To any outsider it would appear that everything was fine. However, to the girls nothing was right. Lily had noticed James' habit of slipping off every month.

'Now why would he be leaving every month?' She muttered to herself. She was sitting on the couch in her common room. She had wanted to think and James had quidditch practice, which meant that she would have some time to herself. She sighed and suddenly froze. She grabbed her sac and dumped the contents of it on the floor. She began rummaging through it and grabbed a small booklet as she began thumbing through it moving her finger along it. She snapped it shut and slowly exhaled.

"Merlin, but that doesn't explain why James is gone ever month.' She also had noticed the way Tristan's robes were hanging off her body and the way she was constantly covered. It was February now, and Valentine's Day was approaching as well as the Hogsmeade trip that she and James had planned. She was worried, though, she knew something was wrong. Almost everyday with the post they were finding news of attacks in the papers. The only people that weren't glued to the papers were Sirius, Tristan and the Slytherin's.

"Lia, have you noticed-"

"That Tristan's been a little off?" Lily nodded as she glanced at her friend. Alia had gone to study in the Head's common room because the weather was so awful that James and the rest of the quidditch team were discussing plays and strategies in the common room. It had become quite a raucous event, and although Cris was easily enthralled, and fascinate Lia couldn't get her work done.

"I suppose the war and the fighting has changed her. She's in a rough position with her family, and Sirius has really been getting to her." Lily nodded slowly.

"I know, but did you notice that she almost never eats with us, her robes practically hang off her body. It's as though she's constantly exhausted." Lia gave a small smile.

"Maybe she's studying." Her tone grew serious, "she always sleeps with the curtain's charmed and drawn, and she wakes up before any of us." She sighed and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"I know that you weren't going to intervene before, Lia, but I'm worried about her." Alia sighed and nodded. " I am too, but we're not close like we used to be." Lily sighed.

"I don't know what to do about her, after all you were the only one that she ever shared anything personal with." Lia nodded and looked wistful for a moment before returning back to her essay. Lily followed her example thoughtfully. Suddenly, she stopped writing.

'I think I know exactly who to talk to.'

Alia was sitting on a bench, doing some reading when she felt a pair of hands close over her eyes. She straightened a little and felt her breath catch.

"Guess who." She slumped a little bit and gave a gentle smile.

"Hi, Andrew." Andrew removed his hands form her eyes and sat beside her on the bench.

"So, I assume we're going to Hogsmeade together?" He asked. She felt her throat constrict a little. He looked so sweet and the tip of his nose had turned a little pink from the cold.

"Look, Andrew, I'm really sorry but I don't think that's going to work." A look of confusion appeared on his face. He drew his eyebrows together, silently asking her to elaborate.

"I really like you, and these past few months have been lovely. You're and amazing guy and any girl is lucky to have you, but I think that we should break up." Her voice was almost shaking. Despite the fact that he was very laid back (like her) and was a bit clingy, she did like him. He was kind and he cared about her, unlike other people.

"Oh," He said simply.

"Please don't be angry or feel bad, it has nothing to do with you." His eyes darted to the ring on her finger, as if he had seen it for the first time.

"It has to do with him." He said simply. She sighed.

"Honestly, I'd prefer you to him, but, yes. It does have to do with him."

"I figured the really amazing girls are always taken." She sighed and gave his shoulders a little squeeze while glancing at the ring that her "fiancé" had given her. She sighed and turned to face Andrew.

"Are you all right?

"Yeah, I really liked you, though. I mean, I really liked you, but I understand. My cousin has just had an arranged marriage. I know what it's like. I'd like to be friends, though." She nodded.

"I'd love to be your friend."

"I'm glad, hey, Lia, do we need to tell anyone that we broke up?" She turned and a smile slowly graced her features.

"Well wouldn't you want other girls so that you could have a date to Hogsmeade and the graduation ball?" She asked. He shrugged.

"It would keep guys from chatting you up and you wouldn't have to tell other people about the marriage." He said simply. She nodded.

"All right." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug.

Parrick was seated outside on a bench. The weather was particularly cold, but the cold air cleared his head. He was so lost in his thoughts he almost jumped when he heard the voice behind him.

"No female partner?" he glanced over and saw Lily. He gave her a smile.

"No, what can I do for you, Evans?" She sat down next to him, shivering a little. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Say something, Evan's, there better be a good reason I'm risking my life here." She raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" He stared into her emerald eyes intently.

"Well, I know James isn't quite the jealous prat that he was, however if he saw me and you sitting alone, close together in a courtyard on a bench. You sitting with, me, a Ravenclaw, and a player, I might find myself on the receiving end of several nasty hexes." She laughed.

