Standing There By You

Chapter 54- Bothersome Mothers and Primate Prattle

A/N: …

HI! I know you all probably hate me because of the wait… but there's been trauma. Yes, trauma. What kind of trauma you ask? The worst kind. Computer trauma. Believe it or not, I had an entire chapter written two months ago, because I was really excited about all of your reviews… when my computer died and it deleted everything. My computer was out for a month, and then when I finally got to typing it my computer spazzed again. Well either way I really missed you, writing, and your awesome input… Thanks very much if you're still reading this… : )

Now I know that even I forgot what happened in the last chapter, so:

RECAP

Kirk is a bit more boring
James swooped in for a very unwelcome kiss (received by Lily)
Remus's birthday was decided to be celebrated over the Holidays by the best party-throwers in town (aka the Marauders)

Ooh and IMPORTANT lately when I've been uploading the chapters fanfiction has been squishing some of the words together so it may look a little sloppy.. sorry /

"Butterbeer…" Sirius nibbled on the tip of his quill. "Pumpkin shakes, Fizzing Whizbees…"

He glanced over the quickly accumulating list stretched out before him, flicking off a few Sweet cornand Turnip Bertie Bott Beans he had selected carefully from James's secret stash. He had always taken a peculiar fancy to nibbling on the essence of a stalk or kernel when construing any important occasion, and Remus's birthday was going to be just that. It was very rare Mrs. Lupin permitted her son to stay any given holiday, and such an event was going to be celebrated properly. Sirius had already purchased and/or borrowed dozens of sweets, objects and contraptions that left no doubt it'd be a memorable occasion.

Behind Sirius's outstretched figure a muffled sequence of sounds emitted from the doorway. "Beans," it mumbled vaguely. "List- bed curtain, there."

Sirius rolled over to properly greet his incoherent best mate. "'Ello James," he smiled, chucking a Sweet corn at his forehead.

"Huh? Oh, hello. Hi."

Sirius smiled slightly, turning back to his list of very important supplies. "Interesting day, chimp chops?"

"Oh no, not really, it--," James did a double take. "What did you call me?"

Sirius pursed his lips, smacking them twice as he hunched back over the parchment. "Nothing, do you want some sweets? There's still some banana flavored left, I think."

James stared back accusingly, searching his irritatingly amused friend's face for good two or three minutes. Sirius smiled.

"How did you find out!" James cried, throwing his hands above his head in astonishment. "It happened what, two hours ago and you've already heard about it? How did- did Lily tell you? Has she been telling people? I knew it, she's been blathering to everyone how she thinks I'm so horrible at snog--,"

"Relax, would you?" Sirius chucked another bean at his head. "And please, don't go into details. I really don't want to hear about it."

"I wasn't going to!" James said, still in quite a state. "How could she do this? I mean, it's bad enough she has to go around saying, well- well you know, to me, but informing the entire student body, honestly!"

"Hey, Ape-Boy," Sirius cut in. "If you would stop yelling for one second, I could tell you it wasn't her I heard it from."

James ignored the slight. "It wasn't?"

"Nope. It was Peeves. Had a catchy little song to go with it, actually."

"Oh great," James flung himself dramatically onto his mattress. "Just great. Not only will the whole school hear about it, they'll be humming catchy little songs about it, as well."

"No worries, mate," Sirius shook his head. He replaced his quill and let it dangle above the parchment. "We took care of it."

James looked leery. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Sirius looked up at him, "it cost us two secret passageways and we're due to distract McGonagall every Wednesday at eight till Peeves can figure out how to get into one of her classified cabinets, but the Poltergeist agreed to keep it hush-hush. I know he's a tricky fellow, but I'm fairly certain he'll keep his word."

"Oh." James sat up slowly, taking in the situation. "All right, then. Thanks."

"Ah, just to warn you," said Sirius, "now we own rights to the song, and Peter's become especially fond of it." He nodded to the doorway as their two friends entered, one humming the tune loudly just as he had predicted.

"Mmm…" acknowledged James, and turned to consider his surroundings as his friends continued whatever they had been doing. Only a few moments later, however, he spoke up again quickly. "She was lying," he hastened to defend. "Or terribly confused. Sick, probably. Could be terminal; I saw her coughing just this morning."

"Who, Lily?" Peter stopped humming and frowned. "That's because she was choking on a bran muffin," he pointed out.

James waved his hand dismissively. "An excuse if I ever saw one. She was clearly confounded at the sight of me- all those rushing emotions and such."

"I thought you said she was coughing because she was terminally ill," mused Remus.

