Avoiding James the next twelve hours had been incredibly easy – they barely crossed paths except for when he and his friends had been entering the Great Hall for dinner and she with hers leaving. If it was space he appeared to want, then she'd give it to him.

"I'm starving," Sirius had been complaining, shuffling through the doorway moodily. "There's only so much work we can do on the map – oh, hey, ladies."

"Black," Marlene greeted. The others responded in kind.

"No Remus yet?" Lily had asked curiously, having asked the question towards James, but it was Sirius who shook his head in the negative, already moving past them to find a spot.

"Pete! Hand me that platter," he ordered, sitting. "Prongs, pour me a cuppa."

James hadn't even glanced towards her. Lily didn't want to admit it stung a bit.

"Probably just working through it," Marlene murmured, linking arms and pulling her along. "Pride and all that."

It wasn't until Potions class the next day that he finally acknowledged her.

"Thursday night," James murmured as he reached past her to collect an empty phial. "A study session."

Lily had finished Slughorn's assigned potion work of the day quickly, having tasked herself with reorganizing the cupboards once more in order to avoid her deskmate.

She looked up at James in surprise – first at his proximity, second at his having spoken to her. "Sorry?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Study session. Noon. Thursday."

She was still having a slow time processing his words. She glanced over his shoulder to catch sight of Sirius, who met her gaze with an excited smirk.

"Wh – when?"

"Remus was released from the hospital wing this morning; had a chance to discuss with him first, Marlene was in the common room."

"Oh," Lily said, a bit dumbly. "Noon. Thursday."

James nodded once, turned, and walked back to his desk.

It wasn't much, but it was progress.

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

Wednesday, there was more progress.

The group, including the four 6th Year boys, was eating lunch, Lily folded over her Runes homework as the others chatted. She nearly cried out when her hand knocked into a goblet that nearly overturned onto her essay.

She glared at Marlene.

"I've got to get to class," Marlene explained with a huff, making a show of collecting her bag.

"See you later," she said absentmindedly, returning to her parchment (after having pushed the goblet far away).

Marlene shrugged. "Not sure when later," she replied. "We've got practice. Probably won't be in till late."

"Good luck, then."

"Yeah, I think we'll need it after our last practice," Marlene drawled.

"Wouldn't have been so bad if our captain wasn't such a hard ass," Sirius cut in mildly.

"Oi," James' voice scoffed. "Do you all want to win the cup this year or not?"

The two others on the team grumbled in chorus and LIly looked up, amused, accidentally catching James's eye as he looked up at the same moment.

"We want to win," Sirius and Marlene bleated.

"That's the team spirit," James said with disdainful humor.

"Yeah, yeah," Marlene muttered, waving Lily goodbye.

"We should probably get to History," Remus pointed out reluctantly. Lily hadn't had much of a chance to check on him since his discharge, but he looked like he could go for another day's worth of sleep before feeling better.

She followed the four boys out of the Great Hall, allowing them to lead the way towards the stuffy classroom. They filed in and took their spots as normal, having only a few moments before the Professor floated in through the classroom's blackboard and beginning the lesson.

It was in the past History of Magic classes that Lily had learned James could not sit still. Whether it was scribbling in his book, drumming his fingers on the tabletop, or folding and refolding spare parchment paper, he had to actively be moving at all times.

This day in particular, his knee was dancing impatiently next to hers, jostling the table leg every so often. He sent her an apologetic glance when he shifted, knocking his thigh against her knee.

"You're practically shaking the table," she complained quietly, not unkindly, showing him her notes. The usual neat writing had obvious and abrupt disturbances, stains and streaks of ink across the page.

James leaned forward out of curiosity to study her notes, looking only slightly empathetic. "He's already talked this much?"

It startled a quiet laugh out of her and she pulled her spiral notebook back towards herself, trying not to smile. When she glanced out of the corner of her eye, he looked pleased.

The weight in her chest lessened somewhat.

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

Thursday, enough time had passed that Lily didn't feel as awkward around him. In turn, James seemed just as mollified. Maybe Marlene had been right about needing time to pass.

Maybe it was the impending Game, having lightened the mood of everyone involved. The group had been more animated at breakfast than they had been the entire week. It was an excited buzz, shared between them through secretive smiles and looks.

Remus even looked nearly back to full health, having something to look forward to. Perhaps, if anything, only Peter looked mildly put out.

"You okay?" Lily had asked, seated beside him at the table during lunch.

He shrugged. "Just nervous, I guess. I don't want to mess up like last time."

Lily gave an empathetic smile. "It takes a bit to get into the swing of things. Just change up your tactic till you're able to find what works for you. I bet on my wand you'll get more points this time."

Peter only looked somewhat reassured, but smiled. "Thanks."

"Of course."

She caught sight of James grinning, having overheard the conversation. She suddenly felt shy.

"'ello, Lily?"

She turned to see Ewan McDonald, standing behind her with two other 3rd Years, a boy and a girl from Ravenclaw.

"Hey, Ewan. What's going on?"

"We ask'd McLaggen for help since he's usually available, but he couldn't make it. Any chance you could help with our study group after dinner?"

"Oh," she said, surprised, a bit self conscious as the rest of the table listened in. Even if the group went for a few hours, there'd be plenty of time. "Uh, sure."

Ewan grinned excitedly. "Tha's fantastic."

"Why me?"

"Well, we didn't really trust Jacquelyn, and Frank's busy with patrols tonight already."

"So I'm not your first choice," she quipped.

The younger boy laughed, scratching at his ear. "Nah, but I hear your grades are great overall. You've helped others."

"I mean, I've got my old notes somewhere. I could probably help with a few charms."

Ewan laughed. "Actually, we need help with Transfig. Is that alright?"

Lily smiled sheepishly with a bit of embarrassment. "I might not be the right person then. Transfiguration's not my strong suit."

His smile dimmed. "That's okay, I understand. We can go to McGonagall."

"No, wait," she winced. "I can still try. I'm not that bad, really –"

"I can help," James cut in from across the table. "3rd Year, around this time… must be reviewing switching still, right?"

Ewan looked nearly starstruck. "Yeah, we're stuck on switching between insects and utensils."

James was grinning. "Ah, yeah, I remember struggling on that one. Can't quite get the tiger beetle to a fruit fork?"

"Yes," Ewan laughed in relief, as if James had just opened the key to an unlocked door. "Exactly. The legs won't morph properly!"

Lily was watching the interaction with a bit of doubt.

"Where are you guys meeting?" James asked.

