James Potter and Sirius Black agreed on most things. They agreed on which pranks they should pull on whom and when. They agreed on which points were valid in an essay. They agreed on the easiest curses to use in a duel. They even agreed that cotton bed sheets felt nicer than silk ones. One thing they did not agree about was the state of James' mind. James Potter thought he was quite an un-stubborn, go with the flow, sort of person. Sirius disagreed.

"You are the most stubborn person ever!" Sirius announced after he came out of an interrogation with the Auror named Miss Beth Pierce. The name sort of suited her, at least the last name did. When James first met her he couldn't look away from her eyes. They were a blue he had never really seen before – at least not in eyes. They were dark and deep like the ocean on a sunny day and they pierced him with such an intensity that it made James ring a finger on the inside of his collar.

"What have I done now?" James skulked.

"Being stubborn, is what you've done!" Sirius accused.

"Helpful," James replied dryly. "And I'm not stubborn."

"Yes, well, you know what would be helpful? If your mother wasn't pestering me about making sure you don't get shipped off to Azkaban because of your bloody pride or whatever and because you are being accused of attempted freaking murder! Like seriously, Prongs!"

"Why must you be so dra – you told my mother!?" James shouted having finally registered what Sirius had said. It's not like he wasn't ever going to tell his mum. He'd just been hoping nothing exceptionably terrible, like being locked in Azkaban, would happen and that he'd be found innocent then he could just brush it off as a misunderstanding. He'd rather avoid getting her worried and the lecture that worry always accompanied but of course, Sirius just couldn't keep his mouth shut and now James was just thanking Merlin that his mother hadn't sent a howler … but there was still time.

Sirius scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Well, she wrote to me and I forgot that you hadn't told her and I was talking about the awful Pierce Auror and yeah."

"You're a bloody moron, Padfoot! Hope you know that! She's probably going to go off her rocker and send me a bloody howler or something."

"Who's getting sent a howler?" Remus chimed in as he walked into their dormitory, slinging his bag onto his bed. "How was the interrogation, Sirius?"

"It was wonderful! The highlight of my day! The moment I have been waiting for all my life!" he said sarcastically, "The evidence is piling up against Prongs and I'm like ninety percent sure he's getting himself a one way ticket to Azkaban unless he lets Evans read his mind and testify for him."

"Testify?" James said shocked, "Relax mate, I haven't been charged."

"Yet!"

"Oh well," Remus pulled out a textbook from his bag and sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard, "You can always go into hiding as a deer. No one apart from us knows you're an animagus. We'd take your secret to the grave."

"Great. That's how I want to spend the rest of my life. As a large animal with antlers."

"Glad that's your life ambition," Sirius said, "Because by the looks of things that's where you're headed if you don't let Evans read your bloody mind!"

"Sod off! Why don't you let Dearborn read your mind and we'll see how easy it is!"

"If it was between the choice of looking like a dork or going to Azkaban, I would pick looking like a dork!"

"I'm not a dork, git, and I'm not stubborn."

Sirius snorted but didn't say anything and James saw Remus trying to hide a smile. Bloody hell, he was a dork when it came to Lily Evans. Add that to the list of reasons in James Potter's mind as to why Lily Evans shouldn't look through his memories. Just the thought of the idea had James cringing. Lily knew James had fancied her — hell, they'd been hooking up for two months at the end of last year — he had asked her out once or twice – quite embarrassingly he might add – and he'd had his heart crushed once or twice but there was no reason that he should endure himself to more personal humiliation if he could help it.

"I can't believe you'd rather go to Azkaban than let Evans read your mind," Peter commented.

Except, of course, that the alternative was a one way ticket to Azkaban.

—

Lily Evans couldn't help it. Her mind was just too stubborn for her own good sometimes and she knew it. She couldn't help it. Once she wanted something she wanted it.

"Where are you going, Lily?" Ella put down the book on ancient charms down when Lily tried to slip out of the dormitory just before curfew. Lily shut her eyes before opening them and turning around.

"For a walk," Lily said, "It's stuffy in here."

