It was about two weeks before finals that Lily received a strange package in the mail. She opened it up and it was a sheathed silver dagger with an intricate dragon design on the handle was an emerald. There was no note with it. But the teachers at the main table in the ding hall stopped by and admired it on the way out. James walked in with his new girlfriend Ginger another girl from Gryffindor and sat down, at the other end of the table.

"Wow Lily, that's a nice gift. Whom'd you get it from?" Sirius asked

"There was no name or anything," She said while reading a letter from her parents "drat they are going away all summer and they want to know if I can stay here."

"You can come to my house all summer," Amber offered "Nicole and the guys are gonna be there, and my parents are the more the merrier type."

"Thanks Amber, I'll owl them back later" she stuck the dagger under her robe and over in the belt loop of her pants. It gave this odd tingle feeling when it touched her skin. She picked up her books and walked to classes. Finals came and went she scored high marks on everything. Their trunks were packed and they were on the train heading home.

"My mom is picking us up at the station. Lily your mom sent over your swimsuit and some cash, they will be in your room at my house. The rest of the group is going to bring their stuff over when their parents drop them off." Amber was telling Lily

'Okay thanks for letting me stay with you." Lily said she was looking forward to this summer at Ambers with the gang. Then Nicole took out her deck of exploding snap and the rest of the train ride was a blur.

"We're here, I'll help you get your stuff" Amber said. Lily took her robes off shoved them in her trunk and put the dagger in her backpack. She slung her backpack on her shoulder, picked up the end of her trunk and also Shayl's cage, and walked her stuff to a trolley. James was saying goodbye to the girl he was seeing and from the sounds of it he was breaking up with her. She stood and waited for Amber to say good-bye to Sirius.

"I'll see you soon Amber," Sirius was saying, "I'll be over the day after tomorrow with Remus"

"Okay, I'll see you then." Amber was replying. The same thing was going on between Nicole and Remus and Peter and Iris. Lily didn't understand this whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing. They were young only 12 so far and she didn't see the point, she'd rather study and learn all she can. She followed Amber over to a heavyset woman who was waving wildly and saying

"Amber over here, I'm over here!!"

They got to her mom and Lily say a some what heavyset woman with black straight hair and deep blue eyes, standing next to a tall asking man with the same blue eyes and black curly hair. She could tell where Amber got her looks. He black wavy hair was the perfect mix of the two of her parents and her blue eyes held the same sparkle as her moms, her mouth was shaped like her moms, but Amber got her royal stature and bearing from her father. You could see it, not that snobby I'm better than you look but, that classy self-confidence walking and stand.

"Mom, Dad this is Lily Evans, the friend I told you about" She said, "Lily these are my parents Ruth and David Barnes"

"Mr. and Mrs. Barnes," Lily smiled and shook their hands.

"Please call us Ruth and David, that Mr. and Mrs. Thing just makes us feel old" Ruth answered with a warm grin that was mirrored by David " Shall we go, do you all need anything else."

" No mom the others will be at the house in a few days."

"Well let's go then." Ruth replied starting to walk to the car "Your father and I figured that seeing as you are having a few guests over that you could have the Guest House. Boy's rooms are on the top for and the girl's rooms are on the 2nd floor. Julie will show you where the individual rooms are when you get there. I expect that you will behave yourselves while you are there. Your father and I trust you and your friends seeing as you grew up with all of them, well except Lily, but we trust her anyway, she is so sweet looking." They were in the car and heading to the Amber's house. By the time Ruth stopped talking and took a breath. The rest of the way Amber's mom told stories from Amber and the gang's childhood. This put Lily at ease and made her almost forget about the visions she saw on the train.

The summer passed as summers do, it was filled with swimming and food and trips to town, James and Lily had made up and the gang was all together again. They had fun. Lily's parents always traveled and as she got older it was just easier to stay at a friends so she usually stayed with Amber. Her parents were warm and caring, and Amber and Lily got along like sisters.