A/N: All righty, first, I want to apologize for the delay in this chapter! The short explanation is, my computer got a virus last weekend, and then my internet was shut off on Wednesday b/c apparently my most recent payment didn't go through….yeah, I'm still fighting that one. But I'm in Barnes and Noble right now taking advantage of their free wi-fi so I can bring you lovely people an update! (and to watch Glee) I apologize especially to those of you who just found the story this week—there seemed to be quite a number of you—because it must have sucked to get all the way through only to be blindsided by my evil cliffhanger! But I am making it up to everyone with an extra long chapter and some cute L/J moments…*hopeful smile

Anyway, on to the thank you's, though first can I just say 93 REVIEWS! To the awesome people who made that happen: Olivia, (you're welcome, for the LaT rec!), UltimateLoveStorys, Meeeee (er, no, I didn't know what that meant…but I googled it, and now I do—does that count?), Elizabeththecrazy, kaitou angel, Tarantallegra, Ilovebooks-1227, Gwarpy, Marinewife08, ZoneSystems (don't apologize dear—I realize that sometimes all of you have lives….unlike me, haha), tiamat100, RidingonRumbleroar'sback (I fully support this name change ;)), SecretBlack (I had a major P&P reference moment with your review, the 'compassion on my poor nerves' part—I have complete respect for them, they've been my constant companion these many years—if you haven't read/seen it, that won't make sense but….yeah), Oriel Subtle, wonder-white-rabbit, weasleywannabee3 (no, not planning on dying!), freefallingx19, Penflyer (I think I can make that happen), silk399, StEpHiElOvEsLoGaNdRaKe (wow that was hard to type!), quest4candy (no, you are fully welcome to a place in the "I Hate A.J. Club"), Miss larien, blissedoutvixen, maximum destined potter (oh sorry—yes, Prime Minister it is, then!), BrokenFaerie16, alicenotinwonderland (you're welcome, and since they'll hopefully be done by the time you read this, hope your exams went well!), Abi, vampire5596, weaselytwins12, iKKxLee52, Blinkdawg, DarlinILoveYou, viva gal, junebugbug96 (clutter away, my dear, clutter away ;)), arelli-black (excellent! I'm glad it worked out!), Dancethroughlife, Elizabeth Lullaby, skazmi, Omgomgomgomgomgomg (haha), existence555, Evisawesome, uhhhhwellll, swishflick, MinisterKingsley (glad someone got that reference, haha), MissArtemisFowl, Hurricane Rachel (love the Princess Bride!), MaryandMerlin (okay, okay, I'm on it!), .x, Litira, merlincrazy, jjxlea123, OttoIsMyDog, ErinFabu, GriffinRose, 97chuckles, RavenSoulSister, livibug, Taylorcutie, pinkcatheaven, SokkasFirstFangirl, zaurora, jak23, emotionsonhold, Iwannabeamarader2010, TeenTypist, teteeee (nope, never seen it sorry!), Can't we just be death eaters, Jenn222, Tribot, Tabbycat270, seriouslyblak, Lucius Malloy, WobblyJelly, cheerstar, fisforphenomenal, Kyori Uchiha of the Sand, summersrain, movinggirl (wow, that is high praise indeed, thanks!), MaCherieLoup2416, Menolly Harper, ISolemnlySwearIAmUpToNoGood (yes, lilyandjames53, now RidingonRumbleroar'sback—you're friends? Crazy connections…love 'em!), Orange-Coyote, ShannyC1901, Elless, PoseidonsLittleGirl, Alice Demer, theycallherkaush, xLycheeRAiN, and Starr Cullen!

Also, just to clarify, I'm not actually SEEING DH in London—you have to actually be someone important to do that….but I will be at the red carpet stuff!

And I know some of you expressed concerns that this will turn into one of those Lily-distressed-at-James's-death-bed-confesses-her-undying-love cheesy things….it won't be ;) At least, I hope it doesn't come across like that.

Previously:

After I'd exhausted the subject of A.J., I spent the remainder of rounds trying not to think, an oblivion I could certainly use. However, not thinking is a nearly impossible feat, and I found myself alternating between thinking of James and forcing myself not to for the next hour. Ultimately, my efforts were doomed to failure, because it so happened that just as I was doing a final sweep of the Entrance Hall, the very subject of my tortured thoughts appeared at the front doors. It wasn't at a full sprint, as he'd done a month ago when McGonagall caught him out after hours. In fact, he wasn't even upright. Instead Sirius and Peter were carrying him, unconscious and bleeding, across the flagstone floor.

Chapter 34: All For You

I was across the Hall before I'd made a conscious decision to move my feet, my eyes drawn to James's pale face and the dark stain on the left side of his robes . . . Forcing myself to look away, I glanced frantically between Sirius and Peter, both of whom had barely acknowledged my presence. "What happened? Did Remus—is he—"

"Scratched, not bitten," Sirius answered succinctly as he shouldered through a door near the entrance to the dungeons, where he and Peter lowered James gently onto the stone floor.

