***The Marauder Chronicles is a fan fiction. It isn't to be sold, reproduced or taken as true. Characters and locations belong to J.K.Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.***

Author's Note: I know it took me forever and a decade to post this one, but it's the longest so far. Be ready for romance and "mush" because there is tons, but hey this is a "humor/romance" story and 'every legend has a beginning...'

Part Five: Christmas Meetings

"Always leave your family on good terms; you never know what the future will bring."

"Right. We all know what we're doing, yes?" James asked Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"I'm confused about one thing," Peter said.

"What?" James asked.

"Well, you and Sirius are going in, Remus is holding the camera, and I am...?"

"You're the distraction. If anyone asks about us, you tell them something," James said.

"Tell them what?"

"Lie, Peter. Just lie. Tell them we're out tobogganing for all I care, just lie."

"But make sure you lie consistently," Sirius told him, "otherwise they'll know you're hiding something."

Peter scratched his head, "And what does Lily have to do with all of this?"

"She's playing cover Peter. If anyone comes near the three of us, she'll do something drastic," Remus told him. "Are you clear on everything now?"

He nodded his head but still looked confused. James was satisfied with it so he left with Remus and Sirius.

"James, are you sure you know how this thing works?" Remus asked as he examined the camera from every angle.

"Yes I know how it works. Don't your parents have a camera like this?" he asked.

"No. How does it work?"

James turned and took the camera out of Remus's hands.

"It records moving images and voices magically. All you have to do is look into this rod," he said pointing to the eyepiece, "press this black button and the images are recorded. This way we can chronicle everything."

"And why do we want to record this?" Sirius asked, "Isn't this evidence? If someone gets a hold of it, let's use Snape as an example, can't they play it for Dumbledore?"

"Why are you worrying all of a sudden? And it's protected. Only I can clear it, as it's mine. Just point it at us, Remus," James said.

"James," Sirius said again, "Why are we recording this?"

"Because it's fun. You know, something that causes great amusement. We can watch it when we're old and feeble and laugh about it. Just record it."

No one argued with him. The three began their way downstairs silently. James tiptoed to the corner and peered around it.

"The coast is clear," he told them. Remus started to record. He felt very funny holding the camera and watching the scene in black and white. It made him laugh. Sirius looked at him oddly, which made Remus laugh more.

"What is so funny?" James asked.

"This," Remus chuckled. "You two just look weird. So," Remus said trying to sound important, "How do you feel about this mission, Sirius?"

Suddenly Sirius found the fun of it all. He smiled and stared into the camera.

"Well, Mr. Lupin, we are here today to recover something precious that was taken from us. It all started a few months ago, you see. My...uh...comrade, Mr. Potter here," Sirius said as he pulled James into the camera's view, "and I were out for a little jaunt when out of no where Filch and his stupid, little cat popped around the corner on us. It was then, Mr. Lupin, that he took our map. Isn't that right Mr. Potter?"

James who was amazed at their stupidity and immaturity laughed. "Well," he said, "Yes that sounds about right. We're going to get it back though. That map means a lot to me. We're going to steal it back!" James said with gusto.

Remus zoomed in on James's teeth so he could only see his lips moving as he talked. Remus found it hard to keep a straight face.

"So," Remus interrupted, "James, why don't you tell us about these pearly whites of yours. This is a very new thing with you. Why don't you tell the audience about this?"

"Later, but now we have to get our map back."

"No, tell us now," Remus insisted as he zoomed in on his upper teeth.

"Remus, we have to go now," James insisted.

"Okay, okay. Why don't you tell the viewers what we're doing. Take us through step by step."

Remus zoomed out so he could see James's entire face.

"Alright. We are headed to Filch's office to get the map. I am going in under the cover of the Invisibility cloak. Then, thanks to Remus, I will put this sleeping drought," James pulled a small vial of clear liquid from his cloak pocket and showed it to the camera; Remus zoomed in on it, "into his drink. This will cause his little eyes to droop, giving us time to search for the map. How's that, Remus?"

"Excellent. Now, I'm going to follow behind the two of you. Just carry on as if I'm not here," Remus said joyfully as he skipped down the hallway after them. James rolled his eyes; he had created a monster. James held up his hand to the camera, then raised his finger to his lips.

Instinctively, the three of them flattened themselves against the wall. James took a mirror out of his pocket and carefully eased it around the next corner; no one was there. James looked at the other two and nodded. They each skulked around the wall's edge and crept down the corridor. Filch's office was the first to the right. If they were lucky, then they wouldn't have to use the drought. Just before they reached the door, James took the cloak out of his pocket, put it on, and looked in the office. Filch was there; a minor setback.

James moved back a long the wall, took off his hood and looked at the other two and nodded. Remus was filming everything. James quietly took the vial out of his pocket, removed the cork, put his hood back over his head, and ever so silently walked into the office.

Filch was looking at some poor student's file, cursing all the while. On his desk was a goblet full of wine. James inched forward.

"Stupid prats! Spitballs on all the ceilings. They'll pay!" he said. He looked like he was going for his wine. It was now or never.

While Filch was reading the file and reaching for his drink, James poured the potion into his wine then waited.

Filch downed the drink in one gulp. Then his eyes started to sag. The file he was holding dropped to the floor as his arm fell. He was asleep.

"Sirius," James said. Sirius came into the room and Remus followed, rolling film.

"Out like a light," Sirius commented as he saw Filch leaning back in his chair, feet on the table.

"Alright, so where did he put it?" James asked himself as he looked at the many filing cabinets in the office. He first walked over to the one nearest to the door. He opened a drawer and looked inside.

"Well?" Sirius asked.

"Well," James said smirking slightly, "There's a huge file on us. Actually you and I share the entire drawer."

"Makes you feel all warm and tingly inside doesn't it?" Sirius asked him. James smiled.

"So do you think Filch has the map in there, as it's our file?"

"I'm looking for it," James said as he fingered through the many folders and papers. Sirius began looking in another possible location. Remus filmed Filch snoring.

"It's not in either one of our files," James said as he shut the filing cabinet.

"It's not in any of these either. Let's try that one," Sirius said pointing to a different cabinet. James nodded his head and went over to it. He pulled on the handle only it wouldn't budge. James whipped out his wand.

"Alohomora," he said pointing it to the key hole, but it didn't open. "It must be in here," James said, "We have to open this."

"Yeah, but it's locked. How are you going to get in?" Remus asked.

James looked at him, which was through the camera lens, "Remus, when magic fails you, there's only one thing you can do," he said high and mightily, "Pull really hard." Remus smiled.

He grabbed the metal handle and yanked as hard as he could. James was red in the face before he let go of it.

"James," Remus said, "maybe you should look for the key."

"Well if we can't find the map then how long is it going to take to find the damn key?"

"Maybe I should try to open this confounded thing," Sirius said pulling up his sleeves. "I have more...."

"Muscle," James finished for him.

"Yes," Sirius said, glad that James wasn't offended by it. He walked up to the cabinet, gripped the handle with both hands, took a deep breath and pulled. He pulled and pulled and pulled until his face looked like a radish. But Sirius wasn't going to give up. He put his foot on the cabinet so he had more force and kept pulling. Then, without warning, the handle detached and Sirius, who was still pulling mightily, flew backwards and fell into Filch's lap. Remus zoomed in the scene.

Filch stirred. Sirius was frozen. For a few seconds each of them didn't even breath. Filch snored loudly and put his arm around Sirius' neck. James had never seen Sirius look more terrified, even when he had a snake around his neck back when they were in elementary school.

"Help me," Sirius said feebly and in a higher pitch voice than he was accustomed to using. Trying desperately not to burst out laughing, James walked over to him and tried to take off Filch's arm from around Sirius's neck. Filch, however, wanted to have Sirius's head there.

"This is rich," Remus sniggered as he zoomed in on the scene. Filch was resting his chin on the top of Sirius's head and clutched him in his arm. Then Filch smiled. None of them wanted to know what he was dreaming about.

James eventually freed Sirius from the caretaker's grasp but not without work. Sirius was so very grateful that hugged James, which was unexpected then went to the cabinet again.

"Great, so the handle's busted. I know it has to be in here. But how are we going to get in now that your great muscular prowess has taken off the only means of getting into this thing?"

"There's no need to get all weird on me, James," Sirius said, "We'll figure something out. This is what we do best; get in and out of trouble. So let's just think about it." And so they thought and thought and thought.

"I got it," James said, "We'll wedge it. We need something long, narrow, and strong."

"Like a crowbar," Remus said.

"A what?" the both asked.

"Never mind," he said. "Hey, wouldn't it be easier to just make a new map?" James looked at him as if he had been deeply wounded.

"How can you replace that? How heartless can you be? You can't just replace something like the map, Remus. If you had a kid and you lost him, would you just go out and replace him? NO! I am not getting or replacing this map. Is that alright with you?"

"You think of the map as a kid?" Sirius asked.

"No," James said as if the concept were purely ridiculous, "It was an example. Now, we need something to wedge this thing. Sirius look for something to use." So they both set out to find a rod but the only thing they could come by were their wands. Having no other options, James tried to pry open the cabinet with his fingers; Sirius and Remus just watched.

"I think he's gone off his rocker," Sirius mumbled to Remus who nodded.

"Come on," James kept saying, "open up. You know you want to open up. I'm not going to hurt you little guy."

Filch snored loudly and started to move uncomfortably in his chair.

"He's waking up!" Sirius whispered loudly but James didn't care.

Sirius walked over to James, grabbed him and yanked him away. But of course James resisted. He tried to hang onto the cabinet, only his fingers were sweaty so he slipped off. He fought desperately to free himself from Sirius's clutches but he was much too strong.

"James we have to let it go," Sirius whispered to him. If he could only look for it a while longer...

"Who's there?" Filch said suddenly. James and Sirius hit the floor and covered themselves with the cloak; Remus ditched the office completely. Filch stood up and looked around. James and Sirius held their breath.

"I smell TROUBLE!" Filch yelled as he walked around. If he stepped on either James or Sirius, they were as good as gone. Luckily, though, he didn't. He seemed to have over looked the missing handle on one of his filing cabinets, which James was very thankful for.

Filch sat back down in his chair, propped his feet on his desk and watched. James rose slowly from the floor to look at him. Sirius rose with him then started to walk on hands and knees out of the office, pulling James by the ear so that he would follow. Once out they stood up and leaned on the wall. Sirius moved out of the cloaks protection and started to walk back to Gryffindor tower. But then he realized that he was going alone. He turned around but didn't see James. Sirius walked back to the office and felt along the wall, but it was just wall, no James. Sirius started to panic. Very boldly, he quickly looked inside. In those fractions of a second he saw a bit of old parchment under Filch's feet on the desk, and inches from it were two fingers suspended in midair.

