"So what are you doing these Christmas holidays if you aren't going back home?" Amelia asked, studying Lily intently. Lily loved going home. It wasn't like her to miss an opportunity to see her family. Not like her at all.

"I plan on staying at school," Lily told her, matter-of-factly. "This is our second to last year, things are getting serious. I'm going to spend a few nights at the library studying. I just need some time to sort a few things through."

"Things like what?"

Lily averted her eyes and looked at the Charms book sitting in her lap. "Just a few things," she said evadingly.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. But don't brood over it the entire holidays either. Do you know anyone who's staying as well?"

"I think Remus is staying too. I'm not all that sure."

Amelia studied Lily intently. "You'll be bored to tears if no one you know is staying behind!"

"I'll survive," Lily answered smartly. "I'm used to spending the holidays practically by myself."

Amelia looked puzzled. "By yourself?" she asked and Lily slapped her hand over mouth.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter anyway. And hadn't you better carry on packing? It's almost time for bed and you leave early in the morning."

Amelia decided to let Lily tell her what she had meant in her own time. Lily was like a mule. If you tug at its rope it will only dig it's feet in and pull back harder. She had to coax it out of her. "Yea, I suppose." She turned around and began throwing things into her trunk again, with Lily throwing the occasional item in also.

"You know, you should probably put them in tidily. That way, you would be able to fit it in," Lily told Amelia as she bounced up and down on the lid of the trunk in a vain attempt to close it.

"Well, you're the one who's good at Charms." Amelia stood up and gestured towards the trunk. "Do your stuff!"

Lily looked slightly exasperated but complied none-the-less. Now, trunk packed and neatly closed, Amelia slumped onto her bed and eyed Lily carefully. "Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself?" she asked, looking doubtful.

"I'll be fine!" Lily snapped, gesturing for Amelia to drop it. "It's not like I've never been alone before... and anyway, I won't be alone. I have Remus!"

"You have got a point. And you're more likely to enjoy his company more than mine," she added as and afterthought, smiling teasingly.

"You know that's not true," Lily answered back, laughing. "I would rather stay with you any day except you're going to overseas to Paris. I would love to go to Paris someday. You're lucky."

"Yes," Amy said, rolling her eyes. "Lucky to be spending six weeks with two annoying brothers and parents. Lucky me."

***

"Listen, I'll owl you at least twice a week and if you need anything just say." Amelia stopped walking towards the carriages that would take her down to the Hogwarts Express and turned to face Lily. "I'm serious, Lily. Anything. And another thing, if I hear you've been couped inside all day, I will have something harsh to say to you when I get back."

Lily nodded blankly before brandishing a large smile. "You sound like my mother."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Well, that wasn't quite what I was aiming for, but if it makes you do what I say then I suppose it will suffice."

Lily waved farewell as Amelia slid into a horseless carriage followed by a few fourth years. She turned around as her carriage disappeared to see Sirius, James, Peter and Remus all exchanging goodbyes on the front steps.

"We'll owl you as often as we can, Moony, but I'm not making any promises," Sirius grinned. "Girls to see, Quidditch to play, you know how it goes." James rolled his eyes behind Sirius' back, making Remus nod in agreement.

"Anyway, we'll see you soon, Rem," Peter interrupted, clapping Remus on the shoulder and nodding over towards Lily. "It looks like Lily's staying to keep you company old boy." He smiled pleasantly at Lily and walked down the steps towards her.

"Lily, could you do us a favour?" he inquired lightly. He waited for Lily to acknowledge him to carry on, unperturbed by her suspicious look. "See, Remus is a bit of a... shall we say... 'nocturnal animal'," he began, shooting dark looks over his shoulder as James and Sirius laughed raucously and a flush of red crept up the collar of Remus' robes. "And he tends to spend a little too much time indoors... in the library... reading... homework and the like. If you could please... get him outdoors, doing stuff a little, the Marauders would be eternally grateful."

Peter, Sirius and James all looked at her anxiously, as if they were genuinely bestowing their trust upon her.

"And what's in it for me?" she asked icily, glaring at James, knowing full well that she would do it anyway.

"Erm..." Sirius thought for a moment. "The knowledge that you are... assisting in the bettering of a fellow student. Is that the right word? Bettering?"

"Close enough," Peter replied, laughing. "We're going to miss the train if we don't hurry up."

"Please Lily?" James pleaded, looking at her desperately. Maybe they really were serious?

"Okay, sure. I'll make sure Remus gets his daily walk. I'll even throw him a bone if he likes," she answered sarcastically, not knowing why they all went quiet before bursting into laughter.

"Thanks Lily," James said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "This means a lot to me."

"I'm not doing it for you, Potter," she retorted, shrugging his hand off her shoulder and ignoring the hurt look in his eyes. "You're going to miss the train and heaven knows I do not want you hanging around for the duration of the holidays. Please, carry on your way."

James sighed resignedly and turned to follow Peter and Sirius to the last carriage left. He glanced over his shoulder one last time at Lily and Remus backs retreating back into the castle. One day she'd be his. He'd make sure of it. Or die trying.

***

"Oh, no!" Lily said, rustling through her bag in search of something.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, peering over his book that he had just checked out from the library ten minutes ago. He was already really getting into it, just like Lily had been planning to go with her 'Magic in a Minute : Guide to quick cast charms to fix anything and everything'.

"I've lost my locket! That was from my Grandmother, I couldn't bear it if I don't get it back." She looked around on the floor, desperately hoping she had only dropped it just then.

"Perhaps you left it in the library?" he asked, removing the book and pillow from his lap and getting up to join the hunt. After scrambling around on the floor for a good ten minutes, Lily stood up resignedly.

"Thanks, Remus, but you must be right. The only thing I can do is retrace our steps back to the library and hope it's there."

Remus nodded, and started towards the portrait hole before Lily grabbed his arm, stopping him. "It's alright, Rem. I'll look for. I know you're dying to read that book."

Remus glanced longingly back at the book and then to Lily. "You're sure?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling brilliantly. "Knowing me, it's probably right outside the library door. I'll be back in no time."

Remus nodded reluctantly but moved back towards his book all the same. Lily smiled knowingly before leaving the common room to scour the halls for her missing locket. She sorely wanted to get back and read her book as well, but the locket meant a great deal more to her.

By the time she managed to get to the library it had been over quarter of an hour. But she was making slow progress, Lily told herself. She had been looking very carefully the whole way there. She tiptoed to the large double doors of the Library and held her ear against it. She was out of bed after curfew, you could never be too careful.

Deciding no one was in there, she turned the hand and pushed one of the heavy doors open just enough for her to slip through. Luckily for her, the large lamps were still lit and she could see the table where Remus and her had been seated. She ran over and checked over the table, on the seats, under the seats and finally, she resignedly crouched onto her hands and knees to examine right underneath the table.

And there was her locket. She gave a sigh of relief as she saw it glint at the far end of the floor and shuffled over towards it, picking it up and holding it lovingly in her hands. Get a grip! She scalded herself. It was only a piece of jewellery. But a piece of jewellery that held sentimental value.

She heard footsteps making their way down the corridor towards the library and tensed up, sliding deeper into the darkness underneath the table. Luckily though, the footsteps passed and kept going. She hurriedly scrambled out from beneath the table and crept over to the door. Cautiously poking her head out and checking to see no one was waiting out there to catch her, she saw no one and sneaked out the door, closing it as quietly as she could behind her.

She turned to make her way back to the common room but something stopped her. Something that was tall, slender, potently male and had an aristocratically handsome face pulled into an amused smirk.

"Well what have we here? A mud-blood out after her bedtime."