Lily is a bit of a lonely first year; she doesn't know many people, especially anyone popular, like James Potter. She meets a bit of a weird future Slytherin, then one of James friends, when she is in a bit of a sticky situation in the girls' loos. Alison helps her out, and introduces her to her friends, but when James and Lily fall out big time, how will the rest of the group react? James and Lily are forced to resolve it themselves, or they will suddenly be friendless. But is there a scheme going on in this resolution?

Author's Note to Angel flower: Um sorry? How they hell do you not know what writer's block is!? How long have you been on FanFiction? Anyway. writer's block is 'an inability to write'. Basically, you're stuck, + u can't write. I liked ur story, BTW.

**** Helloooooooo! It's glumfrog!!! Thank you soooooooooooo much for all the lovely reviews!!!!!! I adored them all, and have rid myself of my horrid writer's block, so I am freeeeee! Freeeeeee to write!!!!!!!!! Waaaaaaahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (Think Timone from the lion king... Yes, I know, am v. weird, you don't have to tell me. Although, if it is in a review, then I would very much like to hear about how weird I am. Hint, hint!)

Anyway, I need to get on with actually writing this stupid fic, rather than going on about how much I would like you to tell me how weird I am in a review. I just realized that I just completely repeated myself. Ah well, nothing I can do about it, is there? Well, actually, there is. I could delete all of this crap, and not post it, because no one will actually read this, and it really is just an outlet for my weird, weird words, and that is exactly why I am going to post it. To show you all how weird I really am. I am a weir d freak. Actually, I only wrote that last thing (I am a weird freak) to add an extra 'weird' in, because I am consequently going to ask my self - and anyone else who's mad enough to read all of this - how many actual 'weird's there are in this load of crap. Hold on a sec whilst I count. Eleven! Eleven 'weird's in this whole thing! (Well, up to the point where I counted. But there's probably more by now due to my weirdness. There I go again...) To tell you the truth I thought there'd be more. But, there you go. I am now going to do a very random thing. I am going to ask anyone who just read the above paragraph to review now and tell me. (I know, subtle, aren't I? But I siriusly want to know! I swear, I am going to actually start writing 'siriusly' instead of seriously, on, like English papers and stuff, but anyway...) So go on... If you just read the above crap, review, and tell me what you think of me! I dare ya! (Okay... I am very sad.) So far, there are two more 'weird's contained within the text from when I last counted. That makes thirteen, to anyone who can't work that out. Okay, I'd better add another, coz it's unlucky. Uh-oh. Okay... weird. There we go. So, review, if you actually read the above text, I wanna see how much point there is in me actually writing this. Or anyone writing it, for that matter. OMG! I've used up almost a whole page writing this, how sad am I? Wait... don't answer that. So review. Yeah. Story now.

[The above was the result of a delectable mixture of icing sugar and milk. I suggest you try it. I have calmed down now, and heartily apologize for any of the above, but refuse to remove it for nostalgic reasons.]

Bibi Cya Glumfrog xxx

**** "Why do we have to go and see Evans?" James whined, for the third time that lunch. Consequently, Remus rolled his eyes for the third time that lunch. Remus, Sirius and James made their way down to the hospital wing, fighting and arguing all the way.

"Because *we*" Remus replied, without taking his eyes of the corridor ahead, but gesturing to himself and Sirius, "Unlike *you*" He gestured to James, "Actually like Lily, and want to check if she's alright."

"Yeah, and *you*" James said, mocking Remus, "Unlike *me* are over- sensitive pansies." (A/n: I kinda stole that from OotP. Sorry!) Sirius sniggered, and James held his head high. Remus glared at him.

"Sirius, You're supposed to be on my side! James just called you a pansy!"

"I know. And it's so true." Sirius mocked. But both Remus' and James' eyes widened in shock, they stopped, and turned to look at him. Sirius held up his hands in defeat.

