Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.

A few weeks passed and the world plunged into October. Seventh year seemed like it was slowly killing the Gryffindors, but it wasn't just the enormous amount of homework which kept them up into the early hours of the morning on some occasions, it was the tension between them. Everyone could sense it. Remus was hanging out with the Ravenclaws almost exclusively now; James, Sirius and Peter, who had sided with James and Sirius over Remus, were a lot more subdued at mealtimes and in class and hardly ever played any pranks.

Further down the Gryffindor table it could be observed that the Head Girl was sitting with her friends, but instead of catching up on the newest gossip or exchanging stories, often she was reading. It seemed to the Hogwarts population that everyday she had a new novel in front of her at breakfast. Alice and Marlene could often be seen exchanging worried glances and trying to entice Lily to eat, but even the strong-willed Marlene McKinnon was not a match for the stubbornness of Lillian Evans.

Needless to say, everyone was on edge. They were just waiting for an explosion or the world to end.

"Heads Meeting tonight at seven in the study," said Lily offhandedly as she walked by the spot where James, Sirius and Peter were sitting at lunch.

Peter marveled at how Lily would read a book, walk and talk at the same time. Sirius was shocked to see the bags underneath Lily's eyes and how her weekend muggle clothes hung off of her slight frame in a way that was masked by the black school robes. James surprised himself when he noticed that he truly didn't care that the most Lily would ever say to him was associated with Heads business.

At the Ravenclaw table, Remus' train of thought when he saw Lily sit down mechanically with Alice and Marlene nearly mirrored Sirius'. He really regretted their argument now, but for once he refused to back down and apologize. He was sick and tired of people taking advantage of his forgiving nature. So he just turned his head, blocked out his concern for his former friend, and rejoined the fascinating conversation the Ravenclaws around him were having; the subject was various hints and myths about the N.E.W.T. tests.

Then, one morning in early October lead to yet another rift in the usually closely-knit Gryffindor seventh-years. Marlene and Alice had approached Sirius the previous day and begged him to help them get Lily to put her novel down and eat some breakfast. They had been trying since the beginning of school and had little success. Sirius had quickly agreed; he was nearly as worried about Lily as Marly and Alice were, but he had had not idea as to what he could do. But, now that he had a plan, he was quick to execute it.

The very next morning, Sirius allowed the other two Marauders to proceed without him to breakfast and he waited for Lily to come down. A short time later, she walked down the stairs, book in front of her face as usual. Sirius grinned as he realized that she was probably one of the few people who could walk down stairs while reading.

"Hey Lily," said Sirius as he realized that she was going to walk right by him without stopping.

"Good morning Sirius," said Lily as she continued walking to the portrait hole.

"Hey wait up!" he said as he scrambled off of the couch and grabbed his school bag.

"Why?" she asked while slowing her pace but not stopping.

"Cause I wanted to walk with you to breakfast. I've haven't talked to you lately and… yeah… I wanted to walk you to breakfast."

"Okay," said Lily as she shrugged.

"Are you going to put the book down?"

"Why?"

"So I can talk to you?"

"You are talking to me."

Changing tactics, Sirius joked, "Didn't your mother ever teach you it is rude to read a book while in the company of others?"

That got Lily's attention. She tore her eyes away from her book for just a second, to raise her eyebrows at Sirius' attempt at a joke. She turned back to her novel and said coolly, "Dear Clarice taught me that it is proper of a lady to walk as if she had books on her head. It's not my fault if I would rather hold them in my hands."

"Can you walk with them on your head?"

Lily nodded.

"Show me."

Lily slipped her bookmark into place, closed the book and put it on her head. Then she continued to walk down the hallway. Before she knew what was happening, Sirius snatched the book and shoved it into his schoolbag.

"Ha! Now you'll have to talk to me!"

"Oh contraire mi amico, I am always prepared," said Lily as she pulled a second novel out of her schoolbag.

"How can someone ever win against you?" he asked as he hit himself on the head.

"It's nearly impossible, except in Quidditch; I'm rubbish at Quidditch."

"Well it's nice to know that you aren't perfect."

"Far from it," said Lily softly. "Very far from it."

"Hey Lily?"

"Yes?"

"What's bothering you?"

"A lot of things."

"You seemed okay when I left your house this summer."

"I wasn't okay, but I was closer to it then than I am now."

"Well what happened after that?"

Lily actually closed her book, stopped walking and turned to face Sirius. "Please don't ask me."

"I already did," Sirius pointed out.

Lily closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, she looked at Sirius' worried countenance and said, "Let's not ruin your astonishing appetite; come on, let's go to breakfast."

Sirius nodded slightly and said disappointedly, "Okay, but don't think I'm going to stop pestering you about this! Now that you have all but admitted that there is something wrong, I will be persistent until the hippogriffs come home!"

