Lily woke the next morning feeling warm; an unfamiliar swooping sensation low in her belly. When she rolled over into her covers, the clock warned her that it was much later than she would have expected.

"Morning!" Alice called, seeing Lily shift in her bed. "About time you got up."

"Why'd you let me sleep?"

"You wouldn't wake up," Alice laughed. "Marlene's in the shower, so you've got a bit. Never know how long she'll take though."

"Thanks, Al," she murmured, pulling the warm sheets off. "You've got Herbology this morning, right?"

"Yep. I should probably head out actually. Sprout wanted help with some herbs before class. I'll catch you at lunch?"

She was in the middle of a stretch but managed to nod in affirmation. She turned to re-check the time. Having taken a shower the night before, she decided to forgo washing her face. She did, however, use the vanity mirror to check her hair before dressing into uniform.

As she went to pull on her socks, Marlene emerged from the bathroom.

"Finally awake, eh?"

"Yes," Lily said grudgingly. "I thought I'd set an alarm."

"You did," Marlene said, using her wand to dry her hair. "You groaned and turned it off."

"What were you doing up already?" she asked quickly, hoping to avoid any inquiries as to what her dreams might've been, pulling on her other sock.

"Practice," the blonde complained. "Our first game is weeks away and we have tryouts before then. I don't see why we have to have it so bloody early."

"That's barmy," she scoffed. "You had to get up around half past five then, didn't you?"

"I don't want to think about it," Marlene responded, collecting her bag. "I just want to grab some breakfast and take a kip in Muggle Studies."

Lily laughed in good nature, trailing off as she tucked her feet into her shoes. "About Potter…"

Marlene groaned, twisting her hair into a high bun on the top of her head. "If I have to hear that git's name –"

"I told him they could join the game."

Marlene did a double-take and let out an excited guffaw. "So that's why he seemed in such a bright mood. Let us go after only ten sets of stairs, you know? I thought, 'Merlin, is it a holiday?'"

"I can't speak to his behavior this morning," she said dryly. "But he definitely was excited when I told him."

Her friend let out another excited sound. "This will be brilliant! Did you tell him we'd all meet?"

"Nah, I thought we'd figure all that out later. At breakfast or lunch, or something."

Marlene looped her arm with Lily's, practically dragging her out of the dormitory and into the common room. It was near empty.

Marlene pouted. "I was hoping they'd be here."

"Alice headed down to herbology. Emmeline and Dor are probably already in the Great Hall."

"Great, let's go!"

As Lily had guessed, their two friends were seated at the table, halfway through their breakfast.

"Lily told James," Marlene revealed in a hushed tone.

"She did?" Dorcas asked, shocked. "So what does this mean? Are we having a session soon?"

"We've got to tell them the rules first," Emmeline cut in sensibly. "We can't just expect them to know it all. We'd have to teach them first."

Marlene nodded in agreement. "And that'd be a waste of time on a game night. We should have them practice before we have a session."

"I don't want them that good in our first game. It took ages for me to get good," Dorcas sniffed.

"Who said you ever got good?" Marlene sniped, dodging a tossed biscuit.

Lily had been putting together her own plate of food – the biscuit knocked her goblet over. "Oi!" she complained, grabbing her wand to clean it up. "Save it for the session."

"What session would that be?" Black cut in slyly with a wink and a smirk. He slid into the open spot beside Dorcas as the rest of the marauders joined them.

"Hello boys!" Marlene greeted.

The wizards had taken up residence at the few spots left. Unnervingly, James sat beside Lily, reaching to pile food onto his plate. His thigh pressed into Lily's – she tried not to notice.

"Morning," he greeted, catching her eye.

"Hello," she returned evenly, quickly turning back to her food.

"What session? Is it for that Charms club?" Peter asked, repeating Sirius's earlier question. "Did I miss a flyer?"

Marlene snorted. "Pettigrew, it's not an actual study session."

"But you – oh."

"We're just Alice missing, yeah?" Sirius questioned, glancing about the group.

The girls nodded.

"We should plan a meet. Discuss the syllabus and guides for the study session, yeah?"

Lily laughed outright. "Alright, we may have gotten around using the codename 'study session' before – but having it come from Black just makes it sound suspicious."

"She's right, Padfoot," Remus said with a laugh. "I don't think many would believe you attending anything schoolwork related."

"True," he said, unbothered. "We'll worry about semantics later. When are we going to meet all of this?"

They looked around at each other, evaluating.

"Sooner, than later," Potter insisted. Sirius nodded enthusiastically.

"Tonight?" Lily suggested. "Might as well."

"I'm free," Marlene said. "As long as we don't have practice, Captain."

Lily had been avoiding looking at him, but caught sight as Potter smirked. "Saving it for the mornings. No plans for me."

"Tonight, it is!" Sirius declared.

"We can double-check with Alice that she doesn't have any plans," Lily added. "Then tonight it is."

"Where should we meet?" Emmeline asked. "The common room would be too obvious."

"And having all nine of us in the dormitory might seem odd," she pointed out.

"Well –"

"Pads," Remus interrupted with a tone.

"I know where we can meet," Potter said confidently. "If Alice can make it, let's meet at the seventh floor staircase landing at 8."

"Sounds good to me," Dorcas said. The rest nodded in consensus.

"We should probably head to Charms, Lily," Em pointed out, dusting off her hands and pushing her plate away.

"Right," Lily hummed, grabbing her bag from the floor and hooking it over her shoulder. "We'll see you lot later."

In her rush to escape, the back of her heel caught on the bench and her knee slammed into the underneath of the table. She almost stumbled, but Potter grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"Thanks," she muttered, angry as her cheeks flushed.

"Falling a lot lately," he commented, releasing her elbow. She caught his wince as he let his arm drop.

"Sore shoulder?" she couldn't help but snipe.

He grinned. "Yeah, actually. Must've happened at practice."

She gave him an unimpressed look, turning to join Emmeline so they could make their way to Charms.

"Want to talk about it?" Emmeline asked, as the two witches made their way towards the third floor classrooms. "Are you really okay with this?"

"I think I am," Lily replied honestly. "I guess we'll just have to see how it goes."

