The two weeks flew by. One minute they were arriving, the next they were performing magic for her dad, the next she was saying her last goodbye. Then she was planning a funeral and then James was holding her up as her dad was lowered into the ground. Life went by so fast, Lily mused as they flicked through pages of photos wondering how she'd gotten here. Petunia used to hug Lily all the time, the photos were proof of that — a fuzz of blonde hair attacking a fuzz of red hair — and now, Lily barely remembered the last time they'd had a proper conversation.

Petunia sat in the armchair, reading a cheesy romance novel that Lily only hated because Petunia chose to read it instead of look through old photos with her and James. She was avoiding any and all contact with Lily as possible which Lily found quite ridiculous because their dad had just died and they were the only two people in the world who knew exactly how the other was feeling. Lily had hoped that Petunia could set aside her prejudices just for a moment so they could remember their dad together.

She slipped a photo out of the pocket sleeve; Petunia held a hose in her hands, aimed at Lily as water spurted out. It had been their dad's favourite photo because he managed to catch the moment just before the jet of water hit Lily and her eyes were squeezed shut as she anticipated the jet of cool water hitting her. Lily moved the album onto James' lap and stood up, kneeling next to Petunia as she slipped the photo onto her book.

"I am reading, Lily," Petunia said curtly but her eyes took the photo in.

"It was dad's favourite," Lily said softly with a sly smile. "You completely drenched me that day, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember," she snapped. "Mum was furious with me because you were wearing a nice dress."

"Why do you resent me so much?" Lily asked with a sigh. "I try and I try and I try," she whispered. "But you, you just don't," Lily shook her head and stood up, taking the photo back. "You don't give me a branch."

Lily inspected the photo again. They used to be so happy. They used to be sisters. Lily wasn't quite sure what their relationship was but it was too cold to be considered something as personal as sisters, or even, Lily realised sadly, friends. They were mere acquaintances who only put up with each other because they had to, like the annoyed employee who have to be super nice to a customer who always comes in asking the same questions because their boss is there.

"You can be maid of honour," Petunia said softly and Lily turned to face her again, shocked.

"What?"

"In the wedding, you can be maid of honour," she repeated.

Lily's eyes widened in happiness, a smile on her lips, "Oh, Tuney!" Maybe they weren't so doomed after all. "Thank you!"

"What's this I hear?" Rosie called from the kitchen. "Lily's maid of honour?"

She walked into the living room, wiping her hand on a dish towel and Lily nodded. "Tuney just asked me."

Tears pricked in Rosie's blue eyes, "Oh, that's just simply wonderful! Oh, before you leave you must sit down and discuss things about the wedding!"

"Vernon wants to be very involved," Petunia told her mother.

"Oh," Rosie was quiet for a moment, "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "A double date. All four of you should go out for a nice dinner in town!"

"Oh, uh, mum," Lily backed up. Yes, she had wanted a branch, but with her sister not with Vernon freaking Dursley. "I don't think — James and I have a tonne of work that needs to get done before we leave for school again and-"

But her mother wasn't listening as she dabbed at her tears with the dish towel, "Your father would've been so happy to finally see his girls' getting along. Oh, I'm going to blubber."

Petunia and Lily glanced at each other. "I guess dinner in town could be nice," Lily amended.

"Fine."

—

Ella and Marlene sat at the Gryffindor table waiting for the right moment. Black had been a dead end that had succeeded in making them feel worse about their behaviour the last couple of weeks so now they'd have to go for a weaker link, meaning either Remus or Peter. The problem was, getting them alone without Black.

The seventh year girls had decided, unanimously, that it was time to make up with Lily. Only problem was, they didn't know why she'd gone home for two weeks and Ella didn't like the idea of sending a letter. The things that needed to be said couldn't be said through a letter, it was like taking the easy way out.

"They're like a pack of wolves," Marlene muttered. "I mean seriously? Does Black not have other friends?"

Ella pursed her lips. "All right, I'm gonna take one for the team."

"What?"

"I'm going to distract Black, you go talk to Remus and Peter."

"By myself?" Marlene asked with wide eyes.

Ella glared at her. "You can handle Lupin and Pettigrew." With that she strode away and up to the three boys. "Wotcher, boys. Mind if I have a word Black?"

All three of them turned to peer at her. "Did you send an owl to Lily yet?"

Ella scowled. "None of your business."

"Then you can't have a word."

"It'll only take a minute — it's about homework for transfiguration."

"So ask away. Pete and Remus won't judge," Sirius assured her.

