A/N: Some of you wonderful (I do mean that) readers already know why this took so long, since you read the ADM update. As to the rest of you, I'll just say that I haven't been in town and I had no computer...that about sums it up.

       I actually wrote the beginning of this chapter during a blackout in Arizona, but I did end up changing it a bit later on. Speaking of AZ, I've always loved the monsoon storms there. The lightning is spectacular; my sister and I stood outside just to watch it for a while, and we got to see one horizontal bolt cover 180 degrees ;) Lol, we had a birthday party for my little brother and there was another blackout, so we went inside the house to watch all the little kids beat the crap out of the piñata on the floor by way of flashlights. Oh well, the rain helped put the wildfire out, after all! I'm speaking of the one by Tucson, in the Catalina's, if anyone lives around there. I feel so bad for those people on the mountain...

       But I'll shut up now, because I think you'd rather read the chapter anyway!  It's just that I can't talk about boring things in real conversation, because my friends would tell me to shut up, but here I can ramble without interruption! Hope everyone's enjoying their summers!

@~~~~~~~~~~~@

Chapter 22- Unresolved Holiday

       It was foolish to think about it; Lily knew that. It irritated her the entire time she lay awake, staring at the ceiling of her dorm room. The fact that there were much more important things to direct her attention to just made her more annoyed at James. If he hadn't looked so irresistibly attractive standing there in the common room, she would never have lost her train of thought and kissed him, even if it was only a half-kiss. She scowled. Now that she had done a bang up job of completely contradicting what she had been trying to say about where their relationship was headed, he was bound to be making ridiculous presumptions. He was going to be expecting more of that, no doubt... Well let him expect! She thought bitterly. But he sure as hell isn't going to get any more of that from me! Although, the thought that maybe she wasn't the only one that might snog him made her irrevocably jealous, which in turn caused her annoyance to deepen.

~*~

       Lily practically jumped out of bed the next morning, feeling like she deserved some answers. Oh, not from James. She had every intention of avoiding him for the time being, as she still had no idea what she was going to do about all that...No, she was going to speak with Professor Dumbledore. He was the only person that she could think of to put herself at ease. While his answers could very well make her feel worse, she was hoping that he'd have some good news to share with her.

       She pulled on some clothes hastily, tied her hair back, and left everything else in her dorm how it was. Less than ten minutes later, she was standing just outside his office, having remembered yesterday's password to relay to the stone gargoyle. Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly.

       "Come in." A tired voice commanded from inside.

Lily stepped through, feeling a bit worried all of a sudden. Had this really been a good idea?

       "Ah, Ms. Evans. I'm pleased to see you. I had a feeling you would be coming." Although he was looking grave, he seemed to be doing a good job of maintaining his usual air and Lily found herself comforted by that. "Take a seat."

       She did so, clasping her hands together in her lap nervously.

"I trust that you have a few questions for me?" Dumbledore said quietly.

       "Well, sir," she began all at once, "I've been a bit- well, worried- about Daniel Hopkins."

The headmaster nodded. He frowned slightly and hesitated a moment. "No, I'm sorry Lily. We haven't been able to learn anything of his whereabouts. You will, however, be one of the first to know."

       This did absolutely nothing to lighten her conscience. She had been afraid of this. "But, sir-" she gave up, not knowing what to say next.

       He was regarding her with a patient gaze. He acted like he sensed her stress and sympathized with it. Perhaps this was why she had come to see him; he had always understood her before. Dumbledore, however, seemed regally unaware of anything of the sort, and simply watched her. When she failed to speak, he began, "You're probably also wondering about Ms. Johnstone." She was indeed. "I have come to a decision, though I'll admit that it was not the easiest thing I've ever done."

       "What?" she inquired breathlessly.

"Well," a small smile spread across his thin lips. "I saw it only fitting to allow her to help with the Order of the Phoenix for the time being."

       Lily was about to laugh, before she realized that he wasn't joking. "But - Prof -" This was absurd, what was he thinking of? This might have been the very first time that she had disagreed with any of Dumbledore's decisions.

       He held up a hand to silence her, and explained in a firm tone, "Ms. Johnstone may have useful information for you. She seemed to truly repent of what she's done in the past, and I'm under the impression that she will do anything to help you at the moment."

