Once again, happy Sunday! Also: Happy Jilytober! Hope you're reading a whole bunch of Jily fanfictions and warming up your hearts! I myself might have one or two surprises to you :)

Next chapter probably won't be posted on Sunday because I'll be travelling for a congress. If it does need to be delayed, Monday should do it.

Enough chit-chatting, here we go with our next chapter! Remember: reviews save lives.

"How do you feel having single handedly score 120 points right on the first match?"

James grinned. The game went just as it was supposed to – England won brilliantly, not only because of the score (340-100), but also because of how they had played.

"It's very good to be able to help the squad," he replied simply, "we're very focused on the World Cup, and it's very important to get good results. Now we've got to concentrate on the next match against Mexico."

Sirius was the first of his friends to get to him after the interview ended, but James could see the others following closely behind with the same grins on their faces.

"You were brilliant, Prongs!" Sirius cried happily. "Your sloth grip roll was nothing short of fantastic! I swear this is your best match since you slaughtered the Cannons!"

James laughed and threw his broom to the other hand.

"I suppose I've got to agree," he said, "but-"

His analysis, however, was cut short by a surprise attack by Marlene, who threw herself on his arms for a hug.

"Merlin, James!" She exclaimed as they parted. "You should've seen those Germans' faces! A bunch of them promised to off with your head!"

"Since when do you speak German?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Irrelevant. You were amazing!"

Peter began recalling the key plays, aided by Remus and Sirius, while James discussed similarly with Marlene. Lily looked around. She really didn't care much for the talk, neither had brilliant inputs to contribute.

"What about you, Evans?" Potter asked, taking Lily out of her reverie. She looked at him as she heard her surname and raised her eyebrows when she noticed Potter had discarded his jersey.

Well, she thought as she felt the blood colour her face, there's at least one good thing about Quidditch…

"What about me?" She asked, looking at Potter again. He had a smirk splattered on his face – the exact same one he so often had worn on Hogwarts.

"How did you like the game, woman!" Potter cried, making Lily smile a bit and shrug.

"It was nice enough. But, if you allow me, I do believe your defence can improve…" she said, and James's smirk diminished. It was so easy to get to him!

"What…improve how? Robert didn't fail even once today…!"

"The problem with you Quidditch players is that you're all too stuck on your positions," Lily continued and Marlene grinned, "honestly, just because you're a chaser you can't help on the defence?"

"Well, he can't grab the bat and hit a Bludger on the adversary chaser, Evans." Sirius explained, as if he was talking to a child. Lily rolled her eyes. "Since when do you like sports?"

"I like sports, I'm not a fan of Quidditch," Lily cleared up, "even so, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I don't understand it, which brings me back to my point…a chaser doesn't need a bat to help on defence. Let's say you haven't scored. The keeper has saved or some rubbish. What do you do?"

"Well..." James answered with a frown, "probably get back as fast as possible to get the Quaffle again when Skyies gets it."

"Wanna know what would be much more efficient? If you forgot a bit about the Quaffle…"

"She's barking mad," Sirius said, shaking his head in denial.

"…and focused on their players, when you're still attacking," Lily continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"This makes no sense," James replied, raising his arms. Lily rolled her eyes again.

"Open your mind, Potter!" She cried. "Think about it: if you're all over their three chasers, to whom their keeper will pass the Quaffle?! It'll be much easier for you to recover it while still attacking and get it in the net!" James raised his eyebrows. "Score 10 points, whatever!"

"It's not a terrible idea, Evans…" James replied lost in thoughts, "not at all that hard to organise…sure, we'll need to train it, but…" he looked at her a bit surprised, "it's a nifty idea. I wasn't aware you knew your Quidditch…"

"Well," she said, blushing slightly under such admiring stare, "I actually know my football, but some concepts can be adapted."

"And what's this concept on football?" Potter asked, grinning an old smile.

"High-pressing. It works better when there're eleven players and only two functions, instead of seven with four, but…"

Sirius pulled James, indicating the press conference they had to attend. James grinned at Lily again, put on his jersey and followed his friend.

