Lily had fallen asleep before ten – a rare feat these days – only to be shaken awake an hour later by her friends, all four of the girls leering over her as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"What's going on?"

"You've got to get dressed," Mary informed her with glee. Marlene tossed a pile of clothes onto the bed.

"We picked out your outfit just in case."

"Am I being kidnapped?" Lily had no interest in whatever it was her friends had planned, wanting terribly to fall back down onto her pillow and sleep. Of course, she had no choice in the matter. It was eleven p.m., an hour before January 30th – Lily Evan's 18th birthday.

"Hurry up!" Emmeline insisted. "We need to get out of the castle while we still have time…"

"Out of the castle? It's freezing outside!" Lily complained. She climbed - unwillingly – from beneath her covers and began changing into the clothing Marlene had chosen. Jeans and a cable knit white sweater with thick fuzzy socks. At the very least, it was practical.

"Stop complaining. You'll be pleased once you see what James has planned for you," Alice interjected. She already had her coat on, buttoned all the way up.

"Knowing that James is the one who planned this all only scares me more."

Marlene had Lily's suede coat in her hands, tossing it at her friend once she was dressed. "Trust me, it's good." Lily was too tired, and grumpy from being shaken awake, to trust anyone.

With much complaining, she followed her friends downstairs and into the Common Room where Remus and Peter awaited, coats and scarves already on.

"Happy Birthday," Peter smiled at Lily. Lily could be grumpy with just about anyone right now but not Peter – especially not when he looked up at her so earnestly, his smile sincere.

"Thanks, Pete," she replied, opening her arms for a hug.

Remus had the Marauder's Map out and used it to ensure they didn't run into any lurking Professors on their way out of the castle. No matter how many questions Lily asked, no one would provide any answers as to what they were doing. She could only imagine what sort of elaborate scheme James had dreamt up. Lily had witnessed birthdays thrown by the Marauders from afar but never experienced one herself. Not until now.

Remus led the group from Gryffindor Tower, downstairs, out the main doors and into the courtyard. Lily walked with her arms wrapped around herself, face tucked into her coat to protect it from the cold. Not until they reached the bottom of the hill, and took the familiar path towards Hagrid's hut, did she realize where they were headed.

"The Quidditch Pitch?" Lily gawked. What the hell could they be doing there? Remus had his wand out, using it to guide their way safely through the dark, warning them of uprooted twigs and stones in their path. Lily was informed by Peter, as they passed by Hagrid's darkened hut, that the boys had received the Ground Keeper's okay to host their party on the pitch without any interruptions from him.

The Quidditch Pitch was dark – or at least appeared so – until Lily actually entered it. In the middle of the field stood a peaked white tent – which looked big enough only for two people – light glowing from inside of it. Remus approached it first, drawing back the flaps at the front of the tent which acted as its entrance. Only once she had stepped through herself could Lily hear the music and the sound of people talking, the inside of the tent four times bigger than its exterior.

Lanterns hung from above, lighting the space, a table filled with snacks, booze, and – of course – cake, sat in the middle of the room. There were comfortable, plush couches to sit on and round tables with chairs for two or three. The floors were lined with red Persian carpets and balloons. Lily had no clue how it had all been pulled together under her nose.

"Happy birthday, baby," James said, stepping forward to greet his girlfriend with a kiss. He was joined in the tent by Sirius, Frank, Gideon, and Leila too.

"How the hell did you pull this off?" Lily was still in awe. She had expected James to plan something but not this – he had completely surprised her.

"I had to make sure it was something you would never see coming," he informed her, grinning proudly. "Well, you're never down at the Quidditch Pitch unless there's a game."

"Sneaky bastard," Lily said, leaning in for a kiss. Any grumpiness she had previously felt had quickly faded now that she stood in her boyfriend's arms. How could she be mad about this? If anything, it was proof of the type of people Lily kept around her – friends who cared. She was grateful to have people who loved her enough to drag her out of bed in the middle of the night and celebrate her birthday.

