"Why do we do this every time?" Marlene complained, rolling over in her bed as she groaned against the sunlight that filtered into the room.

Lily couldn't disagree with the sentiment, rubbing at her stinging eyes hard. "Because it's fun."

Though Alice looked incredibly tired, she was able to pull herself up and out of bed, though her movements were slow and mechanical.

Seeing her friend get up gave Lily the little extra drive she needed to slowly push off her covers with her feet, yawning loudly as she pulled herself up into a seated position. "I don't want to go to Transfiguration. Can I skip it?"

"As much as McGonagall loves you, you probably shouldn't," Alice pointed out unsympathetically. "And you probably don't want to be late either."

"She's apathetic, at best," Lily argued, fighting back another yawn. "She probably wouldn't notice I'm gone."

"We shouldn't have stayed up so late talking," Marlene whined from beneath her covers.

"It wasn't very smart," she agreed, swinging her legs over the side of her bed to stand.

Her muscles and joints protested loudly, stiff and tender as she stretched with difficulty. She had fallen asleep in the clothes she had worn in the game, too exhausted to change, and she fully regretted that decision. Her sweater felt stiff with sweat and her leggings scratchy.

She needed a shower. Badly.

The loo was already humid from Alice's shower and the heat felt nice as she stripped, wincing at the raw flesh at her elbows and knees. The clothes seemed to peel off of her cuts, still tacky with blood. Her reflection in the mirror revealed yellowed bruises forming along her ribs and stomach, small scrapes gifted from the stone stairs.

The heated water felt amazing against her sore joints; but stung painfully against the cuts and scrapes that riddled her body. She hissed in discomfort, working fast to clean her body of the sweat and blood that clung to her skin.

Wringing her hair out hastily, she switched off the tap and toweled herself dry quickly, apologizing to a drowsy Marlene who'd been leaning against the door.

Alice hissed in empathy when she noticed Lily's scraped knees.

"It looks worse than it feels," Lily assured, slipping into her clean clothes carefully. She re-examined the cuts on her knobby knees; they'd heal, of course. Just be tender for a bit. "Cleaning them helped."

Alice had come over to give them a glance over, reaching out to touch the skin and wincing when Lily recoiled like a child. "You going to visit Pomfrey?"

"I probably should," she murmured. "These are too small for wandwork; I think a salve would help them heal faster."

"You've still got time," Alice commented, checking the clock. "Swing by and then head to breakfast. I've got to meet Frank."

Lily hummed in acknowledgment, pulling on her knee high socks and grabbing her cloak from her bed post.

Marlene emerged from the loo, looking much more alive. "I needed that shower."

"Yes, you did," Alice said, pulling a face. "Could smell your stench from my bed."

"Ha," she said dryly, running a towel over her hair. "You going to Pomfrey?" she asked Lily as Alice made her exit.

"Yes," Lily confirmed, as if being lectured. "I'm asking for some healing salve for my knees. I know they look ghastly."

Marlene pointed. "You should probably have her look at your elbow, too."

Lily glanced at her friend curiously, before pulling at her arm in question, twisting to get a better look. The standard school shirt was stained red at the elbow, blood blossoming through the material.

"Oh, shite," she said, reaching to grab her wand. "Episkey," she cast, wincing as the spell worked to knit the skin back together. It didn't quite feel right.

Carefully, she rolled her sleeve up, folding the fabric over onto itself until her elbow was revealed. It looked disconcerting, the skin split just over the bone.

Marlene gagged, shuddering. "Oh, Merlin, get to Pomfrey to get that fixed. Immediately."

Lily winced, feeling the blood drip from it. "I will. Here, let me try Tergeo."

It worked only slightly better than her last spell, slowing the blood flow, but the wound was still open.

"I think I've got some bandages in my trunk somewhere," Marlene said, tossing the lid open. She rifled through it for a minute loudly as Lily held her arm up, mindful of the blood.

"I didn't even think it was that bad."

"You never do," Marlene mused, pulling out a long strip of loose gauze.

"I think taking off my shirt must've re-opened the gash. I didn't even feel it last night."

Marlene held up the gauze, gagging again. "This will probably work for now, but you should really have Pomfrey look at it."