"I know I said this before, but I'm excited. I know I'm not the greatest at the Game, but this adds a whole other level of adventure to it. More people, different techniques… you know?"

She nodded. "We'll have to figure out how all of us will play."

"The castle is more than big enough," Emmeline pointed out. "It might actually even it all out – I feel like I can go ages before I see any of you."

"That's true," she admitted. "We'll have to stay on the move more – or I'm sure we'd run into someone more often…"

"Might have to brush up on your dodging skills," Emmeline teased.

"Oi now, no nasty shots yet."

They entered the Charms classroom in time to see Flitwick pull up the massive blackboard; a notes day. Em and Lily shared an apathetic look, but sat regardless, pulling out their books and notebook.

Despite the lack of activity or practical application, Lily was still pleased with the day so far – even if the professor ended up assigning them a fourteen inch essay on concealment charms and their uses.

They parted ways at the main staircase's landing floor so Lily could rush towards the opposite side of the floor towards the Defence classroom. By the time she made it to the open doorway, she seemed to be one of the last students to come in.

She sunk into her spot next to Marlene, exhaling loudly.

Marlene looked amused. "You really need to maintain some sort of exercising routine over the summer, Lily."

"Yeah –"

"James could've helped with that," Sirius said, having overheard.

Lily turned to find both he and Potter seated at the table just behind them, Remus and Peter just in the seats beyond.

Potter scoffed, swiping at the back of his head.

"What?" Sirius snickered. "She knew I was talking about workout drills. You're the Quidditch Captain and all. Right?"

"Sure," Lily replied dryly, turning back to pull her Defense textbook and notes from her bag. "Sirius would never imply something salacious."

Marlene chuckled from beside her, lowering her tone. "I'm sure you wouldn't say no to that offer though, would you?"

Lily glared balefully at her friend, tempted to pull out her wand. She dropped her voice to barely a whisper. "I tell you he looks fit, once, in 3rd Year during a game of Truth and Dare. You'll never let me forget it."

"Never," Marlene said with a wink, adjusting the book in front of her.

Donahue then entered the classroom from his office, not caring if the door slammed into the wall behind it as he kicked it open. The students in the classroom immediately quieted down, watching as he descended the few steps into the area behind his desk.

"In our lessons so far," he began, "We've discussed the importance of Constant Vigilance and Intention. While we'll continue to revisit these topics often throughout our term together, I want to introduce you to the other principles that should be taught in this curriculum."

He flipped the chalkboard, where the words Movement, Pronunciation, and Intention were still scrawled across it. Beside them, he lifted his wand to write the words, Self Control.

"One of the most dangerous aspects of a duel may not be your opponent; but instead your own self-restraint."

"Definitely one of my problems," Sirius murmured in a wry voice. The few other students nearby chuckled. Donahue ignored them.

"Maintaining your self-control can result in losing the battle; try too hard? Your opponent can overcome. Become too cocky? Your opponent will find your weak spot. It will take more than skill and intention to win against your enemy."

It very well may have been Lily's emotional status of the past few days, but she suddenly found his voice grating.

"As you should have read in the homework, the battle between Le Thurgeon and Baccari is a prime example of how loss of self-control can be your biggest downfall. It was Baccari's own lack of moderation that resulted in his own failure – and subsequent death. Please turn to page 178 to review."

The sound of pages turning rose up around Lily as she made sure to follow suit, but stared at the professor curiously.

Marlene caught her look, nudged her elbow. "What?"

Lily chewed her tongue, but shook her head to wave off her friend's concern.

"Here," Donahue continued. "You'll find the timeline of events as they occurred and spells recorded."

Her eyes scanned over the page, rereading the paragraphs she had taken notes on previously.

"As you can see, Baccari had neither the patience nor self-control to properly address his evident lack of background –"

Her hand rose of its own accord.

"– or skill." His eyes fell onto Lily's hand, eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"Sir, I'm only wondering why you chose this battle from 1272."

Donahue gave her a long stare. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that…on the topic of self-control, wouldn't the Conflict of Ratterdam be a better example? Or even the duel between the Fieldwakes?"

The professor took some time before responding, walking around his desk to rest against it, crossing his arms. "And why would you think this?"

"Because the Fieldwakes rushed in, overeager and underestimating the enemy – they had more numbers. They lost the duel in less than fifteen minutes and the Fieldwakes lost their territory."

Donahue considered this. "That is a good example of self-control; possibly even overconfidence in one's abilities. But as we can see with Baccari's actions –"

"He was able to fend off Le Thurgeon's advances for days. It even says here his defenses were modeled after by those in the Baltics."

"Miss Evans –"

"And after, even, the orders in his country actually adapted his style by recreating –"

"Miss Evans," Donahue snapped. "If you've a point to your history lesson?"

Lily's jaw clenched as her cheeks reddened. "I was hoping you'd elaborate further on your earlier statement. When you'd mentioned Baccari's lack of background. Sir."

There was a tense moment as Donahue seemingly fought to restrain himself, rolling his jaw forward as he met her stare head on.

She plowed on. "From what I recall is that he attended Koldovstoretz. Would that not allow him to have the equivalent knowledge as Le Thurgeon? Who actually even left his own studies early."

Donahue turned away to walk back around behind his desk. "My apologies, Miss Evans." He swallowed hard, as if he was struggling in getting the words out. "I was incorrect in my statement. I simply meant his own personal history in training."

Lily opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off as Potter spoke behind her.

"That's funny, sir. It almost made it seem like you were pointing out Baccari's birth status as a fault. When all of the better examples Lily had mentioned happened to all relate to Pureblood wizards. I'm glad that's not the case."

Donahue glowered. "Yes… thank you, Mr. Potter."

"No problem. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion."

"Of course," the professor said tightly. "Now if you could turn to page 283, let's move onto defensive skills."

Marlene gave her a slight chastising look, but she huffed, only slightly repentant.

Lily chanced a glance behind, catching Potter's eye.

He gave her an eye roll and a look that implied, 'Who is this tosser?' She returned it with a cautiously grateful smile, before turning back to her book.

