2.

"What time is it?"

"Past two."

The girls could hear the unmistakable sound of the front door open and closing occasionally; people were starting to leave the party. Lily remained on the floor; face down on the carpet, while Emmeline stroked her hair. Dorcas rose slowly and crossed to the window, peering out at the leaving party goers.

"They look like they had fun at least," she said quietly with a sigh. "Your birthday was a hit, Lil."

The redhead snorted into the carpet, the last of her tears having fallen hours ago. But she was too exhausted and depressed now to even move. Slowly she turned her face to the side, looking up at Emmeline with puffy eyes. "You never got to dance with Sirius."

"It doesn't matter," she replied gently. "He probably wouldn't be able to handle my
moves anyway."

The three girls laughed, smiles gracing their features for the first time since entering the room. Slowly Lily pushed herself up into a kneeling position. She felt wretched and knew she probably didn't look much better. She could see streaks of mascara across the back of her hands and wondered just how bad her face must be. "How do you think John would like me now?" she sniggered.

"Don't talk about him," Dorcas said, returning to her side. "You don't want a bastard like that anyway." She retrieved another tissue from the desk and dabbed the end with her tongue, using it to clean Lily's face. "You're better off without him."

"I know," Lily replied in a small voice. "I just – I don't know how this happened. It's my birthday and we were supposed to-" She released a long breath. "-I feel so stupid. I don't get it, what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," both Dorcas and Emmeline answered immediately. "He's just an idiot," Emmeline added seriously. "He got too cocky. He obviously figured if he could manage to get a bird like you he could get anyone."

Dorcas scoffed, wiping at Lily's face still. "He wasn't supposed to get them at the same time though."

Lily sighed, running her hands through her slightly tangled hair. "What do I do now?"

"Whatever you want," Dorcas grinned, rolling up the tissue in her hand. "You're a single woman again."

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself," Emmeline said with a pointed look at Dorcas. Lily nodded. "What does she say to John?"

"Urgh," Dorcas grimaced. "The break up, nasty."

"Thank you," Lily snorted. "My confidence had just increased ten-fold."

"Glad to help."

"Shut up."

"Are you going to yell at him?" Emmeline enquired. "If you'd rather just forget him I guess we could go out there for you; tell him you don't want to see him again."

"No way," Dorcas scoffed, before Lily could reply. "She's going to eat him alive, aren't you?"

Lily smirked. "I'll give him a piece of my mind alright, but this isn't the place for a row."

"I'd much prefer to wreak revenge on the two of them," Dorcas added enthusiastically, a wicked glint in her eye. "Let's embarrass the hell out of them in front of the entire school; that'd sure teach them. I want to shave off Judy's hair; she's so vain it would kill her."

"Dorcas," Lily laughed, shaking her head. "Honestly."

"I am being honest!" Dorcas exclaimed. "And I'd like to charm John's you-know-what so that he'd never be able to find a condom to fit him!"

All three girls rolled about laughing until the sound of the front door opening and closing reached their ears once more.

"I guess I should show my face," Lily sighed, using the leather chair to pull herself to her feet. The two girls followed suit. "It's my party and I've ignored everyone all night; I'm a terrible host."

"With good reason," Emmeline pointed out sternly, retrieving her wand and unsealing the door. Lily shrugged and led the way out into the hall. The music was still playing in the living room and the majority of the guests had left. A few more were just on their way out; they called good-bye to Lily as they went and she waved them off politely. Making their way into the hall were the Marauders.

"You boys heading off?" Dorcas enquired.

"Where've you been all night?" Sirius asked immediately, ignoring her question. He glanced at Lily and took in her flushed face. "Ah, the birthday girl drank more than she could handle, did she?" The others boys laughed and the girls joined in; it seemed the easy way out of an explanation. "Don't drink sobering potion until you're absolutely positive you've chucked up the last of it," Sirius gave warning. "Believe me, I learnt that the hard way."

"No, we learnt that the hard way," James scoffed. "We were the ones cleaning up after your sorry arse the last time." Lily allowed a small but genuine laugh.

"Thanks for inviting us, Lily," Peter stepped in as Remus made to open the door for them.

"No problem," Lily smiled. "Glad you could make it." With a parting goodbye she left the boys to sort out their cloaks from the pile on the banister and made toward the living room again in search of John. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say to him yet. She would much rather kick him in the nuts and be done with it, but that wasn't really her style. Once again, it was John who found her first.

"Lily, I've been looking for you all night. Where've you been?" It sickened her that he should try and appear so concerned.

"Excuse us," Dorcas muttered quietly, sensing the need to give the couple some privacy. She steered Emmeline passed John and into the living room.

"Everyone's leaving," John needlessly pointed out, glancing over Lily's shoulder where the Marauders were currently stepping outside. He stepped toward her slowly, extending a hand to hest on her waist. "You think you'll be ready to head off soon?" He bent his head toward hers, trying to kiss her. Lily found herself unable to shrug him off, dumbstruck. He was acting so…innocent.

