A/N: I'm trying my best to update as much as possible... That's all I can really say. Thank you again for the lovely review/s. I'm rather disappointed that I have so few but I'm here to write, not throw a hissy fit until I get a thousand reviews. Anyways... This chapter will reveal a little more about the whole Amanda/James relationship and everyone gets to say hello to a new character. I hope you like him.

TO MY LOVELY ANONYMOUS REVIEWER: THANK YOU! I appreciate that you took the time to write that review and as far as I'm concerned, your cookie is whatever kind you want!

Disclaimer: Everything is Jo's. It's heart shattering

Sirius found Lily sitting under a tree near the Black Lake. 'Lily,' he said softly. She didn't react. Sitting down beside her, he slung his arm over her shoulder. 'I don't know what to do,' she whispered. 'I-I'm sorry about last night and... now.'
'Don't be sorry,' Sirius replied. 'I know how you feel. I've lost a sibling too.'
'I suppose that's why I just spilled everything to you,' Lily mused. 'I'm still sorry. You shouldn't have had to deal with that. Crying females are not fun.'
'Don't mention it. It gave me a reason not to do my homework,' he joked. Lily smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes.
'James is looking for you too,' Sirius said suddenly. 'He's near the Astronomy Tower.'
'How'd you know to find me here?' Lily asked.
'I know you better than you think, Evans. You always come here when you're sad.'
'I shouldn't have reacted the way I did to Jackson.'
'You had a rough night. No one ones to be woken up to a screaming Amanda Jackson anyway. Although, I am surprised you didn't hex her. I wouldn't worry though. By the looks of things, James will do it for you.'

Lily gasped. 'Oh, no! He can't! He's head boy!'
Sirius snorted. 'And did that stop you from punching Mulciber in the face? Jackson was being a bitch. She deserves what she gets.'

'I'm gonna miss this, you know? The lake. The castle... This is our last year here.'
Sirius nodded in agreement. 'I'm gonna miss the peace. There's a war going on right outside the gates and soon, we're gonna be right in the middle of it.'

Lily sighed. Sirius was right, Lily was a muggleborn and was already a target. And Sirius, he just liked to cause trouble. No chance of him sitting around with Voldemort on the loose. For that moment however, she was content to sit there with her friend and take in the beauty of the peace that surrounded them.

James was running down a corridor when Remus ran into him. 'James! I checked the map. Lily and Sirius are by the lake.'

James was gone before he could even blink.

Running down towards the lake, he saw Sirius and Lily sitting under a tree. They were muttering to each other quietly, the rest of the world seemed nonexistent.

'Lily?' James said hesitantly from behind her. Sirius and Lily jumped. Turning to face him, Lily tried not to look upset but she didn't fool him. He knew her too well. How many times had he watched every little emotion flutter across her face in class? He knew all her expressions.
'I'm sorry about Amanda. She had no right to yell at you like that,' he said sincerely.
Lily blushed. She felt so stupid about the whole ordeal. It was so unlike her, she felt like diving into the lake and not coming up from the sheer embarrassment of it. 'Don't worry about it. It's nothing really.' And it was.

A look of comprehension fluttered across James' face. 'That's not what upset you, is it? There's something else. Sirius knows,' he said turning on his best friend.

Sirius blanched. 'No,' Lily cut in smoothly. 'It's nothing. Don't worry about it.'
He didn't look like he bought it. 'Really,' she emphasised.

And that was the truth of it. She no longer felt upset. Lily had been in tears the night before but the only reason she feel apart that morning because she was simply incapable of handling such a situation after the events of the previous night. Now that she had time to sort through everything, she was fine. 'I mean it,' she continued when he didn't believe her. It was touching that he cared so much but she wasn't lying.

'I have homework to do,' she continued. 'And I could probably use a shower. Besides, Mary is probably wondering where I am. Not to mention Alice,' she said fondly. Turning to face Sirius, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. 'Thank you. For everything,' she whispered.
'Don't mention it, Ginger.'
Lily let the comment slide as she pulled away to face James. 'And thank you, James. I appreciate it.'
'Appreciate what?' he said in confusion.
'It wasn't your mess to clean up but it was nice of you to come and apologize anyway.'
'Oh.'

Lily smiled again. She seemed to do that a lot on the presence of the Marauders. 'I'll see you guys around.'

Making her way back up to the castle, Lily glanced behind herself to see James and Sirius talking to each other looking grim. James was nodding to something Sirius said and clapped him on the shoulder. Turning away, Lily walked through the doors and made her way up the staircase. Just as she reached the seventh floor she was tackled by a very pretty, short, dark haired, seventh year witch.