"I, uh, would rather say in private."

"Uh-huh. Do you think I'm a moron, Dearborn? You and Adams have been stalking us the entire day. I know that as soon as I leave Adams is gonna come over here to try and weasel answers out of Remus and Peter about Lily."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "We've not been stalking!"

"Adams is literally watching us with wide eyes, right now," Lupin pointed out.

"She looks about ready to jump out of her seat," Peter agreed.

Ella scowled. "Why won't you just tell us?"

"I can show you to the owlery, if you want?" Sirius suggested. "But it's fairly easy to find, even Peter knows where it is."

"Oi!"

"Sorry, mate but you have to admit, your sense of direction is questionable."

Ella rolled her eyes. "I hate the lot of you."

"Uh-huh," Sirius agreed and then shouted after her as she turned and walked away, "The owlery, Dearborn!"

She flipped him off and plonked back down next to Marlene.

"How long should we look sulky for?" Marlene asked quietly.

"A couple minutes."

Marlene nodded and then sighed. "Can't believe they won't tell us why she's left!"

"They're toerags," Ella agreed. "Go to the owlery, ha, I'll freaking shove an owl up his arse — well I would if I wouldn't feel so sorry for the bloody owl."

Marlene stifled a giggle. "Come on." She grabbed her arm and lifted Ella out as they strode out of the Great Hall almost colliding with Adaline and Alice in the Entrance Hall.

"Well?" Marlene asked.

"Lily's dad died."

—

Lily and James lay in bed that night, the covers pulled over their heads and a wand lit dimly so they could see each other's faces. Lily marvelled at James — he wasn't wearing his glasses — and it spooked her out a little. He always wore his glasses. She traced the spot on his nose where the glasses usually sat and said, "I miss him."

He tugged her closer, kissing her nose. "I know."

Lily tickled the scruff on his chin, "You need to shave."

"You don't like the stubble?"

"Maybe when it grows on the rest of your jaw and not just your chin," she suggested.

"You never complained before summer," he whispered.

"I wasn't your girlfriend then."

"Lily." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow that said, come on, out with it. Why do you really want me to shave off my pathetic excuse for stubble?

"Vernon will think you're scummy if you have an unshaven face," she admitted. James gawked. "I'm sorry but I just want the dinner to go smoothly and I want them to like you."

"What's not to like, I'm a charmer," he winked and Lily giggled.

"You're not going to let that one go, are you Jems?"

"Never, my Marie. And you shouldn't worry to much about the dinner. It's one dinner, three hours. What could possibly go wrong in three hours whilst eating food?"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "You do know that in Fourth Year you set the Slytherin table on fire at the Halloween Feast?" Lily asked.

James grinned, "Those were the days," he agreed. "But I am mature," — Lily snorted — "Now and I think I can handle dinner. I'll be on my best behaviour."

"Promise?"

"I promise to try," he amended and Lily rolled her eyes but accepted. It was good enough. She kissed him before shuffling in close to his chest, breathing in sage and cedar and her mother's flowery detergent. "Goodnight, Lily."

"G'night," Lily murmured closing her eyes, James stroking her hair softly and slowly. "Love you," she mumbled into his chest.

—

"Her dad died," Marlene reiterated to Nate. "And we didn't even know he'd been sick!"

They were sitting outside in the courtyard, shoulder to shoulder. Marlene's head rested on Nate's shoulder as he read some book.

"You guys were fighting," he reminded her.

"No, we cut her off — I mean she cut us off first but then she was ready to tell us everything and then we cut her off because we were mad."

"You were being stupid," Nate corrected.

"Nate!" she whined. "You're supposed to be making me feel better."

"No, you're supposed to be making me feel better. One broken heart right here."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Oh please, that little fifth year didn't break your heart. You're ego's just hurt that a fifth year dumped you."

"Marly!" he whined.

"Nope, you can't deny it," she said firmly. "I refuse to believe you deeply cared for a fifth year. I mean seriously, Nate? A fifth year?"

"You really like pointing out that she was a fifth year."

"Yes because you were moronic."

"And who else am I supposed to date?"

"People who aren't fifth years."

"Oh, so fourth years? You know, Selene Brandon keeps giving me the eye."

Marlene laughed. "If you go out with a fourth year, I'm telling your sister."

"Well then, who am I supposed to go out with?"

"Me." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She hated that about her mouth, it spoke without being told to.

"All right then," Nate said. "Fancy a date to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Marlene giggled. "Wait, what? You can't be serious."

