LILY POV:

"I just don't think everyone's ready for a ministress of magic, that's all!"

"You two bicker like an old married couple…" interrupted Sirius.

"It's a heated discussion," Lilycorrected himas a soft wind blew over the main hall in result of the hundreds of owls swooping down to deliver the mail. Aerostoph supplied Lily with a newspaper and a letter from home, unfortunately, not from Petunia.

Lily,
How are you? We are fine here- nothing special. Your father gives his regards, he is very busy at the store, putting in long hours, where as I'm staying home with your sister mostly. I hope all is well for you there at school. Remember, not all can be perfect, and I know Petunia misses you.
With love,
Mum.

Lily moved on to her newspaper, only to find that seven deaths occurred last night, all ending in the viewing of a 'dark mark' clear in the night sky.

"Sirius?" Remus interrupted her reading by the tone of concern in his voice. "Another… letter form home?"

Sirius held his letter in one hand as he held his spoon to his oatmeal in the other. "Is my sheer excitement that obvious?" he said monotonously.

There was something in Sirius' face Lily recognized… understood. It could have been as small as the almost inconspicuous glare that was in his eyes or as big as the seriousness his face portrayed that only happened once in a full moon.

As Lily sat, openly staring at Sirius reading his mail, she was reminded of no fifth year Hogwarts student. She was reminded of someone young, someone betrayed, and although she had never seen the face before, it reminded her of an eleven year old sitting at a foggy window in a black dress.

That must have been what I looked like… that was what I felt like…

Lily let her mind dwell on the fact that the weather reflected what kind of day it was. Lily found she was unable to eat breakfast that May morning. She had never been to a funeral before… and she had never realized just how unbelievably much she missed her aunt until she heard of her death.

It had been an entire year since the fiasco at her aunts house. She assumed that to most people, a year wouldn't seem like all that much time, but a year without seeing her aunt was excruciatingly long and painful. If she had heard their parting when she was ten, she would have denied it… deemed it unfathomable. Often times Lily cried at night. She still loved her aunt- as her aunt, even if she didn't know her anymore. Often times she would see her mother upset and her father comforting her. Her mother talked of the loyalty and love they had had for one another, but that it was just too risky to have Lily and Petunia with her anymore. Lily couldn't understand!

The thought of her aunt had been in and out of her mind during that year, until the thought decided to reside with her permanently, right after they received a letter of the death. Her parents wouldn't tell her how, just that she was gone.

Lily sat at the window in her black dress that she hated to wear, but wore gladly today. For she could think of nothing she would rather do more then to officially say goodbye to her aunt- the smartest person in the world.

Her father came up behind her, "It's time to go, sweetie. Would you go get your sister?"

Lily walked up the stairs, thinking about the time they all went to the pumpkin patch, and opened the door to her sisters room… only to find her sister still in her pajamas, talking on the phone, far from ready to leave.

Lily stood at the door, unable to believe her eyes that were now overflowing with tears.

JAMES POV:

The period James and Lily went without talking was just too much for him… so now all torturing was done away from Lily's eyes! As well as the hexing of younger students. By the time December rolled around, he had received several detentions for 'creating distractions in the halls' and with the help of Sirius he was able to stop the bathroom facet from turning on whenever Snape attempted to use it. His scheming was going remarkably well until Lily decided to enter the hall at exactly the wrong time.

He was attempting to amuse his fellow maurders by making the hair of the third years in front of him stand on end.

"Potter! What are you doing?"

"He's just having a bit of fun, Lily. If it was anything more I would have stopped him," claimed Remus. "I am a Prefect too, you know."

She took a more relaxed tone with Remus, as if conversation with him occurred on the side lines: "Yes, I know, but I can't say I agree with you Potter Policy…"

Desperately trying to change the topic at hand, James thought it best to apologize. "I'm terribly sorry, Lily. It was just an informal goodbye to them before Christmas Vacation."

"If you sorry it happened, you'll never let it happen again." It was something her aunt had said.

James gave one of his smiles. "Well, I can't guarantee that…" The boys laughed.

'Okay, this is getting old,' she thoughtLily leaned in so just James could hear her, "James, are you acting this way just to impress?"

He leaned in as well, mockingly and smiled at what she had asked, "No." Pause. "Why? Is it working?" he, quick and inconspicuously, while leaning in, took hold of Lily's wand. With a flick of the wrist, he had in possession. He smiled and shrugged as if to say, 'sorry, your fault.'

Lily felt the pressure and heat rise.

"Uh, oh, Prongs! Lily's going to have to go at you muggle style!" Cried Sirius.

"Muggle style?" she replied. "I don't need to lay a finger on him! If you tell Potter his breath smells bad and he'll be on the floor writhing in pain looking for somebody's dropped breath mint!"

Remus, not without laughter,made James give Lily her wand back and furiously, she turned on her heal and made her way down the hall…