A/N: Okay, so, obviously, by Tuesday I meant Thursday! I am so sorry, guys! I have a summer job, and it has kept me incredibly busy this week. I do plan to have the next chapter out by Sunday. Just as a heads up, I'm leaving for vacation on Monday, and I'll be gone for two weeks. So, after the next chapter, you won't see anything from me until August!

This chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I really hope you like it. Some of the humor is naughtier than I usually write, but I think it fits with the situations. Let me know what you think!

I don't own Harry Potter.

Everything Changes

"Lily? Lils, can you hear me?"

Lily swallowed, and struggled to open her eyes. She finally managed to open them, and squinted up at Dana, whose face broke into a beaming, relieved smile.

"Welcome back," she grinned. "You've been out for quite awhile. We've been worried about you, girl."

A thousand questions swirled through Lily's mind, but only one really mattered. She swallowed again.

"James?" she asked thickly.

Dana sat down on the edge of Lily's bed, and took her hand. "James is fine," she said.

Relief filled Lily's being, and her face relaxed. James was fine.

"He took the Cruciatus at least twice, but he's making a great recovery. In fact, he's probably going to be released tomorrow."

"How long . . .?" Lily didn't have the strength to finish the question.

"Don't try to talk yet," Dana said, stroking her brow. "You've been in here for three days. You've had quite a few people rather worried. No one knows for sure what curse was used on you. We've been treating your symptoms, which seems to have worked for us." She grinned again. "I'm so glad to have you back, Lils. Everyone's going to be so happy to see you awake again."

The door to Lily's room opened, and Remus walked in. He stopped short at the sight of Dana sitting on Lily's bed. Dana turned to him with a grin.

"She's awake!" she exclaimed.

Remus grinned. "Thank God." He crossed the room, and went to the other side of Lily's bed, pointing his wand at her and muttering spells to check her vital signs. "James is going to be so relieved."

"Can . . . I . . . James . . ."

Dana placed a finger over Lily's mouth. "Don't talk," she said again. She looked up at Remus. "Can we bring James in here to see her?"

"Presion," Remus muttered. He moved his wand tip from Lily to the chart he carried. While his wand recorded Lily's blood pressure, he looked at Dana. "I think that if we make James wait one more minute to see her, he'll hex us both into next year," he grinned.

Dana smiled. "I'll go get him."

Remus nodded his agreement, and pointed his wand at Lily again. "Temperatura."

Lily submitted to Remus' ministrations without comment. All she wanted was to see James, and she was sure that Remus couldn't do anything to speed that process. It wouldn't do her any good to yell at him; it would probably just drain her of what little energy she had.

The door opened again, and Dana appeared, leading James and Sirius. Sirius looked determined to help James, who was just as determined to not accept his friend's assistance. James' eyes lit up when he saw Lily. Remus moved aside, and Sirius and Dana remained by the door as James crossed the room. He stopped at Lily's bedside, just looking at her for a moment. His eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"Thank God," he muttered.

He leaned down, and pulled her into a tight embrace, crushing her against his chest. He kissed her hair and her face again and again.

"I'm fine," Lily whispered.

"Of course you are," James said softly, pulling back to look at her. "I love you so much, Lily."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

He looked at her again, as if trying to memorize her face. Then, a beaming smile breaking out across his own face, he leaned down to kiss her lips.

True to Dana's word, the Healers released James the next day. He returned to St. Mungo's every day for the next week, visiting Lily. Because the Healers weren't sure exactly what curse had been used against her, it took them longer to treat her. Once she was awake and able to talk to them, her treatment was easier, but still time-consuming.

Lily didn't lack for visitors during her stint at the hospital. Dana and Remus came to see her on their breaks from training at the hospital. James and Laura came every day after work, and Sirius and Olivia stopped by when their classes ended. Mr. and Mrs. Potter also visited almost every day. Minnie, Elaine, and several of Lily's other friends from the Daily Prophet came during the week to check up on her.

Finally, at long last, Lily was declared strong enough to leave the hospital. James came to talk her home, greeting her with a beaming smile.

"Are you glad to be leaving?" he grinned.

"You have no idea," she smiled. "I can't wait to get back to my normal life again!"