Lily laughed lightly and said, "Okay Sirius, but I am just about the most stubborn person you'll ever meet and don't think I'll let you off easily. I guard my secrets like Smaug guards the treasure of the dwarves."

"What was that?"

Lily held up her copy of The Hobbit by Tolkien. "Good book," she commented. "You should read it sometime."

"Me? Read? For fun? You have lost it!"

"If you're referring to my mind, I lost it a long time ago. In the middle of learning which fork one is supposed to use to eat fish I suppose."

"And which fork is one supposed to use, pray tell?"

"Whichever fork everyone else is using."

"Good plan," said Sirius as he laughed. Then as they approached the Great Hall, Sirius asked his companion, "Come eat breakfast with me, and you can educate me further in the fine arts of eating fish."

"I hate fish," was Lily's only reply as she allowed herself to be lead to the seat next to Sirius.

James and Peter were already there. Both boys shot Sirius questioning glances as he sat down across from them. Sirius just shook his head to mean he would explain later.

Only seconds after they had sat down, the mail arrived. Although none of the boys received anything, an owl flew down to Lily.

She put down her book and stroked the owl's smooth feathers. "Good morning Tartarus."

She then took the letter from the darkly colored owl and fed him some of her breakfast, all the while talking to him in soft tones, something that didn't escape the notice of the three boys. "Oh you poor thing, you've had a long journey haven't you? He doesn't feed you enough for this, seems to think you'll get fat. I don't think you'll get fat Tartarus. I'll come by the owlery later and you can give him my message back, but you go rest for now."

Once Tartarus had taken flight to go sleep in the owlery, Lily had to face the curious stares of the three Marauders.

"So you talk to birds, Lily?" asked Peter.

"Yup, he understands me too. Sometimes he even talks back but I think he was a little bit shy in front of you three. He doesn't like to broadcast his extraordinary talent," said Lily sarcastically.

Then she turned to her letter. The boys let her read it in peace, but when she folded it up and put it back in the envelope, all of Hades broke loose.

"So who's the very long letter from Lily?" asked Sirius with a large grin.

"Yeah!" Peter chimed in. "Was it a love letter?"

"Now why would anyone send me a love letter?" asked Lily rhetorically.

"I dunno," said Peter answering the question anyways.

"I bet it was a love letter!" said Sirius.

"I guess you'll never know now will you," said Lily as she took a muffin from the basket in the middle of the table. "Anyone want the other half of my muffin? I only like the top."

Peter immediately took the proffered muffin bottom.

"Why won't you tell us what your letter says?" asked James who had remarkably remained silent up until this point.

Lily coolly met his gaze. "Because it's none of your business."

"What if I were to make it my business?" asked James rudely.

"And, pray tell, how would you manage that one? Under the pretense of trying to find out if I'm really going to end up an old spinster? Well let me tell you something Potter, I would much rather remain a crotchety old woman who knits for fun, then marry someone as conceited as you," she spat.

"It seems like someone is acting a little defensive, and who ever said that I give a damn about you or your life. I wouldn't spare a second of my precious time thinking about your pathetic existence. I think you'd be considered lucky if you became successful enough to have a rocking chair to knit in," James spat right back.

"You know what Potter? It's people like you that make me want to jump off of Angel Falls. The only reason I haven't yet is because I know that that would just make your life so much easier, and I can't let that happen, now can I?"

"You know what Evans? It's a good thing that you've already reconciled yourself to a life alone because I don't know what bloke would ever be able to stand you for more than five minutes at a time!"

Lily smiled a sickening smile; it was as if she knew an evil secret, like she had foreseen your death and it wasn't going to be pretty. "And that's the way I like it. I'm much too independent to be tied down to any guy for more than five minutes. It seems like things work out well for everyone."

"What about the guy that work that letter?" asked Peter.

"He's more persistent then the rest," Lily sighed theatrically. "And much different in many ways," she added more softly.

"Looks like someone has a crush!"

"I don't know if a feeling of attraction is defined as a 'crush' when the person in question is one's boyfriend."

"You don't have a boyfriend," James stated cruelly.

"You thought you had made sure of that huh Potter? Too bad for you that he doesn't go to Hogwarts, and before you start doing your research to find him and then pummel him shortly thereafter for allowing me a slight margin of happiness, he doesn't even live in Britain currently."

"I still don't believe you," said James stubbornly as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Lily, never one to back down from a challenge, pulled out the letter and showed James the address and the bottom signature. It read: My Dearest Missy (stressing both my and dearest), and Your truly devoted and pining boyfriend, Richard S. Gills, respectively.

"Sounds like a pansy to me," sniffed James disdainfully.

"Need I bring out a certain letter from fourth year?" threatened Lily.

"Ah so you kept it," said James musingly.

"Only for blackmail purposes," Lily assured him. "It turns out that my keeping it could prove to be very useful."