"Half past seven in Classroom 11? The professors had it cleared out for more study sessions closer to the Great Hall."

"Oh, we know Classroom 11," Sirius murmured with a smirk. "Lots of memories."

James shoved at him with an elbow and a laugh, but Ewan looked floored at having been included in something that was seemingly privy to the group. Lily rolled her eyes.

"We can meet you there. Right, Evans?"

She blinked at James. "Oh, I mean. If you have Potter, you don't really need me, do you?"

James scoffed lightly. "Of course. A refresher wouldn't hurt, would it?" He was giving her prompting smile

"I think we'd really appreciate the extra help," Ewan added.

"Alright then. Half past seven," Lily agreed.

"Brilliant," Ewan said, nodding at his two companions. "We'll see you then."

"You're willing to help 3rd Years?" Lily asked once they'd left. "Seems a bit…"

Sirius snorted. "Charitable."

James shrugged. "I'm in a charitable mood. It'll kill time before the other study session."

Marlene groaned. "Killing time's the worst. But not as bad as tutoring younger years."

"I'm not tutoring them. Just helping them. Sharing my knowledge."

"That's how it starts," Marlene said blandly. "They'll be asking for more of your time."

Lily nodded at James with a shrug. "You've opened the line. They'll use it."

He seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Could be worse."

"Why didn't they ask you, Moony?" Sirius questioned.

The boy himself looked a bit sheepish. "They've asked before. But then heard about last year's Vanishing study group."

Lily winced when Sirius guffawed loudly. "That's right! I remember that. You were in a right foul mood before –"

"Padfoot," James cut in with a warning.

Sirius waved him off. "Were in a right rut, weren't you? The poor 4th year couldn't find his cat for weeks."

Remus grimaced. "I just don't get along with cats."

Marlene laughed. "I wondered what had happened – I heard a rumor that you had eaten it."

Remus looked uncomfortable. "They really don't like me."

Sirius laughed and clapped his hand onto his shoulder. "I'll say. Good thing you hang with dogs and other beasts, eh?"

"Merlin, the testosterone," Marlene said with disgust. "Do you ever listen to yourself?"

"Ah, Mckinnon, want to hear more?"

"Alright, I'm heading to Potions," Lily announced, hooking her bag over her shoulder. "You two can flirt as much as you want without me to witness."

Marlene glared, but Sirius laughed. "You're more than welcome to join," he said.

"No thanks," she retorted. "I'll see you boys in the Dungeons – Marlene, I'll see you later."

"Later," Marlene called back as Lily walked away.

She traveled the familiar route towards the lower levels of the castle, diverting to the left of the corridors to locate the Potions-Mixing room, having left her cauldron brewing under lock and key while it stewed her crafted healing potion.

Setting her books beside the tabletop, she peered into the cauldron, pleased at the silver tones the concoction was taking on.

She raised her wand and cast the spell to unseal the protection charm over the top, pleased when the smell of the potion wafted into the air – mint and bergamot. LIly smiled, elated at its progress.

"Lily, my dear!" Slughorn called. "I wondered if I'd find you in here before class!"

"Hello, Professor," she said happily. "Like to check on my potion?"

He clapped his hands together, wandering closer to peer over her shoulder. "Looking absolutely delightful, Lily. Is that a touch of… mint rose geranium I detect?"

She nodded, pleased. "Exactly. I found that it counteracts the potency of the loveage; helps it bind with the dittany a bit better too."

"This is your third attempt, isn't it?"

Her next nod was a bit more shy. "The first batch had a tad bit too much antimony for the right consistency. Second batch ended up just being too potent."

Slughorn bobbed his head in understanding. "Ingredients can certainly be temperamental, can they not?"

Lily huffed a laugh, rolling the sleeves of her cloak so she could stir the potion. "I think this might just be the right combination – if not, I swear the next attempt will be exactly right. I do appreciate you letting me use the room, Professor," she murmured, concentrating on the steady turn of her wand. "I know you don't usually make exceptions for experiments unrelated to the curriculum."

He cleared his throat. "Actually, Lily, it appears that I'll be able to let you use the room a bit longer. I've heard back from the Ministry."

She jolted, jerking her wand a bit too excitedly. More carefully, she retracted her wand and set it down, turning her attention onto the Potions Master. "Sir?"

Slughorn laughed with giddiness. "You heard me correctly, Ms Evans. The ministry has approved you for the apprenticeship – your proposal on your healing prototype was very promising."

Overwhelmed with surprise, Lily brought her hands to her mouth. "They – I got the apprenticeship?"

Slughorn grinned. "You did, my dear!"

She made an excited noise, stepped forward and hugged the professor without thought. He laughed with delight, patting her shoulder kindly.

"This is brilliant," she gasped, pulling away. "What does this mean? What do I have to do? God, I need to get my notes together – they're a mess –"

Slughorn chortled. "Now, now, there's time for that. They'll be setting time up to meet with you two. While they weren't exactly impressed with the idea you didn't have imminent plans to recruit as a potioneer, they were eager to hear of your plans to join the Ministry, in any capacity, really –"

"Two, sir?" she interrupted, confused.

Slughorn looked a bit guilty, sheepishly nodding. "You recall that Severus also had applied for the apprenticeship?"

A bit sobered, Lily nodded.

"His written theory regarding residual effects of long-term effects was compelling. It certainly interested the Ministry, given the current state of affairs, as you know."

She nodded again.

"The board at the ministry had a tough time deciding between the two of you – and so, on your behalf, I wrote them to see if they'd complete the apprenticeship for two of my students. Wimble, a former student of mine, you know?"

Lily shook her head.

"Well, nonetheless, having been pleased by both of your expositions, they were happy to accept!"

While it stung at having not been outright chosen, Lily knew it was still a great honor to have been picked regardless. So Severus got a spot as well – who cared? The ministry had chosen her.

"I'm so pleased," Lily said sincerely. "Really, I can't believe they accepted my proposal."

Slughorn had looked a bit cautious up to that point, unsure how she'd react, but smiled happily at her words. "I knew that they would! One of my star students, by far."

Her cheeks flushed. "Sir," she protested.

He waved her off. "Come! Let's get to class. The rest of the students are likely waiting."

"I'll be right there," she replied, motioning to her cauldron. "Let me take care of this and I'll be right in after you!"

"Of course, of course! Congratulations, Lily. Sincerely."

"Thank you, sir," she said graciously, watching as he turned towards the exit and left.