The rest of the hour passed in a jilted lecture from Donahue, who seemed to speed through the rest of his lesson and avoided looking towards Lily's table.

"What a wanker," Marlene huffed as they packed their bags as soon as Donahue had fled the room.

"I shouldn't have said anything," Lily sighed. "He's just such a…"

"Wanker," Marlene repeated, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "But yeah, you probably shouldn't have pushed him."

"I couldn't not," she argued mildly. "If he's choosing to use piss poor examples of Defense, at least choose ones that work. All these others are right here in the book!"

Marlene laughed. "Just go ahead and rewrite the curriculum for him. He'd probably learn something himself."

"I know I would," Potter said with a grin as Lily and Marlene passed by their table. The boys were lazily packing up, taking their time.

"Suck up," Sirius sniped with a smirk.

Lily ignored him. To Potter, she said, "Thanks, though."

He shrugged a shoulder. "It's no problem. Like you said, he didn't have to use that example, unless he was trying to debase what muggle-borns have achieved."

"I mean, I didn't think he'd be so obvious about his purism," Lily said disdainfully. That extended to the amount of looks and names she'd been given from the Slytherins. "Surely Dumbledore knows…"

"He does," Potter replied grimly. "But even the headmaster can't control what the governors want."

"The governors? What'd you hear?"

"Mum's on the board actually. Sort of a legacy position when she wants to join in. There was a large push to have more ministry-say in schools nowadays."

"That rubbish," Lily murmured.

"That's what my mum said," he replied wryly. "While she may have a spot on the board, it doesn't rank very high."

"Oh."

Marlene was tapping her foot impatiently. "Shall we grab lunch? We can steal Alice away from Frank to tell her our studying plans."

"Right," Lily said, and didn't give a second look back at Potter as they departed. "Think she'll go for it?"

"The meeting tonight?" Marlene snorted. "Absolutely. If I even have to drag her away from Frank's lips myself."

Lily laughed.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Unsurprisingly, Alice had already made plans with Frank, but –

"I'll give him a raincheck," she said immediately at the table. "It was just a study date in the library."

"Good," Marlene replied, grabbing a chip. "Or else we would have kicked you out of the group."

"You would not," Alice said in annoyance.

Lily smirked. "She'd certainly try."

"Well in that case, I'd better go talk to him now."

"As if you weren't going to join him for lunch anyways," Lily teased.

"Bye!"

Marlene sighed happily, digging into her lunch. "This is all coming together, isn't it?"

"We haven't even met yet."

"Don't ruin my mood."

Lily shrugged, silently acknowledging that maybe she was still working through her emotions. She had a right to have reservations…

"What's your next class?"

"Magical Creatures," Marlene grimaced. "Have you seen outside? It's absolutely pissing."

"You're a witch," she scoffed. "Use your wand, you ditz."

Marlene grinned sheepishly. "You've got Runes, right?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "I should actually head towards class soon."

"I'll join you. Any chance I can convince you to perform that Impervius charm?"

Lily laughed. "Of course."

"Mine only lasts 30 minutes tops. I can't seem to extend it."

"Have you tried –"

"Practicing?" Marlene scoffed. "I don't have time for that."

"Now's better than never," Lily teased, finishing off her plate. Marlene was already standing up from her spot.

"No thanks," she said grimly. "See that rain out the windows?"

"Okay, okay, let's at least get to the Entrance Hall where the professors can't see us."

"Lead the way."

The floor by the door was already wet from students coming in and out of the main door leading to the courtyard.

"Come on," Lily said, waving her over towards the edge of the alcove to the door's archway. "Let's get out of the way of traffic. Do you want me to show you the wand work?"

"I know someone's wand work you want to see," Marlene said slyly.

"Do you want to be waterproofed or drowned?"

"Waterproofed, please."

"Impervius," she cast, reaching up to tap Marlene at the crown of her head. "Can't promise it'll last more than five minutes, though."

"Lily," Marlene complained.

"See you later!" she called over her shoulder, making her way towards the stairs.

Classes were to begin shortly, so there weren't too many students milling about. She ascended the staircase to the first landing, waiting patiently for the next staircase to swing around. She could take the staircase to the left across the way – but that would mean she'd have to walk the whole corridor that wrapped around to the classrooms.

If she took the pathway on the third floor, she could take the staircase behind the Transfiguration rooms to cut the travel time in half.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice sneered.

Lily adjusted her bag and glanced about absentmindedly, not considering the words were targeted to her.

It was a 7th Year Slytherin; Mulciber, she recalled. One of Severus's mates. He was a tall, brutish boy, with a hooked lip that always curled in silent snarl. Behind him stood Severus himself, and another Slytherin Lily couldn't recall the name of.

"A lone lion," Mulciber continued, shuffling closer to lean against the ballister. "Waiting for her ride."

Lily turned to stare ahead, watching as the staircase finally shifted, its joints groaning under the weight of itself as it rotated.

"Why don't we help her out with a ride, eh, Avery?"

Lily eyed them coldly when they shifted to move to each side of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Snape remained silent, watching the exchange with a blank look.

"Well, that's not very kind of a Gryffindor, is it?" Avery scolded. Where Mulciber was wide, Avery was tall. He towered over Lily as he leaned in.

Did he just sniff her hair?

"Can you take a step back, please?" she asked politely.

"Is that really what you want, Gryffindor? Don't want me to come closer?"

"No," Lily bit out. "Do you want me to take points for harassment?"

"Whoa, now. We're just waiting for the staircase, having a chat. Aren't we, Mulciber?" Avery said, but leaned back as the staircase finally connected with the landing. "Ladies first."

He gestured with his hand, as if he were a gentleman.

"You go ahead," she snapped, turning on her heel to return the way she came. As if she would put herself in front of them above the stairs – in a skirt, nonetheless.

"Mudblood," Mulciber hissed at her back.

"Original," she murmured under her breath, scowling at the steps as she made her way back to the Entrance Hall.

She glanced back to see them already ascending the stairs, Mulciber and Avery laughing loudly and shoving at each other. Snape was watching her, expression washed in guilt. His eyes darted over her shoulder and lit in recognition – and then anger.

