A/N: hey guys! Once again, thanx for all the great reviews, particularly the long ones! I love feedback, so please, do try to tell me a bit more about what u liked/disliked?

Just some comments:

BurningIce22- I didn't know that I was allowed to post original stuff on this site! Am I? I thought that's why they created fictionpress…anyway, thanks for the review.

Sweet Sarcasm: hey! I got a livejournal now- so check it out. Its not much though, mainly just rambling D

Always-blonde: he he, your review kept me amused D I'm proud to say, I chose the electric chair, and the answer to the question is I, right?

TheLovelyLadyLily: hey, thanx! I'm glad you liked that D I thought that Sirius being pushy was kinda cute- it adds to the whole childish appeal.

Chapter Eleven:

By Candlelight/ Sirius' Cheesy Intervention

"You do realize that there's only three more weeks of the summer holidays left," Remus remarked one morning.

It was the weekend after the girl's visit, and things had settled down quite nicely. James and Lily were still going out, but (unlike Sirius with his girlfriends) they kept the public displays of affection to a bare minimum. Elena and Harold didn't know, but they had some sort of inkling that the pair was more than just friends.

Lily wasn't quite sure where the time had gone, but she found herself becoming more and more introverted as the end of the holidays drew closer. These past months had been like a trip down memory lane for her. She had felt as if she was part of a family again, and she never wanted to leave. Lily hated goodbyes.

She looked up when Remus spoke.

They were sitting outside, on the verandah, and he was lounging in one of the deck chairs, his hair flopping lazily into his eyes. It was early afternoon, and the sun was glaringly bright. She sighed.

"Yes, I did realize that," she murmured.

James turned to regard her. He had been worrying about her recently. She was so quiet, so unlike Lily. He had some idea as to what was going on in her mind, but he had no idea what he could do about it.

"Well, school's going to be different," he remarked trying to lighten the mood. "What with us being…you know, together."

Lily glanced at him in amusement.

"So articulate. But you're right, it will be strange," she agreed. "Strange in a good way."

Sirius, who was lounging languidly on the floor, yawned and stretched, tilting his neck form side to side to side to side.

"Well, if we only have three weeks left, I say we spend each and every moment having as much fun as possible right?"

Remus raised an eyebrow in a mixture of fear and curiosity. When Sirius suggested they have 'fun' you never knew quite what to expect.

"Ah, yes…sounds like a good idea," he said warily. He glanced at Lily and James, but they both appeared to have drifted off into their own worlds again. "I think…just what do you have in mind?"

Sirius was watching the two lovers as well, rather thoughtfully. He tapped a finger gently against the side of his head, and then smiled.

"First, my friend," he whispered, leaning close to Remus. "You and I are going to disappear."

Remus sat up straighter in alarm.

"Oh no. Last time that happened was a disaster. Never again."

Sirius frowned in hurt.

"I beg your pardon. Last time we did that was when these two finally got together," he pointed out. "Any idiot can see they're aching for some time alone. Who needs a third, or should I say fourth, wheel?"

Remus sighed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Fine. Whatever."

Sirius grinned, his teeth flashing wolfishly.

"Excellent."

James was confused. It was evening, and his two friends had been behaving rather strangely. First, Sirius had forced him to take a bath, and then locked the bathroom door for about an hour, leaving James to soak for an unnatural period of time. Then, when he was finally allowed to emerge, he saw that his clothes had been taken by his unruly best friend. Wrapping himself scantily in a towel (and praying that he didn't run into Lily), James opened the door to find Sirius standing outside with a bathrobe ready to swathe him in.

"Chop, chop," his friend urged him along, practically dragging him into his bedroom, and slamming the door shut behind them. "Time to get ready."

"Ready for what? What the hell? Sirius, get out of my closet!" James exclaimed, as the black-haired boy rummaged about in a drawer.

"Aha! Just the thing," Sirius said to himself, standing up straight and turning to face James. "You get into these, and then meet us in the dining room in ten minutes, alright? And don't you dare be late!"

With that, James' slightly psychotic friend disappeared, leaving him staring in confusion at the clothes he now held in his hands. A pair of straight black pants and a (rather sexy) black shirt, the sleeves already rolled up to mid forearm length. Shrugging, his quickly donned the clothes and exited his bedroom. He knew Sirius was up to something, but he decided to play along. Though he hated to admit it, Sirius' plans usually turned out to be quite fun.

At the other end of the corridor, Lily was suffering form the same state of confusion as that which ailed her boyfriend. Remus had just been in to inform her that they would be having a formal dinner that night, and so could she please dress for the occasion. He wouldn't tell her anything else, and so Lily had turned to pondering what she could wear.