Why wasn't he trying to beat her to the punch and break up with her first?

Had Judy not told him that she had seen them making out?

Did he think he could continue this charade and date them both?

He was still talking about tonight.

How disgusting.

Suddenly the urge to wreak revenge seemed very appealing. And she would. She wouldn't let him play this game and get away with it. She was Lily Evans, Head Girl, and not someone to be messed with. She was going to make him feel stupid, just like she had. Dumping him right now however, in this quiet hall, was not going to have the desired effect. She would sweat it out as his girlfriend until just the right moment. She didn't know how just yet, but she was going to get him back.

"I can't wait to get you home."

"I have my period."

She blurted it out quickly, needing an excuse to get out of tonight. James Potter gave her an odd look before he closed the door behind him on his way out. John too looked a little taken aback. She had the grace to blush.

"Oh," he said stupidly. "You – you didn't know?"

"I just got it," she said quickly. "It's early. Perfect timing, huh?" she added with a chuckle.

"Oh well, there goes my big birthday present for you. It's okay, we'll make it happen eventually." She could tell he was trying to look as though the news didn't bother him, but she saw right through it. "You're still stopping over though, right?" he added a moment later with a sly grin. "There's plenty we can still do with your pants on." Somehow she figured whatever that may be would end up gratifying him.

"I don't think so," she said slowly, trying to sound apologetic. "I'm cramping and bloated and you don't want me to mess up your sheets; first day is always the worst."

His expression was priceless. She had to try not to laugh. "Err, no problem then, I'll leave you with the girls."

"Good idea."

"Portable travel cauldron. New charm allows cauldron to be expanded to double size for even the largest family without leaks! Sure, every eighteen year old witch needs one of those." Dorcas snorted as she dropped the cauldron to one side and retrieved another parcel from the pile that been transferred to Emmeline's bedroom.

"Benjy knows I like potions," Lily said, shaking her head and reaching out to examine the cauldron better. "It's very thoughtful."

"You also said that about the broom servicing kit."

"So? It's nice."

"You don't have a broom, Lily."

Lily shrugged, placing the cauldron back down and accepting the small gift that Emmeline held out to her. "It comes in a nice case – I might use it for makeup."

Dorcas rolled her eyes to the ceiling, ripping the paper off the next present. "Ooo, a purse; I like this!" She unclipped the small leather wallet and inspected the inside. "And a galleon for good luck; someone is generous."

"Judy Webster," Emmeline read aloud from the tag that had fallen to the floor.

Lily reached for her wand and a second later Dorcas was dusting off the sooty remains of the purse into an old gift box. "We'll keep the galleon," she said coolly, snatching it up and tossing it toward Emmeline.

"The slut is good for something," Emmeline added, rising from her space on the floor and crossing to her dresser. She opened the top draw and withdrew an old biscuit tin, which jingled with coins as she tugged off the lid. "Ten more galleons and it's hello Turbo Turntable Two Thousand." Dorcas and Lily cheered as Emmeline dropped the coin into the tin, storing it safely back into the draw.

"Perhaps we'll be able to listen to some of these records on our final day," Dorcas smirked as she flipped through the various disks that Lily had received. "Or on the train home."

"Well we could have got that second hand gramophone from Diagon Alley," Lily sighed. "But someone needed the top of the line model."

Dorcas scowled at her discretely from over the record in her hands. "You'll thank me eventually."

"What do I do with these?" Both Lily and Dorcas glanced over at Emmeline who was holding up a small pile of coloured boxes displaying a variety of nearly naked wizards and witches in unmentionable positions.

"Chuck 'em," Lily replied, returning to the box she was currently trying to unwrap. "They're of no use."

"They might be some day," Dorcas argued, rising to her feet and taking the boxes from Emmeline's hands. "Who knows, maybe one of us will get lucky before they expire; or maybe you'll come to your senses and use your stupid meetings productively for a change."

Lily glanced at her over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. Emmeline smirked, mouthing shag Potter behind her hand. Lily shook her head. "Keep them, Dorcas, if you want. You'll probably need them before me."

"Well I just might," Dorcas replied, returning to the floor and still inspecting the boxes in her hands. "Merlin, if I could find a bloke with a bum like that."

"Oh that's gorgeous!" Lily had finally unwrapped the stubborn package, which revealed a pretty looking silver jewellery box, about the size of her hand. The inside was lined with velvet in a deep, rich blue and it tinkled a merry tune when the lid was opened. "It's so pretty," Emmeline continued, swaying her head with the music. "Who's it from?"

"The Marauders," Lily replied thoughtfully as she inspected the box in her hands. "I wouldn't have thought they'd have such taste."

"Well, they're always full of surprises," Emmeline said, reaching out to take the box from Lily. "They've had it engraved too, look. Happy eighteenth birthday, Lily. They're nice boys really, aren't they?"