Curious, Lily turned back to watch her steps, in time to catch sight of the Marauders lingering at the bottom of the staircase. They were chatting animatedly, no doubt unworried by class's start time.

When she looked back, Severus had already turned his back, trailing behind the other two Slytherins as they ascended.

"Well, look what we have here!" Sirius called, catching sight of her.

The other three turned in interest, eyes locking onto her as she skipped the last few steps.

"Afternoon," she said, coming to stand amongst them. "Skiving off of class?"

"I'm absolutely wounded by that accusation," Sirius drawled. "We're actually heading out now."

"Creatures?"

"That's the one," Potter said. "Surprisingly one of our best classes." The tone with which he said it had the three others teetering with mirth.

"Brilliant," Lily said dryly, purposefully ignoring their inside joke. "Sounds like you aren't failing at least one of your courses, Potter."

"Can't be caught trying too hard," he agreed smoothly. "Hate to set up high expectations."

"Wouldn't want that," she said blandly, glancing back up towards the steps to check the progress of the three Slytherins. They must've taken the third floor corridor. "I better be going, I've got Runes."

"See you later, Lily," Remus farewelled, as the group began to shuffle towards the main entrance doors. She turned to replicate the steps she had taken moments before.

"Hey," Potter said from behind her.

She twisted her head back around to look at him, halting her next step. Despite being once again a few steps above him, there wasn't much of a height difference, she noticed. "Yeah?"

"I saw Mulciber and Avery. And Sniv – sorry, Snape. You alright?"

Lily didn't know if she felt annoyed or… something else. "Of course," she said, as if it were obvious. "They were waiting for the staircase, as well."

"Right," he said. "Tell us if they're giving you trouble, yeah?"

"Potter," she objected, teetering to annoyance. "I don't need –"

"I know, I know. Just humor us, alright?"

She didn't have the heart to give him a full glare, but she did give him a light scowl. "Sure, I'll be sure to tell you if the Slytherins have been mean, old bullies on the playground."

As if they weren't every other day.

He grinned for a moment, meeting her gaze, and she watched his expression shift, turning into a more serious one. "Listen, I've been… I've been meaning to talk to you about last year – during O.W.L.s –"

Lily felt as if she had been doused with cold water. She cut him off. "Don't, Potter. I really would like to not talk about that –"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," he said quickly, his tone sincere as he moved closer to her.

"Potter," she warned, taking a step to add distance. "I don't want to have this conversation."

"I've been wanting to apologize – seriously – since it happened."

Anger slashed through her. "You want to apologize? Now? Potter, it shouldn't have even happened in the first place."

He winced. "I know it ended your…" he struggled, as if he couldn't find the right word. "Your friendship with Snape. I'm sorry he –"

She laughed harshly, emotions at a crescendo. "And so you wanted to say sorry? For what exactly, Potter? Felt sorry for me because my best mate ditched me? Called me a mudblood?"

He grimaced at the word, shaking his head rapidly. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I know I shouldn't have pushed him so hard. He shouldn't have called you that. I know he meant something to you."

She twisted back round so quickly her bag nearly flew off her shoulder. "Don't worry about an apology, Potter. It's a little too late for that."

"Wait," he pleaded, reaching forward to touch her elbow. "I want to make this right. I can tell you weren't okay after that."

"Of course I wasn't okay!" she hissed, knocking away his hand. "I'm just a mudblood, unworthy of a Pureblood's friendship. Thanks for helping me see that, Potter."

"Evans," he stressed and she could hear his footsteps behind her.

"Get to class, Potter," she snapped. "Leave me alone."

He let out a frustrated noise. "I can't leave you like this."

Lily swung round once more, grabbing her wand and raising it towards him. "I'm serious, Potter. If you don't turn around right now –"

"Okay," he said quickly, doleful. He backtracked a few steps, nearly stumbling.

"Go."

He raised his hands in surrender and did as she commanded, descending the rest of the steps quickly. She watched him till he got to the bottom, turned to look at her, and then exited through the front doors.

Drained and overwhelmed all at once, Lily let her wand drop to her side and let out a stuttering sigh. She rubbed her eyes hard, feeling the sting at the corner.

It took her longer than she wanted to settle her feelings – at least to a state where she could tamp them down and worry about them another time. She turned, with renewed resolve, and made her way up the rest of the steps – taking the left staircase in order to follow the long way around to Runes class.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Marlene found Lily in the dormitory later, sitting on her bed and reviewing her homework for the next day.

"Aren't you heading down to dinner?" the blonde asked.

"Yes," Lily sighed, rubbing at her temple. "But not feeling very hungry."

"What's up?" Marlene asked, coming to sit beside her. "Something happen?"

"Not really," she said, closing her book. "Me just being an oversensitive git when someone was trying to apologize. But – oh –" She cut herself off, suddenly filled with anger all over again, shoving the book away. "I can't even – Potter tried to apologize for what happened at the end of O.W.L.s."

"Ah," Marlene said sensitively.

"And what kills me is that he's apologizing for how Severus reacted – when Potter was the cause of it all."

"Lily…"

"'That wasn't supposed to happen', that twat said. As if proving he doesn't think about what his actions can do!"

"I think he was trying," Marlene voiced softly.

Lily gave her a severe look. "Mar."

"No, really," she insisted. "Why else would he try to apologize?"

"Because he knows we'll be hanging around each other more. Try to lessen his guilt so it doesn't weigh him down so much."

"Okay, maybe a little of that," Marlene conceded. "But I think he was really trying. We all saw how you reacted – how ending your friendship with Severus wasn't easy. And we haven't really talked about it, but I know he was someone close to you – you knew him before you came to Hogwarts and all that."

"Which the history obviously doesn't matter – if all he can reduce me to is a mudblood."

Marlene winced at the word. "Do you think… and don't hex me – Do you think your anger towards James is a bit… misplaced?"

Lily opened her mouth to reject her, but snapped it shut. Her gaze dropped to her bedspread.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be mad at James – he was a tosser playing that prank – but I do think he was genuine in trying to apologize."

"Yeah," she croaked.

"I'm sorry," Marlene said. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear. But I'm sorry that one of your longest friendships ended like that. I'm sorry that Snape said that."