James frowned. "Yes, well they're really one in the same, either way--,"

"Viewing you and being terminally ill are one in the same?"

James glared at Sirius. "You're missing the point completely."

Sirius smiled. "Fine, go on then. You were saying?"

"That I was." He clicked his tongue contemplatively. "Erm…"

"She's terminally ill…" Peter prodded helpfully.

"Right, yes. I- she, I mean…"

"He's got nothing," whispered Sirius to Remus.

James surrendered with a sigh. "I've got nothing," he confirmed miserably, clutching the sides of his head with a sort of manic vigor. "It's true, I'm an ape. Throw me a banana and turn around so I can pick bits of bugs off you; ship me to the nearest tropical locale and I'll be with my own kind."

"Well, he does already have the hair," Sirius observed, poking the top of James's head; it had dropped unceremoniously onto the desk and the mangly locks were standing nearly on end as if frustrated themselves.

James emitted a pitiful noise the other boys deciphered to be a sick, strangled chimpanzee. Though they highly doubted it was meant to be so.

"James Potter," Sirius boomed, deciding he had finally had enough. James hardly stirred. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he lifted him up roughly with a menacing grunt. "Pathetic," he deemed the dismal boy's lolling head.

"I have a right to be pathetic," James said, still lolling. "Being compared to a hairy mammal after something you could hardly call a snog and the prospect of three weeks of detention with McGonagall deserves that, I'd say."

Sirius's eyes fluttered upward with exaggerated annoyance as he leaned more of his weight onto James's shoulders. He prepared to instill some rationality. "It's Lily Evans," he said, "just some bookworm with a peculiar head of red. Sure she's pretty but there's always a Gina or Roxanne that could easily suffice, and concerning McGonagall, you know just as well as I do she's a softie at heart and a simple box of chocolates will get you off with an easy book assignment or two."

"Last time you tried to soften McGonagall with sweets she made you scrub the entire first corridor with your own socks," James reminded him dryly.

Sirius exhaled heavily. "I'm trying to help."

"Well you aren't doing a very good job of it," James said bluntly. "I've never even heard of a girl named Gina or Roxanne."

"They're hypothetical."

"Great, I'll take my hypothetical girlfriend into a hypothetical closet and give her a good ol' hypothetical snog."

"Hopefully you're better at hypothetical kissing than you are the real kind."

"Oh no," Remus sighed. "It took me a week to sort out that mess." He watched dismally as James lunged at Sirius, taking a stack of neatly folded robes and rolled up socks along with him.

"Argh," Sirius yelled, as James attempted to stuff one of the aforementioned socks into his mouth. "You're…" he endeavored to sit up, "awfully…" he got a strong hold on James's shoulders, "temperamental…" With a manly grunt he forced James downward and panted at the difficult task. "You know that?"

"Am not," James snapped.

"You just snapped," Sirius pointed out. "And you pinned me against a pile of dirty laundry. Clearly you're not in a pleasant mood."

James frowned. "Irrelevant."

"Not true," Sirius cautiously released James's shoulders and sat up. "You're taking too much out of this. Lily is a fink, and a bitter fink at that, I'll bet she was just…" he trailed off as he caught James throwing him an icy glare. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," James said gruffly, sitting up as well. He pushed off the ground and began to stand up. "C'mon, let's go to dinner; I'm starving."

Sirius watched his friend in confusion as he maneuvered his way up and toward the door. Sure, he would be horrified too if a girl he attempted to woo was any less than ecstatic-- not that he ever had to worry about that, of course-- but James had to know the girl he had tortured for five years wasn't apt to throw him a parade after an unexpected move like that. He would've bet anything James wouldn't have cared a bloody bludger what Lily thought, and the fact that he did actually care was beginning to concern him. "You still detest her, don't you James?"

"Of course." James frowned. "Do you think we're having roast?"

Sirius pressed on. "It's still just for the competition, isn't it?"

Remus pulled a mockingly dramatic face. "Revenge for the traumatic Hogsmeade incident."

"What do you think, you nitwits?" James disappeared beyond the doorframe and started down the staircase. "Hurry, or there won't be any gravy left like last time."

Peter scampered behind his suddenly starving friend but Remus and Sirius stayed lingering behind. "This nitwit thinks our friend is hiding something."

Remus nodded. "This nitwit agrees."

"I'm not sure what to tell you, Lily," Julie's soft voice rose just slightly above the wind. She clutched her cloak with pale fingertips as the temperature seemed to drop significantly. She nodded. "I will attest to the fact that the Marauders have an awful knack at giving startling first kisses, however," with a smile, she continued. "I think Grace will too."

