A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Firstly, yeah, I'm sorry, I stuffed up over the whole 'last day of school' thing. I took about three weeks off between writing Chapter 9 and 10 and kinda forgot what I wrote… Anyway, I deleted that line. Chapter 9 is based in early March, which explains the whole 'go for a swim' idea that Sirius came up with. I skipped Christmas for the pure reason that I'm too lazy to write all about the food and the like.

The Lily change-of-heart thing will be explained a lot later in the story, by Lily herself. The question actually gets raised in this chapter. Look out, it's not what you might be thinking. I have my own theories on the girl's motives. A whole philosophy on her. Sorry, I can't help myself, I have a passion for analyzing human behaviour.

Currently, it's their sixth year, heading into exams. Any glitches in the storyline I do apologise for. I tend to write the story late at night on weeknights so the whole working all day thing kinda screws up my perception of time. Let me know if I mess something up and I'll change it as soon as I can. Keep reading!

The common room was especially quiet. I felt a little uneasy. Something was going to happen. Remus had just been taken down to the Whomping Willow with a teacher to transform. I was playing Wizarding Chess with Sirius and, stranger still, winning. I never won against Sirius. Yeah, he was a Gryffindor, but the guy was a conniving little rat too. I knew I should be studying, my first exam was in less than a week. But honestly, I couldn't be bothered. Lily was at another table with Bianca, pouring over a huge old dusty book. I glanced at her and frowned. Ok, so I wasn't the best on what people are like and what drives them to do certain things, but there was something about her that was niggling at my brain.

Or maybe I was just hankering for some roaming across the country side. No, not Zeus-style. I'm not as randy as he supposedly is. Was. Is said to be. I guess it all depends on your perception of the gods.

Great, now I'm rambling in my own head. Yeah, Jimmy, that's healthy.

I glanced up at the precise second that Lily lost her temper. I reckon the few of us still in the common room almost smacked our heads on the high ceiling in shock as she slammed the book closed. I also reckon I was the only one to see the envelope tucked in the front of the book float down into her lap. She scooped it up and tucked it back in behind the cover. Whispering something to Bianca, she trudged upstairs, books balanced precariously in her arms. Bianca just shook her head and shuffled over to where Sirius and I were sitting.

'I don't know what's wrong with her.'

Sirius looked up, frowning. 'What do you mean? She's been really friendly with us lately, I'd say that's a bonus. Especially for young Jamsiepoo here.' He shot me a malicious grin with I glowered back at the evil pooch.

Bianca looked uncertain. She probably felt the same way I felt. Lily wasn't exactly prone to spontaneous burst of energy or changes in personality. She wasn't exactly bipolar. Although, lately…

Sirius shrugged, staring down at the chess board almost devoid of black pieces. His king was shaking his tiny ivory fist up at him in frustration. He looked ready to revolt.

'I don't know, maybe the exams are getting to her.' He looked at the expression on my face. 'What! I'm no Seer, I can't tell you what's going to happen or what the silly little girl thinks!'

Bianca sighed and shook her head. Maybe she knew what I knew. Sirius was impossible to speak to in a mood like this. 'Night, guys.'

She wandered upstairs just as Sirius stood. The common room was empty now, except for us. 'Wormtail had the right idea, I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me up at eleven.'

He turned and swaggered up the stairs, leaving me to blink after him. It was ten o'clock already… what sleep did he think he was going to get now?

I shrugged and slowly started packing up the chess board, grinning to myself at the panicking pieces as they struggled to push themselves out of the velvet grooves they sat in. Eventually, they gave in and relaxed, looking like entirely normal chess pieces. Setting the ornate wooden box neatly on the table, I turned and gazed into the fire. I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to. My mind was still humming with questions. What Sirius' problem was, why Susan was suddenly so distant, why Lily was suddenly attached to us, why Bianca was spending more time around Susan and leaving Lily with us, how I was going to survive the exams, how Remus was doing, how my parents were… I frowned to myself. Fair enough, my parents were busy, but I hadn't heard from them in over a week. They hadn't replied to my letter.

All of these thoughts disappeared and I whirled around, whipping out my wand as the light footsteps floated to my ears. Someone was running…

'James!' Lily appeared, hair wild, nightgown flying, feet bare. She looked terrified.

In her hand, she clutched the map. Our map. It took my brain a second too long to remember that she'd slipped it into her pocket on our way back from Hogsmeade. And we'd all forgotten about it.

'I forgot… I found it… when I was getting ready for bed…' Her eyes were wild and I grabbed her shoulders as she swayed. 'Look, James, look!'

I snatched the map from her and felt her lean into me. My eyes scanned the map but she had to stab her finger at it, her entire body trembling, for me to see it.

A little dot was darting along the line of the Dark Forest, appearing to slip from one tree to the next, heading for the Whomping Willow. Where they'd taken Remus. A little dot labeled…

'It's Severus. I saw Sirius… Severus said something to him and Sirius… he pulled him aside and… James, please!' She looked up at me, eyes wild and terrified. 'I know you don't get along, but we have to go for help! We have to!'

I dropped the map and sprinted to the window, catching a glimpse of a shadow slipping between the trees. He was already close. With a long branch in his hand.

'It'll be too late,' I gasped, looking around wildly. Turning, I sped towards the portrait, gesturing behind me wildly. She couldn't follow me, if she did… the thought made me feel sick. 'Trust me Lily, stay here! Just stay! Trust me!'

The last I saw of her was her standing before the map, staring after me, face stricken and looking scarily beautiful and naïve in her white nightgown.