Lily gave her a watery smile with a hint of humor. "I know how hard it must be for you to say that. I know you never really liked him."

"Nah, not really," she said teasingly. "Glad I can say it now. Cuz I didn't like him."

Lily let out a deep sigh, rubbing a hand over her face. "I should probably talk to Potter, shouldn't I?"

"Abso-bloody-lutely. If you don't want it to be awkward later. Er, well, or at least not as awkward."

"Thanks," she said wryly.

"Shall we head to dinner?" Marlene asked, wrapping an arm around the redhead's shoulder. "Some food might make you feel better."

"Let's go."

Food did make Lily feel better. She wondered if maybe her dramatic reaction had been due to skipping most of lunch from her excitement to talk with Alice.

But no. She knew better. It was just her blasted temper that she needed to work on.

The group of 6th and 7th Years sat close together, trying to remain unaffected, but clearly buzzing with distracted undertones.

Potter sat on the other side of the table, close enough to try and catch his eye, but far enough away she couldn't have a conversation – let alone a conversation about an apology.

"Everyone looking forward to that study session tonight?" Sirius asked tactfully.

"Yeah, that code's not going to work," Marlene muttered to Lily.

She chuckled reluctantly.

Potter looked up briefly, catching her eye before turning his attention back to his plate. A slice of guilt tore through her – and she stabbed a piece of poultry to feel better.

"What?" Sirius asked the table. "I'm very excited."

"I'm a bit nervous," Peter added, scratching the back of his neck. "I remember that night – where I was hit."

"Does it normally hurt?" Remus asked curiously.

"Not normally," Emmeline said sympathetically. "Or, maybe you just get used to it?"

"You definitely get used to it," Alice said. "Took me ages though."

"What's it feel like?" Remus asked.

"A bit sting-y, at first. Like a bee sting?" Lily answered.

"Like your foot fell asleep," Marlene added.

"But it definitely depends on where you're hit," Dorcas insisted.

The girls nodded simultaneously, making sounds of agreement.

Dorcas winced then, recalling the past games. "Your head? Bloody annoying. Arms and legs get a bit tingly if hit there. Torso, manageable. Your bum? Makes it nearly impossible to walk after."

The group laughed, catching the attention of a few students around them, and forced themselves to quiet down.

"The arse shot has been banned, of course," Lily informed the boys. "If you can manage to avoid it, at least."

"Sometimes it's the only shot," Marlene said daintily, taking a bite from her fork.

"Right," Alice scoffed.

"Where were you hit, Peter?" Lily asked.

He grimaced, recalling the night easily. "The head."

"Ouch," Marlene said with empathy. "Sorry about that, Pettigrew. Not a good first time."

"But headshots are not banned?" Sirius clarified.

"Nope."

"Interesting. And a… below the belt shot?" he asked.

The girls shared an amused laugh.

"Well, considering we don't have the same, ah, equipment, not sure how that'll feel," Marlene said. "I could always test that on you later, Black."

"Only if you kiss it better."

Marlene made a disgusted noise.

As dinner came to an end, they had made the decision to depart in smaller pairs, as to not raise suspicion.

And again, Lily tried to catch Potter's eye, but failed.

"I'll go with Peter first," he said to the group. "We'll head up and the next group can leave a few minutes after. Remember – 7th floor landing."

He and Peter left soon after, leaving only the seven of them.

"Well, so much for that," Marlene said to Lily. "Guess it'll just be awkward."

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

Remus turned to Lily. "What'd James do this time?"

"Prongs did something?" Sirius turned in his seat to face Lily as well. "What did he do this time?"

"Nothing," Marlene informed. "Lily was the one being a knob."

Lily glared at Marlene, but Alice cut in from her conversation with Emmeline and Dorcas. "We're going to head up next, if that's okay?"

"See you guys soon," she said dolefully.

"What happened?" Remus queried, obviously curious.

"He tried to apologize for what happened during O.W.L.S.," Lily said.

"Oh," both Remus and Sirius responded, carefully objective.

"Yeah."

"It's fine. I'll talk to him later."

Marlene gave her a look as if she didn't believe her, but Lily silently swore that she would.

Remus checked his watch. "Guess we'll head up next. Meet you girls there?"

"What's on the 7th floor landing?" Lily asked as the two wizards stood.

"You'll see," Sirius said, saluting them farewell.

Marlene and Lily rolled their eyes and the last of the group was left behind.

"Should we leave now?"

"They're literally at the door."

"So?"

"Marlene."

"Ladies," McGonagall cut in.

The two 6th Years jumped in surprise, twisting to look up into the professor's face.

"Hello Professor," Lily said with what she hoped was an unsuspicious smile.

"Miss Evans, Professor Dumbledore mentioned in passing he received a letter from your mother regarding an off-campus trip sometime in October. Were you aware?"

She bit back a groan of embarrassment. "Yes?"

"He's approved the trip," McGonagall said, sounding as if she, herself, didn't quite approve. "When your mother has confirmed the weekend, we'll have you escorted to the Hogsmeade station to return home on the 'Express."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "The whole train?"

"I don't suspect you have a connection to the Floo Network, Miss Evans?"

"No," she confirmed. Petunia would go mental knowing there was a portal to the magical world.

"Please keep us informed then."

"I will," she said, and returned the professor's smile as she departed quickly. "I totally forgot about that," Lily groaned, rubbing her temple. "The bloody dress fitting."

"Your mum owled Dumbledore herself?" Marlene laughed. "I forgot how cheeky she could be."

"Stop," Lily grumbled. "She's probably peeved I didn't pass along her letter to Dumbledore myself."

"Well, she certainly knows you."

She groaned. "Let's head up before they send a search party for us."

Marlene laughed loudly, standing from her spot and holding her arm out for Lily. "Let's go."

The blonde looped their arms together, pulling Lily along much faster than she would normally walk, but the redhead let her. Though she wasn't looking forward to the apprehension of being around Potter after their fight, she was looking forward to some practice for the Game.

As directed, the two girls trekked their way up the staircases until they finally reached the 7th floor. They glanced around, spotting the rest of the group toiling around in boredom.