"Uh huh," Lily said moodily. "But you can't relate mine and yours- this was awful."

"Right," Julie responded, "because being kissed by someone who thought you were someone else in the middle of a crowded pub and then collapsing into a dozen trays and butterbeers afterwards is hardly awful."

Lily allowed the trace of a grin. "Sorry," she apologized. "I forgot about that." She clutched her scarf tighter to protect her small frame and focused on the sodden ground they plodded upon. "You know, he's lucky I didn't turn him into a turnip."

Julie couldn't help but laugh. "I think it's bad enough you related him to an ape. With James Potter a bruised ego is far worse than damaging anything on the exterior."

Lily's smile grew. "I only call it as I see it." She blanched. "Or feel it, rather."

For awhile they walked in contemplative silence on the frosty path along the lake, Lily occasionally muttering how she was never going to find a mouthwash powerful enough to suffice and Julie pondering a bit on her own.

"You know," she began tentatively, audacious now by her friend's newfound good mood. Lily looked up. "You… Well, you didn't look that disgusted when you came in the dormitory this afternoon--," she hastened to finish as Lily's eyes grew frighteningly round, "were you perhaps… reading a good book earlier?"

"Oh…" Lily shifted her accusing glare and stared instead at the ground. "Erm… perhaps."

Julie watched as Lily fidgeted with a button on her cloak and was suddenly very interested with her toes. She bit her lip to hide a smile. "Oh… Like, Robert Burns good?"

Lily tucked and re-tucked a lock of hair slowly behind her ear. "No," she glanced at Julie, a smile once more tweaking her lips. She exhaled deeply. "William Shakespeare good."

"Oh," Julie's eyes widened. "Oh my."

It was a fact James's stomach was much too jumbled up to allow in any sort of a meal. It was also fact James was positive he did not want to see anybody in the Great Hall. So he wondered vaguely why he was walking at such a fast place to get to a place he very much didn't want to be; his legs seemed propelled by how perturbed he had been by his friends' questions and the pestering he had needed to escape. This was all very aggravating, seeing as he was certainly looking forward to a hearty meal of roast pork- but most of all he was concerned by how much Sirius insulting Lily had bothered him.

She is a bitter fink, his thoughts insisted. He reminded himself of all her irritating traits and the annoying appearance she donned, always prim, always perfect. He was comforted as he summoned up all memories of the many instances she had pressed on his nerves, and decided it would be a very enjoyable dinner if he just reminisced a bit.

He entered the Great Hall with a bit of a bounce, but his newly jubilant attitude was at once diminished when he caught sight of Lily Evans and found he couldn't recall any of those 'many instances' at all.

Remus pulled his book closer to him, scooting to the edge of a couch near the fire until he was practically sitting on the arm rest.

"Ahh…" Sirius sighed contently, stretching across the length of that very piece of furniture. "Nothing like a nice nap after a hearty meal, that's what I always say."

Remus glanced down, glaring at his friend's outstretched feet. "Comfortable?" he asked dryly.

"Very, thanks."

Grace laughed at Remus's irritated face and gestured to the rug beside her with a rolled up magazine. "You're welcome to join me, if you'd like. I promise I won't shove any smelly feet in your face."

Remus wondered if Grace knew he'd prefer to sit next to her even if her feet smelled like a dozen dung bombs. He was about to ask her, when Sirius interrupted with a loud and resentful humph. "My feet do not smell," he contested, wiggling them toward Remus. He responded by grimacing and fleeing to the ground beside Grace. "I see how it is," Sirius raised his brows in feigned bitterness. "You just wait and see how much I put into your birthday, and then we'll see who feels sorry."

"Ah right, that reminds me," Remus began, reaching for his bag. He pulled out a parchment and waved it in the air. "Mum finally responded to my letter."

James snatched the letter from his hands. "Let's see here," he said, scanning the first few lines. "Oh good, you're allowed to stay."

"Uh huh," Remus said, moving forward to grab back the letter.

James shifted in the opposite direction. "Oh," he gushed, smiling fondly at Remus from above the folded parchment. "But mummy says you owe her two extra hugs next time you see her, and--,"

"Give that to me," Remus took back the letter, quickly growing crimson. Eager to change the subject, he turned to Grace. "Erm, it's too bad you can't stay for the holidays."

"That's all right," she said, fighting to keep a straight face at the boys' chuckles and her boyfriend's beet red face. "Who knows what you lot have planned…" she feigned a shudder. "Besides, I have an exquisite ball to attend."

