Author's Note: Hello people! So this is my second update for winter break and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Its short, but I will be updating again, I promise. So, now I will award my reviewers with a little thank you:

Banny- You're welcome for your Christmas gift, and here's another, slightly delayed. I hope you had a Happy Christmas too.

Lovely- I'm glad you think so, other wise this whole story would be pointless.

Lady Arwen Gryffindor- Interesting name. *smirks* As I said don't worry about Lily/Snape shipping with me. Its entirely one sided in my mind. It wasn't one of my favorite chapters either in all honesty, but be patient and things will happen in the manner they are supposed to.

Itty Bitty Red-Head- I award you with the honor of being my first flamer. Congratulations! *hands over cigarette butt* As I said I would have a smoke when I got flamed and now you get the remnants. But in all honesty, I wasn't offended. You just basically proved my author's note correct. *smiles* Have a wonderful day!

Anarane- Thanks.

Dee Ann- I would make this chapter funnier, but I'm afraid its been written for quite a long time so please abide the content.

Captain Oblivious- Sorry about the repetitiveness of the last chapter. I'm just trying to get James to recognize what he's doing wrong. he's a bit pig- headed in my mind. O_o.

I o u a name- Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and I'm sorry I've been a bit dull the past couple chapters.

Harry Potter know-it-all- Woot! New reviewer! Thank you very much; I've been worried that I keep repeating things so its nice to know that someone doesn't think I am.

Christy13- Thank you very much, I try to update as often as I can.

Black-cat-on-the-wall- Whoops. *shifty eyes* Sorry bout that, I'll go attempt to fix that soon. I think everyone figured it out so, its not horrible, but thank you for pointing it out.

Kristatwen- Thanks, I'll try to update more often. O_o

Zombiegurl98- Thanks. I'll try.

Spiritofrouge- I'm glad, glad, glad you love it.

Moonlight on the Water- Do what? O_O Sorry for whatever it is I did. *passes over a tissue* Catherine, stop laughing at the misfortune of others. People will think you're evil. "But I am," says Catherine. sadly she's right.

Chapter Forty-Five: A Very Un-Snape-Like Response

When James returned to the library after reading the note Lily left he found that Remus had disappeared and so he went looking for him, heading to the kitchen in case Remus had gone looking for him. He caught a glimpse of a bright light near the ground by the old willow tree his great- grandfather had planted when he married James' great-grandmother. In the glow the light Lily could be seen leaning against the trunk of the tree while a figure approached her, one of Remus Lupin who hadn't known about the note.

James sighed and watched the two converse briefly before Remus turned back toward the house and James headed to the door to see how Remus thought Lily was. "Well?" James asked as soon as Remus walked in.

"Well what?" Remus asked, he wasn't a Seer, he didn't know what James wanted answered, though he had his suspicions of course.

"How is she?" James replied anxiously and heard Remus sigh.

"She's confused; I could sense that by her body language alone. She also wants some time to think I imagine, so let her be. You can talk to her later when she's thought about things and is hopefully less confused," Remus stated as he headed for the parlor that had a view of the tree where Lily sat just in case of Lily's need to send up those dreaded red sparks.

James sighed and gazed out the window longingly, a three quarters moon, waning, was hanging in the dark sky that was speckled with stars and he wished that he was out there under the stars with Lily. Remus' voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought, "Lily is on her way back inside."

James came back to the world with a brief nod and he stood up walking towards the front door. He opened it slowly as Lily came up the front steps. "Hi, can I talk to you for a moment?" James asked when Lily saw him standing there.

"I guess," Lily said and stepped inside conscious of the fact that she was carrying letter writing materials and two distinct letters folded in her pocket.

James led Lily toward the kitchen, he was giving her the power to leave when ever she wanted by choosing this environment for their conversation. He wouldn't stop her if she left. He sighed quietly before he got himself a glass of water. "Please sit down," James said before taking a seat across from where she sat and then taking a swallow of water.

"What did you want to talk about?" Lily asked quietly feigning ignorance.

"I said somethings earlier that were stupid and insensitive and really rather immature. I wanted to apologize to you for what I said because every time I'm around you I seem to stick my foot in my mouth and say the stupidest thing I could possibly think of to say," James said and gulped down some water.

"I forgive you James, but it wasn't really your fault. I was the one who brought the topic up and I should be the one to apologize," Lily said slowly thinking that was what James wanted to hear.

"Lily, it's my fault, not yours, so don't worry about apologizing. What I really came here to say was that I want to get to know you for who you are. I would like to know everything about you that I possibly can Lily. But mainly I want to be your friend," James said and looked at Lily with hopeful eyes. "If that's okay," he said quickly when Lily didn't say anything.

