Chapter 50

The sun was shining through the long windows of the common room. Lily felt something muscular under her head. Lily blinked a few times to rid her self of the lingering sleep, the first thing she saw was Sirius leaning down looking in her face.

"Comfy Evans?"

"Wha ? " Lily sat up right to realize her pillow was James leg. Lily smiled as she looked at him; his head was tilted to one side with a small amount of drool leaking out. Lily giggled she looked sleepily at Sirius who was sitting with Remus. They were both smiling as though they caught them naked instead of fully dressed.

"Morning guys how are you?" Lily asked the events of last night completely in the back of her head.

"We're fine you though are the one who had gotten drunk and tried to take James face off." Sirius laughed. Remus elbowed him.

"There are more gentle ways of telling her." Remus scolded him.

"Hey I left out the part where she pretended to be a battering ram." Sirius said innocently with a smirk on his handsome face.

Lily looked horrified; she looked at James but saw nothing on this side of his face. She had hit him on the other side of his face.

"Prongs?" Lily said attentively, worried about how he might be feeling after last night row.

Lily gave his shoulder a small shake. "Prongs, are you… ok?" Lily asked again.

"Hey why would he be ok, his lady beat him up last night?" Sirius said more seriously his eyes full of laughter. Lily's eyes filled with tears.

Lupin elbowed him again. "He's kidding you Evans don't worry James won't be mad."

"Sure he won't." Sirius said then burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Lily asked confused and worried.

"You kiddo, he won't care you know that, but your freaking out anyway." Sirius reached over and gave her a hug, "Silly girl."

"You trying to make time with my girl" A sleepy James asked with a yawn.

"Hey if your asleep?" Sirius left the rest unsaid as Lily disengaged with him and grabbed onto James.

"James, you're not mad at me; are you?" Lily asked him as she held him tight.

"Mad, why would I be mad?" James asked his arms wrapped around her small waist.

"I hurt you last night; I was so upset….. I'm sorry I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Lily kissed his uninjured cheek.

James smiled pleased he nuzzled his face into her neck whispering to her. "I'd never be mad at you for that. I know you were upset and I understand why and I should have stayed with you. Besides I don't need unavailable boobs when I have yours right here." James reached up and gave her right one a squeeze a little bit of humor in his voice.

"Oh anytime you want love anytime." Lily smiled happily feeling as though it was going to be ok; she just had to talk to Snape next.

The other two boys looked envious but said nothing to them as they watched with wishful smiles on their faces.

"Well now that you two are ok, let's go join Wormtail for breakfast, I'm starved." Sirius stood up with a stretch.

"Sounds good, but next time you guys leave me to get drunk alone I'll curse the lot of you." Lily warned them.

"Hey we may just have to curse you for getting drunk without us?" James told her seriously.

"I have to agree, hey how many drinks did you have?" Lupin asked.

Lily thought for a moment. "I'm not sure around ummm fifteen or so, I'm not sure the bartender finally told me I had too much and to get to school." Lily laughed as she remembered what happen when she got to school.

"Besides you guys don't have much to complain about I'm the one who got caught."

Lily told them as she climbed out of the hole behind the portrait.

"WHAT?" James yelled as he scrambled quickly after her with Sirius and Remus following after her.

"What do you mean you got caught?" James asked her as she was smirking at him.

"Yeah I did, I also have detention for a week. I just didn't feel like altering his memory so I took my punishment for being out past time." Lily walked on with the boys following after her looking horrified.

"Damn Lily why didn't you say something?" James asked her as he grabbed her hand in his.

"Other things had been making me madder than that last night."

The four walked into the Great Hall, a few people looked around and were all whispering to each other.

"What's going on?" James asked as he sat down with Lily next to him and Remus and Sirius on the other side of her. Peter was across from them eating waffles with Hestia and Mary.

"I'd hazard a guess it's that hand print bruise on your face." Lupin said as though this was a common thing. He never noticed Mary giving him a soulful hopeful look of love on her face.

"What?" James snatched up a spoon and tried looking in it at his reflection.

"Huh, I guess I do have one there. I dunno I think it looks…. kinda cool what do you think?" James asked Sirius who was looking at it critically.

"I'd say it's a look you can pull off and if nothing else we can tell people that it's a lucky bruise and that your luck has never been better." Sirius smirked at Lily. "People will be lined up for a good wallop from our little Evans here." Sirius laughed as he gave her a one-arm hug.

"Thanks Padfoot, I'll have so much fun smacking people around." Lily laughed dryly.

"I would." Sirius said surprised she didn't think this was a great thing.

"You would, Padfoot you would." Lily started to laugh with the others as they ate several different types of breakfast food. Peter left before they did telling them. "I have to get my homework its late and Sprout will have my head if I don't turn it in today.

The four had left for the classes and were happily talking about what they could do the next time they went out.

They had met up with Wormtail at the greenhouses after breakfast.

"Hey good to see you, Evans," Wormtail told her a small smile on his face.

"Good to see you Wormtail how is everything?" she asked him wondering how he was doing not sharing many of their classes.

"Not too bad, I'm just glad it's Friday and we have no classes tomorrow, I want to sleep in."

