I'm sorry if this chapters a little soppy for you, I was in a soppy mood. And cheesy too!

"Your sister's a bitch."

"That's pretty much what Jazz said." I sniffled. James glanced at me, then at the sodden letter I was shredding between my fingers.

"Jazz is one of the clearest thinking people I know."

"And the most scary."

He smiled ruefully, "That too."

I nestled into his shoulder, just listening to the sound of his breathing.

" I just thought...That maybe after all this time, she wouldn't hate me so much." I said finally, hating the way my voice broke half way through. "She's too good for Vernon, she deserves some nice guy who'll treat her right, not Vernon the Walrus."

"Vernon the Walrus?"

I giggled slightly, then hiccupped loudly. "She started dating him around Christmas of Fourth Year, just when he'd decided that all 'proper men' had to have a beard. He tried the beard but the results weren't exactly pretty so he decided a moustache would be better. I must have been, erm, my birthday's January 30th so...not yet twelve? And em, well, I wasn't the most mature twelve year old at home. Always accidentally turning teacups into toads and stuff. Anyway, I nicknamed him the Walrus. And it sort of stuck."

James laughed, "Brilliant, do you think I'd look good with a beard?"

"Stubbles more sexy," I leaned over and brushed my lips against his.

"HA! You think I'm sexy! You think I'm sexy!"

"I do not, I just said stubble was sexy not that you are."

"You meant my stubble." He smirked, "It's okay to admit it Lily, I know you find me irresistible."

"I do not." Well I did, but his head was plenty big enough without me telling him as much.

He mock growled and wrestled me to the floor.

"Do you find me irresistible?" He kissed the skin behind my ear.

"Nope."

"Do you?" His lips found my neck.

"No..."

"You don't sound sure." My neck seemed to be burning as he trailed his mouth upwards, barely touching my skin, breath cool.

"I'm...Oh Merlin," His lips brushed my eyelids, my cheekbones, my hair.

"Say it." His hands were in my hair, supporting the back of my neck.

"Uh..." I couldn't breathe. Everywhere his lips had touched was on fire, searing into me.

"Kiss me."

Our lips met, gentle, yet persuasive and then-"

-o-x-o-

Lily flushed scarlet, "Anyway, you don't need to know all that."

I smirked at her, then rolled back onto the bed I was lounging on and stared up at the ceiling. A lot of things now made sense. But one thing still didn't quite compute...

"Jazz's dating a Slytherin?"

Lily nodded, "Uh-huh. And she was really stressed out that you'd all disown her or something if you found out. I mean, Max's family have been in Gryffindor for as long as anyone can remember and she's her best friend."

"Hmmm. I dunno, Max is pretty lax about that sort of thing right? I mean, sure we hate the Slytherin's on principal, but if it's what Jazz really wants...Who is it by the way?"

"John Caldish."

"The tall skinny one with the ponytail?"

"That's the chappy"

"Could be worse."

"Definitely. " She rolled over onto her stomach and stared at me. "So what happens now?"

"Now," I said, pulling out my wand and waving it in a sweeping motion so that the many piles of clothes, text books and old pieces of parchment soared into the air and deposited themselves, albeit untidily, into my open trunk which was standing at the foot of my bed. "We pack."

"We pack?" Lily looked nonplussed.

"You are coming to mine for Easter aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah sure." She made the same sweeping motion and all of her neatly tidied away belonging folded themselves into her trunk. I scowled in mock anguish, then headed for the door.

"Come on, let's face the music."

"Oh the Joy," she muttered, but she followed me anyway.

-o-o-o-

The next dawn warm, sunny and panic-stricken.

"Jazz! Calm down. I just need a straight answer. Are you coming back to mine for Easter or are you going back to India?"

"I'MAGODMOTHERI'MAGODMOTHERI'MA-"

"Yes, we know that." I felt like banging my head against a brick wall. Trying to get through to Jazz when she's like this is worse that root canal work by a blind dentist. (Lily's metaphor, not mine)

Apparently, one of Jazz's oldest friend, Geena I think, has just had a baby girl and asked Jazz to be Godmother. I've never seen Jazz so excited, even when her mother opened up Star ducks in Hogsmede.

"Leave it Arty," Max advised, hooking an arm through Jazz's and beginning to lead her to the train. "You won't get anything out of her until she's had a cold bath. I'll look after her."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks."

-0-0-0-

I'd been surprised at just how well Max was taking it actually. But then again, Max did come from one of...seven? children so maybe she just had a less stressed outlook on life. You can't have that many siblings and still take everything head on. You'd be in St Mungo's within a week.

The only action she had taken however, was to walk up the John Caldish and poke her beaters bat in his stomach.

"Yeah, I'm her best friend. Break her heart and I'll break your face."

He'd looked, and rightly so, terrified.

-o-o-o-

So it was only Lily and I and the boys who were coming back to the Cottage for Easter. Lizzie was going back to her parents and Alice was going to France with Frank. (cue Awwwwww)

Jazz was flying to India (by plane not broomstick) and Max was Apparating down to London about some try-outs for the Holy-Head Harpies.

I'd been surprised that Remus and Peter had wanted to come actually. But then again, it wasn't the full moon for three full weeks and we'd be back at school for then and my mum's chocolate gateau is famous.

I leant back in my seat and watched Lily thrashing James at Exploding Snap.

Life, most definitely, was good.