Hello Readers and Happy Holidays! This chapter is my gift to you and hopefully your reviews will be a gift to me! (FYI There is another chapter written, I just need some motivation to edit and post it ;) ).

Enjoy the chapter!

-AAA

P.S. Thank you to those of you who noticed my substantial and repeated typo in the last chapter that BOTH of my betas didn't see. I have profusely apologized to Francesco and he and his attorney have decided that upon correction of this oversight I will be forgiven, much to my relief.

P.P.S. This is the 50th chapter! Oh My Merlin! Thank you to those of you who have stuck by me from the beginning- through writer's block, long pauses, and crazy drama that made you want to pull your hair out. And to those of you who have just joined this little boat of gushy fluff, heart-wrenching emotion, and grueling drama, welcome and I hope you stick by me for the next 50 chapters!

Dearest Lily, Oct. 23

Another boring week in this place I fondly call hell. I can't wait until the first term is over! After the holiday we're allowed to leave on the weekends! With only two months to go I can almost smell the freedom. It doesn't get me any closer to you, but at least I'll be able to do something other than twiddle my thumbs while thinking about/ writing to you. Who am I kidding? I'll probably be thinking about/ writing to you only then it will be somewhere else. That's the summary of my pathetic existence.

Oh a higher note, Sirius did something rather amusing yesterday. There's this girl named Tina (you remember the one Sirius dueled and beat) and she has a bit of a temper (kind of like yours- very dangerous and highly explosive, and I mean that in the nicest way) and he likes to take advantage of that fact (he swears he doesn't fancy her but I used to bait you in a very similar way…). Anyway yesterday we were just minding our own business in the gym exercising when she came in. Sirius knows that she's really sensitive about sexism and whatnot so he challenged her to a weight lifting competition saying that men can naturally lift more weight than women can.

As always she rose to the occasion screaming at him for being a pig, prat, etc. and accepted his challenge. He easily lifted his barbell, but she struggled with hers and had to admit defeat. By this time a huge crowd had gathered to watch (the two of them are almost as legendary as you and I were at Hogwarts) and it killed her but she had to admit defeat. Sirius bragged for a bit, but not as much as usual and was in the process of making a hasty escape when Tina, thinking that something was a bit weird about the whole thing, (she's too smart for her own good- also like you) tried lifting Sirius's barbell and found that it had been magically altered so that it was no heavier than a feather. Hers of course had been made ten times heavier- an impossible weight.

She shrieked like a banshee for almost a whole minute while Sirius started bolting out of there. She was livid. Unfortunately for Sirius she caught him. Poor lad hasn't been able to walk straight since. I thought it was all quite amusing and even as I'm writing this I can't help but laugh. Sirius is glaring at me, probably because he knows what I'm writing about. He's writing a letter to Marlene right now, but I don't doubt that he'll start a letter for you soon. It's likely that he'll tell you he was the victim of the story; it's all codswallop- don't believe a word he writes- ever. It's a rule I've lived by and it's served me pretty well over the years.

And now I'll indulge you in a telling of my classes this week since you are so oddly interested in what mundane facts they are force-feeding us here in hell. In Auror History we've made it through the first thousand years of the ancient Egyptian Aurors; next week we're supposedly starting work on the ancient Mayan Aurors… how… riveting. In Auror Protocol we are almost finished with learning what training is going to be like after the Academy; it promises to be a whole new circle in what appears to be everlasting hell. In Magical Theory we're still covering the basics behind wordless incantations. I know you find the whole subject fascinating but I find it bloody boring! Who cares why we can do something as long as we can do it? Defense Against the Dark Arts is as boring as ever. I swear we learned more useful stuff back in our second year at Hogwarts!

That's pretty much it… pathetic I know.

Love always,

James

P.S. 55 days until you are back in my arms again.

Oct. 30

To my one true love Sirius (if you're reading this know I'm just kidding James)-

Teddy is still giving me crap! I have tried ignoring him, yelling at him, subtly hexing him, making him look like an idiot, and physically hurting him and nothing works! I don't know what to do… It's not that big of a deal, but I feel weird about it, especially since I haven't told James about him. I know you think it's wrong, but I can't thank you enough for keeping my secret. I just feel like knowing would hurt James, and make him feel more insecure about me being so far away. If things got serious I would tell him I swear.