James grinned again. "Well, I think I have the perfect place to start."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. House hunting."

"James!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "When can we go?"

"Definitely not today," James said firmly. "We're not going until you're strong enough."

"We were supposed to start so long ago," Lily said, biting her lower lip. She smiled slightly. "Your mother must have had a fit."

"She had bigger issues to worry about," James said softly. He touched Lily's hair, brushing it back from her face. "And so did I. Do you realize how lucky we are, Lil? I nearly lost you, and here we are, talking about finding a house." He drew a shaky breath. "When I woke up, and asked Remus and Dana about you . . . When they told me that no one was sure what had happened to you . . . I was so scared, Lily. I was so scared that I'd never see you again."

Lily nodded. "That's all I've thought about all week. We came too close to the end, James. When I saw you there, screaming as that curse hit you, all I could think was that I had to stop Voldemort, because I couldn't lose you. I mean it, James. I can't live without you." Tears filled her eyes as she nearly whispered the last words.

"Stop it," James said, wiping away the tears that fell. "We both need to stop thinking that way. You're never going to have to live without me. I'm never going to leave you, and you're never going to leave me. We're in this together, Lil, and that's how we're always going to be."

Lily smiled through her tears. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"So you're both taking an entire day off for this?"

"Yes," Lily replied, pouring tea into her cup. "I think that finding a house definitely merits a day off work."

Olivia smiled as she buttered her toast. "It'll never happen for me. Moody doesn't understand anything but work. I don't think he even considers that we need a place to stay when we leave the Academy at the end of the day."

Dana looked at Lily critically. "And you're sure you're ready for this?"

"Dana, I've been home for a week!" Lily exclaimed in exasperation. "You're worse than a mother! Yes, I'm sure that I'm ready!"

"All right, I believe you!" Dana laughed, holding up her hands to stop Lily's tirade.

Lily laughed. "I'm glad I won't live with a Healer-in-training after the wedding."

At her words, both Dana's and Olivia's faces fell. Lily, too, sobered once she realized what she had said.

"Wait, I didn't mean that the way it . . . Oh, man, that was harsh. I'm sorry girls."

"Don't apologize," Dana said quickly. "You should rather live with James than with us. That's the way it's supposed to be. He's the one you're marrying. He's the one you're going to spend the rest of your life with."

Lily smiled. "Yeah, he is. Can't you just see us, all old and wrinkled, sitting in rocking chairs, yelling at kids to get off our yard?"

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, and the old and wrinkled version of Sirius will pay them to run across your yard just to annoy you!"

"He would," Dana laughed. "And he'll probably give them some dung bombs or other Zonko's product to throw as they pass."

"And our grandchildren will grumble that Sirius is the only one who really remembers what it was like to be a kid," Lily added with a giggle. "But our grandkids will all be friends, right?"

"Of course," Dana replied promptly. "So will our children."

"Naturally," Olivia said. "They'll be best friends, just like we are."

A pop sounded as James appeared. He smiled as he looked around at the girls.

"Good morning, lovelies," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning, slacker," Olivia said playfully.

James made a face at her. "Hey, we may not go to work today, but I have a feeling we're certainly going to work. This house hunting stuff can be brutal."

"I still say you're a slacker," Olivia said with a shake of her head. "But you two had better get out of here. You have work to do."

Lily laughed. "This is a tough crowd this morning, James. You don't want to stick around with them."

"Well, we have an appointment anyway," James smiled. "Come on, beautiful."

Lily smiled. "Bye, girls. I'll be home in time for dinner tonight."

"Good," Olivia replied. "We'll see you then – and you had better have found a house!"

Shaking her head, Lily Disapparated with James at her side. Olivia turned to Dana.

"Are you ready to put our plans into motion?"

"Oh, you know it!"

"Great. So, Lily's going to be home by six or so . . . Should we meet back here at four?"

"I'll be here."

By noon, Lily and James were completely frustrated. They hadn't found a house they considered livable, and weren't too excited about the prospects ahead of them. They decided to stop in a café in Diagon Alley for lunch before continuing.

"We could always look in Muggle neighborhoods," Lily said as they finished their sandwiches. "We both grew up in Muggle neighborhoods without any awful consequences."

