Lily pulled the covers up to her chin, attempting to close her eyes again.

"No," she told the group, "I will not leave this bed." She meant it. Her bed was soft and cozy, it was like a warm hug wrapped around her. Why would she want to leave the comfort of that?

"We've got a surprise for you though, Lily," Alice whispered to her. "I think you're going to want to see it."

"Does it involve leaving my bed?" Lily grumbled. There was a pause, which gave her enough answer. "No," she told them all definitively.

"Lil, if you don't pull those covers off and willingly get out of this bed I will force you to, which will be much less fun. Not to mention your handsome and very sweet boyfriend is waiting for you with a big surprise," Marlene informed her very pointedly. Lily's eyes flew open.

"James?"

"You have another handsome and very sweet boyfriend?" Emmeline questioned her. Lily sat up, stretching her arms above her head.

"This better be good," she told them all. "I don't wake up and get out of bed for just anyone."

"It's the Marauders, it's impossible for it not to be good," Mary assured her.

"Do I need to change?" Lily asked, sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of her bed.

"Just throw this on," Marlene said, tossing a wooly sweater in Lily's direction. The other girls all had on sweatpants and baggy jumpers and so Lily figured they were, at some point, going outside, a fact she wasn't terribly fond of. After a few quick checks in the mirror and a search for Lily's shoes, the girls were finally ready and Lily, although yawning at least three times, made it downstairs.

"Happy birthday," Remus grinned at her. He and Peter were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're going to be so surprised!" Peter squealed excitedly. Everyone shot him looks that read: Pete, do not fuck this surprise up. Lily smirked.

"I'm terrified," she told him.

"Come on, follow us." Remus led the way, the Marauders Map between his hands as he tried to make sure they avoided running into any teachers – Filch in particular. Lily tiredly followed along, clinging onto Alice's arm. They made their way down into the Entrance Hall, Remus then turning towards the doors. He swung them open and Lily was exposed to the freezing cold January wind, making her shiver immediately.

"Why are we d-doing this?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

"To celebrate your existence," Alice reminded her. The group of them walked along the dark Hogwarts grounds, crisp grass crunching beneath their feet. Remus and Peter used light from their wands to guide the way. In the dark Lily hardly had a clue where they were headed. She stumbled along, struggling not to trip over loose rocks and twigs, hoping whatever the surprise was it meant getting out of the cold quickly.

Her eyes caught on to a glimpse of light emanating from Hagrid's hut. Why were they headed towards Hagrid's hut?

"Where are we going?" Lily asked the group, growing more curious the farther they got.

"You'll see soon," Peter promised. As they made their way by Lily saw Hagrid standing in his doorway. He waved at the group of them enthusiastically.

"Happy birh'day Lily!" he said cheerfully as she passed. "'Ave a good night, you lot!" Hagrid was in on her birthday surprise? Lily wondered, dumbfounded.

"Thanks Hagrid!" everyone cried back at once. It was hard not to love Hagrid. He was the kindest man Lily had ever met, never a bad thing to come out of his mouth. She wished in her seven years she'd gotten to spend more time with him.

A few minutes later, as the light from Hagrid's hut disappeared behind them, Remus paused.

"Okay, should be right…ahead…" Lily squinted at her surroundings. They were familiar, she knew where she was she just couldn't place it. Suddenly Remus swung open a gate and it clicked, the Quidditch pitch! They were at the Quidditch pitch!

"What are we doing here?" Lily asked, more confused than ever. She looked at Alice beside her, grinning widely.

"Prongs! We've landed!" Remus shouted out into the darkness. Lily's stomach filled with butterflies as she anticipated what came next. Oh Merlin, what would her boyfriend do? With James she never knew, a part of her really loved that. Without warning, lanterns all around the Quidditch pitch flicked on, illuminating the place with a beautiful light. Lily realized that since entering the pitch the biting wind had disappeared and she no longer felt cold. What the hell was going on?

Lily looked around, her green eyes searching for her boyfriend in the darkness, but it wasn't him she saw. No, instead it was a large explosion in the sky, fireworks booming above her. Lily's mouth dropped open. How in Merlin's name had he pulled this off? The sparks exploded into a flower, a lily to be exact, covering them all with glitter as it dissipated.

