Authors note: hope you enjoy! I'm working on an Alice, Mary and Lily seen but it won't be for another chapter :) I feel I haven't done nearly enough on the girls and their part in Lily's life so I'll be sure to mainly focus on them in the next one – let me know if you want to see other characters more or less

Lily slept in quite late that Friday, which was okay because she had a free morning, but was surprising because it was the first night she had slept well in a long time. Granted she didn't get to bed until about 0245am but she still slept in until 1030am which is almost considered a full night's sleep. She dragged herself out of bed and grabbed her shower bag, before having a long, warm shower. Lily applied a little bit of mascara, and brushed her hair through once and then dried it with magic. She let it hang loosely around her face.

Lily trudged back up the stairs to find James sitting in their shared common area, with a cup of hot coffee and a muffin. Her stomach immediately growled at the sight of it and she realised she hadn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime so she helped herself to a blueberry muffin from the fridge.

'Would you mind if I had some coffee?' James grunted in response so Lily, assuming that was permission, poured herself some coffee from the jug he had made.

'How are you today?' She asked.

'Fine.' He responded shortly.

Lily was far too immersed in her muffin to notice he was being off with her, and so they sat in silence.

James then turned to look at her, with his head slightly tilted, as if trying to figure out a puzzle.

'Why did you sit next to Snape yesterday?' He asked.

'What?' Lily said, with a mouth full of muffin.

'Why'd you just decide to sit with him? I thought you didn't speak anymore.' James replied.

'Dumbledore asked me too.' Lily answered, not caring for his tone.

'I see.' He said.

'What? He did. And why do you care anyway?' Lily said, getting annoyed. Was he trying to tell her she wasn't allowed to talk to whomever she wanted?

'Just thought it was odd seeing as the only time he ever talks is when he's calling people mudbloods.' James said.

'He never called me a mudblood till fifth year.' Lily said, finding herself defending Snape even though she didn't want to.

'You aren't the only one though.' James responded.

'Sorry?' Lily asked.

'Just because Snape didn't call you mudblood, doesn't mean he didn't call others it. He was cruel for at least two years before you guys fell out.' James answered, his face looking angry.

'You were cruel too.' Lily said slowly.

James's face visibly softened at that, and he turned to face her.

'I admit I was no angel. I was mean for no reason, and used to hex people for fun - especially you and Snape. I didn't do it maliciously though, or to cause permanent harm. I just thought it was a laugh. Then I saw wizards doing it for other reasons and using it against innocent people and I thought 'I don't want to be that'. So I stopped hexing people just because I could. Snape also learnt there were darker wizards out there using magic against others, but he didn't stop. Lily, don't you see? As soon as he leaves this.' He said, gesturing with his hands. 'He's joining straight up to the dark side of this war.' James finished, almost pleading with her to believe him.

'That's why I talked to him. Dumbledore, and myself to be honest, wanted to know if he was fully committed to the other side of the war when he leaves Hogwarts.' Lily told him wearily, finally understanding what he was trying to say and why he looked so annoyed yesterday when she sat with Snape. She knew James was not the type of wizard who hurt those who were different, despite him being pureblood. One of the reasons he and she used to disagree is because he used to particularly enjoy hexing those who did judge people for their amount of wizard blood. Lily however always thought that they only reacted that way because they were taught to, and if you were decent to them they would be decent back - her evidence for her theory was her friendship with Snape. She was always going to have to give him one last chance to be her friend again and fight in the Order, but in her truest of hearts she knew he wouldn't take it. Lily also knew that it was partly her fault, his love for her, and the love he did not receive, in return drove him away.

'By the sounds of it, you concluded he was.' James said, almost smiling.

'He's a coward. He's only choosing the other side because it's gaining a lot of power and he believes he'll be more powerful because of it.' Lily said sadly, tears appearing in her eyes.

'Woah hey, sorry. Please don't cry. I hate it when girls cry. Girls are always crying.' James said.

'Girl don't always cry.' Lily said defiantly. 'I'm not going to cry.' One single tear betrayed her by falling down her face.

'Other than that one tear, I'm not going to cry.' She corrected, causing James to smirk.

'Don't worry. I think it may be because you're the weaker gender.' James said seriously, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

Lily punched him hard in the arm, and he grabbed it whilst wincing dramatically in pain.

'I really don't cry very often though.' Lily insisted. 'These past few months I can't seem to help crying though.'

'I know.' James replied, looking sad.

'What do you mean 'you know'?' She asked curiously.

'You've been completely different these last two months, and of course I understood why. But it was really hard for everyone to see you so withdrawn, especially me. The thing is, you have been so much better these last two weeks until yesterday. Now you seem to be just as sad as you were before - and I could kill Snape for it.' James said very fast, not meeting her eyes.