"I wasn't serious!"

James couldn't resist the temptation. He faked a look of surprise and demanded, "Who were you then?" They all groaned simultaneously, and then grinned. The pun was so overused, that it was becoming funny.

"But Peter didn't have to come!"

"Yeah, that's 'cause he's too busy stuffing his face." A secret knowing smile passed between all three of them in a moment of silence, each aquatinted with Peter's rather repulsive eating habits.

But James wouldn't let the silence lie for too long. "I can do that!"

"Oh James," Remus' eyes clouded over. "Give it a rest." James was completely taken aback. Remus was usually so understanding. Sirius and James exchanged glances, but the exchange couldn't go any further than a glance, because they had reached the looming entrance to the hospital wing.

Crouched in front of it, curled up, was a small figure whose dark hair formed a sheet over her face. Remus knelt down beside her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The pale, scared looking face of Alison O'Neill shot up into view. Her eyes were wide and scared looking, flickering, and her robes were crumpled and creased. James and Sirius stooped down, James despite his constant dispute with Alison, in shocked concern.

"Alison," Remus began gently, "Are you alright? What happened, did you and Lily have a fight?"

Alison shook her head violently in reply, and looked over her shoulder in a frightened manner, into the hospital wing, and presumably to where Lily was, as if someone might charge through any moment, and stab her in the back. "I - I can't tell you what happened - " Alison said shakily, and she choked, "I - maybe you should come back later -"

Remus' eyebrows knit together in disquiet, but he nodded, and squeezed Alison's shoulder. Remus, James noted, with great curiosity, was treating Alison like a child. And she was far from protesting. In fact, she warmed to it.

James listened to Remus' response with increasing interest.

"Yeah, sure. You get yourself sorted out, alright?" This was the sort of situation, that, if it weren't so serious, Remus would be teased about for days. But even Sirius recognized the sobriety of the situation, and kept a civil tongue. Remus got up, his knees clicking in response, and made a move to walk away. James couldn't believe his eyes. He grabbed Remus sleeve, and pulled his face close to his own.

"You're not just going to leave, are you?"

Remus looked at James incredulously. "Of course!"

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because Alison asked us to!"

"But you're not going to get a chance to see Lily?"

"No. We'll come back another time."

"SCREW THIS!" James suddenly exploded, "I am not wasting another one of my lunch times traipsing down here to see bloody EVANS!" And he grabbed Remus' and Sirius' sleeves, and dragged them into the hospital wing. Neither of them seemed to be able to resist, both recovering from dumb shock.

There was only one bed occupied in the hospital wing, and it was right at the end, in the corner, with a thick yellow wool curtain drawn tightly around it. James strode purposefully down the rows of beds that lined the sides of the hospital wing, and reached the end one in a sort of satanic triumph. Remus and Sirius remained at the other end of the hospital wing, scared to move, and exchanging worried looks. They had scarcely seen James this maniacal, but when they had, it usually ended in disaster.

James flung the curtain open violently to reveal Lily Evans sitting up in the hospital bed, Eyes wide and staring. She made no sign of recognition when James stood in front of her, but stared straight past him. Her eyes were bloodshot, and rimmed with purple, and the edges of her cheeks were wet with tears. Her mouth was a thin line hidden beneath her nose, and her hair hung limply beside her. A letter was clutched tightly in her hand scrunched up into a tight ball. But James, if a little shaken by her gaunt appearance, seemed unfazed. He sneered at her, and then approached the bed. He saw the letter and pulled the offending hand towards him. He prized open her white fingers, and Lily, not seeming to realize what was going on, relinquished her grip. James looked at Remus and Sirius as if to say, I told you so, and uncrumpled the letter smugly.