'Alice!' Lily cried out in surprise.
'LILY EVANS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?' The normally calm and collected Alice looked to be on the verge of murder.
'I'm sorry, Alice,' Lily replied honestly. 'I found out last night that Petunia was marrying that oaf, Vernon Dursley. I decided to get up early and go for a walk.'
'Don't you lie to me! I woke up in the middle of the night and you weren't there. I checked the bathroom and you weren't there either! I've been up since then waiting for you,' Alice snapped.

Lily's considered telling her everything. Before she could stop herself, everything came spilling out of her mouth. 'Alice! You won't believe what happened. I have so much to tell you. I wasn't lying but... Oh, I've made such a fool of myself.'

Alice took one look at the distraught red head before grabbing her arm and pulling her up to their empty dormitory. 'Where are the others?' Lily asked.
'Probably at the library or outside enjoying the sun before winter comes,' Alice said vaguely. 'Now tell me what's happened.'

Sitting on their respective beds, Lily launched into her story; mentioning every detail of how she found the letter, how Sirius was there for her, how Amanda Jackson attacked her, how James and Sirius were found her and even all they said.

'Oh, Lily. I wouldn't worry. I know that they can be jerks but their hearts are in the right place. When it comes down to it, they're good people. I'm sure they didn't mind,' Alice advised.
'I certainly hope so, Alice,' Lily replied worriedly.

Alice looked at her with concern before deciding to change the topic. 'Tomorrow's Sunday. It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Are you going with anyone?'
'No,' Lily shook her head. 'No one's asked me. I assumed you're going with Frank?'
Alice blushed in reply. Ignoring Lily's grin, she led her friend to the bathroom and locked her in, insisting that she couldn't come out till she'd showered and looked presentable.

Pushing the dramatics of the last twelve hours out of her mind, Lily spent her day working on her potions essay for Professor Slughorn. Before she knew it, Remus was sitting down beside her, pulling his transfiguration notes towards himself. 'Been here all day?' he asked.
'Not that long. I got here around ten,' Lily replied.
'Yes. It's now four-thirty,' Remus said.
'WHAT?' Lily cried. 'I have to go! I'll see you later, Remus.'
'Bye Lily,' he replied cheerily.

Running through the corridors towards Gryffindor Tower, Lily ran head first into a tall figure. Flying backwards, she landed on the ground with a loud "Oompf."
'I'm so sorry,' she cried. 'I was in a hurry and-James?'
James looked down at her in surprise. 'Merlin, Lily. Are you alright? You came out of nowhere. Where are you running off to?'
Lily took his hand and he helped her to her feet. 'I was in the library and Remus told me it was already four-thirty. I know that we have a meeting with Dumbledore at six so I was running to the common room to put all my stuff away so I would have time to help Emmaline with her Charms homework before dinner. I figured we would go see the headmaster right after we ate and I didn't want to be late. Not to mention that right after that we have to start our patrols.'
'Oh. Well I just came from the common room and I'm pretty sure that Emmaline was getting help from Benjy Fenwick.'

Lily looked surprised. While she didn't mean to sound vain, the truth of the matter was that Lily was far more accomplished in Charms in comparison to Benjy who was in fact, a rather average student at best. But Emmaline most likely had other ideas planned for the two of them so she thought it best not to interrupt. If she still needed help from Lily, she could get it another day.
'Oh. Alright. Erm, I suppose I'll just go drop my books off in my dormitory and then go grab some dinner.'
'I'll walk you up to the Tower,' James said. It wasn't a question.
Following the events of the last few weeks, she'd had enough unwanted encounters with Slytherins to not be opposed to company. 'Alright. Thanks, Potter,' she replied with a smile.
'Don't mention it, Evans.'
'How are you holding up?' she asked him after a few moments of silence. James' expression darkened considerably.
'Alright. All this school work though... I'm glad we have tomorrow at Hogsmeade. I think we all need some time off.'
Lily nodded in agreement. 'Right you are. Let me put this away; I'll be back in a moment,' she said as they approached their common room.

When she returned, he was waiting patiently. 'You don't mind doing patrols with me, do you?' he asked hesitantly as they made their way towards the Great Hall.
'Not in the slightest,' she assured him with a smile.
James still looked hesitant. 'It's just... I know that we haven't always gotten along...'
'James,' she cut in. 'That was then. Now, things aren't the same. We've all grown up. There are bigger things to worry about than petty childhood annoyances. Now, I'm not excusing the things you've done over the years; we both know you've stepped out of line many times, but not this year. You're not the eleven year old I met on the train the first time I came to Hogwarts. And between you and me, I really like this new James Potter.'
James smiled ruefully. 'I suppose I could say the same for you. But thanks, Evans.'

