Flying Letters

"Women complain about PMS, but I think of it as the only time of the month when I can be myself." - Roseanne Barr

"Mmm."

Frowning at the painful image still hazily floating inside my head, I hugged my pillow closer as I snuggled my face into my sheets. My eyes drooped with drowsiness.

"Lily."

I tossed and turned as my head found refuge on the other side of the bed. The hard, crisp feel of sheets. It was all a dream.

"Lily."

Shush. This was sleep time. Be quiet, pillow.

"Come on, Lily."

I groaned. I didn't want to get up. My bed was too warm, and my talking pillow was still so soft.

"Wake up."

I hissed and grumbled as I felt hands tapping my side. I squirmed out of the way, but the tugging returned.

"Lily!"

I remembered foggily that pillows didn't have hands or mouths-usually. There must have been someone else in my room. I forced one bleary eye open groggily.

A familiar face was peering down at me anxiously.

"Mum?" I called out.

"Yes, Lily," she answered me back without lowering her voice.

Didn't she realize that people were sleeping? How rude!

"Wake up!"

"It's too early," I groaned as I stuffed my face back into my pillow.

"It's eleven!" she replied in exasperation.

"Too early," I grunted. "Come back tomorrow."

"Lily!"

"Lily's closed," I murmured into my pillow.

"Yeah, well, I'm the Mum. I don't have to follow hour schedules," she told me forcefully.

Then, I sensed her hands as they yanked my pillow out from under my face, and I felt my nose hit the mattress and bounce back and forth in response. I muttered something unintelligible with slurred expletives under my breath.

Angrily, I flipped over and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. "What?" I growled.

My mum shot me a dirty look. "It's time to wake up, young lady."

I sat up slightly and pulled at my unruly tendrils. "Sorry, Mum, I was having a weird dream."

Her forehead crinkled with worry. "What was it about?"

"I don't remember," I lied. I grimaced as I recalled the stomping of feet, the frustrated man's screams, the flash of green light, the cackling, the feeling of emptiness inside of me. I took a deep breath. It had only been a dream. Still, I felt like I had dreamt it once before.

Mum sat down next to me on my bed. "You okay, Lily?" she asked as she pressed her hand to my forehead. "Do you feel sick?"

I opened my mouth to answer her, but she continued without my reply. "You don't have a temperature. Maybe I could call Dr. Schooster and set up an appointment."

I swatted her arm away and rolled my eyes dramatically. "Mum, quit worrying. You'll give yourself even more gray hair. I'm fine."

She pulled at her hair anxiously. "Do the roots show? I knew I shouldn't have waited the extra week to make the appointment. It's just that you and your sister give me all of this stress."

I chuckled. "You look fine, Mum."

"Really?"

"Like a freshly picked daisy," I told her sweetly.

"Good," replied Mum, pacified. Her eyes narrowed. "Now, young lady, would you mind explaining to me why your father found you and James snogging on my kitchen counter?" she asked pointedly.

My face flushed, and I pulled the covers up over my head. Now I was going to be sick.

"Mum!" I yelped.

"Lily," she replied back obviously as she pulled the covers down to look at my red face.

"He told you!" I squeaked.

She bit back a laugh. "Of course he told me. Your father can't keep a secret to save his life. Besides, marriage is about honest communication," she told me. "That and spying on your kids," she added with a laugh.

I ducked my head back down in embarrassment. Just when I thought my life could not have gotten any more mortifying. I might as well just show up to the Hogwarts Express naked. Maybe then I could finally reverse this rubbish pattern.

"Is Daddy really angry?" I asked her worriedly.

Mum shrugged and patted my leg caringly. "He was a little shocked, but I wouldn't call it anger-well, maybe a bit directed at James."

I bit my lip. "I can't believe Daddy threatened my boyfriend." Fake or real or in between, it was still pathetically humiliating.

Mum brushed her elbow into my side as she laughed a bit. "Your father couldn't scare a butterfly. Hell, they scare him!"

I chuckled as I recalled what was labeled the "Flutter Incident" from 1972. Somehow, Dad had managed to get himself stuck in his own butterfly net. I didn't know what was more pitiable: the fact that he got himself in that situation or that he had actually donned hunting gear-complete with the floppy hat-for the occasion.

"Dad is a bit of a baby when it comes to some things," I acknowledged.

"A bit?" Mum pressed with a laugh.

I chuckled. "Okay, a lot," I acquiesced.

