A/N: Physical! Contact!

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"Come on, Lil."

Lily frowned, poking her finger in between the wires of her owl's cage. "Something's wrong with her."

"Did you forget to feed her?" asked Mary.

Lily barely heard her friend, scrutinising the small owl. "She was fine yesterday….Echo? Come on, girl. Perk up for me."

"Just grab her, Lily. We've gotta go."

"Go ahead," Lily waved off her friend, eyes still on the bird. "I want to make sure she's okay to travel."

"If you're sure. Don't miss the carriages and don't let yourself be the last one in here." Mary shot a firm brow at the red-headed witch.

"I'm fine, go, go. Save me a seat." she waved off her friend, still poking about in the cage.

The petite, tawny owl had been her prized possession since second year. The Evans' first trip to Diagon Alley had been overwhelming, to say the least, and Lily's parents had not been fully trusting of the recommendation that their daughter take an owl or toad to school as a pet.

After Lily completed her first year, she managed to convince her parents of the legitimacy of having an owl as a pet at Hogwarts and her dad bought her Echo. Lily couldn;t decide between all the beautiful birds, so she pulled her mum out of the store and told her dad to pick a good one for her. He had stepped out of the shop victorious only moments later, Echo in hand.

She'd been with Lily through it all, carrying updates of her family's flower shop's success, gossip around Hogwarts, summer holiday correspondence with Mary and Anna, and well-worded insults to various boys who had teased her and her friends over the years. Eventually, Echo had also played host to less juvenile posts containing progress updates of her dad's deteriorating health and the ultimate request for her to come home for a week to attend his funeral.

Through it all, Echo had remained firm, chirping cheerily no matter the news. It gave Lily great comfort and joy to know there was a being that didn't sense the pain or heartbreak the rest of the world was so familiar with. Lily's presence was always enough for Echo.

But here she was, practically shivering, her small head retracted into her feathery brown torso.

"Come on, Echo. You gotta get some pep, mate. We're going home today." The bird offered no response. "I'm sorry I've been leaving you in the owlery so much lately. It's just that Marlene's kind of afraid of birds and I feel so bad putting you on display in the same place she sleeps." Echo gave a tiny coo. "Atta girl, Ec. When we get home, I'll let you have full roam of my room, as long as you promise not to tell Mum and especially not Tuney."

Lily sighed, looking around the owlery. It was slowly clearing out, leaving only her and a few other students gathering their birds. She really did need to go or she'd miss the last of the carriages to the station.

"Echo, love, we've gotta go. I'll be gentle, but you've gotta do your part and wake up all the way, okay?" The bird was no longer shivering, but Lily wasn't anymore comforted by this. "Show me those pretty eyes, Ec."

She lifted the small cage carefully and started the trek from the top of the West Tower toward the carriages that would carry her away from the castle for the next few months.

It has been an eventful year, the hardest one yet, but she felt a certain sort of hope as she looked out over the grounds of the school she had spent six full years calling home. She had made the right choice, choosing to come back to Hogwarts. That was something she never regretted, no matter how often she had little moments of anxiety or triggered memories.

"Only one more year for us here, mate." Lily released a huff of air, descending the steps. "And then...who knows."

Only a few months ago, she had been so confident in wanting to be an Auror, but now...she wasn't so sure. The war was so much more real to her than it had ever been before and a structured career seemed almost trivial in light of that. She wasn't sure what her other options were, but job applications and networking with ministry officials seemed significantly less important than it had before.

Echo released a strained chirp. Lily paused at the bottom of the steps to take a look at her bird and frowned. There were feathers littering the bottom of the cage where there had only been a few pellets before. The small bird continued violently pulling her own feathers out, chirping painfully all the while. "Echo! No! Stop that!" Lily cried, dropping into a crouch and setting the cage next to her.

She opened the hatch and reached in to save the owl from itself but Echo chomped on her finger forcefully as soon as she reached for her. "Ow! Echo, stop that! You're hurting yourself!" She desperately made a move to grab her again, but the owl thrashed against the cage, leaving deep claw marks along Lily's hand.

The witch hissed in pain, trying once again to stop the spazzing bird.

"Leave it alone!" a voice called from behind her.

Lily turned to see unfamiliar black trainers before she followed the feet up to the face of Regulus Black. She immediately jumped to her feet, withdrawing her wand.

He dropped his eyebrows at the wand, but pushed past her with a quick, "move aside."

"Hey! What are you-"

"She's dying." he said simply, crouching next to Echo's cage.