"Finally!" Dorcas called, catching sight of them first.

"Get lost?" Sirius teased. "I thought you knew the castle pretty well."

"We do," Lily retorted. "McGonagall stopped by the table."

That caught the group's attention.

"She did? Why?" Emmeline questioned.

Marlene laughed. "Lily's mum wrote to Dumbledore about her trip home in October."

That seemed to interest Potter, Lily noticed. He looked over her curiously, searching for signs of illness, she assumed.

"The dress fitting?" Dorcas recalled suddenly. "Weren't you supposed to pass along a letter to Dumbledore?"

"Yes," she said sheepishly.

"Dress fitting?" Sirius scoffed. "Is that all you need to ask for in order to get a weekend off?"

"My sister would kill me if I waited until the last minute."

"I doubt –" Remus started, but Marlene shook her head vehemently.

"You haven't met Petunia."

"Okay, okay," Lily interrupted, waving them off. "Weren't we here to practice?"

"Yes, we are," Potter confirmed. "This way, you lot."

"There's nothing down this way, though," Emmeline pointed out, but the group followed the tall Gryffindor regardless.

He led them down the corridor further, motioning to stop in the middle of the empty corridor.

"Well?" Dorcas demanded, glancing about.

Lily studied a nearby tapestry depicting a wizard trying to teach a small group of trolls to… dance? She bit back a smile at the oddity.

Potter only began to pace unrushed, hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

"This part's wicked," Peter murmured.

"What – " Lily started to question, but stopped as a door slowly carved itself into the stone wall, its design intricate.

Potter reached forward to open the new door with flourish, gesturing them forward with a long arm. Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked through the door unfazed.

The girls followed a little more reluctantly, Lily trailing behind them slowly in wonderment.

"Wow," she breathed, passing through the doorway into a large, rectangular room. The ceiling rose high above them, aged stained glass windows lining each wall, revealing the setting sun.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Potter asked from behind them, having watched her closely examine the room.

"What is this place?" Alice asked, walking further into the open space. Her voice slightly echoed.

"We're not really sure," Remus answered. "We just found this random door when we were hiding from –"

"It's changed, actually," Sirius interrupted. "I don't remember it being this large last time."

"But how are there windows?" Emmeline asked. "Aren't we in the middle of the floor?"

"It'll do," Marlene divulged breezily, having no qualms with working in a room seemingly built by magic. She caught Lily's eye though and they shared a wonderstruck look.

"Shall we get started?" Potter proposed, holding his arms wide. "Teach us the ways of the 'game'."

"Maybe we should start with the rules. Lily?" Marlene gave her an expectant look.

The boys looked moderately put out, but did not protest.

Lily startled, nervous at having been volunteered. "I guess the rules are pretty simple. Magic only; only the one spell. No defensive charms or hexes. Once your spell hits your opponent, no waiting until they unfreeze to tag them again. As soon as it hits them, you run. Hiding in one place longer than five minutes will dock points."

The girls give Marlene a look. "What? I don't," she complained. "Anymore."

"Technically, the spell won't dock points if you move, say, five feet or so – but we tend to go by the honor code, to a certain extent."

"So no hiding under the staircases to tag everyone," Sirius summarized with a smirk. "Makes sense."

"The game is scheduled for two hours – no breaks or time-outs. The Entrance Hall is base and you must be back before time is up. If you're late, you're disqualified."

"Even if by a –" Marlene pinched her fingers together closely "– millisecond. You're out."

"You receive five points per hit, but lose two points each time you're tagged."

Remus hummed "How do you keep track of points? And the time?"

"Lily created a spell – it's brilliant," Emmeline gushed. "I mean, granted, it took a bit to get it just right, but it works."

"I didn't come up with it," she quickly interjected. "Just modified it from a spell I read in a charms book."

"Here," Marlene said, pulling up her cloak and shirt sleeve to reveal her arm. "You can show them on me."

Lily retrieved her wand from her waistband, taking a hold of her friend's arm. "Reor et praesto tessera," she cast, pleased as the golden scrawl began to appear on her friend's skin. It bloomed across her arm.

"What's it mean?" Sirius asked as the boys leaned closer to watch.

"It's a rough translation for 'count and note the tally'," she answered, looking at the familiar text. It listed the girl's names, with a zero beside each of them respectively. The timer was set to zero as well, recorded just above the names.

"Wicked," Peter muttered, eyes wide. "But how do you add our names?"

Lily hummed in thought. "I think I'll have to rethink the movement of my wand. I'm not sure I remember how to change it…"

"You might have to change to just initials," Emmeline pointed out. "With nine of us, I'm not sure there's enough room."

LE, MM, DM, AH, EV... JP, SB, RL, PP. Lily hummed again. It would be a lot.

"How does it disappear?" Potter asked curiously. The charm was still emblazoned against Marlene's skin.

"It's charmed to disappear a few minutes after the game ends – so we can count the scores."

"So you can confirm who wins," Sirius acknowledged. "This is brilliant," he said, repeating Emmeline's earlier compliment and sending her a smile.

Peter glanced up from Marlene's arm. "Do you think… you think we can have partners? Instead of playing one on one?"

"I don't think that'd work," Dorcas commented. "We have uneven numbers."

"We could try teams," Emmeline said. "Teams of three?"

"Makes for even teams, at least," Remus said.

Lily silently wondered if she could be a team player.

"So what's the actual spell – you know, to tag people?" Sirius asked.

"It's 'cesso'," she said to four wizards. "Not too tricky. You have to sort of flick your wand down as you say it, like the Lumos spell?"

"You can also shout it," Dorcas said derisively. "Either works."

Lily rolled her eyes as she laughed. "You can technically whisper it, but you know, heat of the moment."

Sirius smirked. "I'm sure."

"Lovely," she replied with another eyeroll.

"The spell?" Remus prompted dryly. "Can we practice it?"

"Go for it," Marlene said. "Let's see what you blokes got."

The group moved to give the boys wide berth, careful to stay out of range.

"Brilliant," Sirius said wickedly, already pulling out his wand to aim towards a blank wall. "Ce-so," he enunciated incorrectly, jolting his wand tightly.

