A/N: I'm back after all this long while! I'm on summer break now and that could either be good or bad. It could be bad because of vacations. It could be good cause of more time. We'll just have to see.

Thanks to all my reviewers, you make this worthwhile!

Disclaimer: The wonderful, talented J.K. Rowling owns all you recognize.

Lily

…Go knock some sense into your parents! Make them listen to you! Try and be back by tomorrow! I know for fact you don't want to miss another week of school!

Love and Hugs!

Kari

"If only it were that easy."

"What are you mumbling about freak?" Petunia, my older sister, hissed at me.

"Nothing at all Pet, nothing at all."

Sighing, I folded the letter from Kari that I just got, and stood up to get a sandwich. Turkey. I don't like turkey all that much. There's a much bigger selection at Hogwarts.

"Lily! Would you come here please." my father called from upstairs.

"Yes Daddy."

I slowly got up and made my way up to their room. Mum hasn't come out of there since the funeral. She's taking Aunt Daisy's death really hard. She barely eats anymore.

I went up to their room and knocked lightly.

"Come in." my mother's sniffling voice answers.

Pushing the door open, I see my mom sitting at the edge of her bed, grasping a letter, and my dad pacing the floor. I got a bad feeling.

"Mum, Daddy, what's wrong?"

Daddy stopped pacing to look at me.

"Lily, we got a letter from your Headmaster today."

YES! Maybe he'll convince them to let me go back.

"He's concerned about all the classes your missing and whether you'll be able to catch up or not." he paused to look at me, "Lily, how behind are you?"

"Well…"

"Lily Flower, you can tell me the truth."

"Daddy, I've missed a few spells, and since I can't do magic outside of school, I don't know how to perform them. Kari sent my books and assignments, but in the wizarding world there is only so much books can teach."

I looked from my mom to dad, trying to figure out who was going to speak first. It was my mom.

"Lily, do you want to go back? Even with this evil wizard?"

Her voice was raspy, and almost pleading me not to go back.

"Mummy, I love you so much, but Hogwarts is where I belong."

I could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, just like they were in mine.

"Magic is my future Mum, Daddy, I have to go back."

Mum looked away, I knew she was crying, but my Dad just looked at me.

"Daddy, please understand, for me."

He looked at me, then to the letter clutched in Mum's hand, then to a small purple bag on their bedside table.

"Is this really what you want?" he asked in a hollow sort of voice.

"Yes Daddy." I barely whispered.

"You can go back," he picked up the purple bag and handed it to me, "The Headmaster told me to give this to you."

I took the bag and opened it. Floo powder. I should have known.

"Bye Mum, I'll owl you when I get back." I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek, "Dad, thank you." I hugged him, and he kissed my forehead.

I ran downstairs, grateful to get away from the mourning. I know it's terrible, but I'm ready to move on. My books were sitting in the living room, so I picked them up, put them in a bag, and was about to throw the Floo in before I remembered Petunia.

"Bye Pet! See you Christmas holidays!" I screamed, hoping for a reply.

"Hopefully not, freak!" she shrieked back.

Any reply but that one.

I threw the powder in and stepped into the fire.

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE'S OFFICE!" I screamed.

I was whirled and tossed back to his office.

"Welcome back Ms. Evans."

"Thank you Professor." I nodded, "and…thank you."

"You're welcome, Lily. Lunch is still going on if you would like to join your friends."

"Thank you professor, I believe I will."

I left the Headmaster's office and made my solitary way down to the Great Hall.

There weren't a lot of people left when I walked in, just a few people at the Slytherin table, and a slightly big group at the Ravenclaw table.

"LILY!"

I looked towards the Ravenclaw table and Karina was running towards me.

"KARI!" I smiled, the biggest smile I'd put on in two weeks. She squeezed me tightly and I laughed.

"I can't breathe!" I said, in an exaggerated voice.

"Shut up, I know you can! Come sit with us and eat. There isn't a lot left, we were joined by three very hungry males who couldn't find enough to eat at the Gryffindor table."

Warily, I walked with her to the table, and to my surprise, it wasn't the Marauders who were sitting with them, but Gideon and Fabian Prewett and Frank Longbottom.

"This is a new development. I really need to catch up." I said cheerfully and grabbed a roast beef sandwich from the platter.

"Lily, darling, we have wonderful news for you." Fabian said, acting like an old noble lady.

"Lily, watch it, they're hyped up on sugar…" Alice Prewett warned me.

"Thanks Alice. What news would this be?"

"We've adopted you!" Fabian smiled and pulled me into a bear hug.

"What?" I choked on my own breath.

"Fabian met Kari…" Liz started to explain.

"Little K." Fabian cut in.

"Like I said, Fabian met Kari this morning and decided she was amusing, so he came up with this wonderful idea to adopt her."

"How do I come in then?"

"Well, Liz didn't think it would be fair to leave you out, so she asked what about you, and then it was decided, you were adopted too." Callie finished, smirking at Liz, who blushed.

"Not after Alice and Sarah had a bloody fit about it though." Kari added in smiling, "The only problem I have, is I will not be called Little K."

"I agree. Fabian, you think up NO more nicknames." Gideon poked his brother, causing him to spill pumpkin juice right on Kari.