I followed, relief flooding through me at Sirius's words. But my panic returned in full measure as he pulled James's robes open to reveal the dark red stain beneath. Sirius quickly cut through James's shirt with his wand, and I fought a wave of nausea at the sight of the torn and bloodied flesh that appeared as the fabric fell open. But I could see that Sirius was right—they were claw, and not bite, marks that ran from just above James's navel down to his left hip.

Sirius and Peter hardly flinched at the gruesome sight; they immediately directed their wands simultaneously at the injury. Watching the skin begin to knit itself back together, I asked again in a slightly shaky voice, "What happened?"

His healing spell complete, Sirius sat back with a sigh. "Remus was bad tonight," he said abruptly, and my mind conjured up the absurd image of him scolding a naughty child. James's words came back to me, though—sometimes Remus is more wolf-ish than others, harder to control—and I knew that was Sirius's true meaning. "And normally we'd just call it a night right then, not risk it . . . but it happened last month too, and I . . . leaving him in the Shack always feels like we've failed him, somehow, so . . . so I convinced James and Peter to go anyway.

"And it was fine, at first—Moony actually seemed like he was . . . better, like maybe it would be okay, but . . . well, I didn't really see what happened, just one second Prongs was there, and the next he was lying unconscious on the ground, human again and bleeding all over. 'Course, I had a job getting Remus away from him, but I bloody well wasn't going to let him . . ." He sighed heavily. "Anyway, he's off in the Forest somewhere now."

In the silence that followed, the three of us looked down at James, still unconscious, his skin so pale it was almost grey. Unexpectedly, Peter broke the silence with, "It's not your fault, Padfoot."

Sirius looked up at him. "Thanks, Pete," he said quietly, though his expression suggested he didn't believe Peter's words. Abruptly, he added, "You've got the cloak, right?"

In answer, Peter pulled the silvery invisibility cloak from the pocket of his jacket.

"Right," Sirius said, suddenly business-like as he stood and took the cloak from his friend. "I've got to get some—"

Suddenly, James woke with a gasp. Sirius dropped to his knees, grabbing his friend's arms as James started to flail wildly, his eyes wide and terrified. "Prongs, look at me—look at me!" Sirius commanded. James's eyes snapped to his, and Sirius continued, "We've got you—you're all right." His voice shook slightly on the last word, but James's face relaxed, and Sirius loosened his grip on James's arms.

Suddenly, as though his mind finally caught up with his physical injuries, James's face contorted in pain, and an odd sort of spasm went through his body. Breathing in short gasps, he asked, "What . . . happened?"

Sirius looked away, and Peter answered slowly, "We're not—neither of us really saw anything, Prongs."

"I remember . . . Remus," James said. "And he—" But he broke off again, eyes closed and lips pressed together as though holding in a cry of pain.

Looking down at his wounds, I let out a horrified gasp. The skin was peeling apart again; it was as though time were reversing. Before I could say anything, Sirius said shortly, "Werewolf-inflicted injuries are cursed—they don't heal normally." He stood again, holding out his hand to Peter, who passed him the invisibility cloak. "Right, you two stay here—I'll be right back."

"Wait!" I said. Turning back to James, who seemed to only have just realized I was there, I added, "James, tell him it wasn't his fault." Because I knew hearing it from his best mate was the only way Sirius would believe it.

James pushed himself up slightly on one elbow and somehow managed a grin. "Padfoot, you're an idiot," he declared.

"James," I started in exasperation, until I saw Sirius grinning back.

"Thanks, mate," he said, and with that, he threw on the cloak and was gone.

As soon as the door shut behind him, James collapsed onto the ground again, pressing the already blood-soaked end of his shirt against the freshly bleeding slashes in his side. He was digging the fingers of his other hand into the floor, and without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his hand. I regretted it instantly, biting my lip as James's fingers closed in a death grip around mine. But I didn't have long to endure it—James's eyes rolled back a moment later as he fainted again, and his hand dropped from mine.

Flexing my fingers to regain feeling in them, I looked worriedly at Peter.

"Help me heal him again," he said, taking out his wand.

I complied with the request, trying to steady my hand as I directed my wand at James's side. "They'll . . . you know, stay healed eventually, won't they?"

Peter nodded. "And it'll be faster with two of us . . . at least, it has been before, but none of us have ever had anything as bad as this. But he'll be fine," he added hurriedly, after catching sight of my stricken expression.

I sat back, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on top of them. "Where did Sirius go?" I asked after a while.

"Hospital Wing," Peter explained. "For healing potions and stuff."

"Can't you just—I mean, do you have to steal it? Madame Pomfrey knows about Remus, doesn't she?"

"But if she found out he attacked one of his mates, it might lead to awkward questions," Sirius answered from behind me. I turned to see him pulling off the invisibility cloak, several bottles of various shapes and colors tucked under one arm.

