The morning of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw quidditch match was a nervous one for Sirius. This was an unusual experience for him as Sirius generally approached most things in life with a relaxed; I couldn't give a fizzing wizzbee attitude. However, on this particular morning, Sirius was growing more and more concerned with each passing minute. James' head was definitely not in the game. Typically, on Quidditch days James was upbeat but focused, laughing and joking with Remus and Peter until breakfast, where he went into complete strategy mode talking animatedly with Sirius about the line up they were facing, the weather and wind conditions, the team's current form and the best approach to securing a win. However this morning, James had been quiet, as they got ready, almost brooding, he had barely responded when Sirius had attempted to bring the match.

By the time they reached the locker rooms Sirius was positively sweating, he wiped his saturated palms on the front of his Quidditch robes. The rest of the team seemed oblivious to James' odd mood. Although by the time he gave his pre-match speech, they quickly realised that this was no ordinary match to James.

"Ok guys, team. This match is important. I want you to treat this match like we are playing Slytherin. I want to smash them. I don't care if it's ugly. If Prewitt's blood ends up on the pitch…"

"Whoa, buddy… no one was planning to bludger bash Prewitt's limbs off.' Sirius cautioned.

"Except maybe you, James," piped up Marlene.

"Yeah right ok clean game, fair match but get let's get em!,' James' speech ended with an intensity that made the rest of the team glance at each other with nervous expressions.

The match was indeed an ugly one. Prewitt appeared to have told his team to play without any concern for the rules or the safety of their opponents. In the first two minutes of play both James and Marlene narrowly avoided collisions with bludgers served at them by the Ravenclaw beaters. Meanwhile Prewitt, who appeared to have decided that the best strategy for him catching the snitch was to ensure that Gregory had no chance of catching it, was tailing Gregory furiously, to the point where Gregory barely had enough room to fly, let alone enough space to gain a clear view of the pitch.

As the match progressed, James grew increasingly more and more frustrated with the way the Ravenclaw's were playing and how the scoreboard, despite their best efforts, seemed to be getting away from them.

James was watching the Ravenclaw side of the scoreboard flick from 150 to 160, when out of the corner of his eye; he saw the bludger rushing towards his head. Before he had time to dodge it, he was falling towards the ground. James felt the impact, heard a soft crunch of bone and then everything went black.

'Ahem, Mister Potter, your attention please…'

James eyes flicked open to find Madame Moreau standing over him. He sputtered out a response. 'What happened to me? Tell Sirius I don't want to see him right now.'

'You fell off your broom Mr Potter. It has been quite a mess to put you back together again and it is not Sirius who has been waiting to see you…'

'Then who?' asked James, straining from his position at the end of the hospital wing to see the door.

'It's Ms Evans actually,' answered Madame Moreau.

'Lily?'

'I take you won't object to me letting her in,' said Madame Moreau, a slight smile in her voice, as she turned her back on James and went to the entrance of the hospital wing. She returned a few moments later with Lily trailing behind her.

'I'll leave you too to talk,' the tone of Madame Moreau voice caused James to grin widely, despite the pain and Lily to blush furiously.

James and Lily stared at each other for a second.

'Please sit down Evans,' said James tentatively.

Lily perched herself gingerly on the edge of James' bed.

'I knew I could get you on my mattress eventually.'

Lily made a motion to get up but James grabbed her wrist.

'I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist. Please stay. Talk to me.'

Lily relaxed onto the bed. 'I shouldn't have come but I was so worried about you after I saw you fall off your broom.'

'Evans, you should always come to me with your irrational fears. I will make them disappear. Consider me your personal vanishing cabinet.'

'Also my personal hexing service,' said Lily smiling.

'Yes, please tell me you came because you want to take advantage of my services and hex Prewgitt for you.'

'I thought we'd already established that I came because I was worried about you.'

'Yeah and have to admit that is so much better. As you can see I'm condition is deteriorating rapidly, I may soon need some mouth to mouth attention to revive me,' James said this with a wink.

'Potter you are insufferable. I had more than enough of your silliness,' said Lily, sliding out of James grip and getting up to leave.

'Lily… Evans…. Wait,' James said from the confines of his bed, as he watched Lily exit the hospital wing.

It was getting close to curfew by the time Lily reached the portrait hole and the Fat Lady grumbled about having to let her in so late. Lily had been hoping to creep straight into bed but Marlene and Alice were both still up waiting for her.

'Well, where have you been Lily?' fired Marlene impatiently when Lily was just barely through the door.

Lily hesitated for a moment, it would be easy enough to lie and say she had been patrolling the corridors or in the library but something in ALice's earnest expression made her tell the truth.

'I was visiting James in the hospital wing,' she said finally.

'That's not at all what I was expecting,' exclaimed Alice. 'That's so thoughtful of you Lil, I'm sure he appreciated it. He must have been pretty rotten about the match.'