James nodded slowly. "I suppose. I just always pictured my kids growing up in a wizarding neighborhood. And I guess I really like living in Diagon Alley. There's so much more happening here than there ever was in the neighborhood I lived in when I was a kid."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I feel the same way – at least the part about living in Diagon Alley. I have to admit, when I was a little girl, I never once thought of my kids growing up in a wizarding neighborhood."

"Honestly," James smiled in mock exasperation. "No, I suppose you wouldn't have." He glanced at his watch, and pushed his chair back from the table. "We'd better get going. Our next appointment is in fifteen minutes, and it'll take us about that long to walk there."

Lily nodded, and placed her napkin on the table. "I hope this next house is nicer than the ones we saw this morning."

"So do I," James said with feeling. "Come on, we need to go this way."

As soon as they arrived at the house, Lily fell in love with it. It was a modest, two-story red brick home, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. Black shutters framed the windows; the lower windows were underscored by flowerboxes. Even though it was the middle of winter, Lily could picture flowers spilling from them. She could visualize James walking up the path to the front door, and, with a slight flush to her cheeks, children playing in the front yard. As James opened the gate for Lily, she turned to look at him with a guarded expression. She didn't want to get her hopes up too soon.

"You're sure this is the right address, right?"

"Positive."

"And it's within our budget?"

"If it wasn't, do you think we'd be here right now?"

Lily smiled. "I love it already."

"Well, put that love on hold until we see the inside," James grinned. "If there are rats running around the kitchen, we're going to have to keep looking."

"There won't be," Lily said confidently as they walked up to the door. "This feels like home, doesn't it?"

"I'm still a little wary," James replied with a smile.

A realtor opened the door for them, and smiled at the young couple.

"You must be Miss Evans and Mr. Potter," she smiled. "I'm Nancy. Come in and let me show you around."

When they walked through the front door, even James was impressed. The foyer was smaller than the one in his parents' home, but the hardwood floor and open staircase gave it an airy feel. As they continued walking, they discovered that the entire first floor had hardwood floors. Lily looked up at James with starry eyes. She loved hardwood floors. He grinned down at her. She was right. This house was beginning to feel like home.

"Here's the kitchen," Nancy said, opening the door for them. "As you can see, there's plenty of workspace in here – I don't know if you enjoy cooking, but if you do, you're going to love working in this room."

Lily began to inspect the room, and gave James a pointed look. "No sign of rats."

"Oh, you won't find any rodents in this house!" Nancy exclaimed. "The previous owners were meticulous!"

James and Lily both laughed, and Nancy looked at them in confusion. When neither of them offered an explanation, she tried to smile again.

"Shall we look around upstairs?"

Three bedrooms graced the second floor of the house. These rooms were carpeted, but the hall was not. Lily looked at James again, and he grinned down at her.

"Well, I'm sure you need some time to think about it," Nancy said as they made their way downstairs again. "I'll give you my card, and you can get in touch with me when you've made you decision."

"I don't think that will be necessary," James said, his eyes never leaving Lily's face. "When we can start the paperwork?"

Lily gave an ecstatic cry, and flung her arms around James. He held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. Nancy watched with a smile tugging at her lips. They really were a very sweet couple.

"Did that really happen?" Lily asked as she and James walked away from the house, their hands tightly clasped together. "Did we really just find a house?"

"I think we did," James replied, still grinning. "We still have a long way to go with all the paperwork and loan agreements, though. There are loads of things that need to be approved before it's really our house. We won't be able to move in tomorrow."

"I should think not," Lily replied primly. "We aren't married yet!"

James laughed. "Details, details."

"James Potter!"

Lily looked around quickly. "Who said that?"

James laughed, and pulled a mirror from his pocket. Lily recognized it as the mirror he had used to call Sirius to their aid at Petunia's wedding. Once again, Sirius' face was in the mirror where James' should have been reflected.

"Hey, Padfoot," James said easily.

"You really need to get home," Sirius said.

"Why?" James asked, his voice tight with concern. "What happened?"

Sirius sighed. "It's just . . . Well, I mean, Peter's here and everything . . . It's really . . . You'd better get here like yesterday, mate."

"What happened?" James asked again.

"Just get here!" Sirius exclaimed, his face disappearing from the mirror.

