AN: I'm sorry if you hate this chapter. It's mainly a transition chapter, because I didn't want to jump straight to Christmas since they just started school, but that's when everything will start picking up. Give me another chance, the next chapter will be half filler- half beginning of Christmas break with a bit more action. Please Review.

Lily arranged her skirt neatly as McGonagall busied herself with files. Three weeks into the school year and the only moments of rest she found when she went to sleep at night in James' bed. "Would you care for a cup of tea Miss Evans?"

"No, thank you," Lily said with a polite smile.

"Let's get to business then, I assume you know what this meeting is about?"

"To discuss my future plans," Lily answered and as she said this several files, all with a different organization's stamp. "What are these?"

"Applications, I expect them to be filled out and returned to my office a week before the deadline," she instructed.

"What are these places?" Lily looked through the folder. Some of the schools were in London, but some weren't even in Great Britain. "I just want to be a Healer at St. Mungo's. When I was little I wanted to be a doctor, but since second year that's been my plan."

"Miss Evans I am going to be very straight with you. I have seen too many bright students, not just young ladies, throw away their future. You could make a great impact upon this world and I think you should broaden your horizons."

"I can't leave England, not-"

"Is Mr. Potter a factor in this decision?"

"No, but I have plans after graduation," Lily said slowly, not meeting the Professor's gaze as she organized the file folders into one pile. When she looked up, McGonagall's lips were pursed. "I gather you know what I am talking about?"

"Of course," she said. "But the organization you wish to join is not active only in London, there are branches that are stretching further as we speak. Fill out those applications."

"Thank you, professor," Lily said. She got to her feet, bid goodbye and walked back to her room, pressing the folders tightly against her chest. Distracted by the thoughts flying through her head she kept her head down watching her feet, this proved to be alright until she smacked into something or rather someone causing the files to go flying. "I'm sorry, I should have been watching…"

"Lily, it's fine," the boy said.

"Michael?" she asked looking at him. He seemed to have grown into his height, his hair cut short making him looking more mature. "It's great to see you, I heard the Hufflepuff prefects talking about the tryouts and that you made the team."

"Yeah, I'm hoping to give James a run for his money."

"I don't know about that, all the spare time he has is spent pouring over that damn playbook with Peter." She knelt down on the floor and he followed her lead helping her gather all the papers. "I don't know why I'm bothering collecting these."

"Do you know a good spell?" he asked.

"No, McGonagall wants me to fill out all these applications, but I don't want to leave England. I just want to practice medicine at St. Mungo's, it's one of the best wizarding hospitals in the world."

"Then do it," he said. "Who could stop you? Aren't your test scores perfect? You were Prefect and now your Head Girl, not to mention the fact that all the professor's love you. Slughorn will write your recommendation in liquid gold."

"He's a Slytherin, it would be silver," she teased. "Besides, if I go somewhere else I can't…" Lily stopped herself, was she supposed to tell other people about the Order? Frank had told her last year, and Michael might already know…"

"It's James isn't it?" he questioned, handing her the last of the papers as they both stood up.

"Everybody assumes that," she said. "I love him and he's a factor, but not the sole basis for my decision. I would hex him into the next century if he turned down the Auror Academy for me."

"Good to know you have a healthy relationship," Michael joked. "I'll see you around, are you going to dinner?"

"Dropping files off first," she said with a shrug. "Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

"Sure." He stepped forward and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "See you around."

Once Lily got to her room, though, threw the files across the bed and laid across the bed. This year it took a much shorter amount of time for her workload to catch up with her, it was the Head Girl duties. She thought being a prefect was hard, but it was even harder helping the entire student body while trying to keep the drama to the minimum.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard her name being called. "In here," she answered. James, carefully, carefully entered her room.

"You weren't at dinner," he said and pulled the chair from the desk over to the bed. "I know we're not really supposed to take food out, but I fixed you up a plate. The Head Boy said it was okay."

Lily popped up and sat cross legged on the bed as James handed her the plate of food. She didn't realize how hungry she was. Last night she was stuck with the late shift of night patrols, in the morning she had to deal with a sick first year at breakfast, at lunch she was scrambing to finish her Charms homework and barely had enough time to eat the apple she grabbed. "You are amazing."

"My mum's owl also dropped off letters."

