Author's Notes: Yeah, I know, I know. "It's been too long!" "How dare you take so long updating!" Okay, I know you all aren't just like that, but please, forgive me! Please, just put the torches and pitchforks away!

Life has been in the way. Holidays, hard drive death, work, and other things really have been taking up all my creative time. I do take notes on my iPod while at work when I get a bought of creativity for future happenings, though. Plus a major case of writer's block…

Updates will happen, but I can't give good timeframes. They'll happen when they happen. I'm sorry!

I'm also tracking "My Life as a Hogwarts Sitcom" (and the former "Love and Other Notes") tags on Tumblr. There's nothing there, but if you tag a post about this with it, I'll see it. Chances are I'll reply, too. ;]

Hera hater: JK Rowling herself stated James was a chaser. I'm trying to stay BOOK cannon.

"Question: What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was it seeker like Harry, or something different?
J.K. Rowling responds: James was Chaser." ~accio-quote(dot)org/articles/2000/1000-scholastic-chat(dot)htm

Now the moment you've all been waiting for (hopefully)! On to Chapter 32!

Chapter 32: To Scheme or Not to Scheme?
Thursday, December 15, 1977

Well, we told the group about what Snape told me, and all was right in the world. We lived happily ever after, too.

Yeah, I didn't believe that, either.

"He said WHAT?" was the actual response when we told them.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Emmeline asked softly, sitting on the floor by our fire next to Sirius, who sat up upon hearing the news. Truffle darted under Peter's armchair.

"Because I already saw how you all were acting around me, and I didn't want to make it even more extreme," I answered honestly, stroking a snoozing Rouquin in my lap.

"Damn straight!" Sirius exclaimed. Emmeline put her hand on his shoulder to calm him. He relaxed his shoulders a little, but I think it was from her "chill out" stare.

"Dumbledore said that we shouldn't draw the extra attention to ourselves," James reminded them. "To any of us."

"James has a point," Marlene stated, sitting in one of the armchairs with Remus sitting on the floor at her feet. "Can't draw attention to Lily, because she's a Muggle-born. Remus is a half-blood-"

"Among other things," Sirius said quietly through a low scoff.

Marlene glared at him, then continued. "So that could potentially make him a target. And the rest of us, while pureblood, are friends with them, thus blood traitors. We're all potential targets."

"So we just have to act normally, like there aren't people inside and out of this castle that want to harm, or even kill, us," Dorcas reiterated, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from me. "Wow, that's going to be a piece of cake!"

"Easy, Meadowes. I can smell the sarcasm," James said from our end of the couch. She threw a pillow at him.

"Sirius, are you okay?" I asked him. The whole time he was looking rather put-out.

"Fine," he answered, a slight growl to his tone.

"Merlin, Black, do you have a nargle up your butt?" Dorcas asked.

I choked on a laugh. "Someone has been spending too much time with one Xenophilius Lovegood."

"Zodds asked me to tutor him in Runes. Shut up," she said with a glare.

"Seriously, Pads, what's the matter?" Remus asked.

"Something is just bugging me," he said with a shrug.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Why in Merlin's name did you tell Wormtail first?" he whined.

"Hey!" Peter exclaimed.

I stared at him for a few minutes, blinking. Then I transferred my gaze to Emmeline. "Em, could you? I don't want to disturb Rouquin."

She just nodded and smacked Sirius over the back of the head.

"Thanks, love," I said with a smile. She nodded again and I moved my gaze back to Sirius. "I didn't tell anyone, unless you count James after I talked to Peter. Peter found out for himself. He over-heard the conversation." I raised an eyebrow, hoping Sirius understands that Peter found out when they were all chasing him as a rat in the Room of Requirement. Dorcas was still unaware about all of the Marauder's secrets, and we plan to keep it that way as long as humanly possible.

"I know what would butter me up, though," Sirius said, his mischievous grin returning once more to his face.

I rolled my eyes and took out my wand. A few waves towards my room and a small tin came floating down the stairs. I left it in Sirius's lap. "Eat all of it and I'll hex you until the next millennium."

"You're a dear, Flower."

"Remember that when you eat it all and I hex you and all your hair falls out," I mumbled. I could feel James shaking with his stifled laughter.