While Sirius pretended to gag, James gave her an odd look. "A ball?" he asked. "Who's throwing a ball?"

"My mum," Julie's voice startled them all. She waved abashedly from behind. "And I agree with you and Sirius-- I tried telling them they're never much fun."

"Nonsense," Grace said, returning to her magazine.

James shrugged, glad he wasn't a part of any Holiday Ball. He undoubtedly preferred eating sweets and playing Quidditch in the freezing weather to dressing up in uncomfortable robes and chatting with stuffy old people. Thinking then of the week they had planned for the near future, he turned to his friend. "Do you know if you're allowed to stay yet, Sirius?"

"What?" Sirius turned to him. "Oh, sure, it'll be fine. You know how my parents are. Hey Grace, are you through with that Quidditch magazine? I want to show you lot what I'm expecting for Christmas."

"Too late, mate," said James, looking pleased now that the plans were officially set. "I've already got a rubber band and two Bertie Bott Beans in your name."

"That is nothing to joke about, James," Sirius admonished. "Now turn to page 57,' he leaned towards Remus and muttered, "That's where the good stuff is."

"Oh," Julie looked up from the armchair she had perched upon beside Grace. "McGregor caught me in the hall and told me to remind you all about the Quidditch meeting tonight--,"

"Ah, right," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Because we definitely didn't get the message the first fifteen times he told us himself, eh James?"

Sirius turned to his friend in anticipation of a response, but found he was suddenly preoccupied with his hair and darting glances at a person looming impatiently behind his armchair. "Evans," James nodded, masking his awkwardness with an indifferent expression. Sirius wouldn't have been surprised if steam had begun to pour from Lily's ears right that very moment.

She glared. He gulped. "Right, er- Sirius, you were saying you wanted to go upstairs…"

Sirius blinked. "No I wasn't."

James's eyes widened pointedly. "Yes you were, remember?"

A smirk tinged his deliberately oblivious expression. "No, no… I don't recall, exactly…" James refrained with difficulty from growling aloud. "Oh," Sirius said, and leaned over if he was about to get up, but then stopped and dropped back onto the couch. "No, I don't think I want to anymore."

"What?" James glared.

Sirius smiled. "Are you going to buy me something from page 57?"

"No-," Sirius raised his brows meaningfully. James clenched his jaw. "Fine, Sirius. Anything for my best mate."

"All right, let's go upstairs," Sirius finally conceded. "Here, take a look at this smashing set of Arrows boxers..." James accepted the catalogue mid-trample up the staircase, eager to be distracted from the piercing emerald glare presently burning two holes into his back.

Grace was never happier to be sitting before a plateful of kippers and a gobletful of iced pumpkin juice. Between a mad Quidditch Captain keeping them up until dawn and a ridiculous mass of O.W.L.-priming homework assignments, the week had been absolute torture. She looked forward to this weekend being the breath of fresh air she needed, and to embark on it spent an extra two and a half hours snoozing. If it hadn't of been for Lily's pestering that she was wasting away the day, she could've spent an endless amount of the chilly day snuggling between her mattress and covers. Then again…

As a new hour arrived a cluster of students did too, each one happy with the coming of the weekend and chatting gladly amongst themselves. One boy in particular caught her gaze and began striding in her direction.

Grace didn't know if she could've gotten through the terrible week without the prospect of such an exciting weekend with Remus. To date they had been seeing each other for 364 days- one year tomorrow, and while she was normally disgusted at the sappy scenes in the romantic movies her aunt had showed her back at home, she had to admit she was almost giddy at having one of her own.

"Good afternoon," Remus teased, sliding onto the empty seat beside her. "Sleep well?"

"Uh-huh," she said, finishing off her beverage and placing the goblet aside. "So," she began slyly, "any plans for this weekend?"

Remus's eyes lit up as he nibbled on a piece of left-over toast. "Actually, yes."

Grace smiled. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Remus grinned. As he began to explain his three friends joined the pair, Sirius reaching over to snatch the remains of Grace's bacon. Remus glanced at them. "Tomorrow is the official 'Taste Testing Day', according to Sirius," he said. "He's attempting to find the perfect blend of goodness for my celebration over the holidays... it should be an interesting experience."

"And delicious," Sirius added around a mouthful of bacon.

Grace blinked. "Oh," she said confusedly. "That's… all you have planned?"

"I told you Remus," James slung his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Once you get attached to a chick she expects you to spend every second of your free time either with her or buying her something expensive."

