Chapter 2

The next day Lily woke up feeling drained from crying all night. She had to hurry to get dressed before she was late meeting James for Breakfast.

Thankfully today she was on time. But her good luck ended there. The whole time she was eating James had his arm around her. She would almost bet he was doing it on purpose to put as much weight as possible on her bruised shoulder. But she didn't show her pain. It really wouldn't do to have anyone ask her what was wrong.

Following breakfast Lily and Remus hurried off to Potions with Professor Slughorn. They were working on a sort of half-luck potion. It was actually pretty cool when done correctly. It depended on your inner aura as to what kind of luck it gave you and how much.

As always her, Remus, and Severus all shared the same work bench. And because it was only the three of them Slughorn often let them talk all through class, unless of course they were taking an exam. Then they couldn't even sit together. Not that any of the three of them needed to cheat. They were always competing with each other for the top of the class.

This was really the only time she could openly be herself. Talk to Severus to her hearts content. Remus would never tell. He was always more her friend then James' anyway. Always was, not that James knew that. Or even Sirius for that matter.

Remus kept her secrets and she kept his.

Remus was the only one that knew she and Severus had been friends since they were five. And that she was adopted. Last year he helped her dig up information on her adoption and do some spells to figure of what her lineage was. It resulted in her finding out she was Sirius Black's twin sister. And he told her about his monthly problem when they'd found the results of that particular bit of information.

And she was the only one to know that Remus and Severus had dated for a year before Severus broke it off at the end of 5th year. They had just never been the same since Sirius lead Severus to the Shrieking Shack that fateful night.

They were still friends though. And perhaps they always would be.

Anyway as I finished my potion, perfect as usual. Remus put his arm around me.

I stiffened abruptly in pain, though I mostly hide the fact it was in pain. But Remus saw right through that.

He looked at me as if to say 'again Lily'

I grimaced slightly.

He gave me another look, this time it clearly was the 'Why do you let him do this to you?'

I turned to Severus, who had been done for awhile now and had started on next weeks assignment, so he wouldn't know anything was up.

"Sevvy" I smiled in the way I always do when asking him for something.

"Yes, Monkey?" He laughed a rare and superb sound. Music to my ears really.

"Can Remus and I borrow some of your potions books for the Essay?" I asked with the glint in my eye.

"Of course, Lily, of course."

As the bell rang, we three sauntered off to the Library. Yes I know we're all swots. As was customary for Potions days. My favorite days really.

Severus finished his essay and headed to the Slytherin common room.

Shortly after James showed up and sat with me and Remus.

"What you two working on?", He inquired.

"Potions." We answered in unison.

"oh" He looked at our books, that Severus had left us to use. "Whose book are these?"

"Severus'" Remus answered, "I asked him if I could borrow them, Madam Pince doesn't have the proper books."

I half smiled slyly at him showing my thanks for covering for me, All the while James was oblivious to the exchange of looks.

Shortly after lunch James left with Sirius for Quidditch practice. Thankfully today it was a long practice so they would be gone until dinner.

Remus and I went back to the library, so I could finish James' work for him as usual. Just as I had finished Severus showed up and helped me with my actual work.

He and Remus sat and talked quietly while I worked.

Later when we were eating James and Sirius walked in, Still in practice robes. I wanted so bad to roll my eyes at them. I would always hate how they always HAD to show off. Everyone else showered and change but those two never did.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Remus roll his eyes, I suppressed a laugh.

James sat next to me and Sirius across from us, with Remus.

James immediately pulled me snug to him, I smiled at him.

Then he dug his hand into my fresh bruise on my lower side. Kept it firmly there all the way through dinner.

Later back in the common room I faked a yawn so I could go to bed early. I leaned over to give James a kiss goodnight, he pulled away, smirking at Sirius.

"Pet, Stop smothering me." He sounded so cold.

"Ok, well I'm going to sleep, see you all in the morning." I said and I knew they could hear the hurt in my voice.

"Bye." Was all James responded with, Ignoring my obvious hurt voice.

I walked purposefully up to my bed. Put on a pair of teal and black sleep clothes that Severus had randomly bought me one day last summer. He had wanted to get Slytherin green but I knew what everyone in Gryffindor would say, so he chose teal for it being a cross between blue and green and no would think anything of it.

Today was the day I decided for the first time that when James came up to my bed in the middle of the night, like I knew he still would, I was going to pretend to be asleep.

Sure enough, he came after everyone was already asleep. He whispered my name a few times. I continued to breath steadily, as a sleeping person would. Didn't so much as twitch as someone who was faking it might.

After a minute or so, he left. I heard the door click back shut and then the shuffle of his feet descending the stairs.

I laid there another few minutes. Then I got up and got Princey out of my trunk, He's charmed to smell like Sev, which is always comforting to me because it took me back to our lives before Hogwarts, but to everyone else Princey smelled like me. Severus doesn't even know I sleep with him every night. Hell I don't even think he knows that I always bring him to Hogwarts with me.

I laid there in my bed for about another hour. Just thinking. About how I missed openly being Sev's best friend. How that made me wish for Holidays. But we decided if one got in Slytherin and the other Gryffindor, we would hide our friendship from everyone. Not out of shame or anything. We just didn't want the drama that our schoolmates would cause if they knew. We both valued our friendship too much to even allow people to try and tear us apart.

I also knew that if Sev got wind of how James treated me, James would be good as dead. Or worse. In St. Mungos for the rest of his life.

Eventually I fell asleep, Hugging Princey per usual. Tomorrow was another day.