the Muggleborn notified sincerely.

"Oh, you have nothing to be sorry about— other people surely do. But, thank you, Evans."

"Well, I see how this is affecting all of you so it does make me sorry."

The Potter boy smiled to himself.

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"And at least you put a stop to it. You had the courage to do that." Lily said.

"I wasn't left much of a choice." James mentioned, chuckling once.

"Remus really appreciated it. He told me what an amazing friend you are."

He surveyed her with moderate shock.

"Moony's the great one… and Sirius obviously forgot that when he decided to be an absolute arsehole by risking everything."

She was curious to know what 'everything' was but knew better than to ask so she simply nodded.

"You're really angry with him. How do you deal with being his roommate at the moment?" the prefect wondered, looking at him.

"It takes a lot of concentration to ignore him and not react by using my wand!" he revealed, scoffing slightly and shaking his head.

"Do you foresee talking to him again anytime soon?"

"I really don't know… I've never felt like this towards him. Since we've been friends we've only gotten in one fight that I can recall, and that was during third year and lasted overnight. By the next morning everything was fine again. So this… this is completely new. Not being around him just feels so very out of place; I'm not used to it. But I can't get over how angry I am with him!" James explained, peering at her while saying the last few words. The genuineness of his statement struck a chord in Lily and she knew it had come from a very personal place, which shed light on a part of his persona she was not familiar with.

"That's very honest of you, Potter… this has to be hard on you," the red head replied softly, "He made an awful mistake from what you've said and that can't be ignored. But… just from knowing you four, for six years now, I know he cares about Remus and you and is probably very remorseful. It may take some time but I believe things will be okay in the end."

The Potter boy remained silent for a handful of moments, staring at the carpeted floor with his hands hanging in between his lap. He appeared to be in thorough deliberation and, when he finally looked up at her, there was very faint hope on his countenance as if he had not thought about this.

"So, are you going to the Slug Club meeting tonight?" she questioned, a small, phantom smile on her features. Autumn meowed.

"Oh. Uh… no, I don't think I am," he answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah…. To be truthful I forgot about it. I have something to do tonight, anyway, and I don't really feel like going."

"I see. Well, I think I'll be the only Gryffindor there! You won't be there, Jessica is ill in the infirmary, and, well… I doubt Black will go." Lily commented. The last part came across as meek, as though she did not want to offend James.

"You actually want to go?" James asked.

"I suppose," she sighed, "Something has to be wrong with me."

"Well, if you need support, specifically against the Slytherins, then I'll be more than happy to Apparate where you are," he joked.

"So you've figured out how to Apparate within Hogwarts, then?" the prefect half smirked.

"Yes, since fourth year. And I've known how to Apparate since I was six; I actually don't need the lessons."

"Okay, Potter!," Lily laughed. He grinned lightly as she stood up, "Well, I've got homework to finish since I put it off. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah…. Good talking to you, Evans," the captain bid, half smiling.

She returned the smile and then turned back to go up to her room with her pet in her arms. As she thought about it, Lily realized that she had been a bit disappointed upon discovering that James would not be at the Slug Club meeting, which was a definite first. She had never previously been let down that James Potter would not be in her presence.

The next day was free of precipitation of any kind falling from the sky, frozen or otherwise, but it was heavily overcast and the grounds were quite muddy. During mid-day James found himself outside the library's doors talking with his girlfriend, both of whom had left the library after finding a book for him needed in Potions. Remus was spending some time with Alice and Frank in the common room and Peter was presumably providing Sirius with some company, but James had not bothered to verify this assumption. As the couple stood conversing, a trio of familiar sixth years was walking towards the library's entrance and they took notice.

"James!" Dorcas remarked as they approached.

"Oh, hiya!," he answered, turning, "Dorcas, Hamilton, Evans." Lily smiled politely as Marcus nodded in greeting.

"Hello Michelle." Marcus hailed.

"Hi Marcus," the blonde said, eyes flickering to Dorcas momentarily.

"Leaving or coming?" the Meadowes girl posited, peering at James.

"Leaving, actually." Michelle responded, taking her boyfriend's hand.

"Yeah," he concurred, "Oh— Evans!"

"Yes?" Lily prompted at his change in thought.

"I didn't say it yesterday, but, thank you— for the talk. It actually made me feel a little better."

"Oh! Erm, you're welcome, Potter!" she told him, a bit surprised. He grinned briefly and then bid the trio farewell as he and Michelle pulled away.

"I'll see you, Dorcas." James noted. The Ravenclaw witch frowned at this somewhat but she was more interested to hear about his talk with Lily.

"You talked with Evans yesterday? About what?" she pondered while they traveled down the corridor.

"Just a bit about what Sirius did. She asked if I was okay."

"Really? About that? With Evans?"

"Yeah. She made me think a little," he reported.

"You haven't fully opened up about what happened to anyone besides Remus, not even me, so of all people—" the witch commenced.