Instead of the smack James had been expecting from Grace, she merely frowned. "You're sure?" She searched intently for the twitch of his left brow that always occurred when he wasn't telling the truth.

Remus shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of. Were we supposed to do something?"

Grace sighed when his brows remained depressingly motionless. "Nah," she said softly, feeling her stomach plummet as the weekend took a turn for an immediate worse.

"No worries," Sirius added to the conversation. "We'll be sure to save you a tre--,"

"Terribly sorry to interrupt," a brisk voice injected above them. The students looked up to see the familiar stern face of Professor McGonagall. "Mr. Black, if you would please follow me to my office?"

Automatically James stood up along with him. "No, Mr. Potter," the professor instructed. "For once this chat does not involve the both of you."

Slowly James sat down, looking curiously at his friend as he wondered what he could've possibly pulled off without him. Though upon closer inspection, it seemed he didn't have a clue either.

"All right," Sirius said, standing up and shrugging. "Mind if I bring the rest of the bacon?"

Sirius was never very fond of parchment.

And even more so now, he decided, as he glared at each of the dozen scrolls set out before him.

He smoothed out one of the pieces he had crumpled in his fist for the umpteenth time that morning. In truth it wasn't very fair- the parchment had at one point been a blasé tree, after all, unaware of its future purpose and without control even if it had been. For all it knew it could've became something useful and with decent function, such as a paper broomstick charmed to sweep past McGonagall's nose, or--

"Mr. Black," the aforementioned professor's nose twitched, and Sirius wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry of frustration.

"Hmm?" the fifteen-year-old replied, still lost in a daze as he recalled that memorable Transfiguration lesson.

"It is customary that the staff of Hogwarts does not intervene between students and their parents," she began firmly, vying for his attention. "But as there has hardly been a moment's peace in my office due to the continual onset of owls from the Black Manor, it has become quite necessary that I do so."

Sirius nodded sympathetically. "They are rather annoying, aren't they?"

McGonagall rubbed her right eye tiredly, but Sirius was sure this was just to cover up a smile. "They are your parents, and you must respect their wishes."

Sirius paused awhile after this remark, frowning at the parchment. "But the situation is preposterous, professor--,"

"Nonsense." She brushed his protest aside. "They're merely requesting that you come back home as usual for the holidays." She arched a brow. "The only preposterous thing is that they would want you there."

"That's just the thing," Sirius fought to maintain his cool. "They don't want me there."

"I highly doubt that, Mr. Black. Between all of these letters and the continual mentioning of expecting you for a social gathering- it is a time for family, after all…"

"That's just it," Sirius's mouth twisted into a mirthless smile. "They want me to attend because it's the respectable thing to do. They don't give a flying Billywig that it's a time for family-," he snorted. "They're not exactly that sort, you see."

Professor McGonagall tapped her slipping glasses back to the bridge of her nose, staring at the irate student before her. "I'm afraid there is not much I can do, Mr. Black." Her tone seemed a little less demanding. "If your parents request that you return home for the Holidays, then we simply cannot allow you to stay here."

Sirius made a gruff noise in reply, loathing his parents more than ever as he wondered how he was going to tell his friends he wasn't going to be able stay.

"Hey Julie," Lily smiled, rolling over on her bed. "What do you think I should wear for your mum's 'extravaganza'?"

"I dunno," Julie shrugged. "Something comfortable. It'll be long. And grueling."

"Oh stop it," Lily shook her head, turning to her other friend for support. "She's practically ruining the fun, isn't she Grace?"

Grace raised a shoulder from above the parchment she was folding into a paper-cannon. "Uh-huh."

Lily frowned. "That's morbid," she stated, as Grace charmed her cannon to blast several people she had fashioned out of bits of scrap parchment.

"Yeah well," she responded dully, flicking a tiny hand across the desk. "I'm in a morbid sort of mood."

"Mmm," Lily agreed, looking between a morbid friend and a strangely pessimistic one. "Aren't you two in delightful moods today."

"Psst.."

Before Sirius could look to see who was calling him, a hand appeared out of nowhere and yanked him quickly through his bed-curtains.

"Hello," James grinned. Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but his mysterious-acting friend shushed him before he could. "Shh," he hissed, his voice sadly far above a whisper. "Remus is right outside and I've got news about the shipment of the super important and also maybe explosive supplies we ordered."

Sirius could practically hear Remus rolling his eyes from the other side of the thick red curtain. "Oh," he shifted onto James's pillow. "About that."

