A/N: I'm updating again today, seeing as I don't think I'll be able to tommorow. I'll be busy with senior pictures--what fun. please read and review!

I got my wings, I'm free to go as I please.
Yeah, I got my wings now nothing really pleases me

'till everything falls apart
then I get to try to put it back together
yeah, it falls apart you can count on that
you can count on
bad, bad weather again.

"Everything Falls Apart" by Dog's Eye View

Chapter Five: Everything Falls Apart

The next morning, Lily sat with Allison and Ellie at breakfast, not saying much.

"Lily, are you alright?" asked Allison, aware that she had had a meeting with James Potter last night.

Lily nodded and took a sip of her juice. "Just tired."

"Yeah right." replied Ellie. "Something's wrong, you're just not telling us."

Lily put down her toast. "Nothing is wrong. It's just, last night I realized."

Allison and Ellie exchanged looks.

"Realized what, exactly?" prodded Allison.

A sigh escaped Lily's lips. "I've just realized that I don't have to be perfect, and that… I don't have to prove myself by being a complete standoff."

"Oh." replied Allison and Ellie together, perfectly used to Lily's perfectionist attitude.

"Does this have anything to do with your meeting with James last night?" questioned Allison.

Lily concentrated on her oatmeal, stirring around the sticky bits. "I suppose so…he sort of pointed it out to me."

Ellie looked hard at Lily. "You know you don't have to listen to him, Lily. You never have before."

"But he's right. I don't have to try and be so stubborn and prude all the time." retorted Lily.

"If that's what you think is best for you, go ahead." finished Allison, before Jacob came to greet her. "I think I'll take a stroll with Jake, I'll see you in class."

Ellie and Lily exchanged looks and burst into giggles, they knew that Allison and Jacob's strolls usually led to snogging in some old classroom.

"They are so disgusting." stated Ellie, taking a sip of her tea.

"Tell me about it." agreed Lily. "If I ever have a relationship where I'm that disgusting, please, tell me."

"With who?" laughed Ellie. "James?"

Lily scrunched her nose. "Ew, no. More like Emerson."

"Burton?" asked Ellie. "Seventh year, Hufflepuff?"

Lily's eyes became slightly glazed. "He's so…beautiful!"

Ellie laughed. "He is pretty cute, wavy blonde hair, caramel eyes…" Ellie trailed off as a group of boys approached where Lily and Ellie sat. Lily rolled her eyes at Ellie as one of them sat down next to her.

"Good morning, ladies." greeted Sirius, taking an uneaten piece of toast from Lily's plate. Lily scoffed.

"There's a whole plateful right there, is it really necessary for you to take mine?"

"Sofy." mumbled Sirius, crumbs on his chin. "Wanf it back?" He gave the rest of the toast back to her, but Lily shoved it back at him.

"You can have it." replied Lily, rather annoyed. She noticed that Remus had taken a seat beside Ellie, James beside Remus, and that when Remus had taken a seat, Ellie's face had blushed every so slightly.

Lily didn't have much time to think on it, however, for Peter had taken the other side of her and had started to eat in a loud, grotesque manner.

"I think I'm going to go to the library…I have some things I can finish before Potions." interrupted Lily, determined to get away from Peter and Sirius's disgusting eating habits. "Care to go with me, El?"

Ellie shook her head. " I think I'll have a bit more to eat." Lily noticed her empty plate, and shrugged.

"Um, Lily, wait. I want to talk to you." came the voice of James Potter. Lily tried to hold back a groan and nodded.

"Alright."

James followed her out of the Great Hall. Once outside in the empty corridor, James pulled her aside.

"Look, I want to apologize for last night—I feel terrible for upsetting you."

Lily looked into his hazel eyes. They were sincere.

"No…don't feel terrible. You are right…it's just, I've never had it put so bluntly to me before."

James grimaced. "I know I'm sorry, for being so rude."

Lily shook her head. "No, it needed to be said that way, James. I needed to come to realization." She looked at James's shocked face. "I needed it. Please, don't apologize."

"I want to be your friend, Lily." replied James, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them. He mentally hit himself.

Lily sighed. "Well, I imagine, we could become friends. Let's try not arguing every five minutes first, though."

James looked away and nodded, he turned to her, looked into her green eyes that had always captivated him so, and smiled. "I better go get some breakfast. Sirius is liable to eat to the point that the House Elves stop replenishing the food."

Lily grinned. "Alright. I've got to go to the library."

"Bye." waved James. Lily turned around and gave an awkward wave towards James.

That afternoon, after classes had ended and before dinner, James and the Marauders walked the corridors, on the way to the kitchens. Sirius had proclaimed that he was simply famished and couldn't wait until dinner, for he might perish, and then how would the female population of Hogwarts survive, with out the handsome, charming, Sirius Black?

James, who had been a little hungry, had agreed to go, along with Peter and Remus.