Ella and Marlene raised their eyebrows. It was anything but stuffy, a cold chill had been in the castle for days and students and teachers alike were wearing multiple coats and some even wore gloves and beanies, however the latter was more common with the students though Professor Scrivens did seem to love her thick beanie with some sort of bear ears sewn onto the top.

"Right, you've been acting funny, Miss Lily Evans," Marlene sat up in bed, putting her fists on her hips. "And it's about time you told us why!"

"It's nothing," Lily sighed.

"If you're sneaking out of the dorm ten minutes before curfew, it's not nothing. You're not leaving 'til you tell us."

"I know what it is," Alice sung as she came out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet and ratty and she had a fluffy bath robe wrapped around her like a burrito. Lily's cheeks flushed a little. "You see," Alice continued, sitting on her bed, running a comb through her thin hair, "I heard from Helena Bonham, and let me remind you that her and Andrew are like besties – grew-up-together,-I'll-always-be-your-mate kind of besties." Lily felt annoyance at that and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. It wasn't the fact that they were friends, it was something else. "And she said that Andrew was acting strange and was planning to sneak out at around curfew. She told me she was worried. Now I get to tell her that her best friend was just snogging Lily in a broom closet."

Lily's cheeks flushed further as the girls giggled so Lily decided it was time to save some of her dignity. "If you must know, we sneak into the green houses to snog."

The girls fell silent and their mouths hung open a little like they had forgotten that their lips could actually touch.

"Who knew this day would come?" Marlene asked. "Lily Evans. Sneaking out to snog her boyfriend. The Head Girl. Staying out."

"Past curfew, breaking curfew," Ella added.

"To do something as common as snog in a broom closet," Alice dramatically continued the teasing. "All those times she didn't understand and now, now she is one of us!"

"Oh, you are all such bullies," Adaline rolled her eyes. "Let Lily go snog in a broom closet in peace."

"Greenhouses," Lily muttered though no one was really paying attention. "Well, see you later then."

Lily slipped out of the dormitory before anyone could say anything and flew into the common room only to quite literally run into someone in the portrait hole. The someone grabbed her arm firmly to steady both her and him (Lily could tell it was a him from the cologne). She looked up and saw James Potter's hazel, shimmery eyes looking at her curiously. She gulped as his eyes bore into her for merely a moment.

"Evans."

"Potter."

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"Coming back from a three hour interrogation with a bloody dim witted auror. Where you off to?"

"Three hours?" Lily cocked her head back. "Do they really believe you had the brains to kill someone?"

"Apparently," James said bitterly, shoving his hands in his pockets and Lily bit her lip. The urge of wanting to help him grew stronger by the second.

"For what it's worth, Potter, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. Have you told your parents?"
"Sirius spilled to mum. She's apparated to Hogsmeade from Australia. She's staying at the Three Broomsticks. Rosemerta's been treating her to free firewhiskey I've been told."

Lily didn't really know what to say. "Can we just pretend we're friends for like ten seconds?"

"Why?" James asked, cautiously.

"Because I don't know what to say and so I want to hug you."

Oh, James thought. "All right then."

Lily reached her arms up and around James's neck looping them lightly around his neck and James' arms wrapped tenderly around her torso. They didn't say anything but nothing needed to be said. Their arms had fit around each other so easily and it felt so right like they were supposed to do this for the rest of their lives. Lily felt like burying her face in his neck like she use to. His neck was always so warm and smelled like … James, like sage and pepper and maybe a hint of cedar or tabaco. She could stay in his arms forever.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered before leaning away, perhaps too quickly, and stepping back much to James' — and her own — disappointment. Lily always felt as though a hug made it easier to know what to say and easier to say something but she hadn't thought one hug with James would make her miss how things use to be.

"So where you off to, Marie?"

"Marie?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, your favourite flower is a Peony but you can't get a good nickname out of that which really makes me question whether if it is a nice flower. I mean flowers that are known for being pretty have good names, like Rose, Rose is a good nickname for a person," James babbled on and Lily raised an eyebrow. "Anyway so I had to came up for another nickname for you – something not flower related and then it came to me."

"It came to you?"