"Well," Nate considered, "Why not?"

"We've been friends forever, firstly!"

"Exactly, you can't say that you've never thought about what it would be like to kiss me."

Marlene burst out laughing, throwing her head back and drawing her knees to her chest as laughter spilled out. "I don't know," she admitted, "Maybe once or twice."

"That's it? We've been friends since we were born!"

"Well, how many times have you thought about kissing me?"

"I don't know, more than once or twice," he admitted.

Marlene looked at Nate. He'd grown out of his awkward stage with a short layer of stubble and his mousy brown locks swept across his forehead. She'd never admit it but whenever she thought about her future, the future where she's married, living in her own house with kids, she's imagined Nate beside her. She'd always thought that it was because he was her best friend and he was a guy and that another guy would come in and take the place for himself but for as long as Marlene could remember, the spot remained filled by Nate.

"One date but if it goes terribly we agree to forget about it and never talk about it again," she said quickly.

"Best mates first," Nate agreed.

"Okay, so Hogsmeade but not this week because operation make up with Lily is a go."

Nate laughed. "I would never dream of interfering with your plans to ambush Lily as soon as she steps off the train."

—

James and Lily were in the back seat of the cab being driven to a local restaurant where they would be meeting up with Petunia and Vernon, who were driving from Vernon's house. Lily had thought it would make sense for them to all go together in Vernon's car but Petunia had disagreed.

"Please try not to talk too much about what we are and what we do," Lily pleaded. "They won't like that."

"Why are you so worried about her opinion of you? You keep trying to be someone you're not to get her approval."

Lily shook her head, "You don't understand. She takes what we are as an offence. Imagine," Lily paused trying to think of a way to explain what she meant so James could understand. "Imagine sitting down for dinner with pure-blood supremacists. Sort of like how Narcissa Black glares at muggle-borns as though a horrid smell was coming off them."

"So what your saying is your sister is a muggle supremacist?"

Lily thought about it for a moment and said, "Yes. If this were the sixteenth century, she'd hand us in to be burned at the stake. Would probably light the fire herself."

James laughed lightly at Lily's comparison not taking her seriously and Lily frowned. He'd know soon enough, she thought to herself.

The restaurant was crowded and it took a moment for Lily to spot her sister sitting in the far left corner in a booth. James grabbed Lily's hand as she led him to the table.

"Hi Petunia, Vernon," Lily greeted as Lily and James sat on the opposite side of the booth. Lily got in first so she was sitting opposite Petunia and James was opposite Vernon, who was looking at James with great dislike. "This is James Potter. My boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you," James said politely holding a hand out to Vernon. Vernon looked at his hand disgustingly and only when Lily looked at him pointedly did he shake James' hand and reluctantly said, "And you."

"So you two go to school together?" Petunia asked and Lily nodded.

"What do you do Vernon?" James asked trying to move the conversation along. James couldn't help but be patronisingly interested in what, to James, seemed like the most boring job. It sounded more boring than sitting through a History of Magic lesson with Professor Binns droning on unaware that he was slowly putting each of his students into a slow sleep.

Vernon didn't seem to appreciate this and retaliated with, "I guess you lot live off the unemployment benefit."

"Uh no, we have jobs over on our side," Lily said.

"Yeah my family have made quite the fortune. Our vault at Gringott's – I'll have to show you one day Lily – is filled with galleons."

"Of what?" Vernon spluttered.

"Wizard money," James said and Vernon's eyes looked as though they were going to fall out. Lily nudged James and he realised he was smirking slightly. Trying to explain better James added, "We have solid gold, er, sort of like, what did you call them Lils?"

"Coins."

"Yes! Coins but fairly fatter and larger."

"You have a vault full of gold. What nonsense is this?" he muttered to Petunia. "And what the ruddy hell is Grin Got?"

"No need to get agitated, buddy. I'll answer any questions you have about the magical world. Gringott's is the wizarding bank. Goblin's guard it. You know, I've heard some of the top security vaults have a dragon guarding them."

"Really?" said Lily perking up immediately and turning to James. "A dragon? In the middle of London? I wonder how they managed that one."

"Well it's all underground, isn't it?" James shrugged. "Maybe they apparated it there."

"You know very well an animal of that size can't be transported like that!" Lily said laughing then she realised, when he cracked a smirk, that he was only trying to wind her up.

Petunia coughed loudly and Lily flinched slightly.

"Right," Lily said, "What were we talking about?"

"Dragons in Gringott's," James said and Lily nudged him and decided to change the topic by asking Petunia how the wedding plans were coming along.

