Lily moved out into the hallway and trotted down the stairs. She paused near the bottom, just out of sight of anyone in the common room. She listened hard, heard Sirius' barking laugh, listened to Remus sigh and surely shake his head. Then, there it was, James' deep-in-the-throat almost-giggle.

She took a breath and moved down the steps and into the common room. All of them looked up as she entered, but she did well, not even glancing in their direction and making it out of the portrait hole with ease. She let out a sigh of relief as the door began to swing shut behind her, she was home free.

She glanced back over her shoulder, watching with horror as it stopped, half-way shut. It swung back open and James stepped through. He stopped when he saw her standing there, his eyes widened and he just stood there for a moment, awkwardly tugging at his hair.

"Hi," Lily said, watching as he stepped fully out into the corridor to let the door shut behind him.

"Uh," James paused, "Hey." He took a few steps towards her, "Look, I'm sorry, alright?"

"What?" Lily nearly barked, turning to face him, "You're... sorry?"

"Yeah," He broke eye contact, looking down at the floor, "I was asshole and I attacked you because I knew you were right."

"You, uh..." She broke off, "You did?"

"Yeah," He pressed his lips together, "I know I'm arrogant sometimes and that the pranks we play aren't the nicest, but it's who I am, Evans." He looked up, meeting her eyes, "It's just what I do, but-" He stopped, shook his head, "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Lily sighed, "No. Your pranks are generally funny, when no one gets hurt-"

He cut her off, "That's never our intention! It just happens sometimes!"

"I know," Lily said, "You can be an arrogant prick, but, you never want to hurt people."

"Oh, I want to hurt people," James laughed, "But only when they're being insufferable gits."

Lily laughed, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Are we cool, then?" James asked, "Because I didn't go down to dinner because I thought you would be there and I didn't want it to be awkward and now I'm fucking starving."

Lily laughed, "We're as cool as we've ever been, James," She paused, "I'm sorry, too. I could deal it out but wasn't ready to listen when you told me the same."

He nodded, "It's okay. Dinner, then?"

"Sure," Lily answered, "Is this the start of a friendship, Potter?"

James smiled, "I hope so."

Lily felt her cheeks heat up, and looked away, "Why?"

"Because if you refuse to date me, the least we can do is be friends," He said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, "Besides, I like talking to you. You're funny and you always put me in my place. Other girls just twitter and bat their eyelashes, it gets annoying."

Lily started walking and he followed, coming to move beside her, "Really? I figured you'd revel in all the attention."

"I'm not complaining that I have my pick," He chuckled, "Just that when every girl just wants to shag and be able to say they're my girlfriend..." He trailed off, "It's tiring."

"I imagine so," Lily laughed, hopping quickly onto the top step of the closest staircase as it shuddered and began to move. James leaped on after her, grabbing the railing as the set of stairs shook and spun.

There was a comfortable silence then, as they continued down to the Great Hall, where food was still waiting on the tables when they entered.

They claimed two of the empty seats near the end of the Gryffindor table and Lily eagerly began piling food onto her shining golden plate.

"Honestly," James said a few moments later through a mouthful of chicken, "Food is the highlight of my day."

Lily nodded, "It's one of my high points, that's for sure."

James laughed, "What's number one, then?"

Lily paused, taking a drink of her pumpkin juice, "I'm not really sure," She dropped her eyes, "I think it varies from day to day."

"What was it today, then?" James asked, leaning forward on his elbows, "Favourite thing about today."

"Um," Lily sighed, flicking her eyes up to his face, politely interested, "I don't know. How about I tell you when I do?"

"I'll be expecting a three scroll essay on it by tomorrow afternoon," He said, pointing a finger at her, "Not a second later. No extensions, Miss Evans."

Lily laughed, "Okay, I promise." She pushed her empty plate away from her and stood, "Well, I'm done. See you in the common room?"

James hurriedly downed the last of his drink and scooped up a pumpkin pasty, "Nope, won't get rid of me that easily."

He trailed after her as she left, moving into the corridor and heading for the stairs. He caught up with her easily enough, his impossibly long legs taking one step where hers took three.

"So," James began, "The guys and I were going to play Gobstones. You can too, if you'd like."

Lily opened her mouth to spit back her usual rejection, but instead she bit it back and said, "Sure, that'd be fun."