Lily looked a little surprised. 'I didn't know I've changed. In what way?'
James grinned. 'You're still the bossy swot you always were, but now you're up for some fun. It's nice to know that we won't always have you on our backs for ever little prank we decide to pull.'
Lily laughed. 'It's our last year... I've grown up with your pranks. It'd be a shame to see them go now. But don't tell anyone I said that, I have a reputation to uphold.'
James laughed and it was a nice sound. He didn't seem to laugh as much these days. Not since before his parents died.

'So are you looking forward to tomorrow?' she asked.
'Yeah, I suppose so.' He didn't elaborate.
'Well I suppose I'll see you at six,' she smiled as they arrived. Lily walked away to find Alice and Mary while James sat down next to Peter.

'Did you just walk in with James Potter?' Mary asked excitedly as she sat down.
'Yes, I did,' Lily replied curtly. 'Now can you pass the mashed potatoes?'

Half way through the meal, Lily dropped her fork as she watched Clarisse Hopkirk, a sixth year Gryffindor prefect approach James. While they were far enough away to not notice her staring at them, Lily could still hear what they were saying.

'James! How are you?'
'Er... I'm fine thanks, Clarise.'
'So, I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow?' Clarisse flipped her long blonde hair behind her, batting her eyelashes.
James recoiled slightly. 'Um, I was just gonna go to Hogsmeade... you know, with everyone else?'

Clarisse laughed as if he had just told the funniest joke in the world.
'Oh, James! You're so funny! Actually, I meant if you're not going with anyone... Maybe you could go with me?'

'Oh.' James stared at Peter looking for some sort of escape but his friend proved to be no help at all as he stared down at his pasta resolutely. 'Er... I'm not sure if that's the greatest idea, Clarisse. Now that I think about it, I have a Defence essay that's due Monday... I know I said I was going to Hogsmeade but I really only needed to grab a few things from Honeydukes... I'd be back pretty quickly. Maybe some other time,' he said kindly.

Clarisse looked rather crestfallen but brightened at the thought of "some other time." 'Sure, James. I'll see you around.' With a final wave of farewell, Clarisse left the hall.

For some reason that Lily didn't understand, she found that she was no longer hungry. Not only that, but she had a strong urge to punch Clarisse Hopkirk in the face. 'Are you alright, Lily? You look pale and you've been staring at James Potter for the past ten minutes.' Mary looked at her with concern etched all over her face.

'I'm fine,' Lily muttered. At six, she excused herself and walked over to James to inform him that it was time to go and see Professor Dumbledore.
'Oh, of course. I'll see you later, Pete.'

The two made their way through the corridors in silence. 'Are you alright, Red? You look kind of pale,' he said after a while.
'Fine,' she said, a little harsher than she intended to. Wincing she hoped he wouldn't notice. 'What's with the new nickname?'
James grinned good naturedly. 'Red? I just thought it went well with your hair. And there's obviously something wrong. You can tell me you know?'

Lily sighed. 'It's lots of things, James. This is a difficult year.' And it was the truth.
'Don't worry yourself too much. It'll get you nowhere,' he said wisely. 'Do you know the password?' he asked as the approached Dumbledore's office. Lily shook her head.

'I suppose we'll have to guess then,' he mused. 'Sugar quills.'
'Chocolate wands.'
'Fizzing whizbees.'
'Exploding bonbons.'
'Treacle fudge.'
'Sugar skulls.'
'Pixie puffs.'
'Fudge flies.'
'Liquorice wands.'
'Ice mice.'
'Cockroach clusters.'
'Salt water taffy.'
'Oh this is getting ridiculous, lemon pops.'
'Jelly slugs.'
'Pepper imps.'
'Fizzing whizbees.'
'No, we've already tried those. Chocolate frogs?'

At last the staircase appeared. 'Took us long enough,' Lily muttered.
Knocking on the door at the top of the staircase, they waited until a soft voice told them to enter. The headmaster was sitting behind his desk staring at them over his half moon spectacles, a clear twinkle in his bright blue eyes. Fawkes the phoenix was sleeping on its perch as beautiful as ever.
'Take a seat,' the headmaster offered. As they sat down, he observed the two. Lily blushed under his piercing gaze. 'I have called you here not to speak to you of your head duties as I'm sure you assumed, but for other reasons.'
James and Lily looked at each other in surprise.
'I am sure that you are both well aware of the threat that lies outside our doorstep. He who calls himself Lord Voldemort continues to wreak havoc in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. One sometimes wonders if anyone is now safe.' For the first time since Lily and James had known him, Dumbledore truly seemed like an old man.