"Whoa, Michelle," James interrupted, raising an eyebrow, "I didn't say I poured out my heart and soul and told her everything. Like I said last night, the only ones who know all about it are the ones who were there that night and that's the way it stays. But, talking to Evans did help me some." She nodded slowly, having been stopped in her tracks, and then said:

"I understand…. And if you felt better afterwards, that's all that matters."

Back by the library, Marcus and Dorcas were just as intrigued as the Ravenclaw. They stayed outside because they knew better than to enter Pince's domain while holding an all out conversation.

"So?" the Chaser prompted, peering at Lily.

"So what?" the Muggleborn responded.

"Your talk with James! I didn't know about it."

"Well I didn't reckon advertisement would be necessary."

"Lily," Dorcas stated, noticing her friend was smirking a tad, "You and James aren't known for your deep, personal conversations with each other! So what happened?" Marcus remained silent, because he did not think he was in a position with Lily to add anything but he listened raptly.

"I just saw Potter in the common room looking put out so I felt I had to say something. We just talked a little about what's going on between the Marauders," the red head revealed.

"You talked about that?" Dorcas asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes."

"But he's been closed mouth to everyone! How did you get him to speak? He spoke to you before anyone else?!"

"Well he didn't tell me anything new. I just asked him how he was feeling and it kind of stayed on that." Lily replied.

"Well that was nice of you, Lily! Checking on Potter, making sure he's not gone mental." Marcus pointed out. The Meadowes girl frowned at him.

"He is my Housemate, whose human side I'm beginning to see now," she smiled.

"Let's get inside now, yeah?"

"That was nice," Dorcas noted as Marcus opened a door, referring to Lily's gesture, "It's just… James hasn't even talked about his feelings yet to the rest of us." The Meadowes girl was having a difficult time fathoming how Lily had gotten her captain to open up about the issue he was currently grappling with and why he was still being so guarded when it came to her.

As January quickly ended and February made itself known, the raw stiffness and separation between the Marauders continued but with marked differences as the days passed. The group appeared to be acutely divided into stable pairs: Remus and James spent time together while they saw less and less of Peter, as he was giving his time to a lonely Sirius. The Black boy had sadly resigned himself to the fact that this was the way of things now and knew the other two would not hear a word from him. He had become much more withdrawn but it was noted that Marlene was steadily spending time with him in any attempt to give him some solace. James, on the other hand, was losing his mood swings and developing an even temperament again, but it was surely not as cheerful and lively as it had once been. In Care of Magical Creatures, James had reassigned himself as Michelle's project partner, leaving Sirius with Dorcas, while in Potions the separation had caused multiple changes: James chose Frank which moved Alice with Lily, and Marlene became Sirius' new partner. Remus, too, was being rid of his overwhelming emotions but Frank was still one to report that the dormitory's atmosphere was unbearably silent and awkward when all five were present.

Lily's 17th birthday was on the 30th of January and she was quite excited when the day arrived (as were her roommates) since she was the first of the girls to become an adult. After a morning of opening gifts from her friends and parents, which included a lovely white-gold necklace courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Evans, she sat at Gryffindor's table eating breakfast.

"It does feel a bit weird, though," she observed, spinning her spoon in her tea mug.

"What d'you mean?" Mary inquired, arms folded on the table.

"My birthday, and the fact that half of our House's year is torn."

"Oh, yes." Alice nodded.

"I dunno… the boys' fight just makes everyone feel a little down, you know?" Lily commented.

"Yeah, and it's partly because they made people feel better!" Marlene remarked, frowning slightly. The red head thought about Sirius' birthday the previous month and how they had celebrated together, which now seemed like an eternity ago.

"Hey," Dorcas started, smiling, "Remember your other birthdays, Lily, and how James acted on them? His outrageous displays of affection in honor of your birth?"

"Oh Merlin!" the prefect muttered, shaking her head and biting back a smile. All of her roommates laughed heartily.

"No one could forget them!" Mary grinned.

"Like last year, when he had 16 bouquets of flowers for you in the most public and inconvenient places." Alice noted, smiling.

"In every class on the desks, in three different spots in the common room, at breakfast, lunch and dinner…" Marlene recalled with laughing eyes.

"Ugh, and they were the most obnoxious, largest flowers I'd ever seen!" Lily interjected, a disbelieving smile on her face. Mary and Marlene laughed.

"Oh, and fourth year! When he had that quartet of Italian opera witches come and sing 'happy birthday' to you in the morning for breakfast—" Dorcas initiated.

"And then that band of sprites and nymphs came during lunch and crowned you Queen Lily of the forest! Yes!" Alice finished. The girls burst out laughing again as the birthday girl hid her face and smile.

"The tiara made of shrubbery was the defining moment," she remarked.

"So entertaining!" Mary smirked.

"We've got to thank James for those." Marlene chuckled.

"No more to add to the book, I hope," Lily commented, resuming her normal stance and appearing somewhat red in the cheeks, "I was ready to murder him all those times."

"I think your worries about that are over." Alice affirmed, grinning lightly. Someone then spoke suddenly near Lily's left ear, catching her wholly off guard and causing her to jump.