"Why are you still here?" Remus whispered as he tapped Sirius on the shoulder. Sirius looked at him and pointed into the office while mouthing "James." Sirius whipped out his wand and eased around the corner. The fingers were now on the parchment and if Sirius wasn't mistaken, they were pulling.

"Carnum inflamare," Sirius whispered as he pointed his wand in the far corner of the office. Instantly flames erupted from the spot. Filch got up and ran to the flames trying to put it out with his jacket. Sirius ran in, grabbed the spot he assumed was James and pulled. The suspended fingers snatched the parchment and then disappeared. Still holding on to James, he rushed out of the office and sprinted down the corridor with Remus, who was still filming, in tow.

"Did you get it?" Lily asked excitedly as the three of them emerged from the stairs. Out of breath from the fast run, they nodded. James held out his hand for her to take the map. She snatched it, took out her wand and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," as she tapped it.

The three of them stared at her, smiling. Lily, however, did not even raise a corner of her mouth.

"What's wrong?" James asked as he straightened up.

"Maybe one of you have to tap it," she said but a bit panicked, "It's not opening for me." She handed it back to James who seized it. Remus and Sirius raised themselves too and watched James.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," James said clearly as he tapped the map; nothing happened. James just stared at it. Sirius grabbed it and tapped it, but still there was nothing. Then Remus took it, "Show me Severus Snape," he said; it remained blank. James covered his face with his hands and sank to his knees.

"James," Lily said, "are you alright?" She bent down to be level with him. He shook his head. Remus and Sirius leaned on a wall and slumped down on the ground.

"It's gone," James said, though it was muffled through his hands, "Our precious map-- gone."

"Well maybe you can make another one," she suggested. James shook his head violently.

"No," he said, "We cannot replace our map. It was like my first born. How can you replace that?" Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement; Lily fought a smile. She sat against the wall in between James and Sirius and tried to comfort them, but at the same time she kept thinking that they were acting ridiculously.

"It's going to be all alone. In Filch's office, alone. Forever," Sirius said. Lily tried not to giggle.

"Do you think it'll think we abandoned it?" James asked the other two.

"I hope not," Remus said, "We did try to get it back. I guess we'll just have to remember all the good times we had, you know?"

"Yeah," James and Sirius said together. Lily covered her mouth, but sniggered. The three looked at her with blank expressions.

"What's so funny?" James asked her.

"You make it sound like the map was your child," Lily said.

"Haven't you been listening to us?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, but there is a bit of a difference between a map and a child, you guys."

"Well," James said to her, "We did create it. At first it was just a large piece of parchment, then we drew the sketch of the castle, and fed it...information. We were up with it at night taking care of it. One of us was always holding onto it."

Lily kept wondering when one of them was going to laugh at how silly they were all being, but they didn't. James was serious, as were the other two. The three of them were bordering on tears. She took James's hand and tried to comfort him by saying that the map would be safe.

"Let's go back to the tower, okay?" She asked them. She stood up and stared down at the three of them. They looked miserable. Remus was the first to stand, then Sirius and last was James. "Come on," she said, "It's late." She took James by the hand and led him back up to the tower; he looked as though he was in a trance.

Once there Peter came to them looking happy, but the four frowned back at him.

"You didn't get it, did you?" Peter asked. They shook their heads. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," James said, "Just remember how good the map was to us, I guess. The time we had with it was precious. I think we should take some time for the map; mourn the loss of a very dear friend." He walked over to a couch and sat down with Lily and Sirius next to him. They were silent until...

"Who is Jade talking to?" Sirius asked as he leaned forward to try to get a better look. Lily looked over at Sirius then to Jade.

"I think that's Geoff Martin," Lily said, "but I'm not sure. Why?"

Sirius stared at Geoff. He was smiling at Jade and she was smiling back. And for some reason Sirius got angry. Just then a very hyper seventh year girl came up to them. She had pretty eyes, and spiky brown hair.

"Are you two feeling alright?" she asked James and Sirius.

"They'll be fine, Summer," Lily said to her. She smiled and started to walk away, but Sirius stopped her.

"Summer?" he said, she turned around and smiled prettily.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Do you know anything about Geoff Martin?" Sirius knew that Summer Dale was very up on all the gossip and knew most everything about everyone.

She seemed very flattered by the question. She sat next to him on the couch.

"Yes. What do you want to know?"

"Well, tell me about him. What year is he in?"

"Sixth. He was going out with Marcy last year but she dumped him because he was flirting with other girls. He lives in Birmingham with his father over the summer holidays and sees his mother in London over Christmas and Easter. They got divorced when he was five, very sad. He kinda wants to play beater some time, but after you leave when there's a spot on the team. As far as I know he's been interested in Jade for quite some time and I think he's hitting on her right now."

Sirius tightened his fists and glared at the back of Geoff's head. "Sixth year, eh? A year younger than her, eh? Isn't he a bit pudgy around the middle?"

Summer looked at him closely, "I don't think so. Let me check on that for you." She got up and walked towards Geoff and Jade. Then she started to converse with them. Lily squeezed James's hand tightly and smiled.

"Look at her," Sirius said about Jade, "What's so interesting about him? I thought she was in love with me."

"So it's bad for her to talk to someone else other than you?" Lily asked him.

"Yes," Sirius said.

"But you said you didn't like her like that. Remember?" James said.

"He's definitely hitting on her and he isn't fat," Summer said to Sirius then walked out of the common room.

"Why don't you go and talk to her?" Lily suggested.

"She's been ignoring me for the past few weeks," Sirius said.

"And...?" James said. Sirius got up and walked over to Jade huffing and puffing the entire time. "Jade's doing all of this on purpose isn't she?" James asked Lily.

"You can't say a word to him about it."

"I won't," he said smiling, "It's pretty funny just watching him squirm."

"Hey I wanted to ask you something," Lily said. She moved herself so that she was facing him. She took his hands and smiled nervously at him.

"What?" he said. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I don't want you to freak out or anything, it's just something I was wondering about."

"What is it?"

"Well," she said, "I was wondering if you would come, that is if you wanted to, to my house over Christmas this year and meet my family." She smiled brightly at him. James didn't know what to say. He stared at her with a fixed expression for several seconds. "Well?" she asked.

"Um," he said. "I....Well.....it's just that...." he squinted at her; she was still smiling hopefully. "Your parents, meet your parents?" he asked. She nodded. "Well..." he kept saying. He really needed to consult with Sirius on this one. He had heard about her parents from him and they sounded a bit protective of their daughter and he would be the big, bad, boyfriend from hell; he could just see it. "How long?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know," she said, "A week?"

"A week!" he said, "Lily I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. A week?"

"Oh come on, James. I really want you to meet them. They'll love you. I just know it."

"But I don't know that a week is a good idea. Have you asked them about this?"

"Just my mother."

"And your father? Does he know?"

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Not yet. But let's not think about that. Please James. Please come home with me. I want to show you to all of my family at home. Please. You're going to meet them anyways so you might as well just get it over with now," she pleaded.

"I don't know Lily. Let me think about it for a few days, alright?" She looked somewhat disappointed but nodded.

"Alright. You promise you'll think it over?"

"I promise."

"She hates me," Sirius said suddenly as he came up to them. "She didn't even want to look at me. She just ignored me like I wasn't even there. She agreed to be friends! Now she hates me." He slumped down on the couch and crossed his arms in a huff. "Look," he said staring at Jade, "She's still flirting with the sixth year. This is outrageous. I can't believe I'm even watching this. You'd think she would have known what Summer was talking about. He cheats on his girlfriends. She deserves better than that slimeball."

"Let's go somewhere," James said to Lily, still clutching her hands.

She smiled and looked at him, "Sounds good to me."

"Are you two going to go make-out now?" Sirius asked.

Lily turned around to face him, "You know Sirius, you should try to phrase your sentences better."

"Should I?" he asked smirking at her, "Isn't that what you're going to do? How else do you phrase that?"

She shook her head at him, pulled James off the couch and led him out of the common room. James was smiling the entire time and winked at Sirius just before he disappeared from view.



The next morning was the last Monday before Christmas. Hagrid had pulled out all the stops and had gathered the biggest evergreens he could find. Professor Flitwick was decorating the trees with golden tinsel that changed colors in the breeze. Professor Gellar was looking especially lovely. She was dressed in pale green, satin robes and wore a small red poinsettia in her hair. She was hanging ornaments with Professor Wicks, who was rather flushed.

James and Sirius watched her for a while until she caught them staring at her; they turned away. Lily and Jade came into the Hall shortly thereafter talking quickly and laughing. When Sirius smiled at Jade she smirked and looked away from him.

"Did you see that?" he asked James, "She hates me." James rolled his eyes then said good morning to Lily who sat beside him.

"So have you thought about it?" she asked excitedly.

"Not really. You only asked me yesterday. I thought I was going to have a few days before you bombarded me."

"Well I was just wondering," she said with a smile. Then she kissed him like she did at the party over the summer and he was glad that this time he was sitting.

"What are we wondering about?" Sirius asked. Before James could stop her, Lily opened her mouth.

"I wanted James to come with me for Christmas to meet my family," she blurted out. James shook his head at Sirius in a way that Lily couldn't see him.

"Oh really!" Sirius said sounding over joyed. James looked at him skeptically.

"Yeah. He says he wants a few days to think it over."

"And I do," James said.

"Well I think it's a great idea," Sirius said. Lily smiled at him, James frowned.

"Do you?" Lily asked. James shook his head at Sirius mouthing 'no' but Sirius grinned.

"Absolutely. He's going to have to meet them at some point and it's not like he's needed at our house."

"Thanks pal," James said, "When I want your opinion I'll ask for it."

"They're really nice people, the Evans's. They'll love you," Sirius said as if he hadn't heard what James just said. He was almost laughing at the panicked look on James's face. Lily turned back to James and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Come on, baby. Please come with me. Please. It would mean so much," she moved her hands to frame his face, but he took them.

"I don't know," he said. Lily put out her bottom lip and drooped her eyes. "Don't give me the puppy look," he said, but she didn't stop. "Lily, stop it."

"Say yes, James, please come with me. I want to show you off."

"It's going to be the first Christmas without my parents," he said quietly.