But enough about me- let's talk about you! I hear there's this girl named Tina…? According to James she's your version of me. I don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, my one piece of advice is to not give up. I mean it. Even if she tells you to give up, don't. Ever.

Well I have to go learn some stuff… write back soon! I always look forward to hearing from you!

XOXO

Lily

Nov. 8

Dear Lily,

My life is so utterly boring I cannot even begin to describe it accurately. Let me put it this way- the highlight of my week was when we got a new shipment of potions thesauruses. I have reached a new level of low. I appreciate the fact that I have a job, but I can't help but envy James and Sirius and you of course. You are all off meeting new people and learning new things, training for jobs that will challenge and satisfy you, and I am dusting bookshelves while living with my parents. Visiting my sick German aunt (or was it Hungarian grandmother?) is difficult without the Marauders to accompany me. It's been hard on my parents too; my mum has always been particularly burdened by the whole situation, but now I feel as if it is almost too much for her. I want to move out, but my condition and lack of money make that so difficult.

I can't wait to see you and everyone else at Christmas time. Right now that is what I am living for. Life just isn't the same when you aren't surrounded by friends.

Remus

To my darling Lily-kins, Nov. 16

You know that Frank guy I have been telling you about? Well today he asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him! I know that it's only dinner in the mess hall, but since he's a third year he could go home or out for the weekend, but instead he wants to be with me! I'm so excited I can barely write! All week long he has been following me, but whenever I turn around he pretends that he isn't. Marlene says that it's a good sign and however silly it may be I believe her! I can't believe this Lily- my first romance!

Oh my Merlin. My first romance!!! He's so much older, probably totally experienced and knows exactly what to do and I am a completely pathetic loser who has never even been kissed before! I bet he'll be able to tell the moment we sit down for dinner. I'll do something wrong and he'll dump me for sure! I don't even know if we're even actually dating!!! He only asked me to sit with him at dinner in the mess hall; it's not like it's out of our way and I mean we both have to end up there for dinner! He probably just asked me because he feels sorry for me! Or maybe he just wants to talk to me about auror stuff and dinner was convenient for him…

Oh I'm so completely miserable at this! You would think that after watching you and Marlene I would have picked up some tips. But no, I don't know what to say or what to wear or what to do! What if he tries to kiss me and I do the wrong thing and then he thinks I don't like him?!?!? We've only had a few conversations in the last couple of weeks and none that long, but I already like him so much (and I'm talking like like here!!!).

And now I'm rambling… just like I do when he's around! I'm not nearly as interesting as you or Marlene; it's no wonder no one has ever shown interest in me before! He probably only likes me because there are so few girls here and he hasn't met you or Marlene. Who in their right mind would choose plain, simple, sensible Alice with dull dirty blonde hair and poop brown eyes, when they could have an either of you two beauties?!

Please help me Lily! The date (if it even is a date!) is in four days! I'm asking Sweetie to fly as fast as she can, but I doubt she'll get to you faster than two days, so please respond ASAP! I know that you could probably spend your time feeding the hungry in Africa, or learning how to be in two places at once, but please, I NEED YOU like I've never needed you before!

