"So... Peter got drunk tonight." 

James blinked at the mirror. "I'm sorry, what? Come again?"

"Peter," Sirius repeated. "He got drunk."

James sat up in bed, the blankets falling from his chest. A smirk went across Sirius's face. "Hubba-hubba," he muttered, jostling his eyebrows up and down, "Look at those pecs."

"Shut it," James replied, dropping the mirror so Sirius was looking at the ceiling while he bent over the side of his bed and grabbed his t-shirt from the floor. "How in blazes did Pete get drunk? I thought your special Hogsmeade weekend wasn't 'til next week?" 

"It isn't," Sirius replied. Then, as James was about to pull on his shirt, "Leave it, I actually sort of like the view." He grinned evilly.

James sighed. "I s'pose it is Tuesday."

"That's right it is!" Sirius grinned. "And a marvelous Tuesday it is, too." He grinned in admiration.

"Keep looking at me like that and I'll put on a parka as well as the shirt!" James threatened.

Sirius laughed.

"So what'd Peter do then, knick your Firewhiskey?"

"I left the Firewhiskey bottle with him during the Yule Ball - I was spiking the eggnog and he liked it - and the stupid rat, he went and drank the whole bleedin' thing."

James smacked his forehead.

"Yeah, exactly," Sirius snickered. "But listen, that's not the thing. The thing is after he got drunk and knocked down by Wendy --"

"What?"

"Long story, we'll circle back," Sirius replied, then continued, "-- Me and Remus carried him up stairs and put him in bed and the little wanker, he sits up and he delivers a prophecy."

James's eyes narrowed in confusion. "A prophecy?"

"Yes, like a real honest to gods, Pete's-a-seer prophecy," Sirius declared. "And the real knocker is he doesn't even remember doing it."

"Well, what'd he say?" James asked.

Sirius cleared his throat, "Something about treasure that's rare, and there's an heir that's a mother and a brother also --"

"What?"

"I dunno," Sirius said, then continued, "He said... um, something about a prophecy being placed and cold water, and..."

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Let me get Remus up."

"Good idea."

James watched as Sirius carried the bit of mirror up the dormitory steps and into the dorm. He was looking mostly as Sirius's pyjama pants and his bare feet on the carpet through most of the ride, though when they got to the dormitory, he turned it so James could see Remus's sleeping form. "Look at my widdle Moonykins, so precious when he sleeps, so innocent... so much less sarcastic..." Sirius grinned.

James hissed, "Just wake him up."

"That's what I'm doing, calm your tits."

James rolled his eyes.

"Oi Moony," Sirius gently shook Remus's shoulder. "Moonpie."

"Rule Number One, Sirius," Remus murmured into the pillows.

James snorted, "At least one of you is following the rules."

"Says the one I found in his tighties in bed with Evans not long ago."

"Entirely different situation."

"Aye, I'm sure..." Sirius nudged Remus's shoulder, "Oi, Moony, I've got Prongs on the mirror and he wants to talk to us, wake the fuck up."

Remus groaned, but he rolled over groggily, his eyes a little unfocused as he looked up at James's reflection. "Hi," he murmured. "What'chu want?"

"He wants you to recite the thingy Wormy said earlier."

Remus drew a deep breath, and repeated the whole prophecy over - three times so that James could write it down. Then, "Love you mate, but it's way too early to be chatting. Night." He rolled back over, then, on second thought, added, "Merry Christmas and all that."

"Merry Christmas and all that," James answered, though he was clearly still musing on the prophecy. 

Sirius carried the mirror back downstairs. "What do you make of it?" he asked as he trotted down them to the common room and plopped down on the couch. "Moony and I couldn't come up with much of anything."

James rubbed his face, "I dunno either, but I'll keep thinking on it." He paused, "Did you and Moony have fun at the Ball tonight?"

"I didn't take Moony," Sirius replied.

James looked confused. "What? Why?"

"Moony was Peter's date."

"Who was your date, then?" James asked, confused.

Sirius grinned. "Peeves."

"Alright. I need all the details about how that happened," James laughed. "Anyone take a photograph by chance? Because I'd love to see that if they did!" 

