Over the next few days, the relationship between James and Lily had reached a point where they were not really offensive with each other anymore, but merely ignored each other. At least Lily did.
"Hey Evans! I just want to talk!" she would hear across the grounds occasionally.
Really few days were missing for the end of the year, and Lily felt more miserable than ever. She had had a true friend in which rely, trust, but he had betrayed her. Her friends had been telling her that if it was so important to her, she should go and make things straight with Snape, but she wouldn't sink to that level. She would never speak to him again.
The last week of the term came and also, the final full moon of the school year. As the boys were planning their escapade on their dormitory, suddenly their fifth roommate stepped into the room, and they very suddenly stopped talking.
"I know what you were talking about. And that's why I've come. I want to go too." said Max in a low but steady voice.
"Sorry mate, you can't. It's too dangerous, unless, of course that you could..." Sirius laughed at the very thought.
"You watch this guys." said Max, and with a light shudder, he transformed into a nine feet brown Grizzly bear. He barely fit in the dorm.
"Wow..." muttered James. He looked at Sirius, who nodded, Remus who also nodded, and Peter who said "Great!"
"Max Alvarez, welcome to the Marauders" James said importantly "and this allows you to come with us on Wednesday, that is, the day after tomorrow. Full Moon."
"Heck yeah, welcome to the group, Snuffles." Sirius said in a cheery voice.
"Snuffles?" asked Max, bewildered.
"Your new nickname, mate." answered Remus, "And by the way, we didn't choose ours either."
"Now we'll be Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Snuffles, Padfoot, and Prongs... haha..." added Wormtail.
They continued planning excitedly, occasionally pausing to explain Snuffles some of the things that they were going to do, obvious to them but not for the new guy. After what seemed half an hour, after delicate planning and reviewing, the five Marauders emerged from their dormitories to go to dinner. Lily Evans was reading alone in an armchair by the fire, and looked up when she heard their footsteps. Sirius and Remus, taking their cue, darted outside the portrait hole dragging Max and Peter with them.
"Hey Evans." called James.
"Do you need something?" said Lily coldly.
"No, I just want to have a word, honest."
"Fine, then sit down, and tell me what you want to tell me." said Lily closing her book. James was surprised at how easily she had gave in.
"Evans, I h-"
"Call me Lily."
A small grin crossed James' face.
"Lily then, I have been wanting to talk to you since that other day by the lake, when, er, you know what happened... and, er, I know it has been hard for you, I have never felt it but, er, anyway, if you need something just tell me." And with that, he stood up and made for the portrait hole.
"Wait James!"
He turned, thumb struck by the use of his first name, and by the fact that it was Lily Evans, seriously Lily Evans using it.
"James, thank you for that and thanks for standing up for me the other day, I guess... er... that speaks very highly of you. Also, I'm sorry I was being so rude by ignoring you that way." she stood up and made for her dormitory, but after a moment's hesitation, she leaned forward and planted James a light kiss on the cheek. Then she walked to her dormitory.
"Aren't you going to have dinner, Lily? We can go together, I mean, to the Hall, not together as in together, but well, you know..."
Lily only giggled and climbed upstairs.
She was expecting to be ambushed by her friends the moment she entered her dorm, and as if on cue, there they were.
"Oh Merlin's beard, Lily! What was that? We saw everything. And why are you giggling so much?" came Mary's voice.
"Let her breathe, dammit!" Sophie intervened. As Lily made to her bed, all the other girls were already crammed around it.
"You saw everything. So what's the need? Honestly." She tried to sound cold, but that small grin couldn't leave her face. She sat on her bed, looked at all her friends straight in the eye and said, "Nothing happened, I just wanted to be nice and respond him..."
"Yes, you did that." said Tiffany.
"And it has nothing to do with you liking him, has it?" inquired Laura.
"Gods! Of course I don't like him."
"Tell that to your red cheeks and the little smile on your face." said Mary.
"Of course you don't since when, second year?" added Tiffany.
"I have never- you know me. I would have been horribly betraying Severus. Not that it matters anymore…anyway, you girls breathe a word to someone outside this dormitory, and I swear I'll hex you. Not kidding."
"As you say, ma'am." chuckled Sophie.
With that final comment, the five girls went to sleep, Lily wondering if James had already recovered from the shock.