As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I'll respond to the reviews in my next update but for now, I just need to get this out there. Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. I had my first grad school midterms and studying for those took all my time and I just suck in general. Anyways, enjoy!

Much love

BBS

Students flooded into Transfiguration, claiming their seats for the rest of the year. Lily burst through the doorway and rushed to the table by the window, throwing her bag in the chair next to her. She sat down and smiled at the two Ravenclaw boys she had raced for the coveted spot

"Maybe next time."

They smiled back at her, straightening their robes from their sprint through the corridors.

"Just wait until Charms, Lily. The window seat will be ours."

Lily winked,

"We'll see, Chang."

They left, looking for another table as Lily dug through her bag looking for a quill and parchment. She looked up in time to see Severus walk through the door. He caught her eye and she gestured grandly at the desk, a proud smile on her flushed face. Everyone fought for that damned desk by the window. It was tradition.

He felt a smile tug at his lips as he started towards her,

"Snape!"

Lily and Severus looked across the room towards Avery who nodded towards the empty seat next to him. Severus glanced at Lily only once more and before changing direction and heading towards the other Slytherin. Her eyes didn't leave him as he sat down, the other boy slapping him on the back and pulling into conversation. She found herself able to swallow down the hurt as she watched Severus Snape actually chuckle. Evan Rossier entered the classroom and tossed an apple at Severus before sitting behind them. For once, her friend looked like he belonged

She still wanted to poke the asshole's eye out but she'd let it slide this time

Turning her attention to the window, she watched as owls swooped from the owlery and over the lake.

"Mind if I sit here, Evans?"

James smiled down at Lily as Peter and Sirius sat at the desk in front of them. She rested her chin in her palm and sighed,

"If you must."

"I must."

She rolled her eyes and dragged her bag off the chair. He sat down and ran a hand through his messy hair. Sirius and Peter turned in their seats to face her and James. Sirius grinned and rested his arms on the back of the chair

"Where's your pet?"

Lily waved her hand towards the other end of the room and James glanced over to see Snape sitting with Avery, Rossier, and Mulciber. Despite everyone's disapproval, Lily was close friends with the brooding Slytherin and now he seemed to be buddy-buddy with the same people who threatened her.

The further the creep stayed away from her, the safer she'd be.

He rocked back in his chair, balancing on the back legs

"He's in better company."

Lily swatted at him and he lost his balance. She quickly grabbed his robes, keeping him from bashing his stupid brains all over the ground. Sirius and Peter laughed at the look of terror on his face. He placed a hand over his heart

"Merlin Evans, are you trying to kill me?"

"Don't be a baby."

He stood from his chair, struggling to keep the smile off of his face

"I'm moving. I feel unsafe in this environment."

Lily laughed and pulled his arm, yanking him back into the seat. She was surprised by how much she wanted him to stay. She blushed as a grin spread across his face

"If you wanted me to stay, you could've asked. No need to resort to violence."

The other two boys laughed again and she felt her blush deepen

"You guys suck. Where's Lupin?"

Sirius smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes

"Not feeling well. You're stuck with us."

Lily frowned, remembering how frail he had looked the night before as he studied in the common room. She offered to bring him supper but he gave her a small grateful smile and a "no thank you" before drinking the mysterious contents from the goblet. She made a mental note to check in on him later.

McGonagall walked into the room and Sirius and Peter turned around. She glanced at James, watching as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Her eyes traveled to his mouth and on the corner of his lip, she saw a small healing cut. His tongue briefly flicked over it.

She watched as those lips spread into a smile

"Quit staring, you creep."

She jerked her gaze to the front, wanting to sink into her chair and melt into the floor.

With tomorrow being the first Quidditch match of the season, the school was buzzing with excitement. At dinner, students from wizarding families explained the sport to the confused muggle born first years, Potter and his friends being the most animated of the bunch. Lily smiled remembering her first exposure to the game and her attempt to explain it to her parents back home. Petunia was a little less than impressed.