"I don't remember any letter from fourth year," said Sirius.

"You wouldn't," said Lily turning to the seventh year on her left. "I doubt very much whether he ever showed it to you. It is rather embarrassing to say the least."

"Go ahead and show it to him," James dared her. "I. Don't. Care."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I posted it on a big banner for the whole school to see?"

"Nope. Not in the least."

"Liar," Lily hissed.

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

Sirius decided to step in and play mediator in the stead of Remus. "Now, now children, play nicely. No need for this to come to blows."

"Padfoot! Whose side are you on?!" asked James as his fingers curled around his wand in the pocket of his robes, just in case.

"Yours," said Sirius automatically.

"Glad you took the time to analyze the situation and formulate a conclusion," said Lily caustically. "I'm so glad that you don't just jump to take sides on an impulse."

Then she got up from the table, letter in hand, without another word.

"Good job Prongs," said Sirius after he watched Lily go. "Good bloody job!"

"What did I do?" asked James as he turned back to his breakfast, a little put out by his best mate's harsh tone.

"Are you blind? Can't you see that there is something seriously wrong with her?! And you just made it worse! And look, now Marlene is coming over here, surely to kill me."

"I don't see why you bother yourself with mudblood trash like her," said James emphatically.

Sirius, Peter and Marlene, who was in hearing range of James' last comment, all stared at him with their mouths open.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Marlene shouted at James right before his mouth began foaming with the same soap suds that had come out of Snape's mouth that day at the lake in fifth year after the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L..

"Miss McKinnon!" said Professor McGonagall as she marched down to where the group was. "You are a seventh year! This behavior is unacceptable. You are setting a poor example for the younger years by hexing your classmate in the middle of the Great Hall! Apologize at once and then you will get two detentions and twenty points from Gryffindor."

"I accept the detentions and the points taken away Professor, but, with all due respect, I will not apologize to him because what he did was far more unacceptable."

"And what was that Miss McKinnon?"

"He called a good friend of mine, Lily Evans, 'mudblood trash'," said Marlene unabashedly. "I'm sorry Professor, but I just can't stand for that."

"Mr. Potter is this true?" asked the Transfiguration teacher.

"Yes Professor, it is," said James, not even trying to pull his usual tactics for getting out of punishment.

"Mr. Potter, need I remind you that you are Head Boy! Come with me at once. Mr. Black, and Miss McKinnon please come to my office as well. Mr. Pettigrew, please fetch Miss Evans and then the both of you will report to my office."

The seventh year Gryffindors obeyed their Head of House's commands without any objections. Soon they were all gathered in the office of Professor McGonagall.

"I want an explanation of this morning's events. Mr. Black, let's start with your account."

Sirius gulped, if he incriminated James, things would go from bad to worse, but if he lied, Marlene would surely maim him and call his lie. He couldn't trust Peter to back him up without ruining his fragile story either.

"Well Professor, I woke up this morning, took a shower, pulled my robes out from under Peter's bed…"

"Not from the beginning Mr. Black!"

"I was getting there," said Sirius defensively. "Anyways, I woke up… and then I met Lily in the common room. We walked down to breakfast and I invited her to sit with Peter, James and I. She accepted and we sat down. Shortly thereafter, the mail arrived. Lily got a letter and Peter asked if it was a love letter. She said something like 'no' but we all knew it was. Then she and James got into a bit of a spat; she left and then afterwards, James, still reeling from the heat of the moment, said some things I'm sure he regrets."

Professor McGonagall nodded to affirm that she had heard his story and said, "Mr. Pettigrew, do you have anything to add or change?"

Peter shook his head 'no.'

"Miss McKinnon, what is your side of the story?"

"I was just about to politely inquire why Lily had so abruptly left the company of these three dopes, when I clearly heard Potter say things I will not repeat again. In the defense of Lily, who was not there, I helped Potter to clean out his potty mouth," said Marlene with a smirk.

"That's quite enough Miss McKinnon," said Professor McGonagall.

Marlene quickly wiped the smirk off of her face. "Mr. Potter, would you like to add anything to this conversation?"

"Yeah," he said, eyes still blazing with anger. "I was provoked and I meant what I said."

Professor McGonagall sent a harsh glare his way, but it didn't faze James in the least, who was, for some unknown reason, incredibly angry. "Miss Evans, what is your story?"

Lily, who had been looking down into her lap the whole time, now raised her head to look at her Head of House, a woman she greatly respected and said, "Potter may have been provoked, but it was not by me, and that's it."

"Alright," said the Professor tiredly. "Miss McKinnon, I stand by my earlier decision of giving you two detentions for hexing a classmate, but no points will be taken away since you did it in the defense of a friend. Mr. Potter, for your atrocious behavior, you will be suspended from Quidditch for the next two weeks and during the times practices would have occurred, you will serve detention."

