Lily sat silently watching the four boys at the back of the library. Her evening of studying had been disturbed when they entered an hour earlier. She had expected them to be characteristically raucous and oblivious to her need for quiet revision. However, they had so far been unusually calm and she only heard a few snippets of their conversation. Lily began packing away her books as curfew drew closer. Just as she was about to leave, her inquisitive mind made her stop as another snatch of their conversation drifted to her ears.

"Moony! Stop it. You cannot go on like this. You need a break. You get weaker every month!"

Lily's eyes went wide. She had never heard James Potter sound so distressed or sincere. Her emerald eyes moved furtively to his face which was slightly flushed and twisted into a sad grimace.

"I'm fine Prongs! I don't need you to decide when I need a break!"

"Moony mate, we're just worried about you. Your work's slipping, you missed McGonagall's homework and you just look ill mate." Sirius's voice was low and concerned.

Lily inched around the table to hear better. She too had noticed Remus's deteriorating standards and apparent health. It seemed that his friends knew more about it than she did.

"We cold have it ready for next month," Peter's voice squeaked.

Lily was curious as to what "it" was, but she didn't get a chance to ponder it as Remus span round from his position facing away from her and fixed her with a steely gaze. The marauders were, it appeared finally aware of her presence. She was shocked when she saw his face. A huge gash ran from his right temple to just above his top lip. It looked as if it had been magically healed and already appeared to be a week or so old, when Lily had seen Remus just yesterday with a cut free face. She couldn't help the words that tumbled from her mouth.

"Remus! What happened to your face?"

"I was a little sleepy the other morning and wasn't paying attention whilst walking down the stairs." His voice was hard, unemotional and almost robotic. It was unlike Remus to be so cold.

"Oh," was all Lily managed. She knew instinctively that this was not the truth, but she was wary of angering Remus in his current state. Her eyes had also, now taken in the other marauders. Sirius looked far more tense than she had ever seen him; his usually relaxed and easy poise was today rigid. James's face was pale and his hair was hanging limply across his forehead. Lily assumed it was her maternal instinct that made her want to brush it back from his face and reassure him that everything would be all right. He looked so vulnerable. His mouth was twisted into an apologetic smile as he looked at Lily, but she could easily see the inner fear that swirled in his soft caramel eyes. Those perfect eyes moved to her emerald ones silently urging her to leave. Lily couldn't move. Her gaze kept flashing to Remus's face.

"Evans, are you that infatuated with me that you have to listen in to my private conversations?." He changed tack and replaced his sad smile with his trademark grin, his eyes closing off.

"Don't flatter yourself Potter." Lily's words were harsh, but her tone was merely conversational were she would have normally been scathing.

That night in the common room Lily sat staring into the fire. She was alone except for a huge pure white cat. A hour after the last straggler had left the common room the fat cat had plodded it's way down the stairs and was now watching Lily quietly from an armchair. It's fur surrounded it's body like a perfect white halo. The only part of the cat's body that wasn't white was it's beautiful big blue eyes. Lily wasn't a great animal lover, in fact she rather hated animals, but she couldn't help admiring this cat and thought that it's owner must be very lucky.

Lily was thinking about earlier in the library. She was confused for a lot of reasons. Her nosey Gryffindor side wanted to know what was going on with Remus. She was also concerned for the boy, he had always been nice to her and she hated to see him like this. She wanted to know why the other boys had look so worried and were being so insistent with their friend. Most of all, however, she wanted to understand the feeling she had felt when looking at James's sad face.

Just as Lily began to consult this inner turmoil the big white cat jumped from it's perch, landing lightly on it's feet. It padded over to where Lily sat and climbed brazenly into her lap. Once there is snuggled down; it's head nestled between her body and her arms which were resting softly on her crossed thighs.

As the cat closed it's eyes Lily went back to thinking of James. She knew without a doubt that she did not like James Potter in the way he liked her. So how could she explain her feeling earlier. She had wanted to take him in her arms and comfort him. The lost look on his face had caused her some sort of pain inside. At first she had passed it off as a maternal urge, but how could it be? She hadn't felt the need to cradle Sirius in her lap, like she was now doing to the cat. Perhaps it was because she hated seeing his perfectly handsome face distorted with pain. It was merely an aesthetic problem. That was the problem. She was becoming too attracted to him physically. Or that is what Lily told herself, whether it was true nobody knew not even Lily herself.

Lily fell asleep with the shaggy white cat curled in her lap and the flames heating both of them. Almost an hour later, the owner of the cat came down the stairs sleepily looking for his cat who usually slept at the foot of his bed. He found her curled in the lap of a pretty red head. Very carefully, making sure not to disturb the sleeping girl, he scooped his cat into his arms and gently spread a blanket across the girl's body.

The next morning when Lily arrived for breakfast rubbing her neck James Potter grinned at her from further down the Gryffindor table. She ignored him and continued to eat her breakfast. Unfortunately James was not easily ignored.

"Oi Evans!" He called as he made his way down the table and squeezed himself between Alice and Frank who were sat opposite Lily.

"Yes, Potter?" Lily asked wearily.

"Just thought I should tell you that you wouldn't get as stiff if you slept in a bed."

Lily's head shot up. Nobody was in the common room when she had awoken and she assumed everyone had been in bed all night. A blush crept to her cheeks as she remembered the dishevelled state she was in that morning when she opened her eyes. Her usually straight hair was stuck around her face in wavy strands, her skirt was twisted and bunched around her thighs and the little bit of make up she had been wearing the day before was smeared down her face. She shuddered at the thought of anyone seeing her like that, let alone James Potter.

"I did sleep in a bed last night thank you very much Potter," Lily's words were accompanied with a harsh sneer, however, it's effect was marred by the now crimson blush adorning her cheeks.

"Of course," his grin grew, if possible, even wider as his eyes moved appreciatively over the manifestation of her embarrassment. "Oh and Evans, if you even need Fluff's services again, just ask."

And with that he walked out of the Great Hall and huge grin in place. As Lily bowed her head to hide her blush she wondered what had happened to the worried and vulnerable boy she had seen the day before.