A.N.: Sorry for the very, very long break :/ I got a bit caught up in life and writer's block, but now I'm back on track and ready to continue the Lily & the Marauders' adventures! Hope you stay tuned

Let me know what you think in the reviews!

Chapter Seven

"Uncomfortable Truths"

"I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't."

"Yes, you did, Lily." Nora was still smirking as she had another bite of her buttered toast. Mr. Blackthorn had just brought up a huge stack for the three girls, along with a jar of strawberry jam. "But don't worry, we all do it eventually. And late in your case," she added as an afterthought.

Lily put her face in her hands, groaning. "I can never look at them again after this. How will they respect me?"

"And as Head Girl," added Nora, somewhat unhelpfully. Lily couldn't help but think Nora was enjoying this. Usually it was her in trouble and Lily the one helping out.

"Oh, don't worry, Lily," said Marlene, reaching out and patting her friend on the back. They were still sitting in the bedroom, lighting filtering in through thin curtains. "Everything will be fine. I mean – everyone's been drunk before, we all know that wasn't you. And besides, you have been almost that drunk before – just remember the Christmas party last year."

Lily sniffed through her fingers. "That was different, I didn't pass out then! And what if that's really who I am deep down – hopping around on a bar table, yelling 'Kill the world, yeah, yeah, Kill it' at the top of my voice? Really me, falling off that table unconscious needing to be carried home-"

"If I may," interjected Nora, "you were quoting lyrics, Lily, not rallying fighters. And Crashing Raven lyrics at that. So it really isn't that bad you know. It's almost kind of cool."

Lily disregarded this comment. "And James Potter is Head Boy," she went on dramatically. "Why? What have I done in to deserve this?" (Nora rolled her eyes.)

"Maybe Dumbledore's trying to teach him a lesson," offered Marlene. "You know, to straighten him out, make him grow up a little by giving him some responsibility and an able partner."

"Marly," groaned Lily, lifting her head and looking at her friend with tired eyes. "Can we not be a rational Ravenclaw for a moment and just commiserate while I try to get through the biggest disaster of my life?"

"Oh, lighten up, Evans," said Nora with a laugh, throwing a piece of toast into Lily's lap. "We all thought it was pretty funny and you've managed to mightily impress three Marauders. And you were actually having fun last night, in case you don't remember. I really don't see any harm in that."

Lily picked up the toast and nibbled at it experimentally. "I did have fun," she said slowly, half to herself. It was kind of ironic though, having started off the evening trying to impress Vernon Dursley and the plan had ended up working on three teenage boys instead, for very different reasons. "I just wish I remember what I said to him."

"Who?" asked her two friends at the same time.

"Potter," replied Lily. "I remember talking to him but not exactly where or how. I just remember his face." What she didn't say was that she was surprised by a memory of worry on that face, worry and then annoyance. But why?

She saw the guilty expressions on Nora's and Marlene's faces immediately. "What?" she asked warily. "What aren't you telling me?"

()

The sound was horrible. Even over the deafening bangs of Sirius on the drums, the Marauders' were noticeably and terribly off key. Remus on the keyboard seemed lost in his own world, his fingers moving in complicated patterns back and forth. Peter's hands kept slipping on the bass as he tried to read the chords off the piece of paper taped to a chair in front of him. Sirius was hammering away at the drums like a madman, his black hair flying all over the place. And over it all, James was growling the lyrics so moodily into the microphone, it would have made the hairs on the back of Crashing Ravens' lead singer Jayro Simpson stand up.

Midnight poison, run it through my veins

Blackheart knife, pierce down and in

Destroy me, keep the parts for your collection

Destroy me, keep the heart for resurrection.

They were reaching the climax of the song and James was drawing the words out over Remus's chords: "Miiid-night poison, Blaaaack-heart knife." If he really focused, he could almost imagine the famous guitar riff filling the seeming silence of Sirius's drum part. It would sound so much better that way. If they had a guitarist, he would turn around now and pump his whole body to the riff, the way he did whenever he listened to that song in his bedroom.

Then, all of a sudden, the drums went silent. Sirius was grimacing, gesturing for them all to stop.

"Merlin, stop. This isn't working and my head's starting to hurt," he groaned. "We sound like a group of male Banshees."

"Aren't there only female -," started up Peter, but Sirius silenced him with a glare. "Wormtail."

Both he and Remus looked at James.

"You know, Lily Evans plays the guitar," said Remus very carefully.

James stared at him, then laughed. It sounded a lot like Sirius's trademark short, humourless bark. "No, she doesn't."

"James, you know she does," said Remus in a patient tone.

"Don't you remember how you'd used to listen to her practice with Professor Marriwell after lunch?" added Peter. "I stood watch for you so nobody'd see."

James's face remained blank, betraying no emotion. "So what if she does?"

"Well, we are one guitarist short of a band, Mr. Bigbrain," Sirius pointed out, putting down his drumsticks and getting up.

They all looked expectantly at James.

Then: "No," said James in a flat voice.

"Well, I hate to say it," Sirius sighed, running a hand through his chin-length black hair and rumpling it, "but either we have Lily in the band or we forget about our little competition."

James stared around the dimly lit basement, his eyes resting on the poster of Crashing Ravens the Marauders had only put up that morning. It showed the band's guitarist Corico Snaps in mid-leap, brandishing her guitar at the camera and whipping her purple hair. The stage behind her was brightly lit, unlike the dim basement with the broken furniture standing around and the peeling wallpaper. It was far from glamorous. And the others were right, he had to admit that. Without a guitarist, they just wouldn't be a proper rock band. But there had to be a way to do it without her, there had to be! Sure, she could play the guitar, but she was nothing like the rock girl they needed to pull of a show …

He sat down on an overturned wastepaper basket. "We could get a Muggle."