Pleased, she turned back towards her potion with a wide grin, quickly recasting the protection spell (after testing the temperature) and collecting her things.

Not even seeing Severus could dampen her mood. He eyed her as she set her things down onto the table, having entered the classroom in a rush as Slughorn prepared the board at the front of the room.

"So he's told you?"

"Who?" Lily asked politely, though she truly wanted to gush with excitement.

"Slughorn," Severus said stonily. "You got the apprenticeship, too."

"I did," she acknowledged, focusing her attention on the cauldron in front of her. "Congratulations, by the way."

He looked somewhat surprised at her sincere words. He opened his mouth to respond, but Slughorn called the class's attention towards the front as the lesson began.

Not even Snape's pointed silence would bring her down though; the potion of the day was an easy one. Lily flew through the steps, enjoying the rhythm of the nuance of the instructions.

"You're in a good mood," James noted as she stepped away towards the stock in the back of the room to collect an extra item for her potion. He looked a bit harried, glasses half fogged, hair a bit missed (more than normal).

Nearly bursting with excitement, she nodded enthusiastically. "Slughorn told me just before class – I've got a spot with the apprenticeship."

He gave the reaction she was too afraid to wish for – wildly thrilled, with a tinge of pride on her behalf. "That's brilliant, Evans! Merlin, took them long enough to let you know didn't they?"

"Right?" she laughed, pleased by his response. "It means they give me funding for my potion experiments, and I get to meet the board themselves – I mean, they know I want to be an Auror, apparently, but still, being able to make potions certainly doesn't hurt the resume."

James chuckled. "This is fantastic. When's all this happen?"

"I'm not sure, actually. Slughorn only mentioned they'll set up time to meet with us; Snape and I," she said carefully. "I suppose they'll reach out soon."

James, while not looking all that impressed by the news, continued to handle his reaction in a way that pleased Lily. "Well, you'll at least know someone when you have to meet them."

She smiled, pleased. "That's true. Positive way to think of it."

"But this is absolutely brilliant, Lily. Have you gotten far on your potion yet?"

"Maybe not as much as I'd like –"

"Excuse me," Snape cut in coldly, stepping towards them. Lily hadn't noticed his approach. "You're blocking the way."

"Sorry," she murmured, shifting out of the way.

James rolled his jaw, sidestepping so he moved closer beside Lily. "Apologies, Snape. Go right ahead."

There was a superb awkward moment while she watched as Snape realized the ingredient he needed was near the top of the shelves, just out of his reach. He reached inside his pocket for his wand – but found it empty. It was still sitting inside his cauldron at his desk, the wood twirling idly to stir the potion. The tips of his ears turned red, peeking between the strands of his hair.

"Here." James leaned forward, reaching up for the jar of eel eggs. He set it down on the countertop and pressed it towards Snape. "Looked like you needed help."

"I didn't," Snape sneered, begrudgingly grabbing the jar. He looked like he wanted to say something further, but couldn't conjure up the words. He turned on his heel and stormed back to their desk.

James caught Lily's eye and they both shared an averted look, Lily biting her lip to prevent from laughing aloud.

"I should probably get back to finish my own potion," he said with a grin. "Probably will be lucky to finish with time to spare."

"Want any help?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I think I've got it. Congratulations again."

"Thanks," she said sincerely.

She surreptitiously watched him return to his spot beside Sirius at their desk, a warm feeling in her chest.

"They would have chosen you," Snape intoned once she'd returned to her own desk.

"They did choose me," Lily retorted mildly, propping her book open to review the notes.

"You know what I mean."

She frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

Snape's brow was furrowed as he leaned over his cauldron, fumes wafting into his face as he added the last of his ingredients. "You deserve the apprenticeship."

Her eyes narrowed, but her shoulders relaxed. "Thanks."

He met her gaze through the vapor, before letting his stare drop back onto his potion.

It was an odd silence, the rest of the class, but Lily still carried the warm feeling in her chest as the bell trilled and the students collected their things.

The rest of the day – besides Defense's continued awkward lessons – passed without fault. Lily had been excited to share the news of the apprenticeship at dinner, where the four other girls had similar reactions.

"We knew you'd get it," Emmeline assured. "There was no way you couldn't."

"Bit daft that you have to share with Snape," Dorcas sympathy. "But I suspect you won't have to work with him much?"

"No," Lily confirmed. "Maybe during the visit from the ministry officials, but he has his own potions to work on."

"Still absolutely brilliant," Marlene said proudly, taking a bite of her dinner. "One more star towards getting into the academy."

She shrugged, humbled, but smiled excitedly.

"Lily," Ewan called from further down the table. "You still free at half past?"

"Of course!" she replied, searching the table for James. "I'm sure Potter will show up, too."

Ewan nodded excitedly, turning back towards his mates.

"And another star," Marlene said wryly. "I'm sure they love to hear you're helping younger students."

"Oi," Lily warned, not unkindly. "You're welcome to join. You could probably do for the 'fresher."

"I'm good," Marlene said blithely, settling back into her plate. "As long as you're not late for our session."

Lily nearly snorted. "I think there'll be plenty of time."

"Who knows what else you'll get up to."

She gave the blonde an unimpressed look as Dorcas and Emmeline hid grins behind their hands.

Lily turned to her own plate, unwilling to amuse them.

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

The real study session was going actually very well, Lily was pleased to find. James had shown up, right on time, and the younger students looked in awe that he had appeared. He sent them to unpack their books and supplies and they did so obediently.

He laughed at her eye roll, shrugging off his cloak. "What?"

"I forget how they idolize the Captain of the Quidditch Team," she said dryly.

He laughed again, rolling the cloak up and tossing it onto a nearby desk as he rolled up his sleeves. "At least somebody appreciates hard work."

Lily laughed this time, to which he looked pleased. The 3rd Years rushed forward, laying out the jars of insects and random knick knacks.

"Alright, first things first. Anyone have a chocolate frog?"

The group laughed, and James put them to work, pairing up individually to see what they could accomplish on their own first.

Lily watched, amused, a bit impressed, as he worked with them patiently.

"Brilliant," James was assuring. "Just a bit off, but you've nearly got it. Try again."

Marcia Fawley, the Ravenclaw girl, smiled with flushed cheeks and nodded, raising her wand again.

"Remember, keep the movement tight – if you move your wrist in too wide of an oval, it won't work."

"Lapifors," she cast, wand movement more confident.

They watched as the beetle morphed into a delicate, soup spoon, almost nearly transfigured besides the greenish tinge that belonged to the beetle's wings.

