Lily left from the Great Hall to attend her first class, Transfiguration. Her footsteps fell into play with the rhythmic sounds of the bustling corridors. She felt alone. Rejected, in a sense. Lily had no where to go, no one to turn to. James was gone. But where? She was with him the night before. Remus said that he could recall a commotion in the common room last night. He had gone down from the dormitory and it was empty. The fireplace, extinguished.

Flashback to Breakfast in the Great Hall

Lily expressed her angst with Remus and Sirius, although Sirius was caught up in his usual morning food frenzy.

"I guess it was James leaving with a 'bang', Lily, don't worry about it. He'll turn up." Remus told Lily consolingly.

"Yea, he's probably spending the night in the Hog's Head or something." Sirius joined in, making matters worse.

"Ignore him Lily. James is a big boy now…"

"We're so proud." Sirius cut in faking an emotional maternal sniff.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's probably been up with Dumbledore all morning." He had continued disregarding Sirius' discompassionate comments. (A/N is that a word? lol)

Lily had sat mulling over their conversation, picking through her scrambled eggs and sausage that lay in rejected disarray on her plate.

End Flashback

She sat in class, inattentive. Nothing could have gotten James off of her mind. Her book sat open on her desk, quill and ink, idle. McGonagall noticed Lily's intense thinking and her lack of note-taking. The class passed by in a whir that Lily did not remember. She answered a few questions correctly, but absentmindedly.

A bell sounded in Lily's ears, something that began to irritate her and disturb her thought process. She realized that it was the school bell. Transfiguration was over. The class began to flee from the class as though it were the plague. Lily packed her books at a turtle with rheumatoid arthritis. She didn't notice the concentrated noise in the corridors, and then the dying down of it all.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and addressed Lily, "Ms. Evans? Is there anything that you care to share with me.?"

Lily looked around the classroom, for the first time noticing the absence of her peers.

"Ma'm?"

"I asked if there was anything that you would care to share with me."

"Oh, no. I don't suppose. It's just James and I were having problems, and now he's gone."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Evans. Do explain."

Lily looked apprehensive.

"Ms. Evans, just because I'm getting up in years does not mean that I am incapable of comprehending teenage troubles." McGonagall said smiling.

Lily smiled back and began to explain what had been happening between James and her.

"Well yes, that is curious. Have you considered consulting with Professor Dumbledore?"

Lily paused, "No, I haven't. That's what James was supposed to be doing. But I don't even know where he might be."

"Yes, then, I do believe that you should ask Albus what he thinks.

"Okay, well I'll do that right now. Thanks for everything Professor. See you."

"Not a problem." McGonagall responded to Lily as she was walking out of the door.

Minerva McGonagall sat down at the desk in her office, reflecting on the heart to heart she just had with on of her favorite students.

Meanwhile

Lily ran up to the quite grotesque stone gargoyle. She spoke the password 'Lemon Sherbet' and the gargoyle jumped aside. Lily made her way to Dumbledore's office door. It opened, and there he appeared, looking somber and tired.

"Mrs. Evans." He said. "Come with me."