"Get away from her! Don't touch her!"

"I'm not going to touch her. She's dying."

Lily scrunched her nose. "She's fine."

"Whatever," the Slytherin shrugged his shoulders and stood up, already beginning to move away from the witch and her bird.

"Wait," Lily called, against her better judgement. "What...that is...how do you know?"

He paused with his back still to her, hands in his pockets. "Happened to my bird last year."

"Is there...a way I can stop her?"

He turned back around, studying Lily's face for a moment before shaking his head. "She's sick. Been sick for a while, probably. It's better that she dies. Less pain."

"But I…" Lily looked back at the helpless animal, almost bare of feathers now and seeming to calm down. "I haven't done anything different. She seemed fine yesterday. I didn't…."

He shrugged again. "Just happens. Not your fault."

The cage went quiet. Both teenagers involuntarily moved closer to the bird. Regulus kneeled back down and gently reached his hands into the cage, withdrawing the now-lifeless bird. "Dead," he nodded, before setting the body back in the cage.

Lily blinked in horror, willing herself not to cry. Not here. Not with him.

"You should leave her in the hay up in the owlery. The elves come clean once we're all gone and they'll take care of it."

"I'm...I can't just leave her," Lily choked out.

"You can't take a dead bird on a train."

The Gryffindor witch pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes, thinking through the last five minutes.

"I...can't." she finally managed.

He stood still for a moment, hands still in his pockets before shifting awkwardly. "I can…" He cleared his throat. "I'll do it."

Lily watched the younger boy in a mix of confusion and suspicion.

He sighed. "Like I said. It happened to Thunderst-my owl….last year."

Slowly, Lily nodded. "Okay." She took a deep breath, nodding her head. "Yeah, okay."

Regulus reached back into the cage and withdrew the small owl, cradling it uncharacteristically gently in his arms. He stood back up and made to turn and head up the steps before turning back toward Lily. "Your hand. It's bleeding."

Lily's eyebrows scrunched in confusion befores he looked down and noted the red that was indeed covering her right hand. Seeing the blood forced the pain of the bird's scratch to register in her mind. "Shit."

"You need to go to the hospital wing."

Lily froze.

"What did you say?" she asked him after what felt like years of silence.

He looked at her strangely and nodded his head toward her hand. "That needs to be cleaned. You need to go to the hospital wing and have Harding or Pomfrey look at it."

You need to go to the hospital wing.

You need to go to the hospital wing.

You need to go to the hospital wing.

And just like that, it hit her.

"Moony, stop being such a martyr."

Remus scoffed, affronted. "I'm not being a mar-"

"You are," James interrupted. "It's typical Moony protocol."

Sirius nodded, using his wand to manoeuvre his trunk into the top compartment of the carriage. "We had a rough moon, so you become a martyr."

"Happens every time."

"Clockwork, mate."

Remsu shifted at the flippant mention of his most recent transformation, the closest he had been to killing a student since the Snape incident. "I simply-"

"Moony." James snapped. "You're riding in here with us. I'm sorry, Pete, but, frankly, I don't care that you told Holly What's-Her-Face she could ride with you. The four of us always take the carriage back to the station together. So, get in here and shut up, Remus."

The werewolf looked uncertainly at Peter, who seemed miffed at James' comment but ready to comply. "Wouldn't be right without you, Moony." he offered with a genuine half-smile. "I'll catch Heather," he shot a pointed look at James, "on the platform."

"Thanks," said Remus, quietly, adding his own battered trunk to the rickety shelf.

Content with the arrangement, James closed his eyes and threw his feet up on the seat across from him, his dirty trainers rubbing against Sirius' trouser leg. Sirius promptly pushed both of his feet back onto the floor, but James didn't seem bothered.

"This time next year, we'll be riding away for the last time."

"Don't get sappy on us, Prongs. We still have a whole year." reminded Peter.

"And what an interesting year it's going to be for our dear Prongs, huh?" said Sirius with emphasis.

Peter quirked a brow, but James only nestled deeper into his seat. "You can't ruin my zen today, Padfoot. We're going home."

"I bet Evans could ruin your zen." said Peter.

His eyes remained closed behind his glasses. "Not even her."

"Even if she's running down the hill with Sirius' brother and her hand is wrapped in bloody gauze?" Peter chuckled.

Sirius looked at Peter incredulously. "What the fuck?" Then, he followed Peter's line of sight and saw that this wasn't a hypothetical.