"Bugger," she cursed.

James chuckled. "You've done great! The green could almost be considered a stylistic choice. You could convince McGonagall."

"I don't think I'd have the guts," Marcia said with a shy laugh.

"Reparifarge," he cast, returning the spoon back into its exoskeleton form. "She'd probably believe you."

"Maybe I'll try," she declared with a smile.

"Tell me how it goes," James replied with his own smile, swiping his fingers through his hair to draw it back out of his eyes.

Lily could swear she could hear the younger girl's heart stutter.

"How's it going over there with you, boys?" James called.

The two looked up from the floor, looking rather pleased.

"It totally worked," Ewan reported. "Tomas's reverted back after five minutes the first time, but it's been going longer!"

"Wicked," James beamed, obviously proud. "Evans, how's it going for you?"

She laughed. "I'm hopeless. Didn't even try."

He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "My, what a slacker."

She shrugged. "Know a lost cause when you see one. Hate to waste your efforts."

His expression shuttered, as if recalling something suddenly.

"I did it!" Marcia exclaimed, rushing towards them to show off her transfigured spoon. "Shiny silver, just as required."

James's smile was back as he turned towards the 3rd year. "Just like I knew you could. Looks brilliant, Fawley."

"Thanks, James," she said sincerely.

"Of course," he replied, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "That's been about two hours. How about we call it quits for the night?"

The other two boys called their agreements, shuffling to pick up their belongings. "We really appreciate you meeting with us," Ewan confessed, slinging his bag over his arm. "McGonagall's good, but…"

"It's hard to follow along," James translated.

The three students nodded vehemently, grateful he understood.

He chuckled. "I get it. Just need some more time before the spells make sense."

"Some may never," Lily teased, sliding off of the desk she had been sitting on. "But I'm happy settling with an A."

James inhaled in shock, shaking his head. "Such a poor example for these young impressionable minds."

"Me?" Lily contested as the others giggled. "Who had the records for detentions in 3rd, 4th, and 5th year?"

"While I'm pleased you recall such detail, Sirius actually had the most detentions last year, thank you."

"And this year?"

He shrugged. "I think Sirius and I's tallies are gravely lacking compared to our years prior. Sounds like we'll have to change that," he said slyly, throwing a wink towards the younger kids. "There's still plenty of time."

"Ha," Lily quipped, grabbing her own bag and handing him his cloak he had discarded. "And you called me the poor example."

He laughed, accepting his cloak graciously, throwing it over his shoulder. "What do you think, MacDonald? Who's the better role model; Evans or me?"

"I decline to answer," Ewan said wisely, leading the other two towards the door. "I'd rather stay on both of your good sides."

"Smart answer, mate," James chuckled. To Lily, he asked, "That didn't go too bad, did it?"

She smiled to herself, using her wand to shift the desks back to where they had found them. "It went rather well, actually."

In all honesty, she had been staggeringly surprised by his interaction with the younger students over the past two hours. James had always gotten along with other students, his amiable demeanor easily agreeable – but watching him work along others in a guiding manner was… revealing.

"As well as you think tonight's session will go?" he asked wryly.

Lily looked over her shoulder as the younger students exited the room, stuffing her things into her bag. "Could you be a little more… you know."

"Secretive? Covert?" he prompted, grinning widely. "That's how you become suspicious."

She rolled her eyes, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "We kept it hidden from you all these years," she retorted quietly as she led the way out of the room.

"Which is brilliantly commendable," he replied, in a way that Lily knew he thought it a hefty compliment.

The two walked in silence back to the Gryffindor common room, trailing far behind the others.

It was as if Lily's view of him shifted on his axis suddenly as she watched him from out of the corner of her eye; was James Potter a patient and kind mentor? She'd always thought him someone too-quick to act, using thoughtless judgement to jump into one fray to another.

Had she never really noticed his kinder features beyond his faults?

Friends.

She glanced away before he caught her staring, suddenly feeling off-kilter.

"You alright?" he asked as they ascended the staircases towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Sorry?" she asked, taking a moment to catch up.

He grinned. "You look distracted. Already thinking of strategies for the Game tonight?"

She laughed, grateful for a safe topic. "Obviously. Are you excited?"

"It's only our second. Of course I'm bloody excited."

He gave the password to the fat lady and stepped aside to allow her through first.

"Thanks," she said, cringing internally at how awkward her voice came out. He smiled politely in response.

"I'll see you later," he said to her, heading towards the boys' stairs. She watched inconspicuously as he disappeared quickly, taking two steps at a time.

"Hey," Marlene greeted as she approached their hangout spot. "How was the study group?"

"Enlightening, I think," Lily murmured, dropping her bag onto the table and sliding into the open seat.

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

Later, after the girls returned to their dorms and wasted as much time as they could before midnight was upon them, they entered to find the four marauders sitting in front of the fireplace, crouched with their heads together and their wands illuminating the table in front of them.

"Hey," Marlene hissed. "What are you doing down here and not down there?"

Sirius turned, smirk sliding onto his face as he began to respond. "Down there –"

"Just working on a project," Remus answered for him, having the decency to send Sirius a scolding look. Sirius grinned sardonically, busying himself with folding up a piece of parchment and tucking it into his trouser's pocket.

"Which class?" Emmeline asked in interest.

"Side project," James supplied.

"For extra credit?"

"Not quite," Remus murmured, standing from his seated position. "Just thought we'd practice some charms from class."

Marlene huffed impatiently. "Are we ready to go then?"

"Does a Niffler like shiny things?" Sirius retorted. "We were waiting for you. The halls are empty on the –"

Remus coughed.

"– I assume at this late hour and we're wasting precious time. Shall we head down?"

When it came to dividing up the teams, it was Remus who helped decide. He conjured three sets of straw, tearing them into different sizes. Those who picked the largest pieces would be a team, the smallest paired off, and so on.

Remus, Sirius, and Emmeline were grouped together. James, Alice, and Dorcas were paired next, leaving Lily, Marlene and Peter on a team.

She could sense the disappointment from Marlene, and so could Peter. Lily felt sorry for him, and sent him an excited smile when he caught her eye.

"Reor et praesto tessera," she cast on each of their arms, the gold scrawl blooming across their skin.

She made careful work to ensure each team was assigned the proper number, leaving herself last to cast the spell on. It warmed her skin, lightly tingling when it glowed steadily and she smiled at the familiar feeling.

