Wow, it's been FOREVER! Literally. But due to the release of the new book, I figured now I have all the information I needed to update accurately. Sorry if it seems like not a lot is happening, but trust me, it's all very important. And, don't worry...by the end of the week I should have the next chapter up. Enjoy! And r/r as always!

xXx

"Lily! Lily! Did you hear?!" Alice burst through the dormitory door, paper in tote, a wild expression on her usually doll-like face. "Well?!" she tossed the paper at Lily.

Lily groaned, forcing herself up from her latest find, Mind Over Matter, A Key to Tricky Transfiguration Spells"Oh, what is it Alice?" she demanded, propping her body up on her elbows as she peeked out from her tent of fiery curls. She noted Alice's distressed appearance and finally peered down at the paper Alice had thrown. She shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Alice, really. This is material for the Quibbler. You don't honestly believe all this nonsense?"

"Lily, they say it's true. This fellow. Some dark wizard. He's causing quite a stir. They're beginning to call him the Dark Lord. The rumors. I mean, I'm getting scared."

"Oh, Alice, please. There's no Dark Lord. What a stupid name, too. I'm sure the imbasile who's trying to get all this attention is just some freak with a way of spreading his name. I've already read this Alice, so don't try to feed me more information. None of it's true. There are no facts, Al. They don't know this guy's name or anything about him. Apparently he has followers? Sounds like a gang of teenagers. Nothing to fear. The Daily Prophet was just obviously eager for a cover story that would draw readers in. That's all journalism is Al. It's designed to..."

"Lil, I don't need to hear Muggle tales," Alice said bitterly. "Wizards don't ever joke around about these types of things. Have you ever heard anything of this sort before that turned out to be a hoax?"

Lily sighed. "Well, no, but..."

"Exactly, Lil. My parents are scared. Everyone I know is trembling. I don't even know why. I think there's more information out there. Students were warned at breakfast not to go outdoors until this matter can be sorted out. You were up here studying, so I..."

"Oh, this is rich!" Lily laughed. "It's like the tabloids took hold of the media and now everyone's shaking over some non-existent Dark King..."

"DARK LORD!" Alice shouted. "Is this not sinking into you, Lil? Dumbledore warned us. DUMBLEDORE! He's bloody brilliant. No offense Lil, but there's no way you're more intelligent than he, and he looked pale as a ghost this morning. I think he knows this guy, or at least knows who he is. Hence, he also knows what he's capable of."

"Alice, you're telling me that there's an evil wizard out there right now with a gang of powerful followers who have threatened to uproot the entire wizarding world?" Lily said, still dubious.

"Not threatening, Lil. No, not just threatening. They ARE. They killed nine people just last night. The...the..." Alice lowered her voice. "With Avada Kadavra."

"The killing curse," Lily muttered. "Seems fitting to kill people with a killing curse, as that's how you kill people."

Alice sighed. "Fine, you want to be your typical cynical self, go ahead, but I'm just informing you. Everyone's down in the common room chatting about this. If you'd like to join feel free. You might learn to take death seriously."

"Oh, Ally, I'm sorry, it's just...stuff like this happens all the time in the world, and nothing serious ever amounts from it," Lily insisted. "I promise."

"No, Lil. I'm not being naive or whatever else you think. This is the magical realm, Lil. When have you ever heard of mass murders or complete and utter discourse in our world?"

"Never, Al."

"Because there is none of this going on Lil! Wizards don't murder and get away with it. Especially dozens of people. They're caught. They just are. Nothing like this happens, because it can't." Alice paused to breathe. "But it is Lil. And we're all terrified. We're entering a dark era."

With that Alice took one more look at Lily and then stormed out of the room.

Lily sighed, flopping back onto her bed and reopened her book. She scanned a few lines and when she realized she was rereading the same words over and over again she scowled and threw the book shut again. Kicking her legs off the bed she hopped onto the floor and reached for the door. Sighing she made her way down into the common room where the noise level was much louder than usual.

She scanned the area and opted to plop down onto an empty couch next to James. He seemed to be the only one not participating in the gossip.

"Well?" she asked expectantly, facing him.

James turned, startled, furrowing his eyebrows. "Well what?"

"This Voldemort character," Lily breathed. "What do you make of it all?"

James smirked, never resisting a chance to irritate Lily. "Do you mean to tell me, that you the mighty Lily Evans would like to know what I, James Potter think on said subject? Are you actually asking my opinion?!"

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Enough with the tough guy act James. I was just making conversation."

James nodded in agreement, though the twinkle in his eyes proved to show he believed she was not merely making conversation. "I don't know," he said. "I don't make much of it...yet. There's always some kook on the loose who believes he can take over the world with just a swing of his wand. They're always stopped though, I mean, look at the wizarding world so far. Plus, we have Dumbledore. So, I wouldn't worry about it."