"But Professor! That's unfair! I booked the pitch for four nights every week for the next two weeks! And we have a match in three weeks against Slytherin!" exclaimed James.

"You should have thought of that before you opened your mouth Mr. Potter. You are the Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, I expect more from you. Also, fifty points will be subtracted from Gryffindor."

Everyone looked up at that sentence. This time it was Sirius to protest, "But Professor, don't you think that's a little harsh? Fifty points? I think we only have fifty."

"The punishment stands, I will not have Gryffindors speaking so crudely. It is simply inappropriate and I will not tolerate it in my house! Oh and Mr. Potter I will be writing to your parents. I also require that you apologize to Miss Evans. Now that is all, you are all dismissed," said McGonagall as she dipped her quill in ink and proceeded to start said letter.

The teenagers morosely filed out of the room. Once outside, James mumbled half of an apology to Lily and then took off with Peter chasing at his heels trying to catch up. Sirius gave Lily a look of apology before hastening after the retreating back of his best mate. Marlene was aiming her wand for the backs of the boys, when Lily lowered it with her hand.

"You're in enough trouble as it is. At least wait until we're a couple of floors away from McGonagall's office," said Lily as she threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure that McGonagall wasn't directly behind them.

Marlene nodded and put her wand in her pocket. "Don't worry Lil, we'll get them back. Now tell me, what really went down between you and that prat Potter? He seemed really riled up. Did you like insult his mom or something?"

"I don't even know Marly, I really don't. I got a letter from Richard this morning and Peter and Sirius were teasing me about it and then all of a sudden, James went totally physco. Of course I wasn't about to let him walk all over me, so I insulted him right back. Nothing really new though, pretty much the same things I've said to him the last three times we had to talk. I honestly don't know why he was so affected this time," said Lily as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head.

"I'd say he was jealous that you have a boyfriend," began Marlene, well aware of the glare that Lily was shooting at her. "I think he's finally fed up with you trashing his ego, and gave up on pursuing you, stupidly thinking that he was the only person in the universe who was interested in you."

"So he just hexed every guy who has ever asked me out here at Hogwarts for no reason at all?"

"Back then, my dear naïve Lily, he was staking out his territory. Now he doesn't want you to be his, but because he can't have you, he doesn't want anyone to. It's an obvious case of only child syndrome," said Marlene with the air of a seasoned therapist. "But, why waste the few minutes we have left before Charms, with talking about such an unappealing subject? Instead, how about we talk about your lover boy?! I haven't asked for my clue of the week yet! And while we're on the subject, let me just tell you that I think it terribly cruel that you'll only answer one of my questions every week!"

"Okay, okay! What's your question for this week?"

Marlene, who was terribly excited that she had gotten Lily to even talk this much, pretended to think about the question she was going to ask. She had, of course, had it ready for days, but she wanted to prolong the happy moment as long as possible. "What color eyes does he have?" she asked finally.

"Hazel, with a lot of light green and only some light brown mixed in," said Lily promptly.

"Hmmm… not an overly detailed description, but not a simple one-word answer either. I would say that you are only mildly infatuated with this hazel-eyed, tan-skinned, dark brown-haired, twenty year old American Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts of yours."

Lily smiled widely as she pictured each aspect of Richard as her friend named them.

"Scratch that, with a smile that wide, I'd have to say quite infatuated!"

Lily and Marlene laughed together.

"I can't wait to meet him!" exclaimed Marlene. "He sounds so dreamy!"

"Well, in his letter this morning, he said that he was going to come for the Hogsmeade trip this weekend," said Lily. "I can see him in only five days!"

"No wonder you're in such a good mood," said Marlene. "Poor Lily has been stuck in school taking classes for a month and a half while her lover boy has been thousands of miles away teaching classes. That's kind of ironic."

"What is?"

"That he could have been our new Defense teacher this year instead of that witch Professor Alinge."

Lily laughed. "He nearly was until I told him that I was a student here! Then he had to refuse the position and grab his second choice at his alma mater in America."

"So why did he attend school in the States instead of Hogwarts?"

"You already had your question answered, but since you're meeting him in a few days, I suppose I'll answer this one too. He was adopted by muggles when he was very little, because he was left at a muggle orphanage by his mother. Then when he got his Hogwarts letter, they refused to let him go. Dumbledore, naturally got involved; he tried to make them see reason, but they wouldn't. So, he turned to one of his old friends in the U.S. who was the Headmistress of the school there and they set up an elaborate ruse. The end product is that Richard's parents were satisfied and they let him go to this exclusive boarding school in the States, also known as Merlin's Academy," Lily explained.

"And his parents never wondered at the strange supply list?"

"They just gave him money and he bought his stuff, no questions asked. They don't have the most nurturing household."

Marlene was prevented from asking any further questions because they had arrived at the Charms classroom just as the bell was ringing.