"Oh Merlin. Oh fucking Merlin. Look. LOOK!" He motioned wildly out the carriage window, before catapulting over Peter (ignoring the yelps of pain) and throwing open the carriage door. "LILY!" he bellowed, before jumping out of the carriage.

"Sirius, you're going to miss the..." Remus sighed, shaking his head at his friend's antics. He turned to the other two boys for camaraderie, but saw that the spot next to him was empty. "Oh Jesus Christ. Where did James go?" He demanded from Peter, but Peter just pointed.

Remus saw the tall wizard race to catch up with Sirius, whipping around the other side of the carriage. He groaned in frustration before standing up and looking to Peter. "Well, what are you still on your arse for? Let's go!"

"What?" yelped the smaller boy. "I don't wan-" But Remus was gone, sprinting out the carriage behind his friends, wand in hand. "Urgh." But he was out of the carriage in seconds.

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius was already shouting, violently jabbing his wand toward his brother.

It was Lily's "Protego!" that deflected the spell.

"Expell-" he started again before Lily flicked her wand and delivered a quick stinging spell. "OW."

"Stop trying to disarm him!" she yelled, breathlessly, finally meeting the Marauders and hunching over to catch her breath. Regulus stood back, guarded and uncomfortable.

"What the fuck is going on?" Sirius demanded.

"Nothing," Lily insisted, as she stood back up, taking a ragged breath. He was helping me with something and we both realised what time it was."

"So?"

"So, we were going to miss the carriages if we didn't run."

"You had to run together?" Sirius spat in disgust.

"Well, I sure wasn't going to give him a ten-minute headstart, now was I?" she snapped with a hand on her hip.

Remus chuckled, pocketing his wand.

"I don't know why you're laughing, Moony, but I don't think this is funny." He glared at the wizard still smiling behind him. "Don't put your wand away!" He whipped his head back around to Lily before his eyes widened. "And why are you bleeding?!" He made a motion to flick his wand toward Regulus again, but Lily side-stepped, placing herself between the brothers.

"He didn't do anything. It was just my owl."

"Your owl," Sirius scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Where is she?"

Lily's lips twitched. "She uh...well at the owlery...she…"

"Dead." Regulus spoke up for the first time.

"Hey, shut the fuck up!" Sirius bellowed in dramatic rage.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay, as much as I'd love to listen to you scream senselessly for another ten minutes, we have to catch those carriages-bugger."

All five boys shifted their gazes to the carriages which were now in motion, rolling away from their rendezvous.

"Run!" yelled Peter.

All six of the teenagers took off sprinting.

Regulus' lithe body and years of Quidditch took him easily to the front of the group, even passing James. This further motivated Sirius to run even harder, but he just couldn't keep up with the Slytherin. None of them could. As they caught up to the end of the line of carriages, Reg was jumping into one further up the line, being pulled in by Snape and a couple other Slytherins.

"Our stuff! Is! Up! There!" James huffed, still maintaining a full sprint as he raced ahead of the others, trying to find their empty carriage. "FOUND IT! COME ON!"

This was the push the others needed for the last leg of their run, Sirius reaching the carriage and helping James to subsequently pull Remus, Lily, and Peter in. Only when Sirius and James turned away from the door and noted the crammed compartment did it register how little room they truly had.

"Er, I can-" Lily rubbed at her neck, hovering on the edge of the seat next to Remus.

"You can nothing, Ginge. There's nowhere else for you to go and we can squeeze. Budge over, Wormy." Sirius plopped onto the seat next to Peter, leaving James the dilemma of sharing the side with Remus and Lily-the two thinnest teens in the carriage-or Sirius and...Peter.

Lily noticed the conflict in his face and sighed to herself, shifting over practically onto Remus' lap. "Sit down, Potter." She nodded toward the spot next to her. The Quidditch captain nodded gratefully and took the seat, sitting upright and rigid, unwilling to let any part of himself or clothing touch her.

"So let me get this straight." Sirius shook his head for at least the fifth time in the fifteen minutes they had been in the carriages. All of the Marauders and Lily had shed their various jumpers and top layers in the heat of the small compartment. "He was there. Regulus...my brother...was there the night you got attacked."

"Well, yes and no." Lily sighed. "He wasn't there when they actually attacked me. I'm sure of it."

"Then, how-"

"After. I don't...I don't know how. He was there and he's the one that took me to the hospital wing."

"Healer Harding said you were unconscious, though." Remus supplied. "How could you have known?"