"Lily," James began, reading slowing, and enunciating every syllable, "Sorry we didn't explain ourselves clearer, blah blah, blah blah, blah," James scanned the letter, trying to see why Lily was so upset, and reached it, "Ah, here we go, Petunia is very sick, darling. She's dying. You'll be able to see her when you come home for the holidays, be strong for us, Lots of love Mummy and Daddy, kiss, kiss, kiss." James seemed unimpressed. "Well, aren't we just daddy's little girl? Who's Petunia? Your dog? Guinea pig? Honestly, girls! I don't know why you're so upset!"

But James stopped talking, because Lily's eyes had come into focus, she had opened her mouth, and was whispering very, very quietly.

"You bastard," She murmured, furiously, "You absolute bastard!" She was talking through gritted teeth, as she swung her legs slowly out of bed. James, for the first time, looked slightly worried, and backed off, looking to Remus and Sirius for help. But they shook their heads, faces as white as Alison's.

Lily was advancing on James. Tears were streaming, afresh, down her face, now, and she backed James up into a wall. "Do you know who Petunia is? DO YOU?" James shook his head. "Petunia's my sister you foul, inhuman creature!" She was shouting now. So loud, that it echoed through the hospital wing. No one dared breathe. Lily collapsed on the floor, her arm wrapped around her head, body wracked with sobs. James looked sick.

"Lily, I -"

"FUCK OFF!" Lily yelled, as loud as she could muster, then wept into her arm again. The whole room rang with a stunned silence.

"I - " James tried again.

"Just get away!"

"I'm sorry-"

"Yeah? Well sorry is just not fucking good enough!"

"But - "

"Get out," Lily hissed. "Get. Out." James backed away. "I never want to see your disgusting, foul, heartless face again." James walked slowly out, never turning his back on Lily, who was on the floor, panting, and seething with rage.

James tried one last time, "I - "

"You what?" James opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and closed it again. "Just leave me alone."

James let out an anguished sigh, and then backed out of the hospital wing, never taking his eyes off Lily. Sirius and Remus left also, unable to say a word.

Lily waited until all three had left, and the door had slammed shut, before flinging herself on the bed and burying her head in the pillow, dampening it with her tears.

*

A large stone gargoyle hopped dutifully out of the way to reveal an absent looking Albus Dumbledore. He walked slowly down the corridor, engrossed in some official looking letters.

Poppy Pomfrey bustled along in the opposite direction, staring down at her fingers, which were twisting in anxiety. She had though it best to come and speak to the headmaster, when Alison O'Neill had told her about Lily's situation. She had asked the young girl to sit outside the hospital wing, and bar any visitors from entry.

Poppy Pomfrey didn't stop on her pursuit, until she came face to waist with the older man. He shook his head, as if he were surprised to see her, and tucked the letters, which, Madam Pomfrey noticed, sported the emblem of the ministry, back in his pocket.

"Why hello Poppy, I didn't see you there." Albus Dumbledore said cheerfully, peering over the top of his half moon spectacles at her. Madam Pomfrey blushed at being addressed in such a manner by the headmaster.

"Hello. Headmaster." She replied hesitantly. "Um, I have a patient down in the hospital wing, that -"

Dumbledore's face suddenly turned very grim. "Ah yes, Miss Evans, I believe."

"H - How did you kn-"

"That is not a matter that requires your concern," Dumbledore said, gravely. "I am aware of Miss Evans' condition."

"Oh." Was Madam Pomfrey' stunned answer. Looking up into the old man's eyes, she saw a single tear gracing his cheek. She stared at the ground, with a red face, embarrassed. "Um, should we. go?"

The headmaster nodded, and gave her a kindly smile, then strode off resolutely down the corridor, leaving Madam Pomfrey to trot along frantically behind him in order to keep up. She reached the entrance to the hospital wing a few seconds later than Dumbledore, breathing heavily, and saw that he was already sitting next to Lily on the end bed.

For a moment, Madam Pomfrey merely stood in the doorway watching Lily's streaming white face, and Dumbledore comforting her, the sound of her own heart pumping fast and loud in her ears. Then she realized the hospital wing looked strangely different. Odd, somehow.