"Now come on," Sirius said, speaking to the room, "let's have a toast to our birthday girl." He popped a bottle of prosecco and began filling up a tray of flutes, which floated via magic around the room, each person taking a glass for themselves.

"To Lily Evans!" Marlene began. "the best friend a girl could ask for."

"The most talented witch in our year!" added Alice.

"Happy Birthday, to the woman I love," James followed, cheesy as always. Lily rolled her eyes and blushed, embarrassed with all of the attention she was receiving, though it was the best birthday she could remember in years.

"Thank you," Lily whispered to James as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "It means a lot to me, all of this."

"Nonsense," James leaned in, kissing the tip of Lily's button nose. "It is only a fraction of what you deserve."

It was impossible to put into words just how much Lily appreciated James at that moment. It was baffling, truly, that she had spent so many years pushing him away, hoping that he might one day give up and leave her alone when James Potter was now the only man on earth who could make her feel special.


After counting down to midnight – beginning Lily's official birthday - the inside of the tent got hot and sweaty as everyone started dancing, growing rowdier the drunker that they got. Alcohol flowed endlessly – as it always did at a Marauders' party – and Alice found herself feeling claustrophobic, trapped around so many drunk people, trying her hardest to ignore Frank ( sitting on a couch with Gideon) and Leila (glaring at her from Remus' side).

Alice was standing with Mary and Emmeline, feeling herself grow flush and anxious the longer she stood there, trying not to let her gaze wander towards Frank, sitting just across the room.

"I can't understand why every other Professor will allow an extension on my assignments except for Professor Binns," Emmeline was complaining, sipping Firewhiskey from a red plastic cup. Alice could feel her brow begin to bead with sweat.

"I think I might grab some air," she announced suddenly. She did not wait for her friends to respond. Instead, Alice made a beeline for the coat rack near the entrance to the tent and quickly exited the party. It was freezing outside, and the grass was covered in snow, but Alice hardly noticed the cold as she sat down, laying back, arms and legs spread out like a starfish. Above her was a clear sky, full of stars, the big dipper just to her right, clearly visible.

When she was younger, Alice had gone on camping trips with her parents. They would cook over the fire, take baths in the lake and finish every day with smores and campfire songs. What Alice had loved most of all were the nights they would spend lying out on the beach, searching for shooting stars as her father named the constellations which hung in the sky above them. If she focused only on what was above her, Alice could almost pretend, she was there now…

"Alice?"

She shot up, head-turning to the side to find Frank lingering near the tent's entrance. "You alright?" he asked, slowly approaching.

"Fine," Alice lied, trying to pull herself together even though she'd been near tears a second ago. The last person she wanted to stumble upon her in such a vulnerable state was Frank.

"Can I join you?" He was already standing next to her.

"Sure," Alice shrugged – even though the very proximity of Frank made her stomach fill with butterflies.

"I thought perhaps we should talk," he explained, settling on the snowy ground beside her, his knees drawn up towards his chest, breath expelling from his mouth in clouds of white smoke. "Cecily and I…"

"Frank." Alice clenched her eyes shut, wishing away the conversation she could feel coming. "I don't need an explanation."

"I really don't want to hurt you."

"I know," Alice gulped. "I never wanted to hurt you either but…I did…" she opened her eyes again, looking once more to Frank. "Didn't I?"

Now it was his turn to avert his gaze. "Yeah," he kept a straight face as he answered, "I suppose so."

"If Cecily makes you happy then I think you should be with her." It broke Alice's heart to say it. In fact, the very words stuck in the back her throat, making her voice crack painfully as she forced them out. "You deserve to be happy." Alice could feel the tears returning, vision beginning to blur.

"Al…"

"It's okay," she persisted, drawing herself back up onto her feet, brushing the snow from the back of her coat and jeans. The last thing Alice wanted to do was cry in front of Frank over his new relationship. "I understand that you have to move on…" Alice knew she had only herself to blame for the ache in her chest. She blinked back her tears, turning to leave, but Frank rushed to stand up, drawing Alice back towards him by her hand so that she crashed into his chest before their lips met suddenly, a passionate kiss ensuing. Alice was in awe as they pulled apart slowly, Frank's hands still cupping her face.