Kneeling beside James, he unstoppered the first one and poured a bit of it over James's freshly healed cuts. It didn't make any difference that I could see, but I decided not to question Sirius's knowledge. As Peter had said, they'd done this countless times before. The contents of the second bottle smoked slightly upon contact with James's skin, and I looked quickly at Sirius to see if this was normal. He was concentrating on opening a third bottle, however, and I took this to mean the smoke wasn't anything to fuss about, counterintuitive as that may seem. Sirius spread the thick, yellow paste from the third bottle gently over James's skin, and finished it off by wrapping a clean bandage around his middle. Looking at Peter once he'd finished, he asked, "Ready?" Peter nodded, and Sirius turned to me. "We've got to get Remus back in the Shrieking Shack—apart from not wanting him to wake up tomorrow in the middle of the Forest, his absence from the Shack—"

"—would also lead to awkward questions?" I suggested.

Sirius smiled grimly at me. "Exactly. I'll leave the cloak with you—no listen," he insisted, when I started to object. "If James wakes up before we get back—it's likely that he will, since I have no idea how long it'll take to find Remus—you can use it to get him back to the dormitory."

"What about you two?"

Sirius shrugged. "We'll make it back."

"I'll come down and meet you after I've gotten James upstairs."

"Nah, Lily, you don't have to—"

"It's no big deal—not like I'll sleep tonight anyway."

We exchanged a brief smile, then Sirius said, "All right—let's go, Wormtail. And Lily, please don't get caught."

"Just because I'm not a Marauder doesn't mean I don't understand the art of subtlety," I retorted primly.

Sirius grinned again, and then he and Peter left the room.

Letting out a long sigh, I returned to watching James. Despite knowing that he would—eventually—recover from this, I couldn't help the anxiety that continued to churn in my stomach. It wasn't just James's physical injuries that were worrying . . . what would Remus do when he found out what had happened? I dreaded to think how he'd take the news, because I knew he'd blame himself, and probably for a long time. Undoubtedly, he'd try to convince the others to stop their monthly escapades—and frankly, I couldn't say I wouldn't be on his side for that one—but there was no way he'd succeed. In short, the four Marauders were probably facing a long couple of days.

I absently reached out to brush James's hair from his sweaty forehead. Then, not knowing what else to do, I took his hand again, tracing small circles on the back of it with my thumb. After a bit, James let out a low moan, his eyelids fluttering open again. Spotting me, he grinned slowly. "You're sure a sight for sore eyes, Evans," he said, voice scratchy.

I frowned at him. "I'm not in the mood for flirting, Potter," I said sternly, wishing he knew how true that really was. In agreeing to forget about the night he'd nearly kissed me, James and I had returned to the relationship we'd had at the beginning of seventh year, which, yes, included intermittent and teasing flirting on his end.

"Right, sorry," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position, wincing as he did so. "I suppose it's not really my eyes that are sore, anyway."

That brought a smile to my lips. "No, I'd imagine not. How—how are you feeling, then?"

"Why, worried about me?"

I hit the shoulder on his uninjured side lightly. "Of course I am, you stupid prat." Standing, I offered my hand to James. "Though if you can make jokes, you can't be too near death."

"Never underestimate my joking abilities, Flower," James said, taking my proffered hand and letting me help him to his feet. He grimaced as he straightened, almost immediately putting a hand on my shoulder to prop himself up. "Sorry," he muttered to me.

"Don't apologize—do you think you can walk?" I pulled his hand around to my other shoulder so that his weight was spread more evenly across them. "Because we should probably get you to bed."

"Is that an invitation?"

I tilted my head to glare up at him. "Just because you are injured doesn't mean I'll let you get away with that. I am not above abandoning you here, James."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. I promise," he added when I continued to watch him with narrowed eyes.

After I'd pulled the invisibility cloak awkwardly around us, gathered the potions Sirius had nicked from the Hospital Wing, and we'd started to make our slow way back to Gryffindor Tower, I realized James's pain would force him to keep his promise. His breath was soon coming in short gasps, and when I chanced a look at his face, it was contorted in a permanent grimace. "We're almost there," I said quietly, and even though it was far from true, I kept up a stream of encouragement until we reached the common room.

James stopped at the base of the boys' stairs. "No way," he panted, "I can't . . ."

"Yes you bloody well can, James Potter," I said through gritted teeth—he was leaning almost all his weight on my shoulders now, and Merlin, the boy was heavy! "You just climbed seven flights of stairs, so you can sure as hell make it up a few more!"

James met my determined glare with raised eyebrows. "All right," he said, his voice stronger, though still a little breathless. "No need be so touchy. I'm the one who's hurt, after all."

"Just get up the damn stairs, Potter."

We finally reached James's room, and as soon as we were close enough, he pulled his arm from my shoulders and collapsed on the bed. I fell into his desk chair, and for nearly a minute the only sound to be heard was our heavy breathing.

When I'd recovered a normal breathing rate, I sat up and began sorting through Hospital Wing potions. The three Sirius had used on James were unlabelled, and I shook my head slightly upon discovering this. I hope he bloody knows what he's doing, I thought, though there was no doubt in my mind that he'd exercised his little-used caution in selecting them, considering the situation. The third bottle was dittany, which I knew wasn't a very strong healing potion, especially considering James's were cursed wounds—probably the reason it was as yet unused. According to its label, the final bottle contained a strong sleeping potion, and I kept it in my grasp as I stood and approached James's bed. His eyes were closed, but he cracked one eyelid as I neared him.