"Happy birthday, Evans." Lily looked down in front of her to see James smirking. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around him. Another firework burst into the sky, taking the form of a prancing stag. It ran around them, everyone gasping with shock and laughing at once.

"You are unbelievable," Lily told her boyfriend.

"Do you like it?"

"It's amazing! Aren't people going to hear it, though?" James shook his head.

"We've got the place heavily charmed, don't worry. Now, who would like some champagne?" he asked the group curiously.

"I sure would," Sirius said, stepping out from behind James. Lily couldn't believe them. James brought the group over towards the center of the field where there was a large blanket laid out with all kinds of sweets. Lily realized now that it was more than just the Marauders and the girls on the pitch. Gideon and Frank stood there too. The whole group was there. Well, Lily thought sadly, the whole group except one. She went over to give Gideon a hug.

"I tried to convince him to come," he whispered in her ear as his arms wrapped around her, "he just didn't feel up to it yet." Lily's heart sank a little.

"That's okay," she nodded, "I understand." James passed around flutes of champagne to everyone, raising his in the air.

"To Lily Evans," he said, winking at the redhead beside him.

"To Lily!" everyone echoed.

Alice couldn't help but admire the beauty of the fireworks which continued to flood the dark night sky, sparking up into different dancing images, floating above their heads. She'd pulled away from the group, who were all gathered around the blanket of food, and was now lying in the frosty grass. Her head rested on a pile she'd made of her scarf.

With alcohol buzzing through her bloodstream she couldn't help but admire how beautiful everything around her appeared. Even the simplest things could bring such joy. She immediately regretted the thought; it was something she figured her mother might say. Debra Griffith had seen the beauty in everything. Alice was sure in her mother's final moments she'd looked into the eyes of her attackers and thought: I'm sure you've seen hardships too.

What had they done to her? How much pain had she been in during those final days? Alice's heart literally ached at the thought. Maybe she'd always feel that way. Her mother, so brave and kind, killed in an excruciating fashion. Alice shook at the memory of the room, the one which she'd been locked in for days. The one in which her mother had been murdered.

She tried not to think about those days. In fact, Alice regularly blocked the memories out. When one threatened to sneak closer to the front of her brain she pushed it back, as far back as it could go. She'd gotten good at that.

"You alive?" Alice's eyes flashed open and she saw Frank, his face hovering above her.

"Too much so," Alive replied dramatically, looking into the starry nights sky once more. Frank sighed, plopping down beside her, resting his head back on the grass as well.

"Where's Cecily?" Alice asked him curiously.

"Didn't think it made sense bringing her."

"No?"

"She's not friends with Lily and not exactly Emmeline's favourite person." Alice snorted, that was an understatement. Emmeline practically blew steam every time she laid eyes on Cecily Turner; she positively despised the Ravenclaw girl.

"I don't really get it," Alice admitted.

"Get what?"

"Why you'd date Cecily, of all people." There was a heavy silence and Alice suddenly panicked. Why had she said that? On what planet was that a suitable question for her ex-boyfriend, especially her ex-boyfriend who she'd cheated on?

"She's not you," Frank told her honestly. He didn't say it with cruelty or harshness, just a real truth. She wasn't Alice, and Alice was sure Frank found that rather refreshing.

"That makes sense," Alice nodded.

"Maybe…" Frank paused. "Maybe that's why you slept with Everett. I guess I've kind of come to understand it more." Alice's turned her head to the side to find Frank staring right at her. Their faces were inches apart, so close she had to barely tilt her head to reach his lips. "All you ever knew was me. It's kind of… nice to experience someone new." It took every ounce of strength Alice possessed not to allow the pain she felt to show on her face. She wanted to be happy for him. She wanted Frank to have something new, something exciting, which gave him joy.

"Of course," Alice replied, struggling to get the words out straight. All she wanted was to close the distance between them and press her lips to Frank's. She missed him so desperately and the more he said the less hope she had. Maybe everything over the holidays had just been heightened emotion…maybe things were really over between the pair.

"Frank, I…" She stopped, Frank eyeing her with great curiosity. "I just want you to be happy," she finally told him. Frank's eyes softened, as he seemed to understand what Alice was really trying to say. She pressed her lips together, her brown eyes still staring quite intently at the freckled boy beside her.