"I know," she said sympathetically, "but it could be your first with me. Oh James, please come. Just for one week, then you can go spend the rest of it with Sirius." She stared ceaselessly into his eyes. He sighed and looked about the Hall.

"Well," he started. He looked back into her eyes; they were sparkling with hope and happiness. "Well, alright, but I am only doing this because I am nuts about you."

"Yes!" she squealed and threw her arms around him. James held her but looked at Sirius mouthing, "I hate you." Sirius grinned.

* * * * *

"James stand up please," Lily said the Saturday before he was to meet his future in-laws.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I want to see if I got your size right." Lily was holding a black coat in her hands and smiling from ear to ear as she showed it to him.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a coat. Muggles wear them. Now please try it on."

"I'm not a muggle."

"I know that, but it'll look good on you and I want to impress my father. So.." she said jiggling the expensive jacket in front of him. James got up and put it on.

"Perfect!" she said as she looked at him. "Now turn around." James obeyed her, though reluctantly, and turned around. Girls in the common room applauded for him. "See, they think you look very handsome. Now, about that hair."

"I have tried to fix it but it won't. There's no use in it. That's just how it's gonna be." But she wasn't satisfied. She whipped out a comb from her pocket and tired to fix his hair but nothing worked. She took the coat off of him, told him he could sit back down and went back up stairs.

"Nervous?" Remus asked him.

"Duh," James said. "Ten Galleons says her father wacks me on the head with a heavy object. Of course if that happens no one will be able to get the money, but you'll know why I don't come back."

"It's not going to be that bad," Sirius said casually, "They're pretty classy people. They loved me."

"No, they loved the alternate you. The Medical student in a tuxedo, they didn't actually know you. And you weren't proposing marriage."

"To their favorite daughter," Sirius added, which didn't make James feel any better about the next day. Lily, on the other hand, was very excited. She had bought James the coat, a blue tie, a white long sleeve shirt and had somehow acquired couplings. She had packed all her things in her trunk, had packed all of James's things in his trunk, and while she was in the mood, packed all of Sirius's things as well.

James hardly slept. What was awaiting him at the other side of the platform? He really didn't want to find out. He kept seeing himself make a wrong move. He had one nightmare that he was having dinner with Lily and her parents and he lost control of himself and put his hand on Lily's chest. He awoke with a start. "You have more common sense than that, James," he told himself. "Don't worry about it, you'll be fine," he kept whispering as he lay his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.

"James, it's time to get up!" Lily said as she ran into the boys dorm room and threw back his curtains. "Come on sleepy head," she said sweetly. She lay down next to him and ran her fingers through his black hair. "James," she whispered into his ear, "I know you can hear me. Please get up and get dressed."

James didn't move, but he could hear her.

"I'll sing to you," she said smiling. "Okay, you leave me no choice. 'James Potter, James Potter where are you? How do you do? I love you.'" James smiled into his pillow and she stopped singing. He turned on his side to look at her and grinned.

"You're crazy," he said to her. She smiled back and kissed him.

"So you've said. Are going to get up or am I going to have to drag you out of the castle in your cute little P.J.s?"

"Um," he yawned, "I'll get up in a bit. I had nightmares about today."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. In one of them I grabbed your chest while we were having dinner with your folks."

Lily laughed. "That's horrible."

"I know. It was pretty bad. So why don't you leave me here and I'll get dressed to impress. Alright?"

"Alright," she said. She inched closer to him, put her hand on his face and kissed him. And like he feared, he put his arm around her waist without even thinking about it.

"Lily, you're not supposed to be in here," Sirius said when he came to wake up James.

"Ignore him," James said to her before kissing again.

"Yeah, ignore me. Fine. But I am only allowing this to go on so you can get it out of your system. They're won't be any snogging for the next week. It'll be good for the both of you; learn to control your animal impulses. That was the one good thing about you two on the break; no kissing. I have never met two people who kiss as much as you people. My parents aren't this bad. Any time, any place is good enough to be in a lip lock. God forbid the entire dormitory is watching you as they are right now."

Lily sat up suddenly and looked around; Sirius was beside himself with the giggles.

"I got you, I got you!" he sang at her as he danced in place. James rolled out the other side of the bed and pulled out the clothes Lily had spent so much time arranging. Lily stood up, hit Sirius's shoulder with a fake smile on her face and left.

The train ride home was very tense. James kept wiping his sweaty hands on a napkin and his face was so hot with nerves that his glasses fogged up. Lily kept telling him to relax but she might as well have said it in Pakistani because it didn't work.

Sirius thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen and only wished he had the camera with him so he could get James on film.

"Don't worry sweetheart," she said to him, slicking back his hair with her hand. "You'll do fine."

"Yeah," James said absently and high pitched.

When the train slowed down James's heart rate increased ten fold. Lily started to get excited and she squeezed James's hand especially hard.

"Are you ready?" she asked jovially. James wanted to say 'yes' but there was something lodged in his throat. If he was lucky, he thought, maybe it would kill him. He nodded instead.

Once everyone unloaded their trunks and loaded the carts, they said good luck to James, who was so pale he was transparent. Sirius started to say goodbye when James grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Don't leave me," he said.

"James, you have to go with Lily now," Sirius said as if he was talking to a toddler.

"I know, but go through the barrier with me. Please Sirius. You have to do this with me." Sirius thought James looked too pathetic to go it alone, so he walked along side him and Lily through the barrier and they ended up in Norfolk.

"There they are!" Lily screamed as she ran to her parents open arms. James stopped dead in his tracks. They looked so happy to see her, which was good for her, bad for him.

"I am so glad that you came with me," James mumbled to Sirius.

"Ah, that's what friends are for."

"Look at them. They act as if they hadn't seen her for a decade," James observed.

"Remind you of anyone?" Sirius asked James, winking.

"There will be none of that going on," James said.

"That's for sure." Just then Lily pointed to James. He froze.

"They're coming over," he whispered through gritted teeth trying to look friendly to them.

"Yep," Sirius said casually.

"Well, Lily you're right," her mother said, "He is adorable." James felt his very pale face go very cherry red. Lily smiled, took James by the hand and introduced them.

"Mom, Dad, this is James Potter. James this is Mr. and Mrs. Evans."

"You can call me Amanda," Mrs. Evans said and she took James by the hand and shook it. "You seem nervous," she whispered; he smiled weakly.

Mr. Evans, as expected, didn't smile. He examined James from head to toe before formally shaking his hand. "So..." he began. "You're in love with my baby girl, eh?"

James didn't know what to say. He wanted to say yes, because that was the truth, but did he want to hear that? He decided to go with the truth.

"Yes sir. Very much," he said, he thought. He hoped that's what he said. They looked at him normally so he probably did say that.

"And you've both met Sirius all ready," Lily said showing Sirius to them. Sirius, having nothing to lose, was cool, confident and casual like always. He smiled and put his hand out in greeting.

"Oh yes, Sirius. Didn't recognize you without the tuxedo," Amanda said.

Robert walked up to him and slapped him on the shoulder as if greeting an old friend. "Sirius. The brightest star in the sky, correct?" Sirius smiled greater than before.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"The symbol for hope when all else is lost," Robert said.

"Is that right? Wow, I thought my mom just liked the sound of it. It was so nice seeing you two again. I have to leave, my parents are waiting."

"See you soon Sirius," Amanda said. Lily winked and waved goodbye as did Robert. James wanted to grab him and make him stay. But Sirius left through the barrier without looking back. Maybe, James thought, if her father liked Sirius so much he would like him just as well. James smiled at Robert, but the gesture wasn't returned.

"Amanda, Lily, why don't you two go a head to the car while Potter and I carry the luggage." James cast a desperate look to Lily who gave him two thumbs up.

Robert stacked Lily's stuff onto James cart and made him push it to the parking lot. He didn't complain, though he thought of a few things to say. But should he start a conversation?

"What kind of grades do you get?" he asked suddenly.

"I'm in the top one percent of my class, sir," James replied. Robert didn't seem impressed. James looked for Lily in the parking lot but didn't see her. This was going to be the longest week of his life, he thought, though it wasn't.

"Play any sports?" he asked.

"Yes I do. I'm captain of the house Quidditch team, sir."

"Quidditch? The broom game?"

James wouldn't call it the broom game, but he was close enough. "Yeah, that's it."

"What are you going to do after you graduate?" Robert asked. James didn't know this answer. He had given it thought but not that much.

"I don't know yet. Something important but not time consuming. I want to spend most of my time with Lily." Oh that was a good answer, he thought to himself. Perhaps he had more good answers in him.

"Have you ever slept with my daughter?" Mr. Evans asked rather blatantly. James was taken aback.

"No," he said truthfully, "No sir I have not. No way. Never. I haven't even thought about it." Okay that was a lie, James. Great, you've been talking to your future father-in-law for two minutes and you have already laid a huge fib. Great work. I only hope he can't read minds.

Mr. Evans looked at him suspiciously. James tried to look wholesome.

"What took you two so long?" Amanda asked. They had reached the car. James breathed again.

"Oh, just having a chat with the boy," Robert told his wife. The boy? James wasn't a 'boy' he was a man by wizarding standards. But he was too thankful to be at the car to give it another thought. James carefully loaded his and Lily's trunks into the trunk of the car. She smiled at him and led him to the back seat.

"Why don't you sit with your mother in the front, Princess. I'll keep Jimmy here company."

"It's James. I hate the name 'Jimmy,'" he corrected him.

"Is that right?" Robert asked skeptically. Lily watched with bated breath.

"Yes, that's right. I go by 'James' nothing else." Robert looked at him hard, but James swore he saw him smirk.

"Alright, James, get in." Robert opened the back door and slid inside, Lily smiled at James from the front then got in herself. He took a deep breath, told himself everything was going to be fine, and got in. And they were off to Lily's house for a whole week.

"James?" Mrs. Evans said, "Lily tells us you're an only child."

"Yeah, I am."

"You don't know how lucky you are," Lily said to him.

"Were you spoiled?" Robert asked harshly. James looked at him thoughtfully.

"I don't think so. No," he replied slowly.

"I hate it when people spoil their children. Doesn't prepare them for the real world. Do you want children?" Oh no. Why did he have to ask questions like this? He did want children, but do you say that to him? Well, that truth thing worked before, so he tried it again.

"Yes I do. I really love kids," James said smiling.