"You're taking this," I informed him, holding out the sleeping potion.

Squinting at the label, James let out a sigh. "I hate that stuff—makes me all disoriented and groggy when I wake up—"

"James," I started warningly.

"I'm going to take it," he cut in hurriedly, taking the bottle from my hand. "I was merely commenting on my distaste for its after-effects, not—"

"Would you just drink it, for Merlin's sake? Honestly, you're much easier to deal with when you're passed out."

James grinned, uncorked the bottle, and tilted it to his lips. As he drank, I glanced down at his bandages, frowning as I noticed the small red stain darkening them. The cuts had obviously opened again during our trek up to the tower. As I reached to remove the bandage, however, James pushed my hand away. "S'okay," he said, his speech already starting to slur as the potion worked its magic. "Just let 'em bleed for a while."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, that seems logical," I said sarcastically.

James just grinned again, though he was blinking heavily at me. Suddenly, his expression became serious. "Lily," he started.

"Yes?"

"I know I said—but I didn't—" James tried, obviously fighting the sleep that was threatening to overwhelm him.

"You can tell me later," I assured him, but he just shook his head.

"No, you don't—you're—" But whatever I was, I didn't know, because James succumbed to the potion's effects at last, sinking back onto his pillows, his breathing becoming slow and deep at last.

Suddenly highly aware of my own exhaustion, I wanted nothing more than to fall into a bed myself. For a brief moment, I entertained the absurd idea of simply curling up next to James. I mean, he was in a magically-induced sleep, so he'd never know, right? But my practical side soon regained control of my impulses, and I shook myself mentally, casting around for something else to focus on. My eyes fell on James's freshly bloodied bandages again, and with him safely unconscious, I began to carefully unwrap them.

Bracing myself as they finally fell away, I was relieved to find that James's injuries didn't look nearly as horrible as they had earlier. Quickly healing them again with my wand, I debated for a moment before choosing the yellow paste from Sirius's collection and spreading it over the area again. As the first potion had seemed useless and the smoking of the second unnerved me, this was the one I felt most comfortable applying. With that finished, I rewrapped the bandaging so that the bloodied area was hidden in the layers and stood back to criticize my work. I bit my lip, torn between returning to the Entrance Hall with the cloak as I'd promised Sirius and an irrational reluctance to leave James's side.

Finally working out a solution of sorts, I whispered 'be right back' to James—which was ridiculous, I know, because he couldn't hear me—stuffed the invisibility cloak into a pocket of my robes, and hurried down the boys' dormitory staircases. Seconds later, I was easing open the door of my old dormitory, letting the breath I'd been holding out in a whoosh as I discovered all three of my former dorm mates were fast asleep.

Attempting to keep my footsteps light, I carefully navigated my way to Mary's bedside. Pulling open her bed curtains, I leaned down to shake her gently. "Mary," I whispered, "wake up."

Emerging slowly from sleep, my best friend blinked owlishly up at me. Finally registering my presence, she sat up quickly, worry wrinkling her brow. "Lily, what are you doing here? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied softly. "I can't really explain here—or, I'd rather not, anyway; can we go downstairs?"

Mary nodded, and the two of us exited the dormitory as quietly as I'd come. Down in the dimly lit common room, Mary turned to me in confusion. "What's going—is that blood?" Her voice rose shrilly on the last word as she snatched up a handful of my robes.

Wincing at the dark patch I hadn't noticed earlier, I was quick to explain. "Yes, but it's not mine. Listen—" And I gave her a hurried summary of the night's events. When I finished Mary's blue eyes were wide with anxiety.

"Is he—Merlin, I can't believe—so what do you want me to do?"

"I told Sirius and Peter I'd bring the cloak back down to them," I explained, fishing in my pocket for the object in question. "But I was wondering if you might—it'd be a huge favor, I know, but I . . . I'd rather stay with James." I said this last bit in a rush, trying to force down the heat that was threatening to rise in my cheeks.

If Mary found this a ridiculous statement—and I would have had every sympathy with her if she did—she was wise enough not to say so. "Of course," she said, taking the cloak from me. "Entrance Hall, right?" She shook her head, continuing with a small smile, "Well, obviously—how else would they get back in?"

"You might not want to know the answer to that question," I muttered.

"Right—well, anything else I can do?"

"No, we're—no," I said. "Thank you for this, Mary; I owe you one."

Smiling again, Mary nodded. "Sure."

I watched her disappear through the portrait hole before taking the steps two at a time back to James's room, smiling slightly as I entered. In the small amount of time I'd been gone, he'd somehow managed to sprawl across his entire mattress, right leg hanging off the side and left arm thrown over his head. A slight frown creased his brow, and I automatically reached down to smooth it out. His skin felt hot, and I wondered if I should be worried. Finally deciding that if James were awake, he'd tell me I worry too much for my own good—and he'd be right—I pulled his desk chair up to the bed and collapsed into it. I'm not going to sleep at all tonight, I thought ruefully.