She looked up and down the rows of beds a couple of times, then realized; the curtains were missing, and, on closer inspection, folded neatly at the ends of the beds. Madam Pomfrey frowned in confusion, and strolled up the aisles inspecting each one as she went, discovering, to her further confusion, that each sported a letter.

Walking down the row of beds in interest, she passed the letter M first. Then she passed I, and H. A curtain was left blank. Then E, T, A and H. A second curtain was left blank. The final letter was I. This was all done very neatly and methodically.

"Mih etah I?" Madam Pomfrey questioned, her brow furrowing in concentration. Maybe it was written in another language. Maybe Lily was a parcel-tongue. But she was in Gryffindor; Parcel-tongue was a Slytherin trait. Could you even write parcel-tongue down? Maybe it was Latin. A spell or something; she remembered back to her own school days, and never recalled having been very good in languages, especially Latin. It could mean 'You are Poppy Pomfrey', (a/n: I was gonna write Poopy Pomfrey then. I know, how funny.) and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't know. Although she highly doubted it would say something like that.

Then it suddenly occurred to her the she might be walking the wrong way as she read the message, therefore, seeing it backwards. She walked back down the rows in the opposite direction, and sure enough, the message spelled out was pure English:

"I hate him." Madam Pomfrey whispered wonderingly to herself, spelling out the message that only Lily could have left. She wondered what had happened while she had been away. She suddenly realized that when Dumbledore and herself had entered the hospital wing, the girl who had escorted Lily down to the hospital wing, Alison O'Neill, wasn't there; she wasn't outside the doorway, where Madam Pomfrey had left her.

At that exact moment, Lily let out a huge sob, and all Madam Pomfrey's thoughts of Alison O'Neill left her. Her attention turned to Lily, but Dumbledore signaled for her to return to her office.

"But." She protested feebly, but Dumbledore gave her a disciplinary look, and she walked away submissively.

*

Lily turned her head away from Albus Dumbledore, burying her head in the pillow. She felt weak, with hunger; she had had little breakfast, and also with helplessness. There was nothing Lily could do for Petunia. She was dying, and Lily couldn't stop her. It seemed she was so insignificant. Dumbledore was watching her with a great sadness in his eyes. Lily just wanted him to go away. What business did he have trying to comfort her? It wasn't his sister, was it?

Lily watched both adults in the room with great contempt. Madam Pomfrey walked up and down at least six times before she understood Lily's message. Stupid fat idiot. Despite the kindness she had shown her when she had come to the hospital wing in the first place, Lily was angry with her. Angry with her for leaving, and letting James Potter in. Angry with Remus and Sirius for letting *him* do that to her. Angry with her parents for not telling her in their first letter. Angry at Petunia for dying. She was angry with everyone at the moment. ESPECIALLY James Potter.

Lily didn't know what had made her write that message. She was just so overwhelmed with emotion that she had torn down a curtain. And another. It was a good way to vent your anger.

She hated him with the greatest revulsion that anybody had ever felt. Or at least it felt so to her.

Finally, when Madam Pomfrey left, she managed to choke out,

"I w-want to g-go h-home."

"Sorry, Miss Evans?"

"I want to go home."

"Very well."

"W-what?"

"You are permitted to leave Hogwarts and return to your family."

". Thank you."

Dumbledore nodded acceptingly. "It's quite alright." He gave her a small warming smile, and suddenly Lily didn't feel so bad.

*

"I am a total bastard. A total Bastard." James Potter looked at his silent friends for some kind of response. They remained silent for a while longer until Remus opened his mouth and spoke with a parched throat.

"We knew her too, James. Petunia."

James closed his mouth and eyes in frustrated despair. "Holy shit."

Then, after another long pause, Sirius spoke up. He was grinding his teeth and obviously finding the situation very difficult to deal with. "Maybe we should just go back to the common room."

