Okay, next chapter! yay! I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but yay!

Thanks for everyone who's reading this right now, it means you actually thought the first two chapters were good enough to continue and thought to read this one, even though I know I'd have probably given up on this story already. Hopefully this chapter is better.


Chapter 2

The Marauders (minus Wormtail—he was still in Germany) were settled around the table for a game of exploding snap when an owl soared into the room. James' cards promptly exploded, singeing his eyebrows and causing Sirius to roar with laughter as Remus, tired but unmistakably happy, moved over to untie the letters from the owl's leg.

"Lily's replied." Remus called out. Immediately, James stopped threatening to blast off Sirius' eyebrows and Sirius, with a knowing smirk, turned expectantly towards Remus. "Blimey, she's replied in three different letters and one owl." He stroked Morgana idly. "Padfoot." He tossed him a scroll. "Prongs." He handed him a small envelope. "She really didn't waste time or resources answering you, mate. Sorry."

"But it's still enough to send a curse." Sirius warned.

"Evans wouldn't." James insisted, but eyed the envelope warily. "Would you mind opening that for me, Moony?"

Remus snorted. "Nope. You're on your own, Prongs."

"I have time and time again—" James cut off at Remus' look, and remembered that they may be together and they may be friends again, but not everything was as it had been before.

James waited until Moony and Padfoot had opened their letters—curse-free and evidently written of good will—before apprehensively prying open his own.

"Hah!" James jumped up and punched the air victoriously. "No curse! You owe me a galleon, Padfoot."

"How do you know it's not timed or anything, that it won't spring on you when you're least suspecting it?" Sirius retorted.

"Because she says, right here." James picked the paper up and read off it, "'Please note that if I already knew how to attach curses to letters, I would, but since I don't yet know and I can't be bothered to spend time finding out how to just for you, you've managed to get through this one unscathed.' So that means she didn't curse me!"

"Let me see that!" Sirius grabbed the paper from him, quickly scanning its contents. "But it also says that Moony and I ought to curse you, and in reality, those are almost the same things."

"Not the same." James insisted again. "It's not the same if she doesn't choose the spell."

"Oh, right, I forgot," Sirius drawled, rolling his eyes at Moony. "Because it's only amazing and brilliant and smart if she does it, even if it does hurt you."

"Don't go there. You read my letter. I'm only going to pursue a nice, normal friendship with Evans now. No asking her out, no fancying her."

"Can't exactly say 'I don't fancy Lily Evans anymore' Prongs, doesn't work that way." Moony remarked, ignoring the glare James sent his way. "You can't wish away feelings."

"But I can pretend they don't exist. For the sake of our friendship!"

"You're not friends yet."

"And that, Padfoot—and Moony too, of course—is where you come in. You're both friends with her, which almost automatically makes me friends with her too, and all you have to do is convince her I'm not that bad."

"You're first letter wasn't very convincing, Prongs."

"Yeah, and you have to be the one to convince her. She won't believe it unless you show her you've changed. And actually change."

"This will be a summer of changes, then. Neither of you are to hinder me in my metamorphosis."

"You're changing for a bird? I mean, yeah, it's Lily-flower, so it's more acceptable, but no bloke ought to change for a bird."

"You're right, she has to like me for being me. But since she doesn't, maybe I should change me."

"That's exactly the same as what Padfoot just said, Prongs."

"And this is why we're friends, Moony. You are the voice of reason within the four—well, three right now—of us. Without you, Moony, we would all be lost and—"

"Bugger off, Padfoot."

"Hmm, I do see what Evans was saying now, about you two being perfect for each other." James' eyes narrowed. "You haven't been keeping something from me, have you?"

"I will ignore you, my dear Mister Prongs, as I have ignored Lily-flower's jabs at my manliness and sexuality. I am very manly, I'll have you know."

"Well Remus could be the girl." A second passed, the three friends looking at each other in silence, before bursting into laughter.

"I can't believe I missed you, Prongs." Remus said once the urge to laugh had subsided.

"Well, what can I say?" James shrugged. "I'm irresistible."

~0~

Dear Evans,

I would say that I took offence that you felt the need to point out that, had you the knowledge, you would have hexed me through the letter. I feel this deeply mars our potential friendship—friends should not threaten to curse each other at every possible moment.