Alice

My darling Alice, Nov. 19

You are a beautiful, sensitive, engaging and loving woman. You are also as smart as hell! And a damn good duelist that could give any man a run for his money! You can and will do this date-like dinner thing. Although personally I think it is a date, you can keep it casual if you want and not call it a "date." Don't worry about being anything or anyone but your innocent and adorable self. I don't know Frank all that well, but he comes from a good family and has always seemed like a kind gentleman. (He carried you all the way to the infirmary!!! That is so cute and gentlemanly!) And don't worry about not knowing what to do when it comes to kissing- no one knows their first time, but like I said Frank is a gentleman so everything will be fine. It may be a little awkward (I know my first kiss was!) but you have to have your first kiss in order to get to the good stuff! If you're really worried about it you could always ask Sirius to kiss you- I'm sure he would be more than happy to oblige! :D Then you would have that nasty first kiss business over with and be able to join the long long long list of girls that have kissed Sirius Black. Among the girls in the department here that is truly a claim to fame! (Those silly ninnies- he's not all that attractive honestly…)Just don't kiss James, whatever you do! Lily has written me and told me she forgives me, but I just feel like she'll take it back when she sees me at Christmas. I still start blushing whenever I think about what I did. I don't know how I would have lived with myself if they had broken up! Are you really sure you want to get into all this relationship mess? Just kidding. It has it's ups and downs, but there are usually more ups than downs, and if that isn't true then you need to get out of that relationship. Oh and I meant to tell you this already- you should wear your purple sweater, the thinner one not the thicker one. It's pretty and brings out the color of your eyes, yet it's casual enough that if Frank doesn't mean anything serious by this (which I'm 99% sure is NOT the case) then you don't look silly. And leave your hair down. Wear some earrings. Don't put on any makeup- you're very pretty without it! But do put on some perfume, at your wrists and the back of your neck, and a light spritz on your hair. I'm so excited for you!!! I wish I could be there to witness this monumental event! I would tell the boys to keep an eye on you so they could give me the details later, but as you well know- they are useless. Sirius doesn't pay attention to anything other than his hair and James doesn't see anything or anyone other than Lily. I really need to find someone, but not just anyone. I want a James like Lily has. Well that's enough whining for one letter! I hope that Frank is your James and I can't wait for all the details! (And by all I mean all- especially the gory graphic ones!)

My little Alice is growing up!!!

Love always,

Marlene

To the genius I am honored to know, Nov. 30

I really think that you should tell James about this Teddy bloke. He sounds like he is up to no good, and as a bloke who often has ignoble intentions himself, it's just going to get worse (like it has been.) James is a fairly decent duelist; he practices with some of the other guys and myself a couple of times every week, so I wouldn't be surprised if he could take this guy on. Yeah I know he's a genius like you, but James has some greater to fight for. And you know he would leap at the chance to "fight for your honor/favor." He loves all that romantic crap as much as he may pretend not to. It's almost pathetic how deeply in love with you he is. He probably hasn't mentioned this because he likes to seem all macho and unaffected, but as his best mate I feel like I have the right to abuse him as often and in any way that I can, so I will tell you that he has a countdown going to the day when he sees you again. I know he is a pansy, but he's still my best mate, though it's times like this when I wonder why.

Oh and I think I failed to mention that I would like to take a piece out of this Teddy bloke myself. No one messes with my genius and gets away with it!

Love,

Sirius

(that amazingly attractive and charming devil that you are honored to know)

P.S. Lils- I know how you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble. Please, I am begging you, keep yourself safe for another couple of weeks, for all of our sakes. James worries enough about you as it is; if you were hurt or in any sort of danger I'm pretty sure he would explode. Then there would be pieces of James guts all over the place and it's somewhere in my job description as his best mate that I would be the one to clean up the mess. I hate cleaning so don't make me do it!

Remus- Dec. 12

I am so excited for Christmas. It's going to be a lot of fun to see you and all of the guys again. We should get a drink sometime. Us working lads should stick together. I found a date to James's mum's Christmas Eve Party. What about you?

Peter.

And then there was Christmas:

"I'm home!" Lily called out as she walked into the foyer of Potter mansion. She truly did feel as if she was home; just being on the grounds of the Potter estate removed a burden from her heart. It was like going to sleep after a really long day.

She dropped her bags and then began grinning like a fool as she heard footsteps all over the mansion.

Mrs. Potter, who had been organizing the decorations in the ballroom, arrived first. In a flurry of activity she rushed out of the ballroom, nearly knocking over a house elf in the process.

"Lily!" she cried gleefully as she wrapped Lily in an enormous hug. "I've missed you so much and I'm so glad that you're home!"

"Me too," said Lily quietly as she allowed herself to simply sink into the embrace. She hadn't been hugged like this in a very long time and she was nearly overwhelmed by the wave of love that was washing over her.

"Lily! I thought I heard your voice," said Remus calmly as he descended the stairs. Although he sought to keep his cool, it was obvious from the smile that threatened to split his careworn and tired face in two, that he was more than happy that Lily had arrived. "It's good to see you."

As soon as Mrs. Potter released her, Lily laughed delicately and ran over to Remus. She caught him off guard as she threw her arms around him, the force of it nearly knocking both of them to the ground.