"Well, that's just it." Lily nodded. "I was unconscious. Didn't remember a thing after they got me in...the lake." She hadn't talked about the incident with anyone other than her mum and Dumbledore, so it was difficult, this rehashing. "They did some botched memory charms to try and cover their tracks, I'm sure, and I blacked out at some point from pain or-"

"We get it," James cut in, quickly, speaking for the first time since getting in the carriage. His face twisted a bit as he turned to look out the window. "Just keep going. We already know what happened that night."

Lily studied his profile for a second before nodding. "Right. Well, anyway, when Dumbeldore asked me at St. Mungo's, that's all I could remember, honestly. He didn't push me to talk about how I got to the hospital wing because he already knew how I got there. I actually asked him about that one, but he wouldn't say anything."

"So, how do you know it was Regulus?" Sirius pressed.

"I remembered. When we were at the owlery, he said something to me and it just...clicked. He carried me from the shore."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he help you?" Sirius frowned.

"And risk his mates' finding out." Remus pointed out. "I can't imagine that news going over very well with them."

"I think that's why Dumbledore wouldn't tell me. No one knows." inferred Lily.

"It still doesn't make sense." said Sirius in the sort of frustration that came with not understanding. "Reg had zero reason to help you."

"Maybe he felt bad?"

Sirius chortled, darkly. "Not likely."

"Look, it doesn't matter why he did it. All I know is that he's definitely the one who got me to Harding." Lily clasped her hands in her lap.

Sirius sat back in his own seat with a deep breath. "I don't like it. Something doesn't seem right."

"Just because he's a Slytherin doesn't make him a bad person." Peter attempted to encourage his friend.

"Like hell it doesn't!" shouted the long-haired wizard. "Besides, he's not just a Slytherin. You know who he hangs out with! He was there by the library the first time they messed with Evans."

The carriage lurched to a stop.

"We're at the station." Remus looked out the window toward the short, dirt road that led to the small, single station.

"I have to go grab my stuff from Mary. She has my trunk." Lily stood up, awkwardly ambling over James. He didn't shift or attempt to move out of the way. "I'm sure I'll see you lot on the platform in London. Thanks for...listening." She gave a small nod to the group of boys and hopped out of the carriage, leaving the door swinging behind her.

He'd like to avoid seeing her on the platform, thank you very much.

It was uncomfortable enough having to sit in a crowded carriage with her for twenty minutes. He didn't even want to consider a forced 'goodbye' encounter.

His goal was to get his stuff, find his parents, and get home. He'd see the lads within a week, no doubt, so he wasn't really even overly concerned with saying any sort of proper farewell to them. Just: get home.

"Just come home with us today and we can go get your stuff from the flat later this week," James urged Sirius as they rolled their trunks down the platform.

"I told you I'd be there by tomorrow, mate. I'd rather just go straight to the flat while we're here in London and apparate to you guys once I've got everything in order."

"Whatever. But you better at least come give Mum a kiss or I'll be fried. I don't think she technically believed me when I told her you were moving back in." James rubbed at the back of his neck.

Sirius chuckled. "Well, no worries, there, Prongs. The prodigal son has returned and all will be right in the Potter household, I assure you."

James pouted. "I'm still their favourite, just so we're clear. I have the last name. The blood."

"If you say so." Sirius grinned. "Euphemia!" He dropped his trunk and took off into a full sprint at the sight of the small witch at the end of the platform. The older woman's slightly crooked grin spread to account for half her face as she wrapped her arms around the boy, swatting at his back when he lifted her off the ground.

"James Potter! Get over here and shorten his leash!" she cried over Sirius' shoulder, taking in her son's amused expression. James grinned, dragging both his and Sirius' trunks the rest of the way.

"Hi, Mum." he smiled affectionately as Sirius planted her back on her feet. Euphemia Potter wrapped her arms around her son's neck, pulling him down to her level and firmly planting a kiss on his cheek. "Where's Dad?"

Her grin faltered a bit as she gave James a knowing look. "Well, he was going to come, but the Ministry-"

"Got it." James nodded, quickly.

"James," implored the witch. "You know how things are right now…"

"I know." he said, adjusting the small bag on his shoulder. "It's fine."

Sirius watched his friend with a knowing eyebrow.

"Well," Euphemia smiled once again, taking in the sight of her boys. "Let's get home, yeah?"

"Actually, Euphemia...I'm going to stay in London tonight and get everything-"

"London?" Mia cried. "No, you're not!"