"Shit," James muttered. "I'd better go home. I'm sorry, Lil."

"We can talk later," Lily said quickly. "Go take care of your friends, James."

"Thanks, love." He leaned over to kiss her, then Disapparated.

Lily continued on her way alone. She made it back to her flat, and let herself in. Dana, Olivia, and Laura were all gathered in the sitting room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lily asked.

"Oh, that's nice," Olivia grinned.

"I'm sorry," Lily smiled. "I guess I'm just surprised to see you all, that's all. Surprised in a good way, of course."

"Well, prepare to continue with the surprises," Dana grinned. "We have plans for tonight, Miss Lily."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"You can't wear that," Laura smiled, touching the sleeve of Lily's robes.

"What's wrong with this?" Lily asked.

"No, you can't wear that at all," Olivia said, picking up a bag. "You'd better wear this."

"What's going on?" Lily laughed, pulling a miniskirt from the bag.

"We're going out," Olivia said, her eyes shining. "It's high time you had a bachelorette party."

"What's wrong?" James asked as soon as he Apparated into his flat.

"Who said something was wrong?" Sirius asked with an innocent expression.

"You did!" James exclaimed.

"No, I didn't," Sirius said calmly. "I merely said that you should come home. I never said that something was wrong."

James looked around, and saw Remus and Peter coming into the room. He ran his hand through his hair distractedly.

"What's going on, guys?"

"We're going out," Sirius said, his expression changing from innocent to excited. "Prongs, we're within a month of your wedding. You need a night out with the guys. A night of revelry and excitement. A night without worrying about Lily waiting up for you at home. A night with your friends. A bachelor party, if you will."

James laughed. "Lily's going to kill you all when she finds out."

"She'll be fine with it," Remus said dismissively. "The girls are keeping her occupied tonight."

"She's having a bachelorette party?" James laughed. "Somehow, that doesn't seem like Lily's cup of tea."

"They have quite a night planned," Sirius grinned. "And so do we. So, let's get dressed, and hit the bars."

"I feel ridiculous," Lily said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Well, you look hot," Olivia replied as she applied mascara.

"You do," Laura agreed. "Absolutely fantastic."

Lily smoothed her hands over her hips, trying to pull her skirt lower. "This is awfully short, don't you think?"

"That's why it's called a miniskirt," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, the boots work with it."

"You're sure they don't look ridiculous?" Lily asked, looking down at the boots that reached up her legs, stopping several inches short of her knees.

"Honestly, Lil, where we're going, everyone is going to be dressed like that!" Laura said. "Dana, Liv, and I hit all these clubs a week ago. We paid very close attention to what everyone was wearing."

"Did you guys stick out? I mean, what did you wear?"

"Muggle clothes," Olivia said. "Laura talked to her sisters before we left. They gave us excellent advice on what to wear."

"You wore stuff like this?" Lily asked, gesturing toward her ensemble.

"Yes!" Dana exclaimed. "And Liv is right, Lils, you look hot!"

"We're all dressed in the same sort of clothes," Olivia added. "I mean, look at these pants I'm wearing! Could they be any tighter if they tried?"

"You look good in them," Lily said, tugging at her skirt again.

"Lils, you come from a Muggle family," Dana giggled. "You should feel very comfortable in Muggle clothes!"

"This isn't the sort of thing I usually wear," Lily confessed, looking in the mirror as she straightened the plunging neckline of her shirt. She brushed at her hair. "But I guess I look okay."

"You look hot," Olivia repeated. "You have the perfect body for that skirt. I wish I had your legs."

"I think Sirius likes your legs just fine," Lily said with a mischievous smile. "I've seen him touching them often enough."

"Why were you watching?" Olivia asked, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Why were you molesting one another on our sofa?" Lily shot back.

"Why are you having this conversation?" Laura exclaimed. "There are innocent children present!"

"Not a one of us is innocent anymore," Olivia said dismissively. "Come on, ladies. Muggle London awaits."

"Sirius, would you just give up on you hair already?" Remus laughed from the sitting room. "If James is done with his, you should definitely be done with yours! You have to admit that he has far more hair issues than you!"

"In a minute!"

Remus sighed, and went into the kitchen. When he returned, he tossed bottles of beer to both James and Peter, keeping one for himself.