Remus laughed and bending his head, whispered, "I've missed you."

"I'm so glad I'm home," said Lily emotionally. "I missed you so much."

"I bet you missed me more," joked Sirius as he emerged from the direction of the kitchen where he had been taste-testing for the house elves.

"Sirius!" cried Lily as she let go of Remus and sprinted over to her other friend.

He caught her easily and spun her around in several circles until he finally put her down and enveloped her in a big hug.

"You look as beautiful as ever," he commented as he held her out at arm's length. "Though a bit snowy," he added as he brushed snow off of the top of her hat, which had somehow remained attached through all of her running and spinning.

"Is that Lily we hear?" asked Alice as she appeared at the top of the staircase with Marlene only a few steps behind her.

"Alice!" exclaimed Lily excitedly. "I though you weren't going to be here until tomorrow?!"

"Surprise!" called Alice as she rushed down the stairs and into her best friend's embrace.

Marlene walked down the stairs and hesitantly stood at their base.

After thoroughly hugging Alice, Lily looked up and saw Marlene standing there. Her face became impassive as she let go of Alice and began to cross the hall. Marlene averted her eyes, afraid of what she wasn't quite sure.

"Oh Marlene," breathed Lily. "I told you all was forgiven. Why are you hesitating?"

"It's different on paper than in real life; I was half afraid that you were making me let my guard down so you could kill me when I was least expecting it," Marlene joked weakly.

Lily didn't comment, only wrapped her arms around her friend's torso and squeezed in a purely friendly way. Then she quipped, "If I was going to kill you I would have had you meet me in Diagon Alley where I would have led you down a dark alleyway… just kidding! Really, all is forgiven."

"I'm so glad," said Marlene sniffling. "I can't imagine life without you!"

"Nor I you," Lily told her lovingly.

"So tell us all about school!" Mrs. Potter prompted as Lily led Marlene into the small circle that had congregated in the entrance hall.

"It is truly remarkable; I can't imagine being anywhere else! My professors are excellent, and the classes are so exciting," gushed Lily.

"Mum?" called a familiar voice.

"In the hallway dear," answered Mrs. Potter as the group fell silent.

"The house elves are saying something about Lily being home…" stated James as he walked toward his mother's location. "Bloody hell!"

"It's so nice to see-" Lily was abruptly cut off by the arrival of James's mouth.

Sirius later described the scene by using the metaphor of a grindylow assaulting an innocent swimmer.

The chemistry was intense and immediate between the two. The surrounding group had a hard time even looking in their general direction because the emotion between them was so raw and powerful to witness it was to be an interloper.

Not a word was spoken as James lifted his love up and carried her upstairs.

"Well I don't think we'll be seeing them anytime soon," commented Sirius as a door closed upstairs.

Mrs. Potter drifted away, uncomfortable, as the teenagers laughed and made some more crude and insinuating remarks about her son.

Hours passed. No one heard from or saw Lily and James. No one was surprised. Dinner came.

"Sirius be a dear and go see if Lily and James are going to come down for dinner," requested Mrs. Potter as both teens failed to appear at the table.

"Sure thing," said Sirius as he excused himself, a wide grin on his face.

While rapping quite loudly and obnoxiously on James's closed (and locked- he had already tried opening it) door, he called, "Prongs?! Are you planning on coming up for air anytime soon? Dinner is ready and somehow the rest of us have been able to restrain ourselves and show up at the table fully clothed."

"He can't hear us," Lily told James once Sirius kept talking even though they responded to his inquiries.

"You are too good at silencing charms for your own good," whispered James as he returned to his previous activity of kissing Lily's very sensitive collarbone.

She moaned appreciatively, but both of them were slightly distracted by Sirius's incessant talking.

"He could stand there all night," Lily pointed out.

James groaned in frustration. He rolled off of Lily to the side of his bed next to the nightstand with some parchment and a quill.

We're not hungry.

He scrawled quickly. Lily reading over his shoulder, took the quill after him, and added in her neat cursive:

For food.

James laughed heartily and pinned Lily back against the pillows as the enchanted piece of paper floated under the crack in the door and up to Sirius's hand.

As Sirius read the note he erupted with his characteristic bark-like laughter.

"They won't be joining us tonight," Sirius informed the table as he returned.