Sirius' mouth clamped shut before he shook his head and muttered, "No, I'm not."

James went agape. "I spent the whole train ride trying to convince you!"

"You didn't ask nicely, Jamie." Sirius shrugged his shoulders, throwing an arm around Euphemia. "Are you making dinner tonight or did you commission the house elves because it's nothing against them, but I'd rather have a Potter classic, if I'm being honest."

James watched his mother and best mate walk away, leaving him with both trunks again. "Oi! Come get your bloody trunk!" he cried after them. "Padfoot!"

"Is he leaving?" a voice behind James made him jump.

So close.

"Er, yeah. He's coming home with me." James turned to face Lily, taking an internal breath.

Lily looked about as comfortable with the encounter as he did, but she offered a small smile at this. "Good. His flat is dodgy."

"You've been?" James' eyebrows raised in surprise.

"No," she shook her head. "Just from what he's told me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The two teenagers stood awkwardly for a moment-James staring at the platform behind her, Lily staring at the tracks the Hogwarts Express had just departed to their side.

"Well, if you don't mind, could you tell him to send me a post once he gets to your house?" she finally asked, dropping her eyes to his feet. "I don't, er, have your address. And I don't have an owl now."

James softened a bit. "Yeah, of course. Sorry about that, by the way. Echo was her name, right?"

Lily looked up at him. "Yeah." she said slowly. "Echo."

"I remember her from transfiguration. Third year." he supplied, not wanting to sound like a total creep. "When she-"

Lily started laughing. "Oh my God. I forgot about that!"

"It was not so forgettable for Perry…" He snorted.

"Unfortunately, that is probably very true."

"I mean, it's not like you told the bird to snatch his rat."

"McGonagall can say what she wants, but I know that's the reason she took animal transfiguration practicals out of the curriculum for third years." Lily managed through her giggles.

"Lily!" a woman's voice called from behind the witch. James peeked his head around to note a woman who didn't look much older than Lily herself standing with Lily's trunk.

"My mum," Lily offered half a mile before turning around.

"We need to go, love!"

"She's pretty," James noted to Lily, giving a small wave to the woman in question.

"Yeah, she is," smiled Lily, looking affectionately over her shoulder again.

"Looks a lot like you."

Lily whipped her head back around, expecting a cheeky grin, but only seeing a genuine smile. And those eyes. "Thanks, Potter." she laughed, shaking her head.

"Hey, Evans, before you leave...I just wanted to-"

Lily held up a placating hand. "Consider it all forgotten."

"I...really?"

"The year's over," she shrugged. "Clean slate?"

He grinned, offering a handshake of peace. "Clean slate."

As Lily Evans had the tendency to do, she threw him for a real loop by ignoring his hand and wrapping her arms around his shoulders for a hug. His eyes bugged out for a second before he realised what was happening and moved his hands to follow suit at her back.

"See you in September, Potter." she smiled, a small tinge of pink in her cheeks as she pulled back.

"Later, Evans."

"This was definitely my worst idea."

"Oh, be quiet. I'm doing fine."

"Lily. I will be surprised if your trunk is still on top of the car when we park."

"Mum," Lily laughed, glancing at her mother. "I drove all of winter hols. I haven't forgotten in a few months!"

"Eyes on the road, please, my love." Christine Evans gripped the handle of the door and took a deep breath.

"Almost home." Lily grinned, whipping around the last corner a bit rough on purpose.

"Lily."

"Sorry," the younger girl lied. She pulled in to the drive a bit fast, quickly approaching the garage, before she hit the brake with a jolt. Chuckling nervously, Lily pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"Don't you dare get out of this car until you give me at least two minutes to regain my center of gravity." said Christine, through closed eyes.

"Your life must be so boring when I'm not home."

"My life is safe when you're not home, young lady."

Lily reached for the door again, but Christine's arm jerked across the console, grabbing her daughter's wrist. "I wouldn't be in such a rush to go inside if I were you…"

"No."

"Yes."

"Mum, their getting married is supposed to get them away from us." Lily whined, throwing the keys into the cupholder and falling back into the driver's seat.

"Well, they're not married yet," sighed Christine. "Though between me and you, I wish they'd elope and get it over with. I'm tired of my living room being covered in tulle."

"Tulle?"

"Tulle. And it's orange, Lily."

"God help us."

