Disclaimer I do not own these characters, they belong to JKR

Lily's head pounded when she came to awareness. Her stomach rolled when she moved even slightly. At her back there was a solid line of warmth. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking the last remnants of sleep away. A groan sounded from the warmth she was tucked into. "Bloody fucking hell, I am never drinking again," James complained, rolling away from Lily and clutching his head with both hands. Lily shivered at the sudden absence of heat.

"Mate, you say that every time," Frank informed him from an armchair across from Lily's limited line of sight. Alice was curled in his lap snoring softly. A long loud groan interrupted whatever James's reply was going to be. Lily and James both leaned over the side of the bed to see Marlene and Dorcas curled up with a shaggy black dog in between them.

"James?"

"Yes, Lily-flower?"

"When the hell did you get a bloody dog?" James elected not to reply and simply laid back down on the bed. Marlene sat up slowly. A loud knock roused Emmeline and Mary who were sleeping straight up against a bed pole. They startled hard enough that they fell to the floor behind them. Lily laughed softly.

"Good morning everyone. How does everyone feel?" Remus asked, levitating a tray behind him.

"Piss off with the cheeriness, Rem. You know exactly how we feel," Dorcas stated, glaring. Mary sat up and looked around.

"I swear Sirius was here when I passed out? Where the hell is he?" The dog barked softly and wagged its tail. Remus glared at it.

"He's puking his guts out, so I don't think he needs any hangover potion." The dog barked angrily. Remus raised an eyebrow and the dog whined softly. Lily watched this exchange with raised eyebrows.

"Do the rest of us get some?" Alice asked, no one had noticed her waking. She stood and stretched slowly. Remus smiled at her. He levitated the drinks to each person. Lily's head stopped pounding and her stomach didn't roll angrily. She slid out from under the covers. Cool air hit her bare legs and stomach. Where. The. Fuck. Is. My. SHIRT? How the hell didn't we notice that before? Now that Lily was aware of her state of undress she noted that all her friends were missing at least one item. James was down to only his pants.

"What the fuck did we do last night?" Lily mumbled.

"Honestly, who the fuck knows?" Dorcas huffed, blowing her blonde, what the hell? How did that happen?, hair out of her face.

"Has anyone seen my trousers?" James asked. Lily grabbed them from under the bed. As she handed them to him she noted how close they were sitting. "Oh, here's your shirt, Lily-flower." He leaned towards her. She blushed when his hand brushed her bare skin. Control yourself, woman. Or don't. Could be fun. CONTROL!

"Thank you, I'm uh, going to go, uh, yeah," she stuttered out hurrying from the room. She sat heavily on her bed, still half-dressed. This is getting ridiculous, I agree. We. Need. To. Figure. Ourselves. The. Fuck. Out. Also true. He's sweet to us, he is hot as fuck, he didn't make fun of us for our epic breakdown, the abs, the abs, the stupid hair that makes him so charming, he makes us laugh, I don't see any problem with us liking him, the past? He bullied and always pushed us. I thought it was charming that he didn't give up the chase. The chase? That's all it is to him. I doubt - protect the heart. At ALL costs. She sighed and shoved her face in her pillows. She ignored the door opening and the sudden weight across her back. "You keep hanging out with me and James will get jealous," she told Sirius who had decided placing his cold bare feet against her calves was a smart decision.

"I doubt it, he knows my heart is Remmy's. You okay, Red?"

"'M fine, you're heavy," Lily complained. Sirius wriggled.

"I am not. Don't you lie to me, Little Red Riding Hood," he said, pressing his back into hers, which was comforting in a way she did not expect.

"I will be, Si. Did you draw the short straw to see if I was okay?"

"No, I volunteered, the girls are waiting for the okay to come in. I think James is really worried. And Remus hovers, you know?" Lily nodded.

"I'm not really up to seeing James right now," she whispered. Sirius sighed.

"He's not going to put up with being ignored after you two being all chummy," he informed her. She let out a long sigh. "I'll tell the girls to come on, I'll tell James you just want to sleep." He moved to get up.

"Can you stay? I mean, if you want to go, you can," Lily asked, voice softening and trailing off at the end. Sirius smiled. He nodded and sent off a Patronus. The girls came bursting in a moment later, Chewy clutched in Mary's arms. They all crowded around her snuggling close, disregarding personal space and ignoring the lack of dress. Sirius stayed firmly on her back with Chewy on his chest. After Lily fell asleep James and Remus poked their heads in. Sirius shooed James off. Remus's face softened and floated a hangover potion to Sirius. Sirius smiled gratefully and blew him a kiss. Remus rolled his eyes and shut the door softly after him.

The whole avoiding James thing worked, mostly, for about a week and a half. He cornered her in the bathroom with the whole kicked puppy look. "Lily, have I done something to upset you? I didn't mean to. Just tell me what it is and I'll back off promise." Her heart melted and she felt her self-defenses crumbling. "It's just, well, you don't even look at me during Prefect meetings, not since we all hung out together."