"Mmm," she mused as her fingers began to braid the back of my hair, an act she had performed since I was very little. My mum and I would just talk and talk, and I'd always end up with a long braid going down my back. "But he does want to protect his baby girl," she told me.

"I hate feeling like I'm letting him down," I told her as I looked down at my hands fidgeting in my lap.

"How so?" pressed Mum, gently pulling back a few strands.

I bit my lip. I hated getting older. I hated that I was too big to sit on his lap. I hated that all of my problems couldn't be solved with a quick kiss and a band-aid. I hated that I left my family behind for nine months out of the year, and I hated even more that I didn't know which half of me I loved more. Most of all, I hated that I couldn't be my father's baby girl forever.

I sighed. "By growing up," I answered finally.

My mum chortled as she tugged a little tighter on my hair. "Oh, Lily," she said with amusement. "You have to grow up sometime. It's all a part of life."

"Well, life stinks," I told her.

She giggled again. "Wanna trade places? I'd be a teenager with a boyfriend like James any day."

I straightened up. "No, that's okay!" I told her quickly.

Mum laughed, and I caught myself smiling at the sound. "That's what I thought."

We were silent for a few moments, except for some of Mum's soft humming, as she continued to fix my hair. "I know I shouldn't bring this up because it didn't go over so well the last time, but you and James are being, err, prudent, right?"

I rolled my eyes at the anxious strain of her voice and focused all of my energy on keeping my face from reddening. It didn't work. I went from vanilla to strawberry in one sentence. She hadn't even mentioned the word sex! Oh, there it was: fire engine red.

"Yes!" I squeaked.

She didn't say anything, but I felt her sigh of relief into my hair. "It's just that I've noticed that there's something different about you two."

I bit my lip. Damn her observant tendencies!

"Did you two do anything special lately?" Mum asked.

"No," I squeaked. I coughed loudly to clear my throat. "We just came to an understanding about how we feel about each other."

"Oh," replied Mum, trying to understand.

"I acknowledged that I didn't completely despise his existence."

Mum laughed. "And that was a good thing for you two?"

I chuckled at the irony. "Yes," I replied cheekily.

Mum sighed. "Fine, I'll butt out. Just do me a favor, Lily, and try to be a bit more discreet next time," she advised me. "Your father and I used to sneak out to snog on his porch, but it seems you and James are more fond of the swings."

I froze. "Mum!"

She laughed. "Don't worry. I won't tell your father. I'd hate for you to miss out on goodnight kisses. Your father was always so good at those. I remember this one time when-"

I plastered my hands over my ears. La la la la. I wasn't listening. Potions, pumpkin juice, chicken, Hagrid, Forbidden Forest, curfew, Astronomy Tower, snogging, my parents!

I grimaced in pain. "Mum, you are ruining hormones for me," I interrupted her reminiscing.

She grinned wickedly. "Aha! So my master plan is working," she exclaimed.

I let my head droop down as I pulled my covers up to my chin. "I think it's time to go back to bed," I told her.

Mum shook her head and then got up to walk towards the door. "By the way," she said with a grin. "There's a big, tawny owl for you downstairs. I think it was carrying a letter from a school of some sort," she finished with a knowing expression on her face.

I threw off my sheets and shot up out of bed before nearly sprinting to the door.

Mum scoffed. "Now you're out of bed."

"Why didn't you say something before?" I screeched.

"Why is it that you're always so prompt about anything concerning school?" she countered. "Isn't our family hopping-out-of-bed worthy?"

I frowned. She was right. At school, I woke up every morning at exactly seven A.M. I had a strict routine, and I stuck to it. I never wasted time lounging around or sleeping till noon. I was always studying or doing something for a professor or going on patrols. My time was scheduled, allotted. Even as a person, I was different. At Hogwarts, I was Lily Evans, perfect student. At home, I was Lily Evans, complete slob.

I didn't have to answer my mum's question, though, because I was already down the stairs and racing into the kitchen. I halted my clumsy feet when I reached the table.

"Oh, good, you're up," said James with an enormously silly smile on his face as he walked over to me.

I rolled my eyes a bit at his enthusiasm, but after he pressed my body up against his, ran his hands from my waist up to my face, and planted a soft kiss on my lips, I had an idiotically giddy grin of my own.

"Mmm," I voiced as his lips left mine. The perfect greeting.

His eyes shot straight to me as I made the sound, and they looked like they were struggling with something. The green was fighting the gold for control over his irises today.