The agreement was silent, but all three of them turned away from the lunch hall, and up the stairs to the common room, leaving a bewildered Peter sitting in the lunch hall, taking occasional bites of his sandwich.

When the reached the three common room, they sat down in a secluded circle of four chairs, another long lapse of silence enveloping them. James looked up from his shoelaces, which were untied and frayed at the edges. He should tie them up, he knew, but it just seemed so trivial. He looked at Remus, and to his great surprise, saw a tear shimmer on his cheek. James was completely taken aback, and didn't know how to react. Then Remus looked up too, and caught James' eye. He just stared at him, looking so sad. James was fully disoriented. He had no idea what to do or say. He looked at Sirius too, praying that he wasn't crying. He wasn't. James breathed an almost audible sigh of relief.

Then Remus spoke up, just as suddenly as he had done before.

"It's so sad." He managed to get through, before his voice cracked. Abruptly, James left his seat, went over to Remus, and gave him a hug. Sirius did the same, and all of them just stood there for a moment, before the portrait slid open and they broke apart. It was Peter. He looked very cheerful.

"Hi guys! Since you didn't come back to dinner I figured you'd be here." He trailed off, noticing their glum faces, "What's the matter?"

"Um." Started James, since the others didn't look like they were going to say anything. "It's nothing." Peter looked at him, quizzically. "Well." He tried again, "Me and Lily had this big fight. Huge fight. She's not speaking to me. Don't talk to her about it. In fact, it would be better if you didn't talk to her at all."

Peter nodded, apparently satisfied with this answer. "So." He said, plopping himself down on the spare chair in the circle of four. "What'cha wanna do?"

There was a long pause before anyone spoke.

"Why don't we do some homework?" Sirius said fishing an unfinished transfiguration essay out of his bag, and slapping it on the table.

"The day Sirius says he wants to do homework is the day the world comes to an end!" Peter joked, smiling around obtrusively at all of them. Remus managed a weak smile, but got out his own essay out of his bag, and started making notes in pencil. Peter shrugged at James, but got his some charms texts out of his bag anyway.

*

A while later, Lily returned from the hospital wing. She cast only a quick glance at James, it was one of the most pure hatred imaginable, but there was something else there. Something that looked like sheer disappointment. James winced. Peter slapped him on the back and said heartily,

"Well what can you expect, mate, you just had a huge fight with her!"

No one said anything after that.

*

Alison drifted along the corridor, thoughtfully. Things had changed so quickly. After Sirius and Remus and James had left, She had exchanged a small departing smile with Lily, which had told her that she wanted to be left alone. Alison complied, and walked solemnly off down the corridor. Where she was now, oblivious to where she was, or who she was about to bump into.

"Ow!"

"Ow, yourself!"

Alison's eyes widened, and she blinked a few times. "Cleo?"

"Ally? Ally! Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Close to." Alison muttered sullenly.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Look, listen Cleo, something really bad has happened. It's Lily's sister, you know, Petunia?" Cleo nodded accordingly. "Well," Cleo looked scared and confused, "She's dying." Cleo stumbled back a few steps, leaning on the banister, processing this information.

"Oh my God, That's awful! What happened? How does she know?"

"I'm not sure, her parents sent her a letter-"

"Is she alright? I mean, how is she coping and-"

"Cleo?" Someone yelled loudly from down the corridor, cupping their hand around their mouth so the sound was magnified. Alison looked. A dark haired girl stared rudely back at her. Then she broke the unspoken competition to look at Cleo again.

"Well, are you coming?" She asked, in the same magnified voice. It was so loud in comparison to the deserted corridor.

"Where are you going?" Alison asked, appalled that she would just leave.

Cleo smiled apologetically at Alison, whilst answering, "Lunch," and scuttling off down the corridor, like a minion of her dark haired companion, yelling back over her shoulder to Alison,

"Give my regards to Lily!"