Lily looked oddly reassured. "That's what I told Ally, but she insisted we were all going to die or something." She laughed suddenly. "Yes, James, I'm certain this Lord Voldy or whatever his name is is going to kill us when we least expect it!"

James grinned. "Always knew I'd go out with a bang."

Lily smiled.

"Besides," Sirius interrupted, leaning over the couch inbetween the two, "We have more disturbed people to worry about. I mean Snivelly an his anti-shampoo campaign are in serious danger of polluting us all. We're all going to be suffocated in our sleep, I just know it."

James laughed heartily as Lily fought back a smile.

"Oh honestly," Lily began. "The way you two chastise..."

"No, really Lil," James said seriously. "Sirius is right. We have to take a stand. I mean, his disregard for common cleansing is simply unacceptable, and frankly I will not have it anymore..."

"Precisely," Sirius agreed grinning. "Which is why I've developed these," he smirked, tossing a pin up in the air. James reached for it, but Lily caught it first.

"SASS?" Lily repeated. "What does..." She stopped as the letters on the pin exploded and in their place a picture of Snape having his hair washed appeared. "Oh really!" she remarked bitterly, pelting it at James who had errupted in a fit of laughter.

"Sirius..." James began between chuckles. "What...d...does...SASS...m...mean?!"

Sirius beamed. "Ah, how kind of you to ask. SASS stands for STUDENTS AGAINST A SMELLY SEVERUS. Or, we could change the last part to Snivelly, but as the entire population sadly does not know him as such, well, I thought Severus would appeal moreso to the general public."

Lily scowled. "You know, if you boys spent half as much time on your schoolwork, it'd be miraculous what you could get done."

"Ah, but Lily, my dear, why waste such talent on schoolwork when we can instead save the world, one Snivelly at a time?" Sirius posed.

Lily sighed loudly.

"Oh god, are they at it again?" Chase asked, examining one of the Severus pins. "Oh, well that's attractive. And to think, I can tell everyone my boyfriend was the brains behind this operation. Oh, I'm sure everyone will be so proud."

"Save the sarcasm," James remarked. "These are brilliant. I'm thinking we'll make at least twenty galleons once we market these."

"You are NOT going to sell them!" Lily remarked angrily.

"Are too," Sirius corrected her sweetly.

"Oh Remus," Lily called as he ambled over. "Just look at what they've done! You can't honestly allow them to sell these! I mean, you are a prefect!"

"Yes, Prefect Remuskins," James cooed. "You going to report us to mean old McGonagall?"

Remus smiled charmingly and waved Lily off. "Now Lily, I cannot report anything I haven't seen...and technically, I haven't looked at the badges."

"You're as bad as the lot of them!" Lily shouted.

Sirius grinned. "He is, isn't he?"

"Oh, Lil," James teased.

"What!?" Lily snapped haughtily.

"You do remember you're a prefect, don't you?" he asked.

"Well, of course I know I'm a prefect you git!" Lily shouted.

"Then why do you need Remus to report us?" James asked. "Report us yourself."

"Well, because I..." Lily paused. "Well, I thought I'd give Remus a chance to do the right thing, but since he isn't going to, I suppose I'll have to..."

"Face it, Lil," Sirius grinned. "You actually like us. You really do. You didn't think about reporting us, because no matter how much our teasing Snape..."

"Snivellus," James corrected.

"Right you are," Sirius pointed. "Like I was saying Lil, no matter how much our bothering Snivellus agitates you, you didn't want to be the one to get us in trouble."

"Ah, Padfoot, what an excellent observation," Remus concluded.

"Why Lily Evans?!" James remarked. "Can it be so? Is what Sirius is saying true? You actually like us?"

Lily scowled, thinking of a dozen curses to hex them each with. "Well, I don't like to be the one getting anyone in trouble. Sirius is right there," she admitted reluctantly.

James grinned, wrapping his arm around her. "Does that mean you'll reconsider my offer?" he cooed.

Lily reddened. She turned to face James and grinned, slapping him upside the head with her wand. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" she remarked. "Not in this lifetime!"

As Sirius, Chase, and Remus cackled, Lily stood up and turned towards the common room.

"Oh, and James," she called. "Just because I enjoy hanging around Sirius and Remus does not mean that for one second I actually enjoy hanging around a self-centered prat like yourself!"

"You'll come to your senses!" James called after her as she marched up the stairs.

"NOT LIKELY!" she called, slamming her door.

"Man," James muttered once Lily was gone. "She has it bad for me. Poor girl."

Chase laughed a bit too loudly. "You're mental, Potter," she remarked, turning to rejoin Alice.

xXx

"Lily!" Chase called rushing down the crowded corridor. "Lily wait up!"