Yes, I am admitting it: I want to be your friend. Think of this letter as an olive branch of sorts, a 'sorry for being a prick and an arrogant toerag' and also a 'thank you for everything you've done for Sirius and Remus.' (I know you said not the thank you again, but I must mention it. I truly am thankful.)

In your previous letter, you said I tried to consider your feelings. I realise that my actions in the past do not reflect this, but I have always cared deeply for your feelings, mostly your affections. But now I am merely striving to be a good friend, and so will work on properly helping you in the things you need help in and not think about my own wants and needs. Focus on feelings not of love, but of everything else.

And yes, I do care for my fellow Marauders, we are closer than you'll ever know. But I do care about other things—namely, my Quidditch team, but others as well—and I care about you. If you're willing to care about me too—as friends, that is—then I think we could get along wonderfully.

I think you should consider my offer.

James

P.S. I think that together, we could get the two together. They'd be happy, I think, to find people who they know will accept them for who they are. Also, Remus sent me a bat-bogey hex. He also fixed me up less than five minutes later, but it's the thought that counts, yeah?

Lily Evans sighed as she dropped the letter from Potter and massaged her temple. Why did he feel the need to be more insufferable than usual? Holidays were spent away from him for a reason; she didn't want him ruining her perfectly good summer.

Deciding not to answer him, she picked up Sirius' letter (they had come together, just like before). There was a copied page from a book she assumed Sirius found in the library about sending hexes through letters, along with a few remarks as to which curses would be the best, in his opinion, to send James. She considered trying it on Potter—after all, part of knowing how to combat something is knowing how they work, and what better way than to learn how something works than to try it out herself? She'd be doing Potter a favour too, by teaching him to be wary of his letters.

She replied to Sirius' actual letter, telling him that she would consider sending a hex through and if he would be so kind as to not tell Potter of my plans, I would be very grateful.

"Lily!" Her mother called from downstairs, "Lunch! Petunia and Vernon just got here, don't keep everyone waiting now!"

~0~

Remus and Sirius,

Oh, everything is simply terrible! The world must truly hate me! This is by far the worst summer of my life—and this is also the last. How horrible!

But you don't even know what I'm saying! How silly of me!

Petunia's engaged. He proposed to her yesterday and she—who I thought had at least a slightly better taste than that—said yes! Yes! To a horrible, fat, ugly, conceited, arrogant—more so than even Potter—walrus of a thing! To make matters worse, he hates me! And, he thinks he's oh-so-amazing because he has a stable job in drilling and he's only 21!

That's another thing! They're 21! If I ever get married before I'm at least 25, you both must knock some sense into me, please. Hex me to oblivion, brew me an antidote to whatever love potion I must have took, anything to stop me. 21 is much too young to decide who you want to be with for the rest of your life.

I can't believe Petunia was serious with him. I mean, even she can do better than Vermin! He thinks no one else's opinions matter and that he must be the last say in everything. I'm fairly certain even my parents hate him, and were only pretending to be happy for them. Of course, they denied it when I asked, but still.

Honestly, this has been the worst day of my life, put into the worst summer of my life. First, I'm stuck here, even though I can apparate, because Marlene's staying with her family in who-knows-where and Alice is going to France, and I've just realised that they're my only two friends in school with whom I'm close enough to bother seeing over the summer! I mean, of course, there's you two, but seeing you would mean having to see Potter, most likely, and that's another reason why this summer has been terrible. Potter's been writing me nearly non-stop—you two have got some serious apologising to do. What kind of friends are you, encouraging Potter to keep antagonising me, and countering whatever hexes I send to him? I have enough on my plate to deal with aside from his constant annoying presence in the form of letters! Tell him to stop, or I will steal his owl for myself, and then he'll never be able to send anyone letters at all! Or better yet, I'll send him so many curses at once that it'll take forever for him to revert back to normal.

Can you believe Petunia? I'm sorry, I'm still in shock right now. You know, Vermin insulted me—in front of my whole family? And she still considered marrying him! Is actually going to marry him! Him, the most horrid person I've ever met! And that's including all those pureblood manias like Bellatrix or Malfoy.

Really, the only thing worse—alright, just as bad, not necessarily worse—than a pureblood fanatic and a muggle-hater is someone like Tuney and her (ugh) fiancé in being a wizard-hater and calling us all freaks. And I've had the pleasure (note the sarcasm and bitterness) of having met both of those two people in my 17 years of living. The lucky ones never meet one or the other—those are the purebloods and the muggles, or the lucky half-bloods. Mudbloods aren't lucky like that—And yes, I just used that word, because I'm feeling terrible and I hate myself and my family right now. Sirius, I think I know how you feel now, when your entire family seems to have betrayed you. I can't believe you lasted as long as you did.