"Can we do something, though? I feel weird just sitting back and pretending like there's nothing going on," Peter said.

"Wormy, you were there," I reminded him. "Dumbledore said not to draw attention to ourselves."

"No one has to know it's us," Dorcas added.

"Oh, no, not you, too!" I moaned.

"Come on, Lils," she whined. "We can't just sit back and pretend we're only worried about N.E.W.T.s. Something is brewing out there and I'm tired of just sitting here!"

"Feisty!" Sirius said with a sugary grin. Emmeline rolled her eyes.

"For now, that's what we do. We'll figure things out in time," James said, rubbing his temples under his glasses.

"You hate that idea. You only do that when you're irritated," Remus pointed out.

"Said it was what we had to do, not that I like it," James mumbled in response.

"We'll figure out something in time! I know it!" Emmeline said, her curls bouncing with her excitement.

"Always the optimist," Marlene laughed.

Wish I had her optimism.

Friday, December 16, 1977

"Relax, Flower. Exploding won't help the situation."

"It's only four waffles, Padfoot. I won't explode."

"The waffles are each over an inch thick and as big as your plate, and you have strawberries and chocolate chips. You'll explode."

"They make me feel better, Scruffy. And I won't explode."

"You're five-foot-four. You're going to explode. And I'm not scruffy."

"Stuff it, Padfoot. The waffles relax her. A relaxed Lily is a happy Lily, and that makes me happy."

"You won't be happy when you have your girlfriend's guts all over you when we explodes in a burst of waffles and strawberries."

"Shut up and eat your bacon."

We all went through the day like normal. Went to Defense and Potions, then ate lunch, then split up for afternoon classes, then ended with Transfiguration.

As normal as it is to be extremely tense, jumpy, and reluctant to leave each others' sides the entire time. Transfiguration was as if we haven't seen each other in years.

It's all rather exhausting.

"I can't handle this anymore!" Sirius exclaimed, banging his fist on the table and upturning his goblet of pumpkin juice all over Remus and Marlene.

"None of us are happy about this, Padfoot," Remus said, siphoning up the juice with his wand while Marlene uses hers to clean them up. "We just have to keep pushing forward until we or Dumbledore think of something."

"And I would rather not do that covered in pumpkin juice, thanks," Marlene mumbled.

"It's driving me crazy! I've never felt paranoid before. Never! The slighting thing makes me jump, and it's making me a target for Peeves. He's making noises anywhere to make me jump, and nothing like hexing a suit of armor in front of a group of Slytherins. Not exactly the best way I wanted to end my term, thank you."

"I'm with Sirius."

We all turned towards Dorcas in various stages of frozen eating.

"Never thought I would hear that..." I mumbled into my roast beef.

Dorcas glared at me before continuing. "I'm tired of being so jumpy. We need to do something. We're all tip-top in dueling. I understand not drawing attention to ourselves, but can we do something semi-productive?"

James sat there pondering for a second. Forever the natural leader.

"How about this," he started, slowly. "Lily and I will be going to my place for Christmas. Sirius will be there, obviously. Mum and Dad were highly respected Aurors in their day. We can talk to Mum, she may have an idea or two. Then over New Years at Lily's we can caucus. Sound good?"

"It did until you said 'caucus.' Really, Prongs?" Sirius said, snorting into his new goblet of pumpkin juice.

"It'll do," Dorcas sighed.

Makes you think, though.

"What's that, Lily?" Emmeline asked me.

"I didn't say anything," I answered.

"Makes you think about what?" Remus asked.

"Oh, I said that out loud, didn't I?" I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks.

"Yes, now what were you referring to?" Emmeline asked again.

"Well, it's just..." I'm stammering. Why am I stammering?

"If it's like this in here, wonder what it's like out there," Peter said meekly, staring at his dinner.

I smiled at Peter, hoping to calm his nerves. "Exactly."

"Is it okay to say that I'm content in staying blissfully ignorant until after this terms exams?" Marlene asked, a slight whine to he voice. "I don't need the extra stuff in my head."

I laughed. "I hope so, since I was also thinking the same. Which is why I'm surprised I expressed myself out loud."

"I'm going to say it is okay, seeing how we have Dumbledore here. The attacks shouldn't be constant, if at all. What happened to Mary was a one-time thing. A warning, even," James said confidently.