Lily turned and stop, causing the throng of students behind her to crash into her before skirting around her, shooting her dirty looks. She shot them a apologetic smile as she rounded Chase.

"What's up?" she asked, scooting her schoolbooks further up in her arms.

"Well, there's a Quidditch practice against Ravenclaw tonight, it's kind of a big deal," she began. "Anyway, we've pretty much turned it into a scrimmage, and well, although Jeffrey will be there, it's kind of a huge event. The entire school including professors are coming out to watch and we're going to have a party afterwards."

"And the whole school knows about this and you assume I haven't heard?" Lily asked, a bit insulted.

Chase shot her a knowing look. "Well have you heard about it?"

Lily huffed a bit. "Well, no, but..."

"Oh come on Lil, don't be angry, I was just informing you because I know when you hear the word Quidditch you tend to tune everyone out, so I wanted to let you know that this might be something you'd be interested in. It starts in a half hour."

Lily nodded. "Well, I'm headed up to the library now, but I'm sure I'll make it down there in an hour or so. I just need to make leeway in my Potions paper. I haven't even started yet and it's supposed to be sixty four inches!"

Chase rolled her eyes. "No one in the entire school has started it yet, Lil," she laughed. "But, all right, I'll see you down there, I hope. And don't worry, if Jeffrey starts anything, I'll hex him."

Lily laughed. "Thanks, good luck."

"Way to jinx me!" Chase called as she headed off to the Quidditch field.

Lily heaved up her stack of books again and turned the corner towards the library. She snuck over to a table in the back far from Madame Pomfrey's watchful eye. She dove into her History of Potions book. She scrolled through the index of various Potion makers searching for Madame Luviere, as her eyes lolled lazily over the never ending list of L names.

"Hi Lily," a nervous voice all but whispered.

Lily peered up from her page and spotted someone down the bookshelf behind her. She climbed to her feet and proceeded down past the bookshelf, wondering who on earth beside herself would rather be in the library than the Quidditch game. However, her surprise ceased once she gazed upon the pale face staring back at her. She breathed in deeply, planting her feet firmly on the ground and looked the boy straight in the eye. "Oh hi, Severus," she said meekly.

Snape looked towards the ground for a full moment before looking back towards Lily. "I just wanted to see how you are. You never see me anymore, Lil."

Lily sighed, fully aware of her history with Snape. The two had become best friends before they went to Hogwarts together, but their sorting into different houses had begun to tear them apart; not to mention Lily didn't like Severus's two sinister friends Mulciber and Avery. But still, she had a soft spot for Snape. He was her very first friend and the first person to help her realize her abilities.

Lily shrugged. "I'm all right I suppose. Just have a lot of homework to catch up on."

Snape nodded. "I heard about you and Jeffrey. I was sorry to hear it, but honestly Lil, he's a complete prat and I don't even know what you ever saw in him to begin with."

Lily cracked a smile. "Oh, I don't know, Sev. I'm entitled to a few months of stupidity every now and then, aren't I?"

Snape smiled. "Well, it's good to see you're doing better. I wanted to see you sooner, but you were always surrounded by Potter and his crew every time I spotted you."

Lily detected the venom in the last bit of Snape's sentence. "James isn't so bad, Sev. I know you and him will never be friends or anything, but really he's not as bad as he seems."

Snape laughed. "Tell me you actually like him Lily?! Oh that's just what his ego needs."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't like him Sev! I'm just saying, he's not so horrible. He's quite tolerable at times, that's all. Drop it, okay?"

"Fine by me," Snape murmured. "Look, did you want to go watch the practice? The Slytherins are mostly boycotting it, but if you want to go, I will."

Lily could barely picture her friends' reactions if she showed up with Snape. Ally and Chase knew of their friendship, but James would certainly make her life a living hell if he saw them together again. Still, Snape was her friend and she was no longer in the mood to study...

"Okay," she agreed, smiling at Snape. "But we don't have to go if you don't want to. We could always do something else."

Snape paused. "We could go to our spot," he suggested. "If you'd like."

Lily smiled. "Sounds perfect. Quidditch isn't exactly my favorite thing to watch."

"Agreed," Snape said. "Watching Potter fluff his ridiculous hair while he pretends his art of mastering sitting on a broomstick is amazing isn't exactly my favorite thing to watch either."

Lily began to protest but let it go. The pair headed out of the library and disappeared through the front doors of Hogwarts. They walked in the opposite direction of the Quidditch field towards the lake. They walked towards a shady area nestled between two tall trees. Lily sat upon a large rock and Snape sat down next to her.

Lily peered around, amused. "Looks like we got older Sev," Lily replied. " I remember when we once thought this spot was enormous."