"Sure we could get a Muggle," Sirius replied with a shrug. "And then we'd go and break the International Statute of Secrecy just by bringing him along to the competition. Just imagine –"

"- him being carried out of the club, kicking and screaming," added Peter.

"- and then we'd all go to Azkaban," Sirius finished with a dramatic flourish of his hand. "Right into the deep, dark cells, surrounded by Dementors, begging for our life …" He pulled the hood of his black sweater over his head and started to take deep rattling breaths, walking towards James. Hands outstretched, he came closer, stopping to whisper dramatically, "And then … the kiss."

James fell over backwards off his perch when Sirius grabbed his collar, making smooching noises.

"Off, Padfoot, off!" he yelled between laughs. Remus and Peter couldn't help chuckling, either.

When they had all calmed down again, they sat down on the floor in a circle. James decided to admit defeat.

"Fine," he said. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Simple," replied Remus immediately, who could always be counted on to have a smart plan. "Go upstairs, comb your hair and pick a few flowers. And then go and ask Lily to come over. Nicely," he added as an afterthought.

"And why aren't you coming? Why do I have to go alone?" protested James, who felt his stomach turn in circles at the thought of being seen walking through Godric's Hollow carrying flowers. He had a reputation to lose!

"Because we made friends with her last night," said Sirius with a brilliant smile. "And thus, we need to rest."

"But I caught her when she fell of that table! And carried her home!" protested James.

"Yeah, but she still hates your guts," said Sirius in a matter-of-fact voice. "Face it, Prongs. We know it would be easier if Moony went but alas, you were always the one who bothered her most so you have to be the one to get her. That, unfortunately, is what girls are like. So go and apologise."

"What exactly should I apologise for?" James demanded moodily.

"I don't know – whatever you last did to her," laughed the other wizard. "Pulled her hair, wrote her a letter, made fun of a first-year, turned her cat purple –"

"That was in fourth year!"

"- left her standing in a field with a heavy trunk while you drove off in your car," Remus interjected quietly.

James head snapped up. "How do you know that?"

"She told us when she was drunk," replied Sirius irritably. "And what does it matter? Just get a move on, Prongs. We want to actually start practicing at some point."

James got to his feet. "Fine, fine," he said, brushing off his trousers. He decided to make one last attempt at regaining some dignity. "But when I get back, I want this place looking like a proper band headquarters."

"Good luck getting back in the first place," said Peter with a smirk.

"She'll eat him alive," predicted Sirius with a grin, putting his feet on James's vacated wastepaper basket. "Almost a shame we're not going to see it."

"It'll be fine, James," said Remus in a conciliatory tone. "She'll come."

James turned away, his thoughts dark. When he had almost reached the door, he turned back once more. He pointed at the three other Marauders in turn and then at the floor. "Band headquarters. Or else."

As soon as the door shut behind James, Sirius turned to the other two wizards. "Ten galleons says he's coming back with one limb missing. Takers?"

()

It was late afternoon when Lily left Nora's house. Her two friends had managed to cheer her up somewhat, but she still felt a little worried about going home. What would be waiting for her there? she wondered. Would Petunia be home at all?

She wrapped her arms around her body, hugging the thin blue sweater closer. Even in summer, evenings could get chilly in Godric's Hollow and in her rush that morning, she had forgotten to take along a jacket. Or maybe it was just her worries, she wasn't sure.

"Just talk to Petunia," Marlene had suggested. "Tell her how sorry you are and I'm sure she'll forgive you. She's your sister – she really ought to."

But Lily and Nora had just swapped meaningful looks at that. Since the day Lily had moved to Godric's Hollow in her second year at Hogwarts, the two had spent every summer together and Nora had seen her fair share of Petunia-craziness to know she would not change her ways. Especially not after tonight.

"I can't believe she said those things to you, Lily," Nora had said in a voice barely containing her anger. "She had no right to do that and I think it's high time you stop defending her when she just keeps being horrible to you!"

Lily frowned as she remembered her friend's words. Maybe Nora was right. Maybe it was time she, Lily, stopped tiptoeing around her sister. Maybe it was time to stop feeling guilty about getting that letter so many years ago and Petunia not getting one. After all, it wasn't her fault she was a witch! Her parents her fine with it and besides, many of her Muggleborn friends at school had loving Muggle siblings who supported them wholeheartedly and wrote letters regularly. So why should she have to feel like apologizing constantly?

No. Lily felt herself move forward more forcefully now. She was Lily Evans, Head Girl of Hogwarts (even though she had the misfortune to be stuck with the worst ever Head Boy). She would not be afraid of her own sister. If Petunia couldn't support her, she would at least have to start tolerating Lily.

She rounded the corner, rolling back her shoulders. If Petunia was home, she would tell her right now. She would her tell her she was sorry, of course, like Marlene had suggested, and then she would tell her how she herself had felt. And that she have to start accepting Lily for who she was because this was just getting ridiculous. Just because she was a witch, that didn't mean Lily had completely changed as a person!

But when she pulled open the door to the familiar hallway, it was to find her mother waiting for her on the staircase. "Lily," she said, beaming and springing to her feet. "You won't believe what happened: Petunia's getting married!"

She enfolded her daughter in a tight embrace. Lily couldn't say a word but Mrs. Evans was rushing on anyhow: "And you will never guess who she wants as her bridesmaid?"

Lily felt herself pale in her mother's arms as Petunia's following of boringly-conservative girlfriends with their same haircuts in different colours swam in front of her inner eye. "Who?"

Mrs. Evans pulled back, still smiling widely. "You, darling. Isn't that wonderful? Everything's going t be all right now, do you see?"

Lily tried to smile but at the same time, her insides felt strangely like they had turned to ice. "Of course, Mum. Of course."