James's thumb traced the side of my face before he backed away. I couldn't help but to pout a little at the distance.

"You are not making this easy for me," said James huskily.

I sucked in a breath as I eyed his form, clad in tight jeans and a white t-shirt with cut-off sleeves that showed far too much of his bicep for me to think clearly. "Is that really such a bad thing?" I asked.

James's hand went straight for his hair. "Your mum will be down soon," he reminded me, but I could see his resolve weakening.

I leaned forward to kiss him one more time. I memorized the feeling of his hair in my fingertips, smiled into his warm lips, and sighed into his fresh scent. Again, all too soon, he pulled away.

I sighed. As much as I wanted to, I didn't want to have another parent walk in on us. I didn't think my complexion could take one more talk from Mum. Merlin, I wished we had more privacy.

James seemed to sense my disappointment. He reached over to the table and grabbed a parchment letter before offering it to me. "Here, Lily. I didn't open mine yet. I wanted to wait until you woke up."

"That was kind of sweet," I told him.

He smiled lopsidedly at me. "I was hoping you'd think that and then let me snog you later."

I laughed. "Is that all you think about?" I asked, not bothering to acknowledge that the subject was often on my mind. Quite frequently.

James distracted me from my question by waving my letter in front of my face.

I eagerly took it from his hand. My fingers traced over the green address with excitement. Carefully, as to not rip the parchment, I broke the red Hogwarts seal and opened the letter. Quickly, I removed the thick, golden parchment inside. My fingers hit something hard and smooth. I pulled that out, as well, and examined the large "HG" engraved onto it.

"Smehkaleen," I breathed in barely a whisper as I dropped everything but the badge onto the table. "EEEE!" I screeched as I clutched it to my chest. I pulled it back so that I could look at it again.

I eyed the badge reverently as astonishment turned into realization, which turned into giddiness. After years and years of endless nights in the library, tutoring younger students, Prefect patrols, volunteering in the Hospital Wing, attending awful Slug Club parties, and pushing myself to take notes even during the most dreadfully dull of History of Magic classes, I was Head Girl. I smiled. I, the muggleborn redhead that was constantly the butt of Slytherin jokes, had finally proven myself as deserving. I was the best witch in the school. I was Head Girl. Smehka-suck on that-leen.

"MUM!" I screamed excitedly. "MUM!"

I heard a thundering of footsteps as she flew down the stairs. "Lily! Lily, what's the matter?" she called as she ran to join me in the kitchen.

I thrusted my new shiny badge out in front of her eyes. "Mum, I got Head Girl!"

Elated, I watched her face transform from harried and overprotective to excited and joyful. She smiled hugely at me as her arms scooped me into an embrace. "God, Lily, that's fantastic!" she congratulated me.

I hugged her back eagerly as I felt happiness flow through my body like the blood in my veins. She pulled back to look at my face.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed happily. "You've been talking about this for so long! This is a big honor, right?"

I couldn't even muster the sarcasm to roll l my eyes. I was too bloody jolly. "Yep! The biggest!"

She reached out to hug me again. "Oh, Lily! I can't wait to tell your father! We'll have a big dinner tonight just for you. I'll make you whatever you want. Oh, Lily, I'm so happy for you!"

I grinned at her. Merlin, I loved my mum. "Thanks, Mum!" I told her gleefully.

"Let me see your badge again!"

We oohed and ahhed over it for a while. It was just so shiny.

After a few moments, I tore my eye away from the glimmering badge to look at James. I hadn't noticed it before, but he had been completely silent throughout this entire process. Hadn't he heard me? I was Head Girl! He should have been cheering or snogging me senseless or something! Yet, all he was doing was staring at something in his hand like it was a box of mutilated inferi fingers. I looked over, but his fingers were blocking my view.

"James?" I asked, my voice sounding slightly breathless from all the happiness, "What are you staring at?"

Shakily, he turned his focus away from his hand, and I noticed that his face had turned slightly green. What was it? Had Dumbledore finally tallied up the amount of detentions he'd had over the years and decided to expel him?

"James?" I repeated.

He gulped and held out his hand to show me the object he was clutching with white knuckles: a big shiny badge with the letters "HB" on it.

My smile disappeared.

"WHAT?" I screamed shrilly.

"Lily!" my mum scolded me.

I blinked. "What?" I called again with less volume.

James glanced at me squeamishly before staring back at the badge.