"James you are already a friend and it would be find with me if we got to know each other," Lily replied a few moments later when she realized that he was proposing the perfect situation for both of them; to get to know each other before anything else started, if there was anything else to start.

"So we can have a fresh start," James said hopefully.

"Yes and maybe we won't argue so much," Lily said gently.

"Hopefully," James said and smiled at her.

Lily smiled back at him and sighed. "James, could you do me a favor?" she asked quietly.

"Absolutely," James said pleasantly, though he sounded a little eager in his desire to please Lily. Neither of them noticed it.

"Could I borrow your owl?" Lily asked extremely quietly, she sort of felt bad for asking considering who one of the letters was going to.

"Sure, she's upstairs. I'll bring you up and introduce you," James said and stood up leading Lily upstairs into his room where a large birdcage stood on a pedestal near a far window. The owl was a large tawny one with yellow- amber eyes. "Good evening Cassandra, sorry that I haven't sent you out in a while. This is Lily, she's a friend and she's got a letter to send," James said lovingly and the owl hooted gently as James brushed her feathers gently before stepping away and allowing Lily access to Cassandra.

"Hello Cassandra," Lily said and stepped forward. Cassandra hooted in greeting and held out her leg so Lily could attach the letters. Lily pulled both letters out of her pocket and tied them both to Cassandra's leg. Cassandra then hooted and swept out of the window majestically as Lily sighed. She'd been worried that James' owl wouldn't take the letter to Snape and was still a little worried that she wouldn't. "Thank you James," Lily said and smiled.

"You're welcome," James said and had a thought of what to get Lily for her upcoming birthday as Cassandra might not always be around when Lily needed to send a letter.

"I want to get some reading in, so I'm going to head down to the library, would you like to join me?" Lily asked as James seemed to be thinking.

"Sure, we can tell Remus we're no longer at odds, again," James said and held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. Lily took it and they went down to the library where Remus was so absorbed in his book he barely noticed them enter. Lily and James sighed as one before Lily went and picked up a guide to Charms from a shelf and sat down to read.

Across the country, somewhere near London the owl called Cassandra flew through the darkened sky as silent as death. She'd already delivered Catherine's letter in Ireland and was now making for a small township where Severus Snape lived and breathed.

He could be found in his basement brewing potions ad conjuring things out of boredom as well as study and was quite surprised to hear the tapping of the owl's beak on a window to get his attention. He climbed steadily up the stairs, his fowl demeanor betraying nothing of his feelings. He was hopeful that Lily had responded and when the owl proved to be James Potter's Snape found himself feeling something close to joy. He smashed it absently as he untied the letter and the owl took off hooting indignantly. It clearly shared it's master's feelings for Snape.

Severus Snape slowly opened the letter and began to read. He had to reread it about five times before what Lily had written began to sink in. She wanted his help, his unbiased advice and it almost made him laugh. "Unbiased me? That's laughable," he muttered before he closed the window and went down to his basement again where his desk sat ruthlessly organized and predictable. He sat down to compose something to suitable to say.

Everyone needs some way of venting and if you wish to use our correspondence as something of the sort I imagine that it can be done. As for unbiased advice I'm almost sorry to say that I probably won't be of much help there. You have probably already heard tales from Potter and Black about me so you will probably understand why that probably won't happen, but I will do my best.

As for Potter's compliments, I would probably have to agree with them beyond my better judgment as to agree with Potter on anything. I don't know what your sister and her husband said to you or made you do but I can relate. My own childhood wasn't at all wonderful. My father was cruel to me and my mother and so I grew up in a loveless home. He shouted at her a lot.

Snape paused his quill hovering above the parchment that he was severely tempted to tear into shreds. He'd never confided in anyone and the only person outside his "family" that knew about his childhood was Lucius Malfoy because his has been much the same. Though the man was older he had been one of Severus' only "friends". He sighed and continued to write.

I've never told anyone but Lucius Malfoy about my childhood, please keep it to yourself. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, I trust you, it's almost frightening.

"If less I ask," tear-blind she mocked, "I may be less denied."

Snape finished the letter and rolled it up sealing it with a spell that he didn't know that Lily didn't know. It was a form of habit and he's forgotten that he did it even before he sent his owl, Poe, out into the dead of night and went back to his potion making before he would fall into a restless sleep somewhere around six that morning.

A/N: Alright guys. All I have to say here is that the quote at the end of Snape's letter is from "The Dead Faith" by Fannie Heaslip Lea and it's rather current but it kinda fits. Hope you all like it. ~Frankie~