"They're messy you know. Time consuming, expensive, keep you up all night, they get their jelly hands all over everything, they can be smelly, and then they can get sick and everything get's ten times worse. But there are some moments when you just look into those green eyes and your heart melts. Lily was the perfect baby. My perfect baby," he said to himself. Lily turned back and smiled at him. Robert took her hand and smiled back.

"There was a time," he continued, "when Lily was asleep on my chest and I put my hand on her soft head. I remember thinking at that moment, 'this is what life is all about.'" He smiled at his own thought then quickly looked at James with the same skepticism. "Do you think you'll be a good father?"

"Yeah. I hope so. I mean that won't happen for a while, but when it does...I think I will," he said with all honesty. Robert seemed satisfied with the answer and didn't ask James anymore questions in the car-which James was eternally grateful for.

When they pulled up to the long driveway James soon saw that being a doctor in the muggle world paid well. The Evans's house was more like a manor than anything. Tall trees lined the cement driveway which winded up to the house. The front porch was made of rustic brick, and tall windows spotted the clean white walls. Amanda opened the garage electrically and pulled the Mercedes inside. There were two other cars parked there, one which really caught James's eye. It was small and black, and the decoration on the back trunk had a tiny black horse on a yellow background.

"That's a nice machine," James said looking at it as he got out of the car.

"Yes, that's my beauty. I spent forever saving for it. Do you know much about cars?" he asked James.

"Not much. We travel differently," James explained.

"It's a Ferrari. An Italian automobile; finest car in the world. I hardly drive it, but when I do..." he said with a huge grin. "I'll take you out in it."

Lily smiled at James and gave him a thumbs up. She went in the house with her mother, leaving James and her father to get the luggage. James had never been in a muggle house before. He expected something small and simple with electric outlets and funny contraptions inside; he was wrong. Lily's house was more magnificent on the inside than on the outside. The floor was wood paneling of the deepest red wood. The ceiling was tall and speckled with sky lights which allowed the bright sun shine to pour in. It was wonderfully decorated as well. There were many family photographs; they looked like a happy family. Lily had a shrine that made up the hallway. There were at least a dozen pictures of her at different ages, and some pictures of a blonde girl, who wasn't very pretty, that he assumed to be Lily's sister.

"This is our humble abode," Mr. Evans said. Yeah, abode alright, but not humble, James thought. It was clear they were very wealthy, but so were James's parents. He knew that Mr. Evans worked very hard and deserved all that he had, as did his father, so he didn't give it another thought.

"Lily," Amanda said, "Why don't you show him around," she suggested. Lily smiled, took James by the hand and pulled him through the house. Once out of ear shot she began to converse with him.

"You're doing great!" she whispered excitedly.

"I feel like I'm being interrogated," James said.

"You are, but you're answering all of his questions perfectly. I think he likes you. It'll take a little while for him to warm up to the idea though. He definitely likes you."

"Why do you think that?" James asked.

"Correcting him about your name, for one. He liked that. It means you stand up for yourself. Vernon failed that test. And being so honest about babies, he liked that too. And you admired his Ferrari when you don't know squat about cars. Oh yeah, you're doing great!"

James breathed again and felt his face going back to normal temperature.

"What else do you think he'll ask?"

"Gosh I don't know. I've never brought my fiancé home before. Just answer him honestly as you have been and you'll be fine. Let me show you around. I don't know what room they want you to stay in but I'll show you everything else. This," she said stopping at a closed door, "is my sister's room. Do you want to see it?"

"You want to show me, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah I do," she said slyly as she reached for the door knob. The room was very neat and clean. Everything was in it's proper place; the mirror was directly centered with the chest of drawers which was in a perfect line with the bed. The sheet's on the bed were tight and pressed, with two pillows on each side and a pillow centered in between them. There were no photographs in the room.

"It's clean," James said.

"No," Lily remarked quickly shaking her head, "It's sterile. Everything is in order; in symmetry. It's cold. It reflects her personality. Petunia is cold, orderly, and sterile in many ways."

"Alright," James said. He didn't really know what else to say to that, so he didn't continue.

"You want to see my room?" she asked brightly. He didn't have time to answer; Lily grabbed his hand and jerked him through the house to her room. It was very different from her sister's.

"You like blue?" he asked facetiously. She smiled. The walls were a pale powder blue, as were her blankets and sheets. Unlike Petunia, she had posters and photographs all over the walls. She had small trinkets hanging from her oval mirror and a few stuffed animals on the bed pillows. Lily pulled him in the room and shut the door behind him.

"Is that the guy that you like so much? The singer in the band?" James said as he pointed to one of her many posters.

"That's John Lennon; one of the greatest musicians of all time. He was in the Beatles. They were huge, and still are for that matter, in Britain and America. Do you want to hear a record?"

"Sure. Don't you think he kinda...I don't know..."

"Yeah I do. He kinda looks like you. But he's not nearly as handsome as you are," she said smiling and snatching his hands.

"I see," he said smiling greatly and pulling her closer to him. He went to kiss her lips just as the door opened and admitted Mr. Evans. Lily pushed James harder than she intended.

"Daddy," she said hastily. He didn't look thrilled with the scene. Actually he didn't look happy at all. Lily smiled at him but that didn't work.

"You," he said pointing at James.

"Yes sir?" he asked smiling.

"Come with me."

"Okay," he said without complaint. He really wished he could have talked to his father about the whole thing before it happened-- he would have had great advice, having gone through the same thing.

"You weren't going to kiss her in her bedroom with the door closed, were you?" he asked once they were walking down the hall again.

"Well," James started nervously.

"Because that would be really stupid. Do you know that I hunt, Mr. Potter? I have a entire room filled with prey that I have killed. I would hate to add your head to my wall, James," he said. He was clearly trying to intimidate him, and for all intensive purposes it was working. James nodded and opened his mouth to say something but Mr. Evans cut him off.

"Oh and by the way, why were you kissing my baby girl in a bathroom in the middle of the night causing her to get a detention?"

"Uh," James said. He tried to think of something. Anything would do, say anything James just don't stare at him! "Well, that's a long story, sir."

"Humor me."

"Well," he was going to have to lie. But what was he going to say? Then to his great relief Lily came after them.

"You're not trying to scare him, are you Daddy?" she asked kissing her father's cheek, "Because I went to kiss him, he didn't advance on me. I promise." Mr. Evans smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulder. James couldn't help thinking that Lily had her father wrapped around her pinky finger. Anything she did was a huge accomplishment, and even if she had done something bad it was never her fault in her father's eyes.

Lily's mother, on the other hand, was very warm and receptive to him. She kept smiling and giggling like a little girl when ever she set eyes on him.

"I knew Lily always had great taste. You're so cute!" she would say occasionally before she kissed his cheek and made him go red all over.

The first night in the house was quite unnerving. At around eight after they had dinner (James didn't eat much) the three of them showed him to his room. It was the room farthest from Lily's, he noticed rather quickly, and was actually quite nice inside. There were two large windows which opened up into the garden of the back yard. The bed was quite large and there was a nice bathroom and huge walk in closet. It was perfect and very comfortable until...

"W-What is that?" James asked pointing to the opposite wall.

"Oh yes," Mr. Evans smiled with relish, "He was the hardest to get. I spent all week hunting this one down. He ran as fast as he could, but I shot him with my rifle and he fell to the ground with a thud. What do you think?" he asked proudly as raised his hand to a stag's head on a mount.

James felt lightheaded and thought he was going to faint. Just looking at the poor creature on the wall like that was enough to make anyone want to cry. But James felt very weird about it, as if it was his head on the wall. He brushed his hand over his neck for his own mental stability, then leaned on the wall so he didn't hit the floor.

"I don't like hunting, sir," James said quietly. Then it struck Lily.

"Maybe James could stay in the room upstairs," she suggested.

"You don't like hunting? Why the hell not?" Robert asked as if he didn't hear Lily.

"It's creepy. It feel's like he's looking at me."

"Nonsense. He's deader than a doornail. I killed him two years ago, look," he took his hand and hit the stag on the head. James clutched the wall. "See, dead this one is. I have a room full of trophies like this one. I actually had a whole one stuffed once. You want to see?"

"No," James said, "I don't." But Mr. Evans didn't care. He walked over to James, pulled him by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him to the library. Lily ran after them and attempted to throw her father of his course, but it was useless.

"Ah, here it is," Robert said as he opened the double doors to the most horrid room James had ever laid eyes on. Inside were countless mounted heads of stags, each different from the next. In the corner of the room was an especially large one, in its entirety, stuffed and on display. There were hides displayed proudly on the wall like picture frames, a large deerskin on the floor in the center of the room, and a dozen bleached antlers above the fireplace.

James started to sweat heavily and breath shallowly. He wanted to close his eyes and run away but his eyes kept darting from head to head, antler to antler, and so forth. Mr. Evans didn't help the matter by telling James the story of how he had killed each of them in great detail. Lily took James's slippery hand and felt his pulse beating rapidly.

"Daddy, could we do this another time please?" she asked. He looked supremely disappointed but did what he was requested to do. Lily led James back his room and shut the door.

"I'll take it down," she said pointing to the buck.

"You never told me he hunted," James said as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead.

"I never thought about it. I'm so sorry, I didn't think about how you would react to it." She took the head off the wall and walked it out of the room. James waved to it as it passed, like it was an old friend. "So now it's gone. Remember you're human," she told him.

"I know that. But sometimes I'm what your father sees as sport. It's like it's my head on the wall. He wants to kill me, Lily, I know he does."

"No he doesn't," she said soothingly as she put her arms around him. "No he doesn't. He just sees you as a threat, that's all. He hates the idea of me growing up and loving another man that isn't him. He's dreaded this since I learned to walk. He knew it was going to happen and now it's upset him because it has. It's not you that he hates, James. You're a great and wonderful man, it's impossible to hate you. It's just the concept of me falling in love and getting married that he fears. Don't worry about it, though, he'll love you very soon. Just give him time. It's very hard to give up a child."

James sighed and slumped on the end of the bed. He ran his fingers through his hair and laid back. "I suppose," he said to her. "And it's not impossible to hate anyone. Snape hates me, of course I hate him. I wonder who hated who first."

"Snape is...well...different and..." she broke off and waved her hands. She had grown to dislike Snape an awful lot after she found out the truth, but she didn't say it. She sat down next him and stroked his face.

"I hope your father doesn't come in here," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Me too," she giggled.

* * * * *

Since there was no mounted head of his other self in the room, James slept very well. So well, as a matter of fact, that he didn't hear the doorbell ring throughout the entire house at nine in the morning. No, James was only interrupted by Lily rushing into the room, slamming his door behind her, jumping on his bed, and shaking him awake.