Alright, I think I'm done, for now. I'm sending this to Sirius, since I'm assuming all three of you are at Potter's place? If not, Sirius, please pass this on to Remus. Thank you both for listening—in a manner of speaking—to me.

Yours most upset,

Lily Evans

Dear Evans,

I have been informed of your predicament and how horrible your summer is. I was also told of how I have played a part in your terrible summer, and so this is my last letter to you, I promise.

I'm terribly sorry. I've been a prat lately—I kept sending you owls when you didn't answer me, and even when you sent me hexes, pressuring you to be my friend, and I realise now that your silence and hostility really meant no and not ever.

With regards as to your sister, Petunia, Padfoot and Moony say that she's getting married to someone who's horrid? If you want any prank ideas—well, I suppose you could always ask Padfoot or Moony, but I'll help too, if you'd like me to. Then again, this is my last letter, so I guess asking Padfoot is the only option… Disregard the last few sentences.

But I am sorry about you and your sister. I'm an only child, but I can only imagine what it'd be like to hate your sibling. Sirius does, and he tries to forget about it, but I know it cuts him up when he does think about Regulus, or even his parents. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I've been, having caring parents and siblings who love me—er, I'm talking about the Marauders. More reason I'm fortunate, I guess: being able to choose who my brothers are. Sometimes, when Sirius is annoyed or in a funk, he laughs at me and tells me that one day my entire world will be turned upside down, and then I'll regret having such a sheltered, picture-perfect life. (Of course, I could always argue that my life isn't all that great, but compared to yours or Padfoot's, I suppose it is pretty good.)

If this weren't my last letter, I'd ask you how your childhood was, before you got your Hogwarts letter, or what your parents do for a living. My father was an auror and my mum was a healer. They're both retired. They married late and had me pretty late too, which is probably why I'm an only child—although, I suppose, it could also be because I was such a handful as a child, they decided never again.

But unfortunately—or fortunately for you—this is my last letter, so I won't ask you any of those questions. However, if you ever need someone to talk, someone not any of your current friends, I'll be here. And if ever you need to get out of the house but don't want to see me, I'm willing to leave Potter Manor while you see Remus and Sirius.

Sincerely, for the last time,

James Potter

Dear Potter,

Only Merlin knows why I'm doing this, but I believe that if I only talk to Sirius, Remus, and Marlene, I will go crazy. Petunia's begun wedding planning, and I can't leave my room for fear of being bombarded with pink and white and snide looks—I'm sure that if mum and dad didn't insist it, she wouldn't even invite me to her wedding (not that I particularly want to go, but she is my sister, after all).

My dad is a doctor (that's like a healer for muggles) and my mum an elementary teacher (for children between the ages of 4 and 11). Before I knew I was a witch? Well, we were a pretty happy and normal family. Occasionally I'd do something that scared Petunia—some magic, something dangerous for muggles but perfectly safe for me—but other than that, we were pretty happy. Tuney was my best friend when we were younger, even though she hated when I did weird stuff. I have to admit that sometimes, especially during the summers, I wish I wasn't a witch, so that maybe Petunia and I could still be friends.

Because, of course, we had to meet Sev, when I was about 8, and then suddenly we weren't even friends anymore. I mean, before Hogwarts, I'd still try to placate her, tell her that I just wanted other friends besides her, that she had other best friends so why shouldn't I, but then I got my letter and everything went downhill from there. (It also didn't help that Sev hated her because she was a muggle, although back then I thought it was just that he didn't want to share me with her.) And then, to squeeze lemon juice on an open wound, Sev had to go into Slytherin and make all the wrong choices and all the wrong friends and then suddenly I'd lost another best friend. To be honest, sometimes I'm scared Marlene will stop being friends with me too, and I'll be best-friend-less once more.

I can't believe I just told you that. I'm supposed to hate you, and yet I'm telling you things I've never even told Marlene!