James grinned, "Yep," he said popping the 'P'. "Marie, Queen of Scots. She was an extraordinary witch – was a Queen at only six days old of muggles! And then she chose, instead of going into the magical world like her mother, to rule the muggles and she did so fairly, never using magic to gain an upper hand. Extraordinary woman," James repeated, he glanced at Lily, scared that she had found him boring but she looked interested – at least he hoped she did. "And she was Scottish, which makes me think of red hair and ta da. Marie."

"You've really thought about it haven't you?" Lily said.

"Yep," he said popping the 'P' again. An extraordinary girl should be nicknamed after an extraordinary woman and who knows, maybe when she grows into a woman, people will say she was extraordinary.

Lily tried to stifle her sly smile but it shone through and James caught it and he smiled crookedly back at her, their eyes locked on each other.

"But," he continued, "You're avoiding the question. Where're you going?"

"Uh, meeting up with Andrew," Lily muttered. She didn't know why but it felt awkward to disclose that piece of information with James and she thought she saw his eyes flicker in disappointment and his grin dimmed. She tucked a piece of dark red hair behind her ear and looked at the floor, rolling her foot onto the side nervously.

"I see. Well," James said stepping out of the portrait hole and into the common room, "I shouldn't keep you from Prince Ice Cream." He gestured his hand towards the portrait hole as though it was some grand entrance to a spectacular ball or event.

"Uh, see you, I guess? And Potter, if you need help, you know, with the whole attempted murder thing. I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

"I don't want your help, Evans. Now run along before Ice Cream Prince thinks you've been slit at the throat." Lily was shocked at that and James must've noticed he'd crossed a line and apologised. "Sorry. The interrogation. It's gotten me on edge. But you know. You shouldn't be sneaking around after curfew. They believe it's me but it's not so the castle is still really unsafe especially for muggle-borns."

"I thought you don't believe in those titles."

"Doesn't mean other people don't, A.K.A the attacker," James pointed out and Lily had to agree with that piece of logic.

"I'll be careful."

"You know it's a few minutes passed curfew, as Head Boy I should dock a few points off Gryffindor but I won't because I love Gryffindor too much to do that."

"Thanks, Potter," Lily snorted.

"Go get yourself a snog then."

Lily smiled at the forced encouragement and waved bye before flitting out into the corridor.

"It's about time," the Fat Lady said and Lily muttered an apology before fleeing to the greenhouses using a simple unlocking charm to open the door. Andrew was inspecting a Tantactula and smiled when he saw Lily walk in. No time was wasted and Lily was in his arms before they could even murmur a word. Lily didn't get back to her dormitory until past midnight, she fell asleep like a baby.

—

Sirius Black couldn't sleep. Something felt wrong about the world and it was bothering him to say the least. The world had never been perfectly aligned in Sirius' eyes but it had never felt wrong. Unfairness ran through his life like water flowed in the oceans but his life had always been unfair. Not other peoples — well, except Remus but Sirius had chalked that down to unluckiness not unfairness. But now his best mate, his brother, was going down for something he didn't even do and it was unfair.

James Potter the boy who had it all — perfect family, perfect grades, natural Quidditch skills that others only hoped to perfect — his life was suddenly unfair because someone wanted James to take the blame for something he didn't do. It wasn't fair and that made the world feel wrong.

Sirius had always been under the illusion that only his life was unfair. He'd been dealt a shit hand — crappy parents, bat crazy family, a brother to weak to stand up for what was right. He'd been disowned, blasted off of his family tree and suddenly, he wasn't a Black anymore. Sure he still used the name but he liked to think he had given it a different meaning because he wasn't a Black in the sense that his mother believed to be true. He didn't hold his life above others, he wasn't stuck-up, he wasn't cruel like Bella. He wasn't silent and accepting like Narcissa and Regulus. At least, he liked to believe he wasn't all those things. He liked to believe he wasn't a Black in that sense. The good looks, charm and brains he'd take, though. They'd serve him well in life. But he wasn't sweet or gentle like Andromeda either. He supposed he had her back-bone though. The back-bone it took to actually walk away from everything he had ever known. He was stuck somewhere in the middle of all the Blacks. Not mean like his mum but not kind and gentle like Andromeda either. Too smart for his own good but not smart enough to know what to do with it. Not weak like Regulus but not strong like Andromeda. You see, he knew that the Potters would take him in and the truth was he probably wouldn't have left if he hadn't known that. Andromeda left with no one to go to except Ted. So his life had always been shit. He'd have that internal struggle and he found it unfair. Why should he question his character because of the family he was born in to? Why should he question whether or not he truly believed in the morals he knows he believes in because of the family he was born in to? Why should he be stuck with a family that was so obviously wrong for him? And he'd come to the conclusion, in fourth year, that his life was unfair.