"I think we're going to need something to occupy our time until our prima dona is ready to leave," he said, opening his bottle.

James and Peter both laughed, and opened their own bottles.

"I resent that," Sirius laughed, coming out of the bathroom. "I'm ready. And stop comparing my hair to James'! James gave up on his hair years ago. He likes that windswept, just off a broomstick look.

"Maybe Remus was on to something with that 'prima dona' line," Peter laughed. "Since when have you talked like a girl, Sirius? You just described James' hair in frightening detail!"

Sirius laughed. "I'll stop talking about his hair when you stop comparing my hair to his. Besides, that comparison doesn't work tonight. He doesn't have anyone to impress. He's engaged."

"I thought the point of a bachelor party was to have one last crazy night as a single guy," James laughed.

"No, I think the point is the avoid death," Peter laughed, taking a swig of his beer. "If Lily finds out you were flirting with other girls, I'm not sure the three of us could stop her from killing you."

James laughed. "Good point."

"Can I have one of those?" Sirius asked, indicating the bottles his friends were holding.

"You know where they are," Remus replied.

"You're not a very good host," Sirius said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"You live here!" Remus laughed.

Laughing, Sirius emerged from the kitchen. He flung himself down on the sofa, and opened his bottle.

"So, why are we dressed like Muggles if we're going to the bars on Diagon Alley?" James asked.

"Well," Peter said, "we were concerned that we'd get bored with these bars. I mean, we've seen them all before. So, if that happens, we're going to head into Muggle London."

"Really?" James said with interest. "We've never done that before."

"But, there's somewhere else we need to go first," Sirius said. "So, once everyone's done with their drinks, we'll head out to the transportation."

"We have transportation?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Remus laughed. "Sirius' motorbike."

"But, how are we all going to fit on it?"

"Padfoot spent this afternoon improving it," Peter grinned. "Come on, guys. Let's get going."

"Wait," James laughed as they all stood up. "Where are we going?"

"To say good bye to the past," Remus said. "Let's go."

"Get out your license, Lil," Laura commanded as they approached the first club. "You have to show it to the bouncer to prove that you're at least eighteen." She reached into her own purse to procure her drivers license.

"Do Dana and Liv have -?"

"We have ID," Olivia said quickly. "Move along, Lils, you're holding up the line."

Lily obediently handed her license over to the huge bouncer standing at the door. He looked at the card critically for a moment, then a Lily's face.

"What's your address?" he asked.

Lily recited her parents' address, the one still listed on her license, while the man read it from the card. He nodded, and gave it back to her.

"Go on," he said, waving her through.

Lily stepped inside the door, and was immediately accosted by the loud music blaring from the speakers. The lights were low, and people seemed to be all around. The majority of them were on the dance floor, dancing together to the blaring music. Spot lights raced around the crowd, and lights on the floor blinked on and off in different colors.

Olivia bumped into Lily, and giggled. She said something, but Lily couldn't hear a word over all the noise in the club.

"What?" Lily yelled.

Olivia leaned closer. "He didn't think you were old enough!" she yelled. "That's why he made you give him your address! He trusted me – didn't ask me for mine!"

They were soon joined by Dana and Laura. Laura, too, had appeared too young to enter; the bouncer had asked for her birthday.

"Come on," Olivia said. "Let's go get some drinks."

She grabbed Lily's hand to lead her to the bar. Dana grabbed Lily's other hand, and Laura latched onto her. Lily was confused for a moment, but quickly realized why the girls were so clingy. If they hadn't been holding hands, they likely would have been lost in the crowd.

When the reached the bar, Olivia ordered each of them a shot. Lily picked hers up gingerly.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A lemon drop," Olivia giggled as she passed out lemon wedges. "You'll like it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Just make sure to suck on this lemon as soon as you take the shot."

Lily nodded uncertainly.

"To Lily and James," Dana smiled, raising her shot glass.

"Lily and James," Laura and Olivia echoed.

"Here, here," Lily grinned.

All four girls threw back their shots.

Sirius' motorbike had been "improved" by the addition of two sidecars, which allowed all four of them to ride together. Once they were settled on the bike, Sirius took off, taking them high into the clouds.

