To mookiemoooo, I can try to make the chappies longer, but I can't guarantee it. My ideas just seem to fit nicely into chapters. Besides, if the chapters are shorter, I can update faster! Thanx for saying that you love my story, that's so awesome.

Zippy-Wings, I hope I updated fast enough for you :)

Emily, you'll find out in this chapter what happens when other people start to find out. Hope you like!

To Tanya J Potter, that's a good point. I boo boo-ed, ha ha. Let's just say that he looked older because of trying to provide for his family, and from work in the Order of the Phoenix. Does that work? Thanx for pointing that out! Chocolate chip cookies to you!

Last but not least, to Leha, that's a good point too. I've heard that before, but failed to consider it when I was writing. My only excuse would be…it's magic!


A much happier Lily could be found around the school in the days that followed. She was procrastinating about telling her parents, but she figured that with Sirius' outburst, that they'd find out soon enough. She was dreading their response.

However, she didn't have to wait long to find out what their response was. A mere two days after Sirius had exploded outside the library, her owl – a tawny that she'd named Anjelita in her second year – arrived with a bright red envelope. She was sitting with James when Anjelita dropped the Howler in her Cheerios.

"I think they found out," James whispered in her ear. Lily grabbed it and sprinted as far away from the Great Hall as she could get. She'd made it several corridors away before the Howler exploded, singeing her fingertips. She dropped it with a yelp as her mother's voice filled the hall. How her mother had managed to send her a Howler, she didn't know. They were muggles!

"I THOUGHT THAT WE'D RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT, LILY EVANS! I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN WE HEARD THE HORRIBLE NEWS! MY DAUGHTER, A KNOCKED UP LITTLE SLUT? YOU CAN FORGET COMING BACK TO OUR HOME AGAIN! IT IS NO LONGER YOURS! YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN WAY NOW!"

Lily fell to her knees as the Howler shrivelled into ashes, and began to cry. She'd been kicked out! Of her own home! Wouldn't Petunia be happy now…

She felt James kneel down beside her, and put his arms around her. He held her as she cried. "Shh…" he murmured, "It'll be ok. I'll take care of you. You can come live with me, and I'll take care of you."


Back in the Great Hall, distant strains of Lily's Howler could be heard. Everyone in the Hall was silent as the listened to the Howler. The Hall began to buzz with the news that their Head Girl was pregnant. They'd heard rumours, but now it was evident that the rumours were true. Those who had met Lily were shocked. She was such a nice person! She was a good girl; not one to get herself pregnant. The school all knew now… and they were shocked. Had this ever happened at Hogwarts before?

Sirius slid down in his seat, ashamed that he'd been the one to bring this about. He knew it. Peter patted him on the shoulder, "It'll be ok, mate."

He shrugged off his friend's gentle touch. He suddenly got up and went in search of Lily so that he could apologize; something that Sirius had never thought he'd be doing.

He found Lily and James huddled in the middle of a corridor on the main floor. Lily was crying. Very slowly, he backed away, not wanting to disturb them. But then something in the back of his mind prodded him forward, and he knew he had to say it now.

"Lily," he said softly. She was startled, and stopped crying. She and James both turned, and suddenly Sirius wished he hadn't chosen to do this.

"I –" he faltered.

"Spit it out, Padfoot," James said.

"I'msorryLilyforcausingallthattroublecouldyoupleaseforgiveme?" he said in a rush, deeply embarrassed.

There was a pause where Sirius was afraid that she'd get mad at him. But no. She simply nodded, and James got up and helped her up off the floor.

Remus, Peter and Leala were waiting in the common room when the trio arrived back at Gryffindor tower. Leala jumped up the moment they portrait hole opened.

"I cannot BELIEVE that you never TOLD me!" Leala fumed, "I thought we were best friends," she added, an undertone in her voice suggesting that she was hurt.

Lily hugged her friend, "I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. It just… got out. I never really discussed that it should be a secret from James," she said, her voice shaking. "And now, my mom's kicked me out. Thank Merlin I'm 17 and legal now…"


In the days that followed, Lily received a cold shoulder from the student body. They treated her as if she was dirty; younger students shied away from her in the hallway, and older students stared openly. Few people talked to her. The teachers did nothing to prevent this, as they felt that she was getting what she deserved. A few parents wrote in, suggesting that she be stripped of her Head Girl status, and many teachers agreed. Dumbledore stubbornly refused to do that, as he felt that she needed to keep something in balance in the poor girl's life.

James and the rest of the marauders felt this was wrong, and did everything in their power to prevent it. Sirius and James proceeded to hex anyone who spoke ill of Lily and Peter attempted to follow suit, although his aim was terrible. More than once he managed to hex Remus, who was trying desperately to stay out of trouble. He did do all he could with the power of words, and managed to say some very evil things to one 5th year before he was caught by Professor Slughorn, and lost 10 points from Gryffindor.