"How did you get one of those?" I demanded accusingly.

"I have no idea," he choked out.

"Has Dumbledore lost his mind?" I asked melodramatically. "Why in Merlin's name would he make you Head Boy, Potter?"

My mum frowned at me. "Now, Lily, that's not very nice. James is a lovely boy."

I gawked at her. Lovely boy? Had she even met James Potter? He was a Marauder! "But he wasn't even a Prefect!" I exclaimed. "What about Remus?"

James's eyes sparked at the name. "Oh, Merlin. Remus," James groaned forlornly as he dropped his head miserably.

"Who's Remus?" Mum asked.

"He was a Gryffindor Prefect with me," I told her. "I thought for sure that he was going to be Head Boy."

"Oh!" she replied. "Is he the one that Hestia complains about all the time? The one with the leather jacket?"

"No," I corrected. "That's Sirius."

"Oh! Yes! The boy who likes cheese."

"No, that's Peter."

Mum sighed. "Well, which one is Remus then?"

"The good-looking one," I answered.

James broke away from his thoughts to eye me with outrage. "Oi!" he yelled.

I grinned cheekily at him. "My statement still stands."

"Isn't he the one you had a crush on for a while? I used to remember you sending letters all the time about this one boy who irritated you to death because of his hair."

I dipped my head in embarrassment. "No, that was James," I corrected in a quiet voice.

The git smirked.

"There is no way that you're Head Boy, Potter," I told him as I grabbed his letter. Frenetically, I pulled out the parchment and started reading.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be the....

My eyes widened, and I dropped the parchment in shock. "I can't believe it."

James ruffled his hair with his hand nervously. "Me neither," he agreed. "Dumbledore's bonkers," he added in an awed voice.

"How'd he even know you were here?" I questioned.

"Merlin," breathed James.

"You two are acting so weird," Mum interrupted us. "I've never seen a pair of teenagers more awestruck by a badge before. Why aren't you more excited? Now you get to work together!" She moved over to James and gave him a big motherly hug. "Way to go, James! I'm so proud of you!"

He was smiling a hesitant smile as they separated. His hand went back to his hair. "Yeah, I suppose it's kinda good."

"Good?" echoed Mum incredulously. "This is marvelous! You're both going to Head together."

I stifled a snicker at the double entendre. Merlin, my brain must soak in essence of pervert over night, or something. I wasn't alone, however. I noticed the very tips of James's ears had turned pink.

"Oh!" she continued happily. "Now we have to have an even bigger dinner. I'll make a celebratory feast for you two. Henry's coming home early, and I'll make sure Petunia brings Vernon over."

Awesome. Nothing said celebration like Jonah and the whale.

"That's great, Mum," I said.

"Yeah, fantastic, Mrs. Evans," offered James.

"Lily, you run upstairs and get dressed," ordered Mum. "James and I will talk menu options."

I grabbed my letter with one hand and my badge with the other. Before leaving the kitchen, I caught James's eye. We would be talking about this more later.

I couldn't believe he got Head Boy. James was such a troublemaker! He was the leader of the Marauders. I mean, sure, he had led the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory as Captain, and he had top marks-even, I remembered sourly, beating me on the Transfiguration O.W.L. Plus, all of the students really seemed to respect and admire him. I supposed he probably would make a decent Head Boy if he took it seriously. In fact, except for his lack of Prefect experience, James was a very worthwhile candidate. Drat! Curse logic!

Still, poor Remus. I had been so sure it was going to be him.

Climbing up the last stair, I pushed all of the unpleasant thoughts from my mind as I took another look at my shiny badge. At least they had made the right choice there.

"Oof!"

I backed away from the bony girl I had stumbled blindly into.

"Watch where you're going, freak," spat Petunia, fixing her askew shirt.

"Sorry, Tuney," I apologized brightly, still ecstatic from my news. "Isn't it such a good morning?" I asked her.

She scowled darkly. "It's about 12:30 in the afternoon," she corrected dryly.

I grinned wider. "The perfect time for the perfect news."

"Charming," she snarled as she tried to pass me.

"Guess what!" I asked her.

Petunia rolled her eyes. "What?"

I shoved my badge up to her eyes. "I got Head Girl!"

Petunia picked off a piece of imaginary lint from his top. "So, now you're like, what, the head of the freaks?" she deadpanned.

"Exactly!"

She snickered. "Go figure."

I frowned. "Come on, Tuney, this is great news!"