He never whined about it though because he was also lucky. He was lucky he had three mates he could call brothers. He was lucky that he had two people who would be glad to call Sirius their son despite that not being true. He was lucky because despite all that unfairness, his life had turned out pretty good.

"Prongs," Sirius whispered. "You up?"

"I am now," he grumbled and Sirius lay on his back, his hands behind his head. His mind going a mile a minute. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't fair."

James was quiet for a minute and Sirius heard him sigh. "I know, mate. It'll work itself out."

"It better because I won't visit you in Azkaban."

"As long as you promise to break me out," James yawned.

Sirius chuckled. "What do you think would happen if you transformed and charged at a dementor with your antlers?"

"That's your plan?" James asked. "Let me charge at a dementor as a stag. Well, I always was the mastermind."

"Shove off, you git."

"Go to bed, Padfoot."

Sirius nodded. "'Night."

"Night," James mumbled, already half asleep. Sirius stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours until sleep finally washed over him.

—

The next morning, Lily was reading the Daily Prophet, a young muggle family had been killed and the Ministry suspected that it was the Death Eaters by the name of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange — the woman was Sirius' cousin. A photo of the couple was placed under the headline. It was a photo from some sort of function. Both wore perfectly tailored dress robes, Bellatrix's hair and make-up impeccable. She was a gorgeous woman with light, hooded eyes and high cheek bones and a posture that radiated confidence. A pendant of the Black family crest hung around her neck on a long chain, the pendant resting between her breasts.

"What are you reading?" Ella asked sitting next to Lily. She read the headline over Lily's shoulder and frowned. "Oh. It's getting worse isn't it?"
Lily nodded and was about to say something when a small first year girl tapped her shoulder.

"Hello," Lily said politely.

"I was meant to give this to you," she stammered fumbling a piece of rolled up parchment.

Lily took it off her and she scrambled away. Lily rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to bite the first year's head off.

"Open it then," Ella urged. Lily rolled open the parchment and read:

Miss Lily Evans, you are required to talk to Auror Beth Pierce about the events concerning Mia Scott and James Potter on the 28th of September, 1977. Your appointment is scheduled today at nine thirty am. If this time does not suit you please go to Miss Pierce's office and discuss another arrangement. Professor McGonagall.

"You're being questioned about the attack, why?" Ella asked worriedly.

"I'm sure it's just routine questioning," Lily assured her though she did wonder why she was being questioned. James was interrogated for three hours, Lily hoped that her 'questioning' wouldn't take that long but then again, Lily didn't have much to say.

—

"You look terrible, Black," Ella commented as she took a seat next to him in Charms.

"Is there a reason you're annoying me, Dearborn?" Sirius balanced on the back two legs of his chair.

"Not particularly, except that I'm avoiding Marlene. Is there any particular reason that I can't sit here?"

Sirius considered. "I guess not."

"Brilliant."

"Why're you avoiding Adams then?"

Ella shrugged. "She's bothering me."

"Elaborate."

"So why do you look like the waking dead?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Why?"

He shrugged, "I just couldn't."

"You know, Potter better get himself an alibi," Ella told Sirius.

Sirius snapped back to the ground, turning to her. "Did you hear something?"

Ella looked at him. "No, it's just that Lily is being interviewed by that Auror today and Lily hardly talks with James so if they're questioning her … they're taking this very seriously, Black."

His eyebrows drew in. He already knew it was serious. His mate was being accused of attempted murder. James' mother was threatening to sue the Auror Department for even suspecting him — it's the only reason why they haven't pressed formal charges yet. Euphemia said it should be obvious that the girl's brain had been addled with because her son would never do this and Sirius had to agree with her on that one.

"Where is Potter anyways?"