"I hope so," Remus said. "I don't want to have to join more search parties."

"Hopefully Dumbledore will think of something," Marlene said, glancing at the table at the front of the Great Hall where the wizard in question was holding joyful conversation with Professor McGonagall.

"Of course he's laughing while we're all nervous wrecks," Sirius grumbled.

"He's probably talking about nicely Professor Sprout's Fanged Geraniums are coming in, despite the cold weather," Dorcas observed.

"Seriously, though," I said, rolling my eyes, "He'll know what to do. And no, it doesn't involve Fanged Geraniums that I know for a fact aren't more than seedlings currently. Heard some of the younger students talking about how they were disappointed because they wanted to somehow sneak them into the Slytherin common room."

"Please tell me names and Houses so I can give them proper hugs," Sirius said.

"And please tell me you weren't too harsh on them," James added, "That's bloody brilliant and I would pay to see the reaction."

"I knocked off ten points each for planning poor use of the school's Herbology resources, but gave them each fifteen for their creativity. No detention."

"I don't know whether to be pleased that you didn't over-react or ashamed that we corrupted you so," Remus said, smirking.

"Why say that?" I asked, taking a bite of chocolate cake.

"You knocked off points for improper use of a plant, not for conspiring against the Slytherins," Remus pointed out, still grinning.

I just shrugged. "They hurt Mary."

"I think that means we can say 'a little of both,'" James said, smiling and squeezing my hand.

"Please don't corrupt my Lilypetal too much. I like my friend the way she was, thank you," Marlene said. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"I dunno, I like this more laid-back version of Lily," Dorcas said, giving me a once-over. "I'm not afraid to step out of line, anymore."

"I'm not that scary!"

"The smaller ones are always more frightening than the others, dear Flower," Sirius said, stealing a bite of my cake from across the table.

Emmeline raised an eyebrow at him, "Is that so? You afraid of me, Black?"

"I am when you do that."

Laughing felt really good.

Saturday, December 17, 1977

The night was uneventful, just homework in the Heads' common room. I spent the night cuddling with James, feeling safe in his arms.

Now we're back in the Great Hall for a late breakfast before a much-needed day of tomfoolery in our common room.

"Incoming," Marlene said through a yawn.

I looked up and saw the owls coming in, not seeing either 'Nola or Aether in the swarm. As I returned to my breakfast (I decided the waffles weren't necessary and the weather is telling me to eat oatmeal), two owls flew towards our area at the Gryffindor table. One was a familiar Daily Prophet owl landing in front of Remus, who promptly slipped a Knut in the box the owl had. He quickly skimmed the newest edition and sighed in relief. As he was folding up the paper to return to his breakfast, another owl landed gracefully in the middle of our group.

"Anyone know this bird?" Sirius asked, looking at the owl quizzically. We all shook our heads.

The owl walked over to James and stuck out his foot, He hesitantly took the scroll from the owl, gave it a bit of sausage, and it flew off.

"Well, Prongs? Read it!" Sirius exclaimed, nearly spilling his pumpkin juice again.

"Easy, Sirius," Emmeline said, steadying his goblet. He smiled sheepishly at her.

James was reading over the scroll, laughing silently to himself.

"What's so funny, James?" I asked.

He dropped the parchment on the table in the middle of us. "He knows. Don't know how he does it, but he knows."

"What?" Sirius asked, grabbing the parchment. "'Things will present themselves in due time.' What's this nonsense?"

"Look at the penmanship and the color of the ink, brainiac," James said, still smiling in disbelief.

Sirius stared at the parchment for a few moments, and Emmeline leaned over his shoulder to look. "Only one wizard writes like that and uses emerald ink, Sirius."

We all looked towards Dumbledore, who gave us a wink.

"I will never figure out how that man does it," Dorcas said, shaking her head and smiling.

"Hold on," Remus said, taking the parchment and looking it over.

"What is it, Moony?" I asked.

"Since when does Dumbledore have a phoenix embossed on his letters?"

Author's Note Part 2: Sorry again! I can't promise when I will update again... but I have ideas of what I want to put into this story at different points. Just a matter of finding time! I still love you, and I hope you all don't hate me!