Lily Evans was waiting outside of her house, wearing her coat, Gryffindor scarf, and mittens, patting her hands together and waiting for Marlene and Ali to arrive. The lot of them were to be going to get their significant others Christmas presents in Diagon Alley. Lily would've waited inside but Vernon Dursley was over and Petunia was being particularly obnoxious. Mrs. Evans was out, and whenever the girls were alone Tuney acted as though she were automatically in charge. Lily had put on her coat and announced that she was going to wait in the carpark outside instead of the sitting room with the two of them. "You'll freeze!" Petunia snapped, "You can't wait outside, mummy wouldn't let you. She'd tell you to wait inside, it's more proper."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Proper! Well Petunia, I reckon that the frigid air outside is better than the frigid bitch inside!" And she'd stepped outside while Tuney was still gape-mouthed and scrambling for a response.

So there she was, outside and freezing just as Petunia had predicted, batting her hands together to warm up, her breath coming out in silvery clouds that hung in the air.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack just down the street and Lily looked - expecting to see Marlene or Alice and instead there was an older witch, with a deeply lined, severe looking face and dark grey eyes. The woman came toward Lily, marching resolutely, and Lily had a funny feeling and quickly reached into her pocket to draw her wand, clutching it in her fist as the woman approached.

"Lily Evans?" The voice was sharp and hard.

She didn't know why she felt the need to do it, but something inside of her told her that she had to lie. Lily shook her head, "I'm her sister. Petunia." The woman stopped several paces away, at the end of the sidewalk, not coming up the car park even a step. Lily took a couple steps backward, uneasy. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Lily's," the woman lied. 

Lily nodded. "Oh? Well, if you tell me your name, I'll tell her you were here when she gets back."

The woman smiled. "That's alright, dear... I'll check back another time." And she turned and walked away, back down the street the way she'd come, before disapparating.

Lily stared at the spot where she'd disappeared, feeling profusely uneasy. There'd been something about the woman that was almost familiar, but not entirely, and she didn't like the way she'd been lied to, the way the woman refused to leave her name, the way she had said that she'd come back...

It was at that precise moment that Ali showed up, running up the street from where the Knight Bus stood, having just dropped her off. The driver, Ernie, waved goodbye as he closed the door with his lever and the bus streaked away down the street, a great purple blur. "Hey!" Ali cried, running up, "I told Marlene we could just meet her at Diagon Alley, so she'll be waiting there. I thought we could floo since you hate the Knight Bus and all..." She noticed the funny expression on Lily's face. "What's the matter?"

Lily glanced at the spot the woman had disapparated from. "It's just that there was a funny woman here a moment ago," she explained, "She was looking for me."

"What for? Who was she?" Ali asked, confused.

"I dunno," Lily admitted, "When I asked that, she simply said that she was my friend. I told her I was Tuney, see, because... I don't know, there was something about her. I didn't fancy her having the correct information, honestly."

"Well, what'd she look like?" Ali asked.

Lily said, "Black hair in a tight bun, a pointed nose and chin, thin features, really, and eyes that were dark grey, sort of like --" She cut herself off, a bit of a panic rising up in her stomach. "Oh no."

"What?" Ali asked, nervous at the expression on Lily's face.

"It must have been Sirius Black's mother!" 

"Why would Sirius Black's mother be here?" Ali asked, confused. "I thought Sirius cut his mum and dad out?"

"He did," Lily answered, "I doubt she was here looking for Sirius... although I don't know why she would be here looking for me, either." But even as she said it a cold feeling went through her. Could it be something to do with the locket? Had Sirius's mother somehow found out that Lily had been given the locket to protect? Thinking of this, she wondered if James had remembered to collect the locket from Regulus (she doubted it), and she wondered if Regulus had gone home for the holidays or if he'd remained at Hogwarts and, either way, if he had the locket still safe with him? Furthermore, if Sirius and Regulus's mother was searching for the locket, was it, indeed, safe with Regulus? Not that she doubted Regulus's loyalty, but in that accidents could happen, and she worried not only about the locket but about Regulus as well. "I need to talk to James," Lily concluded out loud.

Ali said, "What? Girl, today is meant to be shopping for the boys, not getting them to come along!"

"I know. I'm sorry Ali. I'll join you and Marlene after, alright? I just have to talk to James first really quickly. I'm very sorry." Lily looked either way down the street for any watching muggles, then she took a deep breath before - this would be only her fourth time doing this and it made her quite nervous - turning on the spot and disapparrating with a crack.

Ali stared at the spot where Lily had been and sighed before sticking out her wand hand for the Knight bus.