"Oh Al," Frank sighed heavily. "You're so sweet, you know that?" Alice's eyes widened the slightest.

"What?" Sweet wasn't exactly a word Alice expected Frank to associate with her.

"I forgot how selfless you could be."

"Yeah, I suppose that girl hasn't really been around lately has she?"

"I see her again, though," Frank smirked, his head moving a little closer to hers. "I see the girl I fell in love with." Alice's heart lay in her throat as she looked at Frank. Alice inched her hand closer and closer towards his, leaving the last inch for Frank to cross. He did. She felt electricity shooting up through her arm as Frank's fingers wrapped around hers, just as they had so regularly months ago.

"Frank," Alice whispered beside her.

"Mm?"

"I love you."

"I know," Frank whispered back. Alice nuzzled her face closer towards his but Frank pulled away. "I can't, Alice," he told her, Alice's stomach knotting. "I'm with Cecily." Right, how could she forget? There Alice lay now, her pride a shattered mess around her.

"Okay," Alice pulled her hand away, no longer feeling much like being near Frank. She sat up, leaning her arms against her knees.

"Don't be mad…" Frank began, sitting up with her now as well.

"I'm not mad," Alice sighed, "if anything I completely understand. It's honorable of you really, and… it just reminds me what a real asshole I was. I think I'm going to go-" Alice stood up but Frank jumped right up with her.

"I didn't say it to make you feel bad," Frank told her earnestly. "I just… how wrong is it that I'm lying around with you, flirting, touching, when that's exactly what I left you for doing? Because you did that with someone else while you were supposed to be with me."

"It's fine, Frank," Alice assured him. "No need to explain yourself –"

"But there is, isn't there? Because here I've been… acting like it's all okay between us." Alice closed her eyes in anticipation of what was coming next. "It's not though, is it, Alice? Because I don't trust you, I may never again. And I don't know if you're just interested in me again because now there's a real challenge or because you really do regret everything that happened."

"Frank -" Alice began, a lump forming in her throat.

"I was there, you know? I was right there for you whenever you needed, I loved you, I was going to be there for the rest of your life, and that wasn't enough. You wanted more, and now…" Frank paused, looking towards Alice with a pained expression. "It's all fucked up." Alice had lost her will power. She could no longer hold back the tears, they flowed freely down her cheeks.

"That's fine," she told him, her voice cracking. "Really, it's all okay; I understand."

"I didn't mean to -"

"Stop apologizing!" Alice snapped at him, "I'm not a child. You can make me upset and not have to feel sorry for it. I get it, okay Frank? You just can't. I shouldn't have said those things to you at the New Years party. It wasn't fair. I have spent this past year in complete turmoil. First I lost my mother and then...well I suppose I sort of lost myself as well and dragged you down with me. The thing is, as I found myself again it's hard for me not to be completely and hopelessly in love with you, just the way I was for so many years before. I know you don't trust me anymore Frank and I don't want you to feel like you have to pretend you do to make me feel better. I want you, more than I've ever wanted anything, but not if that interrupts your own happiness." Alice felt her heart truly breaking as the words came out of her mouth.

"If you didn't mean it when you asked me to fight for you just tell me," she begged him, Frank staring at her with a deep frown. "I just… I want you to be able to let go, okay? I want us both to let go if this is the end. If you're happier without me tell me now. Because I don't want to fight for you if it means that I'm just making you unhappy, I love you too much for that," Alice admitted, taking a deep breath. She stared into Frank's eyes - his expression unreadable. "What do you want Frank?" Alice pleaded, her voice small and timid. "We never really asked each other did we? We just always expected we were on the same page, that wasn't right, maybe that was always the problem. how could we grow together when we allowed each other such little room? We always expected ourselves to be perfect and it wasn't fair - to either of us. So I'm giving you a choice Frank - if even a small piece of you still wants me just tell me, just tell me I'm not fighting a losing battle." A second passed and then another. Alice was met only by dead silence, Frank staring at her with his mouth agap. Her chest grew tight and she felt fresh tears springing to her eyes.