"They're fantastic," James crowed. "Shrieking and spinning and spitting and Remus'll never see 'em coming--,"

"I can hear you," Remus's irritated voice rang across the dormitory.

"It's okay," James assured Sirius. "I'll just obliviate him later."

"You will not!"

James chuckled, poking his head through the curtain. I already have," he informed him, "eight times! Don't worry, it's better if you don't remember some things."

Remus's gave an aghast gasp. "You--,"

"James has never touched a wand to your head, Remus, except for that one time but that was necessary and well, let's just forget about that." James's mood grew despairing as Sirius put an end to the fun game of badgering Remus. "Sorry mate, but I'm trying to tell you something."

"Fine," James said, still looking sour.

"I uh-," he leaned back against the headboard. "Well you're just going to have to count one less for Remus's birthday."

"What?" James's eyes crinkled as he grinned widely. "C'mon, Sirius, the stuff we ordered isn't really toxic- it just tastes like it."

"I know," Sirius said, tossing one of his pillows roughly into the air and catching it again. "I just- can't come. Decided to be home for the holidays and all that garbage, you know."

Remus shared a confused glance with James, before both turned back to their strangely behaving friend. "That's fine," Remus said, trying to mask his disappointment with a nonchalant shrug. Even if he had been acting as if in objection of the celebration they had spent loads of time preparing for, he had to admit he had been a bit excited about the whole thing. It wasn't very often he had this much done especially for him.

"I'll see you lot later," Sirius bid, leaping off his bed and scooping up his broomstick on his way to the stairs. "I'm gonna practice a bit of Quidditch while there's still some sun out."

James frowned. "See ya," he said, but his friend was already too far down the stairs to hear.

The brisk air had been freezing against his exposed arms and face, but aside from a slightly severe wind-burn it had felt extraordinarily good. He wasn't sure what time it was when he had finally decided to come back down, but being the sky was pitch black and most of Hogwarts thrillingly silent he figured it was well past midnight.

Instead of taking a right at the Great Hall to head towards his common room, Sirius continued forward and up the nearest set of stairs. McGonagall had instructed him to send his parents an immediate response telling them he was going to stay with them after all, and he figured he might as well get it over with.

He glared at the parchment he had decided to reply with; as if it were its fault it was so scribbled upon and messy. Once he reached the place he had been heading for, he dodged owl droppings and slippery patches of hay, crossed the brisk owlery and hoisted himself to sit along the cool open stone. Retrieving a quill from inside his robes, he tested the tip on a bit of wasted paper, and prepared to scribble a response on the back of it.

"Hmm…" he muttered aloud, realizing his messy attempts had left him nearly no room to write. He withdrew his quill and rubbed his head. "Oh, blast it."

At this somebody shrieked, and then the sound of scrambling was heard behind the stone pillar he stood beside. "Er… Hello?" he said, craning his neck around the large fixture.

"Oh," a very startled Julie said, steadying herself with an expression of relief. Quickly she began to gather a few supplies and parchments that had fallen on the ground along with her. "I didn't think anyone came up here this late."

"I didn't either." He glanced around and picked up a few parchments that had dropped near his feet. "Dear Mum," he read aloud the only words that marked the first one. He smirked. "Well that's a good start."

"Thanks," Julie said, rushing to reach for the letters he had gathered.

He shuffled through the many parchments before handing them back to her. "To Mum," he read the next. He flipped to several others. "Dear Rebecca; Mother; To Whoever it may concern--," he looked up. "My, you've gotten far."

Julie grabbed the papers, flushing slightly. "You should be talking," she said, "yours has more scratches and scribbles on it than actual words."

Sirius looked down at his parchment and saw that indeed it did. "Yeah, I suppose so," he agreed, staring at the sloppy script.

They stood there for a few more moments in the biting cold, staring separately at their poor attempts at a response. Finally Julie reached into her pack and retrieved a fresh roll of parchment. "Here," she offered, holding it out to Sirius.

"Thanks," he said, accepting and tucking it into his robe. Nodding, he moved once more to the spot he had previously attempted writing the letter. On the other side of the pillar he could hear Julie shuffling her parchments, and then the on and off scratching of a quill.

"Mothers are a real bother," Sirius muttered into the chilled, dewy air.

"Yeah," Julie agreed softly, and resumed writing.

A/N: I know… Mighty big ending A/N, but I really wanted to show you I still really appreciate your reviews.

Tennislvr1904- Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to read all 53 chapters, I really appreciate it. I'm really glad you like the portrayal of each character too, it's hard to make them like everyone imagined. Btw are you Joe-Ann?