"Cool," James smiled down at her, "I have to warn you though, I'm the best player you'll ever meet."

Lily snorted and rolled her eyes, "Oh, I'm sure."

They exchanged playful banter as they climbed the stairs and moved towards the common room. James said the password and the door swung open. He hung back, sweeping his arm dramatically in front of him to usher her through.

She couldn't help but laugh, hopping in and emerging into the warm, circular sitting room. Sirius was stretched out on the couch and Remus sat on the floor by the fire, a thick book in his lap. They both looked up when she entered and Remus offered a hesitant smile.

"So, you can stand each other again?" Sirius laughed, barely lifting his head from the armrest behind him.

"Oh yeah, Evans and I are tight now," James joked, popping up behind her and draping a heavy arm around her shoulders. She wriggled out from underneath him, crossing the room to claim her favourite armchair. She tucked her feet up underneath her and leaned back, only to see James wearing a horrified expression.

"Padfoot," James said quietly, "Padfoot, she's in my chair."

"You don't own the chair, Potter," Lily retorted, "I can sit wherever I please. Besides, this is where I always sit."

"Oh no," Remus dropped his head down, tilting his book so it hid his face, "Here we go."

"You don't get it, Ginger," Sirius sat up and leaned towards her, "James loses his shit if he can't sit in his chair."

Lily crossed her arms, "I'm not moving."

James bent face-first over the back of the couch and slowly slid down until he was awkwardly bent against the cushion, his long legs hanging over, he mumbled something against the fabric and when no one responded he lifted his head.

"No spot is as comfortable as that one!" He said, dropping his face back down again.

"He'll be insufferable all night," Remus groaned from behind his book, "Let him have it, Lily."

"No," Lily laughed, knowing she was being stubborn, "I sat down first. If you want the seat you'll have to move me."

As soon as she saw James flip up and tumble off the back of the couch, she knew she had said the wrong thing. She looked at Sirius, who looked as if he was highly looking forward to something. She turned her attention to Remus, who gave her an apologetic shrug, "You asked for it."

She looked back to James, who had popped up and moved around the side of the couch, "You did ask for it, Evans."

Lily clutched the arms of the chair, "Don't. You. Dare."

James smirked and then took a running leap over the coffee table, nearly knocking over the books and papers scattered there. Lily screamed, tossing herself over the side of the chair and out of sight. James cackled and followed her, coming around the side of the chair and scooping her up. He draped her over his shoulder and she promptly began pounding his back with her fists.

"Potter, if you don't put me down this instant-" She was cut short as James dropped her onto the couch where Sirius was sitting. She practically landed on Black's lap and he took immediate advantage of the situation. He wrapped both arms around her waist as she bounced on the cushion, pulling her onto his lap and grinning wolfishly down at her.

"Let me go," Lily snapped, pushing against his chest and attempting to wriggle away, "Sirius!"

"On second thought," James said from his newly acquired armchair, "You can have the chair, Lily."

Lily looked over at him in the middle of a punch into Sirius' chest, "You're just jealous that Black's got his hands all over me."

James nodded, a smile creeping onto his face, "Obviously."

Lily turned her face back to Sirius, "Let me go. Or I shall follow through with my previous threat. The one that involved the removal of your balls."

Sirius released her, stretching his arms above his head in a sign of surrender. She flopped off his lap and onto the cushion beside him. She flicked her eyes to James, "So, you promised me Gobstones."

"Ooh!" Sirius squealed, "My favourite!"

"Of course it is," Lily rolled her eyes, "The loser gets doused with nasty smelling liquid."

"I'm surprised you're willing to play, Evans," Sirius teased, "I figured a girl wouldn't be up to getting covered in slime."

"Oh," Lily chuckled, "I never lose."

"You'll give James a run for his money, then," Remus said, closing his book and standing up, "I'll go get the board and pieces."

He disappeared up the boys' stairs and Lily stretched her legs out, leaning back against the couch and tipping her head back.

"Tired?" James asked and she lifted her head to look at him, in the same position she was in only in "his chair."

She nodded, "I hope I'll be able to make it through the game without falling asleep."

"This is going to be the most exciting game of Gobstones you've ever had the misfortune of playing, Evans," He smirked at her and then looked excitedly over at the stairs as Remus reappeared, holding a light coloured box in both hands.