"He won't dare, we're just friends now, thank Merlin." He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"So, what can I do for you?" He asked, good-naturedly. She bit her lip.

"It's about Tristan." His face didn't change, but she caught his eyes darkening slightly.

"What about Hollis?" She frowned.

"There's been something wrong with her, I want to know what it is, but I understand that I can't. However, someone needs to talk with her and make sure she's okay." Parrick shook his head. " I can't, besides I'm sure she's fine." Lily shook her head.

"Please. Do it for me, and Cris, and Tristan and Lia." His eyes darted to her face. 'I shouldn't react like this to her name,' he thought.

"I'll see if she says anything's up." He said slowly. Lily leaned forward and hugged him tightly. "Thank you." He laughed.

"Better let go of me, I'm sure that he head boy has spies everywhere." Lily laughed and stood.

"Thank god, I don't know how you can stand to sit in the cold." He smiled at her and stared at the trees and the snow that blanketed the ground. He turned away and continued to stare into space.

"Well?" Lia asked. She was sitting in the Head's common room yet again in order to do her work. Her curly hair had been pulled back from her eyes, and she looked tired. Lily gave her a broad smile.

"I think that things might straighten out a bit with Tristan." Alia raised and eyebrow, but didn't bother to ask Lily to elaborate.

"So going with anyone to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Lia asked innocently. Lily shook her head, abstractly.

Lily sat in the common room with her hair pulled back into a braid. She was curled up on the couch reading a book. She heard some shuffling and grumbling and glanced up, staring at James. He had managed to trip and knock over a chair. She sighed and slowly placed her book down on the table.

"Can't go anywhere without causing some wreck can you?" She smiled, though. His cheeks reddened slightly.

"I thought you'd be in the Head's common room." He said stupidly. She shrugged and returned to the couch and marked a page in the book she had been reading.

" I was but it was awfully quiet in there and I would rather be in here." He nodded.

" You finished eating early." He observed.

"So did you." She said simply. She placed the book on the table and crossed her legs and regarded him intently.

"Are you planning a prank?" She asked.

"If I was I wouldn't tell you, no. Do you think I'd be planning a prank without Sirius or Remus with me." He said. She gave a disapproving frown and sighed.

"Well I suppose I can't expect you to give up pranking just because your head boy." He nodded.

"So do you have a date for Hogsmeade?" He asked carefully. She shook her head.

"I don't, look I know that I haven't been hexing you lately, but if this is an attempt to ask me out-" He shook his head immediately.

"NO! I mean- no. This isn't an attempt to ask you out. I was wondering because Cris and Remus and Sirius are dateless so we're all just going to Hogsmeade and I was wondering if you wanted to come." She stifled a smile, James Potter looked almost shy. He had been many things over the years, but shy had never been one of them, especially when he was asking her out.

"All right, that sounds lovely."

"Really?" He asked. She nodded and gave him a smile. He stood up and turned to leave. She paused before speaking hesitantly.

"If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?" James stared at her before shifting uncomfortably.

"Of course I'll tell you the truth." He inwardly groaned.

Please don't ask what I think you're going to ask. He silently pleaded.

"I've noticed that Remus always get ill at a certain time of month." He winced uncomfortably. If she noticed, it didn't show, she continued speaking.

" I also know that he doesn't have a sick mother or father. I've done a bit of math and have managed to check about dates. I think I have a good reason why he's gone every month but that doesn't account for why you and the other Marauder's disappear as well."

"Really," he choked out, looking at the floor, "and what's the reason."

"He's a werewolf." She said simply. He choked on an invisible intake of air.

"I don't know what gave you that idea. His mother is sick." He said simply. Her eyes narrowed.

"I can handle you being an arrogant prat but I can't handle you lying to me." She spat. He shook his head. It was one thing that the Marauder's had sworn strongly on. It didn't matter that Sirius had broken that oath last year; it wasn't his choice to make.

"I'm not lying." She glared at him.

"I want the truth. Why do you and the other Marauder's disappear the night of the full moon?" She rasped.

"I'm sorry Lily, I can't." She stared at him in disbelief.

"Merlin, James, I don't care if he is a werewolf. It doesn't matter to me, I'm just worried about him and what on earth do you all have to do with it?" She said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Lily, I'm sorry but it's not my secret to tell." The color slowly drained from her face and she looked almost normal.

"Then, can I ask him?" He was about to shake his head, but he caught the defiant tilt in her chin.