       "At the moment?" Lily asked incredulously, a little louder than necessary. "What's that supposed to mean?"

       "Forgive me," Dumbledore said with a serene sigh, "I mean to say that she will most likely not be a permanent member of the Order-"

       "Oh really?" In other circumstances, Lily would have been revolted at her attitude; arguing with the headmaster! But she was far too annoyed and weary for this. Not to mention apprehensive.

       "If you would let me explain, I think you'd find it all more to your liking." He stated in a perfectly even tone. "She has agreed to do whatever I need her to, and I think I'll probably be asking her for assistance in the near future."

       "Really though," Lily tried again, attempting to calm her temper. "Do you think she's fit to be trusted?"

       Dumbledore paused. "I have no doubt that she's trustworthy. And a good judge of character is one thing I always liked to pride myself on." He smiled. "I think, that if you gave her another chance, you would see what I mean."

       Lily took a deep breath. "Yes, sir." She managed reluctantly. She rose from her chair, feeling as if she would like nothing better than to curl up in front of the common room fire in silence. She moved towards the door.

       "Oh, and Ms. Evans?" She paused, waiting for him to continue. "I sent an owl to your mother regarding your sudden appearance at the castle, but I have a feeling that she'll want something a bit more- well - personal."

       Lily was too caught in her thoughts to give this statement much observance right then, so she simply nodded and swept out of the office. However much she didn't want to, she needed to tell James about this; she required a second opinion.

~*~*~

            James gazed into his bathroom mirror, not exactly looking at his reflection; it was more like he was trying to look beyond himself, into his head. Obviously, this did absolutely nothing. He was still as uneasy and undecided as he had been before. Sighing, he splashed a bit of cold water onto his face, and then ambled back into his dorm and frowned at the empty beds. He missed having his friends there, especially Sirius. Padfoot was always joking loudly, never allowing thought. Without him here, James was free to dwell on things he would rather not. Really, the only person around here was Lily, and he wasn't looking forward to talking with her. Lately she'd been trying to distance herself; even more mentally than physically. Things had never gone right for the two of them, which made him wonder which part of his mind thought that it could work now.

            He was searching through his drawers for a shirt was his door was thrown open. Lily stood in the doorway, and immediately her eyes widened when she saw that the upper half of his body was uncovered. Her cheeks flushed a bit before she managed to quickly gather herself together and throw a glare at him, as if everything bad was his fault. James frowned. "Need something?" He growled.

            She purposefully ignored his attire and strode over to his bed, where she sat down and faced him. "I thought you might be interested to know the situation with Kelly." She inspected her nails, as if they were suddenly very interesting. "But I suppose not."

            He forgot all about getting dressed and went to sit beside her. "Don't be stupid, just tell me."

            "You have no consideration; ever heard of asking nicely?" He simply glared at her, and because she was so eager to tell him in any case, she gave up. "Fine." Her tone became distasteful, as if she would rather not voice the information but knew it was necessary. "He's put her into the Order."

            "What?" James stared her in the face, trying to discern whether she was joking or not. No, he decided, she wouldn't look so bothered if she wasn't serious. "Why would he ever do that?"

            Lily snorted. "Don't ask me. He seems to find it reasonable."

"Reasonable! My god, she almost got us killed! Unless Dumbledore's turned to the Death Eaters," he allowed himself a dry chuckle at the idea, "then he's lost his marbles!"

            She rolled her eyes at him. "Lost his marbles, indeed. I don't suppose you have a more sophisticated way than that to describe the situation." But she seemed to privately agree.

            He frowned at her a second time, and their eyes remained locked for a moment, green fighting brown, until she pulled her glance down to her hands.

            James broke the awkward silence. "Well can't we convince him otherwise?"

"I tried already." Lily sighed, and flushed a little remembering her immediate reaction to the news. "And anyway, even if she did already know about the Order, he must have told her more about it, and that's enough to worry me."

            He hesitated briefly. "Well," he spoke quietly, "We'll just have to take it on ourselves to keep a close watch on her. Dumbledore's never been wrong before, but I'm not so sure about this time…"

            "There isn't anything we can do about it at this point besides make sure she doesn't sneak away…" she trailed off, shuddering at what Kelly could make happen if she released any important information to Voldemort. After a moment, she looked up at him and met his eye. "Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who disapproves." She didn't appear to be glad in the least. Lily's emerald eyes scanned him carefully. "Now stop showing off like a prat and put a shirt on."