Obediently, Lily offered her arm and Marlene began to wrap it, clearly tortured by the sight of the wound. She wrapped the gauze over and over until Lily's elbow was covered, using her wand to cut off the excess.

"Should I kiss it better, too?" Marlene teased as she gave it a gentle pat.

"Yes, please," she said, offering her elbow up.

Marlene laughed, knocking Lily's arm away. "Offer expired. Go get someone else to do it. I've got to get ready for class."

"I'll see you in the Hall," she said, rolling her eyes and grabbing her cloak and book bag. "If I'm late, grab me an extra scone for class?"

"Of course," Marlene said, voice muffled as she'd turned her head upside down and scrunched her wet hair. "See you."

"Scourgify," Lily spelled, the red stain disappearing from the shirt. Please, she tucked her wand into her waistband lastly and headed out the door, skipping down the steps. In her haste to descend, she side-stepped the trickstep just a bit too wide, clipping her injured elbow on the curved stone wall.

"Oh, hell," she said, hissing in pain and gripping at the throbbing wound.

"Everything okay?" Remus asked, having just appeared at the bottom of his respective staircase. Despite the dark circles under his eyes appearing darker, his overall demeanor seemed chipper, eyes glimmering awake and lively.

She hissed, kneading at the pain.. "Oh, that smarts."

"What happened?" Remus came closer in concern.

"Got a gash last night," she answered, shaking out her arm, wincing as she felt the bandage shift. "I think I just made it worse." She raised it up, pulling her cloak out of the way to show him.

Lily started, shocked to see the blood had already seeped through the wrapped gauze and her shirt again.

"What did you do?" Remus asked incredulously, his eyebrows raising in concern as he reached forward to raise it higher over her head.

"Must have really cut it up when I jumped off the staircase last night," she murmured, moving to pull her cloak entirely off.

"Here, come up to the dorm. I've got a potion that will heal this. From that bleeding, it doesn't seem like a small cut."

Lily nodded, already rolling her sleeve up past her elbow for a second time, letting Remus lead the way up the boys' stairs. Assessing the damage as they ascended, she tugged at the bandage, the fabric thick with blood. It made a squelching noise. She made a noise of disgust, surprised by the amount of blood.

"Come on," Remus encouraged, gesturing her forward through what she assumed was their dormitory door. "How hard did you fall?"

"Pretty hard?" she guessed with a grin, pulling the last of the bandage off of her arm.

The gauze came away heavier than she expected and she struggled to hold back a gag of her own. Remus graciously took it from her and dropped it into a nearby waste basket. She followed him to his bed, clutching at her elbow awkwardly.

He threw open his trunk, already rifling through its contents to look for what he wanted.

It was with a sudden shock that Lily realized it was the first time she was in the 6th year boy's dormitory. The furthest she'd ever gone was to the stairs.

The large circular room was identical to the girl's, and if possible, almost cleaner (in the way that clothes were not sprawled everywhere, Lily acknowledged. They still had the same level of untidiness otherwise). Two of the beds had their curtains pulled closed, while the other three, including Remus', were unoccupied, open to the room.

Reigning in her curiosity, Lily turned her attention back to where Remus was shuffling through his trunk still. Peering over his shoulder, she caught sight of various little flasks and phials filled with potions.

"Why so many potions?" she asked curiously, analyzing the colors and viscosities. Her attention was pulled back to her elbow, feeling blood begin to drip between her fingers onto the floor. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

Remus stood, an uncapped phial and small cloth in hand. "Don't worry about it," he said wryly. "There's been worse on this floor, I'm sure."

She grimaced, but laughed. "God, don't say that."

He shrugged with his own laugh, stepping forward and holding the cloth beneath her elbow. "This'll sting," he warned.

"I'm ready."

He tipped the phial, letting it run over her elbow, drenching the gash with its contents. She hissed, but watched in awe as he worked methodically, dabbing at the wound, leaning back to study it, then tipping the phial over once more.

"I wanted to be a healer," he answered after a long moment, re-examining the jagged, bleeding cut.

"Really?" Lily asked, looking skyward towards the ceiling after the second round stung enough to cause her eyes to sting. "You never told me that," she murmured decidedly, thinking over the general past five years and their time as patrolling partners.

Remus only shrugged, intent on his work. She glanced back over at the trunk filled with potions, struck with a curiousness.

"Had you always wanted to be a healer?"

