A/N: Hey again, and thanks for the reviews- we both really appreciate it!

*

Lily and her friends walked back to the Ravenclaw common room slowly, idly joking with each other. At least, her friends were joking. But her mind was elsewhere.

What was she going to write in her letter to Dumbledore? 'I think you were lying to us and I just wanted to make sure' didn't seem like it would cut it.

"Lily? Lily!" Dani called after her. Lily laughed, realizing that she had just completely passed Sir Frederick, and the three of them were amused at her ignorance.

"What's gotten into you?" Lauren asked, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger unconsciously. "At this rate, you'll be putting on two different shoes tomorrow."

"Hey – I've done that before!" Mickey exclaimed, giggling to herself. The others just gave her another look that implied that it probably wasn't best to tell everybody things such as that.

"I'm just tired," Lily said, walking through the doorway where the suit of armor had moved aside.

Dani leaned over to her sister. "I don't think I believe her," she whispered.

Mickey nodded vigorously. Lauren followed the red-head without saying a word, but watched her skeptically.

Lily ran over random possibilities for her letter, quickly discarding them all. She turned to look back at her three friends. It wouldn't be possible to write the letter around them- it wasn't as if she were sure about this....it was only a possibility. Who knows? Jamie from her flashback could just happen to look-

"Honestly, I think maybe her name isn't Lily and it really is Liz. She won't respond to Lily, anyhow," Mickey said softly to the others. They were all grinning.

"I am listening, you know. As I said, I'm tired..."

But it seemed that they weren't going to believe that anymore.

"Lily, you're never tired like this. This isn't tired. It's called daydreaming." Dani snickered. "What we want to know is –"

 "What you're daydreaming about!" Mickey finished for her and they both grinned.

"You know I heard happy places weren't always good for you..." Lauren trailed off while Lily rolled her eyes, turning away and smiling to herself on her walk back to her dorm.

*

"Prongs – I thought you mentioned something to Lily about the twins and well, me…" Sirius looked over at his friend, who had been staring out the window. He wasn't sure he liked this new, thoughtful James. Too much family couldn't possibly do anyone good…

"I did. But I'm not sure that she got the message."

"Well, you'll be studying with her this weekend, won't you?"

James nodded in consent. "Yeah, sure, I'll mention it again, then."

Remus, who had been listening from the other side of the room, joined the conversation. "Uh, Padfoot, which one of them do you like?"

"Well, they're twins. I don't know…"

"Just because they're twins doesn't mean you can have both of them!" Peter squeaked. "Can I have one?"

The other three Marauders laughed. "Sure, Wormtail, sure..."

"When are we holding our, uh, outing?" Sirius asked.

"I figured since this weekend won't be good for me," Sirius rolled his eyes and James continued, ignoring him, "and next weekend is our prefect meeting…well, how about the weekend after?"

Remus cleared his throat. "Uh – well, I'll be getting 'sick' in a few days – before this weekend – maybe we could arrange something on Friday night?"

"That's fine with me. I'm meeting Lily on Saturday," James said, giving them a toothy grin.

"You think we should try it for the first time when you've already transformed?" Peter asked. Sirius elbowed him roughly.

"I do! This is going to be fun. Now Remus, should we meet you outside the Shrieking Shack passageway?"

"I don't know… I guess so. But I thought we were going to stay around the grounds for a bit. You know, explore and such…"

"Well of course we are, Moony!" Sirius proceeded to slap him on the back rather hard. "What good would all this Animagi business have been otherwise?"

*

Professor Dumbledore –

I know that you told James and me that we were cousins, and yet I can't help but wonder why I don't remember him. Actually, more like I do remember him, but not the 'him' that I'm supposed to be remembering. I was wondering if you had any information that you could give to me- such as when we met as little kids- that might help. Sorry to ask you for such an unimportant thing when you're busy, it's just that I keep thinking about the whole thing and it would be a weight off of my back, and James', I'm sure, if we could know just a little bit about our family history.

Thanks a lot,

Liliane Evans

Lily read over the letter, and then taking a glance at the trash can full of crumpled paper balls, she decided this would simply have to do. Another glance across the room and she was relieved to see that her friends were still sound asleep. She didn't begin to think about why it mattered. It was just simply one of those things that wouldn't be a big deal if you were seen, but then again, you didn't want to be seen for some reason. Or questioned, for that matter... She folded the letter in half and slipped it inside the robe she was planning on wearing the next day.

"I'll just get up early and," she yawned loudly, stretching, "go to the Owlery…" Exhausted, she slipped her feet under the sheets of her bed, smiling. (A/N: Can you tell that I'm tired? Lol…) It wasn't another moment before she joined her friends in slumber.

