James skidded to a stop in front of a wide window to catch his breath. Outside, it was nice night – not as cold as it had been, and the stars shone brightly in the clear air. Buoyed by how easily the set up for a teensy prank meant for tomorrow had fallen into place, James wasn't quite ready to take his good mood to bed, and so, flushed and chipper, he took a quick detour to the south tower to take advantage of the fresh air. Much to his surprise, upon opening the door he found Lily Evans. Lily Evans - alone, after curfew, and crying. Crying? In almost seven years, he didn't think he had ever seen Lily Evans cry – not when Sirius accidentally hit her with that bludger in fourth year and knocked out her tooth, not when someone called her names, not when she first got detention after socking Murdoch for calling her names.

When she saw him, she groaned and shook her head. "Oh Merlin, no. Not – could you please just go away?"

Concerned, James shut the door, and pulled his hands into his sweater against the cold. He couldn't help but wonder that even now, mussed and teary-eyed and blotchy with emotion, Lily still gave off a sort of staunch intensity which suggested she was not someone to be messed with. Although he thought he could categorically call them friends now, the look on her face made him mull over the odds of her punching him for not leaving her alone. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Right. I also like to cry in secret when nothing's the matter."

Lily rolled her eyes, exasperated with herself for the tears still leaking from her eyes. "It's that time of the month; I'm hormonal, leave me alone." She spoke brusquely as she sniffed and stared determinedly out at the dark grounds, pulling her chin up and her cloak closer.

James settled himself against the wall beside her. "Even if that's true – it means, what, that your hormones are letting a spare feeling or two leak through that habitually steely exterior of yours?" He grinned teasingly.

Lily rolled her eyes again, this time, exasperated with him.

"Look at it this way – you've given your excuses. Now you can tell me without needing to worry I'll think that it's silly, because you've already given an acceptable reason for it to be." He opened his arms wide. "I'm all ears."

Lily shook her head, mouth twitching a little at his absurdity, but she couldn't help but consider his words. She hesitated. "My sister's getting married, and she doesn't want me to be a bridesmaid." She shrugged her shoulders as dismissively as she could, but found her eyes welling up again anyway, and she pressed her lips together and looked away.

"So...hm. Did you two have a fight or something?"

The problem with looking away, Lily found, was that she couldn't try to read James' expression, and so rather reluctantly she turned to face him and gauge his countenance.

Thoughtful, interested. Hmm.

Lily pushed the hair that fell in waves just below her chin behind her ears with one of her customarily precise movements. "No fight, not exactly. We're not close at all – we haven't been for years." Lily looked out blindly over the grounds. "It just feels like I missed my last chance. Starting a new family, with new relationships, new concerns – she's not going to be especially bothered to patch up old ones." Watching the wind ripple over the lake and forest, her breath came easier, and she found it was easy to confide in James. "My sister doesn't like me. Neither does her fiancé, his family, their friends – several of whom will be her bridesmaids. It would be awful, I know that. It just feels..." she trailed off, looked down. "It's just kind of shite."

"That's not stupid." James said quietly.

Lily snorted and gave him a somewhat self-depreciating smile, eyebrows raised. "Being predictably snubbed as bridesmaid and skulking off to cry? In a tower? At night?" She nodded gravely. "Yes, I suppose that's not the least bit overdramatic."

James shook his head. "You're not upset about not being a bridesmaid. You're upset at what that implies."

Lily didn't know what to say to that, so she merely shrugged, jaw tightening as she suddenly became very interested in the hem of her sleeve.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Look, it'll be fine. Screw her. Go to the wedding, look amazing, get drunk, snog a groomsman or two, laugh at people, maybe knock over a table. It'll be a breeze."

Lily gave a small hum, and a dimple appeared in her cheek. "Interesting thought, although I suppose some might find a small fault or two in that plan." She gave her sleeve a final tug before crossing her arms to give James her full attention.

"What? Impossible. How'd you figure?"

"Well, first of all – I can't look too good, like I'm trying to draw attention away from Petunia. On the other hand, I can't look like I didn't bother to try, either. I have to look like I tried but sort of failed."

James laughed, and Lily shook her head, smiling wryly. "It's a fine line." She pursed her lips, enjoying herself now. "And I'm not after ruining her wedding, so I certainly can't make a scene." She looked at him askance. "Muggle weddings can't be that different from wizarding ones."

"Well, I supposed I just suspected a sister of yours would have a better sense of humour."