Christine stayed quiet for a moment before turning to her daughter. "I was disappointed to hear you won't be making it…"

Lily shifted, uncomfortably. "I...I told Mary I'd stay with her that week and I finally got the portkey approved. It's too far to apparate safely, not to mention-"

"Lily." her mother said with the sternness of a woman with two grown daughters. "Look at me and promise me that this isn't an excuse." Lily gulped. "I know you two don't get along but she's your sister and she's getting married. Do you really want to miss that?"

Lily stared at the house in front of her. "I'm sorry, Mum, but I really don't have a choice on this."

Christine studied her daughter for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I trust you."

Lily considered coming clean right then; telling her mother about the post Tuney had sent, practically demanding her not to make an appearance. But that would only cause more drama and the last thing Lily wanted was to attend a wedding her mum forced her sister to invite her to in the first place.

"While on the subject of cute boys with glasses and great hair-"

Lily scoffed. "When were we on-"

"I'd really like to know more about the young man on the platform." Christine smiled slyly, turning in the passenger seat to see her daughter better.

Lily remained facing forward. "There were lots of boys on the platform."

What on God's green Earth possessed her to hug him?

"Don't play coy with me," she poked her daughter's cheek. "You're blushing! Only good thing about marrying a ginger man is getting to have a ginger daughter. The pale skin is like a built-in lie detector!"

"I'm not blushing and that was just James Potter." Lily pouted, touching her cheeks protectively.

Christine chortled unattractively, a trait Lily thanked God everyday she did not inherit. "Wait a second. That was James Potter?"

"I want to go inside now." Lily reached for the car keys.

Her mother snatched them out of the cubbie first. "The James Potter I have heard shit about for six years? He looks like that?"

Lily banged her head against the headrest. "Mum, I'd really love it if you didn't lust after my school mates."

"I expected him to have a third nostril or be bald, at the least!"

"Mum. I want to go inside and drown in tulle and watch Vernon and Petunia snog naked on the couch."

Christine had dissolved into cackles now. "You fancy him, Lily!"

Lily gaped at the mad woman sitting next to her. "You're completely mental. I leave for a few months and I come back to a deranged mother."

"That hug was sweet," Christine grinned through pursed lips, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"Mother, we're friends. I won't see him for months. Is hugging a crime?"

"You're friends, now? Interesting. I thought you hated him."

"Well...I did. But he's...nicer now.'

"Nicer."

"Besides," Lily pressed, remembering that she had the upper hand here! "I'm dating someone else." And she hopped out of the car.

"What?" Christine scrambled out of the car after her daughter, scurrying toward the front door.

Lily smiled contentedly. "Yep." She faltered. "Well, not dating, per say, but-"

"Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because you were too busy planning my wedding with Potter."

"Who is he?"

Lily laughed. "His name is Ben. He's a Ravenclaw-"

"The smart House!"

"Yes," the witch smiled, holding her hands out for the keys to unlock the door. "The smart House. He's a year older than me so he's done with Hogwarts. Off to be a healer."

"That's like a doctor, isn't it?" Christine followed her daughter into the house. "Does he have dark hair? Because if I die before seeing a dark-haired, green-eyed grandbaby, I swear to God I'll haunt you."

"Mum," Lily laughed in exasperation. "We've only been on one real date. I'm meeting him in London next weekend to go on a second one. It's not serious at all." She dropped her trunk in the entryway ("Lily, please take it to your room!") "Tuney! I'm home!" She turned to grin at her mother, awaiting her sister's cry of disgust.

"Petunia?" Lily headed toward the kitchen, after finding the living room void of her sister (thought it was indeed not lacking in orange tulle). She stopped short when she saw the dining room table, her older sister hunched over it, shaking in sobs. "Tuney?"

Petunia lifted her head from her hands, revealing mascara streaks down her cheeks and bloodshot eyes. "Oh, good, you're home." she spat, not at all sounding like she meant it.

Lily refrained from engaging, too taken aback by her sister's appearance to take the bait of an argument thirty seconds into being home.

"Petunia, love," Christine stepped around her youngest daughter to address the girl at the table, "what's going on?"

"It's done. He left." the brunette managed, throwing her head back into her hands.

"What? Who left?" Mrs. Evans' eyebrows knit together as she put a hand on her eldest daughter's shoulder. "What happened, love?"

"Vernon!" Petunia's head suddenly shot back up as she released a siren-like screech. "He broke up with me! The wedding's off and it's all her fault." She jutted a finger and a look of sourness toward Lily. "I hate you."

...

A/N: Thanks for reading! Would love your feedback, if you're feeling like giving it!

xoxo

Abi