:Chapter Ten:

Lily waited patiently for Thanksgiving to come. She hadn't told Jade about the note, but two days before Jade was planning what they were going to do during a breakfast on a Saturday.

"We can go to Honeydukes, and Zonko's joke store. It's amazing! I went their with Remus," Jade sighed, "but anyways, it truly was amazing."

"Jade?" Lily inturrupted.

"And the Three Broomsticks…"

"Jade?"

"Yeah?" Jade asked, a little irritated.

"I, er, can't go with you."

"Oh, are you going with James?" Jade asked, a little embarrassed she hadn't thought about it. Lily shrugged and nodded.

"Oh, I- Remus hadn't asked me… so I s'pose I just assumed it was gonna be all the guys. But… I guess he just didn't like me." Jade sighed.

"Oh! No! That's not it… he likes you. He does!" Lily promised.

"Well, he didn't ask me to go with him…" Jade sighed again. Lily bit her lip. Ordinarily, she would have told Jade to go ask Remus, but she knew Remus was going to be with her and James, and Sirius and Peter.

"I'll be right back…" Lily said. She ran over to where James was sitting eating toast. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the seat and a little ways down the hall.

"Wha-! Oh, Lily!" James smiled and kissed her cheek. Lily couldn't help but smile back.

"Problem." Lily declared.

"What?" James asked her.

"Well, it's Jade. I can't go to Hogsmeade with her, obviously, but she doesn't have anyone to go with. And on top of that- she doesn't think Remus likes her." Lily sighed. "He does like her, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," James said, "he talks about her nonstop." James grinned, but sighed deeply like Lily did.

"Well, see, I had something to show you, but I really wanted Remus to see it too… I, well, I s'pose… I could show you first… and show them all in the dorm later that night."

"You'd do that, for me?" Lily asked, biting her lip innocently, draggin her toe across the floor.

"Yes." James said, and sighed.

"I love you." Lily said softly, wrapping her arms around James' neck and kissing him softly. James kissed her back.

"I love you too." James whispered in her ear. Lily smiled and went back to her seat.

"I have a feeling you'll have something to do." She said smiling. Jade looked at her oddly. As Lily had predicted, Remus Lupin had come over and invited Jade to Hogsmeade.

"You were right! He does like me!" Jade gushed. Lily nodded, not really listening as Jade talked. Lily just couldn't wait to see what James was going to show her. Finally, Thanksgiving came. It was a Monday, but there was no school because of Thanksgiving.

Lily was in the girls dormitory getting ready with Jade. She looked around her closet and finally picked out an emerald green silk shirt that slipped over her head and fell over her arms. She wore long black pants and black shoes. She grabbed a black cloak from her closet and pulled it tight around her, as she looked out the window it looked as if it were snowing out. It was late November after all. She rushed down to the common room with Jade to meet James and Remus, but James wasn't there. Lily let Jade and Remus go though.

Long after Jade had left, Lily had moved to the couch as she waited for James. She watched the fire sighing. She let her cloak slip off her, it was rather warm inside. As she snuggled into the couch she sighed and spoke to the fire.

"Looks like I've been stood up." She sighed again.

"Have you got another date then?" James asked.

"James!" Lily squealed, jumping up. But she sat back down and let James come around to face her, he sat on his knees.

"You stood me up, Potter." She said indignantly. James smiled.

"I don't think that's funny!" she said almost hysterically. James started laughing.

"It isn't!" she yelled at him.

"I didn't stand you up." He laughed, "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Well you did." Lily said coldly.

"I did not. I was late, yes, I meant to be here…" James looked at his watch, "ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes!" Lily asked angrily, "I've been sitting here for three hours!"

"Well, I didn't tell you to meet me here at eleven." James shrugged. Lily glared at him, of course, he was right. They never really agreed to meet anywhere at any specific time. James smiled at her, knowing he had beaten her. He continued,

"Anyway, so I was suppose to be here ten minutes ago. I appologize m'lady," James bowed to Lily, "but I wanted to make sure this was ready."

"This what?" Lily asked curiously. James smiled and took out a folded piece of paper.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"A map."

"A map?" Lily asked.

"A map." James repeated.

"This is what you've wanted to show us?"

"Yes, well, see it's a very special map." James told her.

"Oh it is?" Lily challenged him.

"Yes," James explained, "it shows all the hideouts and passages around the castle- that I, you, and the boys have found, and where everyone it at the given time." James nodded his head with a satisfactory smile. Lily caught herself smiling as well, but tried to shake it off as she grabbed the paper out of James' hands.

"It appears blank." She said as she unfolded it. James nodded his head.

"Yes, it would appear that way." He said.

"But it's not?" Lily offered.

"No! It's not." James said, laughing a little, "All you have to say is, 'I swear that I am up to no good' and it will show you. Tap it with your wand now, try it." James encouraged her. Lily eyed him suspiciously but took out her wand.

"I swear that I am up to no good." She said, feeling a little foolish. But, sure enough, the map seemed as if blood was flowing through it's veins as ink filled the parchment. She could now see rooms, and dots with names- people! And where they stepped and everything. Lily laughed.

"How did you do this?" she asked, amazed. James just smiled and shrugged.

"It's amazing!" she gushed. James still only smiled, enjoying the praise.

"And there's Hogsmeade! Oh, it's Jade and Remus! And Sirius and Ella- oh, he's not going out with Bonnie anymore?" she asked James. James laughed.

"What's so funny?" Lily asked him stubbornly.

"That all you have to say to my map is that Sirius isn't dating Bonnie anymore."

"I said it was amazing." Lily said. James shrugged.

"That you did. But nah, I told you- that Sirius is a dog." James laughed. Lily cocked her head and looked at James, thinking.

"What?" James asked her.

"Sirius, is a dog!" she said.

"What!"

"Yes! You don't mean he's a dog in… oh, you mean he's an animagus!" Lily said, wide-eyed, she couldn't believe she hadn't gotten that earlier. James bit his lip.

"I never said that." He protested.

"Get over it. I know it." She laughed. James scratched his head and ruffled his already-messy black hair.

"Yeah, well, I knew you were too smart. Anyways, so what? It was a joke for my own amusment." He shrugged. Lily laughed and kissed James' cheek.

"I accept your appology for being late." She said, smliing. James looked at her strangely but shook his head.

"Are you ready to head down to Hogsmeade?" James asked her. Lily nodded her head.