Before they could reach the fruit bowl painting, however, they saw none other then Severus Snape walking towards them.

Sirius grinned mischievously and looked at James, and before James could even think to stop him, Sirius had his wand out.

"Good afternoon, Snivellus!" Sirius smiled.

"Padfoot, don't!" started James, but it was to late, Snape had his wand out and was ready for a duel.

"Oh hello, blood traitor." replied Snape, in his slimy voice.

James looked at Sirius frantically, who he could tell was thinking of what curse to use. "Please, Padfoot, don't! Remember what Dumbledore said, remember!"

"Oh don't worry about me, Potter." retorted Snape, pulling a greasy strand of hair from his face. "I can take care of myself." Snape's wand went up and he muttered a curse James didn't recognize, and before he could pull out his wand and deflect it, Sirius had shielded it and muttered a different jinx. Snape deflected it, and the duel between Sirius and Snape had begun.

James looked pleadingly at Remus and Peter. "Help me! We can't just let them go at it! Remember Dumbledore's warnings?"

Remus nodded and pulled out his wand. James followed him. "You get Padfoot, I'll take Snape."

"Alright. Expelliarmus!" shouted Remus, and Sirius wand came soaring towards him. A confused Sirius looked at Remus.

James ignored them and pointed his wand at Snape. "Expelliarmus!"

Snape's wand zoomed into James's hand. Just as he heard the pitter patter of feet coming down from the hall. He turned. Lily.

James's face brightened. "Lily! Just who we needed!" Lily however, wasn't looking as pleased, and came glaring at James.

Snape sneered as he saw Lily coming towards them. "Leave me alone, Potter."

James looked at him in a puzzled expression. "What?"

"POTTER! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" exclaimed Lily, her face red with anger.

"What? I wasn't---" sputtered James, understanding what she thought was probably going on. He laughed. "No, no it isn't—"

"Stop it, Potter! Merlin, I thought you had grown up a bit!" shouted Lily. Her red face and hair giving her the distinct illusion of being on fire.

"I wasn't doing anything!" argued James.

He saw Lily's eyes travel to the two wands in his hand. "Oh I disarmed him, but only because it was necessary!"

Lily wasn't believing him.

"Give him back his wand."

James looked at her aghast, and handed Snape's wand back to him, dumbly.

Remus handed Sirius's wand back to him, as well. "Now look, Lily, we were just…"

Lily turned her head around to face Remus. "Don't you start! You're supposed to be the sensible, responsible one, Remus!" she snapped. Remus shut up.

Lily glared once more at James. "Give me one reason not to report you to Dumbledore!"

"Because Snivellus is next in line for Head Boy!" remarked Sirius.

James glared at him and fiddled with his wand in his hand. "Because it's not what it looks like, and reporting me would be absolutely ludicrous before understanding what I was doing!"

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't see what more there is to understand. You were behaving like you always do."

With her words, she stormed off leaving the Marauders with Snape.

James glared at Snape. "Get out of here!"

Snape sneered. "I see no reason to leave."

James pulled out his wand dangerously. "You want there to be a reason?" replied James through gritted teeth, shaking. He was furious.

Snape brushed off his clothes and smiled before walking away.

"Ten points from Slytherin. Twenty from Gryffindor." stated James.

Sirius looked at James as if he was mad. "Prongs, you just took points from Gryffindor!"

James glared at Sirius. "I know!"

Sirius was taken aback. He had only been on the receiving end of James's rage once before.

"Well why did you take twenty from Gryffindor and only ten from Slytherin?"

"Because you didn't listen to me when I told you to stop!" sputtered James.

Sirius looked at James uneasily, and his eyes darted to Remus and Peter, who were looking just as uneasy.

"I'm sorry, but come on." Sirius tried to laugh. "It's Snivellus!"

The glare didn't leave James's face. "You didn't even listen when I reminded you of what Dumbledore had said to us! You know we aren't supposed to mess with him anymore!"

"It's just an old habit, come on Prongs." replied Sirius. "You can't tell me you didn't want to hex Snape into the next realm."

"It's not whether I wanted to or not, it's that I didn't!" argued James.

Sirius tried to play off James's anger, and smiled. "Prongs, let's just go get something to eat."

"No." answered James. "I'm not hungry anymore."

James stormed off in the same direction Lily had gone, and left Remus, Peter, and Sirius to do whatever they pleased.

"What do you think is eating him?" asked Peter, who through the whole ordeal had coward behind Remus and said nothing.

Sirius glared at him, and Remus just shook his head.

"You are in trouble now, Padfoot."

"Sod off, Moony." Sirius tickled the pear. "He'll get over it." Sirius stormed into the kitchens.

Remus looked at Peter. He knew James wasn't just going to get over it, because the last time he had been that angry, he hadn't spoken to Sirius for a month—and the last time he could have been expelled.

chikichiki- thanks for the review!