Sirius shrugged as Professor Scrivens walked in and demanded quiet. He didn't want to give Dearborn an answer because James was probably off drinking somewhere because this was serious and if news got out that James was skipping classes to get drunk — well it wouldn't help his case.

Professor Scrivens announced that they would be practicing how to deflect physical objects using a shield charm and naturally, Remus and Peter partnered up so Sirius was stuck with Ella since James skipped class. They pushed all the desks to the side of the classroom and then paired up, with Ella throwing pebbles at Sirius and him easily deflecting them.

"So why're you really avoiding Adams?"

Ella frowned. She didn't want to tell him. "We're supposed to be practicing."

"Please, I could do this in fourth year. Come on, just tell me. It's not like I'll tell anyone."

"You tell Potter everything," Ella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah but Prongs and I are like one person so it doesn't count. Come on, Dearborn, just tell me."

She sighed. "She's annoying me about Michael Putley. She thinks I should date him."

"That's it?"

"Marlene won't drop the subject until I'm married to Putley with two to three kids."

Sirius chuckled. "What's so bad about Putley anyways?"

"Nothing. He's great."

"So?"

"It's me."

"What about you?"

"He doesn't want a girl like me. I've daddy issues."

"Maybe we should date. I've got mummy issues. You've got daddy issues. We'd be the hottest fucked up couple at Hogwarts." He winked at her and Ella laughed at the absurdness.

"Anyway, so Marlene won't drop it and so I'm avoiding her. Let's swap, I want to try."

Sirius obliged, Ella handed over the bucket of pebbles and pulling out her wand. He started tossing them at her and she started to deflect them.

"Huh, this is easy. It's just like a regular shield charm."

"Don't know why we're even bothering to practice," Sirius agreed.

Nonetheless, he continued throwing rocks for her to deflect as they talked.

—

At nine thirty, Lily went to Miss Pierce's office. It was in a skinny corridor off the second floor corridor and the walls were plastered with portraits of old, important people. Lily recognised the portrait of Gerald Bonsworth, the wizard who added Arbden liquid into the Memhibeo potion in 1673. He had a bushy beard and was inspecting the Arbdenus plant, Lily recognised the tiny leaves and fat trunk easily.

Lily found the door to Miss Pierce's office and it had a shiny, silver plaque against the dirty, dusty wooden door that read 'Miss Beth Price. Auror.' Lily took a breath before knocking and it seemed to echo around the corridor.

"Come in," Lily heard a voice, a click in the door and it swung open. Lily walked in cautiously and closed the door behind her.

Beth Pierce was an interesting woman. She had stiff, blue eyes and a crop of brown hair that seemed to sit in a perfect straight line level with her jaw. She wore a well-tailored, skirt suit under her black robes and glasses hung on a purple beaded string around her neck. Her nails seemed unbelievably long and her long fingers were adorned with stoned rings. Lily felt quite intimidated by the woman. She seemed to be all sharp edges, from the hair to the strong jaw line to the suit.

"Lily Evans!" Pierce exclaimed as though she had known Lily all her whole life. "Please sit," she said gesturing to a seat in front of her old wooden desk that had a stack of papers taller than Lily's wand on it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Er, pleasure to meet you as well," Lily said for a lack of anything else to say. Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to straighten out her uniform. She understood now why James was on edge last night.

"So, I guess you're wondering why I've brought you in for questioning?"

"Obviously," Lily said and Pierce smiled impolitely at Lily before continuing.

"Well seeing as Mr Potter is Head Boy and you're Head Girl, the Ministry thought it prudent to cover all our basis. We are interviewing anyone who knows Mr Potter in anyway."

"Well, that's going to be hard," Lily remarked. "The entire school has an opinion on James Potter," Lily rolled her eyes. "He's the most popular boy in school. That's like saying you're going to interview any person who knows Professor Dumbledore. You'll be here all year."

"Right," said Pierce doubtfully. "I'll deal with that. Now, can you tell me what you think of James Potter?"

"That's a very broad question. Can you be more specific?"

"What do you think of his morals and his character?"

"Potter is nice enough. We aren't friends or anything but anyone who talks to Potter for more than five minutes knows he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Yet, I've heard various accounts of severe bullying."