He shrugged again, turning the cloth over to the clean side and pressed it against the cut once more. "I really hadn't thought much about my options," he said quietly, in a tone that conveyed to Lily that he, in fact, had thought about them and came up wanting.

"What made you change your mind? Or help you decide, I mean."

Remus chuckled to himself. "I got friends who helped me believe I could. You know? Like I have a chance."

Lily frowned. "Surely you couldn't think you didn't have a chance. You've got one of the top marks in Potions."

"After you, of course," he pointed out.

They both jumped when the bathroom door slammed open, cracking against the stone wall loudly.

Through the steam escaping from the loo, James stepped through the doorway, glasses in one hand and a towel in the other as he lazily dried his hair.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding very sorry.

Lily was intensely relieved to find him dressed; even if haphazardly. He stood with his uniform shirt open, bare chest revealed, with dark uniform trousers hanging lower on his hips (thank Merlin, he was wearing pants).

His feet were bare against the cold stone floor.

Whether it was the shock of a half-dressed boy in her presence, or the pain that stemmed from Remus accidentally knocking into her elbow at their start from James's entrance, Lily remained silent.

"Come on, Padfoot," James called disapprovingly. "I know you're still sleeping. Time to get up!" He walked over to his own bed, tossing his towel onto it along with his glasses.

"Bloody hell, Prongs," Sirius' voice croaked from the nearest bed, hidden behind bedding curtains. "Don't be such a fucking prick."

Remus cleared his throat loudly suddenly, as if just realizing the current predicament.

"Moony?" James demanded, glancing over to where they stood, but not really seeing. "I thought you left already."

Remus caught Lily's eye with an apologetic grin – but the amusement in his eyes was hard to hide. "I did, but I came back to help Lily. "

"Lily?" James asked preoccupied, his interest piqued. "What's happened?"

She tried not to notice how nimbly he moved his fingers to button up his shirt, tie hanging loosely around his shoulders.

"She appears to be bleeding quite profusely from her elbow, so I've brought her up here to help clean it up and heal it," Remus said dryly.

"You brought her –" James murmured distractedly and Lily thought he was going to turn and look at them, but he stooped to search in his own trunk blindly, triumphant when he seized a clean red and gold tie. "– up here?"

"Merlin. You really can't see, can you?" Lily observed aloud.

James did a double-take at her voice, realized he couldn't see, and jumped towards his bed to retrieve his glasses and slid them onto his nose quickly. "Evans!"

"Evans?" Sirius inquired from behind his bed curtains. A pale hand gripped the fabric and slid the curtains around his bed open, as he peered out into the room curiously. He spotted her rather quickly and his sleepy, inquisitive frown changed seamlessly into a sleepy, charming smile. He sat up, also bare chested. "Why, hello! Quite the good morning."

"Morning," she replied coolly, biting the inside of her cheek and turning to avidly study Remus's work on her elbow.

Sirius was the first to move of the two, throwing off his sheets and sliding out of his bed. The fact that he only wore a pair of long pajama pants that hung awfully low did not faze him.

"Lovely morning," Sirius corrected lightly, purposely flexing his arm muscles as he gathered up a pair of clean clothes from his trunk, putting on a show.

"There've been better," she said with a wry grin, holding up her elbow higher at Remus's prompting.

He had begun cleaning her elbow again, gently wiping away the blood. She hissed, wincing in discomfort, earning her another apologetic look from Remus.

James, having recovered from surprise, meandered over to where the two were standing, using quick fingers to button up the rest of his shirt. Lily kept her eyes on Remus's hands, refusing to watch the sight of the tan skin of James's midriff disappear.

"Ouch," he sympathized, studying her elbow as he began to knot his tie. "Not a pretty site."

"Thanks," she said derisively, looking up at him beneath her lashes. Merlin, why was she surprised at his height every time he got closer?

He met her gaze with a smirk. "Looks like it stings."

"I've got a high pain tolerance."

James clicked his tongue in response, returning to his bedside without comment. She caught sight of Sirius sending him a look of amusement and raised brows at her phrasing.

"Must you two always insinuate innuendos?"

Sirius shrugged his bare shoulders, heading towards the bathroom. "You're the one who said it."