Mrs. Potter was somewhat at a loss as to what to do. She wished that Christopher were home; he would take charge and make a decision. Should she allow James to continue doing whatever he had been doing for the past five hours or should she demand that he come to dinner? Christopher would certainly vote for the latter, but her kinder instincts made her think that it wouldn't be so bad to allow James to catch up with the girlfriend he hadn't seen in four months.

"Remus, can you please go tell my son and Lily that I wasn't really asking if they were coming down for dinner, and that I expect them both to be down here and decent within five minutes?" asked Marilyn coolly. Enough was enough.

"Absolutely," responded Remus.

"Ummm… Prongs? Lily?" asked Remus, his hesitant knock reflecting his hesitant tone. "Mrs. Potter says that you both have to come down to dinner. Now. And you have to be decent."

"Why does my mum hate me?" James asked rhetorically.

Lily slid away from James and begrudgingly got off of his very comfortable bed, but didn't get very far. James simply couldn't resist pulling her back for one last kiss.

"I'm not going very far," laughed Lily as she broke off the kiss that had the potential to last much longer than they had time for. "I'll even sit next to you at dinner."

"How about you sit on my lap," suggested James roguishly as he watched Lily try to find her discarded clothing.

"How about we don't push our luck," Lily fired back as she succeeded in finding her hat, coat, mittens, and shirt, but was missing one other important piece of clothing…

"Looking for something?" asked James loftily as he used two fingers to lift up the strap of the missing bra.

Lily rolled her eyes and held out her hand.

"I don't think so," he said, his eyes shining. "You'll have to take it from me."

"If you insist," acceded Lily as she jumped on top of James. After a short but sweet tussle Lily emerged victorious. It was evident by the smirk on James's face however, that he had gotten what he wanted as well.

"Are you going to get up any time soon?" asked Lily as she arched an eyebrow.

"In order for me to be 'decent' I'm going to need to take a very very cold shower," answered James.

Lily laughed, rather pleased with herself, as she combed her fingers through her hair and put it up in a messy bun to hide James's handiwork.

"Am I presentable now?" Lily asked lightly as she did a slow turn for her boyfriend.

James laughed. "You were smart to wear a turtleneck sweater."

Lily blushed as she replied, "Don't you think I know how your mind goes by now?"

"My mind is not responsible for that," joked James.

As Lily opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, James called, "Tell my mother to start without me and that I'll be down in a few minutes." Then James gave a jaunty wave to his best mate, who was looking at him in an almost disapproving way.

"Hi Remus," said Lily quickly, trying to dissolve some of the awkwardness that was a given when Remus was forced to think about what two people he had known since he was eleven had just been doing.

"Hi Lily," laughed Remus.

There was a bit of tension when Lily arrived at the dining room table, but that quickly dissolved as she launched into a tale about Tim and Laurie becoming fused together during one Charms experiment gone wrong.

"Yes Randolph?" asked Mrs. Potter as she acknowledged the oldest and most stringent Potter house elf who was standing respectfully in the doorway to the dining room.

"Lily has a visitor," he drawled nasally.

Lily looked startled for a moment, and Sirius looked at her questioningly, but then she relaxed and slightly shook her head, signaling to him that she didn't need to be accompanied. "Excuse me," she said quietly as she rose from the table and gracefully exited.

A few moments later she returned and said, "Remus, I have a Christmas present for you that was just delivered earlier than anticipated."

Annoyed, Marilyn interrupted, "Can't it wait? We're in the middle of dinner."

"I apologize Mrs. Potter, but it can't wait another minute," said Lily sheepishly.

"Fine," huffed Mrs. Potter.

"Come on Remus," said Lily excitedly as she fairly well pulled him from his seat. "Close your eyes!"

Remus did as he was told and then asked, "Lily what's going on?"

"You'll see in a minute," she said impatiently as she positioned him in the entrance hall. "Now stay put and hold your arms out in front of you palms up. I'm going to put your present in your arms and it's kind of heavy, but also rather delicate so don't drop it!"

"What the hell is it?" asked Remus suspiciously.

A minute later his question was answered when Lily ended her levitation spell and plopped Vicky into Remus's waiting arms.

His eyes opened in shock as he struggled to stabilize himself.