"He doesn't do that anymore," Lily protested. "The last time I saw Potter tease or bully someone was in-in," she thought for a moment, "Fifth year. Sixth year he still pulled multiple pranks against the school and even against some students but all of them meant no harm and didn't cause harm, just a good laugh, besides if you can call a prank bullying well then I'm a dementor."

Pierce looked intently at Lily before saying, "I see. As a muggle-born, how has Mr Potter acted around you?"

Lily snorted. "Look, if James Potter is attacking muggle-borns, he must not know I am a muggle-born because we have been alone together during prefect duties and patrols several times and he has neither said a bad word to me or pulled his wand on me nor has he ever, ever expressed the slightest implication of agreeing with the muggle-born and pure-blood nonsense. In fact, not two or three days ago he told me that he didn't believe in that pure-blood/muggle-born nonsense! And his mother co-runs Magic Against Evil, not sure if you've heard of it but the organisation fights for muggle-born rights."

"I've heard of it," she replied.

"Right," Lily said, "Now, if you assume that James Potter is attacking muggle-borns, why hasn't he attacked me? He's had multiple opportunities. Unless you're suggesting that James Potter is stupid and doesn't know I'm muggle-born which I assure you he's not, just look at his O.W.L.S! Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding in all his subjects! He bragged the whole train ride in sixth year. It's infuriating! So, are you saying that James Potter is stupid, Miss Pierce? Are you saying a stupid man attempted to kill a student?"

Pierce was left speechless for a few moments before she found herself. "Are you sure you are not friends with Mr Potter? You certainly defended him better than his supposed best friends and definitely better than that boring Brown kid from their dormitory."

"Potter and I are not friends," Lily said coolly, "I just know fact from fairytale. It's the difference between naive and intelligent. Also, this is a waste of my time."

"Well, what are the facts telling you, Miss Evans?"

"The facts are telling me, that it's too easy. Your victim stays quiet for a few days and then announces that Potter was her attacker when he asked her."

"She might've been scared."

"Then why admit to your attacker that you know it was them? Now, you are suggesting that Mia Scott is stupid."

"Well what do you suppose happened?" Pierce snapped.

"A good old fashioned confundment or memory charm."

"Madam Pomfrey said she hadn't! Don't make me out to be the stupid one here. You're the one ignoring the evidence, Miss Evans," she said coolly.

Lily was stumped. They'd already tested her and she wasn't confunded. That confused matters. A lot. Why would Mia Scott accuse James for attacking her, if he hadn't? Unless he had but that didn't make sense. James didn't believe in that muggle-blood / pure-blood nonsense. He wsan't capable of murder. Lily was sure. But why would Scott lie?

Pierce took Lily's silence as an opportunity to ask more questions. "Have you noticed anything odd about the castle lately?"

"Yeah, the fact that students are being pulled out of class to talk to you. May I leave now?" Lily asked seeing that she was now missing the start of Potions.

Pierce nodded stiffly and Lily got up to leave.

"Miss Evans," she said and Lily turned to face the woman, "I urge you to report anything unusual. Dark times are coming."

"All due respect, Miss Pierce, but the dark times arrived when Angela Branson was murdered."

"Who was Angela Branson? I'm sure I would've heard about a witch being killed!"

"Angela Branson died in September of 1972. She was the first muggle that died at the hands of Voldemort, Miss Pierce. It's odd, don't you think? Everyone will remember the name of the first pureblood who'll die at the hands of Voldemort but not the people we are actually fighting for."

With that Lily left Miss Pierce's office and made a bee line for Potions. If she got there quick enough she may still be able to catch the beginning stages of the Draught of Living Death potion Professor Slughorn said they'd be perfecting today.

"Lily?" a voice asked when she passed a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw on the first floor. Lily whirled around, her school robe flouncing with her sharp movement.

James Potter stepped out from behind a tapestry that Lily knew hid a secret stairwell to the fifth floor. He looked tired with bags under his red eyes. Lily thought his robes looked creased and crumpled and was certain that he should not have a bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand.

"Potter, have you been drinking?" Lily said knowing the answer.

"No," he denied but the smell coming from his breath told her otherwise, not to mention the bottle of firewhiskey in his hand.