'Dumbledore told me that I needed to stop trying to fight past the grief and let it swallow me for a while, and have my friends comfort me and then I'll feel better about letting it go. As always, he was right. I also refuse to let this Snape thing bring me back down because I already knew who he was and what he thought, and I can't let one moment of weakness where I thought I could help him destroy everything.' Lily said.

'You let yourself be swallowed by grief?' James asked confused, his eyebrows pinching together.

'Yeah, two weeks ago all I did was cry for about a week, and poor Alice and Mary took it in turns to drag me out of their beds and wipe my tears and get me to class. And by the end of the week, I felt so much better. I starting eating more and sleeping more and enjoying people's company more - even Sirius's.' She said with a laugh, James smiled weakly but it didn't quite meet his eyes. 'I've even been tutoring Peter for two weeks and it's actually been going okay.'

'I heard about that.' James said laughing a little. 'He's been so much happier since he's been able to do some magic himself in class. But I don't understand, I didn't particularly notice a change in you? Why didn't you let any of us comfort you?'

Their eyes locked then and Lily could see that James actually looked hurt. Did he honestly want to hold a blubbering girl for hours?

'I was...controlled with my grief, I guess. I was careful not to embarrass myself too much in public, so mainly just brawled in the girl's dormitories. Anyway, there wasn't much you could have done that Alice and Mary weren't. It was more about just hugging me and stroking my hair. Like having a sad cat.' She laughed weakly.

'Thinking back, I didn't see much of you that week but I didn't think too much of it. You were fine on our patrol. Lily, I wouldn't have minded doing that you know. You're...my friend.' James said.

'Funnily enough, the patrol night was actually the worst. I had an okay night on Thursday night, and we basically just binge ate and watched Muggle movies on a TV and DVD player Dumbledore allowed us to have. So the next night I was feeling good. I got back from the patrol, and I was talking about how pretty Hogwarts was at night and how fun patrols are, and talked about how I couldn't wait for my parents to see it at graduation. Then I realised only mum would see it and cried all night. That was the last night of crying actually.' Lily said thoughtfully.

'I just wished you had told me. I would have happily been there for you.' James said sadly.

'That's because you seem to enjoy treating me like a victim.' She replied quickly.

'Wait what?' He said, looking really shocked.

'You don't treat me like you used to. You don't play pranks on me or tease me anymore. I almost miss it.' Lily said straightforwardly.

'It wouldn't have been fair to do that. You were already hurting enough. I didn't want to hurt you more.' He said sadly.

'I honestly appreciated that for the first month and a half, but you don't have to treat me like a wounded animal anymore. You can be a dick again.' Lily said, winking.

James chuckled at that and pushed her lightly on her leg.

'You were never too impressed with that. I only ever did it to show off to you. Though I got the feeling I didn't achieve that.' James said.

'Now that you don't ask me out every other day, and we're actually friends. I'm sure I'd find some (italics) of your practical jokes funny.' Lily said smirking.

'Oh come on. You miss me asking you out all the time.' James laughed.

'Maybe I do.' Lily chuckled with a wink in James's direction.

Lily then shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Did she?

No.

But you do a little, don't you? The little voice inside her head said.

No, I don't.

You liked having someone constantly showing you attention.

That's not true, I used to hate it.

Used to...

Shut up.

Lily tried to stop having an internal conversation about her weird feelings for James and laughed awkwardly at his comment about not getting his hopes up. They sat there for a moment as Lily tried to convince herself they hadn't switched from a serious conversation about the war and Snape to flirting within about 15 minutes. Lily Evans and James Potter do not flirt, they fight.

'Well, I better get ready for Defence Against the Dark Arts.' She said, standing up quickly and walking to the door.

'Alright.' He said comfortably. 'I'll wait for you and we can walk down together.'

'That would be nice.' Lily said.

Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you.

I said, shut up.

That Evening (from James perspective)

'So you think Lily was actually flirting with you?' Sirius said dubiously.

'Probably not, but it definitely felt like she was.' James replied.

The Marauders were all sitting in the main common room, in the armchairs by fireplace. James was recounting what had happened between Lily and himself earlier that day, and asking for the Marauders opinion. They were all eating food and drinking Pumpkin Juice, which had been stolen from the kitchens earlier by James.

'She may have been. She definitely enjoys your company more these days.' Remus said lightly, whilst smiling.

'You think?' James asked, in a tone he hoped didn't away too much of his excitement. Though he reckoned Remus saw through him.

'Aw come on, Prongs. I told you if you just acted like yourself then she would notice you more often. Then you decide to stop going after her and to move on, which consequently means you act like yourself and she realises you aren't a massive dick.' Remus said, fully smirking now.