Lily landed, spinning, on the lane just outside the Lupin house - or outside the Fidelus that hid it from sight, rather. She stepped over the line of the Fidelus, revealing the house itself, and hurried through the gate, running up the walk to the house and knocking on the door.

Dora Potter came to the door, humming tunelessly. "Oh Lily!" she exclaimed when she'd opened the door. "Were we expecting you? James never tells me anything! Just a moment while I --" she turned, "Scourgify!" There was a great commotion inside as things straightened and cleaned themselves hurriedly.

Lily said, "Oh it isn't James's fault, he doesn't know I'm here, but I need to talk to him right away, it's very urgent."

Dora said, "I believe he's up in his room, he was talking to Sirius Black half the night on those little mirrors they've got - quite a clever charm..." Lily had pushed her way in, her nerves unable to handle any further delays, and started for the stairs, "Just go ahead on up!" Dora called, as though it were her idea for Lily to head on through.

Charlus was coming down as Lily was going up the stairs and they passed one another. "Oh hello there! Good morning!" Charlus grinned at Lily, "Headed to see James, are you? Might want to give yourself an oxygenation spell before going in there! Dirty quidditch gear everywhere... Honestly I'm not sure how he breathes himself in there for the smell of it..."

"Good morning, thanks Mr. Potter for the warning but after their dormitory at Hogwarts, I reckon I could breathe pure toxic fumes with the immunity I've built up..." Lily answered. She heard Charlus chuckle behind her as she reached the top of the stairs and ran down the hallway to the room that was James Potter's. She knocked once, then pushed the door opened without waiting for James to respond.

He was asleep, sprawled on the bed like a funny starfish, his legs hanging off the end of the bed by an easy six inches, his arms dangling off each side, glasses on but skewed by the pillow pressing them into his temple, the bit of broken mirror on the floor, showing the velvet bed curtains of Sirius and Remus's bed back at the school. His mouth hung slightly opened and she paused in the doorway, staring at him, her breath caught in her throat. There was something precious about him, something innocent, that wasn't there when he was awake. Or maybe it was, but not as starkly obvious. James's vulnerability asleep was a different side of him that he didn't present normally, and it seemed somehow sacred, like it needed to be appreciated in the observance of it.

Carefully, Lily stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She stepped over a couple discarded articles of clothing and James's broomstick, picking it up to lean against the wall more safely than where he'd left it laying about. She waved her wand to clear up the dirty laundry and put them in an empty hamper by his door. It wasn't much, but already the room looked much better. 

Lily walked over and knelt down beside the bed, looking at James's face. His hair was fallen over his forehead with a slight natural curl to it. She reached up and pushed it out of his face gently, and he sort of stirred, though only a little. "Potter," she whispered, then, when no reaction was forthcoming, a little louder, "Potter.... Potter." Still no response. She shook his shoulder - gentle at first, then more roughly. "James!"

He snorted awake, his eyes blinking open and struggling to focus through the skewed glasses, finally landing on her. James stared at her for several long seconds, taking her in, his eyes moving over her features. He rubbed his eyes and stared again, then murmured, "Evans?"

"Yeah it's me. Wake up, I have to talk to you... and besides that, it's nearly noon, you oughtn't be in bed now anyway!" Lily said in a mother-hen sort of voice.

James, still groggy, rolled over and sat up, fixing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, then refocusing on her again. His mind still fogged from sleep, he didn't think anything of the fact that his torso was bared as the blankets tumbled away from him - at least not until he looked up at Lily as the sleep-fog was clearing and saw her staring, biting her lips. Flushing, he grabbed the shirt that Sirius had stopped him putting on and tugged it over his head quickly. "I'm sorry, I can't believe your here, I didn't think I'd see you 'til tonight."

"I know, but something happened this morning and I had to tell you about it but first off, did you remember to get the locket from Regulus?"

James shook his head, "It's with him back at Hogwarts."

"So Regulus is safe at Hogwarts and the locket's with him? Thank gods." Lily sank down, sitting on the end of the bed near James's feet.

"Why? What's happened? What's the matter?" James's brow furrowed in worry, even as he was telling himself within not to panic that Lily Evans was on his bed, in his room. He tried to covertly wipe his sweaty palms on the golden snitch pyjama pants he wore under the covers.

"I think Sirius's mum is looking for the locket," Lily answered, "And I don't know how, but I think she might know that I have it."