A/N: I'm back! (hopefully to stay)! I really hope you guys haven't given up on me yet because I have every intention of finishing this story!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

It's Lily

The next morning Sarah awoke with the dawn. What little sleep she had achieved had been fitful and after waking up for what had to have been the tenth time she finally gave up and made her way into the common room book in hand, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas. Who would be up at this hour anyway? She had barely been there a minute when Sirius walked down the stairs, a concerned look in his tired eyes as he took in her expression.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled, "do you have some kind Sarah radar or something?"

"Radar?" he asked, clearly confused. She shook her head.

"Never mind," he smiled and pulled her onto his lap as he sat next to her on the couch. He didn't press like she had originally feared; instead he held her close and rubbed small circles on her shoulder as they stared into the fire. It was moments like this that made her fall in love with him even more.

"Thank you," she whispered softly into his chest.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For everything: for not pressing, for sitting with me," she turned in his lap and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "For loving me." He smiled and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She smiled into his lips.

"Well good morning to you too," Lily said in an amused voice as she descended the stairs. Sarah groaned.

"Go away," she mumbled into Sirius' lips.

"Ummm…, no. Go get dressed couch potato we have studying to do," Lily replied in a tone that Sarah felt her ears should not be assaulted with so early in the morning.

"Excuse me? Who woke up first this morning?" Sarah exclaimed in exasperation to a chorus of sniggers from Sirius.

"Yes well getting up to go downstairs and snog your boyfriend doesn't count," she replied haughtily, throwing up her chin in agitation. Sirius' sniggers turned into guffaws and Sarah whacked him over the head with a pillow from the couch.

"Hey!" he cried indignantly. She raised an eyebrow at him before strolling across the room and up the stairs. She ignored him and closed the door to her room a little harder than was necessary before unbraiding her hair and pulling on a black leather mini skirt and a flowy green top lined with blue embroidery. Dressing nice had always been a comfort, though she never really knew why. With a few flicks of her wand her make-up was on and she was on her way back down the stairs.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, Sirius had gone upstairs to rouse the guys but they hadn't made it back down in time to appease Lily so it was just her and Sarah hurriedly eating their toast before making their way to the library.

"So you and Sirius seem pretty serious," Lily teased, nudging Sarah's shoulder on their way down the hall. Sarah smiled but didn't answer, her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment. It felt strange to have their relationship out in the open like this. She wasn't used to the public scrutiny.

The rest of their journey was made in silence and when they reached the library they split up momentarily in pursuit of material, each meeting back up at their usual table buried under a stack of books. With Christmas holidays come and gone the teachers were really starting to lay the homework on thick for their NEWT students. The library was filled with seventh year students surrounded by precarious towers of books and scrolls. Sarah scowled.

"Why did I take potions again? This is ridiculous! I want to be a dragon keeper, not a potions master! I can't believe this is now the fifth potions essay since we got back! Is Slughorn insane?" the librarian looked at her accusingly but Sarah couldn't seem to find an apologetic smile within her current capabilities, instead she sent the frazzled old woman a scowl and was tempted to stick out her tongue.

"Sarah! This is a library, calm down! Now what seems to be the problem?" Lily asked, exasperated. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot from staring at the runes she was required to translate in front of her and her frustration was definitely not helping her already short temper.

"It's this flaming potions essay! I have been researching the properties of billywig wings for hours and I still can't seem to find anything about their use in the Draught of Dreams!"

"Calm down! That's easy! Here," she said, tossing a leather brown book Sarah's way. It's in my notes."

"Thanks," the brunette returned gratefully. She was just finishing up her essay when their silence was once more disrupted, this time by the dubious duo James and Sirius.

"Guess who?" Sirius whispered into Sarah's ear, his hands covering her eyes.

"Hmm… the Easter Bunny?" she teased, pulling his hands away and wrapping them around her shoulders.

"Ha-ha, very funny but I am most certainly not a bunny," he replied with a smile, kissing her brow.

"Wow Sirius, you're a right poet mate," James taunted, nudging Sirius' shoulder.

"Boys! Honestly! This is a library!"

Needless to say the fed up librarian kicked them out.

"I can't believe you guys! Do you not care about your newts at all? You know if you flunk out you most definitely won't be an auror right?"

"But Lily-bear, we don't need to study! We're geniuses!" James declared, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder.

"And it was this genius that told us the two of you need a break," Sirius added, slinging an arm over Sarah's shoulder. Sarah laughed. Lily wasn't so amused.

"JAMES!" the temperamental redhead exclaimed, pounding her fists against his back.

"Really Lily, you're only encouraging him. Apparently, he likes it rough," Sirius said with a wink and a smirk. Sarah buried her face in his shirt to muffle her laughter.

"UGH! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU PEOPLE! THIS IS SO UNFAIR! IF I COULD REACH MY WAND RIGHT NOW I WOULD-"

"Now now lily-bear, that's no way to speak to your boyfriend and his best mate, is it?" James teased slapping her arse and shooting a returning wink at Sirius.

"Why does this not surprise me?" Remus exclaimed as he rounded the corner and spotted his obnoxious friends. "I thought you were going to the library?"

"We did!" Sirius protested haughtily, placing the hand that wasn't around my waist on his hip. "Unfortunately we were forced to leave."

"Seriously? You guys got kicked out again? That's the fourth time this week!"

"What? It's not our fault that old bat has no sense of humor. She should get some sunshine once in a while; lighten up a bit and so on. She's become as stuffy as her books!" James proclaimed, coming to Sirius' aid. Sarah shook her head even as Lily vehemently protested.

"THOSE BOOKS ARE NOT STUFFY YOU PILLOCK! PUT ME DOWN!"