       James looked down at himself and realized that, indeed, he was still only half-clothed. He glanced back at Lily and saw that despite her annoyed manner, she was eyeing him with quite a different expression. Smirking, he grabbed the shirt he had earlier thrown aside and pulled it on.

       Lily pulled her eyes away finally, snapping back to herself, and evenly announced, "Let's go, then."

            "What? Where?" He eyed her curiously.

She mumbled, "I promised you we'd go to Hogsmeade, didn't I?"

            His face split into a grin; he had forgotten all about that! She took notice of his grin and couldn't help but smile slightly in return.

            "I just need to grab some money from my dorm; I'll meet you in the common room in five minutes." With that, she stalked out of the room.

            He watched her retreating back until it disappeared around the corner, and then pulled out some money of his own and stuffed it hastily into his pockets. Damn, now if only he could remember where he had left his shoes…

~*~*~*~

            They returned to the Gryffindor common room late that evening. They hadn't spent much of the trip together; it was Christmas Eve after all, and they hadn't bought presents yet. Plus they were acting a bit awkward toward one another- angry one moment and silent and staring the next. It was like some sort of contest, to see who was better at acting stupid. If anyone had asked James what their relationship was, he wouldn't have been able to answer. He couldn't read into her when she was putting so much energy into being unreadable. So he'd given up. Whatever their present relationship was, it was clear that it made neither of them happy. Add to the mix the fact that James didn't have his invisibility cloak, since their trunks were still missing, and you had a thoroughly unsettled afternoon.      

            The two of them had managed to sneak out of the castle without fault, walking through the passageway in silence. It reminded both of them of the first time they had done this together, and neither wished to discuss that. They decided to go to the Three Broomsticks first for a butterbeer.

            "What will you dears be wanting?" Madam Rosmerta asked them happily, obviously not registering their grim expressions.

            "Uh, two butterbeers, please." James requested, and then settled back into his seat across from Lily.         

            "So you have manners for other people, but not when it comes to me?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

            He stared defiantly at her and then down at the table, not bothering to protest. Lily was still staring at him when the butterbeers finally arrived. As the buried their faces in their drinks, James suddenly felt a slight pressure on his leg. He frowned, and his eyes widened when he realized that it was Lily's foot. "Uh." He said.

            She looked up with a questioning gaze, and when his eyes dropped to his leg, she understood. "Oh, sorry! I thought that was the table." She grabbed her mug for another drink, not meeting his eye.

            For some reason, he didn't believe her. But why on earth was she doing this to him? And why did she look so unbothered by it all?

            They had left minutes later and went their separate ways to shop. And now, back in the common room, Lily was sitting on the couch before the fire, warming her hands. James was upstairs, doing something or another. He had said goodnight a few minutes earlier. At least there was no accidental kiss this time, Lily resolved. Maybe she had assumed too quickly that he would be expecting her to continue kissing him, after last night's slip. But he hadn't mentioned it at all today. In fact, he'd shown considerably less warmth towards her today than he had in the past few days. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but decided to leave the matter alone for the time being and head up to bed herself.

~*~*~*~*~

            Lily couldn't help but feel in lighter spirits; it was Christmas! She was going to forget all of her problems, even if only for twenty-four hours. Deciding to be festive and wear red and green, she dressed in rather a hurry. Not sure what she was hurrying for, she slowed a little on the steps leading to the common room. Of course it was filled with all of the Gryffindors who had stayed behind for the holidays; mostly young students. Her eyes sought through all of them and found the one person that she knew - James. He was sitting in one of the chairs to the right of the portrait hole, watching the scene before him with a slight grin on his face. Smiling (and appearing to forget all previous arguments with him), she walked right over and took a seat in the chair next to his.

            He grinned at her and ran a hand through his dark hair, making it stand up even more. "I got you a present." He announced, handing her a nicely wrapped gold package.

            "Oh - er - thanks. I got you one too." Lily handed him his, and they both began unwrapping simultaneously.