"Don't let it touch me!" she shrieked, jumping up.

She was deadly allergic to pumpkins of any form.

I grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped up as much as possible.

"What's wrong?" Frank looked at us curiously, surprised at Kari's outburst.

"I'm alarmingly allergic to pumpkins." Kari explained, using her wand to get the rest of the juice off her.

"I'll call her Pumpkin now." Fabian announced, grinning insanely.

"Oh goody." Kari said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of tea.

"That one can stay Fabian, it has a nice ring to it." Gideon smiled at Kari… or 'Pumpkin'.

"Doesn't Lily get a nickname?" Liz said, smirking at me.

"Of course, I couldn't let my other other little sister not have a nickname." Fabian said, looking shocked.

"Of course not." Alice muttered, sending a sympathetic look towards me.

"We'll call her…Little Flower." Gideon said, before Fabian could say something.

"I was thinking along the lines of Tulip…"

"No."

"It's settled then, Lily, you are now Little Flower." Frank said, banging his fist on the table.

"Oh how exciting."

"Isn't it though?" Kari giggled, and picked up a sandwich.

"What does Jason think of this Kari?" I asked, not really being serious about it.

"He's jealous to the point where he's short with me."

"What? No way."

"Yeah, he was so protective of her earlier, when they were sitting with us, it was cute to a certain point, and then it got ridiculous." Callie added in rolling her eyes to make the point.

"Oh crap. Now I have to tell Michael. That sounds like fun. They're really paranoid aren't they." I asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah, you're boyfriends need lives."

The voice of the one and only Sirius Black came from behind me, and I knew exactly whose voice would follow.

"Yeah, paranoid little buggers aren't they?" Potter's annoying voice commented, squeaking a little at the end. Ha, puberty.

"What do you want Black?" Kari asked, a little viciously.

"Oh, nothing really, just here to enjoy the pleasure of your company, Karr." he replied smoothly, sitting next to her.

"Don't make me gag."
And their little banter continued.

Meanwhile, I was in my own argument with Potter.

"What do you mean 'paranoid little buggers'?" I asked, gritting my teeth.

"They're always giving us strange looks, like we're just going to up and kidnap you or something."

"Wouldn't put it past you."

"Ouch Evans, that hurt."

"I hope it did."

And on it went for about fifteen minutes. Gideon, Fabian, and Frank had never been witness to one of our arguments before, so they were watching us back and forth. I've been told our exchanges are really something to see. Even Karina and Black quit their quarrel to watch ours.

"POTTER, WHAT DO YOU WANT! I'LL DO ANYTHING IF YOU'LL JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Really. Well, how about a date, or just a snog?"

"NO YOU ARROGANT PIG!"

"Well then I guess you're stuck with me."

I just groaned and hit my head against the table.

"What do you guys really want?" Sarah asked, intervening before there was blood shed.

"Oh yeah, quidditch practice has been moved up an hour, so we'll be meeting at seven thirty instead of six thirty." Black said to Fabian, Gideon, and Frank.

Now Karina looked murderous.

"THAT'S ALL YOU WANTED?" she screeched, imitating me and banging her head on the table.

"I think you guys should leave, your causing a lot of pain to them." Gideon pointed to Kari and me.

"Alright, see you at seven thirty." Potter waved and winked at me cheekily.

I chucked a roll at him.

Several hours later you'll find me frantically trying to learn a new transfiguration spell.

"I just can't get it!" I exclaimed throwing a book across the common room.

"Lily, if Pettigrew can get it, you can get it." Kari calmly pointed out to me.

"Well he has the transfiguration master Potter helping him." I spat out angrily.

"Lily, I love you to death, but if you're going to be sulky, I'll go up to the dorm and read."

"Well, I'm not going to get any better any time soon, stupid Potter. ERG!"

"I'll leave you to murder Potter in your head in private, when you're done, I'll be in the dorm."

Kari left me sulking on one of the armchairs.

Dinner was going on at the time and most everyone was eating now. Word ad spread that the Marauders had planned a prank for dinner so, naturally, everyone wanted to see what kind of torture the Slytherins were going to go through.

The common room was completely empty, except for me and a cat purring in the armchair closest to the fire. My homework was spread out over two tables, along with the notes Kari took for me. I had been going over the new spells we had been learning ever since I left the Great Hall.

The portrait hole opened then, and streams of people came in the common room, in high spirits over the prank.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?"

"…priceless…"

"…need a camera…"

"…one for the record…"

So on and so forth the conversations went.

After so much though, it gets annoying. So, I gathered my things and went up to the dorm.

"Done sulking yet?" Kari asked from her bed.

"Yes."

"Good, cause I'm starving. Let's go down to dinner." She jumped up after putting a bookmark in her book.

"Alright, the Marauders prank just got finished, so there shouldn't be anyone there."

"Good, I hope there's some food left."

"Me too."

And so we headed our way down to dinner, the whole way I was glad to be home.

AN: OMG sorry it took so long, but I could not for the life of me get this chapter to flow either! SORRY! I hope I can update sooner next time. Reviews might encourage me, so if you would be so kind…