Snape smiled. "I guess things change," he remarked, studying Lily skeptically. "And people too."

"Oh, Sev, don't do this!" Lily remarked. "Don't ruin this. Don't blame this all on me. You knew from the moment we were sorted into different houses how difficult this would be!"

Snape sat silently.

"And besides," Lily remarked. "You're the one who disappeared all summer. I owled you at least a dozen times and you never answered. Must be because of your new friends Mulciber and Avery, huh?" she spat with venom in her voice.

"Look, Lil, they're just my friends," Snape said. "We're in the same house, we were bound to talk to one another. What did you expect? I'm sorry you don't like them, but they're my friends and that's not changing."

"And about this summer?" Lily asked, obviously hurt.

"I just...forget it, Lil," Snape remarked, getting to his feet.

"No!" Lily shouted. "You tell me! You can't ignore me for three months and then not even TELL me why!"

Snape turned and sighed. "I was afraid the only reason you wrote to me was because you felt sorry for me," he admitted slowly. "And Avery is related to the Potters and he mentioned James never stopped talking about you...and well, what was I supposed to think, Lily?!"

"Oh, I don't know," Lily snapped. "Maybe you were supposed to think, gee why don't I ask Lily what's going on! It's not like I neglected you, Sev. I kept writing even when you wouldn't return my letters. I won't do it again!"

Snape sat back down and reached for Lily's hand. "I'm sorry, Lil. I really am. I don't know what else to say to prove that."

Lily sighed. "See, this is what I'm talking about, Sev," she said gently. "It's like we can't be friends because people don't expect us to be. It's all so ludicrous."

"I agree," Snape mumbled.

"I don't know, Sev," Lily said, climbing to her feet. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Wait, what?!" Snape asked in confusion. "Leave it at what?"

"Just...what it is," Lily called, rushing away.

"But what is it?!" Snape howled in her direction, wondering hopelessly why she was leaving.

"I don't know!" Lily exclaimed. "Let's just leave it that way. I've got to go! I'm sorry! I promised Chase I'd..."

But the rest of her statement was lost to Snape who could know longer hear the echo of Lily Evans voice as she ran away from him towards her friends on the Quidditch field. Defeated and rejected, Snape slumped back to the castle, alone, a huddled dark figure no one paid any mind to.

xXx

"What'd I miss?" Lily asked, hopping onto the bleachers next to Remus. She panted heavily, forcing herself to catch her breath.

"Oh I don't think you missed anything important," he began. "Just, oh, the whole game."

Lily laughed. "Thanks, Rem."

Remus grinned. "You know you're secretly glad you did."

"Well, maybe," Lily admitted. "But, Quidditch is starting to grow on me, I think."

"Only took five years, huh Evans?" James beamed hopping up next to Lily as a couple dozen girls fawned over him. "Think I'm starting to grow on you too?" he teased.

Lily laughed. "I think not," she replied sarcastically.

"Who am I? Who am I?" a mocking voice called, fluffing his shaggy black hair.

"Sirius, I'm certain that no matter how much you try to imitate Potter, your hair is just naturally going to look good," Lily smirked.

"Oh, an insult Evans!" James remarked. "What a nice change of pace," he said sarcastically.

"Oh would you two just snog and get it over with?" Sirius demanded, a bored expression on his face.

"Ew," Lily muttered automatically.

"Have they killed each other yet?" Chase asked, broomstick in hand as she scooted next to Sirius.

"Working on it," Remus insisted, nodding.

"PARTY IN THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM!" Alice shouted from the field. "FREE BUTTERBEER!"

The guys grinned and hopped immediately to their feet.

"Ladies," James and Sirius smiled in unison at the group of girls huddled around them. They took a dramatic bow, tipping invisible hats to them, and headed towards the castle.

"Oh honestly, the way you lead them on," Chase muttered. "It's enough to drive me crazy!"

Sirius beamed, pulling Chase towards him, his arm around her waist as they ambled towards the castle. "Ah, it's just a bit of fun. Besides, you're the one with me. You should be thrilled to know they're all probably plotting different ways to poison you."

"Oh that's reassuring, you jerk," Chase remarked, trying to stay angry, but smiling nevertheless.

"Oh guys!" Lily called, hurrying to keep up. "I almost forgot...who won?"

The group stopped dead in their tracks, eyeing the banners of scarlet and gold that were flying in the air.

"Oh really, Lil," James laughed. "I thought Quidditch was starting to grow on you."

Lily blushed with embarrassment as she pushed past James and hurried into the castle.

xXx

Next chapter is already halfway written. Snape will be taking a more active roll in the story and the character's fifth year will end soon, as I'd like to get into the developing relationship of Lily and James as soon as possible. r/r!