Lily opened her mouth, but not finding a tactful way of saying "Petunia has the sense of humour of half a head of wilting lettuce," she shut it soundlessly.

James seemed to get the picture. "Well, you'll just have to be quietly amused, that's all."

"I don't know," Lily mused. "You know how some things are hilarious no matter what, but other things are only amusing if you know someone else is in on the joke?" The breeze blew her hair across her face again, and she absentmindedly smoothed it back into place. "I think this may be one of those things." Lily got an odd, considering look on her face. "Do you think..." she glanced sideways at James, and then trailed off, shaking her head.

"What?"

"Would you like to come with me?" Almost immediately, Lily regretted asking, and hastened to explain. "I mean, I know you're seeing Marcia – I'm not – I just thought – and there's no reason you'd want to come for fun anyway; it won't be fun, it will be awful. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. Never mind." Lily shook her head. "Maybe...Sirius?" she deliberated before her eyes widened in alarm as she thought it through. "Oh, God, no, that's an even more awful idea."

James was simply shaking his head, smiling. "Sure, I'll come."

Lily's head jerked around to allow her to frown at him. "What, really?"

He shrugged, grinning loosely. "Why not? Could be a laugh. Besides, what's a favour between friends?"

"What about Marcia? I mean, are you sure she'd be okay with this?"

James looked honestly surprised. "Why not? What's wrong with helping out a friend while getting some laughs and free drinks in return?"

Lily raised a sceptical brow. "Because I'm a friend with breasts whom you admittedly used to fancy, and it's a wedding." She gestured vaguely. "Weddings are...you know. A thing. Usually." James looked bemused, and Lily huffed irritably, feeling a bit ridiculous. "It just might be strange for her if...you know...you meet my family before hers. Or whatever."

James shrugged, unconcerned. "It'll be fine."

"You look decent."

Standing in the doorway of her family home, Lily gave James a strange look.

"You toe the line well."

"Oh." Lily shook her head. "Thank you." She gave a small, mocking bow. "I do what I can." Her dress was a pretty, muted lavender colour, and was trim and modest – almost military. Her wavy hair remained typically down, although it was perhaps somewhat more styled than usual. If it was anyone else, James would've thought prim, but somehow, prim never seemed to apply to Lily. She looked him up and down amusedly. "You look well yourself." She hesitated. "Muggles don't wear ties like that anymore. Hang on – I'll get one of my father's."

She disappeared back into the house, and James looked around a bit awkwardly, jerking back around as the door closed itself with a muffled bang. A moment later, Lily opened it again, looking a bit harassed. "Sorry. Here." She held up two ties, squinting between them and his outfit. "This one," she said decisively, and draped the rejected tie over her arm. "Come on, off with it."

James obligingly took his tie off, and Lily gave his collar a firm tug to bring him closer to her so she could do up its replacement.

"Might as well go all out with a Full Windsor." In the crisp December air, Lily's hands were cold when they brushed against James' neck, and her cheeks very pink. Hardly a moment after she had finished, she was pulling the tie off again, and starting over. "No, no, no...no. Keep the schoolboy look." She looked the newly secured tie over with a critical eye, and nodded in satisfaction. "Much better."

James smiled a bit crookedly. "Alright, then."

The door swung itself closed again, and they both jumped slightly. Lily gave an abrupt, awkward laugh before biting her lip. "I'm sorry I left you out here in the cold. I just – well, there's a lot of people in there – every time I turn around, someone new is unhappy with something or other. I suppose I'm a bit nervous." She rubbed her palms absently on the skirt of her dress, before gesturing mock-gravely towards the door. "Won't you come in, good sir?"

"Well now, I don't know, after this treatment," James returned teasingly. He shifted the flowers he held in order to stuff his own tie into his pocket. He noticed as Lily's not-so-covert glance lingered on the flowers she had assiduously been trying to ignore. "For your mother."

"Oh?" Lily raised her brows as she shook her head, smiling crookedly as she opened the door. "You are good."

They left for the church not long after his arrival. Two steps through the door, Lily had been called away by a harried-sounding woman while he was subjected to a brisk and uncomfortable grilling by some sort of relative – he never quite figured out who – before it was apparently decided it didn't matter as he was another pair of hands, and a small stack of last minute items was given to him to carry as he was shuffled back out the door behind a similarly laden Lily.