I wanted her to be happy for me. I wanted her to hug me like Mum had. I wanted her to tell me she was proud of me. I wanted her to do anything besides what she was doing now: glowering at me disdainfully.

"Why would I care about you and your stupid school?" she snapped.

"Well, I just thought you'd be happy for me."

She sneered. "God, Lily. Being appointed Head Freak is not something I'd exactly want to shout off the rooftops. Why can't you ever try being normal for once?"

I grinded my teeth together. "Why can't you ever just accept me for who I am?"

"Because you're a freak!"

Fury ignited in the pit of my stomach. It was like a dragon awakening from a hundred year slumber. "Well, so are you! We're all freaks! Especially your bloody whale of a boyfriend who never shuts up about drills!"

"Don't bring Vernon into this!"

"Why not?" I asked with a humorless laugh. I inched closer to her so that she had to back up against the wall. "Why are you even dating him anyway? He's the biggest prat ever-pun intended!"

"You don't know him!" she shrieked.

"I guess I dodged a bullet there, then. Are you that afraid of magic that you picked the most boring bloke on the planet?"

"You shut up about him, Lily," Petunia threatened, but I didn't care.

"Or are you just jealous that I got the magic genes, and you didn't?"

Smack.

Tears that I refused to let fall formed in my eyes as I clutched the side of my face. I hadn't been expecting that. I hadn't even seen her hand.

The fury rose up again.

I pulled out my wand from under James's shirt and pointed it straight at her jugular. I watched Petunia's big blue eyes widen with fear.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I growled at her.

She whimpered, and I pulled back my wand. I stepped backwards in disgust-at both her and myself. I could barely recall all the times Petunia and I had scratched each other or pulled hair or engaged in girly catfights. But this was worst. In my mind, I laughed ironically. It was a slap in the face.

"I just wanted you to be happy for me," I told her in an eerily calm voice.

"Yeah, well, you've never returned the favor," Petunia replied coldly as she brushed past me and sprinted down the stairs.

In frustration, I watched her disappear from my sight. Merlin, how had that even happened? Why couldn't she just have congratulated me? Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?

I could never get things right with my big sister. Furiously, I kicked my bedroom door as hard as I could. The loud banging song and the stinging sensation in my foot helped me calm down. I heard footsteps coming quickly up the stairs. Turning my head, I foolishly looked for Petunia. It was James.

"Lily?" he asked cautiously.

"I hate her," I told him as I crossed my arms across my chest defiantly.

"Who?" questioned James, his forehead crinkling in confusion. "McGonagall? Because I could write her right now and refuse the position."

I laughed hollowly. "Not her. Petunia," I spat the name.

James nodded with comprehension. "I just saw her racing out of the house. She threw a fit when your mum tried to stop her. Did you two have a row, or something?"

I nodded.

"What about?"

I sank down onto my knees outside the door and put my head into my hands. "I don't even know," I answered truthfully.

James sat down beside me slowly, letting his legs spread out in front of him while mine were tucked into my chest.

"I hate her," I repeated.

"You love her," James reminded me.

"So?" I asked angrily as I lifted my gaze to his. "She makes me so angry! No one can ruin my day like Tuney."

James gave me a weak grin. "Not even me?"

I sighed. His humor worked, even if only slightly. "You're a close second," I apologized. "I've known her longer. She gets priority billing."

James smiled at me warmly.

"I just can never seem to go three days without getting into a huge fight with her. Is it me? Am I just that crappy of a person?"

"No!" James assured me. "I have heard on good account from plenty of people whom you've never screamed at that you are ridiculously nice."

I rolled my eyes.

"Lily, one day you and Petunia will work it all out."

"When I'm six feet under," I murmured darkly.

"Nah, before then," laughed James.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Now Mum is going to get all mad at me for getting into a row with Tuney again. She might be the older one, but it's always my fault. I'm the one who should know better. Tuney's so freaking fragile."

"I'll vouch for you," promised James.

"Thanks," I replied with a small smile. "I'm the worst sibling ever."

James let out a huge breath before grabbing my fidgeting hands and engulfing them with his warm ones.

"Did you know that Sirius has a younger brother in Slytherin?"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, his name is Regulus. Well, little Reg is as Slytherin as you can possibly get-to the delight of their mum. They always get into huge rows, as well. Sirius had to leave home to get away from all of it."

"I never knew that," I said softly.

"Yeah, well, Sirius doesn't talk about it much," replied James as he reached up for his hair.