Marlene had pursed her lips together while this conversation had been taking place and now unable to contain herself any longer blurted out: 'Actually I think the rotten thing is Lily leading James on.'

'How has she lead him on Mar?' asked Alice incredulously.

'Visiting him in the hospital wing is something a girlfriend would do. Not a friend. Really Lily, I can't believe you would be so naïve as to give him the wrong impression like that.'

Alice began to defend Lily but before she could speak Lily had already dropped her pyjamas on the floor and was out the door before and running down the stairs to the common room.

James was released for the hospital wing that night as Madame Moreau had grown tired of his endless requests for various foods. After the third serving of treacle tart, Madame Moreau had commented very stiffly that it was more than clear that James' appetite had not been affected by his fall from his broom and once his bones were properly set he should be on his way. It only to Madame Moreau a few minutes more before James was out of the hospital wing and striding back to Gryffindor tower.

When he reached the portrait hole, the Fat Lady made get another protest about a failure to come back before curfew that James paid no attention to. He was to used to her grumbling and threats to report him to the head of house that they had largely no affect what-so-ever. James clambered through the portrait hole only to see Lily curled up in an armchair beside the fire. He watched quietly from the portrait hole as a single soft tear rolled out the front corner of her eye, down the bridge of her nose and with a soft plop drop onto the front of her shirt.

'What's the matter Evans?'

Lily looked up, startled by James' sudden appearance. She quickly made an attempt to cover her crying by brushing a hand over her cheeks. James crossed the room in two strides and caught Lily's hand as it drifted away from her face.

'Lily, talk to me. Whatever is wrong?' James' voice faulted ever so slightly on the last word, the only outward sign that he was panicking slightly.

'You'll think it's stupid,' Lily muttered under her breath.

'Try me. I love stupid. Live for it, in fact.'

'Marlene and Alice, well ok I guess mainly Marlene think that I'm leading you on. That going to the hospital to visit you sends the wrong ummm impression.'

James' jaw tightened at Lily words. He was in two minds about how to respond; it seemed like a denial of what her friends had said to be true would only cause more of a riff between the girls and in his eyes Lily could do no wrong.

'I think…' James began tentatively 'that it doesn't matter.'

'It doesn't matter?' asked Lily incredulous.

'Look Lily, I'm always going to see you as more than a friend. I'm always going to care about you. Regardless of whether or not you feel the same way. So it really doesn't matter to me what your intentions are. I just want to be there. For whichever part you want me to play.'

Lily was as careful with her words as James' had been with his. 'I think I can handle that Potter.'

Lily was helping Madame Moreau by organising the healing potions cupboard the morning that she discovered Remus' fury little problem. This was technically above and beyond her prefect duties so Professor McGonagall had no reason to think that she would be in the hospital wing to overhear the conversation that took place. Madame Moreau should have remembered Lily's presence but it slipped her mind due to the dreadful headache she had developed from half of the first years coming down with Black Cat Flu and requiring a tremendous amount of attention over the course of the morning.

In fact, had Lily known initially what, or rather who, the conversation was about she would have most likely announced herself immediately, but as it happened the conversation began on the subject of the new discovery of the new Wolfsbane Potion. Lily being exceptionally keen on potions naturally listened closely to what Professor McGonagall was saying.

'They're say it's a miracle cure, Simone. Wolfsbane. They call it. They just sleep through the night a regular wolf.'

'You know I don't believe in miracle cures, Minerva. That poor boy has been through enough already.'

'But surely even if it was half as effective as they are claiming that would be an enormous help with the transformations.'

'True. Remus does all right though. He is managing. Perhaps it would be better to wait for more trials before introducing a false hope into the boy's life.'

'I absolutely agree,' said Professor McGonagall. 'I'll admit I was a little sceptical about how he would adjust school life when Professor Dumbledore first decided he would be allowed to attend. But he has given me remarkably little trouble. I wish I could say the same about James Potter and Sirius Black.'

'Ah Potter and Black never go too far over the line.'

'That is a matter of opinion,' Professor McGonagall said curtly.

Lily was no longer listening. Her head was reeling from what she had just discovered. Almost on autopilot she waited until Professor McGonagall and Madame Moreau exited the hospital wing before quickly shoving the now organised potions back into the cupboard. Then as quietly as she could she got up and left the hospital wing. She made a snap decision not to return to Gryffindor tower, she needed some time to think through all that she had just heard. She turned in the direction of the library, making a silent prayer that it would offer the solace that she needed.

Though the library made her feel calmer Lily's head was still buzzing with questions. How had it happened? When? Who had bitten him? She knew from Defence Against The Dark Arts that Remus must go through incredible pain every time he transformed. That he must feel so alone isolated by the curse that had been placed upon him. Lily wanted to cry. She told herself very sternly that she must hold it together. She could not afford to cry in the library, like some girl who had just been dumped by her boyfriend. She was not the one with the awful disease. She had to be strong for her friend no matter how awful the circumstances.