"Where are we going?" James yelled over the roar of the engine.

"You'll see!" Sirius yelled back.

After what felt like forever, they touched down. James looked around in shock.

"Are we at Hogwarts?"

"Yup," Sirius said cheerfully. "But not just anywhere – DUCK!"

James jumped out of the way just in time. A branch lashed out at him. Another flew in his direction, and he leaned back.

"Why are we . . .?"

James' question died in his throat as he watched Peter transform. The small rat scampered along, dodging the swinging branches. He pressed the knot at the base of the tree, freezing it.

"Come on," Sirius said, picking up the bag that Peter had dropped. "Let's go."

Once again, the four friends followed the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. The tunnel and the journey were different this time. Remus was with them, not waiting for them at the other side. No dangerous adventure awaited them. The tunnel seemed smaller than it had been before, and the protruding rocks more jagged.

Maybe the tunnel hadn't changed. Maybe they had.

They reached the Shack, and wandered inside. They were all silent, and were treading lightly. They knew better than to be afraid of Dumbledore's "violent spirits" that haunted the house. They didn't want to disturb the memories, the ghosts of their younger selves. James was sure that if he just listened hard enough, he'd be able to hear the sounds of four animals running across the wooden floorboards. Then, he realized what other sounds he would hear – the sounds of Remus' bones snapping, the gnashing of his teeth as he transformed into a werewolf. These were the sounds that he still heard once every twenty-eight days, but tried to forget the other twenty-seven.

"Why are we here?" James whispered.

"We're saying good bye," Sirius said, his own voice uncharacteristically solemn. "This is it, James. When you marry Lily in a few weeks, our childhood is over. If one of us is old enough to get married, we're all officially adults."

"We needed to close this chapter of our lives," Remus added. "We'll never run around Hogwarts illegally again. We wanted to have the chance to say good bye."

"And to do so properly," Peter said, pulling a bottle of firewhiskey and four shot glasses from his bag. He poured four shots, and passed the glasses around.

"To the end of our childhood," Sirius said, raising his glass. "And to getting completely sloshed tonight!"

"To James and Lily," Peter said, raising his glass.

"To the best friends I've ever had," Remus said, raising his shot.

"To the future," James said, bringing his own glass level with theirs.

The boys who had become friends so many years ago nodded, and threw back their shots. The men who were sure they would be friends forever nodded at one another again, and left the Shrieking Shack for what they were sure would be the last time.

"What's this called again?" Lily asked as she and the other girls danced together.

"A melon ball," Dana said. "Do you like it? Is it better than the gin and tonic?"

"Definitely!" Lily laughed, taking a sip. "But I liked the screwdriver, too. Who taught you girls all these drinks?"

Dana and Olivia pointed at Laura. She laughed.

"I have five older brothers and sisters," she said, taking a drink from her own glass. "I had received an education in drinks before I was sixteen! Incidentally, if you like fruity drinks, we're going to try a fuzzy navel next."

"Lily's empty," Olivia said, pointing at the glass Lily had drained. "We do need more drinks."

"Shall we get her a fuzzy navel?" Laura asked.

"Let's do another shot," Dana suggested. "We'll all do one."

Olivia looked at Lily with a glint in her eye. "I have the perfect idea. Come on, girls, let's go back to the bar."

A man appeared behind Lily, and started dancing against her. Alarmed, she jumped and turned around. He took his for agreement to dance, and moved in closer. Lily looked around for her friends. Dana, who had just grabbed Laura's shoulder to make their way toward the bar, looked around for Lily at the same time. Their eyes met, and she pulled Laura and Olivia back toward Lily. The three girls began dancing around Lily, dancing her away from the random man.

"Thanks!" Lily exclaimed as they made their way toward the bar.

"You're welcome," Olivia giggled. "If James found out we had let you dance with another man tonight, I think he'd kill us all!"

"Yeah, because that was such a consensual dance," Lily giggled. "That man was awfully skeevy!"

"He looks old, too," Dana said, wrinkling her nose. "I'll bet he's close to thirty."

"Ew!" Lily exclaimed. "Why do I attract the skeevy guys?"

"Are you calling James skeevy?" Olivia laughed.

"No, of course not . . ."