The church looked nice. White flowers were everywhere. James didn't know what kind they were – frilly and potent but pleasant smelling— but they made the place look admirably connubial. The ceremony seemed to go well enough. James was distracted by the dogs barking outside, the late afternoon sun shining blindingly through the frost on the stained glass windows, and the disconcertingly pleasant smell of Lily beside him. He hadn't really noticed until she leaned closer to explain something, and suddenly all he could think was that she smelled green, somehow. At one point, he noticed her eyes were a bit moist, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. She returned the action with a brief, surprised smile.

The reception was being held in some sort of banquet hall in the lower levels of the church, and Lily took advantage of the congestion of people on the stairs to whisper instructions in James' ear as they slowly made their way down.

"Number one. Sports. Say you really only follow competitive swimming. I don't think anyone here should have much to say about that. Number two. Cars. Say you don't have one because you think it's an irresponsible use of fossil fuels. That should nip any further conversation in that vein in the bud." James filed the advice away, a bit muddled by the discomfiting combination of Lily's discreet, businesslike tone and her breath warming his cheek. "Number three. If they ask you what your parents do, just say...I don't know. Corporate auditing, and that you find it unbearably dull and know nothing more about it."

"What if they ask what I want to do?"

"Well...what do you want to do?"

James rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. "I don't know."

Lily snorted. "That answer seems believable enough. Go with it."

James felt somewhat defensive. "What do you tell people you want to be?"

"A chemist." She replied promptly.

"A what?"

She shrugged. "It's a reasonable equivalent to medical potioneer, at least. Anyway. Number four. If anyone asks about us, just say we're friends from school – which they think is called St. Glidas, by the way – and leave it at that." She paused, before adding delicately. "And even though I've made it clear you're here as a friend – it may be best to avoid saying you have a girlfriend. Just – well..." Lily found herself at a bit of a loss to explain why this seemed simpler.

"I get it, don't worry about it."

"You're sure?" Lily examined his face closely for a moment. Satisfied, she continued, "And lastly – I owe you one." She placed a hand on his arm for a moment. "Really, thank you."

"I told you, don't worry about it. Although I may steal some of your cake."

"Now that's just wildly unreasonable. I'll sneak you a second piece."

Several glasses of champagne in, Lily had become a wellspring of giggles in a display of light-heartedness which James found endlessly amusing. Everyone knew Lily was game for a clever comeback, but James also knew plenty of people thought her to be somewhat of a shrew. He on the other hand had long since learned to look for the dimple frequenting her right cheek that meant she was holding back a smile, the narrowed eyes some mistook for disapproval, but were really a sign of hidden amusement, and the short, sudden, ha! that was often heard as scornful, but really meant the laugh had been surprised out of her. The giggling, however, was new, and had him on the lookout for anything he could to ensure she kept it up. A woman with dogs – one under each arm, back legs constantly scrambling for a purchase, and James' continuous muttered comments about it had Lily in stitches for nearly ten minutes.

Several women who hadn't been at their table during dinner sat down across from them – James imagined they were aunts of some sort – and he was startled and impressed at how quickly Lily straightened and sobered under their gazes. He went over his orders in his head again – he had been somewhat taken aback at just how accurately Lily had predicted what the guests at their table would ask him about during dinner. The taller of these two new women was eyeing him carefully, and he hoped she would also be satisfied to ask about sports and cars. Not removing her gaze from his face, she first spoke to Lily.

"Your mother said James is your fellow Head Student."

"Yes, he is." Lily turned to James. "Aunt Judith is headmistress of a secondary in Kent."

"Oh, that's...that's nice." Aunt Judith was still looking at James in a way he found highly uncomfortable, and he tried to discreetly sit up straighter himself.

"What is Lily like as Head Girl?"

"What?"

"What is Lily like to work with?"

James glanced at Lily uncertainly. Her eyes bore into his, clearly attempting to send him a message, but he had no idea what it was. "Good." Aunt Judith's gaze didn't waver. "Er...practical? Good humoured. No nonsense. Smart. Really, really smart. Unruffle...able." James furrowed his brows. "What's an actual word for that?"

"Composed?" The other aunt-like woman was looking more than slightly amused, which seemed to have put a stitch in Lily's brow.

"Yeah, composed, that works."

"And what about James?"

Lily looked at him pointedly. "Descriptive," she said dryly. "No, diplomatic." She shook her head and grabbed his elbow. "Excuse us. Come on, dance with me."

James followed her to the dance floor without objection.

"What was that about?" James queried as he absentmindedly posed them for dancing.

"Who knows?" Lily said dismissively, but after a moment, she sighed. "Don't laugh."