'The rest of the staff would not wish me to disclose this information to you for you are still students however I feel that it is necessary for you to understand the threat we are facing. Voldemort is no average wizard stirring up some rebellion. He is incredibly powerful and has great numbers at his command. I regret to inform you that it is my belief that the Ministry of Magic is no longer safe.'
'Sir, surely there's some way to stop him?' James said.

Dumbledore surveyed him over his glasses. 'That is why I have called you here today, Mr Potter. You and Miss Evans have been given a great responsibility. As Head Boy and Girl in these dark times, you bear the burden of a much greater responsibility than leaders of years passed. You must lead the students and show them that Voldemort must not be bowed down to. We must not give in. In the face of this war, we must not lose hope.'

'There must be something more we can do!' James cried out in anger. 'We've got to fight him. We can't just sit here and wait until he comes and picks us off, one by one. He killed my parents! I want him dead!'

Lily looked frightened by his outburst but didn't try to stop him. Dumbledore looked at James calmly and waited. 'I agree Mr Potter. There is another reason for which I have summoned you here. Once I realised that the Ministry would become near powerless against this threat, I decided that action must be taken. For this reason, I created a special society purely devoted to the downfall of Voldemort. We call ourselves the Order of the Phoenix. Secrecy is essential to our cause and our missions are based on stealth and intelligence that has been discovered. Our main goal is to find out Voldemort's plans and stop them. Eventually, I hope that through this society, we will bring an end to the terror that Voldemort has been spreading.'

James and Lily looked at the headmaster with their mouths open in shock. 'Your parents were a part of this organisation before their untimely deaths, Mr Potter. They were highly valued members. It is our belief that their involvement was discovered and they became immediate targets.' A flash of pride appeared in James' eyes.
'It is exceptionally dangerous to be a part of the Order. Your lives would be put at risk on a daily basis. I have observed the two of you for some time now and despite your youth; I do however believe that you may wish to be a part of this society. Your courage and strength could be put to good use. It pains me to ask this of those so young yet I fear that time is running out and as we grow weaker, our enemies multiply and strengthen. By all means, you have every right to refuse me and walk out this door right now. I only ask that you disclose the contents of this conversation to no one. If you so wish however, I will grant you both a place amongst our ranks once you have graduated.'

James and Lily were each lost in their own thoughts. This would be very dangerous. Chances were they'd die. But this was their chance to fight back against the oppression. Voldemort would kill them all. Lily was already a target as a muggle born and James was a blood traitor if there ever was one. This was their chance to bring peace and stability back to both their worlds. To protect their loved ones from the darkness that surrounded them.

Looking at each other with determination in their eyes, the pair looked at their headmaster and in unison said, 'we'll do it.'

Rather than look pleased about their decision, Dumbledore looked sad. 'I expected nothing less from the two of you. I commend your courage but I assure you, if ever you wish to pull out, you are more than welcome to. I will not hold it against you should you change your minds.'

'Thank you Professor Dumbledore. We appreciate your offer and are grateful for your trust. We promise we won't tell anyone about this,' Lily said softly.
'Thank you. I'll let you get back to your evenings.'

Rising from their seats, Lily and James left the headmaster's office lost in their thoughts, each with both fear and determination bubbling in their stomachs.

'Well that was... not what I was expecting,' Lily said to James as they patrolled the now empty corridors.
'Certainly not,' James agreed. 'I'm just glad that we can finally do something. We can finally help put an end to this.'

'An end to what?' a voice called out from behind them. The two Head students turned to find themselves facing a group of Slytherin sixth and seventh years. The group included Avery, Mulciber, Nott, Macnair, Yaxley, Rowle, Gibbon, Dolohov, Rookwood, Crabbe, Goyle and to Lily's disgust, Snape. Lily and James both had their wands at the ready but did not raise them. Slipping his hand into his pocket, James pulled out the corner of what seemed to be a mirror before quickly hissing, 'Sirius!' and slipping it back inside.

Lily spared him a questioning glance but remained focused on the Slytherins. 'What are you all doing outside your common room at this time at night?' She snapped. 'Go back to the dungeons before I start to dock points.'

The Slytherins laughed. 'Did you hear that?' Avery laughed. 'The filthy mudblood is telling us what to do!'

James tensed beside her but she grabbed his arm. 'Don't do it,' she hissed. 'Not yet.' He remained tense but did not raise his wand.