            After a minute's fumbling, Lily exclaimed, "James, how could you possibly remember?" she held up a book entitled All Charms, Known and Unknown.

            He shrugged, glancing at the book with an unreadable expression. "I wasn't sure what to get you, but then I decided on that, just to show you that I really do listen to everything you say, whether you think I do or not."

            "James…thanks." Her eyes held an affectionate expression when she looked up at him. She had mentioned the book briefly when they were first getting to know each other; she didn't know what she was going to do after Hogwarts yet, but she was certain that it would involve charms. This book was the most rare charms book of them all, and she had wanted it since fifth year but never found it. That was the next thing she intended to ask- where had he found it at? Surely not Hogsmeade- she'd looked there a million times before.

            He nodded to say 'you're welcome', but was busy staring at his own present. It was a rectangular box, all black with gold trim. He had flipped the lid back and was gazing inside. "Erm…what is all this?" he asked finally.

            She smiled at him warmly. "I didn't think you would know. I talked with the Zonko's shopkeeper yesterday, bought a few special things from him, and charmed them myself. It's a few assorted things- that lotion will do horrible things to other people's skin (temporarily, of course), the water will only make you more thirsty …oh, and get a professor to eat that candy and they'll lose their voice, irreversible by any charms I can think of, for an entire day. I thought that one would come in handy if you weren't up to listening in a certain class…There's other stuff too. I wrote out a description of everything on that parchment there, and clearly labeled it all so you can't do anything stupid…" she trailed off, waiting for him to say something. Just as he opened his mouth, however, she added, "You'd better be happy. Nothing else like that exists, and I spent a lot of time looking up those charms last night. Who knows, Zonko's may even like one of them enough to buy the rights to make it."

            James grinned at her. Practical jokes never disagreed with him. "Thanks a bunch, Lily. I'll bet Sirius will fall for any of these, especially since he's never heard of them."

            "Well…just don't try anything on me, alright?"

He simply smiled. They both looked away from each other, lost in their own thoughts. While the gifts were satisfying, they were also completely friendly. Not, well, romantic in any way. It wasn't as if either of them wanted that, and they weren't even surprised that it had turned out this way. It was just another thing to add to the pile of evidence for an unlabeled relationship. Oh well.

            At that moment, there was a tapping at the window. Lily wasn't sure how she heard it, since the window was all the way across the room. Either way, she rose and walked over to open it to bring the owl inside. It hooted softly and stuck out its leg for her. A Hogwarts owl - who around here would need to send her an owl, and now of all times? James appeared at her shoulder as she unraveled the parchment.

Ms. Evans-

            I mentioned it to you when you left my office yesterday morning. Your mother does indeed wish for a more personal response. She wishes to speak with you. Kindly come up to my office as quickly as you can.

Professor Dumbledore

"What?!" James actually voiced what he thought of it first. Lily simply stared at the parchment open-mouthed. So that was what Dumbledore had meant by personal. She hadn't known, and so had dismissed that last comment of his thinking it was insignificant. If she had known…She shook herself.

            "How am I supposed to talk to her from here?" Lily asked, not expecting anyone to answer. "My mum's a muggle, after all."

            James shrugged. When she started to move towards the portrait hole, he stepped forward. "Do you - er - want me to come with you?"

            She glanced at him silently, and then shook her head. "No. No need for you to see her too. It'll just make her angrier and you annoyed, because she tends to annoy everyone." She smiled weakly at him. "Just meet me down in the Great Hall, since we'll be having the feast in there shortly."

            Lily turned away from him and tore out of the common room. Her stomach and spirits had dropped considerably, and she wasn't sure what to think about this. Her hand closed tighter around the parchment. Why can't I have just one day off? She thought angrily. It wasn't fair.

            When she entered Dumbledore's office, he was standing near his desk. He began to speak as soon as she entered. "I'm sorry about this, but it must be done. She demanded that you come home, and stay there, but I insisted that I'm in need of my Head students very much at the moment."

            "Well then, what's this about?" she blurted out, staring openly.

"In order to compensate for keeping you, I told her that I knew of an old spell created by a muggleborn who was frustrated at not being able to contact his parents easily and efficiently. It allows for her image to reach you and yours to reach her, for up to thirty minutes. You cannot touch each other, but you'll be able to hear and see. I've already done what is required; she should be appearing any moment now."