"What does that mean?" she asked breathlessly.

"It means I still don't know what the hell I'm doing," Frank admitted, pulling away to go head back into the tent.


Remus walked Leila back to her dorm just after one a.m., when the party had ended. She held his hand the whole way up to the castle, the two of them keeping close for warmth. Remus had been happy to invite his girlfriend to the party. He liked including Leila in his life, but it was difficult when he noticed the conflict bubbling beneath the surface between Leila and Alice. Remus had watched all night as Leila did her best to avoid Alice, averting her gaze and ignoring her in group conversations. It was the same behaviour she'd displayed before they left for the break – when she thought Remus and Alice were sneaking around – but Remus had hoped they'd finally put that past them for good.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked Leila when they were standing before the stack of barrels which marked the entrance to the Hufflepuff Basement. Leila nodded, smiling up at her boyfriend.

"I love hanging out with you and your friends," she told him, leaning in for a kiss.

"And everything is okay?" Remus clarified as they drew apart, watching her face closely, "between you and Alice?"

Leila's smile faltered, her eyes dropping to her feet. Finally, the gig was up. "I suppose," she mumbled, "as long as there is nothing going on between you two—"

"You know there isn't." Remus could not believe it – she still thought, somehow, despite everything he had told her, that he was secretly in love with Alice. "She's my friend. Nothing more. This has been the worst year of her life and I'm trying to be there for her."

"It's not unfair for me to be suspicious," Leila snapped, stepping away. "You became friends veery quickly."

"We've always run in the same friend group." Remus was tired of defending himself – most especially when Leila was the only girl he ever thought about. She was the one he had fought to have in his life, not Alice, and now he was finding he needed to prove himself, daily, to his girlfriend. "You have to trust me, Leila."

"I'm trying. There have been a lot of secrets between us…"

"Not anymore," Remus reassured her, "I'm an open book—"

"Now," Leila reminded him sharply. "For months you kept me in the dark, Remus. You let me think the worst. You left me—"

"I know," he sighed, giving up on the argument the moment he noticed Leila's brown eyes flood with tears. "I'm sorry." She turned her head away from him, snuffling. He felt horrible just seeing her upset, and even worse because he had started the argument. Remus took a tentative step forward, reaching out for Leila's shoulder. "I understand why you have trust issues," he conceded. "I just ask that you remember that I am in love with you and only you."

Slowly, Leila's teary-eyed gaze returned to Remus, her face softening again. "I love you too," she told him, stepping into his arms once more. "I don't want to fight…"

"Me neither," Remus agreed, feeling the tension in his body begin to release as they stood there, embracing one another, things slowly returning back to normal.

"Maybe the best thing to do, for now, is to keep some distance from Alice?" Leila suggested, catching Remus off guard. "At least until things between us get back to normal…"

"Keep some…distance?" Remus repeated as they pulled apart, Leila looking up at him hopefully.

"Yeah," she nodded, "like, maybe don't hang out with Alice every day. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect her to back off a bit now that we are back together…" Remus could see that Leila was gearing up for another disagreement. She would not accept anything except for an agreement from Remus.

"I suppose…" he granted. "I'll talk to her." At the very least that bought him some time to explain things to Alice and try to make Leila see reason. That seemed to make her happy.

"Okay," Leila agreed, standing on her toes to give Remus a final kiss goodbye. "I love you."

"Love you too…" he replied, watching her disappear into the narrow tunnel which appeared behind one of the barrels, leading into the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Remus stood there, still stunned by Leila's request, trying to figure out how on earth he was supposed to tell Alice, the sweetest person he knew, that they could no longer be friends. The whole thing was insane. Remus started back up towards Gryffindor Tower, his head spinning, a terrible pit in his stomach telling him that everything about this was wrong. There was nothing, nothing, going on between Remus and Alice. The very thought was insane to him. Alice was head over heels for Frank, everyone knew it. He loved Leila. He had fought for their relationship and now – when all his cards were finally on the table – she no longer trusted him.