OOOOOOOO

An indeterminate amount of time later, I woke up in bed. My first sensation was that of fingers moving lightly down my arm. Figuring this must have been what woke me, I made a noise of protest and snuggled deeper into my pillow. Except it wasn't a pillow, as I realized a few moments later. And my hand wasn't resting against my blankets, but on a very bare, and very male, chest.

My eyes flew open, and I sat up so quickly I nearly toppled off the bed.

"Careful, Evans," James muttered, and I looked down to see he still had his eyes closed. "I've been fatally wounded, remember."

"How d-did I—" I started frantically, heat rushing to my face. "I mean, what am I—when—" I pushed myself off the bed, stumbling slightly before straightening up. James cracked an eyelid at me. "Sorry," I added quickly.

Both eyes open now, James slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, grinning crookedly at me. "Don't apologize, Flower."

I started around to the other side of the bed, but stopped abruptly at the foot of it. "Hang on," I said, frowning. "I started off on the other side of you, so that meant I had to get up, walk all the way around the bed, and—for Merlin's sake, how could I possibly have done that without even remembering it?"

James looked highly amused now. "Well, it was kind of you to think of it, anyway," he said, gesturing to his bandages. I'd moved over to his right, uninjured side, evidently thanks to the fact that my unconscious self had been watching out for James's comfort. But why I'd climbed into bed with him in the first place . . . Blushing, if possible, even harder, I continued on around the bed and settled myself firmly back in the chair where I bloody should have stayed all night.

"Sorry," I said again, not knowing what else to say.

"Really, Evans, you don't need to apologize," James said.

"Well, I don't understand how I—I mean, who knows what else I've done all year without knowing it!"

James laughed. "This is the first time I've woken up with you in my bed, if that makes you feel better."

"Oh, yeah, loads," I muttered. "What time is it, anyway?"

James craned his neck to look at the clock beside his bed. "Three thirty-four," he answered.

I wrinkled my nose. "I should get back to my room."

"You could just stay here," James suggested, grinning again. "I mean, who knows what sort of bloke might have wandered into your bed by now."

I glared at him. "You should know that I'm refraining from hitting you right now because of that," I said, pointing at his injury. "But my self-control is slipping rapidly, so . . . just watch it, all right?"

James quirked an eyebrow. "Consider me forewarned, though perhaps not sufficiently."

Shaking my head, I smiled in spite of myself. "All right, well, I really should be going, unexpected bed guests be damned."

"Well, you know I'll be the best you ever had, Evans."

"Yes, it's all downhill from here, I'm afraid," I said dryly, standing. "Good night, James," I added, starting for the door.

"See you in a few hours," he replied from behind me.

I turned around again, frowning. "Why?"

"For breakfast," James said slowly, smiling slightly again. When I continued to simply stare at him, he continued, "You know, happens first thing in the morning, you usually have eggs with salt but no pepper, buttered toast, and maybe a sausage or two . . ."

"You know my breakfast?"

James sighed. "I've only eaten it with you for—"

"But why would you even bother going?" I interrupted. "I'm sure you could bully Sirius or Peter into bringing you something—or if they won't, I'll bring you—"

"Well, I figured I might as well just go, it's only an extra hour or so anyway . . ."

"Wait, you're not going to class, are you?"

Now James was frowning as well. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said sarcastically. "Maybe because you almost got killed last night!"

James's frown deepened into a glare. "I was not almost—"

"Well, either way, you're not exactly in a fit state to be waltzing around the castle!"

"And I'm not about to let Remus take the fall for everything!"

That brought me up short. "What are you—what?"

"If I don't show up for class tomorrow, what are people going to think?"

"Oh, yes, because their first thought is clearly going to be that you got mauled by a werewolf who happens to be sitting in Charms with the rest of us! For Merlin's sake, James, we'll spread it around that you're sick or something, just don't—"

"Even though I seemed perfectly fine yesterday?"

I made a strangled noise of frustration, wanting to march back over to the bed and shake him. "So it came on suddenly! I really don't think we're going to have trouble getting people to believe that!"

James crossed his arms over his chest. "If there's even the slightest chance that it'll cause suspicion—which there is—I can't do it."

We stared at each other for several long seconds, until I finally let out a defeated sigh. "You're impossible, do you know that? And an idiot."

James grinned. "Like I said, see you in a few hours, Lily."

"Yes, fine—see you," I said, and James's amused chuckle followed me onto the landing outside his room. Shaking my head again, I trudged down the stairs. I was soon brought up short, however, by someone ascending in the other direction.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this, Lily," A.J. said sardonically.

Honestly, of all the people I could have run into right now . . . "Er, this isn't what it looks like—" I started.

"Really? So you're telling me you haven't moved on that quickly?"

I winced at the blunt accusation. Because in all reality, I had moved on that quickly—James had been the reason we'd broken up, after all. But the fact that things had yet to go beyond my own cowardly hidden wishes and desires . . . well, it certainly didn't look that way now, did it? "We just . . . just got caught up doing homework," I invented.