            Indeed, as soon as he finished, Mrs. Evans was suddenly standing between them, her image rather transparent but there nonetheless. Lily hardly had time to recover from shock before Dumbledore added in a soft tone, "Don't forget to join everyone at the Christmas feast. I'll leave you two to talk freely and go down there early." He gave Lily a smile that was both encouraging and sympathetic, although she dimly felt that in a twisted way she deserved this, before he left the room completely.

            Mrs. Evans had been glaring at both of them in turn, having dropped her usual polite and airy demeanor for something that made Lily fear what her mum was going to do next. She reminded herself that they couldn't touch each other. The problem was that words usually did more harm than anything else.

            "What were you thinking?" Her mum screeched in a horrible tone. "I can't believe it! You have no idea what kinds of excuses we had to make up for Patrick and anyone else who wished to know!"

            Lily scowled immediately. "And to think you might have been worried about my safely instead. You always did care more about social things."

            Mrs. Evans' face was a terrible shade of red. "You're really not in a position to argue with me! I'll have you know that as soon as you step off that train for the summer, you're not going anywhere!"

            This was only a repeat of their usual arguments…Lily's gaze had moved over to Dumbledore's desk, beside which were two trunks.
            Her mum noticed what she was looking at. "Yes, he asked that I send them back. I should have kept the boy's trunk, criminal that he is!"

            Lily snorted. "Criminal? Where's the verdict on that?"

"It will never work, Lily." She practically spat at her daughter. "And it's about time you realize that! He's nothing more than a-"

            "Well you don't have to worry about that anyway." She said bitterly, glowering at the floor in front of her.

            "Whatever," her mother waved a hand to show that the matter was completely settled. "There are ways, you know. You may be of age in the wizarding world, but you aren't in my world. I have every right to tell you what to do."

            Lily's face paled. She hadn't really thought about that before. "And what- what about Patrick?"

            "You're lucky that your father and I were able to convince him and we're already setting up a wedding date! It's to be no later than a month after you come home. And if you do one more thing to hinder what I've done for you, you're going to have a lot more on your mind than your safety." Her eyes flashed as she finished.

            Well it's nice to know that Patrick had a say in the decision, she thought sarcastically, he even had to be convinced to help ruin my life. Lily groaned, tugging on her auburn hair nervously. She didn't need to hear any more; just the reminder of what was in her future put her into such a state of anxiety that she headed for the door, ignoring her mum's protests.

            "I am not finished with you, young lady! Why are you so ungrateful?"

Lily slammed the door behind her, her eyes downcast. It wasn't as if she hadn't more or less known everything her mother had said, there was just something about hearing it voiced that made it seem too real.

            She wouldn't allow herself to think of it - she wouldn't break down and cry. Why should it be such a big deal anyway? Maybe she was just too soft. Maybe someone else would be able to handle this with ease. She couldn't allow her future to be controlled for her; especially since marrying Patrick meant giving up the magical world for good. But at the same time, she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't have money of her own, not really. Where would she go? She couldn't abandon the only home she had; and she was too stubborn to ask for help. These thoughts whirled around inside her head, until a dull throbbing began.

            And she couldn't just skip the Christmas feast either, because she didn't want anyone to know just how much turmoil seeing her mother had put her in. So she entered the Great Hall with a cheerless expression on her face and seated herself beside James at the Gryffindor table. It appeared that they had already started without her, as he was chewing on something. He looked up at her and his face was immediately concerned. "What's wrong?"

            "Nothing's wrong." She said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

He watched her unbelievingly as she filled her plate and began to nibble absently at random pieces of food. A moment later, she announced, "I'm going to get some punch."

            She drank an awful lot of punch in the next hour or so. Lily noticed at first sip that it was spiked, and that was what made her keep going for more. She wasn't sure why, besides that it gave her the dull feeling that she was searching for. James noticed nothing, until many goblets of punch later, when she was beginning to act a bit strange. He leaned over and snatched the goblet from her hands, giving it a sniff.

            He growled. He should have known that a fifth or sixth year would find it funny to spike the punch! He seemed to forget the fact that he, too, had found it funny earlier that year, and if Lily hadn't been the one to be effected, it might have been funny this time as well.