Dorcas sat down, her plate piled high with pasta and bread

"Gotta carb up for tomorrow."

"So that's where all the bread went."

Marley reached over and grabbed a roll from the Gryffindor keeper's plate before joining them. Lily dug into her own pasta and listened to her friend talk excitedly about the game tomorrow.

"Evans."

Lily turned to see James standing behind her, nervously shuffling his feet. She decided, and would never tell anyone ever, that he looked pretty adorable at that moment.

"Potter."

He ran a hand through his hair and held the other behind his back. He didn't think he'd ever been this nervous

"Listen…uhh…you know that stupid thing we do where we ask someone to wear our extra jersey during the game…of course you do duh…anyways, you don't have to but I thought I'd ask since we're friends and the whole point is to…you know…ask a pretty girl to wear it for you…since you're not entirely deformed and McGonagall said no…would you like to wear it? My jersey, I mean?"

James was utterly horrified by the words that just came out of his mouth. A few feet away, Sirius laughed loudly and Peter visibly cringed. He pulled the jersey from behind his back and Lily raised an eyebrow at him

"Since I'm not 'deformed'?"

She hadn't laughed or yelled at him so he took it as an encouraging sign and grinned

"Well not entirely."

Later she would swear up and down that she had no control over her hand as it reached up and took the offered jersey from him. She did, however, relish the look of complete surprise on his face when she did.

Her green eyes flashed as she smiled up at him

"Just don't embarrass me, Potter."

He winked and walked away, doing his best to pretend that his heart wasn't pounding out of his chest and that he wasn't soaring above the earth because Lily Freaking Evans said she'd wear his jersey. He wanted to jump in the air and cheer or something as equally as lame and embarrassing. Instead he went back to his two friends, grinning madly while they looked completely dumbfounded.

Lily turned back to her meal and continued eating her pasta, feeling the eyes of her classmates on her. A year ago, she would've strangled Potter with his own jersey and now she'd be sporting it in front of the whole school. Alice broke the silence

"Okay. So that happened."

Marley clapped her hands together,

"I, for one, am glad you two are finally getting along."

As she rolled her eyes at her friend, Lily couldn't help but agree with her. So far, James had been tolerable this year. Who was she kidding? He's been more than tolerable.

She smiled, feeling the stitched "Potter" on his jersey under her fingertips.

"I can't believe you agreed to that."

The sun decided to come out for the morning of the first Quidditch match of the season. The air was crisp and the wind whipped Lily's hair around like red ribbon. Students walked around the castle in groups enjoying the weather. Lily walked beside a grumpy Severus and threw her hands in the air

"It's just a bloody shirt!"

"But it's his shirt."

She knew he would be angry with her. Potter and his friends were the bane of his existence. Sighing, she looped her arm through his and he tried not to blush at her closeness. Lily had never been shy with her touch and even after all these years, it still flustered him to no end

"Sev, if you had a jersey, I'd wear it every fucking day but you don't so I'm stuck with this one."

He rolled his eyes but she saw his mouth twitch. They walked past Hagrid's hut and saw him outside chopping wood. Lily waved at him and even Severus gave an awkward wave. Hagrid waved his giant hand back with a grin.

They walked in a comfortable silence. Neither of them had been spending much time together lately and it was unusual for the duo.

At the edge of the forest four figures lounged under the trees. As Lily and Severus approached, she saw the handsome face of Regulus Black grinning at her. She was suddenly horribly embarrassed for running away the night she ran into them in the dungeons.

Mulciber's appreciative stare didn't go unnoticed by her and her skin crawled

She raised an eyebrow at him,

"Can I help you?"

Mulciber's eyes scanned over her body and grinned,

"No I'm good."

Before Lily could hex him, Regulus spoke, a charming smile spreading across his handsome face. Lily wasn't fooled by it

"I want to apologize for scaring you in the dungeons the other evening."

Next to her, Severus was so tense, she thought he'd snap. Lily returned an equally charming smile

"It's cute that you think you scare me. But thank you."