"This'll likely scar," Remus said empathetically, grabbing her attention again, softly rubbing a lotion-like concoction into the tender wound. It already looked three quarters healed.

"It's alright," she said assuredly, examining the healing wound. "You've done a wonderful job."

"Let me bandage it back up and you'll be good to go." He turned back to his trunk to retrieve more gauze. "Feel free to sit, if you'd like."

"Thanks," she said sincerely. "Really. You saved me a trip to the infirmary."

She stretched out her arm, testing the potion's effects as she glanced down at his bed. It looked clean enough, despite being messily made. She sat, idly glancing about the circular room to survey the boys' choice of decorations.

It was obvious it was a boy's dorm. Disorganized chaos in the way you'd expect. The walls were lined with Quidditch posters, along with random Wizarding bands and flyers.

"You never mentioned you liked the Beatles," Lily commented, spotting a full sized poster hung on the wall nearest to them.

"Huh?" Remus said, glancing at the poster. "Oh. I don't – they just ran out of room on the other walls. James and Sirius would not stop listening to that one album – Revolver? – all summer. It nearly drove me insane when I visited."

"Oh."

Lily considered this briefly, refraining from smiling at the idea of James and Sirius singing along to Eleanor Rigby or even Good Day Sunshine. "Interesting."

She glanced over where James was distracted, focused on gathering and shoving his school books into his bag.

"Yeah." Remus chuckled, stepping towards her with a new roll of gauze. "They always found ways around my silencing charms – not sure how."

She held her arm out obligingly. "This potion seemed to work really well. Is it arnica based?"

"It is," he said, impressed. He began to expertly wrap her arm. "I should've known you could tell."

"It's the smell."

He chuckled again. "Yeah, it's pretty distinct."

"Actually…" she hummed, reaching forward to grab where the phial was sitting on his nightstand. She angled it towards the light. "Is this mixed with Fluxweed?"

"It is," he confirmed, watching her study the phial.

"Did you make this yourself?" she asked curiously, tilting it to test the consistency. She uncapped it with one hand, tipping it over so the edge of her finger came away wet. She rubbed it into her knees, wincing at the sting.

"Pomfrey actually did."

Lily grinned, watching as the scrapes and bruises against her skin heal over. "She should know better. Fluxweed should be macerated, not finely minced."

"Huh," he said, impartial to the correction. "It heals wounds, so I can't complain."

Something about what he said struck a curious note in her, but her mind was already on a singular path.

She tipped the phial once more, wetting the pad of her finger to press it into her chin, where she knew there was still a scab. "If she switched to using dittany instead, its properties would help heal the skin faster. It might prevent scars from even appearing…"

"Prevent scarring?" Remus clarified curiously, pausing in his task to bandage her arm.

She nodded absentmindedly. "Even then… if you crushed and powdered just the right amount of loveage, it could even strengthen any muscle that was damaged… Remus!"

He jumped at her outburst, swiftly resuming wrapping her elbow.

"No, no," she said excitedly. "I think I've just come up with my potions apprenticeship proposal!"

"That sounds brilliant." He finished tucking the last of the bandage into itself. "All done."

"Thanks, Remus," she beamed, quickly rolling her sullied sleeve back down over her arm. "Scourgify," she casted a second time that morning, the stain on her sleeve dissipating.

He returned her smile. "You're welcome."

"Lily!" Sirius called, the bathroom door slamming open a second time. "I see you're still here."

With an obvious lack of reticence, he strolled forward with just a towel wrapped around his waist, hair slicked back in its wetness.

"God, have some decency, Black," she grimaced, raising a hand to block his figure from her vision.

"Please," came James's dry voice.

"I'm leaving," she declared, waving a goodbye to Remus.

"See you," he said with an exasperated smile.

"Hang on!" Sirius called. "I'll join you! Just let me get dressed."

"Sorry!" she called unapologetic, already exiting the dorm.

"Padfoot," Remus's voice groaned, chastising, loud enough for Lily to hear as she descended the stairs.

She turned at the sound of a sudden crash, glancing up curiously at the sound.

Sirius stumbled onto the small landing just outside of the boys' dormitory, shirt gaping open and trousers undone, cloak, bag, and tie hanging from one hand as he used the other to slip a shoe on.

"Sirius," she complained, turning back around. "You're not allowed to be nude in the common room."