            Lily tried to grab the goblet back from him, but he shook his head. "I think you've had quite enough for now." He told her grimly. She wobbled on her seat, causing him to grab her arm. "Alright, we're going upstairs."

            "No," she started to protest, and muttered something else unrecognizable. Damn it James, he told himself, it took you bloody long enough to notice. And why hadn't Dumbledore noticed anything either? He glanced angrily at the headmaster, but Dumbledore wasn't paying any attention, only chattering merrily away with McGonagall. He proceeded to help Lily up to the Gryffindor common room. She had drunk way over the limit. It took awhile, but they eventually got there; well, James eventually got them there.

            "Some hypocrite you are, accusing me of drinking too much." James muttered.

Her head only slumped against his shoulder and she laughed, as if what he had just said was incredibly funny. "Want to dance?" she asked carelessly, trying to pull away from him, but almost falling in the attempt.

            "No, I don't." he growled at her. "You need to get up to bed, but I don't think you have the strength, so you'll just have to lie on the couch down here for now."

            She smiled up at him meaninglessly and he sighed. This wasn't exactly what he had thought would happen on Christmas. Although, having met Lily's mum, he couldn't really help but feel sympathy towards her. He lived with quite a bit, but at least he could make his own decisions, even if they were criticized.

            Much later, when Lily had dropped off, James pulled away from her with a heavy appearance, and headed for his own dorm. He pulled some pajamas on and dropped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was funny how what you thought would be a perfectly normal day turned out otherwise. Well, maybe funny was the incorrect word to describe it…

            To his surprise, his door was pushed open. He sat up; all traces of sleep removed, and saw a flash of red stumble in. James groaned. Lily up in his room at night was not what he needed right now; especially not when she was drunk. And it was obvious when he looked into her face as she slowly approached that she was still drunk.

            She laughed and reached a hand out to touch his cheek. "You need to shave." She giggled, and pulled herself onto the bed next to him.

            He stared at her. She had come into his room willingly. Well, sort of. He couldn't say that he wanted her to leave, but he felt guilty about her having no idea what she was doing.

            After a few minutes of staring, her face turned sort of serious and she announced, "I wish I had lived a couple hundred years ago."

            Startled by a comment he had certainly not expected, he replied, "No you don't."

"Yes. Just think of it. There was honor and chivalry, and oh, everything would have been better."

            He watched as if she had gone mad. "Yeah, and there was death and sickness."

Lily waved a hand, her eyes unfocused. "So what. There is now too."

            "Well, you would have had even less say in your life than you do now. Women were not exactly free people back then, not even in the wizarding world." This was ridiculous, why was he having this conversation? She was drunk; that was her excuse. What was his? That he wanted her to be there? He frowned and hated himself just then.

            "Oh. Yes, I guess I wouldn't have liked it." She slurred, curling up against him.

There was nothing for it…he reached out an arm to sling over her, but before he could, she had leaned over so that their noses were touching.

            "Er-" he began.

"I never properly thanked you for your er…" she seemed to be searching for a word. "gift. Yes, that's what you call it…" It was obvious that Lily was having difficulty forming words, and James was having almost as much difficulty understanding them.

            They stared at one another, James trying to decide what to do about the fact that Lily was lying in bed with him. Before he could lead her out, as he finally thought would be best, she had moved to close the inch that separated them. It surely wasn't the best kiss they'd shared, since she wasn't aware of much. But something told him not to break it off. It seemed right, and after being deprived of her kisses for so long, he almost felt like he had the right. He could taste the alcohol on her. An awful lot of it. He wished he had noticed the punch sooner…but then again, if he had, he wouldn't be snogging her in his bed right now. Immediately he felt guilty again and pulled away.

            "Don't do that." She mumbled. "I…" She closed her eyes. "I don't want to leave. Can I stay here all the time, with you?" She was already falling asleep for a second time. Only now her head was on his chest and he was staring at her as if he had no idea how to handle this. As she fell asleep, grasping for his hand, he decided that this really wasn't his fault and they could just sort it out in the morning. He forgot all about the fact that their friends would be coming home the next morning. He leaned over carefully and kissed the top of her head, brushing her long hair from her face, and positioned himself comfortably. Then he drifted off, not sure what to make of anything.