Even though the grin stayed on his face, she saw something flash in his eyes.

"Of course."

"Oi! Lily!"

She turned and saw Marley waving to her, dressed head to toe in red and gold next to Alice who wore a "Longbottom" jersey. Sirius trailed behind them, holding Peter in a headlock. Although she wished she had more time with Severus, she was grateful for the excuse to leave the other Slytherins.

She waved back and turned to Severus.

"Game's starting soon. Gotta get a good seat. I'll see you later?"

He nodded and before taking off, she turned towards the other four,

"Take care, boys."

Severus watched as she ran towards the group of Gryffindors. Avery shook his head

"The Mudblood is out of bounds."

Severus shrugged and joined them on the ground, hoping they'd drop it. Regulus watched the girl join his brother and his friends,

"Keep a tighter leash on her, Snape."

All he could do was nod as jealousy and hate filled him seeing the red letters spelling out "Potter" on the back of her retreating form.

Lily caught up with the group and noticed Sirius frowning at her. She sent him a questioning look before Marley assaulted her.

"We were looking everywhere for you!"

Lily rubbed her arm,

"I was catching up with Sev!"

Marley pouted,

"I thought you had ditched and I was stuck being the fifth wheel!"

Lily laughed and seeming to forget her worry, Marley tugged at the sleeve of Potter's jersey, lowering her voice and sending her a sly smile

"Looks good on you, Lil."

She shoved her friend away and scoffed. Marley giggled and rushed ahead when she saw Mary MacDonald. Students poured into the stadium, most wearing blue and bronze or red and gold but students from other houses showed as well. A group of first years practically tackled her with excitement and she tried not to blush as they fawned over Potter's dumb jersey.

They pushed through the crowd and found seats at the front of the stands giving them a clear view of the field. Lily sat next to Mary and Alice while Sirius and Peter ran up and down the stands, leading the Gryffindor's in a series of ridiculous cheers that even made Dumbledore laugh from his place in the stands.

Out of breath and grinning wildly, Sirius and Peter plopped down next to Lily as soon as the teams were flying in. The crowd went wild and Lily watched as Frank Longbottom flew close enough to the stands to give Alice a quick kiss on the cheek before flying away and earning a whistle from Sirius.

Lily found herself scanning the crowd for James Potter and her heart leapt when she saw him approach. A cocky grin was already plastered on his face and he was praying she notice the heart wrenching effect of seeing her in his jersey had on him.

"There's my girl!"

"I am not your girl, Potter."

"Really now? Because you've got my name on you."

She flipped him off, but couldn't help the grin on her face. He gave her a wink and blew Sirius and Peter a kiss before he flew to the middle of the field where Madame Hooch waited with the captain of the Ravenclaw team.

The game began.

Sirius and Peter followed Remus through the tunnel as he loosened his tie and limped quickly towards the Shrieking Shack. The musty earthy smell filled their senses as they made their way towards their monthly meeting spot.

Underground, they couldn't see full moon but Remus could feel it wanting to tear out of his skin. He could already feel the painful tug in his teeth and nails.

"We have to go deep into the forest. There's a match tonight so students might linger around there afterwards. Can't risk it."

Sirius nodded,

"Already on it. It helps that people are already pretty freaked out by whatever made an appearance earlier this week."

"Small blessings, I guess."

Remus shoved the door open with his shoulder and Sirius and Peter followed, closing the door behind them.

James glanced the moon as he weaved through the darkness. The game stretched on and on and he prayed that Simon Wood would just catch the bloody snitch already. He hated missing out their monthly adventure through the woods and felt the usual guilt associated with taking such pleasure out of his friend's nightmare.

A bludger flew by his left ear and pulled him from his thoughts in time for him to intercept the quaffle thrown by one of the Ravenclaw chasers. He heard the Gryffindor stands go wild, catching a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye as he carried it towards the goals.

Lily gripped the railing as she watched the game. Gryffindor held onto the lead but it was incredibly close. So incredibly close that she could hardly believe it when Sirius and Peter had left right after James scored the tiebreaking goal.