"I told you I'd be back," sang Vicky as she smiled at him. "Miss me?"

"Merlin's balls!" was the only thing that came to Remus's mind.

Vicky laughed, her pealing and sharp giggles cutting through the air and making Remus's heart beat irregularly.

Lily jumped up and down like a small child. She had been planning this surprise for Remus for weeks, knowing that Vicky wouldn't last long in her own home and would take the offer that Mrs. Potter had communicated through Lily.

"How? What? Why? How did you-?" asked the ever realistic Remus.

Lily and Vicky laughed. "Vicky and I are roommates at the Institute," explained Lily. "And she gets along with her family much like I get along with mine. I asked Mrs. Potter if she was willing to take in another orphan and she wholeheartedly agreed!"

"But I wanted to try things with my family first- see if they had cooled down any since September when they sent me a Howler threatening to cut me off completely if I didn't come home at once. It only took me about five hours to realize that they hadn't, so I came here!" continued Vicky.

"Happy Christmas!" finished Lily.

"I don't think anyone has ever given me a person for Christmas before," joked Remus.

"Aw Lily you copycat! I was going to get Remus a girl for Christmas too!" said James who was still toweling his hair dry as he walked down the stairs to join his family for dinner.

"Glad to see you're as arrogant as ever Potter," quipped Vicky.

"Glad to see you're as rude and freakish as ever," James fired back with a smirk.

"Can't we all just get along?" asked Remus jokingly to no one in particular.

"Where would the fun be in that?" asked Vicky rhetorically. "Now put me down because I'm starving and something smells fabulous."

"As you wish," said Remus sweetly.

James gagged audibly and obnoxiously.

"You come with me," ordered Lily as she grabbed James by the arm.

"Anytime anywhere Love," said James flirtatiously.

Lily rolled her eyes and clarified. "Come with me to dinner with your mother."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but it will do," admitted James as he allowed himself to be pulled along.

Remus shook his head at his best mate's antics and said to Vicky, "You're lucky you weren't here when they first saw each other; now that was something worth gagging over."

"Everyone, this is Vicky, Vicky this is Mrs. Potter, Sirius, Marlene, and Alice. Peter isn't here yet, he had to work until tomorrow afternoon, but you'll likely see him tomorrow night," said Lily graciously as Vicky entered.

By the time Lily finished speaking Mrs. Potter had already cross the room and given Vicky a warm hug. "I take it things didn't go well with your family?"

"As of today I am officially and irrevocably disowned," Vicky stated.

"I'm thinking I should start a club," commented Sirius.

"You already have a headquarters," continued Marlene.

"And three members," said Sirius.

"And benevolent benefactors."

"And a nearly endless supply of food. Clubs are nothing without food."

"You could call yourselves 'The Orphans the Potters Adopted.' Clubs are also nothing without names."

"Opa!" cried James as he mentally arranged the letters.

He was met with many strange looks.

"It's what the letters spell," he answered defensively.

"Anyway," said Sirius to diffuse the awkwardness. "Welcome to the family Vicky."

"Thanks," she said as she settled into the chair the house elves had just brought for her.

"So girls, tell us all about school!" said Mrs. Potter enthusiastically. Now that everyone was present and accounted for and dinner could proceed, she was in a much better mood. She also always felt better after "adopting" another teenaged "orphan;" she had always wanted a houseful of kids and although she had started off with one, she now had four to fill up the empty bedrooms. After they had all left after the summer she had taken to closing her eyes as she passed the bedrooms she no longer identified by the color of their bedspreads or drapes, but by their owner.

First James's was on the left facing the Quidditch Pitch; she could still remember the day he asked her if he could change his room from the traditional first born son's room on the right side directly before the master suite so that he could look at the Pitch when he woke up in the morning. Then directly across from that and down one door was Lily's room; it was so sophisticated with its light colors and delicate patterns but also strong and sturdy like the oak from which the furniture was made, that Mrs. Potter couldn't imagine Lily living anywhere else, nor could she imagine anyone else living in that room. Across from Lily was Sirius's room. At first he had been hesitant to truly move in. He basically lived out of the one trunk he had escaped with until finally Mrs. Potter took him on a shopping trip and the two of them bought posters and other personal items that the room severely lacked. Right next to Lily there was already a room prepared for Vicky; currently it was "the Green Room," but Mrs. Potter had a feeling that before long it would be "Vicky's room," just like the one directly across from it was forever "Remus's room."

