Four Gryffindorians slept badly that night. Remus of course, didn't sleep. James, Sirius and Peter headed back to their rooms, where Sirius and James pretended to sleep well, but in reality couldn't. Peter dropped right off, little troubling his conscience. Lily, in the girls dormitory, surveyed the eight beds and climbed into her own, pulling the hangings around. She lay awake, listening to the snores of the other seven girls, feeling impossibly lonely, as she knew she could never tell her best friend, Winter, nor her other close friend, Marinda, a secret that affected her deeply.

So, tears started slowly and quietly, and she buried her face into her pillow. The shocked from having almost being killed, from finding out Remus suffered so much and always would, overwhelming her. Eventually she fell into a disturbed tear stained sleep, dreaming of gaping salivating jaws and a boy with dark brown eyes, telling her to beware...

She finally found him sitting in the corner of the library, bags shadowing his eyes and a thousand worries sitting on hunched shoulders. She took a seat opposite him, anxiously patting down a stray auburn curl. "Sirius said I would be able to find you here."

He looked up, and a half hearted smile flickered across his face. "Hi, Lily."

She stared down at her knees. "I should've guessed earlier. Always absent during the full moon... and I thought the boggart had been an orb! I feel like such a fool, a blind fool."

His smile faded and a haunted look flickered across his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she charged on, typical of the headstrong Lily.

"And I was shocked! Imagine that! Shocked - when I followed Sirius, James and Peter to the Whomping Willow. I never imagined that someone I knew so well suffered so much." She finally looked up and stared earnestly at him, eyes glistening. "It's safe with me, don't worry. I know what a majority of the duffers in this school would do - and I hope you're still my friend -"

"Of course-"

He was cut off. Lily grinned and the tears melted away.

"I have one important question - how did you do it? Anamagi?! That's an increadibly complicated process."

He relaxed and sat back, ignoring his text books, a sense of relief flooding through him. "It began in first year, when James and Sirius first worked it out..."

And they sat and talked for a long time that Sunday afternoon, leaving the library with a sense of companionship and connection unusual for a pair so young.

That night, Lily patrolled the corridors and the Mauradors sat in a corner of the common room talking and laughing as if all was usual. When they finally got a moment to themselves, James and Sirius turned to Remus. "Everything seems to be okay. Is it?" James asked.

Remus nodded and grinned. "Everything's A-OK. She thought it was pretty amazing actually, that you three became anamagi. She wouldn't stop going on about it."

James, Sirius and Peter looked at each other, puffing up with pride. A compliment from the constantly top of the class, over-acheiving Lily was most unusual.

"She seemed a little freaked out, last night. Especially when we told her Dumbledore didn't know." Peter said.

"Give her a chance, she'd had a bit of a shock." Sirius said, happy that Lily was going to keep the secret safe.

"How exactly did she find out?" Remus asked innocently. "She didn't say alot about what actually happened last night."

James thought carefully for a moment. If Lily hadn't told him, then he assumed they shouldn't. He looked at Remus and for the first time marvelled at Lily's tact and intelligence. Who in their right mind would want to tell Remus that he almost killed one of his favourite people in the world.

"She just saw from a distance." He said softly.

Sirius saw the look on James' face and nodded slowly. Peter, as usual kept quiet.

"James Potter!" The call came from the opposite end of the room. Lily was threading her way through the common room, a distinctly annoyed look on her face. "You know what time it is!"

He rolled at his eyes, but making sure to do it out of her sight. She finally reached the group and took a seat next to Remus, sighing. "What a horrible night for patrolling. A group of first year Hufflepuff's stuck on the trick stairs for goodness knows how long and who should come across them, but Severous Snape! And he had to be absolutely impossible!"

James stood up and ran a hand through his hair, all of which caused a group of fifth year girls to look his way and giggle. A mischevious look entered his eyes and caused Sirius to grin imperceptibly in anticipation, he, Remus and Peter knew that look all to well. "You never mentioned Snape was on patrol tonight."

Lily was oblivious, grabbing a Potions text book from the table next to her and flicking through it. "Don't see why it should matter to you. He was being simply annoying. He insisted findelous was included in the Sleeping Brew, but I'm sure it isn't." She flicked through the book, muttering to herself and Sirius got up and edged away towards the portrait hole with James.