"Does he hate Regulus?" I asked.

James frowned in thought. "You know, I don't reckon he does. I think what he hates is that they can't get along."

I sighed. "Thanks, James."

He smiled at me and then wrapped me into a hug. I nuzzled my nose into his neck and breathed in his therapeutic scent. James rubbed soothing circles into my back, and I felt all my anger dissipate.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. It was soft and tender. We both understood that this was about human contact, not, well, below the belt human contact. James's lips were warm, and they kissed away my worries.

A few moments later, I remembered that I couldn't spend all day in James's arms. At some point soon, my stomach was going to get so hungry that it would eat me.

"I should go," I told him as I softly moved my lips away from his.

James kissed the top of my head and then released me. "Be ready for Quidditch later, love. It's going to be wicked, as long as your dad doesn't castrate me," he said with a laugh before walking into the guest room.

With a silly smile on my face, I went into the bathroom. These hormonal reactions were exhausting. Maybe I was PMSing.

About an hour later, I was showered, dried, dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a comfy black t-shirt, and almost finished with a salami sandwich. I shoved the last bit into my mouth with a new resolve. I wouldn't let one fight with Petunia ruin my day. I was Head Girl, and no one could take that away from me-well, except Dumbledore, but I doubted he would. Not when he was appointing scoundrels like James Potter as Head Boy.

That man was off his rocker. I still loved him, though.

Dad came home a couple of hours later with flowers in hand. I laughed when he made a big show of presenting them to me on my usual spot on the couch in the living room. Lilies, of course. Dad was such a sap.

"Your mum told me the news already," he said. "That woman cannot keep a secret if her life depended on it."

I smiled knowingly and gave him a big hug.

He kissed my cheek. "I'm really proud of you, baby girl."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"Go put those in some water," he told me.

Smiling, I got a vase as Dad followed me into the kitchen.

"Mmm," said Dad appreciatively. "Smells good."

My mum's head popped up out of nowhere. "It better," she teased. "I've been slaving away all day. James was telling me about these creatures called house-elves that do all the cooking and cleaning for you. I want one."

Dad laughed. "Put it on the list."

"Dinner should be ready soon," called Mum as she peered into the stove, allowing glorious meat smells to waft through the kitchen. "Go wash your hands, Henry."

My dad rolled his eyes and then winked at me. "Yes, Mum," he obeyed.

I laughed and then finished putting my flowers in a green vase.

"Lily, could you give me a hand with this?" asked Mum, who was struggling to hold three pots at once.

"Sure, Mum."

"Petunia isn't staying for dinner. She said that she and Vernon already had plans," Mum told me hesitantly.

"Ow!" I hissed.

"You okay, Lily?"

"Yeah, just burnt my finger."

A few minutes later, we all took our places for dinner. James held my hand discreetly under the table, and I pretended not to notice the unoccupied seat across from me. The food was amazing. Mum made mouthwatering steak, buttered baked potatoes, cheese-covered broccoli, stuffed mushrooms, and garlic bread. I loved garlic bread. I made a note, in the back of my mind, to brush my teeth before I got James alone to myself. Even if James wasn't a vampire, I didn't feel very snoggable at the moment.

My parents were chatty throughout dinner, and, even if it was just to distract me from Petunia's absence and awkward snogging comments, it was all very amusing. Dad had managed to break the copier at work-again. Mum mixed up her words and said something very inappropriate to the postman this morning. I snorted more than once into my glass of water.

Once all the dishes were cleared away, James ran upstairs to go get his Quidditch things.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along, Mum?" I asked.

She shook her head. "You go have fun with the boys. I'm going to enjoy the house to myself. I was thinking of eating chocolate in the bathtub while reading a book and playing this new record I found."

I nearly started to drool. "That sounds nice."

She laughed and nearly pushed me out the door. "I know!"

Rolling my eyes, I plopped into the front seat of Dad's car as Dad started the engine. I looked backwards to see James holding a chest on his lap with an eager grin plastered to his face. He winked at me, and, smiling, I turned back in my seat.

"So, James, what kind of place are we looking for exactly?"

"Somewhere deserted where no one will notice a few brooms flying in the air," replied the boy nudging my seat with his knee.

"Ahh," said Dad excitedly. "I know where we can go."

About ten minutes later, we arrived at an abandoned clearing. "Perfect, Mr. Evans," remarked James as he got out of the car to get the lay of the land. He opened my door and helped me out of the car.