"Fine," Petunia said stiffly. "We're thinking of moving the wedding to summer since dad…"

"Petunia, you know dad, he would've wanted you to get married in January. He wouldn't want you to post pone it just because of what happened."

Petunia rolled her eyes, "How would you know what he wanted? You were barely around – off at the circus! Don't lecture me about dad!"

Lily stiffened and James had an angry look on his face he was about to open his mouth but Lily grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"Mum said that you, er, Vernon got a new car last month?" Lily tried again for another conversation but James was starting to see why Lily didn't want to attend this dinner. Petunia and Vernon were the most close-minded people he had ever met.

Vernon started boasting about his new car – James had absolutely no clue what he was on about – and ended his monologue about his car with, "What car do you drive, James?"

"I've got the latest broomstick – a Nimbus '77! It's superb! Goes from naught to sixty miles in ten seconds and a great new breaking charm, barely any drag!" he said, unaware that Vernon and Petunia were looking at James as though he were a different species. "Only the best broom in the market at the moment! Davidson from the Appleby Arrows is trying to get management to splurge on them since the Tornadoes and Falcons both got them and-" James glanced at Lily to see her pinching her nose. He bit his lip.

"What nonsense are you on about?" Vernon spat and James couldn't help it, he laughed nervously glancing at Lily, which made Vernon Dursley even angrier. His face had turned bright red and resembled a tomato. James had never seen a man get so angry over something as simple as describing a broomstick. Truth be told, he found it amusing.

"I will not sit here and be made fun of!" Vernon demanded slapping his hand on the table.

"Woah!" Lily said. "He isn't making fun of you, you asked him what car he had, he took that to mean transport. It just so happens that James does fly a Nimbus '77 and it is the best broom on the market. He was simply answering a question."

"It wasn't the answer Vernon wanted!" Petunia snapped.

"When are you going to stop living in denial about what I am, Petunia? I'm a witch and James is a wizard! Our money is solid gold and we put it in the bank guarded by goblins! We fly brooms! We have wands! We have jobs! The magic world is a whole community but you're just too ignorant to see that. You think we're just a bunch of mad delinquents! There is a whole other world outside the uptight, muggle one you seem to want to live in, if only you'd open your eyes to see it."

"We will not be talked to like that!" Vernon puffed. "You are a bunch of abnormal freaks who are deluded to believe in magic!"

"Can I hex him, please?" James asked Lily. "Then he'll see how deluded we are in believing in what we are!"

"James no!" Lily cried as he pulled out his wand. Vernon and Petunia who had had enough stood up and walked out of the restaurant, noses in the air and then Lily burst into tears.

"Oh, shit," James exclaimed, "Merlin, I'm sorry. I-"

"Why did you have to goad them? I told you not to talk about our world!" Lily cried, "And now everything's ruined."

Lily wiped her tears away with the ball of her palm. "I know," James said quietly, "I'm sorry … but they were treating you like you were less than them and you're not. Our world isn't bad," — Lily scoffed — "Sure we're in a tough spot now, with the war but our world, Lily, our world is like none other and that doesn't make it bad and you don't deserve to be treated that way just because you are a part of that world."

"But I told you! I specifically told you not to talk about magic and you just did it anyways!"

James sighed in shame, his shoulders slumping, "I know. I'm sorry," he repeated. "I promise I'll try to make it up with them as soon as possible."

"You will?" Lily sniffed, looking at James and he nodded.

"Anything for you, Marie." He tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"I'm glad you're here, Jems," Lily murmured.

"Even if I ruined everything?"

"Even if you ruined everything," she agreed and then they fell silent for a moment, staring into space until Lily broke the silence. "We should gift them something really horrible for their wedding."

"Perhaps a garden gnome," James suggested. "Or a dragon egg or something – maybe we could get one off Hagrid. I reckon he'd get us one."

Lily giggled, "We could get them a moving portrait of some famous, old bloke."

"I think they'd love Sir Cadogan. I'm sure McGonagall would let us take him. It is for a gift after all."

"Hmm, maybe we should grow a small Whomping Willow? I'd like to see them deal with that."

Lily rung a finger in the gap between her navy blue scarf and neck, the room was warm and it was starting to become unbearably warm in it. James tugged the end. "You should take your scarf off," he told her, "It's pretty warm in here and your cheeks are flushed." He pressed his fingers onto Lily's burning cheek and Lily leaned into his hand, kissing it. His hand reached out, to pull the scarf off from around her neck and she flinched back, shaking her head.