So in return, you have to tell me about your life before you got your Hogwarts letter, about being pampered and waited on by house-elves, your mummy healing your scrapes from practicing Quidditch. Tell me about your best friend before Sirius, about being an only child. I'd like some fresh air, to hear a story about someone who doesn't have problems. Sirius and Remus have more than enough, and although they can empathise because of it, it's also quite taxing, trading secrets and problems.

Can't believe I'm doing this,

Lily Evans

P.S. In case you didn't get it, I actually would like you to send me another letter, so long as it isn't filled with flirting and arrogance.

~0~

"I don't know what to do, Moony, you've got to give me better advice than that!" James groaned, flopping onto the couch in exasperation.

"What's wrong with 'do what you think you should do?'"

"I don't know what I think I should do!"

"How about what she wants you to do? She told you to write, didn't she?"

"Prongs, mate, you've wanted her to reply to you civilly for the last two weeks." Sirius said, looking up from his meticulous drawings of his motorbike. "And now she finally has, and you don't want to reply?"

"Well I did say my last one was the last I'd ever send."

"Then have me send it. Or Moony."

"Or, here's a thought, just send her a letter." Moony suggested. "And stop moping."

"She asked me to talk about my childhood."

"Then talk about your childhood."

"But I didn't have a childhood!"

"'Course you had a childhood, Prongs, you can't possibly be that daft."

"Before Hogwarts, I mean."

"Then tell her that. Either way, write to her, and stop bothering us."

Sirius stood up, pulled James to his feet, and steered him over to the desk he had been working on. He pushed him into the seat, cleared the space, and placed a quill and blank parchment onto the table. "Write." He commanded. "In silence, please."

James glowered at his best friend for a while, before sighing in defeat and picking up the quill. Dear Evans, he started, then paused. For once, he had no idea what to say. The one time she genuinely wanted him to reply, he had writer's block.

I think something is wrong with the two of us. He finally started, You finally responded to me, for reasons apparently only Merlin knows, and yet I've spent the last few minutes staring at your name and the blank space below it, unsure about what to write. This has never happened to me before, so I resulted in telling you whatever came into my head first.

You wanted to read about my childhood. To be honest, I don't really consider my life before Hogwarts as a life. It was filled with asking my parents about their years at Hogwarts and studying—yes, you heard me, studying. I had this crazy thought that if I was smart enough and talented enough and I worked hard, I'd get into Hogwarts early. It never happened, but that might explain to you why I'm so amazing at everything. Sorry, you didn't want arrogance. Disregard the last sentence.

You're right, too, in that I grew up with house-elves, two in fact, Sibby and Poppy. Sibby passed away when I was 13, though Poppy is still here. I suppose they were my best friends before Hogwarts. You see, my dad was an auror and my mum a healer, so my parents were often gone for days on end, and so Sibby and Poppy were in charge of me. My nannies, so to speak. They helped me find books, too, in our library for when I 'studied.' They played games with me, helped me make cookies to eat and clean after I blew something up. Sibby was my dad's house-elf, from when he was young—she grew to quite an old age—and sometimes, when my parents were gone, she would tell me bedtime stories. My favourites were always of my dad's days at Hogwarts, a proud Gryffindor in days gone by, before Voldemort even knew he was a wizard and the biggest problem people had were passing their exams.

I longed to be like my father, for my best days to be my Hogwarts years, but the only thing I wanted different in my life than in his was that I wanted to marry earlier than him. I wanted to meet my soulmate in Hogwarts and marry her, and I wanted many children—that's another thing: I was rather lonely. Many times it would just be Sibby, Poppy, and I in a great big house that I'd already explored so much I knew all its secret passageways. I wanted a sibling, but I knew even then that my parents were too old, that a little brother or sister wasn't going to happen. But I wanted to have children, and many, so that they'd never be alone, even when I wasn't there. (I wanted to be an auror like my father, so I knew I'd be gone a lot, just like him.)

Of course, I also loved flying. My parents taught me when I was three, and it's the earliest memory I have. We didn't go far off the ground, and my dad sat behind me, but I loved the wind in my face and looking down upon Potter Manor. Whenever I was lonely or sad, I'd go flying (if my dad allowed me that time: sometimes his missions were too risky for me to be seen flying by myself) and occasionally, Sibby and Poppy would magic twigs and balls for me to play Quidditch with. Once I actually got Poppy to play with me, but he's scared of heights, so he never went up again, and Sibby was too old to go.