My dad nodded approvingly before rubbing his hands together excitedly. "When can we start flying?" he asked.

I snorted. "Not yet, Dad."

"Oh, come on, Lily. I've waited 49 years. Don't make me wait much longer!"

James laughed. "You'll love it, Mr. Evans. Flying is the best thing in the world-apart from Lily, of course," he amended with a grin.

"And April's cooking," added Dad.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my hands across my chest. What ruddy sycophants, the both of them.

"So you remember what the balls are called, right?" asked James.

"Bludger, snitch, and the quaffle," recited Dad.

"What happened to the waffle?" I asked. "I liked it better when it was the waffle."

Dad laughed and ruffled my hair. "Why would you chase a waffle, Lils?"

"Because it's the best breakfast food out there, only tied with French toast," I answered.

James and my dad laughed.

"Okay, so now that we've got that covered, we'll bring players into the mix. First, you have the keeper. He protects the hoops from any, ahem, waffles from scoring," began James with a glance at me. "Then, you have your chasers who are the ones trying to score. They're the best."

"You only say that because you're a chaser," I told him.

He grinned and shrugged.

"Don't forgot about the beaters," said Dad. "They're my favorite. I like the thought of beating up the enemy."

I smirked a bit at the way James's Adam's apple wobbled at that statement. "Well, I like seekers. They get to end the game."

"And Lily's favorite part of Quidditch is whenever it's over," teased James.

"Not true," I argued. "I like the snacks, too!"

"Okay, so how do I get in the air?" asked Dad impatiently.

James chortled and then handed my dad a broom. "This is a Cleansweep, Mr. Evans. Very swishy. I think you'll like it."

Dad reached out for the broom like a little kid going for chocolate or maybe a nun reaching for God, or better yet, an attractive, half-naked male. His face was reverent, and his fingers were trembling. He grasped the handle, and his face broke out into the biggest grin.

"Okay," said James. "Now, you'll want to throw one leg over it-yes, like that. Now, move up your hands a bit—not that far-good. Okay, brace the ground with your feet and then push off just for a second to hover in the air."

Dad's face wrinkled with concentration as he left the ground. The bottoms of his shoes were still skimming the grass, but he smiled hugely. "I did it! I'm flying!"

James grinned. "You are! Now, come down for just a second so that I can get Lily set up."

Reluctantly, Dad put his feet back on the ground.

James walked over to me and presented a beaten-down broom. It hadn't been abused, but like a favorite shirt that had been put through the laundry far too many times, it was worn. "Silver Arrow. It was my first ever broom," he recalled fondly.

"How fast does it go?" I asked.

"She maxes at about 25 kilometers per hour."

I wrinkled my nose. "Can't I ride your Nimbus?"

James raised his hand to his hair. "I'm not sure, Lily. I need my Nimbus for this year's season. If anything were to happen...."

I smiled sweetly and peeked at him from underneath my eyelashes. "I promise to be careful."

He sighed. "Fine," he surrendered. "Bloody flirt."

I grinned and grabbed the only remaining broom. I swung my leg over the side as James mounted the Silver Arrow. "Okay, now you want to go slowly."

I rolled my eyes and then kicked off the ground and sped into the air. I let out a cheer of victory as the breeze tangled up my hair. I felt the air around me move as I soared through it. The speed, the exhilaration, it was excellent. It was like a really good snog, actually. I did a few loops around the lot before getting back on the ground.

Both males were absolutely speechless. At least my dad had the prudency to keep his mouth shut-unlike some people.

"Lily!" Dad exclaimed. "That was amazing!"

I laughed and shrugged as my face turned a tad red.

"When did you learn how to fly?" James asked finally.

"You can learn anything from reading the theory and applying it, Potter," I told him cheekily. "That and Hestia taught me last year," I murmured finally.

James nodded knowingly. "I wondered why she always asked me when the Pitch was open. I thought she was going to snog some bloke."

I laughed. "Well, maybe half the time she was."

"I want to do what Lily just did," said Dad, filled to the brim with anticipation.

"You can go fly-safely and without major dives-while I go help the First Year," James told me.

"Aye aye, Captain," I muttered.

He winked with a smirk that told me he enjoyed that name a tad too much.

I rolled my eyes before grabbing his broom and flying into the air.

I amused myself for a few minutes by testing the broom out. How fast could I turn? How fast could I pull out of a dive? How fast could I go? There was a lot of emphasis on speed.