'I'm not sure.' James said seriously. 'Sometimes it feels like she may like me, and other times it's like we're just friends. Don't get me wrong, being her friend is great and everything but I want to know where she is.'

'Maybe ask her? She's really good at talking and listening.' Peter said, looking up from his homework. Him doing homework when he hung out with them was no longer a strange occurrence, as Lily was making him work very hard. It was just that kind of selflessness that James liked about her.

'Ooooh Peter, do you have a little crush.' Sirius teased.

'No.' Peter said, going red. 'I just think Lily is really nice and that James should stop worrying about whether she likes him and just ask. She's always been really honest and nice to me, despite me never paying her much attention. James has liked her for years, but never really asked whether she likes him back. Maybe he should.' Peter finished with a shrug, no longer red.

They all stared at him in stunned silence, watching him as he began to do his homework again.

When did Peter get so clever? James thought.

Everyone was changing so much this year. All of a sudden, Lily and her two friends were now an extension of the Marauders. Sirius had become more motivated to help win the war from the good side, despite its meaning it'll have to go against his entire family and their wishes. Even Remus was accepting his condition a little more, and not hating himself. Peter was working towards what he'd do at the end of Hogwarts. Most of that was because of Lily Evans. He had now accepted he would never be able to get over his feelings for her, and every day she said a few words or did something, anything, that made him fall for her a little more. The way she twirled her hair when she was nervous, or how she always had time to hear about everyone else's problems. Everyone had seen how much pain she had been in, and still was, but James also saw how she still had time for others even though she was grieving. He was so surprised to find out she'd actually been properly grieving for a week, and that he hadn't noticed. Thinking back, he reasoned that it was because he had really seen her that week except in classes. James felt himself wishing more than anything that Lily had let him comfort her, because seeing her sad and hurt broke his heart. That, and every smile she smiles at him makes his day. He accepted in that moment, he was completely in love with her.

'So you think I should ask her out?' James questioned, after a few more minutes of eating.

'No. Didn't you learn anything? You can't just ask Lily out; you did that too many times for her to take you even a little seriously. You need to wait until the moment arises, then ask her to go casually.' Remus said.

'What moment?' He said, whining a little.

Remus looked at him as he considered his answer.

'I shouldn't be telling you this. McGonagall only told me because I wouldn't be able to go as it falls on my time.' He said with emphasis. 'There's going to be a Halloween ball to celebrate the ghosts of Hogwarts - it doesn't happen very often but it's going to be a huge ball. So if Sirius were to ask Mary to go, and Peter was to find someone to go with, as I suspect Alice may have someone else in mind - no Sirius, I'm not telling you who - then you can ask Lily because you'd be the only two friends in our little group without dates. That way you make it clear it'll be just as friends.' Remus said thoughtfully.

'But I want it to be more than friends.' James whined again.

'Yes, Prongs. We all know that, but this way you will have proper one-on-one time with Lily and perhaps even make her fall for you as much as you have with her.' Remus said seriously.

Sirius and James both stared at Remus, Peter wasn't listening though as he was intent on doing his homework, and then glanced at each other.

'Would you ask Mary MacDonald?' James pleaded.

'Yeah sure, mate. Though I doubt she'll want to go with me.' Sirius said awkwardly.

'I don't doubt it.' Remus said.

'What do you mean? Do you know something?' Sirius said excitedly.

'No, that's it. You and James have exhausted me with all your love talk now. I'm going to bed.' Remus said and he gathered his stuff and took off up the stairs.

'What does he know?' Sirius asked James. 'Do you know something?'

As James tried to convince his friend that he didn't know anything, he thought about what Remus had said about Lily. Would it really be that easy to make Lily fall for him? It's been seven years and he still hadn't managed it.

He decided to grab his invisibility cloak and go for a wander around the castle to clear his mind. He knew he didn't really need it, as he was Head Boy, but was so used to having it with him now. It also meant that he wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions of he bumped into teachers wandering around the castle.

James walked right through the castle and down to the Black Lake, where upon he took his cloak off and leant against one of the huge oak trees. The stars and moon that night were particularly bright, and the lake was glistening because of it. There wasn't much sound around him and so he was able to be content with his own thoughts. James had always loved Hogwarts at night and constantly wished he could bring Lily down here to show how spectacular it was. One of the reasons he loved the full moon, was because it meant he got to spend the whole evening outside in the open air. James also knew it was cruel of him to love the full moon, because of his best friend's infliction. Though he couldn't help but love how it felt running through the woods. It would put the whole world in a new perspective, it was then when he considered how wrong the war was. James continued to think about Lily and Hogwarts and the war until eventually, he fell to sleep.