So that was my life before Hogwarts. Wandering around with my house-elves, wondering when my parents would get home, flying and studying and listening to stories about Hogwarts. Of course, we always had Christmas and New Years together (mum insisted on throwing a party every year for New Years) but all the other holidays, including birthdays, were all fair game. But I met many people my age through our New Years parties—all purebloods, but my parents are old-school: in their day, purebloods stuck with purebloods and everyone else stuck together, and that was just the way things were, no prejudice involved, just politics. Plus, as my mum would point out, there had to be a standing guest list, and we couldn't just invite everyone from Hogwarts and all their family, so we'd just invite the same pureblood households and sometimes a few good friends. (Coincidentally, the Blacks were never on that list, so I never met Sirius before school. I did, however, meet Frank, with all his aunts and uncles and his amazing mother—have you ever met her? She's quite a character; Alice and her family—did you hear about the twins? Of course you did, you two are best friends; Marlene and her family, although she never really liked me; the Bones', their youngest just graduated, and even the Smiths, they are a bit too proud, and I never really got along with them, but my dad was friends with one, so we invite their whole family. There are a few others, but I don't know if you know them. That bloke you went out with, from Hufflepuff, the one I hexed half-way through your date, his brother-in-law's mother's family, the Weasleys, are sometimes invited, but they're rather of the lower class and are so many that sometimes we just give up. Plus, none of them are my age, so it doesn't really matter to me.)

Anyway, back to my childhood:

My parents decided to retire three years after the war started, in second year. So when I could finally spend all my time with them at home, I was at school and no longer needed them to be home as often. They claim they did it because they didn't want to be involved with the war, but part of me has always wondered if maybe it was because they could finally go home and not have me vying for their attention.

There, a secret for a secret. Don't tell anyone about that, and I won't tell anyone about Snape and your thing with best friends.

What were your favourite things to do before Hogwarts? In fact, what are you favourite things to do now? All I know about what you do with your time is study, and I'm sure you have more of a life than that. My hobbies are no secret, it's Quidditch and maraudering. Sort of sad, how I don't really have any other hobbies, but those two practically rule my entire life.

How's Petunia being? Marriages must be terrible to plan, if I had a sibling getting married I wouldn't leave my room either. Well I would, but only to prank them and turn everything white into blue or something like that, maybe even black.

Waiting for your reply,

James Potter

Dear Potter,

I agree, something must be wrong with us. I have an excuse, it most definitely is Petunia making me crazy, but I don't know about you…

Lets see, my hobbies? Reading, mostly. I love to read, although some of its magic has been lost since I learned about the wizarding world and fantasy was no longer so fantastical. I do love the classics, though. Aside from that, I suppose you're right, I love to study. You studied when you were younger because you wanted to go to Hogwarts as soon as you could, to wow the world with your talent. I study because I want to know as much as I can about our world, a world that I want desperately to belong in. (And don't you dare say any of that rubbish about how I do belong: I've worked hard to get where I am, and yet no matter what, I'll never fully belong here, nor in the muggle world. That is a fact of life.)

You might not understand, having been born into this world, but I want to know the limits of magic. I want to test my own limits, because so many things I once saw as impossible are possible now. You already know what is impossible in the wizarding world, but I'm willing to believe that the impossible, even for wizards, is actually possible in the long run. Although, of course, it's more than just that.

It's a bit hard to explain, actually, now that I've started. I suppose all I'm saying is that I want to make my place in this world, prove that I actually belong. I want to be invent something, or do something daring and save the wizarding world, discover a new spell or a potion. I want to help the world.

Do you still want to be an auror? Or is that just some fantasy of a child that you no longer are? I might consider becoming one, but as of right now, the Ministry isn't doing so well, so maybe not. Do you still want to be like your father? Are you like your father? (Was he a prankster too, top of the class but never studying?)

You tried to make excuses for it, but you are one of those purebloods. You can't deny it: your family is a pureblood family and rather proud of it. Not that you have any problem with non-purebloods or purebloods marrying muggle-borns or anything like that, it's just that your family never does. Not quite as bad as pureblood fanatics, but not great either. Not perfect in terms of ideals, but then again, who is?

