Disclaimer: I do not own them. Jen owns (and is) April, but I do own Vanessa, and Sarah (who luckily aren't in this chapter.). And I take full responsibility for Remus's middle name…

AN: I felt so guilty that the last chapter was so short so I just had to keep going (six hours later - of course).

Little Eagle

Lily blinked, and she stretched in the morning sun.

Odd, she thought, I was sure I shut the hangings. And thought April closed the curtains last night.

"Morning!" She said cheerfully to April, who was already up.

"Morning Lil," April nodded, then spotted the letter on the floor. "I don't remember that being there…"

"It must have blown off in the night." Lily picked it up, and slipped it in one of her drawers. She grabbed the letter she had written to Melinda, and smiled at April. "I'm just going to post this."

"Okay." April nodded, "I'll meet you at breakfast."

"Great!" Lily smiled, and wandered down to the common room, where she spotted James and Sirius lounging around.

"What are you so happy about?" Sirius grumbled. McGonnagall had caught them as they climbed in the window, and assuming they were up to some mischief, had told them that if they could play tricks on people while they were supposed to be sleeping, they could clean up the potions room too. The hufflepuff first years had been the last ones in the room, and at least five of the cauldrons (full of a potion to make people turn into frogs - made with lots of frog guts) had exploded. As a result, they had not slept well.

"What's up with you?" Lily glared at him.

"We got a midnight detention for being out of bed," James yawned. "You off to breakfast?"

"No. The owlery. I have mail to post."

"We'll come." James said, and he and Sirius followed Lily out of the common room.

"Sleep well?" Sirius asked Lily, winking at James.

"Yes." Lily nodded. "I think I have a guardian angel."

"Why?" James asked, and Sirius was trying to stop himself from sniggering.

"Because last night, when my nightmare started, the one with the red eyes that chase me and turn into a snake, and then turn into a person, and then there's lots of green light, and then there's just the eyes, that one," James and Sirius nodded, Lily had told them about that particular nightmare before. Lily continued, "Then there was singing, and it was so beautiful. I couldn't here the words, but it started with 'hush little Lily'. I felt so safe…" She smiled, then jumped as Dumbledore came around the corner. His eyes were not twinkling.

"Good morning, Lily, James, Sirius." He smiled briefly, "I do apologize for eavesdropping, but the dream you just described…" He looked hard at Lily.

"Yes?"

"It sounds like a dream of Voldemort." He said simply. James grabbed one of Lily's shoulders, and Sirius the other, as she slumped in shock.

"W-what does it mean?" She asked, trembling.

"I would like to speak to you alone." He said gravely. Lily nodded, then glanced down at the letter in her hand. "I'm sure James and Sirius will post that for you." James and Sirius nodded.

"My owl's name is-"

"Cheska." James grinned at her.

"Yeah. Tell her to take it to Mel, she'll know what to do."

"Okay." James took the letter from Lily, and waved as she followed Dumbledore away.

"You sang to her?" Sirius sniggered.

"It's what my mother used to do when I had nightmares." James defended himself.

"Hush little Lily?"

"It's the only lullaby I know." James said, thinking thank god he doesn't know about the Jamesie bits…

"Are you going to read it?" Sirius asked, indicating the letter.

"No." James slipped it into his pocket, and the two boys headed for the owlery. Never. Lily deserves privacy. She deserves everything. Well, everything that's good. She doesn't deserve death or anything like that…

"Lily, please have a seat," Dumbledore indicated a chair in front of his desk. Lily nodded and sat down.

"What does this mean?" She asked.

"It means you are threatened by Voldemort." He said. "But we all are. You are especially threatened. I can give you a charm to stop you dreaming… if you want."

"Yes." Lily nodded, guardian angels were all very well and good, but this was a better solution. She didn't like dreaming at all.

"Okay, the charm is…"

April sat in the great hall, tapping her fingers on her plate.

"Waiting for Lily?" James and Sirius came in and sat down.

"Yeah." April nodded.

"She's gone to see the headmaster." James said, but Lily came running in at that very moment, and she sat down next to April.

"Hide me!" She squealed.

"From…"

"Snape! Malfoy! I just enchanted their clothes so they screamed 'I am a dorkus!' and they are going to kill me.

"Those-" James began, his blood boiling at the thought of anyone hurting Lily, but Sirius kicked him. "Thanks Siri." He whispered. Siruis just grinned, but his grin faded at the sight of Charles Tomas walking over to them.

"Um…Lily… could I talk to you for a moment?" He asked, then added pointedly, "Alone."

"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of my friends." Lily said, and she felt April squeeze her hand.

"Okay…" Charles's face paled slightly, but he took a deep breath and continued. "Lily, I was wondering if you'd- if you'd- if you'd be my girlfriend?"

"No!" Sirius grabbed James, as James made to thump Charles. Luckily no one else noticed.

"Um…" Lily gulped, and James did too, Lily's reply meant everything. "Charles, I think you got the wrong idea at the ball last night… I don't really like you…"

"Oh. I see. How nice of you to tell me." Charles said coldly.

"I like you as a person! I just don't like like you!" Lily called, but slumped as he walked coldly away. James smiled slightly.

"I am so bored!" Sirius groaned, and flopped down on a couch in the common room.

"I'll play exploding snap with you," Peter offered, and Sirius nodded.

"Chess?" April asked Lily, and Remus repeated the offer to James. The three pairs played for a while, until Remus beat James for the seventh time in twenty minutes. This time, he'd beaten him in four moves.

"You cheated!" James pouted.

"I did not!"

"Did."

"Did not."

"Did."

"Did not!"

"Did."

"Did not."

"Did."

"Did not!"

"Did."

"Did not."

"Did."

"I swear I didn't."

"Who swears and on what?" James demanded.

"I, Remus Lupin-"

"Full name!" James told him, and Remus groaned.

"I, Remus Ethelbert Lupin, swear on the marauders map and on James's invisibility cloak that I did not cheat!""

"Okay." James nodded, but April was laughing her head off.

"Your middle name is Ethelbert?"

"Yes." Remus glared at her, then at James.

"Ethelbert…" Soon April had Lily laughing, and she got Sirius laughing, who got James laughing, who got Peter laughing, but Remus stayed glaring stonily at them.

Okay… Okay…. The stuff about Remus's middle name was purely comic relief (I was bored one day and told Jen that this Remus's middle name would be Ethelbert). Ethelbert is the name of Ethelbert the tiger, a character from a kiddies five minute tv show. I hope you enjoyed! Oh yeah the @(-_-)@ thing was Leia from starwars (skye got it right!!! WAHOOO! Okay, I'm hyper…)

Fire Lizid