Title: Glass Hearts

Rating: PG-13

Summary (of chapter): Slug Club Party and Lily goes to James' for dinner.

Exams week was the worst. Marlene came out of Potions, relieved that one more exam was out of the way. She did all right in Potions, but it definitely wasn't her best subject. Her Defence exam was tomorrow, and she wasn't worried.

She walked towards the stairs with her friend Tori Peakes. She was one of her roommates, and she was one of the nicest girls in the school. She had a sister above her in Slytherin, so she tried to be civil to all the Slytherins. She even avoided insulting Severus Snape. And hardly anyone (other than Lily) did that.

"How do you think you did?" Tori asked her.

"I think I passed," Marlene said fairly. "You?"

Tori shrugged. "Cross your fingers."

They walked past a group of Slytherin boys. "Seeing as you two probably failed, it was nice seeing you in Potions," Kent Derrick said. "Well, not really. . ."

"Oh, shut it," Marlene said. "At least I didn't cheat."

Derrick glared at her. "I didn't cheat."

Marlene rolled her eyes, walking up the stairs to the ground floor. "You going to Slughorn's party?" she asked Tori.

"If someone invites me," Tori replied.

"I would take you," Marlene said. "But I'm going with Remus."

"Don't worry about it," Tori said. "I'm not really one for parties."

Marlene smiled at her. Slughorn's Christmas party was usually pretty wicked, but she didn't tell Tori that. She thought Slughorn should invite everyone, but he only let his favorites in. Two years ago, a few seventh years had snuck in, but Slughorn was too tipsy to notice.

That Friday night, she was getting ready for the party in Lily and Mary's dorm. The three of them were crammed into the bathroom, performing beauty charms like there was no tomorrow. Marlene had purple dress robes on, and she had straightened her hair for the occasion. "I guess this is my first 'date' with Remus," she said, sitting on the toilet to put on her shoes.

"It's my first one with James, too," Lily replied.

Mary rolled her eyes, smoothing down her navy blue dress robes. She had asked seventh year Hufflepuff Alan Saunders to go with her. "This'll be the first time I actually talk to Alan," she said.

"Why'd you ask him?" Marlene asked.

"He keeps flirting with me in Charms," Mary said. "And he's cute."

Lily pulled her wand away from her hair, smiling. It fell down her shoulders in waves over her new green dress robes. They brought out her eyes, making them more striking the usual. "I'm so glad exams are over," she said.

"No joke," Mary said. She Summoned some perfume and sprayed it on her neck.

Marlene started coughing at the smell. "Did you have to do that in here?" she asked, waving her hand. "Blimey, that stuff stinks!"

Twenty minutes later, the three of them walked down the staircase towards the common room. The four Marauders were waiting around. They all wore dress robes and looked much nicer than usual. Sirius had his hair gelled back, and Remus was wearing pressed dress robes. "Well, look what we have here," Sirius said, crossing his arms as he watched the girls come down.

Remus's eyes fell on Marlene, and he gave her a wide smile. She smiled, blushing a bit. She walked over to him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said. "You look great."

"Thanks," Marlene replied. She took his hand. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Remus said.

Being Remus and Peter's first time, Sirius put his arms on their shoulders, and gave them tips for the night. "Don't get caught under the mistletoe with a Slytherin," Sirius said. "I did that in fifth year. Big mistake. I'll never do it again. Mistletoe, as we all found out last year, can be deadly."

"Didn't Peter kiss a Slytherin last year?" Remus asked.

Marlene gasped. "Who did you kiss?" she asked.

"I don't remember her name," Peter said, looking miserable.

"Stay away from a creature if you're not sure what it is," Sirius said. "Three years ago, there was a half-banshee there. I started talking to her - absolutely horrible, I nearly died that night."

"Nearly died, hm?" Lily asked, amused.

"Oh, the cockroach clusters," Sirius said, "are homemade by someone real precious to Slughorn, so don't say anything bad about them. Oh, and even though most of the students leave at midnight, you can get away with staying for a few more hours. I suspect I won't see you guys until tomorrow because I plan on spending all night with Jewel."

