Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunatley. Only the plot. Characters and locations are property of J.K. Rowling. )

Chapter 8: Painful Goodbyes
Lily stood up to go after him, being the peacekeeper and comforter of them all. As she walked out, Remus, without a sound, slipped a note and a wad of parchment into her cloak. She looked over her shoulder and he put his finger to his lips as if to say "Shh…" and turned back to his table. As soon as she left the hall, she hastily grabbed the parchment and note which read:

Lily,

It's the map! Use it to find

Sirius. All my luck and wishes,

Remus

Lily revealed the map and found him on the third floor in the trophy room. She raced up, stuffing the map in her cloak. When she arrived, slowly, the door creaked open.

"Go away, Peter!"

"Do I look like a rat to you?"

"Oh, Lily! I'm sorry. It's just…. She never even said goodbye!"

"Well, some things are just better left without farewells,"

"Nothing goes right for me, does it? No one believes that I can do anything. Not my family, not Tanya and I'm starting to think that my friends don't either."

"I believe in you. God created souls on the first day and angels on the second," she said as though she had recited it a million times before. "If you keep the spirit of God dominant within you, then you are greater than angels." She said wiping the newly formed tears from his eyes.

"Now come, before the both of us starve!" she said grabbing his hand and leading him down to the Great Hall. Now, as they ate, Sirius didn't keep his head down at the plate. He held it high, laughing at witty jokes and often telling them. After supper, James pulled Lily off to the side.

"You really are an angel,"

"What do you mean?" she said, obviously flattered.

"Because you perform the greatest miracles! Like the way you made Sirius Sirius again! What did you tell him?"

"What you always told me when I doubted myself. You know, about the angels."

"Did you tell him that I said it?"

"No, I figured you'd be embarrassed enough when I told him you cried like he did,"

"You didn't tell him that, did you?"

"Maybe," Terror flooded his eyes like the streets of Venice. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.

"What is the matter with you!"

"I dunno! I just had the sudden urge to laugh!" Then, as he continued to chuckle, it became contagious and Lily broke out in side-splitting laughter. Finally, at lights out, they went their separate ways, bidding each other good night, and slept soundlessly, without a horrible dream to recall.

Peter awoke with the sun bright and early on Saturday. There was fresh snow on the ground, a perfect day! Wonderful day for forts and snowball fights, but that wasn't the case. He had to read as many biographies on Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Lord Voldemort) as possible before three o'clock because at that time, they were going to Hogesmade. As for the rest of the crew, they had the biggest snowball fight of their lives. It all started when Lily and James were walking hand-in-hand along the shore of the lake and then Remus jumped from behind a tree and threw a snowball, hitting James square in the head. James, thinking it was Lily, balled up a chunk of snow and put it down the back of her cloak. At the same time, Sirius threw a snowball at her just barely skimming her arm. She packed up some snow and threw it into the trees, blindly. Seconds later, she heard "ouch!" and her hit was assured. Sirius revealed himself from behind the redwood with a face full of snow. They slowly built up walls for protection and the battle raged on. Just as they were ending, the bell rand and they ran to change their wet robes for Hogesmade. It was a short visit. They bought some butterbeer, went to Honeydukes, and then made their way back to the castle for there was nothing else to do.

"Wait, wait, wait! Remember the time that Sirius and James were walking on the lake, in the winter."

"Oh god." James said with his head in his hands.

"And then James fell through. When Sirius, went to help him, he slipped and fell!" Remus recalled. Lily giggled faintly then continued to smile. Her mind was elsewhere. Actually, it was on her future. There were so many things to arrange, like her wedding and living arrangements. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality. She thought to herself "You must stay focussed on today's tasks for tomorrow may never come." And it was true. Voldemort was rising to power again quickly and he could easily just waltz in here at anytime and kill them all. Her green eyes glittered with tears as her mind flashed the horrible dream into her vision. The more she thought about it, the more she dreamed about it. For almost three weeks in a row, she only gathered a few measly hours of sleep altogether. James himself accumulated less. Sirius was beginning to believe that he was an insomniac. To add to the stress, N.E.W.T.s were coming up soon. It also caused them to sleep less but it too their minds off the thought that Lord Voldemort be out to kill them all.

June finally reared it's ugly head. Every year it was the same. They mostly only spoke to each other during breaks and before they went to bed. Now, they didn't even speak during breaks or even at meals. Everyone's nose was forever in a book. Peter, as usual, rarely saw them and always came to meals late. As for Remus, he rarely came to meals. The only time they ever saw him was during class. Then, Lily and James made each other schedules and designated time to socialize. They also made time for Quidditch, bathroom breaks, eating and naps. During their "socialize" times, they often recalled times when they had fun or talked about the future. It was a bit like a formal meeting, but it was all right.

"Do you want to talk about it now? The wedding, I mean."

"Actually, I have a surprise for you,"