"At least try to be subtle about it, Evans," Marlene said, taking the spot at her side as the group waited outside for the conference to end.

"Be subtle about what?" Lily asked, frowning.

"Your ogling was pretty clear when James took off his shirt.

"Oh," Lily said, blushing immediately, "well, I…"

"You don't have to justify, Lily. You really don't.

When Potter reappeared, he had already showered and dressed, and was talking excitedly with Sirius. Peter and Remus discussed the cultural diversity of the World Cup, while Marlene listed advantages of living in France.

"Hey, partner!"

Lily turned immediately when she heard the calling and smiled.

"Benjy," she greeted, "so nice to run into you!"

"Enjoying your vacations?" He asked with a wink before turning to James. "Brill match, cap."

James grinned right back.

"Your partner begs to differ…" James said, jerking his thumb at Lily. She rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Potter, one critic and it's like I said you won out of sheer luck," she retorted, making Benjy laugh.

"Has she already tried to convince you lot that football beats Quidditch?" Benjy asked.

"Not so far," Sirius replied, staring at Lily with narrowed eyes, "and even if she does, she shall never be successful."

"And yet she still offered me tips!" James exclaimed, while Benjy chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised? Listen, I know you've got a party tonight and all, but what d'you think about having supper together?" Benjy invited them.

"Oh, Fenwick, not sure about that," James said, scratching his head, "I usually dine with my parents after the games…"

"No prob. Name the place and we'll be there."

"'We'?" Lily asked, widening her eyes. "He's not…?"

"Oh, he is. After today's news, he is."

Lily groaned. The moment she saw the Daily Prophet she feared Moody might also see it and run to France. There were no doubts regarding who would hear the end of it. Benjy smiled apologetically.

"At least it's in a restaurant. He can't yell," Benjy whispered, leaning in.

"Perhaps I should owl Skeeter so he'll actually be calmer…" Lily whispered back. They shared accomplice grins, and Benjy left after rustling her hair.

They returned to the accommodations talking about the next matches, future adversaries, and England's odds. Lily quickly focused on something else – she really did not like Quidditch.

Since James had already showered, they made their way straight to lunch. When they neared the credentials checkpoint, they noticed a few reporters crowding the area. James sighed.

"What I wouldn't do for my cloak here…" he grumbled. Sirius grinned.

"Smile, say it was a pleasure to play, and that you need to go. Charisma, Prongs. Remember that," Sirius instructed. James sighed and replaced his frown with a smile.

Pictures started soon, and Lily rolled her eyes, strategically positioning herself between Remus and Peter. The movement, however, caught the eyes of some blasted reporter, who looked at her for a couple of seconds before warning his mates: "it's the Pretty Red! The Auror!"

Lily's chin fell slightly and the weirdness of the situation stopped her quick reaction. When she realised some flashes were directed at her, she started walking faster and quickly got past the checkpoint.

"Who killed the boy?"

"Are you really on vacation?"

"Is that hair natural?"

James and Sirius watched Lily almost running to escape, followed closely by Remus, Marlene and Peter.

"Is Evans really on vacation?" A reporter asked James, who smiled.

"She's friends with a mate of mine, and she's here per our invitation," James answered.

"So the Pretty Red isn't investigating Jack's case?" A brunette questioned.

"If she were, d'you really think she would've come to have lunch with five people who know nothing about the case, after attending the game?" James replied condescendingly.

"How do you feel about his death?" This question wiped James's smile.

"I…I'd rather not talk about it. Jack was a dear lad for the whole squad. What can I say that you don't already know? That's a downright tragedy? A very painful crime?" He shook his head. "I've paid my respects to those who deserve it. I'm a professional, and I can't let my personal life influence my job, so I'm trying to put it behind and focus on the Cup. I'm not talking about Jack with you."

James turned and was followed by Sirius. They made their way silently to the restaurant, where they found Lily sitting with her face on her hands while Marlene openly laughed.

"So you've got a press name, Pretty Red?" Sirius asked as he sat down. Lily groaned.