"Me too, although I wouldn't mind; going out on Saturday!" Lily told them. "At least until after my detention is up."

Peter looked surprised by this but seem to have no words come to mind.

"Hey let's get inside; I'd like to get class over with." Sirius said as he walked up to the green house door and opens it to find Professor Sprout standing just inside the door cover in dirt.

"Oh hello, Sirius how are, you today?"

"Real good Professor Sprout, how are you?" Sirius asked very politely as he walked over to look at the pot she had filled with dirt and a small stubby plant that was spitting out black gel.

"Errr what is it?" Sirius couldn't help but ask what it was.

"Oh this it's a new plant I had gotten, a tricky little bugger called, Darkness gel very rare, I only have a few for people to share among themselves. We'll be repotting them and feeding them." Sprout seemed positively thrilled.

"What do they eat?" Lily asked attentively.

"Bugs mostly, but they will take small baby rodents when they can."

Sirius laughed as he looked at Peter who looked sick.

"So, once the rest are here we can get on with it. I think you five will work well together with a plant between you." Professor Sprout handed a plant in a cramp little pot and a much larger pot to them with a lot of dragon fertilizer.

They had fun feeding the small plant that made gooey slurping noises as it ate the bugs. Sirius teased Peter telling him they could feed him to the plant when he changed.

It was a good class and everyone had fun talking and feeding. The class went quickly and the four were now walking to their next class.

Lily noticed that Snape was standing alone by a pillar in the courtyard watching them.

Lily grabbed James arm and pulled him to a stop.

"James I'll catch up to you in class." Lily whispered.

James looked suspicious then nodded his head. "Be careful Lily, umm remember I love you." James gave her a fast kiss on the cheek then followed after his friends.

"I love you," She whispered to him.

Lily smiled as she watched him walking away. Lily then headed toward Snape who quickly looked around the place as she drew near him.

"Hello Sev, I ummm." Lily didn't have a clue what to say now that she was here.

"So what happen to Potter?" Snape asked without much concern in his voice.

"Huh happen?" Lily was wondering what he meant then she giggled. "Oh the umm bruise on his face, I sorta uh lost my temper… last night." Lily looked very red in the face she shuffled her feet a bit.

"You did that?" The surprised was quite evident in his voice.

"Yeah I guess I had a few to many drinks and well next thing I knew I was even angrier and hit him hard then ran him down in my doe form." Lily bit her lower lip again as she felt the red growing darker on her face.

Lily looked up surprised as Snape started laughing hysterically. "That's my little Muggle girl." Snape told her as he pulled her into a hug.

Lily's arms went around his waist comfortably.

"Sev, I'm sorry I know now that you told me, but it seems I umm couldn't…. remember it … because." Lily tried to speak but felt her throat tighten up.

"Your mind was modified?" Snape asked her gently.

"Yes, I'm real sorry, but … it wasn't done to me to hurt me." Lily assured him as she felt him tighten up.

Snape relaxed against her. "I know Li; I understand James just wanted to help you. I just hope he didn't make you forget anything else about us, he… didn't, did he?"

Lily laughed against his chest. "No it was just that."

"Good because if you forgot the last time we made love to each other I'd haul you right up to the Room of Requirement right now and remind you of it." The conviction in his voice told Lily he was serious.

"I'd enjoy it too." Lily told him honestly. "Please though Sev, if you can get away from the Death Eaters. I worry about you, if something happen to you I couldn't stand it, I'd die without you around me." Lily told him as she snuggled in even closer to him.

Snape was at a loss for words so just held her tight.

They held each other for several more minutes, neither talking just listening to the sound of the other ones breathing. After a while Lily looked up into Severus face.

"I should probably let you go for now. I …. Please Sev, be careful for me, get away from them, please." Lily strokes his face with one hand hoping he would leave right now.

Snape smiled sadly at her, he didn't have the heart to tell her that leaving would surely mean his death and it was probably this reason that her memory was modified.

"Don't worry Li, I'm always careful, I'll see you in class." Snape bent down kissing her cheek. Lily let out a small sigh of pleasure. Snape turned to leave heading for the Great Hall. Lily stood wondering if he meant he'd be careful while being with them, or careful about leaving them, she wish she knew for sure.

"Love you Sev." Lily told him softly even though he would never hear it; she wanted him to know in some unsaid way that her love for him had never died.

Lily joined the Marauders at their next class and was glad to reassure James that she was fine and very happy to be his girl and that her mind in no way had been modified by Snape.

James seemed to feel reassured by this and was happy to give her a lot of hugging and kisses, while the teacher was distracted. Sirius, Peter and Remus were glad to tease them about failing this class just so they could remain here smooching in the back of the class.

The rest of the day went well; Lily smiled and winked at Snape as he walked past to his common room as they headed to their own common room. The boys never did anything to each other in her present, although she had not known this. She would have cursed the lot of them had she known they were still into hexing each other at any opportunity when she wasn't around them.

For now though everything looked peaceful and the days were becoming warmer and warmer as the month of April passed and a soft fuzzy warm May arrived at Hogwarts.

Students were looking forward to the end of the school year and some like Lily and James were looking forward to graduating and moving on to more things and marriage as James continued to hint at as they neared the end of school.