"Until four in the morning?" A.J. questioned skeptically.

"Well, I fell asleep," I said, which was true.

"Where, in James's bed?"

Unfortunately, that was also true, and I knew the instant flush that colored my cheeks gave it away.

A.J. snorted softly. "Look, I know I don't have a claim on you or anything, but that doesn't mean I would have chosen to find out like this . . . I'd have preferred waiting for it to trickle down the rumor mill, at least."

He began to move past me, but I grabbed his arm. "A.J., nothing . . . like that, happened. I promise."

"And you never lie, right?" A.J. said wryly.

With no way to respond to that, I dropped his arm, starting slowly down the stairs again once he'd shut himself back in his dormitory. Belatedly, I wondered what he'd been doing up at four, but it didn't really matter, because I'd made a royal mess of everything anyway. So much for being friends.

OOOOOOOO

The next morning, I ran into Mary on my way into the common room. She'd successfully rendezvoused with Sirius and Peter last night, and I was glad to hear they'd gotten Remus safely back to the Shrieking Shack. However, Mary's interest in the matter was quickly overruled when I told her about rest of my night.

"In his bed?" she burst out when I reached that particular detail.

"Don't say it so loud! I'd rather the whole of Gryffindor tower not hear about it, thanks."

Mary laughed. "But it's—Lily, how slaggish of you; I'm proud."

I glared into her grinning face. "Of course—I'm apparently the only one who's not amused by the whole thing. Oh, but you haven't heard the best part yet."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "How could it get better? What, did you finally shag him?"

I slugged her arm. "No, you know I wouldn't—no! I'll have you know I left almost immediately for my own bed. Except I ran into A.J. on my way there."

Mary's grin slipped a bit. "Oh. And?"

"And what? I mean, think about how it looked."

My friend winced. "Not good?"

"No, not good at all." I sighed. "But that's that, I guess."

"Well, you never know, maybe . . . maybe he'll . . ."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

It was Mary's turn to sigh. "I don't know."

"Yeah, me neither."

OOOOOOOO

Mary skipped out of breakfast early, needing to finish up some last minute homework. I was only alone at the table for a few minutes, however, before I was joined by a tired and grumpy-looking James. As he slumped down across from me, I greeted him with a bright smile and an annoyingly chipper, "Morning, sunshine."

James glared at me. "How are you so awake?" he muttered.

"Oh, I'm not, really—I'm just better at faking it than you apparently are."

"What happened to 'almost getting killed last night'?"

"Well, you were quick to argue against that one, so—"

"So I must be perfectly fine, is that it?"

I winced slightly at that. "No, of course not—I'm sorry. How are you?"

"Eh, I've been better. Plus, my bed was really cold after you left, and I just couldn't seem to get comfortable—"

"Knew I apologized too soon," I muttered, and James laughed.

"Oh, I meant to ask you," he continued a moment later, after he'd piled his plate with eggs and waffles. "Any ideas for why Rookie looked ready to hex my arm off when I ran into him this morning?"

"Really?" I asked, trying not to grimace as my voice came out higher than usual. "No, I have no idea why he—"

"Lily," James said, and when I glanced up at him, he was smirking at me. "Yes you do."

"I hate that you can read me so well," I grumbled. Trying to decide the best way to begin, I finally settled on, "Er, so, A.J. might have, you know, been coming up the stairs as I was leaving your room last night."

James raised his eyebrows. "What the hell was he doing up at four in the morning?"

"Not really the important detail here, Potter."

"No, you're right, I'm sorry," he said, but I could have sworn his lips were twitching slightly. "So . . . wait, he didn't think . . ." James trailed off suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course that's what he thought, you dolt! What was he supposed to think?"

"But we didn't . . . I mean, you told him that nothing happened, right?"

"Yes, but we conveniently had a fight not long before we broke up about how he always takes everything I say for granted, and I stupidly argued that he shouldn't because I lie someti—" I stopped abruptly, because James was definitely grinning now. "You're just incredibly amused by all of this, aren't you?"

"Mmm, possibly," he said.

"You're a terrible friend, James."

Before he could defend himself—not that he had a defense, in my opinion—Sirius appeared behind him, looking slightly harassed. "Prongs, I need you," he announced.

"Aw, Padfoot, I thought you'd never admit it," James replied, turning to his friend with a grin.

I knew something was up when Sirius ignored the joke. "Moony's being an idiot about everything. I've tried to talk to him, but I don't think he's—"

"Right," James cut in with a sigh, no longer looking amused. "Why he insists on being so difficult all the time, I'll never know." Turning back to me, he added, "Well, I've got to go deal with my dolt of a mate, so—"

"Actually, it might not be a bad idea for you to come as well, Lily," Sirius said, acknowledging me for the first time. "You're good at all that . . . logic and . . . rationalizing, er . . . stuff."

"You mean thinking?" I offered dryly.

Sirius grinned. "That's the one." And with that, he turned and started out of the Great Hall, leaving James and I to follow him.