"I'm not wearing anything to cover the scar."

James didn't drop his hand, instead he wrapped it firmly around the end of her scarf and gently pulled down on it so the scarf fell onto her lap. He moved his other hand from her cheek down to her neck, his fingers gently brushing over the straight, white line that ran across her throat. "You don't need to cover the scar." His eyes were focused on hers.

"It's ugly."

"No," James disagreed as Lily shifted her position so she was leaning partially on his chest, his arm wrapping around her, "It's not."

"I feel like Nearly Headless Nick," she complained.

James chuckled, "I can assure you, you're much prettier and a much better shag I'd imagine."

Lily snorted, "Hmm, I'm so glad I'm dating such a charmer like you." She entwined their fingers together on his knee, turning his hand over and playing with his fingers.

"Awe, thanks! I do think I'm quite the charmer."

Lily laughed, shaking her head, "You're a right old prat, you know that?"

"I love you too, my Marie."

The waitress came around and Lily ordered them a bowl of french fires and a bottle of beer. "We're staying?"

"Merlin no," Lily said, shocked by the thought, "We're just going to have a quick bite and a bit of a pre-drink and then we're heading to Cokeworth Pub to see how many Vodka shots we can hold down."

"Vodka?"

"Muggle alcohol. I wouldn't mind trying tequila either."

"Nothing will beat firewhiskey," James said confidently.

Lily wagged a finger, "Now, now, don't knock it until you've tried it!"

"Sirius sent an owl the other day, I forgot to tell you."

"What did he say?"

James shrugged, "Just the usual. Attached a bunch of homework. Apparently, Peter gave himself an elephant's trunk in Transfiguration."

Lily chuckled, "What was he aiming for?"

"To make his nose a little longer. He overshot just a tad, don't you think?

"Just a tad," agreed Lily. "It's going to be weird, going back."

"How so?"

"Everything will just be different. A little girl was killed, murdered on school grounds," Lily shook her head, "And they haven't the slightest clue who did it."

"Lily, we know it was Snape. It was his spell," James said quietly but before he'd finished Lily already shook her head.

"We still can't be sure that it's him." She knew it wasn't him but she didn't want James to know she'd spoken to Snape on her own, it wouldn't go down well.

"He could have other people doing his dirty work," James suggested.

"Or maybe," said Lily hesitantly, "Maybe he just supplied the spell. Maybe he didn't know what they were going to use it for."

James highly doubted that but he didn't want to make Lily upset so he agreed, "Maybe … but we should still tell the teachers. Even if it wasn't Snape, it's still a lead. He created the spell, he'll know who else knows about it."

"But-"

"We won't tell them that we think it's Snape, we'll just say that he knows the spell so they can at least question him. Figure out if he has alibis, that sort of thing. Just a precautionary measure," James assured her.

Lily resigned, "Fine." She couldn't fight with his logic — he really did think of everything — and they'd be stupid not to tell the teachers about the only student that seemed to know about the spell Lily was attacked with.

Their beer and bowl of chips arrived and they ate, as James told Lily about all the times he'd stolen his dad's wand as a child. Lily's favourite was the rabbit he enlarged to be over five meters long.

"It was honestly bigger than our dining table. Poor Babbity," James sighed. Babbity had been his childhood pet — a chocolate brown rabbit with floppy ears and big round eyes.

"I feel sorry for your mother," Lily declared through fits of giggles as she imagined a huge rabbit hopping along the grass, trying to dig a burrow.

"Oh, believe me so do I! Have I told you about the time when the boys came over for the night and we got sloshed," — "Of course — "Of course," James agreed with a grin before continuing. "And we thought it would be hilarious to to just shift all the furniture a bit to the right. So, my parents were fast asleep and we, in our drunken state mind, shifted all the furniture five inches to the right and I mean, all the furniture. The dining table, the stuff in the living room, all the furniture upstairs. The next morning, we wake up with very vague memories of shifting furniture and then my mum and dad proceeded to bump into everything for days all because we thought it would be funny."

Lily shook her head, "Did you at least move the furniture back?"

"Nope, to this day, everything is still five inches to the right," James told her and Lily threw her head back laughing.

"That's amazing!" She popped the last chip into her mouth. "And that's this place done. Let's go get sloshed yeah?"

James kissed her, "Sounds great," he licked his lips and then kissed her again.

"James," she shied away, looking around at the other people in the restaurant.

"It is really not my fault if your lips taste like the chips we just ate!"