They finally got to the dungeons. Jewel and the fifth year Ravenclaw who had asked Peter were waiting outside. Jewel was wearing blue dress robes, her short blonde hair with streaks of the same color. She smiled at him as he walked closer. "You look marvelous," he said.

"So do you," Jewel said. She smiled at the fifth year, who then greeted Peter with a shy smile.

"Shall we?" Sirius asked, motioning to the door which led the Slughorn's party.

Jewel smiled, taking his arm. "Let's."

Couples snogged, laughter filled the air, people ate and drank, and music floated over their voices. It was another excuse to forget the war, a wonderful opportunity to laugh away their worries. Slughorn was bustling around his guests, introducing people, making small talk.

Sirius and Jewel took some mead from the drinks table, neither of them having to sneak it. They were walking when they heard a wicked-sounding laugh above them. They looked up and were greeted with a bundle of mistletoe. Sirius smirked, looking at Jewel. He had kissed Emma Short last week under the mistletoe when he had heard Jewel had kissed Kingsley Shacklebolt. What followed was a small battle, seeing how many people they could kiss.

"How long has it been?" Jewel asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know," he lied.

"What, four days or something?" Jewel asked.

"Seven," Sirius said.

"Oh, right," Jewel said, a look of realization coming unto her face.

"Oh, shut up, you were counting, too," Sirius said.

"Well, I think kissing in the middle of a crowded party isn't the greatest way to end our little . . . fast," Jewel said, stepping closer to him.

Sirius smirked, looking around the room. "Maybe we should step outside," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

They escaped from the party, emerging in the corridor, laughing. Sirius pulled her down the corridor a few feet and pushed her up against the wall, putting his hands on her hips. She smiled up at him, a twinkle in her eye. He leaned down, kissing her on the mouth. It was like a breath of fresh hair, Jewel's mouth against his again. There was something wrong with kissing other girls. They didn't move the way Jewel did, and they didn't fit with him like Jewel did.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning towards him. Her small frame pushed up against his. After a few moments, they pulled away. "Well, that was the longest week of my life," Jewel said softly.

Sirius let out a small laugh. "I agree," he said. He brought his hands up to touch the sides of her face. He wove his fingers into her hair. "Where were we?"

James couldn't believe he was standing here with the most beautiful girl in the school - hell, in the world. They stood by the snack table, munching on the pasties. Her hair was gorgeous, her eyes were beautiful, her skin was remarkable. She laughed, and her smile made him want to stay by her forever. "You're sort of staring," she said.

James looked away from her, smiling. "Sorry," he said. "Well, I'm not, really. I'm sorry that you noticed."

"Didn't we talk about how you needed to work on that?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," James said. "Silly me. You're just . . . gorgeous."

Lily smiled, looking away from him. Her ears went red.

"Honestly," James said. "I can't believe you're here with me."

Lily met his eyes. "I can't see myself here with anyone else."

"Really?" James asked.

"Really," Lily said. She took his hand. "It wouldn't feel right."

"Mary?"

Mary turned around at a familiar voice. Stubby Boardman stood behind her and Alan, a tall, leggy blonde at his side. The blonde had her arm hooked around Stubby's, and she regarded Mary with a cool dislike. "Hey," Mary said, smiling. "How's it going?"

"Good," Stubby said. "How've you been?"

"Good," Mary said brightly. "Life's been good. School kind of sucks, but at least exams are over."

"Yeah, I hated exams," Stubby said.

The blonde girl cleared her throat loudly. "Oh, Mary, this is my fiance, Sarah," Stubby said.

"Nice to meet you," Mary said. "This is my date Alan."

Alan raised his pumpkin juice at them. "Love your music, mate," he said.

Stubby smiled. "Thanks," he said. He looked at Mary.

"Mary MacDonald, right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Mary said.

"Your brother's the Death Eater," Sarah said.