"Okay," Alice nodded, closing her eyes to try and prevent the waterworks threatening to start at any minute, "I'll go."

Marlene had one arm wrapped around Lily and the other Mary as the girls sang a terrible rendition of You're So Vain by Carly Simon. Everyone else watched from the ground with amusement, except Emmeline, who had busied herself making conversation with Gideon off in the corner. Marlene was beginning to kick her leg up for dramatic effect when she caught sight of Alice hurrying up the field towards the exit.

"Be right back," she whispered in Lily's ear, quickly pulling away. Marlene rushed over, stopping her teary eyed friend in her tracks. "Where you going, Al?" she asked with a sullen look.

"I just… I think I'll head back to the castle," Alice explained, snuffling. Marlene looked behind her to see Frank walking up a few paces behind, her eyes narrowing.

"What happened? Did he say something to you?" Frank had some nerve circling in on Alice on a night like tonight. Marlene knew cheating was wrong, she didn't condone Alice's actions, but to bring it up at a party? It just felt wrong.

"It's not his fault," Alice assured her friend, "I just got my hopes up, like the idiot I am. There was a kiss over Christmas break and I -"

"A what!?" Marlene cried in shock. Frank and Alice and kissed and she'd not heard one word about it?

"At James' party. We were both drunk and I thought… I thought maybe things were fixable. I thought he still wanted me, but I was wrong." Marlene frowned. Why would Frank lead her on like that? Make her think he wanted her back and then shatter it all? Nothing bugged Marlene more than people who took others' feelings for granted. There was nothing more heart wrenching than being led on.

"That's not right, Alice," Marlene told her friend, "he shouldn't be messing around with you like that."

"He didn't… of course he never means it, Mar, I was stupid to think he meant it. I just… I'm going to slip out, okay? Tell Lily happy birthday for me."

"Please don't go," Marlene begged, but she could see from the look in Alice's eyes there was no stopping her. With a sigh she watched her friend walk away, shoulders slacked. Marlene turned around to find Frank making his way back towards the group. She bustled over, her lips pursed tightly together.

"You have some nerve," she snapped at Frank, the latter looking at her in surprise.

"Wha-"

"So what? You take what you like and leave the rest? You can kiss her and flirt with her but after that you're done? You can only play the victim so long," Marlene snapped.

"You're out of your depth here, Marlene," Frank warned her. "You don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"I never thought you'd be this kind of guy, Frank," Marlene seethed. Before either of them could get another word out Sirius came up, standing between the two with curiosity.

"What's going on here?" he asked them calmly.

"I suppose Frank should fill you in, I'm too much out of my depth here, aren't I?" Frank rolled his eyes across from her.

"Don't get into it with me McKinnon, okay? I'm not going to sit here and fight with you if that's what you're asking for. If you want that maybe you should just talk with Sirius." Marlene's jaw tightened. Now he'd really done it.

"You…." She lunged towards Frank, Sirius pulling her back.

"Not cool, mate," Sirius told Frank, unimpressed.

"What's not cool is having my ear chewed off by Marlene when she doesn't have a clue what she's talking about."

"I don't have a clue? Alice just ran out of this party in tears!" Marlene cried furiously. She turned around to find that they were luckily far enough from the group that they hadn't drawn any attention. Everyone was still singing happily, blissfully ignorant about the scene taking place.

"I didn't mean…" Frank's frustration seemed to melt away immediately, his brown eyes drooping. Now Marlene just felt guilty. "I don't know what I'm doing, okay? It's not easy." Marlene got that better than anyone. Sometimes emotions just got confusing and hard to follow, especially when you felt you couldn't be with the one you loved. "She is all I ever wanted and now nothing makes sense between us. Don't you understand how hard that could be?"

"I'm sorry," she said to Frank, Sirius letting loose of his grip on Marlene. "Mama bear mode just kind of… kicked in." Frank nodded understandingly, Marlene's head bowed with guilt.

"It's fine," Frank sighed after taking a few seconds of pause, "I know you don't mean any harm." She moved forward, giving Frank a big bear hug.

"I know it must really suck, not knowing what to do and still loving her so much." She could relate strongly to the feelings.

"It really fucking does," Frank admitted, the pair pulling apart.