Lily giggled and pushed his face away as he tried to get another kiss. She licked her lips and said, "Ha ha! All gone and none for you and you're right. It tasted amazing!"

James pouted as Lily dropped some money onto the table. "I thought you loved me."

"I do, love, just not as much as I love chip seasoning." She patted his cheek. "Now, let's go. Drunk times a wait and if you can do ten Vodka shots in a row without throwing up, I'll give you fifty kisses," she promised.

—

After a tearful goodbye from Lily's mother, they had boarded the train and spent the long ride attempting to catch up on the work they had missed, practicing spells and speed writing essays and copying answers off of each other and the textbooks, arguing when they got different answers.

"Shall we try doing the face transformations?" James asked, "McGonagall suggests starting with the nose."

Lily snorted, "No thanks, I don't want to be stuck with an elephant's trunk for the next three hours."

"I am a transfiguration whiz!"

"You are an animagus," Lily told him, poking his chest, "Doesn't make you a whiz at the entire subject."

"Wanna bet?"

"All right, you're on," she agreed. "I bet you can't properly change your nose and change it back without looking at the textbook."

"If you lose, you have to," James thought for a moment, "You have to do a handstand in the Entrance Hall for an entire minute."

"And if I win you have to talk to Sirius like he's a dog for a day."

"Prepare to lose, Evans."

Lily snorted as James pulled his wand out and pointed it to his nose, "Wait!" Lily called, "You need a mirror," and she quickly conjured one up for him and charmed it to hover in front of him.

"Thanks, love."

He pulled his wand out and muttered the spell, pointing his wand at his nose and Lily's smile grew larger the longer nothing happened and the harder James concentrated. He repeated the spell again and still nothing.

"Ha ha, I win!"

"No - there! It's a little bit shorter!" he insisted but Lily looked at James' nose and-

"Are you an eyeless pixie?" Lily asked, "Because that nose is the exact same bloody length!"

"Is not! You have to do a handstand!"

"Do not! That nose is not shorter!" insisted Lily and they argued about it until the train pulled to a stop in Hogsmeade station and they bickered as they pulled their trunks off.

"It's them!" someone cried and they both turned. All their friends — even Lily's — were waiting on Hogsmeade's platform.

"Oh Lily!" cried Alice, running up to Lily, the rest of her friends close behind. "I'm so sorry about your dad and I'm sorry we have been such terrible friends to you in this last month." Alice grabbed Lily in an almost suffocating hug.

"Yeah," Marlene added sheepishly. "Adaline explained everything and now that we understand we can't believe how thick headed we were being."

"I for one, believed you didn't really do anything wrong but was scared of being shunned," Ella announced. "I didn't have a boys dormitory to fall back on."

Lily rolled her eyes and hugged all of her friends, one by one, glad to be finally burying the hatchet with her friends.

"Will you come back to the dorm?" Marlene pleaded.

Lily didn't even have to think twice about it. "Yes!" she exclaimed, knowing she would not miss sleeping on couch cushions nor would she miss the grossness of living with five boys.

"Oi! You ditching us, Evans?" Sirius, who was eavesdropping, called out. James nicked him across the head with his hand.

"Sorry, boys," Lily called back, "You're officially an all boys dorm again."

"About bloody time," Sirius said with a cheeky grin.

"Don't make me hex you, Black."

"I've got James."

"I've got Alice."

"No one is duelling," James told them.

"So you two are actually together then?" asked Ella and Lily nodded.

"Unfortunately James is in fact whipped," Sirius declared.

"Remus," James said, "Make him be quiet before Lily hex's him."

Lily laughed, it seemed Sirius was trying to make up for two weeks worth of banter.

"Come on boys, let's leave the ladies to catch up-"

"But we wanted to hear about Dursley!" Peter wined.

"It's a Hogsmeade trip today. We could go to the Three Broomsticks and hang out together?" Alice suggested.

So all nine of them trudged down to Hogsmeade and ordered butterbeers from Madame Rosmerta. Lily and James went into detail about the disastrous dinner and everyone was in fits over Vernon Dursley who was now nicknamed, The Muggle Supremacist.

Author's Note:

Hi Everyone! I'm sorry for the late update but I appreciate all your reviews! I had a bad case of writer's block for a gap I needed to fill and in the presence of writer's block I had turned my attention to a different Jily Fic called Glowing (it's on my profile if you want to check it out - it's a 20k one shot). But it did the trick and I filled the gap and tada new update!

Hope you guys like it and if you do, review, fav and follow!

-Natalie xx