He set it in the middle of the table and folded himself down on the floor, "Ready everyone?"

It indeed was the most exciting game of Gobstones Lily had ever played. She had won, though, and was given the pleasure of watching James get squirted in the face with steaming, stinking orange liquid. She had retired to bed after that, sleeping heavily amidst her mess of blankets until the sun had woken her, streaming through the window and onto her bed.

Now, she was fully awake, having laid staring at the canvas of her four poster for half an hour, drifting in and out of a light doze. She pushed herself up, into a sitting position, and swung her blankets back, slithering out of bed and onto the floor. She stretched her arms above her head and moved over to her trunk, pulling out a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater with a deep v-shaped neckline. Those, along with clean underclothes, were promptly shoved into her rucksack. She hefted the bag onto her bed, then pulled her shampoo, conditioner and soap from underneath a pile of parchment, dropping them in on top of her clothes. She was highly anticipating a long, hot bath in the Prefects tub as she slipped her feet into her black school shoes. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and checked her reflection in the mirror. She was bare of any makeup and wisps of red hung down around her face, the few short hairs that refused to be secured. She shrugged, knowing that at this early hour none of the few students who remained at the school would be awake to see her anyways.

She moved to the door, pushing out into the empty corridor in her red pyjama pants and baggy Gryffindor t-shirt. She trotted down the stairs and into the empty common room, where a fire still roared in the hearth. The portrait swung open and she clambered out, into yet another empty hall. She veered to the right, walking swiftly to the very end, where a thick door kept any Non-Prefects out. The portrait hanging above the door was of a young man in Ravenclaw robes, stretched out on a bench with a book dangling from his fingertips. His eyes flickered open when Lily cleared her throat.

"Oh," He said, groggily, "Morning Ms. Evans."

"Morning George," She greeted, "Just going in for a bath."

The door swung open and the young man reclined back again, closing his eyes, "Have fun..."

Lily moved through the opening and let the door close behind her. She turned, sliding the lock into place. The Prefects bathroom was large, with several rows of taps ready to dispense obscene quantities of bubble bath. The tub itself was more of a swimming pool, with benches around the edges to sit. The taps were huge openings on the ends of massive tubes and always spat out water of the perfect temperature. Lily set her bag by the wall and opened one of the tall wooden cupboards, pulling out a towel and placing it on the floor by her things.

She stripped down, peeling off her pyjamas and leaving them in a messy heap by her towel. She pulled her wand from its near permanent position in the outside pocket of her rucksack and pointed it at the taps. They spun furiously, steaming water pouring out and beginning to fill the tub. Lily adjusted the angle of her wand, waving the tip in the direction of the bubble bath dispensers. They all groaned, and then turned on, colourful liquid spilling out and adding bubbles to the hot water beneath. She slid her wand back into her bag and waited by the edge of the tub for it to fill, shivering slightly. The castle was well protected from the elements but early in the morning, in rooms without fireplaces, it got quite cold in the dead of winter.

When the water was almost overflowing all of the taps turned off and Lily gratefully climbed into the water, hissing as it steamed and clung to her skin. She sucked in a mouthful of air and dunked herself under, wetting her entire body. She relaxed against the side of the tub, the ends of her hair dipping in the water, her head tilted back. Once she had soaked up enough heat, she quickly washed her hair and scrubbed all the remains of the previous day from her skin.

She lay there for awhile, floating in the hot water and simply relaxing. Then, with a few reluctant groans she pulled herself up and out of the tub. The water began to drain slowly and Lily quickly grabbed her towel, shivering violently as she wrapped it underneath her armpits and secured it above the swell of her breasts. She caught her reflection in one of the tall mirrors on the wall and caught herself wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Now, Lily Evans was not a particularly self-conscious girl, but she couldn't help thinking that maybe her hips were slightly too wide, her thighs a little too thick. Her smile was a little lopsided and she thought her breasts were too large. She turned away, quickly pulling on her clothes and casting the thoughts out of her head. She was content with herself, not overly enthusiastic but she didn't hate the way she looked and no one had ever complained to her before.

She ran her fingers through her clean, wet hair and cursed silently that she forgot her hairbrush. She stooped and slid her wand into her jeans pocket and then swung her bag over her shoulder, heading for the door. She slid the lock back and pushed out into the hallway.