"What s'matter?" he asked groggily.

"Shhhh" she said. She pointed her hand to the door and locked it. Then she scrambled under his covers and held him tightly.

"Lily, what are you-- "

"Shhh!" she interrupted, pulling the covers over both their heads.

"Lily, if you father sees me in bed with you, he'll cut off my head and put it on his wall."

"He's not going to find out, don't worry," she whispered. She snuggled close to him and closed her eyes.

"Lily, what is going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, just go back to sleep."

"I can't with you all over me," he said.

"Well you'd better get used to it 'cause I like to be touching."

"Why are you in here?" he asked calmly, though he was anything but calm.

"Because I don't want to be out there. I love you, isn't that good enough?"

"And I love you too, but I gotta tell you that this is really making me nervous. Your dad threatened me yesterday when I tried to kiss you. Imagine how enraged he would be if he saw this. Now, please tell me what is going on out there that you don't want to be a part of." Lily raised her head from under his chin and looked at him.

"Something terrible has happened," she said sadly.

"What?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did and I am really upset about it."

"Lily, what is the problem?"

"Well there are two problems, really. One: my sister and her fat husband are here and two: they're staying here for the next week and a half," she said like an army had taken over her home.

"They can't be that bad," James said turning on his side.

"Ha, yeah they are. Just wait 'til you meet them, which is probably in a few moments. They'll hate you because you're a wizard. They won't be able to get past that."

"So what are we supposed to do, hide all day long?"

"Works for me," she said.

"You can't just hide when a problem arises you know?"

"I can for this one," she almost sang.

"Let's go out there and meet them," James said. Lily shook her head violently.

"Didn't you listen to Sirius about them? They're horrible people, James. Rude, mean, stubborn, rude, did I mention their terrible manners? When we were in Bermuda, a little girl got in Vernon's way, and he yelled at her. A little girl, she had to be five, and he yelled at her. He's horrible."

"So we're just going to stay here for a week and a half?" he asked.

"Yes."

James shook his head and chuckled. "Let me meet these horrible, mean, abusive people before I say garbage about them, alright?"

"Fine. But I know I'm going to say 'I told you so,'" she sang

"Okay," James sang back. He threw his covers off himself, got up and went to his trunk.

"What are you going to wear?" she asked.

"Clothes," he said.

"Oh really? Not going to go in the buff? I know you're wearing clothes. What's the ensemble?"

"Shirt, pants, socks."

"James," she exasperated. She got up, walked over to him and pushed him out of the way. She pulled out a sweater and khaki pants and tossed them on the bed. "Where's you wand?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Because I want to change the color of your sweater," she replied as if he had asked a loony question.

"I like it this way. Why do you want to change it?"

"I want you to look as good as you can so I can show you off to my sister."

"I'm part of your competition now?" he said.

"Uh huh. Now where's your wand?"

James took it out of the trunk and rolled his eyes. She snatched it out of his hands, mumbled words under her breath and pointed the wand at his right eye.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Shhhh!" she said. Then she pulled the wand back; on the tip was a small glowing ball which she cast onto the sweater. "There," she said.

"Blue?" he said, "You changed it from black to baby blue? Lily I am not wearing that."

"It's the exact shade of your iris. Don't you know anything about fashion?"

"No. Change it back to black."

"James," she wined, "Please wear it. It'll bring out your pretty eyes. I'll wear a green sweater!"

"Lily don't manipulate me. The blue is too light."

Lily pointed his wand at the sweater and made it slightly, very slightly darker. Then she smiled at him. "I love you," she said sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah. Now leave so I can change."

"I'll turn around," she said as she smiled cheekily.

"No, leave. I don't want you peeking like I know you will."

"Oh it'll be fun. It'll be like were already married." She sat down on the bed and looked at him with a huge grin.

James took his sweater and pants and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Lily heard him lock it. "You're going to hate them," she said to the closed door.

"You don't know that," he muffled through the door.

"Yes I do," she said twitting her fingers. "What are you doing in there? Even I don't take that long to get ready and I'm a girl. Hurry up!"

"Lily, patience is a virtue."

"It's not when your talking to a door," she told him. James unlocked it and walked out, though he didn't look happy with his appearance. Lily, however, loved how he looked. She jumped off excitedly and told him to turn around.

"You're simply adorable. I love the sweater."

"I hate it. And stop saying adorable."

"Ah, don't be sore. Be sore after you meet Vernon and Petunia. James you're very handsome, more handsome than Sirius is."

"I'm flattered," he said flatly. "Do I have to wear the sweater?"

"James, it brings out the color in your eyes. You just look so good in it, but if you don't want to wear it then I won't make you. Vernon is ugly, fat, and sloth like, and you are just the opposite. But if you don't want to look that good..."

"Fine," he sighed, "I'll wear it. Can we go now?"

She smiled and kissed him, "I love you."

"And I must love you to be jumping through all these hoops to impress people you hate." She took his hand and led him out of the room and down the hall. James could hear people talking and didn't think they sounded so bad.

"Good morning Princess," Mr. Evans said. He smiled at Lily and kissed her cheek then separated her hand from James's. "And hello to you," he said shortly to James.

But James didn't really notice Mr. Evans snideness towards him; he was preoccupied with the two pairs of eyes that were looking him over.

"James," Mr. Evans said politely, "this is Lily's sister, Petunia and her husband Vernon." James couldn't help but notice that Mr. Evans said 'Lily's sister,' instead of 'my eldest daughter.' James extended his hand warmly to each of them, and they took it, though they looked afraid.

"It's nice to meet you," he said with a genuine smile.

"Yes," Petunia said with a skeptical smirk. Vernon grunted as though the concept was humorous. Lily looked at James and smiled at him, raising her eyebrows.

"So," Lily started moving over to the couch, pulling James with her, "why aren't you two with the Dursleys?" something she was very curious about.

"My parents are traveling in Italy, and Marge is- "

"With her dogs?" Lily interjected. Mr. Evans turned his laugh into a hacking cough. James didn't think it was that funny, as he wasn't present at the last meeting and never met Marge. Petunia looked daggers at her sister, Vernon matched it.

"Who would like some tea?" Mrs. Evans asked trying to end the unpleasantness. "James?"

"Sure. Thank you," he responded.

"Well," Petunia started as she glared at James, "Potter is it?"

"James Potter, yes," he said slowly. He began to think that Lily was right again.

"Where did you meet...her?" she asked in a false politeness. Now James agreed with Lily completely; her sister was a monster. Petunia stared at him as if he was a dangerous animal ready to strike. James stared right back.

"Lily, you mean? She does have a name. But I'm sure you knew that, or perhaps it slipped your mind. Well, I met her at school. One of the best days of my life, really." Lily smiled to herself.

The word 'school' sent a shiver up Petunia's spine. "School?" she asked.

"That's what I said. Where did you two meet up, since that's what we're discussing."

Vernon moved his hand to Petunia's knee and grinned. "Dinner party," he said.

"Oh really?" James said, but he wasn't interested.

"Yes. I was in college, business school actually, and a friend of mine took me to dinner and I met her there."

"How romantic," James said plainly. "What sort of business are you in?"

"Construction supplies, drills mostly. I'm eepected to make director in a short time. What are you planning on?" This was clearly turning into a competition. Lily took James's arm at which Petunia took Vernon's.

"I haven't made a decision yet," James said.

"Oh but he'll be able to get a job anywhere. Top student in the school," Lily added.

"Yes, Vernon was also in the top percent of his class, weren't you sweetums?" Petunia said to her husband.

Before he could answer Lily spoke, "James is captain of the school Quidditch team and has never lost a match."

"Vernon was the winner of the Chess Tournament," Petunia said.

"James is head boy at school."

"Vernon was voted most likely to succeed."

"James was voted most likely to be the next Minister of Magic," which was a lie.

"Vernon is going to head his own business some day."

"James saved someone's life and got a special award to the school."

"Vernon was-- "

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Evans yelled over the two girls. James and Vernon hadn't even moved while they were fighting it out. "It's far too early for this. I haven't had my coffee. Now, if we can all carry on like civilized people..."

"Tea's ready!" Mrs. Evans said jovially as she came from the kitchen. She was oblivious to the fact that her two daughters were quarreling. "Here you go honey," she said to James as she handed him a cup. She gave Petunia hers and Vernon and her husband coffee. She sat down next to her husband and smiled at all of them. "Now," she said cheerfully, "what were we talking about?"

* * * * *

To say that Lily and Petunia always had violent feelings for each other, is to say that Romeo and Juliet were never in love; it wasn't true. There was a time, a time that Lily could not remember, that they got along quite well. Petunia was the first born and was four years old when Lily was brought home from the hospital. She was initially very happy that she was a big sister, and wanted to hold Lily whenever her protective parents would allow it.

There were photos of this time, photos that were pasted in albums that lay on the shelves in the Evans's livingroom. It was the next afternoon that James opened the album. He smiled when he saw the small blonde girl holding his future bride tenderly in her arms. He walked over and sat in the couch and turned the next page. None of the pictures moved, which was a bit disappointing, but he looked at them with deep curiosity. There was one picture of the four of them on a bed. Robert and Amanda were snuggled together with Petunia in the center holding Lily. They were all smiling.

The picture at the bottom of the page showed a backside view of the two girls. Petunia was holding Lily's hand and walking her down the hall. The caption bellow the picture read: Lily age one. The pictures that followed it were of the same nature. But these weren't two girls that hated each other, as they did now, they loved one another.

"You're looking at the album?" Mr. Evans said smiling.

"Yeah. You have a beautiful family, sir."

"Why thank you, James." He came and sat next to him and rested the album between them.

"They look so happy," he said looking at a picture, "why do they hate each other now?"

Mr. Evans looked into James's eyes and frowned, but not the kind of frown that showed displeasure, but one that showed thought.

"You know, I don't really remember why. It didn't happen suddenly, I know that. Lily was always very special, we could tell before she was born. Around age three, if memory serves me right, she started moving stuff just by looking at it. She only did it a few times, mind, but it really scared Petunia. Amanda and I were thrilled with her prodigy-like abilities; we were thinking of sending her to a school for the gifted, but they were all so far away from us. We didn't know that she was a wizard back then, but weren't surprised when we found out. I think Petunia showed her fear through negativity and hostility towards Lily. But, as I am sure you know, Lily isn't one to lie down and take it. She stands up for herself and can hold her own, always has. But I don't know when it started, the two of them hating each other like that. They're both so different and four years apart. Maybe that's it. And sometimes Lily would play some tricks on her," he chuckled silently, "but she never meant it badly."