"Game plan?" Marlene asked once she'd pulled Peter and Lily away from the group.

"Divide and conquer," she answered firmly, quietly, making sure to keep her voice low. "I feel like that'll work best."

The unhappy expression on Peter's face made her reconsider the plan for a moment, but Marlene interrupted before she could offer an alternative.

"Brilliant," the blonde extolled, rubbing her hands together. Peter winced.

Lily gave him what she hoped was a reassuring look. "Peter, we know you know this castle pretty well. And I've seen how quickly you can get out of things."

"I'm not a very good shot," he admitted ashamedly.

Lily smiled encouragingly. "That's alright – as long as you keep on the move, Marlene and I can take care of the points."

"Stay on the move," he murmured, nodding slowly. "I can do that."

"We can win this," Marlene added, placing a comradely hand upon Lily and Peter's shoulders.

Sirius cleared his throat impatiently.

"Alright, alright," Marlene hissed, as the rest of them rejoined into a larger group.

Nodding at the group, Lily confirmed their readiness. "From the count of ten…"

"Ten… nine… eight… seven..."

Lily shivered out of anticipation.

"Six… five… four…"

Involuntarily, Lily caught James's eye from across the corner. He was smiling excitedly, nodding his own head in time with her countdown.

"Three… two… one. Go!"

The Gryffindor students scattered. Peter nearly knocked into Lily in his haste as he darted across the Entrance Hall. She laughed with exhilaration, taking the opposite course to head towards the headmaster's office, taking the longest path towards the clocktower, hoping to avoid opponents along the way.

Despite the nice weather they had been having earlier in the week, it was a cold night, rain splattering against the windows. Lily knew this would leave her at both an advantage and disadvantage; the noise would mask her own movements, but prevented her from identifying any possible enemy activity.

A flash of light made her lurched forward until she realized it was only a streak of lightning from outside the windows – a low rumbling thunder accompanied it moments later. She hated thunderstorms.

The five minute timer warmed her arm,signaling the game had officially begun.

Her movements were slow, wary of rounding corners and advancing up the stairs, double – triple checking behind herself as she moved alongside the stone wall.

"Cesso!" Emmeline's voice rang out like a whip. Lily managed to dodge the spell, just barely, stumbling backwards to avoid the now oncoming assault from her friend.

"Cesso!" she cast, her aim striking true onto her opponent. She grinned at Emmeline's frozen face, physically feeling the other girl's daggered glare as she spun on her toe and took off down the corridor at a run.

She laughed freely, spirits lifted as her feet flew over the stone floor beneath her.

"Cesso!" Sirius shouted just as she exited the corridor into the main foyer.

Lily let out a sound of surprise, but ducked out of the way, stumbling back into the corridor out of the line of fire. Crouched low, she cast the spell back at Sirius's figure from under her arm, keeping on the move to avoid being struck by any more spells.

Having given away her still position, Sirius moved out of her spell's way and gave chase.

With a frenzied cry, she turned tail and bolted, using the castle's darkness to her advantage as she tried to move as quickly as possible; but she could hear his footsteps not too far behind.

Another shot of lightning illuminated the corridor, nearly blinding her, but she continued forward, trying to adjust her eyes back to the darkness.

The thunder rumbled loudly, neatly rattling the loose glass pane squares.

Lily sidled up to a stone pillar to wait, trying to reassess the situation; Sirius was crowding her towards where Emmeline had been frozen – and she suspected that Remus must be nearby, if their team had chosen to rotate around the area to patrol for opponents. She'd have to choose her next steps carefully.

Though she could no longer hear Sirius's footsteps, it did not ease her paranoia. Stepping from behind the stone, she treaded carefully, stooped low as she moved forward once more.

With a stroke of luck, she could see a masculine silhouette up ahead, ducked inside of a classroom's entrance where she could still see the form if she peeked around the doorway.

"Cesso!" she cast.

The spell hit its target and by the light of the charm, Lily could see that it was Remus, her suspicions confirmed.

She sped out of her hiding spot, not risking staying behind and getting caught by his other teammates. Adrenaline carried her much more quickly than she realized, taking a set of hidden stairs (used mostly by prefects) to ascend towards the next floor up; though out of breath, her legs led her easily towards the headmaster's tower.

"Cesso!" Sirius's voice suddenly called out.

Out of instinct, Lily dropped onto her stomach, managing to dodge his oncoming spell. "What the hell," she gritted between her teeth. She thought she had lost him.

He shot off another spell her way and she rolled to avoid it, knocking her shoulder into the stone wall. From her position on the floor, she flung the spell in return, aiming in his direction in the hopes to startle him.

As an experienced Quidditch player, Sirius evaded her spell effortlessly. She shot three more in quick succession as she scrambled to stand, trying to buy herself more time.

"Gotta be quicker than that," Sirius called.

Lily spun to avoid another onslaught of his spells, brow furrowed as she contemplated her next move. She zigzagged back down the corridor, hoping to lessen the chances of him hitting her, but was quickly losing steam.

Sirius cackled evilly from behind her, causing her to nearly shudder.

Option one: challenge him.

Option two: run.

Option three (her least favorite): let him win and freeze her.

As she rounded a corner, she huffed and rolled her shoulders. Of course there was only one option: fight back.

She knew he would think she would continue running, using the corner's advantage to try to gain some distance, but dare she play dirty?

"Can't wait to win!" Sirius's voice echoed, nearing the corner.

He made the decision for her.

Still struggling with her breath, she crouched low just on the other side of the corner, straining to hear the sound of his footsteps over the rain.

"Li-ly!" he exclaimed, sprinting around the corner, sprawling forward and landing painfully on his stomach. He groaned and rolled over onto his back, turning to glare at Lily.

"Oops," she said innocently – maybe a bit too sweetly. "Needed to tie my shoe."

"Bloody liar," Sirius groused, knowing he'd lost.

"Cesso," Lily cast in a soft voice, watching as the spell hit him square in the chest and his body froze. "Catch you later!" she teased, already turning neatly on her heel to take off down the way they had come from.

She knew that Remus and Emmeline would be up ahead, so she detoured to take a shortcut through one of the 6th floor classrooms, exiting the room's second entrance that led back towards the Grand Staircase.

Lily nearly screamed as she knocked into Marlene's frozen body, blonde hair flashing brightly as another streak of lightning from outside lit up the corridor. She glanced around suspiciously, knowing that if Marlene had just been hit, their opponent would be nearby still.

Only moments later, Marlene unfroze, releasing a deep growl to convey her annoyance. "Meadowes," she seethed.