Lily snorted, but Dorcas remained silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Have you thought any more about John?" she asked a moment later. The change in atmosphere was immediate and Emmeline slowly lowered the box to the ground, awaiting Lily's reaction.

"Don't ruin a perfectly good morning Dorcas."

Dorcas shifted to a kneeling position watching Lily keenly, although the redhead stared adamantly at the quill set she was holding. "What I mean," Dorcas continued hesitantly. "Is, are you serious about, you know, destroying him."

Lily released a short laugh and the other girls shared a look of relief. "I like that phrasing."

Dorcas grinned. "Well?"

Lily took a deep breath, placing the quills to the ground and leaning back on her elbows casually. "Absolutely."

"Good," Dorcas smiled. "Because I think I have an idea."

Lily cocked her head in interest and Emmeline shifted closer. "Go on."

"Well, John thinks he's pretty smart, right? He thinks he can pull off dating two girls at once; he must have a pretty big ego."

"I'll say."

"Then the best way to destroy someone like that is to flatten that ego - really crush his reputation as a lady-killer."

Lily pursed her lips in thought. "And how might we accomplish that?"

"You do the same thing he did to you," Dorcas announced proudly. "He thinks you worship the ground he walks on. You show him that he couldn't be more wrong."

Emmeline and Lily shared a confused but interested look. "Yeah…?"

"Oh for goodness sake," Dorcas huffed, irritated that her best friends weren't catching on as fast as she'd hoped. "You let him catch you snogging another bloke! Do what he did to you; trample on his ego a little bit."

Emmeline cheered in delight at the idea. "That's perfect!"

"No, no it's not," Lily shot her down, shaking her head. "John's not going to care if I kiss some random. He's one of the most popular guys at school; he'll think I'm a loser for lowering my standards."

But Dorcas did not look deterred by Lily's lack of enthusiasm. "One of the most popular guys at school," she repeated, with that wicked gleam Lily had noted in her the night before. "So you need to show him up with the most popular guy."

Lily's upper lip curled in disgust. "I'm not snogging Potter. No way."

"Doesn't have to be Potter," Dorcas shrugged, reaching across the pile of gifts to pic up the silver jewellery box. "The way I see it, the most popular guy in school could be split four ways."

"Three," Emmeline cut in. "There's no way she'll make anyone jealous snogging Peter Pettigrew; he's a foot shorter than her. It would look ridiculous."

"One in three then," Dorcas shrugged, smiling at Lily. "Take your pick."

Lily pursed her lips again, rising to a sitting position. "I could kiss Remus Lupin; if I told him what it was for I'm sure he'd do it... if I asked nicely enough."

"But you'd make John green with envy if you did it with Sirius Black."

Both Lily and Dorcas turned to Emmeline with surprise. "You'd let me kiss Sirius? Are you sure?"

"It's for a good cause," Emmeline told them assuringly. "I'm willing to make sacrifices."

Lily bit her lip, trying to hold back a yelp of glee. "This could really work; John would be so jealous."

"Told you," Dorcas grinned, rubbing her hands together. "It's Peter Pettigrew's birthday in about a month; you know those boys always throw a big party. It would be the perfect opportunity."

Emmeline squealed with excitement. "This is going to be great!"

"Wait," Lily cut in suddenly with a raised hand and a cautious expression. "How the hell am I supposed to convince Sirius to kiss me? He'd never do it."

"Sure he would."

"Why?" Lily questioned them. "He's Sirius Black! When has he ever done anything for any of us in the past? Not to mention he's Potter's best friend; I don't want all that stuff from fifth year coming back to haunt me."

"Potter hates John," Dorcas told her earnestly. "I think he'd go along with it just to see John get crushed."

"We'll just have to make it worth Sirius' while," Emmeline added positively.

"I'm not having sex with him."

Emmeline laughed, rising from her position on the floor and crossing to the dresser once more. "Honestly Lily, like I'd let you." She pulled the top draw open, revealing the biscuit tin again.

"No," Lily said firmly, standing quickly and rushing to slam the draw closed. "We're not paying him with that."

"I don't see why not," Emmeline shrugged. "Dorcas is right; we're never going to have enough money to buy the thing before the year is out. We might as well put it to good use."

"I don't mind," Dorcas added.

Lily frowned. "But we all saved so hard," she said sorrowfully. "That's your money too; I can't let you guys waste it all on me."

"Of course we can," Dorcas smiled up at her. "Like Emmeline said; if it's for a good cause we don't mind making sacrifices."

"Yes," Emmeline nodded, pulling the draw open and handing the tin to Lily. "And the chance to see John get his ass kicked is a very, very good cause."

Lily glanced down at the tin in her hands, trying not to smile too hard. "So I just have to stick it out with John for one month."

"Until Pettigrew's party," Dorcas nodded.

"I can do that."