James turned the page to find a photo of Lily on the floor eating chocolate out of a mixing bowl; most of it didn't make it into her mouth. She looked four or five. Mr. Evans grinned at the image.

"She's so beautiful," James whispered.

"Yeah she is. She is more precious to me than anything in this world," he said looking at James.

"I understand. I feel the same way. I'd be lost without her, and it's not just because she bosses me around." Mr. Evans laughed.

"She can be pushy sometimes, can't she?" he asked. James grinned.

"Yeah sometimes. She's right most of the time anyway, so it's alright."

Mr. Evans looked at James as if he finally understood him. James looked up at him and saw the expression on his face.

"I love your daughter, sir. I love her more than anything. I want to marry her and make her the happiest woman on the face of the earth."

Mr. Evans looked at him but didn't smile, though he wanted to.

"And what makes you think you deserve my baby girl?" James smiled to himself and stared back at the picture of her with chocolate all over her face.

"Well," James said, "I don't think I do deserve her, sir. I have never met anyone as kind, as smart, as mysterious and magical as your daughter. I still don't know what it is about her...but she is so special. Every time I look at her I can't help but wonder as to why me? She could have had anyone in the world, but she chose me. I honestly don't understand what I have that interested her. The only thing I know is that from the moment I saw her it became my mission to make her smile. God, I would do anything for her, anything at all and without hesitation. Well, to be honest I hesitated about meeting you and your wife. I was afraid you would shoot me and mount my head on the wall."

Mr. Evans laughed heartily and put his arm around James's shoulders.

"You're not bad, kid. Not bad at all," he said to him. "You have to know, though, that Lily deserves the best in life. Nothing from the bottom; the best."

"I might not run my own business, or be voted most likely to succeed, but I promise you that no matter what kind of hardship we're in, I will always love her. I will always put her life before mine, I swear it to you and to her. And she'll have whatever she wants, whatever she needs to be happy." And at long last Mr. Evans approved of him.

"So," he said, "Tell me about this sport you play; Quidditch, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Well there are seven players all on flying brooms. The goal is for one team to score on the other. There are three chasers-- "

"Oh I know the rules already, Lily has told me. But what about winning, have you ever lost a match?"

"Nope. We are undefeated. I have a play book if you'd like to see it. It shows some highlights of the games."

"Absolutely," he said with a grin. James got up and went to his room to get the book when Lily entered the livingroom and sat next to her father. He held her close to him and smiled.

"I like him, Princess. You did good," he told her.

"You like him?" she asked excitedly.

"He's a good man. You'll be happy with him. And if your not, just call, and I'll rip him apart for you." She hugged him and kissed his cheek when James came back into the room with his book. Lily got up and jumped into his arms, which was slightly shocking, but he liked it.

He sat down in between the two and explained the various Quidditch plays and maneuvers to Mr. Evans while Lily held tight to James, glad that the two men in her life understood each other.



The next morning was the same as the past two mornings. The six of them had tea and didn't say much to one another; just stared out the windows. James agreed with Lily; the Dursleys were horrible. James tried his best to be nice and polite to them, but Petunia and Vernon couldn't see past the fact that he was a wizard and wizards used magic. He avoided them as often as he could by spending every waking hour with Lily, which was rather enjoyable. She played all of her Beatle's albums for him, then moved on to Elton John and later some American bands like Fleetwood Mac and the Doors.

"I like the one about the guy with the flat top," James said to her.

"Oh yeah, 'here comes ol' flat top, he come groovin up slowly.' It's actually called 'Come together' and that's the Beatles. I'll put it on." She slipped the record out of it's jacket and put it on her player.

"I like this group," James said.

"They're my favorite too." She walked back over to her bed and lay down next to James. "Where are we going to live?" she asked.

"Where ever you want."

"Is there a predominantly wizarding neighborhood?"

"Um, the only one I know of is Godric's Hollow, but even there half of them are muggles. You saw it, what did you think?"

"I liked it. Hey have you thought at all about your career?" she said.

"A little. I just don't need something that takes a lot of time and makes tons of money. I have a huge inheritance. We'll be very comfortable, I promise. What do you want to do?"

"I was thinking about being a doctor," she said.

"Yeah?" he leaned on his side and looked at her. "That would be perfect for you."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Dr. Lily. It has a very nice ring to it. Have you told you father?"

"Not yet, I wanted to tell you first. I would have to go to medical school and it takes about four years."

"So? If you want to be a doctor, go for it."

"What about children?" she asked.

"What about them?"

"Well, how soon? How many? You know."

"I think we should try being married before we throw a kid into the equation. And one at a time would be good for me." She smiled and agreed.

"Small wedding or large?" she asked.

"Small; just friends and family. Are you going to invite your sister?"

"Hmmm...I don't know. She didn't invite me, so maybe I should invite her. It's not like she'd go anyway. When should we get married? I turn 18 in July and you on the second of August so probably sometime after that, right?"

"Sounds good. Late August or September would be perfect."

There was a knock on the door. They both got off the bed, though they weren't even holding hands, but thought it safe to be standing.

"Yes?" Lily asked. Her father opened the door and peeked his head inside.

"We're going to go out to breakfast, would you like to join us?" he asked.

"Are Petunia and Vernon going with you?"

"Yep, but that doesn't mean you two can't come along."

Lily looked at James, who looked back. She frowned at him which told James she wanted to stay at home which is what he wanted to do.

"No thanks," she said, "Go have fun without us." But he looked concerned with this concept. He did like James but leaving him alone with his daughter was a whole other matter.

"What are you two going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know. Just hang out I guess."

"Why don't you take another car and go someplace different. We'll take the Benz and you can take the Jag. Go to the new café. It's about ten minutes from here and it's pretty good. Okay?" Lily knew that he didn't trust them in the house alone, so she agreed to the proposal. "And bring us back some napkins. I like them." Then he left.

"Napkins?" James asked.

"To prove that we were there."

"Ah," he said. "What's 'the Jag'?"

"My mom's car. I know how to drive, though, not to worry. Let's go." She took him by the hand and went down to the kitchen where the four of them were congregated. Mr. Evans took a key of his key ring and gave it to Lily.

"Drive safe, now," he told her. She took the key and walked with James into the garage where the three top of the line cars were parked.

"Which one is it?" he asked.

"The green one. Come on." She opened his door then went around to the driver's side and buckled her seat belt. She started the engine, opened the garage door magically and pulled out.

"Not that I don't trust you, but how many hours do you have behind this machine?" he asked.

"Oh about 30 or something. Driving is a very simple thing you know. I could even teach you. There are two types of ignitions; automatic and a stick shift like this one. I have to push the clutch, the pedal to the far left, and then put it in gear using the shift," she said pointing to the stick in the middle console, "into the gear I desire. Then I let out the clutch while I apply the gas to make the car move forward. It's very simple."

James looked utterly confused. Lily drove forward very slowly and stopped at several signs which read 'stop.' Driving didn't look that hard, at least the steering part, but the whole clutch and gas thing really made his head hurt. She was doing a lot of work on those pedals and he knew he couldn't do that.

"I prefer brooms. They seem a lot faster," he said. Lily glanced at him.

"Oh really?" she asked with a smirk. "Well let me get onto a remote country road and let her out. Then we'll see which you prefer." Lily made several right turns and pulled onto a very strait and long road in the countryside. "Now, buckle up."

"I don't think we're going to go that fast," he chuckled. Lily floored the gas; the car lunged forward with an almighty roar of the engine. She shifted up into second, then into fourth (completely ignoring third) and then into fifth in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, 110 miles per hour!" she yelled as trees and bushes passed them in a blur. She looked over at James and saw that he was clutching the seat with a look of horror on his face. She found this to be funny and laughed manically.

"Slow down, slow down," he begged her, but she pushed the car faster till the speedometer read 130.

"Isn't this fun?" she asked him. He shook his head. She sighed and took her foot of the gas and let the car slow down. She turned it around and started to drive to the café in her neighborhood. "Now you can tell Sirius that you have been in a car with your hair on fire. You have to admit you had a good time, James. I saw a glimmer of joy in your eyes for a split second."

"No that was a glimmer of being scared sick and it wasn't for a second it was for eternity." She laughed some more and slapped his shoulder as if he was joking, which he wasn't. He kept his seat belt securely latched around himself and held the seat until they parked at the café. Lily got out as if it was normal to speed someplace like lightning, while he took several minutes to rip himself from his seat.

It was a nice place, the café, Lily noticed once they finally got inside. She asked for a booth and they were seated immediately. Both of them took some napkins and stuffed their pocket's with them and ordered some tea.

"I need to tell Sirius about all of this. He's going to be upset that I have yet to write. He's probably wondering about how things are going. I wonder what he's doing."

"Probably wishing you were with him. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. I wonder what they're going to do or give for that matter."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Well, last year Petunia and Vernon gave me lined paper and a single ball point pen. I think it was used. You know the saying, 'it's the thought that counts', well there was no thought."

"It could have been worse. I mean at least they didn't give you a used tissue. Now that would be low." Just then Lily saw short chubby woman enter the café alone. She wore a small black hat on top of her brown, curly hair which was greying. Lily hid her face. "What's the matter?" James asked.

Lily pointed to the woman without revealing her own face. James turned to see her and noticed that she sat in the booth adjacent to them. "What's the problem?" he asked.

"She was my second grade teacher. She's a bit...different."

"Oh you hate her," he said as he took a sip of tea.

"I didn't say that."

"No, you said she was different. That's what you always say about people you don't like. What did she do to you? I really am curious."

Lily slouched down in the booth so that her chin was just above the table. "Well she was yelling at my friend because her picture had too much color in it, and I liked my friends picture so I got mad at her. Well...I thought it would be funny if she was yelling at my friend only wearing her underwear, because she would look really stupid, and right as I thought that...well...her clothes...kinda disappeared. I didn't mean to do it, I just lost control. The whole class was laughing and she sent me home to my parents." James was sniggering to himself at the image of the woman sitting behind him only wearing her underwear. "It's not funny. She looked at me like a bug for the rest of the year."

"I have one question. There wasn't a friend, right? It was you the whole time." Lily looked guiltily at him and smiled. James laughed again. "Well, well, well. And here I thought you had always respected the teachers. You're just as bad as I am."

"Not even close. I didn't mean for it to happen," she said.