"Which way did she go?"

"That way," Marlene pointed with her wand, glaring in the direction. Lily glanced down at the leaderboard on her arm, reading over the scores quickly.

"We're tied," she commented, not completely put off by this.

"Tied," Marlene spat. She met Lily's gaze head on with renewed determination. "We have got to win."

"Remus, Sirius, and Emmeline seemed to be camped out on the 6th floor, setting a trap. I was able to get Sirius and Remus, but they're quick tonight."

"Avoid the 6th floor, understood. James and Alice were on the second floor and headed up here, when Dorcas got me."

"Have you seen Peter?" Lily questioned, scanning both ends of the hallway to make sure they were still alone.

"Saw him back near the Charms classroom, but that was a while ago," she answered.

"Okay, let's split. We've still got a chance to win."

"We better," Marlene snarked, punching Lily hard on the arm before taking off down the hallway.

Lily frowned in pain as she rubbed at her sore arm, watching the blonde's back before she turned towards the opposite corridor. It was a quick decision to check out the 3rd floor, hoping to catch up with Peter and make sure he was alright – and if anything, she might run across her opponents and earn some points along the way.

By the luck of Merlin, the main Grand Staircases were empty, but she still made sure to use stealth as she descended them, taking the time to analyze as each moved – choosing the last staircase on her left to head towards the library doors.

Another thunder rumbled the castle's foundation and Lily could have sworn she could feel the vibrations through her shoes. The third floor corridor that led towards the library was darker than most, the only source of light being the window at the very end of the hallway.

She halted, hearing noise back from the way she came – with slow movements, she pressed herself against the wall and watched the entrance to the corridor carefully. Afraid to blink, she stared unwaveringly, her gut telling her to wait.

A small shadow moved and she reacted quickly, shooting off a spell.

"Shite!" Sirius cursed, falling forward in surprise.

"Where the hell are you coming from?" Lily hissed in annoyance, shooting off another spell but missing. This was getting tiresome!

The problem with the 3rd floor corridor was that there wasn't much space to hide – her only option to get away was to try to lose him in the library – but Lily hated this option; the library was riddled with corners and hidden spots that led to stressful encounters and lengthy stand-offs. She had avoided as much as possible in the past.

But times were changing.

Taking a deep breath to center herself, she dashed through the doors of the library, quickly scanning her surroundings to determine the best hiding spot. She knew she didn't have much time.

Impulsively, she chose left, darting between the shelves of the reference section to find the farthest wall. Sticking to the perimeter of the room would be safest, she reasoned; Sirius would most likely head towards the center of the room before searching the room. This would give her the advantage of working her way back to the entrance (she hoped).

The door to the library opened and shut softly; but she was able to catch it, the sound as familiar as her own heartbeat. She ducked low to avoid being seen through the open shelves and tried her best to pick up her feet in order to avoid scuffing her trainers.

"I saw you go through those doors, Evs!" Sirius sang. "Where, oh, where did you go?"

She rolled her eyes as she crept in the opposite direction of his voice, taking in even breaths to keep her emotions calm.

"Lily, Lily," Sirius said, his voice echoing through the empty room. "I see you're not hanging around your normal spot; just a couple of empty chairs…"

She silently scoffed, offended he would think she would be so easily tracked.

"Maybe by the charms sections?" he drawled, making no effort to hide his footsteps.

With a furrowed brow, Lily sat back onto her haunches as she listened, curious by the noise he was making. Rustling. Parchment? Had he really pulled a book off of the shelf? The hand holding onto her wand twitched nervously.

"Or maybe by the… Herbology section," he called out, tone laced with mirth.

Her heart jumped into her throat, eyes focusing on the book titles in front of her.

Flesh Eating Trees of the World. Foolhardy Uses of the Medusa Plant. Freshly Planted Fertilizer: Dragon Dung or Bowtruckle Feces.

Shocked, she pulled herself up to look through the lowest shelf in front of her, trying to scan the darkness for any movement.

"Not gonna make a run for it?"

She debated about responding; confirming his (scarily accurate) suspicion where she was hiding – but was left no choice when she heard sudden movement.

Throwing caution to the wind, she leapt up from behind the bookshelf and dashed towards the front of the library, snaking between random stacks to hopefully deter his pursuit, but she could hear him give chase. When she looked back, she could see his silhouette darting in between the shelves to catch up with her.

Making a bold move, she took a swift turn, knowing it would intersect with the aisle that Sirius was currently in.

"Cesso!" he cast as Lily darted past, ducking to avoid the stack of books that fell over. She grimaced at the noise, but pushed it towards the back of her mind; her goal was to get out of the room without getting hit.

She passed the Arithmics section, avoiding the most obvious way towards the exit and looped back around via the Astronomy aisle. Sirius was closeby; she could hear his quick steps and heavy breathing; he must've been at least three aisles over from her.

Ducking low and hurrying forward, she was rewarded by the view of the library doors. Spurred by excitement, her pace picked up and she pushed herself faster.

"I don't think so!" Sirius called from behind her, casting a quick spell her way.

It struck her right between the shoulder blades and she froze; cursing him violently in her mind.

"Ta!" he laughed, running past her and out the library doors, not before turning and waving sweetly back at her frozen form.

When Lily was released from the confines of the spell moments later, the curses she thought in her mind echoed aloud in the large room. With the tenacity of a threatened wild cat, Lily took off at high speeds, resolute on revenge; if not for herself, at least for her team.

Energized by a renewed sense of purpose, she exited the library and swung a hard right.

"Cesso!" a voice spelled from further down the corridor, startling Lily. Alice.

She dodged just in time, spinning herself into the wall. There was nowhere to cover herself and so she escaped back towards the opposite way, towards the Divination room. The tiered classroom would provide much needed cover and provide her a chance to tag her opponent.

The classroom door opened easily, and Lily took the nearest steps up to the next tier of tabled seats, diving under the nearest table. The room was dark, which worked to her advantage. Pale light spilled in from the door, the nearest light source a low-lit torch from the corridor.

Excitement thrummed in her veins as she watched the shadow of her opponent elongate across the floor, the sound of light footsteps entering the classroom. From her position under the table, she wouldn't be able to see them, but she could at least guess at their position, and hopefully her spell would strike true.

"Cesso!" she cast.

"Oi!" Alice's voice rang out and Lily felt triumphant, pleased that she could track her friend's movements by their repetitive actions.