"Fine." She stood and was walking towards the portrait expectantly. He drew his eyebrows together in confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asked but he already had a slight inclination.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing? I'm going to see Remus." He sighed and stood to follow her.

It hadn't been too difficult for Lily to find Remus. He was in the library, reading a book, presumably homework. He glanced up when he saw her walk purposefully towards him.

"Hello, Lily, what's wrong?" He asked. She pulled out the chair next to him and sat, leaning towards him. He shot James a questioning look. James bit his lip and squared his shoulders, sitting beside Remus.

"She figured it out, mate. Thought it would be best if she came to you." Remus looked away. His face wore a pained expression and he returned his gaze to Lily.

"It doesn't bother me, Remus. I just want to know the truth. I've noticed that you're gone every month to see your sick mother, which doesn't exist. So since you're not going there I did some counting and glanced at a calendar and noticed that you're always gone the night of the full moon. You also look terribly ill a day or two before and after it." She said. He sighed.

"The truth is, I'm a werewolf." Her jaw went slack. She had known that he was, but still, some part of her wasn't expecting it.

"Oh Remus," she whispered.

"It's okay if you want to stay away from me, I understand. Just, please don't tell anyone." She shook her head.

"Remus, I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I want to be friends with you. This doesn't change anything at all. I would never tell anyone." She said simply. She gave his shoulders a squeeze and she smiled at him.

"Just one question, why do you all," she glanced at James pointedly, "Disappear as well?" James glanced over at Remus who had a guilty expression. Remus had never wanted them to take the risk of being animagi and had felt guilty for months. Finally he'd given up trying to talk them out of it, and it really did make his transformation to Moony, easier. However, that wasn't anyone else's secret, not yet.

"We just like to make sure he makes it to where he transforms, safely." James said.

"But you could get hurt." Lily pointed out. James shrugged.

"We're fine. Now, I think this has been enough on poor Remus. Let's let him do his homework." Remus laughed.

"Hey, I'm not as poor as you are. Okay, well you're rich, but still." The three of them laughed.

Parrick hadn't planned on talking to Tristan, he hadn't even planned on worrying about her but he saw her in the hall and he knew that he had to say something. Her eyes were hollowed and her hair was pulled back into a bun and twisted at the nape of her neck. She was walking along the corridor when he called out to her.

"Yeh?" She turned around to face him. His dark curls were hanging into his eyes and his face was etched with concern.

"They're worried about you. Evans, and your other friends." He said simply. A look of understanding passed across her features. She sighed and gave him a small smile. She brushed her black bangs back from her eyes.

"I'll endeavor to be less worrisome." She gave a little laugh and glanced up at him. He smiled but his face was still a bit serious.

"Yeah, I figured I'd give you the head's up. Listen, I'm not sure what you're doing, but be careful." He said simply. Her eyes darkened.

"I'm not doing anything. Everything's fine." She said. There was a slight edge to her voice. She tried to smile to mitigate the sting of her words.

"Just make sure you know what you're doing." He said.

"I know what I'm doing. "

"Okay, but if you lose your grasp, I'm turning the tables." She gave a fake little laugh and looked away.

"I won't lose my grasp, since nothing's going on." She said. He looked her in the eye and nodded.

"Fine. So, I'll see you for Hogsmeade."

"Of course."

Hogsmeade ended up being rather disastrous. Sirius went with a fifth year Hufflepuff that ended up sobbing by the end of the afternoon. Tristan and Parrick spent most of their time either at Madame Rosmerta's with Lily, Cris and the other Marauder's or they were walking about. Lily had ended up getting so annoyed at James that she poured and entire pint of butterbeer on his head. Remus had been a bit nervous about Lily the entire day. In the end she dragged him outside.

'Come on Remus, I want to go purchase something."

"I'm sure James would love to go with you." He said instantly.

"Yes, I'll go." James said eagerly. Lily narrowed her eyes and grabbed Remus by the wrist.

"No, come on Remus." Before he could protest she had dragged him out of the booth and into the streets.

"Stop being so nervous." She said immediately. Remus appeared to virtually jump.

"I'm not nervous." She sighed.

"Yes you are. I told you yesterday, I don't care that you're a werewolf. It's not because I was raised a muggle either, it's wrong to judge someone and ostracize them based on something that they can't control." He looked away. She leaned forward and gave him a hug.

"I know you, Remus. Yes, once a month you're Moony, but I know that you would never intentionally hurt anyone. So don't be so nervous, I'm not going to turn on you." He slowly started to smile and he hugged her back, tightly.

"Thank you, Lily. You're one of a kind." He whispered. He was starting to finally understand part of what made James love her so much.