Remus didn't live there like the rest of them; he had loving and accepting parents who also understood the fact that he had found another family in his friends. Although not an "orphan," he was far from a guest in the Potter household. His room was decorated similarly to Sirius's- in Gryffindor pride. Next to Remus was the other temporary Potter, Peter. Both rooms were much tidier than the live-ins, but the two boys still left many personal possessions in the Potter Manor rooms so it never felt as if they were merely visiting.

It was an odd phenomenon that those who had spent more than a month living in the Manor, forever felt as if they were coming home when they returned. It reminded Lily of Hogwarts; Potter Manor had that same kind of magic. Unlike Hogwarts, Lily attributed the feeling more to the occupants than the physical structure and memories.

"School…" began Lily with a wide grin that lit up her entire face. "School is wonderful. It's indescribable."

"Obviously," snorted Sirius. "Since you never write anything about it!"

"I agree," added Alice. "I feel like you probably know as much about the Auror Academy as James, Sirius, and I do. Yet none of us know anything about your school."

Lily smiled, all too happy to gush about her new life. "Well we all get up a little before 6 every morning and go for a 10 K run. And it's beautiful. The world is so quiet you can hear every leaf crunch under your foot. And a few weeks ago there was frost coating everything when we first went out, and then the sun would rise as we were cooling down and it would melt forming little beads of dew that sparkled in the new sun."

"Lily's the only one who actually likes running in the morning," said Vicky jarringly.

"Not true," replied Lily curtly with an air of defensiveness.

"You're the only one who would rather daydream about dew than go inside and take a shower and go to breakfast."

Lily conceded, nodding her head, "So that might be kind of true…"

"Anyway, after breakfast we go to classes until lunch and then we have more classes and then dinner and then free time and then more classes and then recreation time and then spiritual time and then reading time and then bed time," said Vicky monotonously.

Lily leaned over and hit her in a friendly way. "You could be a little more descriptive. After breakfast I go to my German class, then Magical Theory, and magical world history. After lunch I have experimental charms, my all time favorite class, then a class called "Life," and a class titled "Survival." After dinner we have free time to do whatever we want."

"I sleep," interjected Vicky.

"I write letters to you people," supplied Lily. "Then I go to my dueling practice class and independent study potions. Then for recreation a few of my friends and I have recently been playing muggle board and card games."

"Lily is so good at them it's ridiculous," huffed Vicky. "Most of us are convinced that she cheats."

"I do not!" protested Lily good-naturedly. "I'm just talented."

"No one is that talented," said Vicky bitterly.

Lily grinned smugly and continued, "Reading time is one of my favorites. The library is enormous and devoting an hour every day to just reading is phenomenal."

"Wow." Marlene finally commented. "I'm pretty sure you accomplish more before 8 a.m. than I do all day…"

"That makes the Academy sound like creampuff camp…" said Alice, her eyes still wide and surprised.

"So what do they teach you in 'Life' and 'Survival?'" inquired Mrs. Potter.

Vicky jumped in before Lily had time to sugarcoat things. "Well it's assumed that since we're all so powerful and crazy good at life there will eventually be people out there that want to kill us and or torture us until we help them with their evil or selfish plots. Since the founding of the Institute, more than half of its graduates have been abducted or killed," she rattled off as if it were just another statistic. "So Survival is a class that everyone takes; the professor teaches you about what to do if you're in such a situation. We spent the last term analyzing different historical situations and going over the theories and strategies. Next term we get to do some simulations."

Lily covered her eyes with her hand. She could feel several concerned stares concentrated on her face. She was so embarrassed even her ears were turning red.

"What?!" bellowed James.

"James," began Lily without even uncovering her face. She didn't continue because almost instantly she heard his chair harshly scrape against the floor and heard him storm out of the room.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to keep your mouth shut you stupid know-it-all?" Lily barked at Vicky as she rose from the table. "I'm sorry," she said softly to Mrs. Potter, her eyes averted.

She found James easily; he was just outside the kitchen doors pacing in the snow trying and failing to cool off.