He laughed, catching up quickly once he'd fixed his shoe. "I don't remember you stopping James and I after last year's Quidditch Final."

Lily scoffed. "You were too pissed to remember, even if I did."

"I certainly remember you joining in on the festivities," he said, unfazed as they made it into the Common Room and catching stares from the nearby students.

"Am I not allowed to celebrate our house won the cup?"

"Of course you are," Sirius divulged soothingly, flinging his cloak over his shoulder as he worked at the buttons of his shirt.

"I'm going to the library," she warned.

"Smashing," he said. "Library it is, then." He fell quiet, busy with the buttons. "So is that a thing you do?"

A younger Gryffindor girl did a double-take as she quickly shuffled out of the 6th Year students' way towards the entrance.

"Can you at least do up your trousers?" Lily demanded, not helping matters by refusing to slow down for him. "God."

"I'm working on it," he said, voice muffled by the tie stuck between his teeth. He ducked through the doorway after her, stumbling as he multiasked dressing.

He'd managed to finish buttoning his shirt and pulling on his cloak, but still looked very much under-clothed.

"Can you hold this?" he requested between teeth, gesturing with his eyes towards the tie held between his lips.

"No," Lily replied decidedly. "I really don't want to touch your spit."

Sirius grunted, shifting his bag around as he walked and fastened the buckle of his belt.

"Is that a thing you do?" he repeated once he'd pulled the tie free and looped it around his neck.

"Go to the library?"

He snorted. "No, the whole 'let me risk my life by freefalling into the fathomless chasm' to win at your game?"

Now Lily snorted, turning the sharp corner towards the staircases. "It was only the second floor – not fathomless."

"If I'd known you had some massive bollocks, I wouldn't have held back."

Lily laughed. "You were holding back? Must've been hiding m a lot of your skills then."

"Oi," he said, feigning hurt. "No need to be mean."

She rolled her eyes with a smile, listening to his steps as he followed closely behind.

"So why're we going to the library and not to breakfast?"

"Because I need to check for books on dittany and loveage."

"Right," he said, the corner of his mouth turned up. "Sounds fascinating."

"Thank Remus," she commented, skipping down the steps. "If he hadn't had those potions, I honestly don't think I would've thought of this."

"This?" Sirius prompted.

"Changing the composition of a healing potion to better improve the restorative properties and mending."

"And Remus asked for this?" he asked, sounding suddenly very concerned. "To help make a better healing potion?"

Lily glanced back at him, finding his expression distressed. "No," she said, brow raised. "The type of potion he had gave me the idea. Why not better improve the healing potion so you don't have to administer it multiple times?"

Sirius's manner relaxed; thoughtful. "On magic-induced scars? Wounds?"

"My elbow wasn't hit by a spell," she pointed out. "I just busted it on the stonework."

"No, I mean," Sirius chuckled to himself. "Could whatever it is you're experimenting with work on magic-induced wounds, too?"

Lily thought to herself for a moment, lips pursed. Absentmindedly, she walked on, nearing the library entrance. Sirius moved to open the doors quickly, guiding her in so that she wouldn't knock into the doorway.

"I honestly think the dittany could help with them," she murmured. "But I wouldn't be sure to prepare it any differently. I know boiling ingredients can increase the potency… but to work to undo magic…?"

"Sounds like you have some research to do."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, feet carrying her towards the herbology section. "Any chance you'll help?"

"Of course," he replied. "Mental support, you know? If you need a shoulder to lean on. A hug. Hell, I could even carry the books."

He caught the sight of a nearby Hufflepuff and threw her a wink when the girl stared.

"Your trousers are still undone," she pointed out dryly, already running her hands along the books' spines to find the ones she wanted.

"Shite," he huffed, fixing it. "Pince will ban me if she sees any more skin beyond my face."

"Do I want to know?" she asked amusedly, sliding one book from the self to open and skim the index.

"Maybe another time," he said, smoothing his hands over his shirt, permanently wrinkled.

Lily handed him the book and moved further down the bookcase. He accepted it noblely, tucking it under his arm. She reached and grabbed another, propping it open. Unsatisfied, she tilted it back into its place on the shelf.

Her trained eye scanned for the titles she knew would be helpful and when her search came up lacking, she travelled further down the aisle to round the corner.