"Go to hell," she grumbled, making the others laugh.

Lunch went smoothly with no other scares. They went up to the room right after they finished. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Marlene went to take a nap, claiming they needed to rest before that night's party.

Lily sat by the table with all the case's data. She ignored James at the couch, a few metres away from her, mumbling at something that appeared to be a clipboard and his wand.

There weren't many leads on the case. The only thing that put someone on the crime scene was Potter's credentials, but he swore he was with his mates, who also gave him an alibi. Besides, everyone said Potter liked Jack well enough.

But they had no other suspects.

Of course, the possible connection with Voldemort could not be forgotten. However, Potter always showed disagreement with Voldemort's ways. Hadn't he defended her so many times back at school? Hadn't he gotten himself into countless fights with Slytherins because of that? Hadn't he homed Sirius Black when he ran away from his crazy family?

And yet, they still had no other suspects.

She listened again to her interview with Miller, trying to extract something she might have missed before. Nothing.

Lily needed more interrogations, and fast.

But with Skeeter and press having seen her, it was harder. The whole investigation was harder. Lily sighed. It was exactly because of that she hated working on famous cases. Just imagine if they knew the prime suspect. She would be followed everywhere! She–

"If I tell Brenda and Matthew to press the chasers as soon as their keeper gets the Quaffle, it doesn't mean they'll be able to actually do it," Potter threw himself on the chair next to her, laying the clipboard on top of the case's papers and successfully blocking her view to get her full attention. She looked at him, confused.

"I don't follow," Lily replied, holding herself back so she wouldn't get pissed at him. James pointed to the clipboard with his wand, in which Lily could see two Quidditch teams drawn.

"Let's say the three of us are attacking, right: me, Brenda and Matthew. We usually fly on an unequal V formation, with the middle person a bit behind to get the Quaffle and score," Potter continued, making the red figurines move, "so we'd be unequally away from the other chasers, and as you noticed, we don't make that much of an effort on defending chasers, so they're quite distant from us. If the keeper gets the Quaffle, we'll be away. How can we be close enough to intercept the launch?"

Lily gaped and blinked twice. Potter, James Potter, England's captain, was really asking her for help? On Quidditch?

"I…what?" She sputtered. Potter rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Evans! You can't just tell me about a play and expect me to not think about it. I need your help. I need to train this on tomorrow's practice."

Lily sighed.

"If you remove that clipboard from highly confidential Ministry archives," Lily asked, glaring at James, "I might consider helping you."

James smirked and raised the clipboard. With a flick of her wand, Lily sent all of the papers to the folder and turned to the boy.

"Let's put this giant head of yours to think, yeah?" She said. James narrowed his eyes, but Lily ignored him and started explaining the tactic.

The big obstacle was James not having Lily's mindset – she based her arguments on football plays that could be adapted. James considered it absurd, complained and retorted, but always ended up listening to her.

Being used to the bickering, they didn't notice their voices rising until Remus appeared with an apprehensive expression.

"Everything alright here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily and James were hunched up towards the clipboard, both wands raised and faces equally exasperated. When Remus spoke, they looked at him quickly.

"Yes, just a friendly argument between someone who knows Quidditch and a bird who thinks she knows," James replied with a smirk. Lily snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Knows so much that you came crying asking for my help for plays," she retorted, crossing her arms. Remus raised his eyebrows. "It's all under control, Remy. Your mate's just too fat headed to understand simple logic."

"Logic!" James cried indignantly, turning to Lily. "Where's the logic in using offensive players to defend?!"

"It's an offensive defence, Potter! The logic is not allowing the adversary anywhere near your keeper!"

Remus shook his head, a tiny smile on his face. He felt like he had gone back about four years in time and was watching the Heads arguing. And, similarly to what he had done about four years ago, he thought it better to let them sort it out themselves.

"Merlin's beard, Marlene, we'll come back before the party!" Lily called. "Potter's parents are waiting!"

The brunette left the room mildly pissed.

"Beauty takes time, sweety," Marlene said, "you'll never know who you'll run into in those restaurants."