"Well, that was much easier to break apart than I expected," Sirius exhaled, both Marlene and Frank smiling sheepishly.

"I'm going to head back," he said, pointing towards the blanket. Marlene crossed her arms defensively as she was left alone with Sirius, both shifting from foot to foot with uneasiness.

"Only James could pull something like this off," Marlene said finally, breaking the tension. Sirius shoved his hands into his jean pockets, nodding. She watched him, hoping - praying - that he'd be the first one to say something. They were a horrible combination, two of the most stubborn people. Truthfully she shouldn't have been angry with Sirius, she needed to be thanking him for not letting the whole thing continue on as it had. They were so clearly poorly suited for one another.

"Listen," Marlene began with a deep breath.

"You don't have to apologize," Sirius told her. "Honestly I'm the one who needs to offer the explanation. I know you're angry at me for sleeping with Emmeline and I know you think I've been using you this past year, that you've just been like every other girl, but I want you to know that you weren't that for me." Marlene frowned. "You were more than just some random one night stand. You were never just a number Marlene, never just another girl. You were different, for me you were always different." Marlene gulped back a lump in her throat feeling her resolve soften. Merlin, how did he have that effect on her?

"I don't like to be humiliated," Marlene reminded him, Sirius nodding.

"I know."

"Yet you seem to do it time and time again. I can't take much more of it, Sirius. I hate this -" Marlene motioned between them "- this tension between us. We used to be friends, you know? And as much as I hate to admit it I really did care about you. I don't want to be at your throat, picking fights, just because I want an excuse to yell at you. I feel like we're destroying any chance at having a good relationship."

"Let's just do it right this time ,okay? No more complications, let's just call it here, right out in the open."

"Call what?" Marlene asked, suddenly falling clueless.

"Us. Whatever we used to be." Marlene didn't know why the notion of saying goodbye to all of that suddenly made her feel so much like crying, but now, as she stared up into Sirius' grey eyes, all she felt like doing was crying. Her throat turned to sandpaper.

"Okay," she agreed, struggling to get the word out. What's wrong with you? She demanded of herself. Sirius Black was a fling, he is not a guy you cry over. "Friends," Marlene said, reaching her hand out for his, "plainly."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to want to murder you sometimes," Sirius reminded her.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Black," she promised him. This was good, Marlene told herself. Now she could be with Henry and she and Sirius could be friends, as they'd always been meant to be. Everything was falling right into place. Wasn't it?

Leila and Lily were lain across the blanket, telling James and Remus about all kinds of muggle traditions.

"Well, you don't just go to school for seven years," Leila explained. "You usually go to primary school and then secondary. If we were muggles we'd be planning to go to university now." Remus and James shared looks of confusion.

"What?" they replied in unison.

"Well… you usually need to go to university to help get a job," Lily told them.

"You need to go to school on top of school just to be allowed to work?" Remus asked in shock. The whole concept made no sense to either him or James. Leila and Lily shared a mutual look of unease, neither able to really explain the purpose of it all.

"And you guys don't use owls?" James asked with a furrowed brow, Lily running her fingers through his messy black hair, his head placed in her lap. Remus couldn't help but constantly admire the pair. The two no one ever thought would get together were so perfect for one another, it was comical really.

"No. I mean, you can send letters, but mostly people communicate over telephone."

"I still don't quite understand this whole telephone thing," Remus shook his head. They'd spoken of it multiple times in muggles studies but the whole thing was still quite bizarre to him. How did it work?

"It's really very simple," Leila assured him, smiling at her boyfriend. "You dial the number of whoever you want to call, they answer, you talk through the telephone line."

"How?" James and Remus asked, neither finding the whole operation very simple, their girlfriends laughing.

"Maybe we've confused you enough for tonight," Leila said, resting back in Remus' arms. "Someday I'll show you how the telephone works."

"I'm both excited and terrified for that day," Remus told her. He liked the idea of there being many days ahead of them. Days filled with nothing to do except enjoy one another's company, sleeping, eating, reading together. It made Remus excited for the future in a way he'd never been before.

"So, Moony, are you ready for Wednesday?" James asked apprehensively. It was one of the first times they'd ever discussed Remus' "condition" in front of Leila.