Sirius trailed behind her lazily, thumbing at the odd book here and there as she continued to peruse the line of books, pulling one out occasionally to quickly study and then return it to its original spot.

"You didn't have to come," she reminded him.

"I wanted to."

"Sure."

"Sincerely."

"Okay."

"100% supportive."

"I appreciate it."

He groaned, slumping against the shelf. "I thought you were heading to the Great Hall. I could eat a bloody five-course meal."

She laughed quietly. "That's what a late night full of mischief and impropriety will do to you. Sounds like you enjoyed the late night study session."

"Oh, I know what a night of depravity can do to one's body."

"Sirius –" she started with a choked laugh, a bit scandalised by his tone.

"– Lily?" Snape's voice cut in, the tone livid.

She whirled, startled when he lurched forward, his expression darkened by disgust. "Snape?"

"What are you doing with him?" he spat. His hands were fisted at his sides, knuckles white against the stark black of his robes.

"Poor timing as usual, Snivellus," Sirius sighed, lounging against the shelf. "How about you read the room and leave, seeing as no one wants you here?"

"Fuck off, Black," he growled, leaning in close to crowd Lily. "Is that what you're doing now, Lily? Spending your time with perfidious, disgusting scum?"

"Snape," she scolded, shocked at his level of anger.

Sirius scoffed. "'Scum'? Talk about calling the kettle black, Snivellus. Been to the washroom lately?"

Lily turned to give him a warning glare. "Listen, I'd prefer not to get kicked out of the library this early in the morning. Is there something I can help you with, Snape?"

With a seething expression, he looked her up and down contemptuously. "No, I suppose not. It appears you've already offered your help to others."

"Snivellus," Sirius reprimanded with a sharp tone, straightening. "Shall I make you apologize to her for being so rude?"

Snape nearly spat in anger, stepping closer. "Oh, go ahead and try, Black."

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose. "Snape, we're leaving. Sorry for interrupting you."

"Interrupting him?" Sirius bristled. "He's the one who shoved in on our conversation."

"Sirius."

It didn't matter at her tone, he was already striding forward. "I feel like we ought to teach him some manners."

Lily quickly moved into his way, using an elbow to prevent him from moving any further. "Sirius, stop."

Severus sneered at them. "Yeah, Black. Back down like the good lapdog you are."

"At least I've been in someone's lap."

"Sirius," she warned with a snap. "Shove off already, Severus," she hissed, giving them both an angry look. "Don't be such pricks."

"I'm sure you've seen plenty of those," Snape seethed.

This time, Lily was the one to step forward, grabbing her wand from her waistband. "I swear, Snape, if you value your tongue, you will turn and leave right now."

"Everything alright here?"

All three swiveled their heads towards the new voice. With rising alarm, Lily watched as James stepped out from between the aisles, sauntering forward casually.

She could practically hear the blood vessels bursting inside Snape's brain.

"Hello, Prongs," Sirius said blithely, posture relaxing the slightest. "Just having a lovely chat with Snivellus here. Seems like he needs to learn a thing or two about manners."

James stood a bit ways off still, studying the scene with a keen stare.

"We were actually just leaving," Lily cut in, tense with apprehension. She leaned forward to grab the books that Sirius had set down.

Snape made a noise of disdain, watching her movements. "'We', Lily? Are you really wasting your time with these – these –"

A cold sense of dread and deja vu washed over her as she was mentally thrown back to that day during O.W.L.S.

"Yes, Snivelly, please tell us. 'These' – ?" Sirius started, but paused when James reached out to grasp his shoulder.

James shook his head minutely. "Come on," he murmured, using his grip on Sirius's shoulder to pull at him. "We've got to get to breakfast."

He used his free hand to press against Lily's back, beckoning her to move forward.

Snape made an enraged sound, but Lily refused to turn around, letting James usher her and Sirius through the stacks of bookshelves.

"Prongs," Sirius complained, cracking his knuckles. "That nearly made me forget how hungry I was. I wasn't really going to start anything."

It struck Lily nearly blind by how immature he sounded.

James hummed. "It's convenient that I found you so easily, then."

"Oh, you happened to stumble upon us, did you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, Padfoot. I did."

"I've got to check these out with Pince," she murmured numbly, holding out the books in question.

"We'll wait for you," James said.