"Wh- why aren't you in Potions?" she asked and she cursed herself for stuttering. She was being ridiculous. James wouldn't hurt her. Pierce was wrong. Lily didn't know why Scott lied, but Lily knew that. Pierce was wrong. James didn't hurt anyone.

"I'm being accused of attempted murder. Potions is a little low on my to-do list at the moment. And anyways, everyone just stares at me. The Slytherins congratulate me, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws think I'm a murderer and the Gryffindors tip-toe around me like they aren't sure what to think of me. Sorry, if I don't feel like going to Potions."

"And getting piss drunk is high on your to-do list?"

James considered for a second, "Yes."

Lily sighed. She wouldn't be getting to Potions after all. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. McGonagall will have a fit if she finds out you've been skipping classes to get sloshed," she told him and he followed her down the corridor all the way to the Gryffindor Tower where she sat him on the couch and handed him a cup of water.

"I think I have a sobering potion in my room, I'll be back in a second," she said and she turned to leave but James said, "Don't. Just go. You're missing class. Besides, either way I'm doomed for Azkaban. Didn't you hear? Scott hadn't been confunded."

Lily stayed quiet and James nodded slowly. "Ah, you did hear … you don't know what to make of it. So much for everything will be okay."

"James," Lily said reproachfully, "Just let me help-"

"I don't want your help," he snapped and Lily annoyed at his insistence snapped back, "Fine! Wallow in your own self-pity then! See if I bloody care!" James watched her storm out of the portrait hole and then laid down on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

James didn't know how his life had gotten here. One minute everything was normal. He was laughing because Fortescue was warning him to stay away from Lily as though James would listen and the next Madam Pomfrey was shrieking 'I've found the murderer!' down the corridor and Professor McGonagall wouldn't look him in the eye. People who he had thought would be on his side were slowly turning against him.

And Lily had looked beautiful today. Her dark, red hair was in a neat high ponytail and her green eyes stood out like flashlights in the night. Her bag slung over her shoulder so casually and looking as though something was ready to burst out. James should've told her that an undetectable extension charm would solve all her problems. She probably already knew that though. And he'd pushed her away because she was his ticket out of this whole mess and that annoyed James to no end and it did not help that she was so damn willing to help him.

—

Sirius rushed up to the common room after Potions in the hopes of finding James and find James he did. He was passed out on the floor in front of the fireplace, an empty bottle of firewhiskey in his hand. Sirius kicked James' leg and James groaned.

"What?"

"Get up."

James winced, "Quieter."

"Well, I wouldn't have to be quiet if you didn't get drunk before lunch," Sirius said annoyed. "Go have a shower, sober up. You're not missing anymore classes."

"Leave me alone," James insisted.

"James, so help me. You are going to get up in ten seconds and in fifteen you are going to be in the shower because you missing classes isn't helping you right now."

"I'm going to end up in Azkaban anyways."

Pissed off at his attitude, Sirius grabbed his wand and used levicorpus to hoist James into the air by his ankle and then levitated him towards the dormitory.

"Oi! Put me down."

"No!"

"Black!"

"Potter!" Sirius pulled his wand back and James fell in a heap onto the stairs. He scrampled up, ready to punch Sirius. "Going to punch me now, James? Just stop! You are innocent! We will prove it and you will be fine! But you have to stop this! You can't skip class and you can't get plastered before noon! You haven't been charged and you won't be! We will figure it out and you will be fine! So get your damn arse in the shower and come down for lunch."

James and Sirius stared at each other, in a stalemate. James' jaw relaxed and Sirius knew he'd won. He smirked. "Shut it, Black."

"Just go take a shower, you smell worse than the Hog's Head."

Sirius watched James go into their dormitory and waited until he heard the sound of the shower turning on before heading back down to the common room. Lily was coming in through the portrait hole and she halted when she saw Sirius.

"How is he?"

"He's having a shower," Sirius sighed, running a hand over his face. "Thanks for telling me, Evans."

"Felt wrong not to," she shrugged. "But you're welcome. If you ever need anything, or if James decides he wants my help … I'm here."

Sirius nodded. "Thanks, Evans."

"See you around, Black." With that she exited the common room leaving Sirius alone to wait for James.