Beside her, Marley was jumping with excitement,

"GO!"

If Lily leaned any further over the railing, she'd fall to her death, but she couldn't take her stupid eyes off of James Potter on his stupid broom. The stands shook under the cheering crowd like a pounding heart beneath her feet. Lily couldn't contain herself

"GO POTTER!"

James threw the quaffle into the center goal just out of the Ravenclaw keeper's reach and though it was exciting, it couldn't compare to the relief that came when the snitch was caught just seconds later. Gryffindor cheered loudly as their team landed and shook hands with the Ravenclaw team. He looked once more for Lily in the crowd and found her smiling brightly at him. Cheeks and hair windblown, wrapped warm in his jersey with eyes shining.

God she was so beautiful.

Even the game wasn't as thrilling as Lily Evans finally smiling at him like that. He smiled right back and mouthed a "thank you" before disappearing into the locker room.

Lily, Alice, and Marley made their way through the crowd. The first years waited outside of the locker rooms, enamored by their first Hogwarts Quidditch match. She already knew it was going to be impossible to round them up afterwards but she couldn't help but smile as they walked past. Finally the players flooded out.

All except for one

Frank Longbottom scooped up Alice and planted a happy kiss on her lips. Dorcas gave Lily and Marley a sweaty hug. Lily's eyes flickered again to the locker room exit

"Did you see Potter in there?"

As soon as it came out of her mouth, she regretted it. The group looked at her in confusion. Dorcas shrugged,

"He left in a hurry. Gave us a "Good job. See you at practice." And left. Something about not feeling well? I'm just glad he kept it together for the game."

Lily nodded, confused by the amount of disappointment she felt. It's not like she didn't see his stupid face every day around school. Finally, she left the group, promising to join them later in the common room for a party, and help the attending prefects catch any stragglers.

"Alright you can head back to the castle. I'm going to check the locker rooms really quick. Remember to do your rounds before heading to bed."

Usually the Head Girl and Boy checked the locker room after games but Remus was still out of commission.

The only sound was the dripping from the showers locker room and quiet splash of her feet on the tiles. Tension coiled in her as she walked through

"Help! Help me!"

The scream tore through the locker room and Lily ran to the bathroom stalls, armed with her wand. Her heart pounded as she pulled open the first door and saw nothing.

"Help! Please! Someone!"

She continued to do the same, the scream ringing in her ears as she kicked open each door only to find nothing but the toilet. Finally, she knocked open the last one and again saw nothing

"Please help!"

Her eyes searched frantically and fell on a frog. It opened its mouth,

"Help!"

Thick, warm liquid poured over her head and she was drenched. For a moment, she stood still in surprise until she wiped her face and looked at her hands covered in the red. She knew what it was before the metallic smell hit her.

Blood

She wiped frantically at her eyes and pointed her wand around the room, ready for additional assault. When she found none, she ran to the sink, desperate to clean it from her face. Her hands shook as she splashed the blood from her eyes and mouth.

Looking into the mirror, she froze

MUDBLOOD

She reached out a hand and smeared the ugly word from the mirror, hot tears filling her eyes. She was furious and terrified. There was a war brewing in the wizarding world and it was leaking into the one place she thought she'd always be safe.

Hagrid walked her back to castle after she had knocked on his door. He gave her a blanket and fussed over her as they headed towards Dumbledore's office. She told Dumbledore and McGonagall about the cursed frog and was relieved to find that the blood belonged to a pig and not a human. When she had told them about the note, she saw the troubled look they shared and Lily wished she hadn't seen it. She had wanted them to shake their heads like they did with all the other pranks but they knew this was more than that.

It was a warning

When she finally left the office, she walked to her room and opened the portrait. The room was empty and she couldn't decide if it was a relief or disappointment, but either way, she started crying. She pulled the ruined jersey over her head and tossed it aside, eager to get it away from her. Finally, she made it to the shower and turned it on, steam pouring out as she stepped in.

…