"Thanks," she said dazedly, already heading towards the librarian. She placed the books in front of her, wary of the woman's propensity for proper handling, and watched as she wrote the book's titles down and prompted Lily to sign her name.

When she returned to the boy's side, they were deep in a conversation she was obviously interrupting.

"Shall we?" she prompted, having somewhat gathered her bearings.

"Let's go," Sirius agreed reservedly and the two boys let her lead them from the library.

"Do I want to know what you were all talking about back there?" James asked. "With Snape?"

"Just a chat," said Sirius. "He was eavesdropping just as one would expect him to."

Lily glanced at him sharply. "Did you know he was there?"

"He sneaks around like a damned hippogriff. Of course I knew he was there."

This ignited a nerve. "Sirius. You knew he was there and you let us talk about the Game?"

He shrugged, unconcerned. "We were joking around. I'm not sure what you were thinking, but it wouldn't be obvious to anyone listening that we were talking about the Game."

Her temper flared, recalling the words 'impropriety' and 'depravity' from their conversation. "You – you are such an arsehole."

He laughed.

"I'm going back to the dorm," she said in a clipped tone, turning on her heels. "I'll see you two in class."

"You're not hungry?" Sirius called at her back.

"No," she retorted. "Not anymore."

"What'd I say?" she could hear him ask James.

"You're so daft, Padfoot," he replied, their voices fading. "Come on."

She hadn't been lying about no longer feeling hungry, but Lily could still feel her stomach grumble. She gnashed her teeth together, annoyed. Stuffing the books into her bag, she picked up her pace. If she made it down to the kitchens, she'd be able to grab something to eat and make it to class on time.

The walk felt good though, and Lily was able to shut off her brain as she retraced the steps towards the kitchens.

Because, really, couldn't she have one interaction with Severus that didn't end with her walking away stressed or agitated?

Granted, even the times they hung out the previous year often ended in tense, awkward silences; but that was Severus. It was weirdly comforting, in an odd way. Had their friendship always been doomed to end? She hadn't thought so; but looking at the way he's been reacting (especially this morning), Lily can't help but think maybe it was for the best.

She huffed, recalling his insinuating tone. 'I'm sure you've seen plenty of those'. God, he thinks because she's spending more time with the boys of her house, she's suddenly a whore? This thought made her seethe. They hadn't even been in a relationship beyond being mates and he's acting like a damned jealous ex-boyfriend.

Lily stopped her thoughts there, not wanting to stray further.

She physically halted soon after, after turning the corner of the subfloor to the Great Hall and spotting a familiar shape.

"Potter?"

"Evans," he greeted, pushing himself off from his position leaning against the wall beside the kitchen's portrait entrance. He neatly folded up a large piece of parchment and tucked it into his pocket as she came closer, giving her a welcoming smile.

"Where's Sirius?" she asked suspiciously.

"Great Hall," he answered, reaching up to tickle the pear. "I figured you'd maybe stop by the kitchens before heading to class. Mind if I join you?"

Lily gave him a wary look. "I suppose not."

He pulled open the door for her. "Brilliant. Witches first."

"Miss Evans! Mr. Potter!" the house elves chattered excitedly. The one that had greeted Lily last time with Sirius surged forward. "What can we get sir and miss? Breakfast? Pastries?"

"Good morning, Binny," James greeted warmly. "I think we'd love some pastries, right Evans?"

The little house elf was already nodding excitedly before Lily had time to say, 'Yes'," the little creature looking up at James with adoring eyes.

"Yes, sir, right away, sir!" She rushed away, nearly tripping over her own feet.

"Well," Lily scoffed with a laugh.

James was already walking towards the table to sit. "Binny and I go way back."

"Oh?" She followed behind to take the seat across from him.

"She was one of my mum's family's house elves. But since it was just mum, dad, and I, we didn't really need her."

"'One' of?"

He shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed. "We have some back at the house; I think Binny was one of the few we knew who could manage being let go. Touchy subject for them."

"I've heard," she said. "Marlene told me how her mum gifted one to her brother – but since he's away so often, he really didn't need an elf for his flat, so he decided to let him go. Cried for ages apparently."

James winced in sympathy. "They're very loyal. I think Binny was the only one willing to come to Hogwarts because of me."

"That's presumptuous. A bit cocky to assume she followed you here."