The whole situation was maddening, and Remus was completely absorbed in his worries, barely paying attention as he took the most obscure route back to Gryffindor Tower – trying to avoid any lurking Professors. Of course, it was not a Professor who came striding down the corridor towards him – Remus' heart landing in his throat - but a tall, dark-haired Witch dressed in all black.

"Isn't it past your curfew?" Dorcas Meadowes inquired, pausing a few feet away from Remus, head cocked curiously to the side.

"I've never been much of a stickler for rules," he replied, making her smile.

"I suppose I knew that."

"I didn't know Dumbledore had visitors after hours."

"Dumbledore does whatever Dumbledore likes," Dorcas informed him, "he is Headmaster after all." She tucked her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, studying Remus closely before adding, "you alright?"

"Fine, why?"

"I don't know…you look…"

"Sickly? There was just a full moon last week," he reminded her, smirking slightly. Dorcas simply rolled her eyes, head shaking, and Remus gave in. "I just got in a fight with my girlfriend," he admitted to her. "We're having some… trust issues."

"Ah," Dorcas licked her lips, nodding with recognition. "I've been there."

"She thinks that Alice and I are secretly in love or something." Dorcas' eyebrows rose.

"Are you?"

"Piss off."

She chuckled. "I mean, it doesn't take a genius to realize that Alice is still madly in love with Frank. She doesn't look at anyone else."

"That's what I said," Remus sighed exasperatedly. "She thinks I need to take a break from Alice."

"Seriously?"

"It seems silly, doesn't it?"

"It does, though, as someone who has been in your girlfriend's shoes, trust is a hard thing to rebuild." Remus' shoulders fell. "It might help her if you did, you know, create some distance between Alice and yourself for a little while. Just to prove you are serious about regaining her trust."

"I guess that makes sense…" Remus still hated the idea of pushing Alice aside, especially right now, when she was more vulnerable than ever.

"Look, no one is ever completely rational when it comes to love," Dorcas reasoned with him, "sometimes you have to do crazy things to prove to a person how you really feel."

"Are you an Auror or a therapist?" Remus teased her.

"I am simply a girl who has had her heart broken many a time," she confessed. "I've got lots of experience in the relationships department."

"Who would break your heart?" Remus found himself blurting out, flushing anxiously once he realized what he had said.

"You'd be surprised." He couldn't imagine a guy that would turn his back on a girl like Dorcas – who seemed effortlessly cool and endlessly understanding.

"You should get back to your dorm before Filch spots you," Dorcas suggested then, standing up a little straighter. "Even I can't get you out of that detention."

"When will I see you again?" Remus asked her. He found himself wanting to stand there longer, carrying on a conversation with Dorcas for hours. He felt as though he could talk to her about anything.

"I'm always around," she said with a grin. "We'll see each other again soon I'm sure."

"Hey," Remus stopped her as she strode past him, towards the end of the hall. Dorcas glanced back over her shoulder.

"Thank you, for the advice."

"Anytime," she winked, Remus watching her disappear around the darkened bend in the corridor.


Marlene could barely keep her eyes open in Transfiguration class the following morning. She sat at her desk beside Alice, eyes flickering open and shut as her friend gave her nudges from across the table to keep her alert. Marlene had been one of the last to leave the Quidditch Pitch last night – having helped to take down the tent and put away the extra food and drink from the party. By the time she even got to bed, it was half-past three and now, at nine in the morning, she was exhausted.

"When did you leave last night?" she asked Alice, yawning. They had the last fifteen minutes of class to complete the questions Professor McGonagall and put up on the blackboard for them, the room buzzing with noise.

"I don't know. Early," Alice shrugged. "Right after the cake?"

"Was it because of Frank?"

Marlene had warned James that inviting Frank was a mistake. Alice was a closer friend of Lily's than Frank was and if anything, Marlene felt that Alice deserved more of a chance to let loose and celebrate with her friends - carefree.