"Never." Intrigued, James grinned at her.

She huffed and stared at his shoulder. "My family considers me to be somewhat of a wild child. I'm not entirely sure they all even believe I was truly made Head Girl."

James' grin became wider.

"Oi! I told you, no—"

"I'm not laughing." He tried but failed to rein in his grin. "So you're the Evans family rebel. What a world we live in."

"Just shut it."

"No, but seriously, if you were any more strait-laced, you'd probably break; how –"

"Don't make me hex you."

He gasped theatrically. "In front of all these Muggles? Such rampant misbehaviour! I'm flabbergasted, truly, although I suppose I should have expected it considering –"

Lily tripped him and he stumbled, accidentally pulling them both into the path of a pair of affronted Dursleys.

"Ooff – Sorry."

"Sorry. Sorry." Lily flushed, looking mortified as she and James straightened and found their rhythm again. He was grinning, and she glared at him warningly. "Don't you dare."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He glanced over his shoulder at the recovered pair of dancers, and then around the room. "No one told me there was going to be a competition."

Lily looked confused. "What?"

"The 'who can boast the loudest chequered dinner jacket' contest. I think I could give them a run for their money, had I been properly prepared."

Lily didn't smile as she shook her head, but her eyes did. "I don't know," she said seriously. "It would take some seriously doing to overcome your handicap – they're much more impressive for the rather voluminous figures. It really lets the patterns take proper stage."

James snickered, and Lily smacked his shoulder lightly. "What was that for? You said it."

"I know." Lily's mouth quirked. "I just think you make me a slightly more terrible person, that's what that was for."

Now James scoffed. "Champagne brings it out, maybe, but don't go blaming this on me. You must just be a naturally rubbish person."

"I imagine so." She mused on the figures of the bride and groom dancing across the room. "What about Petunia – d'you reckon she'll get there? She's always been the slender one."

James just shrugged. So far, they hadn't had much interaction with the happy couple. Lily had said earlier that she suspected Petunia was purposefully avoiding her, and she had decided, seeing as it was Petunia's wedding after all, that she'd oblige her by keeping away.

Luckily, she had a distraction.

"This is like worst lift ever."

Lily frowned in confusion. "What?" James merely grinned at her, but in a moment she connected his statement to the string quartet playing covers of cheesy pop songs, and snorted. "Sure, except it's three hours long."

"As I said, worst ever." James looked out again over the mass of guests. "I think this is the quietest party I've ever been to. Whose family do all the terrifying people with the sticks in their bums belong to?"

Lily shook her head reprovingly. "What a lovely, flattering description. While I'd like to pretend I don't know what you're talking about, I assume you're referring to mine."

"Mum's or dad's?"

She twisted her mouth wryly. "Yes."

James grinned. "Any particular reason?"

"Oh, you know. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, some strict upbringing, a sprinkling of current and former nuns, and a dash of Armed Forces."

James caught a glimpse of Lily's father, who had been staring steadfastly at the pair of them since they began to dance. "What about your dad?"

"Royal Marine."

"Oh yeah?" James took a longer look, and thought perhaps Mr. Evans looked a tad displeased. "What does he do, exactly?"

"I'd tell you, but then he'd have to kill you."

His gaze jerked back to Lily. She was smiling at him slightly, but he had the feeling the jocular statement was somewhat based on a real requirement of confidentiality. He made a show of putting more space between them, and Lily laughed fleetingly.

"At ease, soldier."

"I think I'm beginning to understand you better."

"Oh?"

"You can come across as rather...formidable. It would seem you come about it naturally enough."

Lily scoffed. "I'm not formidable. I'm...fun." She smacked his shoulder again, harder. "I'm extremely fun."

James was amused to see Lily honestly looked a bit put out. "I never said you weren't. Please don't hurt me."

She scrunched up her face at him.

"I'm sort of hungry again. Are you hungry again?"

James shook his head at her a little dumbfoundedly as they made their way around the edge of the room. "Are we not going to talk about that? You've just spent the last – I don't even know how long – talking serious Muggle medicine with someone who works with Muggle medicine. I don't think I even understood a quarter of what you said."

"Was it really that long? Sorry; I'm sure it wasn't exactly enthralling for you."

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't bored – I was too busy being impressed."

Lily threw him a look.

"I'm not kidding. You take your cover seriously."

Lily looked somewhat surprised. "It's not a cover. I told you – I want to work with medical potions."

