So, so sorry for the long wait but here you go!

R&R please!

"You're screwed." I said cheerfully, grabbing my bag and slinging it over one shoulder. Arty looked ready to throttle me. "Look," I rummaged in voluminous pocket of my robes for a couple of minutes, and emerged triumphant with a small crystal vial. "I bribed of Slughorn for this: Relaxing Potion, and, well... I thought it might help."

She looked pathetically gratefully and accepted it, stuffing it out of sight.

"Wish me luck?"

"Knock him dead Tiger."

"You know..." She trailed off thoughtfully, then smiled. "That might work."

"HEY!"

"Shut up Sirius."

-o-0-o-

"So, what did you think of it?" I asked James as we crossed the quad to Herbology through the thick snow that had fallen over night. It was only three weeks to Christmas after all.

I almost stumbled over a particularly large pile but he caught my elbow, setting me back upright on my feet. I'd been up insanely early this morning, Arty's stupid little ship had fired a ten guns salute to wake me up. I didn't really blame her though, she did look terrible and I had been bugging her all year to let me have free rein with the mascara brush.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Erm, well, it was..."

"Hey, don't worry, " I elbowed him lightly in the side, "I don't like Romeo and Juliet either, way to soppy for my liking."

"It's just not my sort of thing, I don't really like tragedy that much."

"And here was me thinking it was the romance bit that put you off."

"Nah, when I was little my mum used to read all her old romantic comedies to me, so I kinda grew up with it. It's all the dying bit that puts me off."

"Why?" On seeing his face I hurried on, "I mean, I just figured, you're a teenage guy and most guys like, I dunno, war books and spy films and stuff."

"Spy films?"

"It's a Muggle thing, I mean... Never mind."

"I like happy books. There's way too much dying in real life, why would you want to read about more? It's bad enough people are being murdered all over the place now without some author glorifying the war and making it seem glamorous."

"Okay, yeah I can see that."

"You can?"

"Sure, which is why I grabbed this from my trunk this morning, thought you might like it."

"The Taming of the Shrew?"

"It's a comedy, my favourite actually. It's a romance, sort of, but it's mainly about Kate and Petrucio arguing the entire way through the play. Very funny. Tell me what you think."

I waved to him and headed off to join Alice who was standing by the front of the class in Greenhouse 7. I saw him smiled and wave back before joining Remus and turning to his plants.

-o-0-o-

"How do you know about the Room of Requirements?"

"I sort of found it, by accident. I didn't know it could change though. I just thought it was a handing room behind a tapestry that Severus couldn't get into. It was in fifth year, just after he called me a, well, You Know What."

In fact I'd been running away from him. He'd taken to following me for a few weeks after I stopped being his friends, saying he was sorry. It had been so hard not to burst into tears and hug him that at the time it had just seemed easier to avoid him. I'd sprinted to the end of the hall, seen James at the other end, sprinted back, seen Sev and fallen over in the middle of the corridor as the door appeared leading me to a small room with a warm fire and a row of Shakespeare's plays. I'd stayed there all evening, hiding from everyone, reading. That was when I first discovered how much I related to many of Shakespeare's characters.

I turned back to James and smiled sadly. He, wisely perhaps, didn't say anything about Sev, simply leading me into the Come and Go Room.

-o-0-o-

"Man, what just happened?"

"James, what are you doing up, it's six thirty? You should be sleeping off your hangover."

"Yeah, well, one of the perks of being a wizard eh? Hangover charms."

"Isn't it just better not to get drunk in the first place?"

"Yeah, I always think that in the morning but by the time I remember it in the evenings it tends to be a bit late."

I smiled and levered him to his feet from where he had collapsed on one of the common room couches "Come on, let's get you down to breakfast and some hot coffee."

"I feel sorry for Sirius, he drank twice as much as I did and he's got Arty to deal with when he wakes up. Add the fact that she probably won't remember that she was half naked when she passed out and ended up being carried all the way back to Gryffindor Tower by Sirius under the invisibility cloak, she'll probably be ready to murder something."

"Yep, she'll be flaming- Wait, Sirius has an invisibility cloak?"

"It's mine actually. I just figured that Arty would rather be invisible than nude, so I lent it to him."

"You know," I clambered through the portrait hole then help James through after me, "That explains a lot. Like how everyone always knew you'd done something but no-one could ever prove it and how you always seem to be able to get to Hogsmede whenever you want. What do you do? Sneak out the gates and walk there?"

"Not quite." He gave a small smiled, then fell down a flight of stairs, taking me with him. We landed in a heap at the bottom and hastily untangled ourselves, blushing furiously. I bit my lip as he just stared at me.

"What?" I asked, self consciously. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, " he muttered. "Nothing like that."

I bit my lip for a moment then, on impulse, I leaned forward and pecked him once on the cheek. My lips tingled when they met his smooth skin, broken with slight stubble and I drew back to see him staring at me like Peeves had just thrown a brick at his head.

I let out an awkward giggle. Then a bubble of laughter gurgled up from the pit of my stomach, erupting from my lips.

"Your face!" I snorted, collapsing back onto the stairs.

"Oh Merlin! Your FACE!"

"Erm...Lily?"

"My laughter were echoing around the deserted hall.

"What are you doing?"

I staggered to my feet and hiccupped loudly again, trying to stifle my giggles.

"Never mind. Come on, let's get you coffee."