"It wasn't Frank's fault," Alice's gaze was focused on the notebook in front of her. "I mean…yes…him being there wasn't easy, but, it's not his fault. It's not anyone's fault but my own."

"At some point you know, you're going to have to stop hating yourself," Marlene reminded her friend pointedly, both of them returning to their work for the rest of class. They had Defence Against the Dark Arts next – a long ten-minute journey across the castle and up to one of the highest towers. The stairs always left Marlene's thighs aching. She dreaded the trip as the bell rang, signalling the end of class, and slowly began shoving her books back into the tote bag she carried with her.

"McKinnon," came Professor McGonagall's commanding tone, "a word please."

"I'll meet you upstairs," Alice told Marlene, gathering up her things to follow the rest of the students out of the classroom. Marlene approached Professor McGonagall's desk ready to be scolded for repeatedly falling asleep in class.

"Your plan is to work with The Prophet, is it not?" she asked Marlene, barely looking up from the piece of parchment she was scrawling something onto.

"Yes."

"Well, you do realize that your grades in the fall were less than satisfactory?" Professor McGonagall noted, frowning up at Marlene, green eyes narrowed behind her square-framed glasses. "I know it was a difficult term, your grades inevitably slipped, but if you're to get the grades you need on your N.E.W.T…"

"I'll need to work twice as hard," Marlene concurred, her stomach knotting anxiously. She'd realized, of course, that her grades had slipped the previous term – though considering all she went through it was astounding she had even managed to make it to class.

"If you're going to be accepted into the Daily Prophet's early writers' program, you'll need outstanding grades in all of your current courses."

Marlene had wanted to be a writer from the time she was a little girl. Ever since she had started at Hogwarts she had announced proudly, to anyone who would listen, that she hoped to follow up her time at school with a career in investigative journalism with The Daily Prophet. Of course, that was before the Wizarding World had slipped into a nasty war which left no life untouched. Was writing for a newspaper really what Marlene wanted to do now?

"I'll work twice as hard," she assured Professor McGonagall, who still looked unconvinced. "I can do it, I promise."

"I know you're capable of it," McGonagall agreed, dismissing Marlene so that she still had enough time to make it up to Defence Against the Dark Arts before the final bell rang.

Marlene had been working for seven years now to achieve a career in journalism, wanting nothing more than to be a writer, but could that really fulfil her now, when war was raging and people that she knew were in harm's way? Marlene had been given a taste of action and truth be told, she craved more of it now. Writing was her passion. She had not wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, no matter how often she was told that she too would make an outstanding Auror.

Everything had been so simple when Marlene had started Hogwarts at eleven. Back then, she had seven years before she had to figure things out. Her future seemed filled with opportunity, but now? Marlene felt trapped. She could continue to work for the future she had once dreamt of or she could find the courage to forge a new path. Perhaps the reason she had not worked harder to achieve the right grades the last term was because she didn't really care anymore? Being a writer seemed a fine option in a world where such luxuries could exist. Currently, that was not Marlene's reality.

She entered Defence Against the Dark Arts, sliding into her seat beside Alice, who raised her eyebrows curiously as Marlene joined her.

"My grades are shit," she informed her friend, not a hint of shame. Marlene had been kidnapped – whose grades wouldn't slip?

"Is McGonagall worried about you?"

"Who isn't worried about us?" Marlene sighed, glancing about the room, filled with some of her closest friends, most of whom – like her – had already been scarred by the war. "We're doomed. All of us."

"Don't say that!"

"We're a generation of soldiers," Marlene concluded, speaking quietly so only Alice could hear. "That's what we are trained to be." She wanted so badly a life of normalcy – a nice flat to herself somewhere in London, where she could easily access the Daily Prophet's office, maybe a cat. The only chance she had at getting a shot at such a life was to fight. She would need to fight for the future she wanted if it was ever to arrive.