@~~~~~~~~~~~@

A/N: So I lied. Everyone will be coming back in the next chapter.

Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday! I swear, reading over those reviews - it just reminded me how long it's been since I posted last- I mean, my birthday's in May! Here we are almost into August. Well, on with the thanks:

~*~

Nefurland- the only L/J you've ever liked? Wow, and I can think of so many that are better than this one. Oh well, thanks a bunch, I'm flattered! And yes, I think Lily and James are frustrating too.

August 'roxy' Taylor- Well it's just as good as a cake any day! Glad you liked the chapter.

Saiyoness Angelisa Snape- Hello again! Lol, thanks, I did end up getting better in a few days, although I didn't find advil for awhile. I've been a bit busy...but I'm sure that you've been working on your fanfics, and I won't forget about them, don't worry!

bixxxou- Lol, they're both confusing! James more than Lily though. Of course I'll be complicating things further, I can't just let them be happy yet ;) Yes, corny would be a good English word to describe James haha. I thought about Lily getting jewelry for Christmas, but decided against it, since it's so common. Well, thanks again!

Flame- Thrower- I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! As for reviewing earlier, most people don't review until they've finished the story (or what there is of it posted) anyway, so I appreciate it...I hope you keep reading.

Young Golden Unicorn- Well this certainly isn't the last you've seen of Lily's parents, Mrs. Evans in particular...But I haven't decided for sure yet what's going to happen then. Thanks again ;)

Mooky- Well, James' invisibility cloak was in the trunk, but Lily forgot about them for the time being, so they're still in Dumbledore's office. Oh, and Kelly obviously has to prove herself, so we'll see what happens with that...I promise there with be more with the Order next chapter, when everyone's back from break. I always wanted to finish the story before OotP came out, but I just didn't have the time. So it's obviously AU now, but oh well. Really, you like my writing style? =) Hope you'll keep reading.

KrystinePotterLover- Lol, I hope you still like it. Ty for reviewing!

Sarah- Thanks! I try to be original, but it doesn't always work...

Kirbee- It is sad, how it's so much harder to find a good fic on this site than it was before. Oh well, I guess they're still there, if you look hard enough. Lol, I know, Peter needs a good beating or something...I just don't know what to do with that boy. Well let's hope that Kelly isn't going back to the Death Eaters, I think she knows a little too much now.

Carolinus Took- I know, I have just as much trouble writing out how I feel about a chapter. I usually end up saying the same thing all the time, even if the fic is really good. But it doesn't matter, because I appreciate all of your reviews!

Lizzy-beth- Lol, nope, actually my birthday's May 11th, but we're close anyway! Happy very late birthday, btw. Lily and James will get back together soon, it just depends on your definition of soon...

Lamina Court- *Wipes away a tear* Beautiful singing, I must say. Lol, Dumbledore is weird with what he knows and doesn't know- I'm not sure where the line is between the two. Hahaha...the BSB. My god, I must have been 11 or 12 when I first started liking them. I was obsessed! It's sad, now that I think about it, but it's still funny. James mature = Backstreet Boys. Lol, I'll have to think about that one =) I can't believe it's been over a month since OotP! What did you think? I found it quite sad...I can't believe he's gone! And now we have to wait for book six...*sigh*

Oneiros lykos- May 9th, huh? I'm just learning about so many people's birthdays on ff.net being near mine...well happy very late birthday!

Everblue3- No, strep throat is certainly not fun. Lol thanks for the advice, I only had it for a few more days, so it wasn't so bad. You read so much into these chapters that I have much fun reading your reviews! I think Dumbledore is one of those people who has no clearly defined personality; he tends to surprise you sometimes and nobody questions him. He seemed a little different in OotP especially. That makes it hard to decide how he's going to react to things, but he's also a very interesting character. Glad you like the differences between Lily and James. Actually, this chapter didn't take me long at all - once I finally started it that is. Hope you're doing well!

Fiery red-haired girl- Lol, you really think so? I'm flattered!

Clearbrook- You just want to keep making me grin, that's it ;) Thanks again; you already know how much I appreciate it!

Jellybean- Well I certainly hope that it will turn out to be a good story, but I guess we'll have to see, won't we? Thanks for reviewing!