Teachers stopped calling on Lily in classes, and indeed, after a week of being treated like filth, she became invisible. She wasn't sure which she preferred. The only bright side to all of this was that she still had her small but fiercely loyal group of friends. The marauders had informally inducted Leala and herself into their group of mischief. Leala jumped at the idea of being included in pranks, but Lily was more reluctant. Eventually, she did join in, and it became a release of energy for her.

Lily had so many ideas for the little group that James and Sirius were dumbfounded. One night after Lily had gone to bed and Remus, Peter and Leala were in the library, James and Sirius were discussing this in a far corner of the room, their History of Magic homework abandoned.

"I can't believe Lily," Sirius said to James as he dropped his quill in frustration.

"She's had more ideas for us in the last week that we've had all month!" James said, following suit.

"Well, it's not exactly as if you've been a huge help James. You've been a little bit preoccupied with your oversized, lovesick head in the clouds."

The friends chuckled. "At least you know that you're nothing without me!" James laughed.

"Seriously though, Lily should have been a marauder from the beginning," Sirius said as the laughter died. "Too bad she hated our guts… your guts," he corrected himself.

"Her prank on Snivellus was great though!" James said, remembering when Lily had expertly changed the text in Severus' much loved potion book. Severus had been so confused when his potion had turned pink and began spitting heart shaped fireworks. Major embarrassment for him!

"Yeah, I've never seen Snivellus so revolted at himself. It was superb!"

"All those little hearts!" the two broke out laughing again. Just then, Peter came into the common room looking lost.

"Alone again, dear Wormtail?" Sirius asked, choking on his laughter.

"Where's Moony and Leala?" James asked as his laughter became manageable.

"They're still in the library. Moony gave me his antidotes essay," Peter said holding it up, looking confused. "He told me to go away."

Sirius and James looked at each other before cracking up again. "Now why would anyone say that?" Sirius asked sarcastically in between gasps.

Peter looked genuinely confused, "I don't know…" he said thoughtfully.

The pair just laughed harder. Finally, James got up and began packing up his unfinished 1678 dragon trade essay. Sirius followed suit, and the three friends went up to their room together, all of them wondering what old Moony was up to with Lily's best friend.


Valentines Day drew nearer, and the cold winter weather began to lessen. The Marauders spent more time outside, bewitching wet, sloppy snowballs to fly at the two girls that had been hanging out with them more and more. They retaliated expertly, for Lily was not the Head Girl for nothing. She somehow managed to bring a snow cannon to life, which shot snowballs at the unsuspecting boys with ease.

Remus and Leala spent more and more time in the library… or rather, out of the Gryffindor common room. Lily became less tense about everything. She was accepting the fact that she was pregnant, and it wasn't that bad, except for the mornings. She was frequently late for her first class and often missed breakfast. James provided her with ample cold toast and orange juice that he snuck into class in his book bag. She was very grateful, because by the time lunch rolled around, she was starving.

The effect of lack of food and morning sickness took a relevant effect on the young girl. She was thinner in the face and her hands looked brittle – the only parts of her she showed these days – and appeared pale a great deal of the time. She brushed it off when James said that she looked ill. Teachers were piling on more homework, desperate to cover everything as the NEWTs drew nearer. She accounted her fragility to stress whenever James brought it up.

"Hey beautiful," James whispered as Lily slid into her seat in Transfiguration the day before Valentines Day. He handed her a granola bar and a juice box, which she accepted gratefully, but didn't touch. She was still feeling nauseous. James had a concerned look on his face.
"I'm fine," she shrugged it off as she slid the food into her book bag and took out her books. McGonagall ignored her lateness.

"Guess what!" James whispered.

"What," Lily asked with a sigh.

"No! Guess!"

She sighed heavily before suggesting, "You fell off your broomstick and got eaten by Hagrid's most recent monster."

He looked shocked for a moment. "I'm still here, so I wasn't eaten!" he recovered. "Fine, I'll tell you, as you're so un-eager to guess. I have a surprise for you. Tomorrow!" he grinned.

Valentines Day! Lily mentally kicked herself. How could she have forgotten! "I have a surprise for you too," she lied seductively. Now what was she going to do?

"Oh, I can't wait," he whispered.

"Evans, Potter, enough! Please pay attention!" McGonagall's angry voice sounded from the front of the room. They sat straight in their seats, and she continued on with the lesson.

"What AM I going to do about this?" Lily asked Leala later that day. "I told him I had a surprise for him!"

Leala looked thoughtful. "I have an idea!" she said suddenly. She leaned closer to whisper it to her friend.

That's all for now, folks! I just thought I'd update before I went to bed, and as it is nearly 1:00 am, I think it is high time I went to catch some ZZZZZ's. Hope you like the chapter! R&R please. Thanx! Maybelline