"Evans?" James' voice echoed from behind her and she whirled around as the door swung shut, her wet hair flying in all directions, "Morning."

"Morning," Lily answered, "Early patrol?" He wore a pair of jeans, hanging on precariously to his hips, and a white button up school shirt.

James nodded, running his hands back through his already dishevelled hair, "No one's around so we don't really need to, but I was bored. Everyone's still in bed." His eyes ran over her face, bright and red from her bath, and her hair, still dripping down her back, "Nice bath?"

Lily inexplicably felt her cheeks flush and nodded, "Yes, it was, thank you."

James smiled, a slow easy one that covered most of his face, "Heading down to breakfast?"

"After I drop off my things," Lily began to step away from him, moving back towards the common room.

"I was about to head back, too," James shrugged, following her, "The guys'll probably be up now. We can all go down together."

"Sure," Lily answered and she felt an uncomfortable awkwardness descend upon them as they came closer and closer to the portrait hole.

James walked wordlessly beside her, his long legs easily keeping pace, his hands jammed in his pockets. She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, but she kept her gaze straight ahead, not wanting the awkward eye contact that would come if she turned her head.

"Evans?" James asked as the reached the Fat Lady, who was sleeping against her pillar.

Lily still didn't face him, only looked to the floor, "Yes?"

"You, um," He stopped, shuffled his feet, "You look pretty."

Lily's head shot up, "What?"

"You look pretty," James cleared his throat, his cheeks growing red, "Um," He paused, then turned to the Fat Lady, "Lemon toffee."

The woman sat up with a start and then the portrait swung open. James hurried inside, his head down, his hand pulling on the stubborn piece of hair at the back of his head. Lily followed, slowly, hearing a barking laugh echoing out from the common room. Sirius was up then, and then another, drier laugh erupted and Lily nodded to herself, Remus too it seemed.

She emerged into the common room and saw James, already stretched out in his chair and Remus, not sitting on the floor for once. He was lying on the couch, his long legs draped over the far arm and his hand dangling down onto the carpet.

"I'm hungry, Prongs," Sirius was complaining, "Can we go down to breakfast now?"

"Shut up, Sirius," Remus complained, "You're starting to sound like Pete."

"Well, he's off at his parents' for the holidays, so somebody needs to fill in." Black replied, then looked up from his spot near the fireplace, "Finally! Can we eat now Prongs?"

"What?" Lily asked, moving past them to the girls' stairs, "Were you not allowed to get breakfast until after you'd seen me?"

Sirius groaned loudly, "Last night he goes, 'we're going to eat with Evans tomorrow morning, guys. We have to wait for her.'"

Lily laughed, "Let me just put my things upstairs."

"We're not going to eat until New Years!" Sirius complained, throwing his hands over his face and placing his head on his knees.

"I'll be quick!" She laughed, bounding up the stairs and into her empty dorm room. She threw her bag across the room and onto her bed, where it bounced and rolled off the other side. She ignored it and took a quick look in the mirror, hanging above the dresser across from her bed.

Her hair was darker than usual and hung, still wet, down her back. The ends were starting to curl and her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. She wanted to put some powder on her face, maybe swipe some mascara onto her thin, white eyelashes, but she knew she didn't have time for that.

So, she turned and hurried back down the stairs, "Ready, then?"

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed leaping up and running for the portrait hole, "I thought I was going to waste away!"

Remus laughed, rolling off the couch and coming to walk beside her, "He is a bit of a drama queen, isn't he?"

"Normally," Lily agreed, letting her eyes trail over the side of his face. Hair-line scars covered his cheeks, and a few longer, deeper ones cut across his nose. He had had them since about third year, and she had never asked what they were from.

He caught her staring and his cheeks flushed, his head snapped away. Lily instantly felt horrible, she didn't have a problem with his scars. He was Remus no matter what and she didn't think a few marks made a difference.

"So, how's Herbology going?" He asked to fill the empty space, pausing and letting her through the portrait first.

Lily groaned, tipping her head back, "It's dreadful. Remus, I'm going to fail."

As they continued down the corridor, Remus took his place on her right side and James fell into step on her left. They were like two tall, skinny walls, protecting her from both sides.