A look of embarrassment came onto Stubby's face. Alan looked at Mary, looking uncomfortable. Mary pursed her lips. "Wow, who taught you your great conversation skills?" she asked.

"Who taught you to cause innocent men to cheat on their fiances and girlfriends?" Sarah asked.

Mary glared at her. "Maybe instead of blaming me you should consider the fact that your fiance didn't even mention you that night, even after he tried to get me to come to his hotel room," she said.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time for you, would it?" Sarah asked. "Didn't you know that Katie was going out with Paul?"

Mary would give anything to hex her here and now. She looked at Sarah intently, trying to figure out if she looked familiar. It had been mentioned in Witch Weekly, but Katie's name hadn't been published. "So, you know Katie," she said.

"Yeah, and I know what you did to that poor girl," Sarah snapped. "How do you live with yourself?"

"How do you live with him?" Mary asked, motioning to Stubby. An indignant look came on his face. "Ask anyone who was there tonight. He flirted with me from the first moment he saw me."

"Conceited much?" Sarah asked.

"It's not fault I'm prettier than you," Mary said.

Sarah rolled her eyes, looking irritated. Mary slammed her pumpkin juice down on the table and grabbed Alan's wrist. "It was so pleasant meeting you," she said with a glare.

The night went on. Remus and Marlene snuck away around eleven and walked to the Astronomy Tower. Although it was cold, they snuggled close in a blanket Remus Conjured. Peter danced with his date, and they talked in the corner. She talked him into dancing a little bit, and they ended the night with a kiss under the mistletoe. Sirius and Jewel had disappeared, and only those who knew how to work the Marauders Map might be able to find them. After the party, Lily and James stayed up late in the common room. Neither of them could believe they were having so much fun, and they both were convinced they were falling in love.

James stood in front of the mirror, fussing with his hair. "Face it, Potter, it's going to look like dung," Sirius sat from James's bed.

"Shove it," James said, glaring at Sirius's reflection.

Mrs. Potter's dinner could be smelled throughout the house. They had been home for break for a few days now, and it was all Mrs. Potter's idea to invite Lily to dinner. Sirius was blaming it all on James's mother. She was so inconsiderate; didn't she think about how Sirius would react to all of this?

He sighed. Nah, he didn't mind all that much. Other than sitting through the dinner. He planned on showing off his motorbike to Lily. He just hoped she wouldn't report him to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. He had cleaned it up. Damned if he couldn't get it to fly before they went back to Hogwarts.

"Why can't Andromeda throw her party this year?" Sirius groaned.

"I don't care," James said loudly. "Lily's coming over for dinner!"

"What?" Sirius said with mock suprise.

James let out a cry of frustration, leaving the room.

Twenty minutes later, the five of them were eating in the Potter's dining room. James had done nothing with his hair, but Lily looked pretty. Not that Sirius noticed things like that about his best mate's girl. The Potters were dressed up nicely, too. Sirius looked down at his jeans and black t-shirt. Maybe he should have worn something nice? Whatever, he saw Lily all the time.

"This is so good, Mrs. Potter," Lily said.

"Thank you," Mrs. Potter said brightly.

They were eating Mrs. Potter's favorite dish, steak and potatoes with greens and wine. Sirius poured himself a few glasses more than the others, but the Potters didn't care. Other than Mrs. Potter's looks, they never did much.

"My mum makes potatoes kind of like this," Lily said. "She adds some different things, though. But these are great."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Yeah, I have an older sister," Lily said. "Her name's Petunia. She's actually getting married in a few months."

James and Sirius exchanged glances, neither of them having any idea her sister was getting married.

"Wow, I bet you're busy with all sorts of planning," Mrs. Potter said.

Lily nodded. "She is."

"When's the big day?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Um, April 20th or something like that," Lily said.

"What do you think of the guy she's marrying?" Mrs. Potter asked.

Lily shrruged, making a face. Mrs. Potter laughed. "I'm assuming they're Muggles, too?" she asked.

Nodding, Lily picked up her water. "Yeah," she said. "Muggle as you can be."