"Riiiight. And this involves scalpels and stetho-whosy-whatsits how?

They passed a group of older women who smiled at them, and Lily waited until they were well past to respond. "More than people realise. Take the Irkhe Infusion, for example. It's the most powerful pain potion there is, assuming you want to stay conscious."

"Okay..."

"Well, the main ingredient is willow bark, isn't it? Taken from a tree of an age divisible by seven, and simmered in honeywater for thirteen days, right?"

"Um...sure."

"Well, willow bark has been used in Muggle medicine against pain for thousands of years. It contains salicin, which is what they get acetaminophen from now – another medication for pain."

"That's interesting, but one example –"

Lily shook her head earnestly. "Except it's not one example. The more you look, the more correlations you find. So, well, I look. You never know what it could reveal – what one might offer the other."

James scrutinized her for a moment before looking away, smiling. "I'm not sure the wizarding world is ready for you, Evans. Next thing you know, you'll be trying to give us stitches."

"Well, if you knew the statistics for botched suturing charms performed by novice healers, you might not find it so ridiculous, but..." She tilted her head. "Point taken." She snagged two glasses of champagne from an abandoned tray, and handed one to James. "The wizarding world will just have to deal with me, ready or no."

James shifted into a more comfortable position, crossing his ankles in front of him as he leaned more fully against the wall. He and Lily had escaped from the bustle to sit in a dark corridor smelling of musty wood, bearing a second round of cake that Lily had charmed (possibly intimidated – James was never certain which to call it) out of the wait staff. Although they were out of sight, the murmur of music and conversation from the party was still audible. Lily stretched out her own legs and toed off her heels gratefully, revealing several runs in her nylons.

"Why must big events require new shoes? The concept of an 'event' pretty much implies you'll be standing most of the time – so why do they involve the most uncomfortable things? People are still dancing for fucks sake." She took a particularly large bite of cake with relish. "So – are you meeting Marcia's family over the hols? Are you two to that point yet?"

"Actually..." James looked a bit uncomfortable. "We sort of broke it off."

"What?" Lily jerked her head around to stare at James in surprise. "That's – I'm sorry. What happened? Is it okay to ask what happened?"

James played with his fork and didn't answer or look at her, and Lily felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. "James?"

Now he did look at her, determinedly so. "Now, don't make too much of this, because it really had nothing to do with you."

"Oh Merlin, oh, no, what's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed resignedly, placing his plate on the ground to run his hands through his hair. "She didn't want me to come here today."

Lily's eyes went wide. "You broke up over this? James, you should've – you didn't have to – I shouldn't have –"

James shook his head firmly. "No, don't make it like that."

"What? I said, didn't I, that she might have a problem with this, or with me. You should've told me; I would've understood. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to feel badly. It's not you, really, it was her. She didn't trust me— didn't think it was important for me to be there for a friend." He shrugged.

"And you didn't mention this before because..."

"Because you already had a grab-bag of unpleasant feelings about today. I didn't want you to – unwarrantedly – add feeling guilty to the mix."

"James..." Lily looked uncertain. "Would you like me to talk to her? Would that help?"

"No." James, on the other hand, was very certain. "If she can't trust me not to try anything behind her back, then I really don't see the point."

The air had gotten heavy, and Lily missed the levity from earlier. "Well, it is true that I'm rather amazing." She scratched her nose. "Some would even say beguiling. The term adorable has been thrown around more than once."

James smiled half-heartedly. "And you have whipped up the perfect storm of emotional upheaval, gratefulness, and inebriation. If I was the sort of bloke to take advantage, this would be the night."

"What can be done; the stars have aligned." Lily's smile faded as James merely nodded, absently scraping his fork along his empty plate. "You need more cake."

"You do realize we're stealing from a church, right?"

"Barely. And only technically."

The top of the cake had already been packed up for the newlyweds to take home, so Lily had poked around until she found a tin of biscuits for them to take back to their corridor refuge.

"I just wouldn't expect it of you."

"What do you mean?"

"At school – you just...I mean, you don't muck about. Or unwind. Or...you know, smile, sometimes."

"Yeah, well, that's school, isn't it?"

James gave her a look.

"What?" she defended. "It's important. Of course I'm not going to mess around. This is my chance, you know?"

"No, not really."

