The next day, when Lily woke up, the sun was shining brightly through her window and a light snow was falling. She stretched and yawned, then threw her pillow at Mary's closed curtains. It hit the joint where two curtains met and landed on Mary's head, with practiced ease.

"Omf Muff." Mary complained and tossed the pillow back. Lily rolled off her bed just in time for the pillow to land where her head had been. Mary picked up her own pillow to continue when Lily stopped her.

"Snow, outside." Lily said, as she began to get dressed.

Mary rolled her eyes, "Of course there's snow outside." However she had long ago learned to interpret Lily's morning speak and had received the message. They would continue this, outside, with a more deadly weapon.

They hurriedly dressed and grabbed their winter gear. Then they raced through the common room, ignoring their house mates, and struggling to pull on their coats in mid sprint. They took a detour into the great hall, only slowing down long enough to grab a pumpkin pasty each, before they flew out the door.

Scanning the grounds quickly, Lily chose the top of the hill they liked to sled on as her vantage point. She took off while Mary swerved toward the tree at it's base. Mary had cover, but Lily had the high ground.

Lily skidded to a stop on top of the hill, landing on her knees, and immediately began to gather snow to back snow balls. Once she had a good sized pile, and it didn't look like Mary would be making an attack anytime soon, she began to build a wall. It was about two feet high and four feet wide when Mary came running up the hill. Her toque was filled with snowballs and she had one at the ready. Lily scrambled for her pile and popped up from behind her wall just in time to be hit, full in the face.

Mary was doubled over with laughter as Lily wiped the snow from her face. She returned fire, barely missing Mary who straightened up at the last second and side stepped it. They continued, Mary managing to glance one off Lily's shoulder, while Lily hit Mary with four direct hits to limb and torso. Finally Mary was out of ammo and she raced down the hill, Lily glancing one off her fleeing heel.

Lily stood up, waving her arms in victory at a battle won. "That's right, peasant, Flee! I rule this mountain!" her rant was cut off by another snow ball to the face. She turned to see the four Marauders, standing a few yards to her side. "Which one of you was it?" she growled.

Three fingers were immediately up and pointing at Peter. However Peter's was indicating Sirius, and that's all she needed to know.

Even though she had no interest in sports, Lily's aim was still pretty good. She managed to hit him in the arm. Then Mary popped out from behind her tree.

"Get over here. Let's bring the castle to it's knees and take back our kingdom!"

"A traitorous wrench, that's what she is!" Lily shouted. The four boys looked taken aback by her language, but she continued, this was a serious matter. "The penalty for treason is death. Now take up arms and join your Queen, we will crush these traitorous rebels."

Sirius was the first to react. "Well the queen's already made one attempt on my life." He grabbed Remus by the arm and pulled him reluctantly toward the tree.

"Traitors!" James shouted after them, then hulled Peter the rest of the way up the hill.

James and Peter crouched down beside Lily. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"What're your strengths and weaknesses?"

"I have no aim." Peter offered.

"But you're the fastest at making snow balls." James added.

"Okay. Peter you start making snowballs, and don't stop till I tell you. Potter, you and I'll continue building this wall."

For a few minutes they worked in silence, until Sirius came yelling and screaming up the hill. He was immediately pelted with half a dozen snow balls to the face and chest. He fell to his knees and Lily stood up to proclaim her victory.

"Is that all-" She was cut off by Potter grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down beside him. A snowball flew over the wall a second later, exploding on the hard packed snow behind the barricade.

"Save the speech for later, princess, we're at war." he hissed in her ear.

She pushed him off her and peeked over the barricade. Mary and Sirius were skipping down the hill together, shouting insults gleefully back at the defenders.

She turned to Potter, "I'm a Queen, I'll have you know, and I could charge you with treason for assaulting me like that."

"And then you'd be outnumbered. Good luck winning then. Sirius has wicked aim, and Remus is the best strategist out here. You might have the same number of fighters in the field, but with Remus sitting behind their lines, and calling the shots, you better wish for a quick death."

She glared at him, "Fine, have it your way."

He nodded. "Peter, I want snow ball piles every two feet along this wall. Your majesty, let's get building."

James was right, with the attacks the rebels were pulling they could barely keep them on the other side of the wall. Just when they were starting to get the upper hand, Remus would pull out something new. Sirius climbing the tree so he could all but drop snowballs on top of them, before they moved their wall back a few more feet. They hadn't even noticed the mysterious moving bush, with Sirius' cold distractions, till a foot came out to smash their wall. Then the ideas stopped coming. The rebels were being driven back faster and faster, and the three defenders were getting high on their own sudden success.

A woolen gloved hand clamped over Lily's mouth. She didn't even have time to react before she was pulled back.

"Surrender or the princess dies," A voiced sounded, close to her ear.

"Queen" she tried to correct but it only came out as a mumble.

James whipped around a snowball ready. "Remus?"

"Didn't think I'd get my hands dirty, did you? That's why we've won." Then Mary and Sirius hopped over the wall. "I did what you least expected, I joined the game. Now put down the snowball and surrender this castle."

James glared at him, then raised his hands. "Fine, you win." He slowly lowered his hand to drop the snowball. Lily felt Remus loosen his grip on her.

She didn't have time to think. She barely had time to register what was happening. James eyes met her's just before the snowball left his hand, and it was like his whole plan was laid out in them. The crazier thing was that she understood it. He tossed it, fast enough so that Remus wouldn't have time to respond, but slow enough that she could catch it. It burst apart in her hands but it didn't need to be perfectly spherical for the next phase. She brought up her hands and smashed the snow into Remus' face. Then she twisted around and tripped him. He came crashing down and when he landed she twisted his arm behind his back. When she looked up James already had Sirius on the ground. Mary was headed straight for him so she gathered up some more snow and aimed for her face. That distracted her long enough for Peter to grab her hands and pin them behind her back.

"I think we've won Remus. James did exactly what you least expected, he let someone else share his glory."