"So, what's it like being a Muggleborn?" Mr. Potter asked.

Lily looked slightly uncomfortable. Sirius raised his eyebrows at James, who had noticed her embarrassment as well. "Well, they're my family," she said with a shrug. "But it's sort of weird, because I'm going back and forth between two completely different worlds."

"Oh, I'm sure," Mrs. Potter said. "That must be so odd."

"Especially with the war," Lily said. "I mean, the Muggles, they're not worried about anything, you know? It's the end of the seventies, and it's been a good decade, and everyone's just carefree and everyone loves everyone else, and it's . . . completely different in the wizarding world."

Mrs. Potter nodded, a solemn look on her face. "Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, our world is not as bright as it once was."

"Oh, no, it's wonderful," Lily said quickly. "I love it - I love being a witch. I love everything."

"You wouldn't have met James," Sirius said.

Lily smiled at James as the Potters laughed lightly. "That's true," she said.

After dinner, they sat around the living room and played a game. The snow was falling outside, the wind blowing lightly against the windows. There was Christmas music playing as they laughed and won and lost. Sirius knew he didn't want to be anywhere else, and he wondered how people would live life without James Potter and his parents and even Lily Evans. What would his life be like without games during Christmas break and steak and potatoes and laughter?

The Potters went to bed around elven. "I should be getting home soon," Lily said, yawning.

"Hey, let's go out to the shed," Sirius said.

"I've heard what goes on in your shed," Lily replied, shaking her head.

James stood up, pulling Lily to her feet. "Come on," he said.

They bundled up and went outside. The shed was their personal playground. Mr. Potter had a few tools out here, but it was mainly for James and Sirius's amusement. They had a stash of firewhiskey in the rafters, James's collections of Which Broomstick and Quidditch Today, their brooms, and an assortment of other things. There was an old couch in one corner, and a broken rocking chair in another. Hidden under a large blanket was Sirius's motorbike. He pulled it off with a flourish.

"Oh, dear," Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

Sirius stroked the leather lovingly. It was quite shiny. It was pretty large, but he was trying to charm it so it would accommodate the rider. "Don't listen to her," he told the motorbike.

Lily crossed her arms and looked at James.

James grinned at her. "Come on, it's kind of cool," he said.

"You're going to try to charm it to fly?" Lily asked.

Sirius nodded. He walked behind the motorbike and reached under a few floorboards. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He didn't smoke often, but holidays were special occasions. He lit up the tip of a cigarette with his wand. Lily sighed. "Those things could kill you," she said.

"You don't really believe those Muggle myths, do you?" Sirius asked. He took a drag and let the smoke fill his lungs.

Lily cast a few warming spells around the shed, then hugged herself. James wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm. "Please, refrain," Sirius said.

"I'm keeping her warm," James said, "like a right gentleman should."

"Right," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes.

James nodded to the motorbike, which Sirius was leaning on. "You should let us ride it."

"Are you crazy?" Sirius asked. "No way."

"Scared we won't take care of it?" Lily asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You would ride this?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "I probably know how to drive more than either of you."

"Ride James instead," Sirius said.

"Shove it," James said.

"Take a risk, Sirius," Lily said, smirking.

"No," Sirius said. "It would wake James's parents up. And I can't imagine the tire marks in the grass. Besides, I bet you're just lying."

Lily gave him an amused look, then took the cigarette from him. She inhaled from the tip of it. Both James and Sirius stared at her. The smoke floated out of her lips. "Whenever you do decide to let us ride on it, I'll prove I'm not lying," she said.

"All right, fine," Sirius said. He took the cigarette back. "I'll let you guys ride it."

"What?" James asked, his eyes widening.

Sirius slapped James's cheek lightly. "Prongs, you look like you've just seen Snape naked," he said. James's eyes widened even wider when he realized the nickname he had used. Sirius turned to Lily and held his arms out toward the bike. "Be my guest, Evans."