Lily sighed, turning a biscuit absentmindedly in her hands. "Skills are important. Education is important. It's what you take with you. I mean, maybe it's a bit...much, or silly, or whatever, but it's how I was raised, I suppose. You can lose your possessions, your friends, your health, your reputation...what you've got is what you can do. So you should learn to do as much as possible, you know? Those are the resources you take with you. I just mean...if you lost your broom, you'd still know how to fly." Lily bit her lips thoughtfully, before leaning her head back against the wall and smiling up at the ceiling. "Maybe I'm not that much fun after all."

"Sure you're fun. You're just...committed. And a good kid who listens to your parents, apparently. Merlin, my parents would love a kid like you; how exactly you got the reputation as the "wild child," as you put it, I'll never understand."

Lily snorted. "Being a shite liar, mostly. I mean, it's obvious I'm always lying...and you'll have to excuse my aunties if their minds don't automatically go to 'secret school for magic.' You also need to bear in mind that as a kid...I mean, I was magic." She gave James a sidelong glance, eyes narrow. "Things happened." The dimple appeared again. "And now...well...I also swear, sometimes. And I drink. And wear short skirts." The dimple trembled and cracked into a grin. "And there was that time I ended up in hospital after that motorcycle fiasco. And the time I got picked up by the police at a protest that got out of hand." She shook her head, steadfastly staring at her knees in refusal to acknowledge James' clearly tickled expression. "I also don't intend on joining the church. Or the military. Not even public service." She finally bit into her biscuit, brushing the crumbs from her lap. "I'm a hopeless cause, essentially." Now she did look at him, flushed and smiling crookedly. "You have to remember, you see me at school. I mean, I don't like to — I suppose that I—" She frowned, searching for the words. "I know I don't really do...casual...very well, generally. But at the end of the day, I'm a swot, not a proper prig."

"Oh, please, how many times have you gotten me into trouble?"

Lily snorted. "When you deserved it. The real question is how many times have I not?"

"What? That doesn't even make sense."

"Oh, doesn't it, Prongs?"

"I—" James' face lost a good deal of its colour. "What?"

Lily watched him, smiling and comfortable from her suddenly much, much higher ground.

"How do you kn—what is it, exactly, that you think you know?" James watched her carefully, as a small animal might, not yet certain if it had been spotted by some lurking predator.

"I know that you, Sirius, and Peter somehow manage to turn yourselves into animals once a month to keep an eye on Remus." She smugly watched James gape soundlessly. "I don't know how you do it – if the three of you synchronize spells, or get Remus to charm and transfigure you beforehand, or if one of you idiots figured out Animagism, and that one casts spells on the others before transforming themselves." She tilted her head musingly. "I don't suppose you'll tell me." It was a statement, not a question.

James tried to find his way around his tongue. "How – how?"

Lily shrugged. "I go to the south tower sometimes when I can't sleep. I saw you – well," she modified, "I saw enough to suspect it was you, and then went to check your dormitory. And then I checked again – you know, the next time – just to be certain."

"When?"

"Sixth year, sometime." She squinted, considering. "I'm not quite sure when; it hadn't snowed yet."

"And you've just...kept it to yourself for over a year?"

"Of course I've kept it to myself. I'm not a monster." Her face softened. "And neither is Remus. And while the rest of you are clearly complete imbeciles, you're also remarkably good friends. So there's that."

James studied her for a moment, still and serious. The moment passed, and he relaxed, grabbing another biscuit from the tin on her lap and grinning at her. "And you are a liar. And a tippler, and a rabble-rouser. And you ride a motorcycle, apparently. And now you're eating biscuits you've stolen from a church."

"I'm surprised people don't tremble when I walk into the room."

"Well I, for one, am shaking in my boots."

She chucked a biscuit at him, but grinning, he caught it.

"Prat. And I don't ride a motorcycle; I've ridden a motorcycle. There's a difference."

"Oh, come on. Do me a favour, don't spoil the illusion."

"Do yourself a favour; don't irritate me whilst I have full custody of the biscuits."

"Someone's touchy."

"Someone's insufferable." She passed him the tin.

x

I seem to always see people complaining about representations of Lily being too much of an uptight stick-in-the-mud, and while I sort of agree, I also think there's a whole range of things and intensities 'uptight' can mean other than 'always yelling,' and anyway, I sort of absentmindedly started this, and then it just sort of kept going. I'd love your thoughts!

(Also to anyone who cares – Love and Other Impossible Things is not abandoned or anything; I just had to scrap pretty much everything for the next chapter as I realized it wouldn't work in the long-run, and it made me grumpy and I'm now I'm procrastinating on it a bit.)