"There are already hundreds of people that already want to kill you!" James yelled at her as she walked out into the harsh and bleak winter scene to join him. "Did you really have to go to a school where it's more likely than not that some more people will try and kill you?!?! Do you have a DEATH WISH?!"

"No James," said Lily soothingly as she embraced him tightly, laying her head on his chest so that she could hear his rapid heartbeat. "By the way, I don't think I told you that I love you today. I love you."

Well that did it. James wrapped his arms, more muscular than ever, around her thin form and held her as tightly as he could. "I just don't want to lose you," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair.

"I won't let that happen. P.S. have I told you that I'm one of the top duelists in my class?" she stated proudly.

"That's good because half the Academy is coming out tomorrow to see you duel this prick who shoots his mouth off about everything. He beat me in our first duel, though I got him the second time around. But anyway, after he beat me Sirius told him that there was no way he could beat my girlfriend. Mick being the egotistical and sexist prick he is bet Sirius every galleon that Sirius has in his bank account that he could beat you," James told her.

"Sirius doesn't have any money…" said Lily, confused.

"All Mick knows is that Sirius is a Black and maybe that he's the oldest son. He just assumed that Sirius would be the heir to the vast Black fortune and would have a sizeable fortune already. If he only listened for half a second instead of talking all the time he would know that Sirius was the white sheep of the Black family and poorer than the Black's miserable house elf."

"So what does Sirius get when I win?" asked Lily, a smile curling around her lips.

"Mick's chocolate frog collection."

"That's it?"

"It's rumored to be worth over ten thousand galleons."

"So either Sirius loses nothing or he gains ten thousand galleons worth of chocolate frog cards," stated Lily.

"That's about it," affirmed James.

"Sirius is slick," laughed Lily. "Only he could arrange a bet so that he can't lose no matter the outcome."

"It's been so hard for both of us not to tell Mick about what he's up against. He's been strutting around for weeks talking about how there was no way he could lose to a girl, especially an untrained one."

"Untrained?" asked Lily skeptically. "I spend 15 to 20 hours a week dueling!"

James laughed. "That was his term, certainly not ours. All Sirius told him was that you weren't in an auror training program. He took that to mean that you were completely untrained. He must think Sirius is a moron."

Lily laughed and then said, "I'm so glad I'm home."

"Home is where the heart is," quoted James.

"And my heart is right here," said Lily sweetly as she loosened an arm and placed her palm against the right side of James's ribcage.

"Now if I do that you would call me a perv," joked James.

"I would call Sirius a perv," specified Lily. "I wouldn't mind if it was you."

James felt Lily's heart beat under his palm and he grinned as her pulse raced. The moment wasn't awkward or creepy as he had expected. He wasn't groping her or feeling her up.

"Mo cuishle," said Lily suddenly.

"Where have I heard that before?" asked James letting the foreign words echo in his ears.

"My father said that when he was drunk and thought I was my mother," said Lily without the usual pain lacing her words. "She was Irish. He called her his "Wild Irish Rose" and "mo cuishle." It means "my blood," "my pulse." She was his pulse, his life. You are my pulse, my life."

"Lily," said James with all seriousness. "You have been my pulse for four years. I will not live without you."

Lily had tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around James's neck with such reckless abandon and desperation that James nearly fell backwards. But James caught himself and more importantly he caught Lily. He stabilized her and held her there, wrapping her up in love and coating her with affection.

Their hair was a little longer, Lily's eyes deeper with knowledge and secrets, and James's body more toned, but the important things hadn't changed. They still loved each other with more emotion than either had thought was possible.

And there you have it: a happy little reunion! Hope you enjoyed this and I doubly hope that you review!

Some questions to help you in your reviewing:

Favorite letter? (I normally don't tell you my answers, but I really feel the need to say that my favorite letter is Peter's. It was fun to write and nearly makes me laugh out loud each time I re-read it.)

Any predictions for Remus and Vicky?

What do you think about Vicky moving in with the Potters?

I know you were probably hoping for the Lily/Mick fight in this update, but I will once again ask for any predictions about it while promising that it is in the next chapter.

How do you feel about all the characters lives at this point? Is there any character whose life surprised you? Do you think anyone should have a different life right now and what would it be?

Did you enjoy the fluff?