The reached the bar, and Olivia leaned over to give their orders. When the bartender returned, he passed lemon drops to Olivia, Laura, and Dana, and put a glass down in front of Lily. She watched as he mixed the shot, then added whipped cream on top of it.

"What's this?" Lily asked, her eyes rounding as she looked at the whipped cream.

Laura and Olivia both laughed. Dana looked as though she was struggling not to laugh with them.

"You don't want to know what it's called, Lils," she replied.

"But know this," Laura managed to gasp out, "if properly done, you shouldn't use your hands."

Lily looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "What?"

"She's right, Lils," Olivia laughed. "Let's see you use that mouth."

Realizing what they were getting at, Lily's face turned beet red. The girls laughed even harder.

"Drink up, Lils!"

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had nearly completed the Diagon Alley bar crawl. They had hit all their usual haunts, as well as a few bars they had never entered before. All four of them were quite drunk as they left the last one.

"Well, that's Diagon Alley," Remus said, slurring his words slightly.

"We can't be done," Peter protested, his own words slurred. "Let's hit Muggle London."

"Peter wants to dance," Sirius said with a laugh. "Once he found out the girls were going to a dance club, he got a little jealous." He tried to dance, and nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Oh, yeah, like you don't want to see all those girls wearing next to nothing, dancing around one another like it's their job!"

"That's where they took Lily?" James said, vaguely realizing that he was considerably louder than usual. "They took her to a dance club?"

"Well, the plan was actually several dance clubs," Remus clarified. "But don't worry. They'll make sure she doesn't do anything inappropriate."

"As we promised to do for you," Sirius affirmed. "Didn't you notice that we haven't even suggested a strip club?"

"That was Sirius' original plan," Remus laughed. "But Olivia threatened him with . . . Well, let's just say that she definitely knows how to get her way with Sirius."

"Wait," James said, his brain slowly catching up to his friends' words. "So, you're telling me that right now, Lily Evans is dancing around wearing next to nothing, as our friend Peter put it?"

"That's right," Sirius said slowly.

"I have to see that!" James laughed. "Let's go!"

They didn't have any idea which club the girls had made it to, but decided to try the first one they could remember the girls mentioning. They showed their ID, and walked into the club.

"How are we going to find them in this?" Remus asked.

"How many girls could there be with hair like Lily's?" James asked.

"Fair point," Peter said, straining to make himself tall enough to see over the heads of those around them.

"Leave the spotting to the tall people," Sirius laughed, searching for the girls.

"Do you see them?" Remus asked.

"No . . . I don't think . . . OH MY GOD!"

"You found them?" James asked.

"They're over by the bar," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe that was so easy," Peter marveled.

"I can't believe what Lily's about to do!" Sirius laughed.

"What?" James asked a bit fearfully.

"You'll have to see for yourself!"

Lily leaned over the shot glass, still trying to decide if she was drunk enough to make a fool of herself in front of her friends. She knew that she was drunk enough that she didn't care about spilling the alcohol, but she also knew that she couldn't take this shot without picking it up with her hands. Her coordination was far too impaired. She reached out to grab the glass, and was stunned to feel hands grab her wrists and pull them away from the bar, pinning them behind her back.

"Now, now," a voice said in her ear, "I thought you couldn't use your hands for that particular shot."

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin, and turned around. James smiled down at her.

"What are you doing here?" she squealed.

"Looking for you," he said, his eyes going up and down her body. He leaned down to speak in her ear again. "Can I get you to dress like that more often?"

Lily pushed her hands against his chest. "You're drunk."

"So are you," James accused.

"Yeah," Lily grinned.

"So, let's see you take that shot," James laughed. "And I'm holding your hands!"

Lily laughed, and leaned down to pick up the glass with her teeth.

"You know, you've ruined our plans," Olivia said, hitting Sirius lightly in the chest.

"Well, we couldn't keep Romeo away from Juliet forever," Sirius sighed.

"Let them have their fun," Dana smiled, watching as Lily spilled her shot all over both herself and James.

James and Lily both laughed hysterically. James spun Lily around, and kissed her. He broke the kiss, and spun her again, taking her out onto the dance floor. The others looked at one another for a moment, then joined them. It was a night for all of them to have fun.