"My my Lily, language! And you say I'm bad," James admonished. Remus shook his head in defeat.

"Where are we going anyway?" Sarah asked after a moment's silence.

"Why, to lunch of course!" Sirius replied grandly. And so it was that the rambunctious gaggle of seventh years made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. At least she had finished her essay.

xXx

The sun had long set and the first years were long since in bed by the time Sarah finally had time to mull over her new book. Thoughts of how to save her friends without jeopardizing the prophecy inundated her tired mind as she stared blankly into the fire. She couldn't stand by and watch James and Lily die, but how else would harry receive the protection of his mother? But then… technically there was no prophecy yet right? Maybe-

"Sarah," Sirius whined, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm," she replied distantly as she regained awareness of her surroundings.

"You spaced out on me again. What's wrong love? Something's eating you and it's killing me to see you like this. Let me help," he pleaded, pulling her into his chest and stroking her hair.

"I can't," she whispered regretfully, tears filling her eyes. Hermione's memories had come to her; the girl's soul had sought out her, not Sirius. She had to figure this out on her own. Or at least she would for now. If her plan was to work she was going to need the help of her friends soon enough.

"I just want to help you," he murmured helplessly into her hair. She snuggled closer into his chest, breathing him in. She loved how Sirius smelled: like broom wax and cedar and wood smoke. She drew comfort from his embrace and before she knew it she had slipped into a much deeper sleep than she had been able to achieve the night before…

The next thing Sarah was aware of was a soft pressure on her lips pulling her out of a most pleasant dream… wait- lips? Where was she? Sirius deepened the kiss and suddenly she could care less where the hell she was because all she could thing about was this was a much better wake-up call than the ones Lily usually provided (namely a pillow to the face).

"Good morning," he murmured, smiling into the kiss.

"Hmm… good morning," she replied drearily. "Where are we?"

"The common room, I couldn't very well go up the girl's staircase so we're still on the couch," she laughed.

"Oops, I guess I best get up then before we frighten the first years. I'll see you at breakfast," and with that she was gone, up the stairs and into her dorm where she proceeded shower quickly since she hadn't had time for a bath the night before and change into her school robes. Lily didn't ask and for that she was grateful.

Breakfast was rather rushed (no one, it seems, could be timely on a Monday) and all too soon they found themselves waiting for Slughorn in the potion's lab while the Marauders goofed off at the tables behind them. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Honestly? Will they ever grow up?"

"Probably not," Sarah answered with a smile, "but you know you love it."

Lily's only answer was to shake her head ruefully because at that precise moment Slughorn decided to make an appearance and they were forced to listen to a lecture on Bowtruckle eyes and their medicinal properties. Sarah ended up just passing notes to Sirius while Lily avidly took notes of her own. Sarah was momentarily reminded of Hermione before she shook her head and forced her thoughts away from so dreary a subject. That could wait for now, potions was bad enough as it was.

When they were finally released from the dungeons Sarah, Sirius, and Remus made their way to Care of Magical Creatures while Lily, James, and Peter went to Ancient Runes. It was only then that another of Hermione's memories truly began to take hold. She had known Remus was a werewolf ever since her dream, but the reality of that hadn't really hit her until just then. She was tempted to be afraid of him at first but then the more suicidal part of her nature (the part that had led her to decide to work with dragons) took hold and she felt nothing but curiosity and wonder. One of her friends was a werewolf; how cool was that! That thought alone was enough to put an extra spring in her step as they made their way to class. Today was shaping up to be a good day, especially for a Monday.

After Care of Magical Creatures Sarah was the only one with an off period while everyone else was in Muggle Studies. Why exactly Lily insisted on taking that class when they had known more about muggles at the age of four than any of these wizards and witches would know by the time they took their NEWT was beyond her, but she no longer questioned her friend's eccentrics.

It was thus she found herself wandering the castle grounds huddled into her cloak to fight off the winter chill and wrapped in thermal charms to ward off what was left when she saw someone who gave her pause. There, nose buried in a book, Severus was sitting beside the frozen lake. Hermione's memories of the man flooded her thoughts even as her own memories of their childhood together inundated her mind. She carefully picked her way through the slush until she stood right behind him.

"Hey," she said, startling him to awareness as he shot up off the boulder he had been perched upon. "I'm sorry."

"What?" came his rather baffled reply. She had to force herself not to chuckle at his expression; it was just too funny.

"I said I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean it, Sev. It just hurt. I was just so angry, but I'm sorry," she replied forlornly, staring at her toes. "I know you probably won't forgive me but I needed to let you know," she added in a mumble, still refusing to look him in the eyes as she turned to leave. His hand on her arm stopped her.

"Hey," he stated soothingly, pulling up her chin so she was facing him. "I've never been mad at you Sarah, how could I be? I said a horrible thing, I just can't believe you've forgiven me for it: I wouldn't have forgiven me for it. What brought all this on?" he continued, brushing her hair out of her face and awkwardly shifting his feet in the icy slush beneath them.

"I need your help, Sev," she replied beseechingly, her eyes welling with tears as she searched his for the truth. "But I need to be sure of something first."

"Of course, anything! What do you need to know? What's happened?" he asked, concerned.

"You're not one of… them are you?" she asked, her eyes slightly fearful as she implored this of her long time friend. He couldn't be. Not yet. She couldn't be too late!

He slowly raised the sleeve of his left arm and the tension in the air was going to smother her until she finally let out a long breath as she saw the pale, unblemished flesh of his forearm. "Now what seems to be the problem," he asked, the concern still showing in his eyes.

"I- I need your help… it's Lily… ," she told him everything.

Well, there you have it! Let me know what you think!

-A