I've never met a house-elf. I mean, I've read about them, definitely, and heard of them, but I've never talked to one, or seen one in person. What are they like? Don't you think it's sort of horrible, though, subjecting them to slavery? Isn't it just as bad as enslaving humans? Whenever I ask things like that, people look at me like I'm crazy. Sirius actually told me that if I ever thought to be nice to house-elves, all I'd have to do is meet his family's, and all amicable thoughts about them would be dispelled. Is Kreature really that bad? What about Sibby and Poppy? I'm assuming you like them a bit more than Sirius likes Kreature. And if you have a house-elf—well, you used to have two—doesn't that mean you're rather wealthy? (Speaking of wealth, I think that was a horrid thing to say about the Weasleys. Just because they're not as rich as you does not mean you shouldn't invite them to your parties. Now I know your family is both slightly proud and prejudiced against both blood status, and economic/social class.) I never quite understood the classes of the wizarding world. I mean, for a long time I was so focused on blood status that I hadn't thought that there was a hierarchy within the purebloods, aside from feuds between families whose every member is within a certain house. I never saw how rich you are compared to other pureblood families and things like that. Sirius' family too, how prominent are they?

Wanting to know more,

Lily Evans

P.S. Petunia is still driving me crazy. Might need to take up your offer and see Sirius and Remus at your place.

Dear Evans,

I always knew you were a swot. Though, your explanation is a good enough excuse so that you're not so bad as, let's say, Moony. His reason is just that he wants to do well in school. Plus, I must hand it to you Evans, when you dream, you dream big. Not that you can't do it, of course, just that it's a very big aspiration to have. I'm sure that one day, you'll do something that will mark you in the history books of the wizarding world forever. Some Bathilda Bagshot (or maybe even her; you never know how old people live to) will write about you in a second edition of A History Of Magic. I'd like to be mentioned there too, for doing something great and defeating some dark wizard, showing my Gryffindor courage for the whole world to see.

I guess in that sense, I do still sort of want to be an auror. I agree with you, though, what with the war and all, my respect for the Ministry has gone down. Either way, I want to be able to stop dark wizards and witches, including Voldemort. Perhaps I'll join you-know-what (not you-know-who, the other thing) and maybe I'll be mentioned in old Bathilda's second edition for having defeated him, or at least playing a major role in his defeat.

My dad was a bit more mature than I, I think. (I'm sort of jumping around to different topics, sorry.) I'll admit it, your question made me think. Obviously he was pretty good in school (aurors have to be top of their class) but what I remember more from the stories are his days of fun. He was on the Quidditch team too, but keeper, and he wasn't captain. He was prefect, although he also liked to have fun and pranked occasionally. I went to school determined to get into Gryffindor and be the most popular kid in school by being funny, seemingly not taking classes seriously and yet doing very well in it, being on the Quidditch team, and making people laugh though pranks, just like I saw my father doing in his Hogwarts years. But I think I didn't quite understand the difference between making people laugh because of funny situations and fun, and making people laugh at another's expense. I'd blame Peeves and Padfoot, but the truth of the matter is that I was immature, didn't understand, and never thought to look back and consider the right and wrong of my own actions, focusing instead on the right and wrong of others. I was a pretty self-righteous git and a hypocrite. Actually, I still am, aren't I?

But you knew all of this already. I'm such an idiot, blaming everyone else for all the bad things you said about me—all those true things you said about me—but really, I should've just tried to make myself a better man. But I promise, I've matured. I'll be better in school next year, and I'll knock some sense into Padfoot too, although I think the Snape/Remus incident did that for him already.

My parents are those types of purebloods. They grew up that way, as did their parents before them: my family is part of 'pureblood nobility,' but over the years has gotten gradually less and less obsessed with being nobility (when there wasn't any real 'nobility' anymore and we formed our Ministry) instead of the opposite, which is what happened to the Black family. We're about the same class, by the way, but our families never mix, since their folk are the Slytherins and the dark wizards, and our folk (of the Potters, I mean) are generally everything but Slytherins. Mostly Gryffindors, but we'll accept others as well. I think that's a big part of why we don't think so highly of ourselves so as to call ourselves nobility and higher up than all other poorer purebloods or those not of pure blood; the Potters have almost always been in Gryffindor (my mum was in Ravenclaw, but she's only a Potter through marriage, so it's all right). Then again, it could also be that us Potters just aren't as snobby. (And here I go again, being all arrogant after I had just said how immature I was. Sorry.) I meant really compared to the others, especially Sirius' family…. I suppose back then those pureblood parties were how they met each other and found the one they were going to marry, so it just became tradition… You're right, I'm just making excuses.