Lily mumbled she knew exactly who she was going to run into, and was far from excited about it. She tried to distract herself thinking about anything that wasn't her boss waiting for her in that bloody restaurant.

When they finally arrived, Euphemia and Fleamont were already sitting waiting for them. There was no sign of Benjy or Moody, but it wasn't enough to relax Lily. She knew they would come.

"James, honey, the game was brilliant!" Euphemia said. "But you sure took your sweet time to get rid of that Bludger, son, be more careful, yeah?"

"Mom, it's Quidditch. If I manage to get rid of it, it's good. If I win, even better!"

"Good thing you managed both then, Potter."

Lily sighed when she recognized the grunt without even looking. Fleamont's face lit up and he tried to get up as fast as possible to greet his old acquaintance.

"Don't trouble yourself, Fleamont," Moody said after initial greetings, "I've come to meet with Fenwick," he pointed to a hidden table from which Benjy nodded, "and I'd like to steal Evans for a bit, if you don't mind…"

"Not at all, Alastor," Fleamont answered, "I've been talking to this charming young lady, and she's told me wonderful things about the department."

"Hm. Probably haven't talked long enough then…" Moody grunted. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Always a sunshine, aren't you, Mr. Moody?" She added sarcastically and got up. "I'll be back in a moment."

She followed her boss, sitting next to Benjy.

"I don't really care how Skeeter got everything," Moody said as soon as the waiter left, "what matters is that everyone now knows, and that your name was mentioned, Evans."

"Yes, I do remember," Lily bit back, "the shrew saw me at a press conference and started digging. I said I was on vacation, but she didn't buy it."

"Press conference?" Moody asked.

"I've got to follow Potter 24/7, haven't I? Either me or Benjy?"

Moody grunted and sipped his drink.

"Anything new?"

Lily explained everything she had on the case so far, which wasn't much.

"I've got to find another suspect, or a cause. I'd like to eliminate Potter too," Moody said.

"I agree, sir. I've got more people on my mind to question. And…" Lily hesitated, "I don't really think Potter's guilty," she finished. Moody fixated both her eyes on her.

"Go on."

"The only thing that puts Potter on the crime scene is his credential."

"That's enough."

"Well, maybe. But one thing got me. It's not only to get in that you need a credential. You also need one to get out…" Lily said.

"So how did he manage to get out and leave the credential behind?" Moody completed. "Another piece to your puzzle, Evans."

He finished his drink and gave a folder to Benjy.

"The results of the expertise analysis of Potter's credential," Moody explained, "Fenwick will give it to you later. I don't want people to see you walking around with a folder, Evans. You're still my secret weapon."

"How can I resist when you talk to me like that?" She teased, winking to Benjy. He held back a chuckle while Moody only stared.

"Don't let anything else leak. Now both of you laugh to pretend this was just a friendly meeting about a folder of an old case that disappeared and Evans knew where it was."

Lily rolled her eyes, but the small grin on her face was honest. She got up and kissed Benjy on the cheek, saluted Moody, and went back to the table.

She just missed James watching the whole conversation – including her farewell to Benjy. He ignored the slight pull of discomfort he felt because of the innocent kiss, but couldn't help but frown when he wondered what exactly was going on between Evans and Fenwick.

"Do you know the Fenwicks?" Fleamont asked.

"Oh, yes," Lily replied with a grin, watching her boss and her colleague (was it really only colleague?) leaving, "Benjy was rather important to me as soon as I entered the force. The others didn't respect me a lot. He saved me, in that regard. And his parents are adorable."

James ignored his mother talking about the last time she had seen Mrs. Fenwick. So Evans knew Fenwick's parents?

James shook his head. One afternoon with Lily Evans and his mind was filled with these old thoughts. One afternoon bickering like they used to. He had to focus on the competition. He had to focus on other things. Lily Evans had to stay in the past.

He managed to return to the conversation, engaging his father in a long discussion about the other squads in the World Cup. Sirius and Peter apparently liked the subject and threw themselves on it, while Euphemia entertained Lily, Marlene and Remus with anecdotes and gossip from old wizarding families.