However, I became distracted by the ground. James was still trying to get my father into the air. The man who wanted more than anything to fly couldn't go any higher than a meter and a half. Ahh, there were those Evans' spaz genes in action. I watched fondly as James patiently steered him back to the ground and had Dad try again. It was so adorable. Finally, after what seemed to be the thousandth try, Dad actually got some significant height. I flew over to meet him.

"Lily, I'm flying!" he exclaimed.

Well, of course Captain Obvious. But still, this was my dad. On him, this zeal was endearing. "You are!" I replied with just as much excitement.

I looked down at James and winked at him.

Dad followed my gaze. "He's a good guy for you, baby girl."

I smiled. "Thanks, Daddy." I looked down at James, who still looked completely gorgeous in that t-shirt of his as he watched us from below.

"Just don't ever snog him again in front of me."

My face reddened. "Right."

James joined us with a quaffle about a minute later, and we threw it around. I had to bite back laughter when Dad's outstretched arms completely missed the ball nearly every time. He was such an engineer.

All too soon, the sun dipped down behind the trees, and it was simply too dark to play anymore. Not really wanting to, we all flew down to the safety of the ground. James dismounted quickly and then helped me off his broom. His fingers strayed a tad too long on my side but were removed as soon as my dad looked over. Real boyfriend business was such a bummer.

Dad, buzzing the entire way about the scientific impossibility of flying, drove us home. He was still rambling as we approached the house.

"I mean, according to physics, there could never be an angle for you to propel like that. Diving would be completely impossible. Surely, gravity could bring you down but never at such high speeds. How could you get up in the air anyway? And a broomstick could never hold all of your weight without splitting in two! The mechanics alone defy all Newton's Laws of Matter," he prattled quickly.

I rolled my eyes at his loquacious behavior. "Dad, it's magic," I told him simply.

He sighed. "Wait till I tell your mother."

I shook my head. Poor Mum. All of that relaxing was going to go down the drain for her. Well, she did wake me up this morning.

I turned to James and smiled at him as I walked into the house. "How much longer till I get you alone?" he whispered into my ear.

"Not soon enough," I whispered back.

About two hours of impatient pacing and a lot of tooth brushing, I went outside to join James on the swings.

"Hey, Head Girl," he greeted me.

"Hey, Head Boy," I replied back.

He rumpled his hair. "Do you mind?" he asked me worriedly. "I mean, before you had to go along with it because of your parents. I know I probably wasn't the best choice. I think Sirius spiked Dumbledore's pumpkin juice before we left, or something."

I turned my swing sideways to face him. "No," I answered honestly, surprising myself with this random bout of maturity. "I think you'll do a good job."

He grinned. "That's what Remus said."

"You talked to him already?" When did he have time to do that?

"I told him almost as soon as the shock wore off. Bloody prat. He said he was happy for me. That guy doesn't have a vindictive bone in his body. He wants me to enjoy the special bathtub. If, however, I still feel guilty, when we get back to school, he's more than willing to accept chocolate."

I laughed. "That sounds like Remus."

James grinned.

"Did you tell your parents, as well?"

His grin faltered and eventually turned into a frown as his hands returned to his hair. "I can't send them any letters while they're away. It could compromise the mission that they're on."

My heart sank in sadness for him. "Oh, James," I sighed as I bit my lip.

He shrugged it off. "It's okay. I'm sure they'll be happy once they find out."

"Yeah," I assured him. I wished I had something cleverer to say.

"It was nice to do the whole family dinner thing for us, though. I got to celebrate with parents-they just weren't mine."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I teased. "Now even Dad likes you again. You were really great with him today. I don't think he'll ever forget it. Really, my parents love you."

"Even after the sensible snogging speech following the kitchen counter encounter?"

I laughed at the names. "Yes."

He smiled crookedly at me as his lips ghosted over my collar bone. "So if I kissed you now, no one will get mad at me." He trailed his nose along his neck as his hands slid up and down my sides slowly.

I bit my lip in anticipation.

"Hmm?" he pressed.

I gasped as his lips moved up to my neck.

"Lily?"

He was going to kill me with the anticipation. Honest to Merlin, one day I was going to explode.

"Oh, just kiss me already."

He laughed, and I felt his chest hum with vibrations against mine. Our lips met, and I allowed my fingers to caress the muscle in his arm where his shirt ended.

Ahh, that had been taunting me all day.

Story credits to Molly Raesly