Snape's mouth hung open. His sentence, which Lily had not been listening to, was cut off. Her anger hung in the air that left them both in an uncomfortable silence. As though he had sighted a rare and skittish animal that was at risk of bolting, Snape remained frozen, his eyes unblinking, not wanting to say or do anything that would prevent Lily from giving any of those boys hell. With a frustrated sigh, she flung open the door with more effort than was needed and marched down the carriage towards the back of the train. The floor rattled beneath her boots and people were beginning to look, but she did not care.

The next carriage was identical, shiny pine door and window frames with a maroon carpeted floor. Many of the compartments were empty due to the higher number of students remaining at school this year. Although she could not see into any of the sections, it was not hard to locate Sirius Black. From the second glass door, that was slid open ajar, she could hear howls of laughter, "Oh you're in trouble Prongs!" someone gasped between laughs.

"Come off it Padfoot, she's definitely given Snape what for. I saw the fear in his eyes."

"I think he'd prefer a hex to what she's about to give him..."

"I don't know Wormtail, a good telling off might be right up his-"

Lily hooked her bony fingers into the metal latch, it screeched open and all four boys stopped laughing and sat in stunned silence. Truthfully, she had no idea what her plan was, she just knew she was furious. She had been made to look stupid, been put in danger, and somehow been caught in the middle of this childish feud. As the door crashed open, she stepped in and closed the door behind her. Whilst the carriage was empty, she didn't want to take any chances. Nervously, they exchanged glances, shifting between each other and the towering girl before them. Her face was nearly as red as her hair and her eyes narrowed, "Do you think this is a joke?!" She hissed and turned to stare directly at Sirius. He had been sat slouched, one black boot resting casually on his other knee, his arm was slung lazily across the back of Remus' seat and his coat hung open, revealing a creased red jumper beneath. On realising that this particular fit of rage was directed at him, he quickly adjusted himself, straightening his coat and sitting upright in his chair.

"I- uh..." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

"Do you seriously think that putting others in danger is funny?" She continued, leaning in towards him slightly, which caused him to slink further back into his chair. She heard a half breath behind her and she shot James a warning glance, daring him to make a 'Siriusly' comment. She watched as the ghost of a smirk left his face, his brown eyes shifted sheepishly from her eyes to the frosted window, making the wise choice to let this one go. Satisfied, she turned back to Sirius, her hair falling in waves over her shoulders, so close to him that he moved out of the way to avoid being hit. "WELL?" she barked.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about..." his eyes were dark, his pupils were so dilated that his eyes almost looked black. They flickered to James, then to Remus, a fountain of unspoken conversation was being had. This did not escape Lily's attention.

"Stop it!" she gave his arm a shove, enough to knock him, not enough to hurt. He placed an arm to nurse the spot where she had hit him. He frowned, buying himself enough time to gather a response.

"I'm not sure what crap Snivellus has been feeding you, but this wouldn't be the first time he's snitched on us for something we haven't done." Sirius adjusted his posture, he sat straighter, bringing himself level with Lily's head. She made herself taller, creating more distance between them. She hated that Sirius' confidence unnerved her.

For a moment she considered waiting him out. Not many things unnerved these boys, silences, especially uncomfortable ones did. She took the moment of quiet to assess her surroundings. Behind her, next to James, a small snivelling figure was sat almost unnoticed. Peter hated any confrontation and was frequently overlooked when it came to any of the marauder's shenanigans. He had barely dared to breathe since she stormed in. The only movement he risked was the quick darting movements of his eyes between the other members of the tense carriage. James, who was similarly frozen, sat forward in his seat. His sleeves were rolled up, and his exposed, tanned elbows rested on his black jeans. His hands cupped his angular jaw as he witnessed the event in awe. He too, only dared move his eyes, just incase Lily decided that actually it was his fault, like it usually was.

Still stone-faced, Lily slowly panned her view. Sirius, who had gathered an annoying amount of confidence, leaned back against the chair, his arms folded tightly across his chest. His sooty curls tumbled in careless waves passed his cool, expressionless eyes, framing the tilted edges of his thin mouth. He had an easily handsome face, dark features, a long nose, and eyes that smiled in a way that made it seem as though he had just finished an excellent joke. It was easy for Sirius to get away with more serious mischief as he could usually charm his way out of any tricky situation. Unfortunately for Sirius, Lily was immune to this particular skill and she glared coldly at him.

It wasn't until she looked to Sirius' right that her expression softened. The final member of the group was not reacting, but not out of fear. In his lap, an old book lay open, its pages worn and tattered, some of the book cover was falling off in frayed pieces. A slender thumb rested in the middle, holding the page that was not being read. His bony shoulders were slumped uncomfortably against the side of the train, condensation had been wiped where his head had wiped the water clear. Lupin did not look at his friends for support, he did not look at Lily to stop. He stared intently at his other hand that was pulling at the loose threads of his grey trousers.

"Did you tell Snape to go to the whomping willow, knowing... knowing what was going to be down there?" She spat at Sirius, wishing for some reaction from him that was less composed. Before she had a chance to watch for his reaction, she felt a pang in her stomach as Lupin flinched. She wondered if she had said the wrong thing by calling him a 'what' instead of a 'who'.

"I didn't think he would actually go. He's been in our business ever since we started. If moony had got him he would have deserved it." Sirius shot back without hesitation. Lupin flinched again.

"That doesn't make it right!" She responded punching him lightly on the arm again. "People's lives are at risk here. Did you even consider the position you would be putting Remus in?"

For the first time that day, Sirius lowered his eyes. He briefly glanced at Lupin, who looked as though he would rather sink through the floor of the train and be left behind on the shimmering stones beneath the track. "No..." Sirius' voice lowered to a whisper and he glanced up apologetically. "I didn't consider."