Kayla- Lol, thank you! Glad you like the story.

Mistress del Mare- hmm, kidnapping and giving information to Voldemort, huh? Yep, that is how Kelly's supposed to be portrayed! Lol. Well I'm very glad to see that you've come back to read another chapter; thanks a bunch!

Unicornjewel- A new reviewer! I'm happy to see you here! Yes, Daniel will be in the next few chapters, we'll see what goes on with him. Actually, I usually post more often than this, it's just taken forever this time. I hope you'll still read, it shouldn't be as long for chapter 23!

Yay- Haha, glad to hear it!

Luna-Elentari- Well, Kelly will be around a bit longer, although we'll see whether that's a good or bad thing...yes, poor Mary! You wanted Mrs. Evans to come back? Lol, I have to agree, she does provide amusement...

Libberacious- Lol, it is more likely that they're be away from the Dark Arts and parents at Hogwarts -but not certain. She saw her mom again already...Haha, James was a bit down on himself, but not for too long. Anyway, I'm glad you still like it!

Akanksha Mathur Chibi Dude- Thank you for reviewing; sorry I forgot all about reading your poem until today!

Nerdypurdy- Lol, of course you got a special thanks...sigh, and now you've left me and gone off again! How we managed to plan going out of town so that one of us is always gone is beyond me! Wait a minute- I think you need to update!

Kay- You think it's that good? *grin* I'm so happy.

PeRkieGuRL- Haha, now I don't even remember what you asked me, it's been so long...oh yes, please do kick James in the bum, it would be so amusing!

Senna- Yeah, I don't think I realized that nothing muggle would work at Hogwarts when I wrote that...oh well! The whole fic is AU after OotP anyway! Thanks again!

TheLillyPotter- Soon...well, that was definitely not soon, whatever it was. I'll try to get the next chapter up much sooner!

Jessica Halliwell Potter- Lol, well I'm glad you did get through all twenty-one chapters. And thanks for reviewing too!

Tori Daniels- Oh course I'll email you =) Right after I post this. I wonder if you'll even remember the story, lol. Lily's mom is pretty amusing, I have to admit.

Krissy- Yep, you spelt it right! I'll keep writing, I hope you'll keep reading!

Killer Angel- Lol, since you asked so nicely, here's another chapter ;)

Rachel Lewis- I hope you continue to like the story. And Patrick is obviously not out of the picture just yet...

Celestial Angel- She is muggleborn, actually, though I see how you would think she wasn't. That's another reason she doesn't want to marry Patrick...no more magic! Cause he's a muggle too. Lol, it has been awhile since my bday, huh? Anyways, I'm glad you like it!

Destiny's Phoenix- Thank you =) I'm sure there are many grammar mistakes in here, but hopefully not too many. I really hope you continue to enjoy the story.

LilyMarie- Well, it depends on how you define soon...but they'll be getting together sometime (obviously). There were also be more about Daniel coming up.

SterlingSilver- Yep, I've been reminded that muggle technology doesn't work, but thanks! I wasn't aware of that when I wrote that chapter, but now I remember something about it...You made it through this many chapters ;) Hope you'll read more.

MonkeyGurl1- =) Glad you think so.

Slytherin-fanatic- I'm happy that you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for all of those reviews!

Anna- Hooked? I hope so! I haven't stopped yet, I just took a, uh, break that I didn't expect to take ;)

Amanda- Thank you, and I suppose it hasn't been too long since you reviewed, so it was soon in this case!

Stephanie- Lol, I agree, not all hats are bad. One of my best friends wears them all the time. I now know that boys can't go into the girls' dorms, but I wrote that chapter long before the book came out. This is the first chapter I've written since I read it, actually. Thanks for reviewing!

~*~

A/N: School starts in 3 weeks and we move out of this hotel in about 2 weeks, so I'm not completely sure when and where I'll be writing the next chapter. But I do promise you that it won't be another 2 months- that was a one time thing. Thanks again to all of you who keep encouraging me to write ;)

A few things to expect in chapter 23:

~ Mary and the Marauders (Really, this time)

~ An Order of the Phoenix meeting, with Kelly present

~ Something James didn't expect to be in his trunk

Until then,

~Emily~