Understand that friends come and go,
"Lily! Lily hang on, please-"
"I have nothing to say to you. Do you hear me? Nothing." The redhead courageously held back her tears as she looked her former best friend dead in the eye.
"Then I'll do the talking. Look, I'm sorry. Honestly! I swear I'm not like the rest of those Slytherins. You're my best friend, Lily. Please, please just forgive me. I'm stupid and an idiot and you know what I get like around Potter; it just slipped out accidentally. He winds me up so much, you know that. You know me."
Her mirthless laughter shocked him more than her hissed reply.
"I don't know who the hell you are. Funny thing is, Sev? I never really did."
Severus watched, helpless to do anything but gape as the one person who had been the reason for his existence for so long, walked away from him.
He was not courageous. And he did not hold back his tears.
But for the precious few you should hold on.
The first time James Potter broke Sirius Black's jaw was a quidditch practice related accident.
The second time James Potter broke Sirius Black's jaw was because James' fist collided with Sirius' face in a punch that screamed of anger and betrayal and incredulity.
"That's for being an idiot and screwing over one of your best friends. I'm going to see Moony in the hospital wing now because if I stay here looking at you I might have to break something else to match your jaw."
James, Remus and Peter gave Sirius the silent treatment for almost a whole fortnight after his stunt with the Whomping Willow and Snape. It was only after Sirius had apologised to Remus for being a 'troll-headed ninny muggins' (or words to that effect) and had also apologised to Snape (without once calling him Snivelly) that the Marauders were reunited. It was simple, brief and it happened at a normal dinner like any other.
"Oi, Padfoot, pass the mash."
And that was that.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.