Lily grinned. She walked over to the motorbike and swung her leg over it. She looked at James and motioned for him to get on behind her. Sirius watched them, an amused look on his face. "James, if your parents wake up, it's your head," he said.

"Where are the keys?" Lily asked.

"Keys?" Sirius repeated.

"How do you start it up?" Lily questioned.

"You don't know?" Sirius asked, smirking.

"You need a key," Lily said. "Oh, blimey, Sirius, you're going to get me all excited to ride your stupid bike and then -"

Sirius laughed, bringing a key out of his pocket. "Here."

Lily grabbed it from him, shooting him a nasty look. James looked confused, as though trying to figure out whether he was dreaming all of this or not. Lily slipped the key into the spot. Sirius waved his wand, moving things out of the way. This would be amusing.

The motor started up. "Oh, bloody hell," James said. He pinched himself.

"Grab onto me," Lily said.

James wrapped his arms around Lily's torso, shaking his head. As Lily let the brakes go slowly, the bike began to move. She turned it towards the door. Sirius opened the door for them, standing outside. He watched them come towards the door slowly. "Very impressive," he said.

They finally made it out of the shed. The snow fell down on them. "I'm going to die," James said. "Sirius, take all my things. Give my books to Remus and -"

Lily did something with the Muggle motorbike which Sirius had not even started up, and they shot off. James let out a yell, and they zoomed across the yard through the snow. Sirius watched over them, his jaw dropping. He heard both of them screaming. They fell out of sight for a moment, then he saw them race down the street, their bodies lit up by the street lights. He turned back to look at the Potter house - the master bedroom's window was still dark. He took off after the motorbike.

Once Sirius reached the street, he realized they were out of sight. He sighed with frustration. So, his best mate's girlfriend had taken off with his motorbike. He knew this hadn't been a good idea.

After a few moments of pacing around, he Morphed into Padfoot because it was getting cold. He found some things to sniff, played in the snow, and then his ears perked up at the sound of his motorbike. As soon as he stood up in his human form, his motorbike came into view. It zoomed onto the lawn and came to an abrupt stop in front of Sirius.

There was a moment of silence, looks of awe on Lily and James's faces, then they started laughing. "You're my new hero!" James exclaimed.

Lily bent over the handlebars, laughing. Sirius rolled his eyes. "Very funny," he said. "Keys?"

Lily handed over the keys, her shoulders shaking. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. James helped her off of the bike, and the two of them grinned at each other. "How did you learn to drive a motorbike?" Sirius asked.

"My cousin has a motorbike," Lily said. "Well, he had one."

"Aren't you going to move it back into the shed?" Sirius asked.

Lily took the keys back and started to ease the bike into the shed.

"I think I just stepped in dog poo. . ." James trailed off.

Sirius let out bark-like laugh. "Oh, it's fresh, too!" James exclaimed. He punched Sirius in the arm.

"What?" Sirius yelled. "I didn't do anything! It was the dog!"

"Do you have a dog?" Lily asked, looking over her shoulder.

The boys ignored her, now wrestling. James eventually brought him to the ground. They tussled about while Lily got the motorbike back into the shed. "I'm going to shove your head in that dung," James said, holding Sirius's arms down.

"James, don't be angry at me," Sirius said, laughing. "Be angry at the dog!"

James tried to get Sirius to turn towards the dog poo, but Sirius shoved him off and ran inside. James ran after him. Lily shook her head, shutting the shed door, and started to walk towards the house after them.

"Oh, I'm freezing," Sirius said ten minutes later. He started up a fire.

Around midnight, Lily finally got up the will to leave. She and James kissed in the kitchen. "You two are disgusting!" Sirius yelled in from the living room.

"Shut up!" James said. "Mum and dad are sleeping."

Sirius rolled his eyes, then stifled a yawn. "G'night, Lily," he said. "Consider tonight the last time you ever touch my motorbike."

A/N: Thanks for the subscriptions - if you're reading, PLEASE leave a review! It makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Thanks, WhiteCamellia :)

Next up, there's a giant attack somewhere!