"Happy birthday, Evans," the voice stated. She peered up to her left, having not even sensed someone approaching, and saw James Potter standing there wearing a small smile.

"Oh, Potter!" she said with surprise.

"Yes, happy birthday Lily!" another wizard on her right uttered warmly. She turned to him and observed Remus on her other side, arms behind his back.

"Remus— thank you!," the red head answered, accepting the hug he bent down to give her. She swiveled back towards James after they let go, "And thank you, Potter." James' smile grew a little.

"So, no big plans for today, Lily?"

"It's a weekday, sadly, so not really."

"Well as long as you do something. It's your birthday!" Remus cited.

"We'll do something for her after classes, no worries." Alice assured.

"That's good."

"And what about you, Potter? Do you have a huge spectacle planned for Lily?" Mary questioned slyly. Her roommates giggled while the birthday girl gave her a disbelieving look; both of the males smiled but James' held embarrassment.

"You mean the other years weren't enough?," the captain chuckled, "Uh, you'll forgive me, Evans, but I decided to put my unique way of acknowledging your birthday on hold!"

"And what a gift that is." Lily commented, grinning a bit. He laughed once.

"Well have a great day, Lily. I'll see you." Remus alerted.

"Thanks again, Remus. I really liked the quill holder I got from you this morning. It was pretty."

"It wasn't much, but…"

"It was perfect," she affirmed. James then cleared his throat anxiously and spoke, holding out something he had pulled from his pocket.

"Erm, here you go, Evans! Again, happy birthday," He set the box down next to her, "See you girls later! Meadows."

James then walked away spiritedly, followed by Remus, as if wanting to depart before one of the witches said something. Dorcas felt some pleasure for being acknowledged by him and interpreted it as his coming back around, which meant the distance would melt away soon, but Lily was focused on the golden, square box that had completely surprised her. She gazed at it.

"It's from James? A gift?" Marlene asked, also peering at it.

"I don't know…," Lily answered, "He just set it down!"

"Maybe that's the spectacle! When you open it, it'll be your own planet or something." Mary hypothesized. Marlene grinned at her.

"It has to be from James; he would've said something otherwise! Oh! Lily, open it! Let's see what he got you!" Alice relayed, sounding excited.

"Yes, yes— open it!" Marlene advised, slapping the table twice. Dorcas was now interested as well and peered at the mystery present.

"This is just… surprising! I mean, it's from Potter…" Lily noted, eyes glued on the golden box, "For all the outrageous attention he gave me on other birthdays, he has never given me a gift before!"

"Stop analyzing and start investigating! If you won't, I will." Mary commented, reaching for the gift.

"I'll open it, okay!" the red head responded quickly, grabbing it hastily to prevent her friend from doing so. Mary smirked a bit and Alice smiled.

Lily carefully removed the black bow and ribbon surrounding the box and then took off the lid, only to see a single, lavish hair pin sitting atop material that looked like black silk. The pin was a smooth, porcelain, white orchid with a garnet gemstone nestled right in the middle, and it was exquisite. Alice and Mary gasped out loud when they saw what it was as the birthday girl gaped at it, mouth falling open.

"Oh my! Lily, that is beautiful!" Marlene marveled, leaning forward to stare at it.

"Wow! He really put thought into this! That pin is lovely!" Mary remarked.

"I-I know! It is beautiful! Oh my gosh." Lily uttered, setting the box down and blinking quickly a few times. Dorcas pulled it towards her with a stunned expression on her face to match the red head's.

"Merlin…" Dorcas muttered, examining it.

"This is so good of James! He really did put thought into this. I mean, Lily!" Alice awed, looking at her.

"I know!" she said, continuing to be taken aback, "I-I don't know if I can accept this!" Marlene inhaled sharply while Mary looked bewildered.

"Why not?!" the McKinnon girl questioned.

"Look at it! It's so… nice!"

"You can accept it, Lily. Can you imagine if you gave it back to him, how'd he feel?," Alice posited, "He wants you to have it or he wouldn't have done this at all."

"He actually got this for you." Dorcas remarked. This was a statement, not a question, and it came out in an even tone and as though she was having trouble digesting it. The prefect peered at her with the same perplexed look on her face.

"Keep it, Lily." Mary directed.

"What are you going to say to him?" Marlene inquired, touching it.

"I, I-I don't know! Does thank you even seem to fit?" Lily posited, picking it up and glancing it over. There Potter went again, vastly surprising Lily with acts that showed different sides of him she had never experienced before.

Marlene looked at Alice with a very knowing stare and the Waite girl nodded in return, burying the need to smile. They knew James' gift had been a profound gesture— even Lily was well aware of this— but they did not know that he had spent all of January deliberating over that gift and had even asked his mother for advice about it, nor did they know that James was not intending to tell Michelle anything about it. In his mind, the last thing he needed at the moment was for his girlfriend to be unnecessarily jealous over a single gift. Who cared if it had been for the witch he had once tenaciously fancied?