A clatter disrupted them, Binny hurrying towards them with an armful of silver platters and a carafe of juice. "Sir, Mr. James, I haves breakfast for you and Miss Evans!"

The small house elf set the dishes down, nearly toppling over in her haste. "Pastries, les viennoiseries, puffs, pain au chocolat; all of your favourites, sir!"

"Thank you, Binny," he said fondly. "These look amazing."

"Oh, thank you, sir! Please tells Binny if you need anything else."

"Of course."

Lily watched the small elf dash away, hands held tightly in excitement. "She certainly knows loyalty. All French delicacies?"

"Mum's favourites, actually. I think I just didn't know what to tell Binny when I was younger when she'd ask me what I wanted to eat. I just copied what mum asked for."

She reached forward and grabbed a puff pastry, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly to savor the taste. "I can see why. Your family visit France often?"

"Mum's actually from France," James said, surprising her, as he pulled apart his own pastry. "Moved to England when she was young."

"Really?" Lily asked intrigued. "So you speak French then?"

James rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure most of the Pureblood families around here do, if their parents force them to."

"How come I've never heard it from you then?"

He snorted. "Do you hear anyone speaking French here?"

"I guess I haven't," she mused aloud. "Do you and Black have secret conversations in French, at least? You know, to plan and plot all of your 'pranks'?"

He gave her an unimpressed look. "Then Peter and Remus wouldn't know what to do."

"That just wouldn't do," Lily agreed.

"Plus, I think Sirius forcibly forgot how to speak French; just one less thing a 'Black' is supposed to be able to."

"Oh," she said mildly, feeling a sliver of compassion for him, until she recalled he was the reason she'd avoided the Great Hall completely. "Makes for more room in his brain to be an arse, then."

James chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds right." He handed her another pastry, pushing the small platter towards her.

"Thanks."

James hummed in response, falling quiet for a moment. "So he never knew?"

"Who?"

"Snape."

"Oh. About the game?"

"Yeah."

Lily could tell it was hard for him to ask, but it was probably more out of curiosity he prompted her answer.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I mean – and you probably know this – but I met Severus before school, before I even got my Hogwarts letter. He knew I was a witch before I did."

James shook his head. "I didn't – I mean, I figured you guys met on the train or something. I didn't know you knew him from home."

She snorted. "And you thought we became friends that fast?"

He gestured towards her, waving a hand. "You're – you. You make friends more easily than anyone I've ever seen."

"Yeah, well," she murmured, tearing a piece off of the pastry. "You're one to talk. But I guess after getting friends in my own house, the girls and I did get to know each other fairly quickly. When we came up with the game in 2nd Year, it felt… great to keep it among ourselves. Like a fun secret that wasn't something we couldn't talk about, even in code. I don't think it would have felt that way with Severus."

"Surprising," James said deadpanned. "Snape, not want to play games?"

"Shut up," she retorted, with no real bite. "But you know? Some friends aren't meant to be your best mates for everything. Or at all, I guess."

They chewed quietly for a long moment, listening to the clatter of the house elves around them.

"I'm sorry for Sirius," he said. "For being an arse."

"It's Sirius. It seems like I shouldn't expect much."

"Oi," James berated, somewhat heated. She glanced up at his tone. "That's my best mate."

And while he had made his words softer, Lily could sense the reproach in his voice.

Chastised, she took another bite of one of the few pastries left in order to avoid responding. Apparently house elves weren't the only ones very loyal, she thought idly.

"We should probably get to class," she said, speaking finally. She dusted the excess sugar and crumbs from her hands.

"It's Transfiguration," James said unconcerned, but pushed his plate away. "McGonagall won't mind."

Lily scoffed, shouldering her bag. "Maybe for you, Mr. I'm so marvelous at Transfiguration.'"

He laughed as he stood. "Do I sense some jealousy there?"

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, following him to the exit. "Do I not sense some humility there?"

"Transfiguration comes easily to me," he admitted, holding the door open to allow her. "Why can't I be happy about that?"

"You're absolutely allowed to be happy; just no bragging about it."

"Touche."

"Showing off some of the French you know?"

He threw his head back and laughed.

In an odd instance, Lily found herself walking to class with James Potter – for once not feeling agitated. It left her unsettled.