Lily took the moment of surprise and jumped up from underneath the table. "Cesso!" she shouted, the spell hitting Alice in the stomach. "Yes!" Lily shouted, jutting a fist in the air. She moved quickly then, passing by Alice's frozen form with a wave and a smile, moving along the corridor in a run to get away from her enemy.

When she felt she was at a safe distance, she slowed to a light jog, nearly jumping out of her skin as one of the Arithmancy classroom doors slammed open.

It was Dorcas, shouting off a quick spell that caught Lily in the shoulder.

The blonde twiddled her fingers tauntingly, before taking off down the corridor.

"Damnit," Lily cursed when she unfroze, checking the scores once more. They were falling behind. She wondered briefly how Peter was fairing – if Marlene was scoring as much as she hoped she would. She made the trek back towards the main staircases, looping around the classrooms by taking one of the side corridors.

Having run into Dorcas and Alice so close to each other, she suspected the pair, including James, had chosen a similar strategy as Sirius, Emmeline, and Remus; rotating between the same floors to catch teams. She crept forward quietly, more paranoid than ever.

Her suspicions were proven right; James's familiar profile was illuminated by a sudden flash of lightning. Just as she caught sight of him, his eyes connected with her from across the corridor and they both made simultaneous maneuvers to both attack and evade each other's spells.

She was unable to prevent her sound of surprise from escaping – a streak of bright color streaked past her ear as she ducked away from his endless onslaught of spells.

At this point, there was no doubt she was sweating – James's eye and wand were quick and she struggled to keep up with his movements. Twice, she had knocked her right shoulder into the stone wall of the corridor to sidestep his wand work.

His face was filled with determination, a look that Lily was becoming well acquainted with.

The distance between them was closing quickly, both Gryffindors dodging and ducking to avoid each other's charms.

When they were only feet apart, both breathing laboriously from the effort it took to refrain from getting frozen, a silent and sudden companionable understanding passed between them and they halted their attack.

"You're very quick," James complimented, his shoulders shifting as he caught his breath.

"Thanks," she gulped a gasp of air. "I only seem to be shite at Transfiguration."

He laughed. "I'd say if tryouts hadn't already happened, I'd kill to see you on the team as a seeker," he admitted, using the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow.

She had to quickly avert her eyes from the skin of his stomach as it was exposed – James certainly made sure to keep fit for the team. It took her a moment to recover, using the edge of her sleeve to wipe at her own temples. "Not a very good flyer, I'm afraid."

"We can always work on that," he countered easily.

"I'm good, thanks," Lily replied sweetly – and they were back at it again, having gained some space between themselves.

They appeared to be evenly matched (something that Lily found herself immensely proud of, a small part of her acknowledging James was a great dueler), when the sight of blue streak passed from behind her.

She did her best to duck instinctively, but failed when the spell from the newcomer hit her just above her hip.

"Took you this long to find me, Padfoot?" James goaded with a breathless laugh, raising his wand against the other boy.

"I let you have a head start," Sirius retorted with a wry smile.

James's responding scoff set him off and they began to parry; moving forward and backwards with skilled movements.

They were both too distracted to notice Lily unfreeze; she contemplated tagging them both for a gleeful moment, but decided to defer to whoever won their spar, turning to flee as quickly and inconspicuously as she could, hoping that neither would catch sight of her as she retreated.

Besides, she still needed to recover from her and James's melee.

She circled back towards the grand staircases skipping down the steps carefully as she checked the scoreboard – Marlene, Peter, and herself had pulled ahead, now in first place.

With a smirk, she noticed the score of James, Alice, and Dorcas's team raise – curious to know if it were James who had just earned his team points. There was only a half hour left of the game now, still leaving the other teams plenty of time to gain points.

Her high hopes and wishing were not wasted; she, Marlene, and Peter pulled through the clear winners. The larger group came together in the Entrance Hall; overall in good spirits.

"Cheers!" Marlene smiled excitedly, arms wrapped around Lily and Peter's shoulders. "Knew we could do it!"

"Nicely done," Lily said warmly to Peter, sharing a smile.

"Took your advice on doing what I do best; kept hidden and out of the way," he revealed.

She frowned a little, feeling as though he missed the purpose of the game (to tag); but granted him leniency as it was only their second game. "That's great, Peter. Maybe next time we can get you to venture out and get some tags."

He nodded sheepishly. "For sure." He moved to check on Sirius, who was looking awfully put out as he leaned against the staircases' railing away from the group, curiously pulling out a piece of parchment from his pocket. He and Peter conversed quietly, but Lily turned to congratulate James, Dorcas and Alice on their second place status as Remus and Emmeline looked mighty pleased, both sharing stories of their fun, clearly not taking the game quite as serious as Sirius had.

"No injuries tonight?" James asked her.

Lily made a show of checking herself over. "None today."

"Thank Merlin for the small miracles," Marlene teased.

"Miracles," Sirius groused, coming closer as he stuffed his hands into his trouser's pockets. "Let's get back before Filch catches us. I think he's on the prowl."

The group grumbled, tense in their nervousness as they departed for the Gryffindor tower.

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

The impending Quidditch Game carried the group's (and the rest of the school's) high spirits into the weekend. It was the first of the season: Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff.

The dawn of Saturday also brought the true first signs of fall weather; the outside cold air seemed to seep into the castle's walls. Lily dressed in a warm, red sweater (representing the team, of course) and a pair of denim jeans to ward off the cold she knew they'd be experiencing in the stands.

As expected, the Gryffindor Team was already down at breakfast, dressed in their uniforms, sans gear, well into their meals as James forced them to prepare.

"One more piece of toast," he encouraged Danvers. "You've barely eaten your eggs. Listen, team, just because Labre is banned from the game doesn't mean we can take it easy."

"We get it, Prongs," Sirius groaned, rubbing at his temple. "We're not going to slack off just because their best teammate is off the pitch."

James rolled his eyes, tossing him a biscuit. "Have some extra carbs, Black. You're going to need them against Gregors and Laghari."

Sirius took a dutiful bite, chewing noisily towards their captain.

"Seems a bit tense," Lily commented quietly to Marlene as she took the seat beside her.

Marlene snorted. "I think James's wanting to prove himself – winning the first game sets us up for the rest of the season."

She hummed in acknowledgement, not envious of the role. "How much time before you need to head down to the pitch?"

"Probably five minutes, if that," Marlene murmured, glancing towards James as he leaned in to speak into Blanchet's, their third Chaser's, 7th Year, ear. "If I hear the word feint one more time…"

Lily laughed into her goblet of juice.