Remus and Peter watched them head off. Remus sighed and said something about being exhausted and headed off to the boys dormitory.

Lily, at his goodbye, looked up and a suspicious feeling came over her. "Peter. Where have James and Sirius gone?"

Peter swallowed. Lily's tone had taken a steely edge, she was known for having a temper that killed. "Uh, you were reminding James that he was on patrol-"

She shot to her feet. "How stupid of me! How stupid of him!" She stode out of the room, her hair streaming behind her, cheeks flaring, a picture of fury. Winding along corridors and down staircases she finally came to where she left Sirius and the Hufflepuffs to remind James that he was on duty and stopped suddenly short.

Hanging periously from a bannister Snape was suspended only by the magic coming from James' wand. Sirius had picked up Snape's bag and was threatening to go through it with a demonic look in his eyes. James leaned against a wall, lazily pointing his wand at Snape, chuckling all the time.

"We owe you one, Snapie. After narking to Pentium about last night and losing Gryffindor twenty points, you've just managed to annoy us. Considerably." Sirius was saying, shaking the bag a little. "I wonder if there's anything interesting in here? Love notes to Narcissa?"

Lily took a deep breath and marched forward into view, snatching the bag from Sirius' hands. "It is not nice to go through other people's property - Sirius Black!"

Snape jolted as James stood up and ran the customary hand through his hair. "Leave us alone Lily, this isn't your fight." He said, managing to keep his voice calm.

Lily whirled around. "This isn't a fair fight, James! This is bullying!" She cried shrilly, then narrowing her eyes she lowered her tone and added a nasty edge to it. "You'd better put him down right now." She had no need to add a threat, simply whipping he wand out.

James deliberated for a moment, then sat Snape roughly on the landing next to Lily. Severus stood up and instead of expressing gratefulness, snatched his bag from Lily's hand. "I don't want any help from you, Mudblood." He snarled, stalking away.

Sirius frowned and clenched his fists in anger. James growled, his face contoring with anger, and lurched forwards, pointing his wand at Snape and muttering a quiet spell which caused the grasy haired Slytherin to trip up and fall sprawled at the top of the stairs.

Lily continued to stare at James, he face red with fury. She had barely heared Snape, anyway, she was used to what she considered his pride and stupidity. "James Potter, if you cast a spell on one more fellow student I swear I will make sure you are expelled from this school." That being the worst threat Lily could think of.

Sirius walked towards her, holding out a placating hand. "Come on, carrot top, it's not like he didn't deserve it."

She only had to glare at him for a second to stop him advancing. "Potter, this is one time two many. We are at the end of our sixth year. You are a prefect. It seems you have not gained an ounce of maturity and it makes you the most immoral unacceptable role model that has ever been at Hogwarts!"

James rolled his eyes This time blatently. "Hey, I'm not the one running around calling you a - a Mudblood and openly consorting with that Voldemort idiot like some seventh years we all know."

"There is never any excuse for treating a fellow student like that - whoever it might be - and espcially when one is a prefect! Now get out of here, I'll finish your patrol." She snapped.

James sighed. "Don't be stupid, you don't need-"

"Yes I do." She cut him off stoutly. "You can't be trusted."

James flushed. Generally he could keep his cool, but Lily Evans always knew exactly how to get to him.

Sirius tugged at his robes, he knew Lily as the most stubborn girl he had ever met and knew James didn't stand a chance of arguing his way out of this one. The boys walked back to the Gryffindor common room and Lily, with a toss of her head went on her way.

"She is disgustingly annoying." James snapped.

"Hey, at least you don't have to patrol tonight We can see if that Hufflepuff dude wants to buy some Dungbombs - even at our inflated prices."

The perfect distraction. James laughed. "It's great having a monopoly on these things, and poor stupid Hufflepuffians don't have a clue where their money's best spent."

However James might pretend to be thinking of ripping off fellow students with smuggled in joke items, but he couldn't get rid of the image of a certain girls flashing green eyes and the feeling of inexplicable hatred and anger when Snape insulted her. And it frustrated him.