"No, but you were happy when it did."

"Well yeah, I guess," she admitted. James took her hands and pulled her back up from her slouch position.

"You know, I had a false pretense about you. I thought for all of those years that you were perfect, innocent and angelic. But now I see that you're a wild child."

"I am not a wild child," she said though she was grinning.

"You are too. You undressed your second grade teacher because she didn't like your painting, you ate chocolate out of a bowl and couldn't manage to get it into your face, you were up late at night making out in a bathroom with moi, cursing at a Quidditch match, shattered a glass in someone's face, and drove your father's car over the speed of sound. Tell me you're not a tiny bit on the wild side."

She tried to keep a straight face but was unable to maintain it.

"Maybe, but not as bad as you are. I think you're my problem. All your badness has rubbed off on me. But that's they way the ball bounces."

"Ah, evil by association. Well we could make this breakfast more interesting."

"And how's that?" she asked.

He pointed to the teacher behind him and grinned evilly. Lily's eyes grew ten times and she shook her head violently.

"No, don't you say anything," she whispered threateningly. James grinned even more as he saw the panic on her face.

"Yes, yes. It'll be fun. It's not like you'll ever see her again. Live dangerously, Lily. Life's short; have fun."

She didn't say anything out of fear that he would do something stupid.

"James," she said after several tense and quiet seconds. She was getting ready to lecture him on the necessities of maturity, but he stopped her by saying...

"Lily Evans!" her teacher pricked her ears and listened to the booth, "How many times do I have to tell you? I will not, I repeat will not have sex with you," he smiled at her. Lily's face went redder than a tomato. She tried covering it with her arms, but she could still feel the heat radiating through her sweater. "Haven't I told you that we are far too young to be doing that. I mean I know your beautiful and you lust for my body, but come on now! Just try to contain your desires for me deep inside, okay?" James was saying it very quietly so that the rest of the café couldn't hear them, but her teacher did. Lily hoped that James was finished so that she could strangle him, but he continued with the play.

"I just thought we had agreed to wait a while, 'til we were married. We decided it was best for us, remember?"

Lily peered at him through a gap in her hands. He was still smirking. Her teacher had turned around and was now staring at her with rapt attention. Lily lowered her hands and then crossed her arms.

"James whatever your middle name is, Potter, I hate you. How can you say those lies in a café? You humiliated me."

"It's Byron, and I didn't humiliate you. No one else heard."

"That doesn't matter."

"Lily Evans?" her teacher asked, "My you have grown."

"Hello Mrs. Schnickel," Lily kicked James hard under the table.

"I thought that was you but I wasn't sure. How are you my dear?" She didn't seem scandalized by James's performance, which was surprising.

"Just fine, and you?"

"Oh never better. Who is this handsome young man?"

"This is my friend-- "

"Her fiancé," James interrupted as he turned to shake her hand, "James."

"You'll make a great couple. I'm here waiting to meet my son and grandchildren."

"That's nice." Lily really didn't want to carry on the conversation, as their food arrived. Afterwards the two of them left, got back into the Jag and raced home, literally. The other four had already arrived and looked surly. James and Lily gave Mr. Evans his napkins, and they ran back upstairs to Lily's room where they talked about their future together.

* * * * *

Christmas was the next morning. Lily rose early and drug James out of his bed so he could see all the presents under the tall tree. She had put his under it earlier that night, as did he for hers. She took all the packages that were for her and put them in a pile. Then she picked some up and shook them.

"Sweater," she said for one of them then cast it aside. "Jewelry box," she said for another one. "Books, and that one will be stationary and that one should be-- "

"Why even bother wrapping them?" he said.

"Because guessing is half the fun," she replied as she continued to guess all of her gifts. James sat down beside her and leaned against the wall. This was it, he thought, the first Christmas without his family. He tried to look happy, but he really wasn't. The house he was in just seemed so foreign, and he felt strangely out of place. He was the only one left.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"That's not very convincing. You miss them, don't you?"

He nodded. Lily moved over to him and leaned against his chest, which he found very comforting.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him.

"It's not your fault."

"I know but I can still be sorry."

"I just hope that someone get's that bastard," James said.

"Yeah, me too. Someone will, James, I know someone will."

"You two are up early," Amanda said to them. "It'll be a while 'til your father and your sister rise and shine, I'm afraid. I don't think they'd mind if you went on without them." Lily looked happily at James, and he smiled back. Lily ripped open her gifts in a flurry of excitement as if she was six years old. James took great delight in just watching her.

She got a sweater, a jewelry box, books, and stationary like she said she would. Liz had given her a glass figure of an owl, which she loved, and Jade sent her a framed picture of the two of them. Petunia and Vernon hadn't gotten her anything. James sat up when she got to his gifts and crossed his fingers that she would like them.

First she opened a perfectly squared shape box.. Inside was a porcelain ballet dancer no bigger than her hand. She was thin, with red hair and green eyes, just like Lily.

"She's beautiful," she said to him. He just smiled and signaled for her to continue. "This one's a picture in a frame," she sang as she unwrapped the next one. "Oh my goodness. How did you get this?" she asked as she stared down at the autographed picture of the Beatles. "I love it, how did you get it?"

"Well, I'm not completely helpless in the muggle world, you know. A friend of my Dad's is also a huge fan and knew one of them, I don't know who or how. So I picked out the picture and told John your name and he got them to sign it for you."

Lily kissed him for a great while before he told her to open the last two. "What more could you have gotten?" she asked. She unwrapped a small box and cooed when she saw the contents. They were the figures that go on top a wedding cake. The groom look just like James and the bride exactly like Lily. She could have cried she was so touched. And then the last one was a rather large package with holes on one side. Lily ripped it open quickly and...

"It's so cute!" It was a baby owl. She opened the cage and it jumped on her lap hooting happily. "How old is she?"

"A few months. She can fly and everything, you don't have to hand feed her."

"Thank you so much!" she said flinging herself around him. "Mine aren't as good as yours. It's hard to shop for guys."

"I don't care." He didn't agree with her though. She had gotten him perfect gifts. A silver wristwatch, a photo of her in a frame, a very large anthology of all the Professional Quidditch teams in the world, and a comical book called "Way's to fool your friends and teachers, by Cosmica Hoodwink." Sirius had also given him some humorous gifts like a tiny toilet with the word 'curry' written on it, and a t-shirt that read, 'I am property of Lily' which he found very funny.

Mrs. Evans was right; the other three didn't show up until ten that morning, when James and Lily were more than finished. They had their Christmas, which was very cheeky. Vernon bought Petunia a lot of jewelry, dresses, slippers, and a coffee maker. To keep them from hearing Lily's interpretation and symbolism of the gifts the two gave to each other, James took her by the hand and led her upstairs.



But the most controversy of the visit didn't happen until the day before James's departure. Christmas had passed; all the gifts had been given, all the family had met, and now it was down to the cabin fever. Well, actually it was really only Petunia and Lily that had it. They couldn't stay in the same room without tearing each other apart with verbal quos. Vernon and James watched on the proverbial sidelines and egged them on. Amanda and Robert tried to send them to the corner to think about what they had said, but they were too old for it.

Lily, fed up with her sister, went outside to take a walk. James followed and told her that she had definitely won the argument, but she didn't care.

"I hate her," Lily said stomping her feet on the driveway, "I hate her, I hate her, I hate her! I just wish that for once we could talk and not secretly desire to have our hands around each other's necks squeezing. But that's that. So we can talk now about whatever."

James didn't really know what to say and didn't have to say anything because a four year old boy ran into Lily's arms.

"Lily!" he said in his mutchkin voice. Lily hoisted him up in the air and spun him around.

"How are you, Tyler?" she asked.

"Good," he giggled happily. She kissed his chubby cheeks and ruffled his brown hair.

"How was your Christmas?" she asked.

"Good, I got a wed fiwor twuck and awmy soldiows," he told her happily. He was obviously still having trouble with his 'r's.

"Cool," she responded with enthusiasm. "Where's your mom?" He pointed with his tiny fingers to a woman at a mailbox.

"Hello Lily!" she yelled.

"Hi Mrs. Schmidt!"

"Who's that?" Tyler asked as he pointed at James. Lily smiled.

"I'm going to marry him in a few months." Tyler didn't look happy with that answer, but James shook his small hand anyway.

"I thought you said you wewor going to mawee me," Tyler said. She laughed.

"Oh sweetie your too young for me to marry. I'll still see you though; I'll visit whenever I can, okay?"

"Okie dokie smokey," he said. Lily gave Tyler back to his mother and walked up to the house. "So, I go back tomorrow and leave you with these morons, eh?" James said.

"Yeah, you leave me with the morons. I don't think Vernon graduated in the top one percent of his class, nor do I think that he was voted most likely to succeed. She lied to us."

"You mean I'm not going to be the next Minister of Magic?"

"James, I said that because she lied to me first. Every other thing I said about you was true. He just seems like too much of an idiot to be smart. Perhaps he was voted most likely to hit someone if they got in his way."



Later that evening the electricity died and all six of them were thrown in the dark. Petunia and Vernon complained loudly about it, but Lily knew just what to do.

"Damn power company," Vernon grunted.

"Oh Vernon it's not that bad," Amanda said, "I'll just get us some candles if I don't trip over anything on my way there." Lily opened her palm and blew inside it; in an instant a ball of fire floated over her hand. James did the same and went to his room to get his wand. Vernon and Petunia shrieked at the site of the fire.

"It's just magic," James said. He and Lily went separate ways to get their wands and brought them into the livingroom. In a matter of seconds, 25 lit candles were floating in the air of the room. Robert looked delighted at the sight; Vernon and Petunia cowered.

"How d-did you d-do that?" Vernon asked.

"I told you, it's magic. There's nothing to be afraid of," James reasoned. But they still looked at him like he was an alien from another planet.

"Oh floating candles!" Amanda squealed with excitement, "The benefits of having two wizards in the house. Who wants pumpkin pie?"

Robert, James and Lily all said yes, but the other two were still watching the candles with rapture. Lily found this to be more than amusing and wanted to do more magic but decided against it.

After pie and coffee everyone went to bed, as the power was out. James and Lily extinguished the candles and made them disappear. Everyone said goodnight and went to bed. James was the most relieved, as it was his last night with all of those people. He loved Lily more than anything, but it would be nice to go back with Sirius in the morning.

He hit his head on the pillow and sighed. He had done it. He had won the approval of Lily's parents by a landslide, there was nothing to worry about now. He was just about ready to fall asleep when he heard his door creak open. Lily locked the door and ran inside.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

"Okay, now would probably be a good time to tell you that I am afraid of being alone in the dark."