The truth was, Lily didn't really own many clothes, let alone formal clothes, but Elena had taken her shopping several times over the summer, and so she had acquired a few new items.

She finally chose a white evening dress that Elena had bought her because it matched so well with her hair and eyes. The dress was sleeveless, and made of white satin. It encased her body tightly up until her waist, when it flared out slightly, to wrap and waft gently around her legs, stopping mid-calf. Lily liked the way it looked on her, and decided that she didn't care if she was overdressed- when else was she going to get a chance to wear this anyway?

Closing her room door gently behind her, Lily made her way down to the dining room. The first thing that hit her was the music. A faint, elegant piano ten was playing softly, just loud enough to reach her ears as she stood in the hallway outside the dining room. The next thing that made her wonder just what was going on was the lights. They were all out, but a faint glow emanated from the doorway. As she stepped closer and peered into the room, Lily saw candles, a tiny wireless, roses and…a table set for two.

"Um…I thought we were having a formal dinner," she said in confusion to nobody in particular.

"Oh, but you are, Lily my dear!" Sirius said, stepping suddenly into the hallway from the room and sweeping an arm around her. He practically dragged her into the room and plonked her down in one of the seats. "Behold! Tonight you will be dining on the most spectacular and refined tastes ever eaten on this side of the hemisphere, and drinking only the finest wines, all brought to you by myself and, of course, Moony here." At this, Sirius gestured vaguely in the direction of the wireless, where Lily could see Remus rolling his eyes while attempting to retune the radio onto the right station.

"Ok…and I guess I'll be eating alone?" Lily said (almost hopefully). She had no desire to be forced into a date with James while Sirius watched like a proud mother from the sidelines.

The black-haired boy chuckled and patted her gently on the head.

"Ah, Lily, such a sense of humor," he said indulgently. "Never fear, your prince will be here shortly."

"I'm guessing you mean me," came a voice from the doorway.

Lily looked up to see James lounging against the doorframe, arms crossed in a stance not unlike the way Remus often stood. He was looking at Sirius amusedly, and then turned to Lily. Their eyes locked, and Lily felt a faint swooping sensation in the general vicinity of her stomach.

She looked away quickly, silently berating herself. What the hell was wrong with her? She had now been going out with James for almost a month, and she still felt like a blushing virgin whenever he was around. Not that she wasn't a virgin…Lily didn't blush very often was all.

James had made his way into he room by then, and was standing across from her, tilting his head to look at her properly.

"You look beautiful," he murmured softly, so that only she could see.

Her blush deepened, and she looked up, flustered. His eyes were regarding her almost solemnly, and she suddenly smiled, feeling the need to break the tension.

"You're not too bad yourself," she said, trying to sound light.

He looked at her, smiling slightly, and then pulled out the other chair and sat down gracefully.

"You're not getting off that easily," he grinned. "You're mien for the whole evening now."

Lily closed her eyes briefly. She didn't like where this was going. Or maybe she did like it, and that was precisely why she didn't like it.

"Right. Um, what are we eating?" she said, almost stuttering on her words. She had no idea why she was so flustered, but it might have had something to do with the almost knowing smiles on the boy's faces.

"The main course is on its way!" Sirius announced dramatically, arriving back in the room holding a tray aloft. "Sorry, guys, we didn't have time to make an entrée. We'll just serve this and be on our way. Desert will come later."

Two plates were placed with many a flourish in front of Lily and James, and then Sirius and Remus retreated, leaving an almost awkward silence in their wake.

Lily glanced down at her plate. Chicken in apricot sauce, as far as she could tell, with a side of steamed vegetables. James had the same.

"So, shall we begin?" James said, breaking the silence and, oddly, the tension too. It seemed as though so long as they were speaking, things remained normal. It was only when he looked at her with that tender gaze that she got flustered.

"Yep. Looks good," she said, picking up her knife and fork. "Then again, if Sirius made it…"

James laughed, and raised his already full wine glass.

"To us," he said, holding it aloft.

"To us," Lily echoed. But as she sipped delicately form her glass, she couldn't help but wonder, what next?

Would everything change when they got back to Hogwarts? Even if it didn't, once she left this summer behind, Lily would have to return to her lonely, family-less life. She wasn't sure she could face that yet.

She looked up, and met James' gaze. In that look, she was reassured. Because something in his eyes told her that she had a family. That she didn't have to worry. That she was not alone. And that she was loved. And that, perhaps, was most important of all.

A/N: don't worry, its not over yet D one more chapter. I really just wanted to wrap up Lily's insecurities. The next chapter will basically finish it off. So, please review, and if you want anything special in the next chapter, let me know, and I'll see what I can do D thanks for having read this far, please review!

JB