"As ready as I ever am," Remus admitted with a heavy sigh. He always grew anxious and jumpy as the full moon approached. Despite doing it every month he never got more comfortable with the whole process. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many ways in which he could alter his life forever. It was hard to ever be okay with the whole thing. Who liked the idea of losing control, of losing hours of your life to a huge fury beast?

"So, all three of you go with him? As Animagi?" Leila asked with a cautious curiosity. As much as she was trying to be very cool with the whole thing Remus could tell there was a part of her that felt terribly uncomfortable with it all. How could he blame her? They were raised in the Wizarding community to view werewolves as evil.

"Yep. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. I suppose you can figure what we all go as?" Leila nodded.

"You're not registered though? On the list of Animagi -"

"No. They, as usual, have decided to do something completely illegal and incredibly dangerous which could land them in heaps of trouble," Lily snapped, giving James a very pointed look.

"Heaps of trouble only if we get caught," Sirius said as he and Marlene approached the group, plopping down on the blanket with the other four, "which we never have."

"But you could," Lily reminded him, "and what would you do then?"

"Run," Sirius replied, with a removed shrug. Nothing affected him, or so it seemed.

"You know you don't need to worry about us," James assured her looking up at Lily with big, persuasive hazel eyes. "We're not idiots."

"That's debatable," Lily rolled her eyes. "Granted, you're doing it for a good cause, so I suppose the positives outweigh the negatives." James grinned victoriously.

"Don't lie, Lily, you totally wish you could join us," Sirius teased her. Lily rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him.

Leila turned to stare at Remus. "Wanna get going?" she whispered, Remus nodding.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," he told the group, standing up and putting out a hand to help Leila as well. "Happy birthday, Lily," he added, smiling at the redhead.

"Thanks Remus! Have a great night, you two." Remus turned behind him, waving at Emmeline and Gideon, chatting very closely, and Mary and Peter who were playing a game of Gobstones. Remus and Leila then headed from the Quidditch pitch, back into the freezing cold January night, hand in hand.

"Is it weird for you?" Remus found the courage to ask when they were halfway up the hill. "All this talk about my… problem."

"No!" Leila cried out a little too quickly. "Of course not, Remus! I just… well, sometimes I feel a little out of the conversation. Everyone else has known for so long and I'm new to the whole thing. I don't know how it works or what exactly you need…."

"I don't need anything," Remus assured her, giving her hand a small squeeze, "really. I mean, I haven't done this before either, Leila. I've never told a girl I've been with about my furry little problem."

"Is it bad that that makes me feel very good?" Leila whispered to him, pressing her chin to his shoulder, Remus laughed. "Because, I'm a bit competitive."

"I just never want you to feel like I'm a burden," Remus assured her. "I'm not your job to take care of."

"Yes you are," Leila told him, catching Remus by surprise. "You never want to be a burden to anyone, but Remus… I'm supposed to take care of you. That's my job from now on."

Remus smirked, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. "You're wonderful, you know that?"

James lay in bed next to Lily, her face smooth and calm as she slowly drifted asleep.

"Did you have a nice night?" James asked her quietly. Lily's eyes fluttered open, two big green orbs staring over at him.

"It was the best birthday I can remember having in a long time." James smiled proudly.

"Good, because I've got one more surprise for you."

"Oh James, I don't need anything else!" James didn't listen, climbing from bed he headed for his dresser, pulling a small black box out from his underwear drawer. Lily shot up in bed when she spotted it.

"Are you proposing to me?" she asked in shock, James laughing.

"Oh Lily, you'll know when I'm proposing to you," he assured her, climbing back onto the bed.

"Does that mean you're planning to propose to me?" Lily asked, resting her arms on top of her knees.

"I've been planning to propose to you since I was fourteen years old." He really had, too. Sometimes James had dreamt up whole scenarios, especially on the nights he couldn't fall asleep. Ones in which Lily Evans was madly in love with him and had squealed with joy when he'd gotten down on one knee. Back then it'd all seemed so unlikely, just a dream. That dream had become his life. "This is something a little different," he explained.

"Okay," Lily nodded, looking intrigued.

