AN: sorry guys, shortest update ever. sorry it took ages as well. anyway im off on holiday for 6 weeks, which is why im updating: thought i should give u something. i promise i'll give u a good update as soon as i get back. also, i havent proofread this so yea, just let me know if u find any mistakes. thanks! xxx

'You snooze, you lose

Well I have snost and lost

I'm pushing through

I'll disregard the cost

I hear the bells

So fascinating and

I'll slug it out

I'm sick of waiting'

The lyrics reverberated around Lily's head, over and over, in a mindless mantra until she wanted to scream. But she didn't. Instead, she hummed quietly to herself, almost oblivious to the early morning sunshine streaming through the window, and the distinguishable sounds of a waking household getting ready for the day.

She'd slept soundly through the entire night, and with a frown, Lily realised she had no idea what day it was. The last week had been a mixture of whirlwind emotions, drastic events, and sleep.

Well, she was sick of sleeping. Sick of letting things happen. Lily wanted some control back in her life…she wanted structure, and to know what would happen tomorrow. She hated all this guessing and waiting.

Throwing off the bed clothes, Lily swung her legs out of bed and crossed to the full length mirror, inspecting her reflection.

It could have been worse.

But not by much.

Wincing, Lily dragged a brush through her red locks, then attempted cover up the dark bags under her eyes with a bit of Sarah's concealer. It didn't really work. The purple skin was now simply streaked orange.

With a sigh, Lily wiped her face and then washed it, using the basin of water left on the nightstand. Rummaging through Sarah's suitcase, she dragged out a pair of old, frayed jeans and a ratty grey t-shirt that Lily recognized as her own. She pulled the clothes on, and without another glance in the mirror, left the room, closing the door with a snap behind her.

The hall was much less crowded than it had been last night, with only a few patients still lying in their individual cots. The old man with the head injury was nowhere in sight, and Lily assumed he had been moved to another hospital, or perhaps, sent home?

The centre of action seemed to be the kitchen, and Lily entered to be met by a crowd of people, all standing or sitting around the large scrubbed table, munching on toast or sipping strong coffee.

Lily recognized many faces from the Order of the Phoenix, but also noticed that many were missing too. Peter Pettigrew was surprisingly there, nibbling on a piece of bacon and looking a bit nervous. Sirius, James, and Remus were all standing around him, and Remus had the Daily Prophet open, his nose buried in it. Moving photographs of a burning St. Mungo's glared up at her from the front cover.

"Well of course the Muggles noticed!"

"They'd be blind not to."

"The whole place was ablaze."

"Dumbledore was down there, trying to help repair some of the damage."

"The Ministry had to perform mass Memory Charms."

"Well I'm hardly surprised!"

"They're still going through the wreckage."

"And they're still finding bodies."

Lily tried to block out the conversation coming at her from all sides, and instead sidled over to the coffee pot and poured herself a large cup. Maybe she could sneak outside unnoticed…

Weaving her way across the room, Lily had almost made it to the open door, when she felt a hand on her elbow.

It was James, holding out a buttered piece of toast. Surveying it shrewdly, Lily didn't take it.

"It's just toast, Lils," he said quietly.

Lily took it gingerly from him, wanting to take his hand as well, feel his skin on hers. But she didn't…just nodded her thanks, and looked down at her feet.

"What do we do now?" a middle-aged witch named Emmaline Vance asked, looking towards the younger boys for leadership.

"Today we prepare," Sirius said. "Dumbledore has a shrewd idea of what Voldemort is planning."

"And Dumbledore's shrewd ideas are often right," a few people said together.

Sirius stood, crossed to a cupboard and tapped the dark wood with his wand, before opening it and taking out an armful of large scrolls. He laid them on the table and, with James and Remus' help, unrolled them.

"What are they?" Elphias Doge asked, twisting his mauve beret in chubby hands.

"These," Sirius began, pausing for emphasis, which Lily found quite unnecessary, "are blueprints for the Prime Minister's house, and…" He paused again, and looked around at the wide-eyed crowd.

"Get on with it, Sirius," Remus interjected, pulling one of the maps towards him.

"And these are the maps for Buckingham Palace."

A small silence filled the room after these words.

"Wait," Sarah began, flicking her hair casually over her shoulder. "The Prime Minister's house I can understand. But, Buckingham Palace?"

James shrugged. "Lord Voldemort's goal is to stir up fear. If he kills the two most predominant figures in muggle England the muggles are going to get a bit antsy."

"To put it lightly," Remus interjected.

---

"So, you're at war?"

James looked up from his book to find Sally standing over him in the otherwise empty library. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not stupid. You've all been planning something."

"It's top secret," James replied, turning back to his book.

"Well, I'm not interested in that sort of thing, anyway."

"Good," James murmured, frowning at the open pages and jotting down a note on a piece of parchment.

Sally sighed and ran a hand through her long, silky hair, so the sun caught the golden streaks, and James looked up.

"Do you need something?"

"Why are you being so unkind?" Sally asked, looking hurt and taking a step backwards. Her light grey eyes began to fill with tears.

James sighed and put down his quill. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. It's just…stress, or something."

Walking around the table to stand behind him, Sally peered over his shoulder. "That doesn't look like a fun read," she commented.

James smiled. "No, it's not."

Resting manicured hands on James' shoulders, she gently massaged his tight muscles. "You're tense," she whispered.

"Sally," James said, equally as quietly, taking her hands gently and lifting them off of his shoulders. "Why are you here?"

She took a step backwards, looking affronted. "I came to find you...to see what you were up to."

Running a hand through his hair, James chose his next words carefully. "Listen, Sal. We had a one night stand. I was drunk and upset…it shouldn't have happened."

"That's what you said the time before, as well," Sally said coldly, sitting on the table's edge beside him, forcing him to look up at her. "But you came back to me again, James."

"Well, not anymore. I'm with Lily. I love her."

Sally sneered cruelly. "Lily? The girl who uses you then puts you aside whenever she feels like it? The girl who has never once fought to save your relationship? James, do you actually believe she's going to stick through this with you? Trust me, she's going to run."

James stood up suddenly, the chair legs scraping noisily on the wooden floor. "I want a paternity test," he said quietly, then grabbed his book and parchment and left the room, closing the door with a bang.

thanks so much. cy'all when i get back! xoxo (please review!!)