"Her regards?" Alison wondered incredulously. She also noticed that the Goth makeup was nowhere to be seen. What had their Cleo become in just a few weeks? A groupie? Worse: a slutty groupie! Cleo?

She meandered the corridors and empty classrooms, aimlessly. Everyone was at lunch in the great hall. She found herself facing the portrait hole. She considered entry. There would be no one in there. Well, she had nowhere else to go.

"Paddywack," She said to the fat lady, whilst thinking,

The portrait swung obediently open, and Alison stepped in, not really noticing, as she passed them, the secluded corner of four boys doing homework dutifully. And if she did notice them, they topped her list of most unlikely to be James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, simply because they were doing homework. Dutifully at that.

She flopped into an armchair resignedly, and muttered,

"Life is a pigsty. A pretty fucked up pigsty too." Then, faintly, she heard a mumbling voice,

"Remus, could I borrow your eagle's quill a sec?"

"Sure, whatever Peter."

Remus? Peter? That meant that surely James and Sirius were with them too? Unless there were another Remus and Peter in the school that just happened to be friends. And who happened to own an eagle's quill, which he knew Remus was in possession of, because of the countless times that Lily had borrowed it.

Lily.

James.

James! What A dickhead! She hadn't heard the exchange perfectly from her position outside of the hospital wing, but she had heard a lot of swearing on Lily's part, and when all three of them had come out, they looked pretty nauseated. James must have said something really awful for all three of them to come out looking so bad. Admittedly, Alison had had her ear pressed against the keyhole, but she still hadn't heard to well.

She knew that James was the one who had said the worst though, or maybe the most, mainly because he looked the most terrible, but also, Remus and Sirius kept trading little glances which James must have noticed, (he was intelligent, she would hand him that - she would obviously never admit it to anyone though,) but chose to ignore, and she had only heard his voice through the keyhole.

Eventually, Sirius came over and sat next to her. She shot him the dirtiest look she could muster; why hadn't he stopped James? She had half expected him to say something. But he didn't, he just sat there.

After while, his eyes glazed over. It was then that Alison realized that he had gone to Lily's muggle school. He must have known Petunia pretty well.

Maybe he was just too shocked to stop James when he found out. Maybe she misunderstood the situation, after all, she hadn't been there. She moved closer, and rested her head on his shoulder.

He stiffened in surprised, but after a moment or two, he adjusted, and rested his head on her's.

After a while, when Alison was in a dream world of half reality, and half dream, a school owl flew in and dropped a letter on Alison's lap. She withdrew her head so suddenly, that Sirius was put momentarily off balance, and nearly toppled over.

It was another note, like the one that Lily had received at breakfast that day. In fact, it was so similar, that Alison was worried that the owl had accidentally delivered it to Alison, and it was supposed to go to Lily.

Alison felt a little guilty reading the note, considering it might be Lily's. So guilty in fact, that she turned around to the owl, to try and give it back, but it was already gone. Alison sighed a resigned sign, and flipped the note over. Sirius leaned over her shoulder to read it at the same time.

~*~*~*

I'm going home.

xxx

~*~*~*

** You liked? Hopefully. OMG I spent AGES writing this chappie, I hope I get good reception! Plz? You like the new format? New format or old? (just incase you don't know what I'm talking about the new way of writing from lot's of peeps points of views. If you didn't notice that, you really must be blind. Or, alternatively, I must be really subtle. I think I prefer the latter. Hehe, surprisingly enough.)

Okay, plz go back 2 the top, and read my author's note, it's rather amusing. Hehe.

Okay, c u guys in chappie nine! OMG, I can't believe it! I never thought I carry this through that far! I hoped I would, but I never thought I'd actually do it!

Note to someone who asked (can't be arsed to go back and check, no offence): this story is supposed to go all the way through to their end year.

Lol Glumfrog xxx