"Well… you know I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was younger, my mum's parents and I was quite close with my grandmother. She got really sick in third year and died but she gave this to me…" James explained, passing the jewelry box in his hand over to Lily. She flicked it open, gasping. Inside lay a long gold chain. A gorgeous pendant, circular and gold with a small ruby in the center, surrounded by diamonds, lay in the center of it.

"James it's… so beautiful," Lily gawked in awe. It was delicate and yet very eye catching – just like Lily in James' eyes.

"Her mother gave it to her when she was a little girl and she always put a lot of value in it. When she died she told me to have it and to give it to someone I really loved." James chuckled at himself. "I suppose I always saved it for you." Lily looked up at James with tears filling her almond shaped eyes.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted tearfully. "Somehow you keep managing to surprise me."

"Good, I like an element of mystery."

"James, I…" Lily choked up a little, "I know things aren't always simple. Of all the times to fall in love with someone now is probably the worst… but I couldn't do any of this without you. Losing my mom, fighting this war, you're the most important thing in my life. I know that sounds stupid and cheesy because we're only kids still but no one has ever treated me with as much love and respect as you do." It hurt James to hear her say something like that, to look into her eyes and see she really meant it.

How could Lily Evans of all people feel so insignificant? She was the most captivating and drawing person James had ever met. To think she'd been made to feel so small… it killed him. All he wanted to do was stick her on a pedestal and remind her how brilliant she was everyday.

"I am going to marry you one day, Evans," James vowed to her, Lily laughing.

"I suppose I'll just have to stick around and wait for that proposal, then?"

"What would you say if I asked you right now?" Lily stared at him with such love and affection James thought that he might explode.

"My answer scares me," Lily told him honestly, her forehead pressing against his.

"Why?"

"Because, I'm supposed to be the sane and rational one. I'm supposed to remember that there's a war going on and we're only teenagers, how do we know what we want to do for the rest of our lives?" James smirked.

"How does anyone know what they want to do for the rest of their lives, Lil?" he asked her. "I mean really, do you think you'll have any more certainty at thirty? Or forty-five? If this war is teaching me anything it's that everything is so fleeting. Nothing lasts; nothing is permanent. We could die tomorrow. We could wake up in the morning, be lined up by a group of Death Eaters and drop dead, couldn't we?" Lily winced.

"Don't talk like that James," She told him, looking pained, "the minute we start thinking like that things get dangerous."

"I just mean that… well, I'm in love with you Lily. That is the realest thing in my world; it's the only thing that makes sense. I would do anything for you and I don't ever see that changing. There is nothing you could do or say that would make me love you any less."

"What if you change your mind one day? What if one day you wake up, look at me beside you in bed and regret it all? What if you realize that it was all a mistake, James? Then what?"

"We figure it out from there," he told her, knowing well himself that day would never come. "Risk or no risk, you can't predict the future."

"Okay," Lily nodded, taking a deep breath, staring hard into James' eyes, "do it, then. Ask me to marry you." James laughed out loud, staring at Lily with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, babe," he teased her, "I'm not proposing to you like this. You deserve much more."

"Fireworks at midnight more?" Lily asked him, her hands cupping his face now.

"You deserve more than I can probably ever give you." Lily's smile dropped as quickly as it'd come and James watched her studying him with a worried curiosity. James' hazel eyes dropped nervously, only Lily could do something like that to him.

"Now that's where you're wrong, Potter," she told him very seriously, "you think I need a lot more than I do. I hate it when you get caught up trying to impress me, James, cause that's not you. You're so much more than that. You're kind, and loyal, and sensitive in all the right ways. You never make me feel suffocated or belittled, you always support me. You love me for all the right reasons and you've never weakened my light," Lily paused, James staring at her eagerly.

"Go on," he encouraged her, making her laugh.

"The thing is, you don't see these things in yourself. Do you, handsome?" Lily asked, lifting his chin fondly. James smiled shyly, darting his eyes away. No, he most definitely did not. Hidden beneath James Potter's smug smiles and witty comebacks was someone incredibly unsure of himself, just as insecure as everybody else. "Your money, your house, your ability to make big things happen, they're not the reason I love you. If all of that was gone, if you were just some poor muggle I met by chance, I'd love you all the same."