*

"Ow!" James hissed.

"Be quiet!" Peter screeched in reply.

Sirius bent over the Marauder's Map, inspecting the area carefully. Despite having done it many times, fitting all three of their bodies under one invisibility cloak was neither comfortable nor easy. At least it wasn't four people.

"Remus had better be waiting for us. It's cold out here," Peter complained, as soon as the castle door slammed shut behind them.

"Well, I'm still not sure that he's conscious at all when he's like this…" James trailed off, thinking it would be best to go ahead and transform. He did, and the others followed.

In their new forms – aware of how strange and new this was to them – they ran towards the well-known willow tree. And sure enough, there was a werewolf trotting back and forth across the base. His yellow-gray eyes flicked while he watched the three Animagi approach.

Over the next few hours, they scampered across the Hogwarts grounds, pausing for nothing and refusing to wonder what anybody looking out the window might think of. The only downside to all of this was that they couldn't talk in their animal forms. Then again, with Sirius there, that might have been a good thing.

It was not until James looked up – his antlers catching the moonlight and casting shadows – and saw that it was late, very late. Sure, it was Friday night… but he didn't want to be falling asleep on Lily the next day.

They had developed a sort of silent language already, and after a few moments of blank silence, James managed to indicate to them that he was headed back to his bed. They nodded their heads, and ran back together. Remus, of course, headed his own way, but the rest of them tumbled into the castle panting and hurriedly throwing James' cloak over their heads.

"That was fun…" Peter said in his usual, slightly jumpy voice.

"We have to do that again," Sirius said, starting to walk off before realizing that he couldn't go anywhere without the two of them.

James grunted at his idiotic friend. "Might as well get going, shouldn't we? I don't see what good standing here is doing us."

But even as he said it, they had already started walking, and in five minutes the Fat Lady let them in, looking around and shaking her head sleepily.

*

"Lily, what time were you supposed to meet James again?" Lauren stood over her bed, Dani and Mickey nearby talking to each other in low voices.

Lily groaned and rolled over, until she felt three pairs of hands shaking her awake.

"Ugh! Go away!" Mistily, she opened her bright eyes and looked at them with annoyance. "Let me go back to sleep."

But they simply grinned. "Lily – James."

At this, she sprang out of her bed, running a hand through her disheveled red hair. "Oh, crap! Thanks guys!"

With amazing speed, she brushed her teeth and hair, got dressed, and rushed out of the dorm with a quick goodbye, amid giggles from her friends.

She reached a hand into her robes as she ran, relieved to find her letter still there. "A quick trip to the Owlery will be okay… I'm late already anyway." she mumbled to herself, carefully making her way up the curving stairs.

Lily found her own owl not there, and went ahead and picked out one of the Hogwarts owls. She could only hope for a quick response. Now, it was time for James.

She rushed through the halls as quickly as her feet would take her, and found James waiting in the corridor that led to the Marauders' room, where they had agreed to meet.

He grinned when she stopped before him, panting and looking rushed. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come."

"I...sorry...slept...too late."

"It is alright, I guess," he grinned again. "Let's go ahead in."

She followed him past the suit of armor into the room that she had been in just a few days before.

"Sorry about that James, I just went to bed late and...Well, didn't wake up." She wasn't about to explain why she had gone to bed late; she didn't want James to think she was crazy.

"Well, let's get started." James said enthusiastically.

*

"Do you ever wonder whether they're really studying?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"That's disgusting Padfoot...they're cousins." Remus replied, not looking up from his stack of homework.

"Well, you know. I was just thinking."

"I think you should delete thoughts such as those as soon as they come up."

Peter burst into the room, looking weary. "I have been bombarded by Lily's friends. Those twins...Sirius, they were asking about you. If they do it again I'm going to just tell them you have a thing for one or the other of 'em. I can't take that." he spread out across his bed.

"Uh – okay, Peter." Sirius looked a little confused, and turned back to Remus. "James better mention something to Lily..."

*

James and Lily took one look at each other and burst out laughing. So the charms and transfiguring hadn't gone as well as they might have hoped...

Lily choked back another laugh to say, "James, you look absolutely ridiculous with those spots all over your face. I told you were saying it wrong!"

"Well, take a look at yourself – a tail! Even Sirius has never done that!"

Slowly, their laughter diminished, and they managed to right themselves, after a fashion.

"I would say that's enough practicing for one night..."

And then James remembered. "Um, Lily..."

"Huh?" She looked up, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, you see, Sirius has a thing for your friends – the twins."

"Which one?" she asked, biting back a grin.

"That's what Remus said..." They started laughing again, for no reason at all.

*