The group gave out simultaneous shouts as red sparks shot out of the tip of his wand, spiraling into different directions. They fizzled out with a shriek and the room fell silent.

"Is this room soundproof?" Marlene sneered. "Bloody hell, Black."

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "Maybe a little too excited."

"Yeah," Lily scoffed, approaching him as if he were a wild animal, her arm stretched out to lower his wand arm. "Maybe you copy after me?"

He motioned her forward with a hand gesture; a 'if you so please'.

She raised her wand, showing him the motion. "Cesso," she cast, repeating the movement. A bright streak of blue magic shot from her wand, exploding against the wall in a firework's display.

"Got it," Sirius said, turning back towards the wall. "Cess-so," he copied, mimicking her wand's movements. He was rewarded with a streak of blue, close to Lily's own spell, but tinged a violet.

"'Ces-so'," Lily corrected gently, tipping his wrist upward.

He cast it once more and the spell exploded against the wall brilliantly. "Brill."

Remus stepped forward next, lifting his wand. "Cesso," he called confidently and the group watched as the streak of magic shot forward, sparks showering the floor. He smirked at Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius scoffed. "Alright, Moony, we get it. You're ace."

"You give it a go, Pete," Potter coaxed. "You practice next."

The shortest of the boys stepped forward nervously, raising his wand to aim at the wall. He glanced at Lily from the corner of his eye and she nodded encouragingly.

"Ces-so," he muttered, stumbling over the 's's. The spell still ignited, but more red than blue.

"Almost," she assured. "Try again."

He did, the violet-tinged spell showering against the wall. He smiled at her nervously, but seemed pleased. "I'll try it a few more times."

"You should've seen Marlene's first attempts. She nearly lit the dorm's curtains on fire," Lily mused.

"Good thing Alice knew that extinguishing spell, eh?" Marlene added. "The whole tower probably would've gone up."

"When did this happen?" Potter asked amused.

Lily waved it off, surprised he spoke to her directly. "Years ago. Did you want to try next?"

He turned, angling himself towards the empty wall and lifted his wand. "Cesso." The spell shot from the tip of his wand, the blue streak as strong as his voice had been.

And would Lily have expected anything less?

"Brilliant," she said, tone maybe tinged with just a bit of admiration.

His gaze dropped to her face, his expression smoothed over as he responded. "Thanks."

It made her want to say something just then, but lost her nerve, knowing she was well within hearing range of her friends. She turned back towards Peter, where she could hear him struggling still with the spell.

By the time the four of them truly had the spell down, it turned into a little bit of a moving target practice – the boys using themselves as the targets.

Lily winced as Sirius went down hard, taking a seat between Marlene and Dorcas, settling into the pile of large pillows that had been mysteriously conjured for them by the room.

Potter , Remus and Peter were kind enough to let Sirius awaken a few moments later, giving him a chance to take off before they tagged him again.

"This will be bloody mad," Dorcas murmured, resting her chin on her knees with her arms wrapped around her shins.

"Oh, absolutely," Alice agreed immediately, laughing as Sirius cast two quick spells at Potter and Remus – both toppled over, frozen. "But absolutely brilliant."

"What're you thinking?" Marlene murmured, having splayed back on her hands, legs stretched out in front of her, ankles hooked.

"Just imagining the chaos," Lily replied breezily, shifting into a position similar. "Hoping I don't regret saying yes."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "You won't regret it."

She winced again, catching sight of Peter falling face first – not having been tagged, but tripping over his own feet. It at least helped him dodge the spell that Sirius had cast towards him.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

When the boys had finally tired themselves out, they collapsed about on the floor, falling into the pillows, winded and slightly sweaty.

"So when do we get to actually play?" Sirius demanded, stretching his arms outward and letting them fall. Remus huffed in annoyance as a hand smacked into his face, knocking Sirius's arm away.

"How about this weekend? Friday night?" Dorcas offered up.

"We've got practice Saturday morning," Potter declared, shifting to sit up, arms propped up on his knees.

Marlene and Sirius groaned in protest.

"Weekends aren't probably the best anyways, are they?" Remus pointed out. "There's always a ton of students out."

"We do usually stick to weeknights," Lily agreed. "Less crowds."

"Less couples," Alice corrected.

"You're the one to talk," Dorcas sniped, jabbing her with her elbow.

"What do you do if you run into someone?"

"You're supposed to notify the group, using Lily's spell. Just press your wand to your arm and it alerts the rest of us," Emmeline said. "If you're caught, you've got to send the alert."

Potter's eyes ticked over to catch Lily's and she could see the curiosity there. Did you alert your friends you were caught? He seemed to want to ask. Why didn't you?

She looked away.

"What about early next week?" Marlene asked. "Monday or Tuesday?"

"I won't be here," Remus cut in quickly. "Got to head home Monday for a few days. Mum, yeah?"

"Of course," Lily said immediately. "Is she not doing any better?"

He coughed uncomfortably and she felt guilty for asking. "She is. Just comes and goes, you know?"

"What about next Thursday?" Sirius proposed. "No one's got plans that night, do they?"

The group glanced about, searching for objections.

"Thursday night, it is," he said smugly. "It's a study date."

"With nine students?"

"Can't say it's not something I've thought of."

Alice glanced at the watch on her wrist idly. "We should probably head back to the tower. Curfew's coming up."

Her comment received varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Next Thursday does seem far away," Marlene said regretfully, helping Emmeline stand.

"The anticipation will be good for you," Sirius said. "That's what they say, right?"

Marlene scoffed. "Sod off. Say's the wizard who got a little too excited."

He shrugged, throwing an arm over Potter and Peter's shoulders. "Shall we return to the tower, or take a detour to the kitchens?"

"Padfoot," Remus chastised. Lily had to stifle a laugh as Sirius caught her eye with a wink.

The group started to head towards the door, but Lily hung back, gathering her courage. "Actually. Potter? Could I talk to you for a quick moment?"

He glanced back over Sirius's shoulder curiously, waiting a moment before giving a quick nod. He ducked from under Sirius's grip, taking his time to saunter to where she was standing.

"See you in the kitchens, Prongs?" Sirius called towards them as the rest of them began to exit through the doorway.