Highlandhottie- Wow! It rocks that you took the time to review all those chapters, it's really nice to have input on each one. Hehe actually that birthday announcement was from last year… it's already came and went again! But thanks anyway!

Wonderxwoman- Thanks : ) I'm glad you're enjoying it, and really appreciate your kind input. Oh and might I just say.. Wow! You are the only one to actually get the change from Lily and Julie talking to James and Sirius! Everyone else was really confused…

Purplereader- Well… you left two very extreme reviews, and I must say I was hurt by both of them. I tried to e-mail you but I don't think you revealed your address on your bio, because I just wanted to let you know I do care about the readers and was attempting with difficulty an update. So now I'm confused… have you 'given up on me' or are you still reading?

Jadekitten333- Hmm I wonder lol. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!

Jamie88- Yay, glad you love it! Hehe don't worry I'm updating now : ) Thanks for the great review, it was really sweet.

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James' Girl Lily- Glad you enjoyed the first couple of chapters, I hope you like the rest too!

Gal y1- Hi! I already talked to you about translating it into Hebrew… How's that going?

DisastaMasta- Hello! Don't worry I would never abandon it… I just had major computer issues as expressed at the top of this page. Thanks for showing you care though, and very glad you are enjoying it!

Bob- Thanks, I'm glad you think so : ) Yeah it's kinda cool they let you review anonymously.

Rachel- Hi! Oh no.. I'm not sure I got your review in my mail before, but I'm glad you got to continue reading! If you're still having trouble review or email me : )

Kat44- Ah yes… didn't think of rush! Hehe. I'm really glad you enjoyed every chapter, you made my day by telling me that : )

Dragon Rider22- Yeah it's a long sucker, isn't it? I'm glad you enjoyed it : )

Siiarrei- Aw, thanks! Your review was awesome, I'm so very glad you're enjoying it : ) Yeah I agree with you… homework sucks. But school's out now, yay!

Oceanmist05- Hi! Thanks, I'm glad you think I'm doing a fantastic job… That really makes me feel great. I er.. tried to update quickly, thanks for the prompting!

Reader4ever- Hmm I'll have to look chapter 21 over. I'm glad you liked it! Ooh yeah, that whole Moony spelling made me angry too : ( The next movie looks better though! Ah and I promise the 'boys getting into the girls dormitory' mystery will be explained soon.

Tweeny-weeny- Yeah… it has been forever eh? Oh well, I'm trying harder now. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, that makes me really glad : ) Ooh and very happy you don't hate Kirk! By the way, who was the friend that suggested the story to you?

TapDancingSpiders- Hello! I'm really pleased you took the time to read this monster of a story, and to review too. Ooh let me know how your story is going, I'll check it out : )

Bininny- Lol yeah, I literally cringed when I read over chapter three. I hate that I made them like that so early on.. but oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I'm glad you think it's promising though!

Snazzysnez- Hehe ooh right, who wouldn't? ; ) I'm glad you liked the kiss, thanks for the enthusiastic reviews! There's so many of them, that makes me feel awesome!

Drakie's girl223- Lol don't worry, they get longer ; )

Sybyll- Hi! Wow, I'm glad you think it's funny : ) It's hard to tell when I'm writing. Thanks for the really awesome review!

Jemini25- Definitely a valid opinion seeing as you read 2 out of 53 chapters.

Myfavcolorispink- Aw, thanks so much! Your review was so sweet, I'm really really glad you're enjoying it : )

TajM- Ugh yeah, first year sucks major lol. I'm excited for the higher years too though, it's okay!

Kasey Rider- Aw, thanks! I'm really glad you like it, thanks for the awesome input : )

Emps- Ah yes.. Poor, poor Lily ; ) I'm glad you liked the chapter, thanks for the review!

Loopy6- Yepyep, don't worry, I didn't forget about the Marauders Map. I'm glad you like the story though, thanks much for the awesome review!

Oboedude517- ANDY! Gah I can't believe you found it, lol. Grr Amanda… Haha it's so funny reading over all your comments… did you like Val and Angie? ; ) Oh yes, of course witches like Aerosmith! Especially Grace cuz she rocks like that. (and she was muggle bred, remember? Hehe) Okay well you probably don't remember any of this but… thanks for reading!

Hellein- Ah, glad you enjoyed the realism ; ) I've never had someone compliment me on that before.. thanks! Also glad you like the 53 chapters, thanks for the awesome input!

Nessi- Hehe I'm happy you liked the prank! And yes… Sirius is very crazy.