But I'm not like my parents. I have no prejudice against muggle-borns—how could I, when I'm always second to you in practically everything except Quidditch? When you've always been the better one of our year? When I've loved you for as long as I have? I'm sorry, you don't want anything like that. It's just, I did fancy you in third year, and fourth year, and even fifth and sixth year, so I don't think you can tell me that I've anything against muggle-borns. And for the wealth stuff, about the Weasleys, I never really hit it off with any of them or anything, the Weasley closest to my age is about seven, so my reason for not defending them is merely that I never liked them all that much. My parents obviously had more of a reason, the reasons I parroted to you in my previous letter, which now that I look back does make me sound snobby and self-righteous. (And I just said that us Potters aren't as snobby.) We're not as bad as some other 'pureblood nobility' but I suppose we're not the best either. You're right, we don't have the perfect of ideals. I'll try to work on that.

Anyway, house-elves. Yes. Or no. I don't quite know. I've never thought about it, about enslaving them. I mean, now that I think about it, yes, we do actually enslave them. But, at least with my family's house-elves, I never really made them do anything they didn't want to. In my other letter, I mentioned managing to get Poppy up on a broom, but I've never ordered him to do it again, since he's scared of heights. I could, of course, but I never do. My family has the habit of requesting for things instead of ordering them, so they've never done things they don't want to. And, at least for me, even though they call me master, I'm definitely inferior to them. They helped raise me, after all, so they'll say things like 'Master shouldn't have done this,' or 'If master had done this, it would have been better.' They have no problem telling me off or teaching me things, lecturing me or punishing me. I remember when I was little, I didn't understand why they were allowed to do that, and when they gave me a punishment one day while my parents were out for three days (I think I ripped a book up and burned it in the fireplace of the library because I couldn't read one of the words) and I thought it wasn't right of them, for house-elves to give me a punishment when only my parents were allowed to do that, so I punished them instead. My parents were so angry when they got back, they punished me, even worse than Sibby and Poppy's punishment, and my father yelled at me. I was so scared I never did it again, and I definitely always listened to Poppy and Sibby, even when I didn't like it.

(There, I just asked Poppy if he felt enslaved, and he just told me that 'Poppy likes to serve master and his family. Poppy loves master and master never makes Poppy do what Poppy doesn't want to do, so Poppy does not feel like a slave.')

Other families, I suppose, might be crueler to their house-elves. Perhaps those house-elves do wish to be free, and feel unjustly enslaved. It'll be those pureblood manias who think they're better than everyone else, not to mention those who aren't wizards or witches.

As for Sirius, he hates Kreature because he follows the same ideals as his family, and he hates his family's ideals. That's all there is, really. And Kreature hates Sirius because he's a 'blood traitor' in his opinion, so they're both mean to each other.

House-elves are, generally, a mark of an old, rich family like mine or Sirius'; the aforementioned 'pureblood nobility.' They stay within families, and are passed on—it all works exactly like slavery of humans worked before, except the differences would be magic, the house-elves have to obey their master or else punish themselves, and to free them you have to present them with clothes.

They also work at places like Hogwarts, you know. Who do you think cooks and cleans for us? And how have you never seen one yet? I'll take you down to the kitchens some day, they're great. That is, if you'd want to go with me. Otherwise, well, Remus and Sirius both know where it is. Though, I really would like to go with you—no, this isn't like asking you out or anything like that, just hang out with you some time. We can invite others too. Or just forget about this. Yeah, just—yeah.

Blimey, I'm writing to you and I still stumble over my words. You have no idea how hard you make this. That doesn't mean I want you to stop writing, though. I've never had to think so hard in any conversation, and I must admit, as hard as it all is, I rather like it.

Definitely more embarrassed than I'd ever let on,

James Potter

P.S. You want me to give you my address? Someone will have to meet you to get you through the wards, but it can happen.

Potter,

I shall reply to you properly some other time. For now, please just let Remus and Sirius go for and afternoon, I'm going to meet them in the Leakey Cauldron. I NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE I'M GOING ABSOLUTELY MAD.

Thanks,

Lily Evans

P.S. We decided to go there instead of your place because Sirius wants to try out his new bike? Should I be worried? He won't tell me anything.


Uh, yeah I have no idea what I'm doing. I didn't quite now where I was going to end this chapter at, so... I tried. Review? Constructive Criticism would be greatly appreciated.