Lily started to feel tired while they went back to the accommodations. She hadn't slept all that much because of the case and had woken up early because of the match. All she wanted was her bed, but it wasn't possible.

"Cheer up, Lily," Marlene suggested as they got dressed for the party, "I swear I'll be with you the whole time."

"You always say that, Marls, and almost always find some company," Lily grumbled. Marlene smirked and shrugged.

"Not today. I'll be with you the whole time. Maybe you'll find some company?"

Lily rolled her eyes and pulled Marlene out of the bathroom. Only Sirius wasn't ready, so James went to get him. Celebratory parties were James's favourites.

When he returned from the bedroom (which Sirius would still occupy for at least ten more minutes), he didn't expect to see Marlene and Lily already waiting for them. He had to look the other way.

What the bloody hell was wrong with him that day?! He had spent a long, long time without Lily, and it had gone well, thank you very much! Almost not even thinking about the girl who he had fancied so much back at school. And suddenly there was him, needing to look away so it wouldn't be so clear just how much he was ogling her.

Not that he hadn't seen her prettier than that before – but at that moment, something caught him. Maybe the simple skirt with some of the red hair loose, in a way he had never seen. Maybe because she wore an England jersey, his squad.

James sighed.

Lily Evans is in the past, he repeated in his mind, she's an Auror and she's investigating me. She's an Auror, and she's in the past.

Even then, he couldn't resist stealing a few other glances at her.

The party would be small, only with the players and their friends. Lily yawned three times on the ten-minutes' walk to the party, with Remus pacing silently by her side. Peter and Sirius talked about some player or other, and Marlene and James discussed Gryffindor's best teams they had seen.

As promised, Marlene stood by Lily's side the whole time. They were greeting the other players until Potter started to walk away. Lily pulled him by the shoulder.

"What are today's orders, Auror Evans?" He asked with a smirk. Lily rolled her eyes.

"No order, Potter. Just to say that I need to talk to you tomorrow again, so…"

"So no drinking for me? Sounds like an order."

"Just a…recommendation," Lily said with a shrug, "now go have fun. Merlin only knows how much you like these parties. I'll keep an eye on you."

James laughed and saluted, making Lily roll her eyes again and show a small smile.

"You don't get a tiny bit nostalgic?" Marlene asked, looking as James made his way to the rest of his squad.

"A bit," Lily agreed, "I was never that huge fan of those parties they threw. Or Potter's."

"But you didn't mind at all when Robbins took you for, erm, a dance?"

Lily blushed and chuckled while Marlene laughed.

"You know, I really didn't mind…"

They kept talking as if they were back at Hogwarts, with plenty of Butterbeer and no big worries – only now Lily was following Potter instead of ignoring him.

Not that it was that hard to find him; he was always in the middle of the groups, talking and laughing. It was easy to notice how the girls paid him more attention than the rest of the players – precisely like it happened at Hogwarts.

Lily rolled her eyes. Even here this behaviour repeated itself. Potter laughed, ran a hand through his hair, and the girls stared at him charmed.

Until a brave one asked Potter to the improvised dance floor. There was always a brave one. Lily sighed and returned to Marlene, moving her eyes occasionally to Potter to make sure he wouldn't leave.

One of the times Lily checked had Potter and the blonde girl kissing. The next time she looked, they were against a wall in a snog way too intense to be shared publicly.

Not that it was forbidden, or that Lily had something against Potter and the blonde. Not at all. If he wanted to force the scene upon everyone, there was nothing she could do about it.

The problem presented itself when Lily turned to listen to a joke from Marlene that threw her into a laughing fit that lasted five minutes. And those three hundred seconds were enough for Potter to disappear.

Lily's smile followed swiftly.

"Bloody hell, where has that imbecile gone?" She grumbled. Marlene turned to where Potter had previously been and shook her head.

"Well, dear friend of mine, usually the players take their suitors to their rooms at parties such as this one," Marlene told her.