"Alright, team! Weather seems favorable, but we should get onto our brooms as soon as possible to test wind direction and strength."

Marlene gave Lily a look with raised eyebrows, 'See?' and dropped an uneaten piece of fruit onto her plate. "Catch you after."

"Good luck, guys," she offered, as the teammates set down their utensils and stood from the table.

Sirius gave her a confident smile. "Thanks, Evs. We won't need it."

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"But we'll take it regardless," James said hastily, gracing her with an appreciative smile.

She watched as they departed the Great Hall, accepting well-wishes and other positive farewells from the Gryffindor table.

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

It appeared that the Gryffindor team did not, in fact, need good luck, as Sirius had stated. Despite the chilled air that no doubt made their fingers achingly numb (Lily had to cast a warming spell twice), the Gryffindor team pulled ahead by 80 points and then an additional 150 when their seeker, 4th Year Davies, caught the snitch that ended the game.

"Two wins in one week?" Marlene said cheekily later that evening, pulling a long drink from her goblet. "Not too bad!"

Lily laughed with a shake of her head, unconcerned by Marlene's carelessness in referencing the Game – the celebratory party was in full swing, the loud music nearly drowning out their voices whenever they spoke. "Call the astronomers," she teased. "The stars must be aligned."

Marlene raised her cup as the next younger classmate came to congratulate her. "You were bloody amazing!" the slight boy with blonde hair cried over the noise.

"I know!" she crowed. "Thanks!"

The boy looked pleased to have gotten her enthusiastic response, turning tail and escaping back towards his small group of friends.

"I guess the younger students aren't all that bad," Marlene mused, taking another drink.

Lily laughed, leaning her head back onto the couch they were lounging. "Of course you'd think that now."

"What?" Marlene demanded seriously. "I've always thought that."

She laughed again, harder, covering her face to hide the sound as she struggled to control it.

"And what's so funny over here?" Sirius's voice called.

Lily peered between her fingers to catch sight of Sirius, hair tied back by a school tie, shirtless, except for his shoulder pad and chest brace piece. She fell into another fit of laughter.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to have fun without me?" he continued, leaning over the back of the couch.

"As if you invented fun," Marlene snarked, tossing her empty cup towards him.

He caught it clumsily, proudly displaying it when he righted it in his grip. "As a matter of fact, yes, I did."

Marlene snorted loudly, which set Lily off again.

"What's up with her?"

Marlene shrugged, settling further into the couch. "Beats me. Literally nothing funny happened."

Sirius guffawed. "Exactly! Because I wasn't here."

"Merlin, I have never known such arrogance."

"It's a hereditary trait."

"Hereditarily a pain in the ass?"

"That, too."

"Oh my god, stop flirting," Lily gasped between stuttered breaths, eyes watering at the corners.

The two scoffed in disgust.

"Yeah, right," Marlene retorted. "I'm getting another drink. Lily, lay off the giggle water, for Agrippa's sake." She stood and left the two behind.

"I only had a sip! Ogden's too strong for me," Lily admitted, setting aside the cup with a grin.

Sirius came around the back of the couch to collapse into the seat beside her. "Hear, hear," he conceded, picking up her cup.

"Hang on," she stopped him, grabbing it back to take another gulp. It warmed her chest, sliding into her belly and warding off the chill she still felt in her bones. Another giggle escaped. "Here," she snickered, handing him back the cup.

"Thanks," he replied dryly, taking a large drink and releasing a bark of laughter. "Merlin, you're right. Way better than whiskey."

"Thank you," she exclaimed in appreciation.

"Of course!"

"Hey, where's –"

Sirius gave her a look.

"– everyone else," she finished hastily, choking on a giggle.

He leaned back into his seat, reaching his arm out so that it rested on the back of the couch behind her head. The shoulder pad pressed into her cheek. "Ah, wonderful question, my effervescent Evs."

"Clever," she replied as deadpanned as possible.

"Remus and Peter are near the drinks table," he pointed the two out, where they were chatting with a few other students. "McKinnon just joined them – Vance's chatting with Danvers by the fireplace, Alice and Frank are up in the 7th Year boy's dorm – and Meadowes is out with that other 7th Year girl – the Ravenclaw? In the seventh floor broom closet."

"How could you possibly know all of that?"

He shrugged. "I have my ways."

"But –"

"Just joking, of course," he chided, as if she truly believed he was clairvoyant. "I only assume Meadowes is out with that bird. I've seen 'em around."

"Uh-huh," she said, a bit suspicious.

"But of course you want to know where Prongsie's at, don't you?"

"I didn't –"

He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "James is over by the record player with the rest of the team, celebrating his first victory as Quidditch Captain. You might want to take a look and savor the sight."

"Why would you say that?" she asked defensively.

"Evs, just take a gander," he ordered with a smug look, reaching over to adjust her gaze by gripping her chin between his forefinger and thumb.

Her line of sight shifted, focusing on the alcove that housed the said marauder, surrounded by the rest of his teammates. Her eyes widened.

James had taken off his jersey and tied it around his shoulders, leaving his chest bare, except for the large 1 written in scarlet across the skin there. His hair had been slicked back, glasses crooked over the bridge of his nose as he leaned forward to clap a hand on Blanchet's shoulder in a laudatory manner.

He threw his head back and laughed at Blachet's response, the movement lengthening his torso – the muscles across his stomach contracting. He had abs?

Had she never noticed how well defined his muscles were? Obviously not. It wasn't like he walked around without a shirt on. But God's mercy….

"What was that?" Sirius inquired with an evil grin.

"I – oh, shut it," she grumbled, turning away from the scene to reach over and grab her cup back.

"Tsch," Sirius mimicked, raising his hands and imitating a claw-like movement. "Tsch, tsch."

"What the hell is that?" she giggled.

"It's that – thing – chimera? Camera? To help save the memory."

She scoffed, loudly. "I could murder you, Black," she vowed in forced indifference, despite her cheeks warming.

He snickered.

"What'd did I miss?" Marlene interrupted with a contented sigh, letting herself collapse onto the couch between the two.

"Making fond, fond memories," Sirius provided with a mischievous grin towards Lily.

"To memories!" Marlene called to the larger room.

Dutifully, the rest of the students raised their cups, chorused, "Memories!"

When James looked over towards them sprawled out on the couch, Lily purposefully stared into her cup, avoiding his gaze.

"Memories," Sirius repeated in a wry voice.