"I'm going to ask you to marry me," James reminded her once more, never meaning eight words so strongly.

"Oh yeah, Potter? Think you could give me a time estimate on that? Five minutes…six years…" James tackled her down, his arms on either side of Lily's shoulders, her green eyes shining up at him.

"Sorry, that's top secret," James told her, leaning in for a kiss.

"Oh, that's not fair!" Lily cried in protest, holding her boyfriend close.

"Who said anything about fair, Evans?" Lily pouted, placing her lips to James'.

"Okay," she agreed, "fine, surprise me."

"Yeah?" James asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I want a lifetime of surprises with you, James Potter." He hoped she meant it.

Remus was in his bed, cozied up and readying himself to sleep, when there was a tap on the door to the boy's dormitory. Everyone had come back already – except Gideon. Fabian was asleep, Sirius and Peter were playing a late night game of cards, and Frank was just emerging from the washroom.

"Who is knocking at this time of night?" Frank asked curiously, moving towards the door. Remus watched him swing it open, his face dropping. He couldn't see who stood behind it.

"Alice?" Frank asked with surprise.

"Is Remus in?" Remus hopped from bed immediately, rushing over.

"What's up, Al?" He asked, stepping in front of Frank.

"Are you…" Alice cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, I know it's late," she apologized.

"It's fine. You need a chat?" Alice nodded with much enthusiasm. Remus turned around to see Frank still standing just a few feet behind them. "Be back in a bit," Remus told him, pulling the door shut behind the two. They bustled down to the common room, plopping down on the couch with a blanket thrown overtop of them.

Warm – and exhausted from staying up all night – Alice explained to Remus all that had happened in her life since Christmas break, all the way to the night they were still awake in the middle of. Remus stared at her with wide, bleary eyes at the end of it all.

"I cannot believe you and Frank kissed again at James' party and you didn't tell me," Remus mused, his head in his hands as he tried to figure the whole thing out. Alice stared back at him, a pained expression in her brown eyes.

"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" She asked, her tone filled with despair and humiliation. "Not only do I cheat on him I… I take part in encouraging him and Cecily to break up, I let him kiss me, I'm a terrible person, aren't I Remus?" Alice asked sadly, looking up at him with watery eyes. Remus' shoulders fell as he stared at her, such hopelessness in her eyes.

"Of course not," Remus promised her, "Alice, nobody expects Cecily and Frank to last. Besides, it's not as though Cecily has a particularly respectable history."

"Neither do I," Alice reminded him. Remus sighed. He was tired of watching her beat herself up so much. Alice was not a bad person. She was a good person who'd made a very terrible mistake. Remus didn't think it right that someone could never escape the things they had done no matter how hard the tried to redeem themselves.

"You don't have to torture yourself forever, Alice," he reminded her. "At some point you get to be happy too. I think you've taken responsibility for your actions. You've done your best and you have tried to show Frank how sorry you are. Just because that isn't enough doesn't mean you're some kind of monster. You put in the effort, you tried your best to fix things, that counts for something."

"Yeah?" Alice asked, wiping a loose tear from her cheek.

"Yes," Remus told her surely, accompanied by a wide yawn.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up-"

"Stop apologizing for things!" Remus told her exasperatedly, Alice stifling a laugh.

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll exercise some restraint around apologizes."

"Thank Merlin," Remus yawned once more, wrapping an arm around Alice. She rested her head on his shoulder, the two cozy with their shared warmth. Remus was grateful to have someone like Alice in his life. Someone separate from his friend group who he could lean on whenever he needed to. In just a few months she'd become so important to him.

"Al?" he said suddenly, his eyes drooping shut as they sat there.

"Mm?" She answered groggily.

"Would it be bad for us to just fall asleep right here?" He was already in the process of lying down behind her, his head rested against one of the couches cushy pillows. Alice's head fell down beside his. Remus – in his tired daze – forgot that in just a few hours everyone in Gryffindor would wake and come strolling past them. Not to mention the fact that the pair were sleeping suspiciously close to one another and he had a very sweet girlfriend who might hear about the whole scene and grow jealous. No, Remus couldn't think of any of that as his heavy eyelids drooped shut and he slipped into an incredibly blissful sleep.