"What? You've been okay for the past week," he told her.

"Yeah but I had a nightlight on and the power's out and I can't have one. And I lit a candle but I kept thinking 'what if it catch's fire in the night and I burn up?' You don't want me to burn do you? And I tried thinking of something else to do, but in the back of my mind a tiny voice kept saying 'go see James' so I did and here I am."

"Well what am I supposed to do for you?" Lily looked at the spot next to him and smiled. "Oh no, you cannot sleep in this bed next to me, not now when your father loves me."

"But I'm afraid to be alone in the dark," she whined.

"Lily, don't do this to me. If you get in here with me a little voice in my head will start talking. A voice very different from yours, understand?"

"So I have to be alone and afraid?"

"Yes," James said firmly.

"But-- "

"No buts, you can't sleep with me. That's final."



Lily sighed and smiled as she lay her head on James's chest. "This is much better," she said snuggling close to him. "Don't you think?"

"No. That little voice keeps talking to me. I'll never get to sleep."

"You want me to sing to you?" she asked softly.

"Sing?"

"Yeah, you know that thing you do with your voice when your not talking but making a song with music."

"I know what it is, how is it going to help me?"

"I sang for Tyler over the summer to make him go to sleep. It's not any different; he's shorter than you are but that's about it." She laughed at her own joke, and James smiled.

"Alright," he said casually putting his hands behind his head. She hoisted herself up so that she was directly above him.

"Now, look into my eyes and relax. You're getting sleepy," she said. James snorted. "Shhhh," she said laughing and running her hands through his hair. "You have to follow my instructions or it won't work."

"Oh now I understand," he said sarcastically.

"Let me try this again," she whispered, her head inches from his. "Alright, now you just listen to my voice; let it carry you away."

"I'm ready," he whispered to her.

She started to hum a tune he had not heard but liked. He moved his arms from behind his head and wrapped them around her. She smiled then she started to sing; at first very softly but it grew to a beautiful note:

"Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You-hoo-oooo, you may say I'm a dreamer,

But I'm not the only one.

Perhaps some day you will join us

And the world will live as one."

James looked at her with longing in his eyes; she looked at him the same way.

"Yeah, I can see how that works," he said.

"Uh huh," she whispered back her lips being magnetically drawn to his 'til they finally met.



The alarm clock rang loudly at nine in the morning. Lily squinted at it but didn't want to concentrate hard enough to summon it to stop, so she leaned across James and shut it off.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Nine," she said collapsing onto him. "You snore, you know."

"Well at least I don't kick," he yawned stroking her hair.

"Ew, you're breath is very stinky," she giggled.

"Well it can't be as bad as yours. You're like a fire breathing dragon."

"Thanks honey," she said.

He chuckled, "You're welcome sugar." She looked at him and smiled. "What is it?" he asked.

"I can't wait to do this every morning with you."

"Ahh," he said. "Me neither. I have a teensy question though."

"Shoot."

"Won't your parents worry when they go to wake you up and you're not there?" he asked. She dropped her smile and threw the covers off of her. She ran to the door but then she heard voices in the hallway. If they saw her come out of his room still in pajamas, they would fear the worst.

"Window," she said to herself. She opened it, jumped out and ran for the other side of the house. "Cold, cold, cold," she mumbled as the ground was covered in snow. "Think Lily, how are you going to get up into your room. How are you going to do it? There's no Trilliaceae like in the movies so how do you get up there. You're a witch, think of something. How about..." Lily looked around. "Drain pipe!" she said. She grabbed it and started to climb, which was very difficult; the pipe was very cold. But she was a witch and used some basic magic to help herself up the house wall. She unlocked and raised her window by looking at it, and hoisted herself inside. "Oi, this is hard," she said as she tried to push herself through the small window. Finally she landed on the floor with a crash and saw something that made her stomach drop.

Petunia was standing by the door, a Polaroid camera in her hands, with a fresh picture waiting to develop.

"Well, well, well. Where have we been all night long?" Lily was at a loss. This was bad. Petunia had a look of great success on her face and Lily was still sprawled on the floor. "Innocent Lily, pure, innocent, perfect Lily was sleeping with her boyfriend in her father's house. Daddy's going to love to hear this."

"Petunia, listen, it isn't what you think. I didn't do anything with him."

"Sure you didn't."

"It's true!" she yelled. She really wanted to hit her with a bat but didn't have one on hand.

"Daddy's little Princess has been tainted. The flower has given it's honey. Curious Potter isn't so curious anymore."

"Nothing happened, Petunia, you have to believe me. Give me that picture," Lily got up and slowly advanced on her.

"Not in a million years. They'll never send you back to the school for freaks now that I have this. Imagine, sending a daughter they can no longer trust to a place where she can do anything with that wastrel."

"James isn't a wastrel. He's far better than Vernon and I think you know that!"

"Oh how sentimental of you. He's vermin, Lily, no better than a street gypsy with glasses. He's just a good-for-nothing mope with no aspirations or potential. He's no better than a dog with fleas!"

Lily leapt at her and knocked her to the ground. Petunia shrieked with pain and anger; Lily pulled her sister's hair hard and punched every part she could hit. Petunia used her nails and tried scratching Lily, screaming obscenities all the while. Lily tried to grab the picture grasped tightly in Petunia's hands, but it was just out of reach.

"Give it to me!" Lily yelled.

"Never!" Petunia screamed. The two of them were an entangled ball as they kept fighting mercilessly on the ground. Petunia finally got the upper hand and kicked Lily in the stomach with all the strength in her body. Lily buckled over and fell back. Petunia got up and ran for the door, but Lily had enough strength to lock the door magically so she couldn't get out. Petunia kicked it but to no avail.

"Give me the picture," Lily said balancing her self on the bed.

"No," Petunia panted.

"If you don't give me that photo I will ruin your life, so help me God."

"Ha! An empty threat."

"Oh is it. If you go down and tell mom and dad that you have a picture of me coming through the window, it'll mean nothing. If you tell them that I slept with James, though, you have power. But, I know things about you that would make them vomit."

Petunia listened.

"If you tell them about me and James, which resulted in nothing, I will tell them that you smoked pot with Elliot Jenkins when you were 15 in the livingroom."

"How did you know that?" she asked panicked.

Lily grinned, "You're not the only one who can spy on people. So, I can be nice and forget about the fact that you wasted yourself and fried your brain, or I can be very talkative. The choice is yours."

Petunia did some brief thinking, but she was very crafty. She smirked with pleasure and paced around the room.

"That was a long time ago. This was last night and still going on. They would forget about my incident, but they wouldn't forget about yours. I might have smoked, but you, their perfect daughter, undermined them in their own home by sleeping with a man you have yet to marry. That will carry far more weight than your silly little story about me!" She turned around and walked to the door again but Lily was suddenly struck with an excellent idea.

"Oh Petunia," she said in a mock kindness. She turned around. "It'll be nice seeing you in the future and so convenient on our part. Just imagine, your having dinner with your gossipy friends, and who pops up but me and my family out of thin air. When you least expect it, I will appear in your life in a blink of an eye. What will they say about you? 'That Petunia Dursley, have you seen her family? They're wizards! I saw them with my own eyes, doing magic everywhere.' And I'll tell all of my friends about you and where you live. We'll see you everyday, wherever you are, wherever you try to hide, I'll find you."

Petunia looked horrified; Lily continued. "But if you give me that photo and speak nothing of my whereabouts last night, you will never see me again. I promise you."

Petunia glared at her, searching Lily's devilish grin for the truth. "Never again?" she asked.

"Except for our parents funeral; never. You will never see James and me, that's a promise. Just give me the photo." Lily stretched out her hand to take it. Petunia thought it over; it was a fair trade. She slowly handed the picture to Lily, who snatched it and ignited it in flames. They both stared at one another before moving, as if they had something more to say. Finally, Petunia went for the door, and had grasped the knob when Lily got an uncomfortable feeling in her gut.

"Petunia wait," she said massaging her stomach. "Since this is the last time we'll see each other in a while," she knew what she wanted to say, but she didn't know why. Petunia looked at her blankly. "We are sisters," she started, "The only thing we have in common is our parents. I know we have never really seen eye to eye, but...I think that deep down we still care for each other in some way, probably very small but enough. I know you think I'm strange but I want you to know something. If you ever need help, help in anything, whether you are moving to a new house and need help packing or something terrible happens, I'll be there for you. You can call on me for anything and I'll appear instantly, no questions asked. I don't expect you to do the same, but I just wanted you to know that I'll watch your back."

She looked at Lily with an abnormal expression. Lily thought she wanted to nod in agreement, and perhaps she did, but Petunia just stared at her as if not knowing how to react. She went for the door slowly and exited the room without saying anything; Lily sighed. She went to her closet to get her clothes, changed, then went downstairs.

Petunia hardly said a word over breakfast, which was most unusual.

James was to leave at noon; the Blacks were picking him up by car. Lily requested that they drive, considering all the muggle company they were in, instead of using floo powder or the violent purple Knight Bus which would certainly cause alarm. Sirius would not be coming as a safety precaution.

Noon rolled around a lot faster than Lily would have liked, but James was ready for it. He shook Mr. Evans hand, who smiled and treated him like his son, then Mrs. Evans kissed him, ("You're so adorable!"). Out of common courtesy, which was very low, Petunia and Vernon said goodbye to him, very formally. Lily walked him out of the house towards the road.

"Thanks for coming, James," she said to him.

"Well, it had to be done. It was kinda fun, actually. But I'm so glad that I spent all my time with you. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I wish I could go with you," she said, fumbling with his hands.

"So do I. But next year it'll just be us; no one else."

"Not even Sirius?" she asked.

"Not even Sirius. No extended family allowed. It'll just be you and me and a Christmas tree."

She laughed, "You should be a poet. I'll see you in a week then?"

"Yeah, a week. Maybe I'll go back sooner. If I do, I'll be sure to tell you." A small car pulled up the driveway; it was Mr. Black. "Right on time. I'll see you soon, Lily. I love you."

"I love you, too." He held her in his arms and kissed her goodbye, not knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Evans were watching out the window eating cinnamon rolls. Lily let go of him reluctantly and watched him get into the car and drive away.

She stood in the driveway for several minutes thinking; thinking of what there was to come in her life. Thinking of the time she would spend with him. Wondering if she would ever do anything extraordinary...