Aerandir- What… What's this- an actual review? Lol you goose. Thanks for carting me around everywhere!

Autumn Darkness- Yay, glad you found it funny! Your reviews are awesome, I really appreciate them!

Amaya- Ah yes… Poor Lily. Nah, it all worked out okay ; ) Thanks for the review, they're much appreciated!

XxNight AngelxX- Aw it's okay, you don't sound like a lunatic! Hehe… Wow, Thanks so much for the great review though, it was really awesome. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Angel's Only Shadow- Ooh I love first time reviewers : ) It's always nice to know when someone's reading the story. Thanks so much for the input!

Miss Prewitt- Wow, I have good quotes? That rocks! Hehe thanks so much for taking the time to re-read it, I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

Jade- Ah yes… LJ action ; ) I miss you more! Call me!

Oksana- Hehe really glad you thought it was cute and funny ; )

Mystikalolo- Aw yes, we know they're perfect for each other but they unfortunately do not… thanks mucho for the review!

Mistress Editor- Lol I'm glad you found it amusing : ) Thanks for taking the time to read and review!

BlueSeal- Woo Wuthering Heights rocks! Hehe… Thanks mucho for the review!

Abby- Hi! I'm glad you're reading and enjoying the story… I really appreciate the input!

Ninde Annare- Hello : ) Oh my… Thanks for the extraordinary enthusiasm! I really adore your consistent and pleasant reviews, thanks again!

Scooby-doo-poo- Lol yes I know James was supposed to wait, and you know James was supposed to wait, but unfortunately James did not… Ooh yes I'll try to squeeze you in this summer, thanks for the review!

Coco-Pop- hehe, sorry about the long wait! James is an idiot but a cute idiot so we can forgive him! Thanks for reviewing it means a lot!

HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle- wow, sorry about the wait, but here is the next installment for your reading pleasure, I'm glad you liked peeves song I liked writing it!

Sweet Sarcasm- I'm so glad you are enjoying this story! I can't wait till their in 6th and 7th year too, that's when the real excitement begins! Thanks bunches for the review!

Rebel Rose- Sorry about the long wait! Thanks so much for the review and enjoy this next chapter!

Ieyre- Kirk is boring! Sorry about making you wait so long for this next chapter, but here it is for your reading pleasure and enjoy! I can't wait till 7th year too, it will be interesting, thanks for the review once again!

erisedxdesire- hmm, was this too long of a wait for you, hehe, sorry about the long wait! Sirius is always a barrel of laughs, thanks for the awesome review!

DestinyofInsanity- Glad I could give you such a wonderful b-day present! I hope the wait wasn't too long! Thanks for the smashing review!

Ophelia Drowning- bows thank you for the applause, so sorry about the long wait! Thanks for the wonderful review!

Under-the-Moonlight- I'm glad you liked the last chapter, sooo sorry about the long wait, it'll never happen again! Thanks bunches for the review!

JKRobsessed- Thanks for the smashing review, and so sorry about the long wait!

PPP- I hope this chapter is just as good as the last, and thanks for the awesome review!

stargazer920- sorry about the long wait, but your wish is my command! Thanks for the review!

RavenSiriusBlack- hehe thanks for the wonderful review, made me feel all good inside! Enjoy this chapter!

Armith-Greenleaf- So sorry about the long wait! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you like this one just as much! Thanks for the awesome review!

strophicPia- Ahh, I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you like this one just as much! A blue Snape would have been hilarious, maybe next time…. Thanks for the smashing review!

espergirl04- Thanks for the awesome review and sorry about the long wait! Glad you liked the last chapter I hope you enjoy this one too!

sblomie- A happy very belated Easter to you too! So sorry about the long wait, and I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Going to Hogwarts is my dream! If only…. Thanks for the smashing review!

Lilyisme- Hi! Thanks for the wonderful review! If Angie and Val found out about the "incident" there would have been some crying on their part! I am planning on writing this story till Lily and James die : (

IamSiriusgrl- Thanks for the awesome review, and so sorry for the long wait! You will find out all about if peeves saw the James and Lily kiss in this chapter! I hope you enjoy!

idea-expander- Why hello there idea-expander! My beta is very awesome, and she is the person I look up to and I want to be just like her. Sigh, if only….. Angie and Val Rock!

Oliverwoodschic- Yay! Thanks for the review! Its okay if you aren't reviewing the next day for the chapters, as long as you review I am happy to read them! Thanks once again and enjoy!

dance-flirt- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! So sorry about the long wait, but I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thanks bunches for the smashing review!

26 more days!