As James swung his legs over the bench and stood, a grimace passed over his face and a hiss of pain escaped his lips. I hurried around the end of the table, frowning up at him as we started towards the doors. "You're hiding it, aren't you?" I accused.

James looked at me in confusion. "Hiding what?"

"Your pain," I said, hurrying on when I saw James's lips quirk up briefly, "and don't think you're going to get away with making some flippant remark and then letting it drop, because I saw you wince just now."

The amused smile hinted at before was now fully apparent on his face. "Ah, it appears I've been had. Damn my telling wince."

My glare deepened. "I'm serious, James—how much does it hurt? And don't you dare lie to me because of—of pride, or something stupid."

James's smile dropped off his face as he let out a long sigh. "It hurts like hell," he finally said bluntly.

Feeling even worse now for teasing him earlier, I continued insistently, "You shouldn't go to class—no, don't argue, Potter; honestly, what happened to skipping class at least once a month because it was 'healthy'? No one would even bat an eye if you weren't there!"

"I'd like to think I'd be missed a little, at least," James said, adopting an injured air.

"James," I said warningly, "I swear to Merlin, I'm this close to dragging you back to Gryffindor tower, stealing your wand, and tying you to your bed so you'll—"

"Only if you tie yourself up with me, Flower," James said.

I turned abruptly to face him, blocking his way forward. James's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and he took a quick step back. "Stop it," I ordered. "Just—stop. This isn't something to joke about, and I'm not going to let you kill yourself just because you're too stubborn about Remus for your own good—"

"I'm all right, Lily, really—" James tried to protest.

"And I told you at the beginning of the year to quit it with the flirting, but not once have you listened to me!" I hadn't really meant to say this last bit, but it was true that I wished he wouldn't do it, because each time he did was another painful reminder that it'd never be real.

Looking completely taken aback, James opened and closed his mouth several times before finally speaking. "I didn't mean to—"

But I didn't want to hear his apologies or excuses. "Just forget it," I muttered, moving towards the marble staircase. "Let's go see Remus."

We covered the rest of the distance to the Hospital Wing in silence, me (as usual) already regretting losing my temper, but (also as usual) not looking forward to the necessary apology. Upon entering Madame Pomfrey's domain, the scene that greeted us struck me as oddly comical. Sirius and Peter were standing on either side of Remus's hospital bed, the former looking fiercely determined and the latter nervous but resolute. Remus looked absolutely furious, which more than made up for his seemingly harmless position propped up by his pillows.

"This feels like an intervention," I commented quietly to James as we approached the group, all three of whom had yet to notice our presence. I hoped that breaking the silence would hint at a truce, and was rewarded when James grinned over his shoulder at me.

Sirius was the first to look over at us. "Took you bloody long enough," he said, frowning.

Remus's expression only became angrier upon spotting James. He glanced briefly at me as well, but when I tried to smile at him, he looked away again.

"So, what seems to be the problem, Moony?" James started pleasantly.

"If you're going to stand there and joke about this, James, I will hex you out of this ward," Remus threatened.

James cocked an eyebrow quickly at me, smirking as I flushed slightly. "All right, there's no need for threats," he said to Remus. "Just calm d—"

"I am not going to calm down!" Remus shouted, and I glanced nervously towards Madame Pomfrey's office, but the matron seemed not to have heard Remus's outburst.

"Don't—don't you think you could just listen to—" Peter started hesitantly.

"Listen to what?" Remus cut in derisively. "All of you telling me that it wasn't my fault? That it wasn't 'me' who did it? Because it bloody well was me! And I don't care if you claim to have known the risks when we started all of this, or any other damn rubbish you can come up with, because we're done!"

The other three exchanged glances; all four seemed to have forgotten I was there. "I thought we had something special, Moony," James said, a smile tugging at his lips again. "You're not saying you don't want to be friends anymore, are you?"

Remus snorted. "No, of course I'm not saying that—don't be an idiot—"

"Well, I can't always help that, I'm afraid—"

"Which I rather think is his point," Sirius added. "But you knew we were all idiots when you agreed to be friends with us, Moony—"

"You make it sound like we forced him to sign some sort of contract," James said.

"Apparently we should have, then we could have avoided ridiculous scenes like this—"

"I'm not kidding about this," Remus interrupted. "You lot are not coming out on full moons anymore."

"Oh, but we are, though," Sirius said, nodding.

"Black, if you think—"

"He's using surnames; I think he's serious, Padfoot," James muttered to his best mate. In a louder voice, he added to Remus, "You're going to have quite a time trying to enforce that, Moony. You'd have to tie us up, steal our wands, and throw the invisibility cloak over us so no one could find us. Oh, and take the Map, too, for the same purpose."

"Don't give him any ideas, Prongs," Sirius whispered insistently.

There was a beat of silence, in which Remus looked between his three friends in frustration, until Peter suddenly added, "You can't stop us, Moony."