When they all walked together, it generally worked like this. Sirius ahead of them all, complaining about how slow they were and Remus and James would block her in between them. The only thing missing was Peter, who normally walked slowly along behind them, snickering at any joke that was told and being as quiet as a mouse. Granted, Lily didn't often allow herself to stand in James Potter's company for extended periods of time, so those memories were few and far in between.

Lily cast a sideways glance at first Remus, then James. This was not the James she was accustomed to. She was used to half-smirks and waves from across a classroom or the Great Hall. She distinctly remembered younger, first year versions of themselves sitting in a classroom while James pulled on the ends of her hair, trailing on the top of his desk. She definitely wasn't used to the James that laughed loudly and fully, that smiled without a smug gleam in his eye and wasn't asking her on a date every few moments.

She wasn't sure what had happened to him, if anything at all. If she was being truthful she had never paid a lot of attention to James, if only to groan and complain about his attitude or snark-filled comments. Lily, for a moment, let herself think that maybe James wasn't all bad. That maybe he could be sweet and funny, instead of smug and arrogant.

"So, Evans," He said, snapping her out of their thoughts, "When am I taking you to Hogsmeade?"

And there it was, Lily thought, the peaceful break in his normal attitude was over. He was back.

Lily rolled her eyes and looked to Remus, "Are you sure he doesn't have bio-polar? I swear, a moment ago we were all able to have a normal conversation. But, now he's back to asking me out."

Remus laughed, "No one can have a normal conversation with James," He paused, "Especially not you."

Beside her, James was laughing, his hands deep in the pocket of his jeans, "It's too easy to get you all worked up! It's amazing!"

"Bugger off, Potter," Lily snapped, lengthening her strides to pull ahead of him. Unfortunately, though, James had the longest legs in the history of Hogwarts and easily kept up with her.

She ignored him, stony silence falling like a dead weight in between them even when Remus attempted conversation.

As they neared the Great Hall, the sound of conversation floated out to them and Sirius, who had rounded the corner before the others, was stopped in the doorway, his arms crossed.

"The hall is filled with snakes," He groaned over his shoulder to James, "It looks like half of Slytherin house decided to stay for the holidays."

"That's fan-bloody-tastic," James replied, tugging at his hair and coming to stand behind Sirius.

"It doesn't have to be a conflict," Lily snapped, "Just go in and eat. It's as simple as ignoring them. Trust me, I do it to you all the time."

She brushed past them, Remus close behind her, and crossed the hall as silence fell at the Slytherin table. There was a handful of Ravenclaws and only three Hufflepuffs dining, while the Slytherin table boasted about fifteen students.

She waved at a third year Hufflepuff she had tutored in Charms and slid down the Gryffindor bench, watching as food appeared on all of the shining golden plates. Remus followed her, quickly followed by Sirius, taking the spot beside him. James walked around his two friends and took up a spot on Lily's other side.

He was almost fully seated, one leg over the bench and the other free on the outside, towards the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables. Lily allowed herself a victory smile, for the non-confrontational trip across the Great Hall for breakfast. By this point in the morning she normally would have seen James and Sirius in at least two fights, with Remus and Peter on the outskirts, trying to break it apart. But, then, the catcall echoed across the room, which had begun to fill with noise again.

"Hey Potter! I didn't know you and Evans got along!" Evan Rosier. Lily braced herself for the remainder of the jab, "I didn't figure you for a guy to take someone else's sloppy seconds."

That caused even Lily to grind her teeth together, but she shot her hand out, wrapping it around James' forearm and glaring up at him, "Sit. Down."

He looked down at her, "Did you hear him?" He nearly growled, "I'm not going to let some asshole talk about you like that."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Potter," Lily snapped, "But it was about me and I don't even care. Neither should you."

"Of course I bloody care," He snapped, "Now let me go."

"You should listen to the mudblood," Rosier continued, "You don't want her to see me beat your sorry ass, do you?"

"James," Lily said, tugging on him as he unwound his trapped leg from behind the bench, "James," She repeated, louder.

"I don't think your dead mummy would like that, would she?" Rosier cackled, along with the entirety of his house table.

At that James deflated, his arm going limp in Lily's hand. At that Lily's temper rose, as did that of Remus and Sirius.