'Evening gentlemen, my lady,' Sirius appeared from behind a tapestry and bowed to Lily. He seemed slightly out of breath as if he had been running. Moments later, Remus popped up out of the same tapestry. Alice, Frank Longbottom, Mary, Marlene and Emmaline all appeared too. 'Isn't this cosy,' Sirius continued. 'Though I'm a little miffed I wasn't invited to the party, Mulciber. This isn't like you at all.'

It occurred to Lily that they were still outnumbered. Truth was however, they were far more skilled than the Slytherins, perhaps with the exception of Snape. But there was only one of him.

Avery was looking at the new arrivals with what was perhaps a smidgeon of fear. 'Tell me, Macnair, how's dad doing? I hope Azkaban's been treating him well?' Sirius taunted. Lily and James didn't react. It was obvious that there was going to be a confrontation. The faster it began the better.

Macnair's face contorted in anger and he pointed his wand at Sirius. 'I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Black. Filthy blood traitors like you don't end up anywhere but dead in the sewers.'
'But why in the name of Merlin would I want to find myself in your house? Even if I were dead, no chance of finding me there.'

With a hiss of rage, Macnair sent a curse towards Sirius who blocked it lazily.
'Now,' Lily yelled, sending a bat-bogey hex towards Crabbe and a stinging jinx towards Goyle. Blocking the hex sent towards her by Yaxley, she set his robes on fire.

James was battling Rookwood and Dolohov while Sirius handles Macnair and Gibbon. Throwing a shield charm between Mary and Nott, she turned back to Yaxley who had extinguished his robes. With a shriek of rage as he stupefied Marlene, Lily sent the leek jinx at him forcing leeks to fall out of his ears. 'Ventus!' she yelled forcing him to fly backwards and hit his head on a wall.
'PROTEGO!' James roared, sending a shield between herself and Dolohov. With a murderous expression, James stupefied Dolohov and sending a bat-bogey hex towards Rookwood before hitting him with a full body bind curse. Snape was duelling Alice while Frank helped Mary. When Avery attempted to attack her, she had him bound with purple tentacle sprouting all over his face in moments. James was fighting Snape now and the look of loathing on Snape's face was something like she'd never seen before. Running up to James she sent a protego in front of him and snapped at him to back off from Snape as Snape recovered from being sent into a wall.

James looked at her incredulously. 'You're defending him?'
'No,' Lily shook her head. 'This one's personal. This fight is mine.' James looked at her for a moment longer before stepping away as Snape trained his wand back on his opponent. 'I don't think so, Snape. This time, you duel me,' she snapped.

Snape looked horrified. 'This is all your fault Potter! Sectumsempra!' he screamed. Without thinking, Lily dived in the way screaming the shield charm but it was useless against the curse. She gasped in horror as she felt the cuts appearing on her chest. James caught her, rage evident in his eyes.

'Snape! What did you do?' he screamed at him. Lily was losing consciousness, the pain was becoming unbearable.
Snape looked horrified. 'I-I was aiming for P-Potter. I can fix it!' Muttering words under his breath, the cuts disappeared from Lily's chest but she'd already lost too much blood. As she slipped out of consciousness, she could hear James begging her to stay awake.

Sirius saw Lily fall and gasped. Sending a final hex towards his opponent, he ran over to Lily as James picked her up. 'He healed her,' James rasped. 'The git healed the cuts but she's already lost too much blood. We've got to get her to the Hospital Wing. Her and the others.'
'You go on ahead. She needs help now. I'll get Marlene.'

James nodded and walked quickly towards the hospital wing as Sirius enervated Marlene. Frank and Mary were supporting Alice up as she hobbled along with her injured leg while Remus nursed his left arm and Peter looked around blankly, still suffering from the effects of the stray confundus charm that had hit him. The group made their way to the Hospital Wing slowly while James had hurried Lily there long before they arrived. Sirius was still supporting Marlene who was feeling ill from a second jinx that had hit her.

'What have you lot done?' Madame Pompfrey was snapping at James while she gave the unconscious Lily a blood replenishing potion. Seeing the group of injured students file in, she hissed in annoyance and told them all to take a bed. 'You too, Potter. That head of yours is oozing blood. It's not going to get better all on its own,' she snapped when James refused to leave Lily. Sighing, he insisted on at least taking the bed right beside her.

As Madame Pompfrey cleaned and bandaged his head, he found himself drifting off to sleep, his dreams filled with a single, broken and bloody lily flower.

A/N: Well that chapter is longer than normal. I hope it makes up for the (only very slightly) late update. I hope you all enjoyed that. I get bored when there's nothing but petty romance dramas. I thought I'd shake things up a bit. This story is after all, about the war.

Reviews are hot chocolate on a cold winter day!

Love,

Forever Prongs