Her shoulders relaxed and her voice soften as she replied, "How can a group of boys so smart be so bloody stupid?" she lowered herself into the seat between Peter and James. She couldn't bring herself to look at Lupin, who had now closed his book and was turning the book in his hands slowly.

"It's my fault," a hoarse voice croaked, Lupin spoke up for the first time. He spoke in hushed tones, as though somebody positioned in the room might be finding out for the first time.

Before Lily could object, James had already intervened, "Nah mate, you can't blame yourself for this. Snape was stupid to get involved and we were supposed to keep you safe. It won't happen again." He remained leant forwards, his body turning diagonally to look right at Lupin, whose eyes had misted over slightly. James remained fixed on Lupin until he had seen a small smile and a nod from his friends.

Unwelcome as it was, Lily was irritated to feel a familiar warm wave of admiration wash over her. 'Oh come on,' she sighed internally, ' you cannot let an ounce of compassion from James Potter move you that much'. However, it was unavoidable as she watched the young man beside her, his head was bowed slightly to look up at Lupin and he looked over the top of his glasses to see him, his upwards glance etching creases in his forehead. "I told you crate training wasn't complete, we need to practise this stay command." Snape's face broke into a welcome smile this time, his eyes creasing as a chuckle escaped him.

"We'll keep you on a tighter lead next month Mooney eh?" James grinned, nudging Lupin's leg with a brown boot. Lily worried about the response, but the corner of her friend's mouth twitched, exposing the hint of a smile.

"We- How?" Lily quickly jumped in. How can three teenage boys contain a werewolf in a castle? He caught a glimpse of her and she would have certainly been killed if James hadn't saved them.

"Oh Merlin's beard, I thought the interrogation was over!" Sirius shot her a joyful glance.

James stretched out an arm, placing it over her slumped shoulders. She reluctantly admitted to herself that she enjoyed the warmth of his skin through the back of her shirt and relaxed under the comforting weight of his arm. Due to the new closeness of their bodies, she felt the hum of his voice as he added, "Ahh Evans, we've got to keep a bit of mystery between us." He winked, and she rolled her eyes. She took a breath in to retaliate but caught the knowing eyes of Lupin, who gave a slight shake of his head, telling her to drop it. She scrunched her nose in protest, but her good friend responded with a lowered look and a raised eyebrow.

"Just be careful in future," Lily declared, mostly to ensure she got the last word in. Satisfied that she had 'sorted them out', she noticed that she was disappointed to remove James' hand from her shoulders to return to go back to her compartment with the girls. "Have a good Christmas, see you in the new year," she nodded to them all and slid the door open.

She made her way slowly down the carriage, each step was slow and deliberate. As the frosted scenery flickered past the window, she considered the uncomfortable dissatisfaction that wriggled in her stomach. Her new year's resolution would be to involve herself less in Snape and Potter's drama, and be there just as a friend to Remus. This resolution was short lived.

"Evans," she heard a door click and hurried footsteps. A strong hand pulled her arm. She was forced to turn and found herself looking again, into the hazel eyes of James Potter. She hid a smile. He had lost his previously serious stare, and in its place a confident smirk grinned back at her. "You didn't think you would leave without a Christmas gift did you?" he asked, his lips became thinner at the size of his smile. He was clearly pleased with himself.

"You got me a present?" a laugh escaped her, and she pretended not to notice the way it lit up his face. She could feel her heart flutter in her stomach but she did her best to ignore it.

"Don't get your hopes up," he grinned to reveal a perfect row of teeth. She liked the way his cheeks dimpled and prominent lines formed at either side of his mouth. "I'm afraid no gift will be quite as impressive as my company."

Instinctively, her own green eyes rolled before settling back to look at his, "I can list about 5 gifts more pleasant than your company, and most of them can be found in dusty, untouched jars in the potions cupboard. Don't get ahead of yourself Potter. I may have let you off, but you're still an arrogant prick," she jested.

"I'm not sure where this stands on the list..." he began, his grin faltering and he looked nervous. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small parcel. It was wrapped in creased, aged parchment paper, the folds were clumsy but the multiple wrinkles told her that it had taken him several attempts to wrap the gift. She noted that he had used four times the amount of necessary Sellotape and the red ribbon, which left glitter all over her hands, was loosely tied and off centre. Fondly, she wondered if he had tried to wrap it 'the muggle way' to impress her. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't bought him a gift.

She took the parcel from him and turned it over carefully in her hands. He anxiously ran a hand through his hair and tussled his fringe, "well open it then!" Slowly and deliberately, she untied the ribbon, she peeled each piece of the transparent tape and slid the paper off to reveal a red and gold leather bound notebook. The cover was soft, she ran her finders over the ridges that were engraved into spongy surface.

"It's lovely... thank you," she smiled and glanced up. She flicked through the pages, enjoying the new book smell and feeling the flutter of crisp pages beneath her fingertips. Suddenly, her eyes glanced over a page full of writing- the ink marks were clumsy and blotchy. She didn't know whether to feel annoyed or humoured when she read the title, "reasons why a date with James Potter would be valued experience."

Before she could respond, he chuckled to himself, clearly proud of his choices. "Number 1: he is devilishly handsome." She snorted and allowed herself to laugh, "Really Potter?"

"Well? How about it Evans?" He grinned and extended an arm.

"Merry Christmas Potter," she laughed and wrapped an arm around his neck, briefly enjoying the feeling of his arms wrap around her waist. If she hadn't known better, she would have stayed there, enjoyed his embrace. Knowing he was trouble, she pulled herself away, squeezed his arm and turned back towards her carriage.

"Well? Evans?" Potter called behind her.

She shot a grin back at him, "Thought you liked a bit of mystery Potter? See you in January."