She spun, swinging her legs out of the bench seat and standing. Lily had her wand out of her pocket faster than both of the other Marauders and within seconds a jet of white light was arching across the hall, over the head of a screaming Ravenclaw, to hit Evan Rosier square in the face.

He toppled over backwards, landing on the ground behind his table. The Slytherins all scrambled to their feet, whipping out wands and pointing them towards the three armed Gryffindors.

Instead of fighting, however, Lily raised her wand and let out a bang like a gunshot. Everyone flinched and silence dropped down upon them with the heavy weight of her anger.

"I don't give a damn about your stupid, petty little inter-house feuds," She nearly screamed, "But you do not, I repeat, do not make a crack about someone's parents, or their lack-thereof." She slid her wand back into her jeans, "Now everyone calm the fuck down."

"I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment, Ms. Evans," Came a voice from the entrance of the hall, "But I would not have phrased it as such."

Everyone turned, a slight gasp rippling throughout the students. Professor Dumbledore stood there, his long beard tucked into his belt and his brilliant green robes shining out against the shadows of the doorway.

"Mr. Snape," Their Headmaster continued, "Please escort Mr. Rosier to the Hospital Wing." He paused, "Also, when he comes to, inform him of his detention tomorrow evening. In my office."

Lily watched with a snarl on her lips as Severus, a boy who had been her best friend throughout her childhood, bent down and slid Rosier's arm around his shoulders. He hefted the boy up, looking over and meeting her gaze for a moment. He narrowed his eyes slightly and she wound her hands into fists, looking away.

Professor Dumbledore turned towards the Gryffindors, "Ms. Evans. Ten points will be deducted from Gryffindor house for your outburst."

Lily heaved a sigh, dropping her head and running a hand through her hair.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore continued, "For your surprising self-control, I award Gryffindor house fifteen points. I have never seen you back down from a fight and am, dare I say it, impressed."

He moved through the hall, passing through the tables and to the empty teacher's table at the front of the hall, "Don't be so solemn. Eat, all of you! It's breakfast!"

Lily turned to James, only to find him wearing an expression that slightly startled her. His eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth was taut and anger clouded his eyes.

"I don't need you to protect me, Evans," He all but snarled, shoving her hard in the shoulder as he brushed past. She stumbled back against the Gryffindor table, the cups and dishes rattling.

"I didn't do it for you!" She snapped after him, and he stopped, "I did it because I know what it's like. My mother died in my first year, Potter. I did it because it's not right, no matter who the jab is sent at. Got it?" She paused, tightening her hands into fists, "It you ever think I did something on your behalf, think really hard for an alternative motive and when you find one, despite its ludicrousness, that will be more probable."

James was still and Lily watched as he slowly nodded his head and continued out. She stood there, panting slightly until he turned and was out of her view. Regret, shame, anger, they all mixed together inside her chest to form an insufferably tight knot.

She took a deep breath and watched as Sirius gave her a venomous glare and stalked off after his best friend. Remus looked between her face and Sirius' retreating back, then gently touched her wrist and sat down.

If she thought hard enough, she couldn't remember an extended period of time where she and James were on good terms. She was either annoyed with him or he was angry at the way she decided to word her rejection. Her friends, especially Marlene, liked to joke that it was explosive passion, not intense dislike that fuelled their arguments. At this point, though, Lily was just baffled. What had she done wrong this time?

"I haven't had eggs for breakfast in ages," Remus said softly, amongst the deathly quiet of the hall, "I've been trying to lay off greasy stuff. Are you still hungry?"

Her heart nearly broke as she looked at him, offering companionship even as his two best friends stalked off to inevitably contemplate her horrendous attitude, to decide that they would never speak to her again.

"Thank you, Remus," Lily smiled softly, "But no. I think I'm going to go write to the girls. Go with them." She nodded at the empty entrance hall and Remus merely smiled.

"James knows when he's screwed up, Lily," He nearly whispered as the hall began to fill with noise, "He shouldn't have said that to you and you shouldn't have said that to him." He shrugged, "You won't be able to not talk to each other though, it'd be impossible. You'll work everything out."

He stood, patting her shoulder lightly and turned, jogging after his friends. Lily took a heaving breath once he was out of earshot, one that shook on its way out of her lungs.

Yes, she thought to herself, a letter will help.