Lily's late-night birthday party was not the last surprise that James had up his sleeve. He had also planned a romantic dinner, for just the two of them, the night of her birthday. Merri – one of the house-elves in the kitchen who liked James best – helped prepare a basket of bread, cheeses, fruits, and sweet jams. There were cookies for dessert, and she had even secured two bottles of butterbeer. James had never been so grateful.

He had planned the whole thing out perfectly – something intimate and quiet – just the two of them. He had spread out a picnic blanket in the middle of his room – pushing aside all the furniture – and set it up like a picnic (or as close as one could get to a picnic in January). James loved the look of pure surprise on Lily's face when he walked her into his dorm room, eyes covered, and showed her the room.

"Babe! You didn't need to do this!"

"I wanted to celebrate, just the two of us," he said, wrapping his arms around Lily's waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. "I love you, Evans. Happy Birthday."

"I love you," she replied, turning her head for a quick kiss before she made a beeline for the blanket full of food. James had wanted to celebrate with friends – to honour Lily's request that they try and remember to come up for air – but neither could he resist spoiling his favourite girl alone. Nothing made him happier than seeing Lily's face light up with joy.

"You know," she said, slicing herself a piece of brie cheese to add to her bread, "this might be the best birthday I've ever had."

"Oh please. I'm sure there was at least one childhood party that blew you off your feet."

"Maybe," Lily shrugged, "but no one ever made me feel like this."

James' head tilted curiously. "Like what?"

"Like the most important person in the world." Lily's pale cheeks grew rosy red, her eyes flickering down towards her lap. "It probably seems kind of stupid," she said, voice dropping. "I mean… it's just… you have this way of making me feel…wanted."

James could feel his face fall, his lips turning down. "You're wanted by a lot of people, Lily," he reminded her, reaching for one of her hands.

"There was a long time in my life where I just felt like a burden," Lily admitted to him. "Sometimes I still think it would've been easier if I'd just…been normal."

"Normal is relative, you're incredibly normal to me." Truth be told, James sometimes struggled to understand what Lily meant when she tried to describe her experience as the only witch in a muggle family. He had never been an outsider within his own world, looked down upon and judged for his magic, in fact, he'd grown up rather privileged within the wizarding world.

"Well, perhaps that is why I love you," Lily told him. "You make me feel normal. For the first time in my life. I never want that to end." Finally, her green eyes returned to meet James' gaze.

"Are you proposing to me?" he baited her, Lily chuckling with a shake of her head.

"Don't joke."

"What if I proposed?" James challenged boldly. "What would you say?" It was just a random question, though still, one which had begun rattling about in his brain for weeks, as his relationship with Lily continued to prosper. James had been in love with her from the time he was eleven years old. To him, forever with Lily Evans seemed inevitable.

"Are you proposing?" Lily went white as a ghost, mouth falling open. "Because that would be insane."

"Probably."

"We've only been dating for three months!" she exclaimed. "It's too soon."

"Not when you know." James was smiling smugly, unable to take his eyes off of the girl he loved, "and I've known since I met you."

"You're just an impulsive decision-maker," Lily informed her boyfriend, "you haven't considered all the logistics of marriage. We can't simply rush into it because we're in love—"

"Babe," James interrupted, slowing his girlfriend down. "I would like to clarify that I am not actually proposing right now." Lily relaxed the slightest.

"Okay…"

"I do, however, plan to propose to you someday, in the near future…" the look of panic returned to her eyes and James leaned in closer so that their foreheads nearly touched. "I love you, Lily Evans. There's no one else on this planet for me."

"Not until we're finished school," Lily stated definitively. "I won't be a teenage bride."

James pulled away with a big, fat, grin across his face, "so you're saying that you would say yes?"

"Oh, James," Lily rolled her eyes, sitting back. He continued staring at her, pleading for an answer with round, puppy dog eyes. "Yes," she finally gave in, "of course it would be a yes."

"Just had to make sure."

"You drive me mad; you know that?"

"I challenge you."

Lily shifted back towards James, moving in for another kiss, unable to keep away, her arms looping around the back of his neck as she drew him in closer. "There's no one else on this planet for me either," she told James with certainty. "Only you."