"I'm sorry, I've been thinking, lost in thought, you know?" He perked up slightly.

"I know how to fix that. Come on." Not giving her the chance to protest he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the Quidditch pitch.

"Oh no, no, no, no. I don't fly, James," she protested. He pouted and made puppy dog eyes at her.

"Please, Lily-flower." She shook her head at him. He sighed and mounted his broom. He flew a few laps and then scooped her up.

"JAMES POTTER!" she screamed. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her.

"Hold on."

"JAMES! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" she screeched, clutching the broom handle tightly. She screamed when he took them into a dive. "FUCK! I'M GOING TO FUCKING DIE! HOLY MOTHER OF SHIT!"

"Evans! You have a mouth on you, don't you?"

"WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL ME I DO!" He laughed at her.

"Relax, Lils. I won't let anything happen to you, love. Trust me," he said directly into her ear. She closed her eyes tightly, not allowing herself to relax. "Trust me," he repeated. She focused on the feeling of the wind whipping her face, the sun shining brightly on them. Slowly, she opened her eyes, laughing at the feeling of going fast and racing past everything. They flew for what felt like hours.

"I can't feel my arse. Like, it's pain. Is it always like this?" Lily asked him as soon as she touched solid ground.

"You get used to it," he shrugged. She stared at him incredulously. He laughed at her. I can't believe I am saying this but holy fuck I missed his laugh aw yes, look at that smile. She joined in, laughing until they were breathless. "I'm glad you are back Lils," he told her. She grinned at him.

"It's hard to get rid of me."

"JAMES! Where have you been? Sirius has been looking all over for you. He got a letter and it seemed really important," Frank ran up to them. James cursed and ran to the castle ruffling through his pocket for something. Lily and Frank ran after him, following him back to the Heads dorms. Sirius was on the couch head in hands with Remus sitting beside him.

"They're gone, James. They haven't checked in. It's been days," Sirius said, voice devoid of any life.

"No, no, no, no," James mumbled to himself on repeat. He tugged Sirius up from the couch and hugged him. Both boys grabbing each other's shirts desperately. A sob came from them, startling Lily. Remus stood, gesturing for Frank and Lily to leave. Lily crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Frank left silently. The two remaining managed to get the boys to James's bed where they curled up together tightly. Lily shut the door behind her.

"Fuck, Rem. What happened?" Lily asked. Remus sighed heavily, sinking into the couch.

"The Potters are missing."
"Oh, Merlin." Lily curled up to Remus on the couch. They hugged each other, minds occupied over their two despondent friends.

A letter came from Mr. and Mrs. Potter three days later, the boys lightened considerably. A party was thrown in their honor. Anyone fifth-year and up was invited and everyone but the Slytherins showed up. Alcohol and butterbeer was flowing freely by the time Lily made her way to the Gryffindor common room. James and Sirius were dancing on a table topless, Remus was sighing but recording it all on a muggle camera, Frank was bartending, and Peter was nowhere to be found. Marlene, Dorcas, Mary, and Emmeline were dancing to the wireless. Alice was sitting at the makeshift bar, keeping Frank company. "LILY! MY SWEET LILY! E'ERYONE LOOO! HEAD GIRL IS HEREEEE!" James yelled and the crowd cheered. Lily laughed at his antics as he almost fell off the table to get to her.

"Hello, Potter. How much have you drank?" He shrugged in reply and pulled her to the bar.

"Can ne'er have 'oo mush," he slurred.

"You have."

"Pre-preposerous."

"That's not even a word," Lily informed him, taking a shot at his insistence. He mumbled incoherently. He pulled her back to the table where Sirius had now pulled Marlene and Dorcas up with him. "Oh, Merlin this is going to be disastrous."

"Yes, it will be," Remus told her as James clambered back onto the table. "Cheers to being sober." She laughed. James frowned, beckoning Lily to him.

"Yes?" He kissed both her cheeks sloppily. Then nodded in affirmation to himself and went back to dancing. Remus raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged. As the night dragged on, James plastered himself closer to Lily. He kissed her cheeks, forehead, neck, anywhere he could get to. Lily endured it with all her usual charm. She helped him back to their dorms, shushing him at every corridor. She tried to put him in his bed and he tugged her in with him. He wrapped around her like an octopus and sighed happily.

"Lils, you look real pretty tonight. Love you," he mumbled before falling asleep and snoring loudly. BACK UP. Did he seriously just? LOVE ? Oh, merlin's saggy balls. We are in some deep shit.

Hey! Happy Valentine's Day! Also this one is shorter but I did add scenes so yay? Anyway, school still sucks, the weather is kicking my ass. Lily cursinf so much in this chapter is based on how I would react in a situation like that. I am deathly afraid of heights and I also have the mouth of a sailor. :)

Hope you enjoyed it!

Love

M