Lily Evans was running up the hallway, she had just been requested to see Professer Dumbledore and was therefore missing some of her transfiguration class. She skidded to a stop in front of the stone gargoyle.

"Licorice Snakes," she panted, completely out of breath. The stone gargoyle moved aside and Lily ran up the steps, two at a time. She burst into Dumbledores office and seated herself in the arm chair closest to her.

"Good Evening Miss Evans, and how are we today?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Fine thankyou Professor," she said breathlessly.

"I trust you've been taking it easy after your little spell?"

"Yes Professor," she said.

"Now then, let's get down to buisness. I've been wondering, how you're coping," said Dumbledore in a matter-of-fact tone.

"How I've been coping?" repeated Lily incrediously.

"After the death of your parents, I thought you migh have been a little shaken up, and Mr Potter proved that for us, didn't he?"

"How did you know?" asked Lily quietly.

But Dumbledore simply smiled.

"Are you sure you're OK?"

Lily nodded.

"OK, you may go."

Lily sprinted back to her transfiguration class.

--

The Marauders were doing the one thing that they all hated most, shopping for girls. Although it was torture, they were willing to do it because Lily was their friend. With a few tips from Mary McDonald, they managed to have a faint idea of what to do and what not to do.

James was completely stressing out, he's never bought a girl a present besides flowers, which was half the reason he went through so many girlfriends.

So far Remus was the only one who'd managed to find something; which was, as Sirius pointed out, no big surprise. He'd bought her a book entitled: 'Sunset' which was a fiction love story.

James had to stop Sirius from buying her some sexy, lacy underwear, and Peter from buying her a bludger.

Eventually Sirius and Peter settled on fancy quills and stationery, whilst James wandered into a jewellery by accident, and bought a silver necklace with three diamonds embedded. He's had a lot of money and he thought he's made a good choice. He hoped it would impress her.

--

Lily woke up in a bubbly, happy mood, and the birthday warmth spread through her before she actually remembered that it was her birthday. She pulled on some clothes and went to the Gryfindor common room, only to find Emily, Mary, Alice, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter waiting to greet her with food. Lots of food. There was bacon, eggs, cereal, toast, hash browns and every other food imaginable. She was flabbergasted.

And the food wasn't the first of it. She got stationery, clothes, perfumes, a book and something else. Something gorgeous. Something spectacular. That gift was from James. This was way more than she'd been expecting (understatement of the century). It made her feel loved. She liked that feeling, alot.