"Yeah. I'll meet you guys there," Potter returned over his shoulder, turning to look at Lily expectantly.

Lily caught sight of Marlene giving her an encouraging thumbs up from behind his back, before following the others out.

She waited until the door was securely shut, shifting uncomfortably between her feet. She took a deep breath. "Look, I just wanted to say… sorry. You know, for how rude I was earlier."

His gaze was unnerving as he waited for her to continue.

"As you probably already know, the topic regarding Severus and I's friendship is sensitive. It's not something I like to talk about. But… I… really appreciate you apologizing for last year. I know how hard it must be to do, because you never really liked him, but –"

He made a noise of protest. "Evans, it's hard because –"

She continued on. "And I know how much you hate Snape and while I don't get what it is between him and you all – but, well, like I said, I wanted to thank you for apologizing for what happened."

What you did wasn't why Snape called me a mudblood. I get that. I understand that he was brought up under a different belief system. I get that being in that house can affect the way you think, but… but I just thought…." She shook her head. "Well, either way, it didn't help that you were a catalyst in his reaction that day, but…" Hey eyes rolled skyward, blinking hard. "Whatever. Like I said, thank you for apologizing."

"Evans…"

"And I'm sorry I reacted like a bitch. That wasn't fair of me."

"You weren't a bitch."

She gave him a look.

"It wasn't unwarranted," he allowed. "I couldn't not apologize. I was a right sodding prick – and you deserve better than that."

Lily waved him off. "It was apparently a long time coming – our friendship ending. Apparently everyone saw it, but me."

Potter scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I should probably get back to the common room," she said, twisting her hands. "I've got to get this damn proposal done for that potion apprenticeship program."

He gestured her on, letting her move towards the doorway before him, but still stooping around to hold the door open for her. "For Slughorn?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I've got to write this brilliant essay about a topic I care about – but I've no clue where to start."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something," he assured. "What are your favorite types of potions?"

Lily laughed. "If I had to choose, I actually prefer Charms. But it is what it is."

"Yeah, I could've guessed that," Porter chuckled. "Inventing up your own charm to play an expert game of tag?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't invent the charm."

He shrugged a shoulder, brushing off her denial. "Right. And what's the whole story behind that? Tell me more about the Game."

"We already told you pretty much everything," Lily argued, finding herself walking beside him. "Don't you have to get to the kitchens?"

"Nah, tell me about the start."

"The start?"

"Yes. The start of the game. Everything had a beginning. Hogwarts had a beginning. Hell, the Marauders had a beginning. Your game had to have had an interesting beginning."

"Why don't you tell me how the Marauders started?"

He laughed. "Ministry secrets. Tell me about the Game first."

Lily thought for a moment, memories swimming: back to when she had first seen the castle of Hogwarts, awed by the sheer size of the school, the amount of turrets and towers that blacked out half of the night sky as their boats crept towards the school.

As much as she loved learning, it had been too enticing not to explore the different levels of the school.

She distinctly remembered finding the secret passage near the Transfiguration classroom that led to the girls' loo on the third floor. Finding the pathway had filled her with such excitement and giddiness, her friends were worried she had been hexed with a brightening spell. The shortcut helped to avoid the crowds that tended to hang around the staircases that always made her late for class.

She remembers the look on Marlene's face when she had first suggested playing a normal game of 'hide and seek' in the castle. They'd been in their dorm, after they had returned from the Christmas holiday break in their 2nd Year.

Marlene had immediately said yes, with no hesitation and little reservations about getting in trouble.

Lily smiled in recollection.

"See?" James noted smugly. "There's a story there."

She laughed, shaking her head. "There honestly isn't much to tell... I don't think Marlene suspected me to be the one to suggest going out after curfew."

"I'm still processing this all, myself," said James candidly. "Evans, roaming the halls at night on her own?"

"Shut it," she warned, with no real bite.

"I honestly thought I was hallucinating when you ran into me that second time. Mind you, I didn't think I would've run into you a first time."

"I can be adventurous," Lily contested, crossing her arms defensively.

"I'm beginning to learn that," James said genuinely. "Changes my mental picture of you a bit."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that picture like?"

He laughed – loudly – but didn't answer.

She decided to let it go, rationalizing that she really didn't want to know. "What were you even doing out that late?"

"I was just taking a walk. To clear my mind."

"Like I believe that for one second," she laughed.

He shrugged, his expression unconcerned as he remained silent.

Lily looked away. "So tell me. How did that one charm end up working out? From the book you borrowed?"

James laughed this time, shoving his hands into his pockets as they continued to walk. "I don't recall what you're talking about."

"Right," she mused. "You know if you get caught with something, that book can be traced back to me?"

"It wouldn't be," he replied. "It's been returned safe and sound to the library. It was to my surprise that it hadn't even been checked out. You almost got me in trouble."

Lily remembered the day she had retrieved the book; Snape had tried to confront her in the library, and she had been in such a rush to get away she skipped speaking to the librarian.

Her cheeks heated slightly. "Like you need help getting into trouble."

"None at all," he agreed in humor. "But at least warn me next time if you decide to nick something you're giving to me."

Lily let out a jilted chuckle. Next time? As if she planned on giving him something. She didn't but… she guessed now that they were going to be in closer quarters, would she?

They arrived at the corridor that housed the Common Room portrait entrance.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, giving him a cursory once-over. His posture was relaxed, shirt sleeves folded up over his forearms and shirt tails untucked. Hands tucked into his pockets, shoulders tensionless. He was the picture of ease.

He tipped his head in greeting to the Fat Lady. "Armistice," he said and the woman tutted softly, fanning herself as the portrait creaked open on its hinges. He grabbed the edge of it so it wouldn't knock into them. "I'll see you later," he said to her.

"Thanks," she said, stepping up to the doorway. "For walking me. And… apologizing. Again."

His expression was sincere. "You're welcome, Evans."

"See you later, James," she said, testing it on a whim. She nearly missed the double-take, ducking through the entrance and letting it snap shut behind her.

"All good?" Marlene asked when Lily entered their dorm room.

"All good," she confirmed with a reassured smile.