"Is Agatha mad I haven't written her letters that aren't more than a paragraph long?"

"No." He handed her a thin envelope that had the muggle PO box wrote in dark purple ink. "Do you want me to read it first?"

"I can do it," she muttered. "She sent me letters after the wedding, but I could never get more than a paragraph into them. I didn't want to make her even angrier so I wrote bullshit responses." Lily tore open the letter and took out the sheet of paper. Furrowing her eyebrows she looked up at James. "I think she suffered some sort of head trauma. There's no usage of freak, odd, peculiar, weird, normal or even average. She just wants to make sure I see her over Winter break."

"That's almost three months away."

"I know, but she wants to make sure I don't come up with a bullshit excuse."

James raised an eyebrow.

"My words, Petunia is a lady. When ladies disagree they say it with their eyes or thinly veiled insults."

"You're a lady too." James says with a smirk.

"You sure about that?" Lily returns the smirk and hurries to finish her food. In no time the plate was empty and she was getting to her feet. "How about I go brush my teeth and you get comfortable? I'll be back soon."

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"Maybe." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, ruffling his hair.

"Merlin, Lily, can't we just-"

"No."

She left the room and James sighed as he pulled off his shoes and socks, throwing his tie off along with his robes. Lily would lose it when she saw his clothes in a pile on her floor, but he would fix it in the morning and accioed a pair of pyjama pants.

Time ticked by and he wandered around her room. She hadn't spent much time in here, neither of them had spent much time in their quarters, but Lily slept in his room. In fact she didn't even do her homework in the bedroom, why would she have folders? He walked over to her desk and saw them arranged haphazardly. One was on top, an application for St. Mungo's, the others were for schools he had never even heard of. He looked at one, a dark blue folder with white letter...it was something he'd recognize anywhere and a knot began to form inside his throat. Auror Academy. Lily was bright, resilient...a perfectly capable candidate, one the ministry would love to have. Accept for one thing it was perfect, he couldn't protect her if she was an auror too. He set the folder down and sat on her bed wondering how Frank could do it. Alice, sweet Alice, was following down the same path as him and he was happy with her decision.

"James? I expected you to be…" She crossed the room and sat beside him. "Tell me."

"The applications on your desk."

"McGonagall gave them to me, she wants me to keep my options open, not just apply to St. Mungo's." Lily snuggled against his side, bringing her legs up on the bed.

"There was one for the Auror Academy."

"I didn't see that, I thought they were all for Universities or Healer training programs."

"You have no desire to become an Auror?"

"No," she said and felt James become less tense. "Why would I pursue a career in my worst subject? Something that I don't even enjoy?"

"You like to challenge yourself," he supplied.

"True." She got closer to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as he used his arm to secure her beside him. "But I don't want to keep secrets from you. Can I tell you something? Something that I don't think very many people know about?"

"What?"

"Dumbledore is starting this volunteer organization, he's calling it the Order of the Phoenix. From what I understand it's basically an army that's fighting the Dark Lord." Lily was speaking slowly as she tried to look James straight in the eye, he was looking forward, his hands clenching into fists. "I want to join. I want to be a Healer, but need to help take him down. He killed my parents and now he's going after innocent people because of their blood."

"You don't need to defend your reasoning to me," he replied softly. "I respect what you want to do, but…"

"What?"

"I can't...I want to make sure you're safe. After what happened in Hogsmeade, I couldn't handle seeing you like that again."

"You think seeing you stunned was easy? Besides, that in the past. I love you, but I can fight my own battles. I'm stronger than you think I am."

"You always think that I undermine you."

"Because you do."

"This is back to the boggart again, isn't it?" he asked. "Yes, I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want Sirius to get hurt either. Seeing him after his parents disowned him like that killed me. And Remus, he needed our help our he was going to kill himself of someone else, that's why we became-" He stopped himself, took a deep breath and looked Lily straight in the eye. "That's why we became animagi."

"I knew it," Lily said. "I've been trying to figure it out. Remus said that animals won't get hurt, but I checked the registry."

"We weren't of age and he needed help sooner rather than later."

"You can't protect everyone you care about."

"I sure as hell can attempt to."

"Or die trying?" Lily asked, by now she pulled away from his arms and was resting her hands on his knees. James didn't say anything, just enveloped her in his arms.