"Not when their murder suspects, they don't," Lily retorted to herself, much too quiet for Marlene to hear over the music.

She asked Remus and Peter, but they didn't know to where their friend had gone. Sirius wasn't around, so Lily had to search every corner of the place looking for the damned captain

"I cannot believe that fucking wanker left," Lily said to Marlene.

"Which wanker?" Sirius asked out of nowhere. Lily immediately turned to him.

"Your wanker. Potter. He was with a girl. Where's he?"

"C'mon, Evans, don't kill his buzz," Sirius begged. Lily locked her jaw.

"Sirius, he cannot be unsupervised!" Lily hissed in a way that Marlene, a frown on her face, couldn't hear. Sirius sighed.

"I think he's back to our room. Are you really going there?"

Lily glared at Sirius and turned to Marlene.

"If he appears here for some reason, send me a Patronus. If I don't say anything, the idiot is there and I'll make sure he stays there."

"Lily, what's the big deal about James unsupervised? Are you insane?"

She ignored Sirius and Marlene calling her and marched to the room. She could always count on Potter to make her life harder. He just had to disappear! If he didn't break the rules, he wouldn't be James Potter, Quidditch captain. Blah! Extremely overrated!

When she reached the room's door, she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She added a wobble to her gait as she entered the room, and had to fumble around until she turned on the light. The noise that indicated other people in the room ceased. Lily giggled – everything to make the scene more credible. She wobbled inside, tripping and giggling on her way.

Until she came across Potter trying to dress his shirt as quickly as possible on the couch, and the blonde at his side fixing her dress. Lily gasped in surprise and stumbled for good measure.

"Oh, Merlin, I didn't- hic- knew you were 'ere!" Lily cried slowly. Potter frowned.

"Evans, are you drunk?" Potter asked incredulously, stopping his buttoning.

"Ops…?" Lily replied with another giggle. "Marlene brought me 'ere, but she's back at th'party…she mentioned somethin' 'bout sleeping bef're I do somethin' stupid."

The blonde raised her eyebrows and told Potter, with a French accent, that she should go, and that they'd meet another day. Potter nodded and apologised as he walked with her to the door. When he closed it, he turned to Lily with one raised eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't drink on your shift," he said. Lily spun to his direction – all angry eyes and thin lips, no giggles or wobbles.

"And I thought you'd understood when I told you that you couldn't go anywhere without either me or Benjy."

"Oh. You're not pissed, then", he noticed, running a hand through his hair and grimacing.

"Oh, I'm pissed, alright! Potter, for Merlin, you can't do this! Leave the party without telling me and bring a girl here!"

"Jealous much, Evans?" Potter asked, smirking widely. Lily threw a pillow at him.

"Don't be fucking stupid, Potter! You can snog or shag twenty girls at this championship, as long as you don't break Moody's rules!" Lily almost yelled, nearing him for effect.

"It's a bit difficult to do so with a sitter following me around 24/7!" He replied, aggravated.

"That's your condition to be here! You knew before you even arrived that I'd be watching you!"

"I didn't think you'd ruin all my fun," he grumbled. Lily crossed her arms.

"Believe me, no one wants more than me that this case ends so I can get rid of you and return to my peace and quiet, but it's just not happening, ok?" She exclaimed. "You really think that I wanted to be here, yelling at you? For Merlin, I'd rather be in a real mission, in the middle of the woods. But I can't. So please be up tomorrow at seven so I can question you again. And no more of this running away rubbish, if you may."

"Where are you going?" Potter asked when she backed away.

"Sleep. Today was longer than I'd expected. Tomorrow won't be any different. Please, don't disappear now. I've had to cast an alarming spell and I'd really like to have a full night's sleep."

James watched her walking to the bedroom she shared with Marlene, then shook his head and made his way to his own bedroom. He had forgotten that Evans might look for him there. Not that he had wanted to break the rules. Not at all.

He just wanted to return to the process of leaving Lily Evans in the past, one that had started the moment his Seventh Year ended.

He would not throw away four years because of one month.