As though this were the final word, Remus slumped back against his pillows in resigned defeat. He sat up again almost immediately, unexpectedly addressing me. "Lily, can't you talk sense into them?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I believe you're under some mistaken impression that I have that power, Remus. Honestly, they're going to keep doing their Animagus bit, with or without your permission. And although I agree with you that it's completely idiotic, Peter's right—you're not going to stop them. Which I think you knew all along, anyway." I smiled slightly as I finished, and though Remus didn't return it, his face relaxed noticeably and his eyes lost their fierce look.

"Knew we were friends with her for a reason," Sirius said fondly.

OOOOOOOO

After our fairly eventful morning, classes seemed to drag by. Of course, that might have been due to the fact that I kept glancing at James to see how he was holding up. Naturally, I couldn't tell if he was regretting his decision to ignore my advice, though he would have denied it to the grave even if he was. As it was, I'd looked round at him so often by the end of the day that I'd developed a crick in my neck. Although he undoubtedly noticed, he surprisingly refrained from commenting on it—whether that was due to our fight earlier that morning or an actual appreciation for my concern, I wasn't sure.

James still insisted on doing rounds with me that night, and though I was fairly convinced by that point that all arguments were futile, it didn't stop me from trying anyway. "Seriously, James, just go to bed! I've done rounds plenty of times by myself, and they're not that important—"

"They were when I showed up drunk that one time," James said.

I glared at him. "There are so many things wrong with that sentence that I won't even bother pointing them out."

"Learned to control that lecturing urge, have you?"

"Something like that."

We crossed the common room and stepped through the portrait hole.

"I've lasted all day, haven't I?" James continued as we started down the seventh floor corridor. "Two more hours won't make much difference. Plus, I wouldn't want you to run into McGonagall without me again. She'd probably give you detention, and then where would we be?"
"Well, I'd be in detention, apparently," I answered with a grin, coming to a stop. "But really, you could just break me out again, we could go on a Hogsmeade date"—as the word slipped out of my mouth, I could have kicked myself, but I quickly hurried on, hoping James wouldn't notice, "and everything would be fine, so if you want to go back, I really won't mind."

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, if you want to go back—"

"No, no, not that," James said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The part about a date."

"What?" I asked, starting to blush.

"Are you asking me out, Evans?"

"No," I said hastily. I started walking again. "The point I was trying to make is that you shouldn't worry about getting me in detention, if that's all that's keeping you here."

"The pleasure of your lovely company may have factored in a bit," James replied, still sounding amused. "Besides, I feel obligated to end on a good note, with it being the last day of term and all."

"Which I'd completely forgotten, by the way," I said, gladly jumping on the chance to change the subject. "It took me about five minutes to work out why McGonagall kept blathering on about our homework for the holiday."

"Quite unfair that she assigned us any, I'd say," James said.

"N.E.W.T. year, though; what'd you expect?"

"That she'd finally recognize my exceptional brilliance and realize I had nothing to gain from petty bookwork."

"Yeah, keep dreaming with that one, Potter."

When we were nearing the end of rounds a couple hours later, James made me an unexpected invitation. "My parents used to throw an annual New Year's party at our house; Mum started doing it every other year when my dad died, but this so happens to be the 'every' year. Or is it the 'other' year?" He shrugged. "Anyway, most of Hogwarts seems to find out about it every time—"

"Yes, I can't imagine how," I said dryly, and James grinned.

"—so if you're around—I know you're usually back here before then—"

"Actually, this year I'm staying home until the first."

"Really? Well, brilliant, then; if you don't get any better offers . . ."

"I'll see if I can work you into my immensely busy holiday schedule of doing absolutely nothing," I said, smiling.

"Right," James said as we both came to a stop at the base of the girls' staircase.

I waited for him to add something, but when he didn't, I said, "Well, if I don't see you in the morning, Happy Christmas."

"Yeah, you too."

"Are you going to write to me again?" I asked, then shook my head with an embarrassed laugh. "Not that you have to, obviously—and not that I was necessarily expecting it, but, um . . . can we just forget I ever said anything?"

Grinning again, his eyebrows slightly raised, James said, "Good night, Lily."

"Yes, er, good night."

I may have rushed up the stairs a bit faster than was normal, but I didn't really care if James noticed. My mouth had blurted out enough unwanted utterances for the day to negate any dignity I might have retained by taking the stairs at a regular pace.

Jumping into the shower, I tried not to obsess over whether this New Year's invitation carried the implication of a date, or whether James had asked me just as he would undoubtedly ask Remus, Sirius, and Peter. Though it was inarguably the latter, I couldn't help the slight flip of my stomach when I reentered my bedroom to find a note shoved under my door in James's messy scrawl. The seven words written there were hardly a confession of love, but I smiled at them anyway.

Only if you promise to write back.

A/N: Next chapter will be the last…..And I know a lot of you are going to be mad that I'm not doing any J/L relationship chapters, but I said from the beginning that I'd be ending this story pretty much when they got together. Well, that sounded sort of snobby, but….I hope you all can forgive me for ending it where I do! I'll try to make it AMAZING, b/c you guys DEF deserve it!

See you next time, for the last time…