I was curled up on the sofa, pouring over my Defence against the Dark Arts textbook. Defence against the Dark Arts had always been one of my favourite lessons, second only to Potions but now that I had James and Sirius in my class with me, it was a lot more amusing. Plus, my presence made sure that James and Sirius didn't 'accidentally' jinx Snape who also happened to be in our class. I may not be friends with Snape and James and Sirius may have mostly stopped recreationally hexing everyone but I had a gut feeling that this may not apply to Snape and I still didn't want him being unnecessarily jinxed.

"Hey, how's the most beautiful person in Gryffindor?" I heard a voice say behind me as James slumped down next to me on the sofa.

"I don't know, how is he?" I said with a grin.

"I'm fine, just a little stressed but I'll be okay." Sirius said behind us dramatically. I almost laughed but from what Marlene said, he was going through some stuff so I decided to be supportive instead.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" I said, leaning over the back over the sofa as Sirius sat down on a chair as if he had the wait of the world on his shoulders. From what I could tell, Sirius seemed to have two moods, overconfident king of sass or dramatic diva queen and I honestly didn't know which one I liked better.

"Nothing..." he hesitated for a second, deciding whether or not to tell me about whatever was troubling him, "...Just the usual."

"You're too good looking?" James teased.

"Yeah, it a real problem, not that you'd know, Prongs." He said, winking at me.

"He's right, it is a serious issue. It's like, I actually want to pay for my own butter beers sometimes." I added.

"Or go outside without girl's trying to hit on me or propose or something." Sirius said and James looked between with mild annoyance.

"Girls have proposed to you on the street?" He challenged.

"Yeah, all the time." Sirius said, tipping his chair back with ease.

"Even when your with Marlene?"

"Especially then, girls love what they can't have." Sirius said with such confidence that I half believed him.

"I bet Marlene loves it." I said, "But Marlene's sassy, she wouldn't stand for it."

"Yeah..." Sirius said distantly, intentionally evading the topic. I seriously hoped that him and Marlene could finally talk about the 'real stuff' whatever that was or it would just get worse and worse. Part of me wanted to intervene and talk to Sirius but I knew that Marlene wouldn't like it if I went behind her back. She told me the only time she'd be okay with me meddling was if she was upset because then I'd know something was really wrong. She assured me that whilst the whole thing wasn't exactly making her feel great, she wasn't even close to upset yet.

"Shall we got to Defence against the Dark Arts? It's in like 5 minutes." James said, grabbing his bag from where he'd casually thrown it onto a chair.

"Bit early for you, I thought you liked to be fashionably late." I said.

"I'm always more punctual when you're around, you know that." James said, "Plus the main reason I'm usually late is because Padfoot wants to take the scenic route."

"Or you're just really disorganised?" I said as the three of us walked out the portrait hole.

"I think that's it." Sirius said in a slightly patronising tone.

"Why do you two seem to have it out for me today?" James said with a grin.

"I don't think we do any more than usual, do we, Lily?" Sirius asked innocently.

"I don't think we do." I said in the same innocent tone, widening my large green eyes twofold.

James looked between the pair of us suspiciously but decided to drop it to avoid further teasing.

"Any ideas what we're doing today?" Sirius asked.

"I think it's just more revision for N.E.W.Ts." I said.

"I swear to god, if it's more werewolves, I might actually ask Remus to bite me.." James said before suddenly stopping dead and looking at Sirius who had an equally shocked look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"What?" James said, "Nothing, let's get to class." The pair of them dashed off ahead of me and all I could do was shake my head in disbelief at them, they were really were an odd pair sometimes.

Ironically I ended up being the latest one to class as they had speed walked ahead of me but the Professor Glendwin didn't mind too much, she was too busy getting excited over whatever we were revising today.

"I know that you're all probably a bit sick of werewolves by now..." She said with a slight giggle.

"You're telling me." I heard Sirius mutter which made a few people around us snigger. I noticed Severus turn round swiftly, glaring over at Sirius before turning round and sitting, attentively at his desk again. It must have been my imagination but I could have sworn that his black eyes lingered on me for a few seconds too long but I dismissed it as my mind playing tricks.

"...Anyway," Professor Glendwin continued, unfazed by Sirius's interjection, "it's time to get your wands out and think about your happiest memory, because we're going to be revising Patronus charms again as from the notes I got from your teacher last year, Professor Crast, I believe? Apparently, you haven't covered it since fifth year so I think some revision is well overdue. So anyway, everyone remembers the spell, say it to me."

"Expecto Patronum." We said in unison, in the same monotonous tone. I was already surreptitiously reaching down to my bag, my fingertips brushing my wand.

"Oh, it sounds like you all remember, you don't need me to teach you, everyone get up, I need to move the desks," We all stood up quickly as she muttered an incantation and the desks moved to the other side of the room, "Now how about you get into groups of... three or four? You can choose, Remember, it's sort of a swirling hand movement and you have to think of something really happy."

"Ready to show everyone our patronuses?" I heard James say as he leant over my shoulder. I blushed slightly at the thought of our matching stag and doe, before the thought of it had literally been the worst thing imaginable but now it was kind of sweet.

"Go on then." I said, pulling my wand out of my bag, "Let's try it separately first, just to check we can still do it."

"Of course I can still do it." James scoffed but quickly realise that I was saying it more for my benefit than his, "But let's do that. How about you go first and then I'll go and we'll just carry on like that?"

"Excuse me, I'm also in this trio, if you've forgotten," Sirius said, stepping in between us and parting us with his hands, "I think I'll go first."

Most people in the class didn't manage to actually corporeal patronuses first try, only managing to create little silvery wisps but Sirius managed it first try, a large, massive dog bursting out of his wand and running wildly through the classroom.

"Hey, Padfoot, it's you!" James whispered so only the three of us could hear.

"Very good, Mr Black!" Professor Glendwin said just as the dog ran straight into Severus who was knocked backwards onto his back. Everyone laughed except for me and Professor Glendwin who rushed over to help him up, "Ah, patronuses do reflect the character so sometimes accidents do happen!" She said cheerily, completely contrasting to the deep scowl that had appeared on Severus's face.

"Did you do than on purpose?" I overheard James whisper.

"Nah, but I wish I had." Sirius said with a laugh. The two of them began to snigger and for a second, I had flashbacks to all those times I'd catch them hexing someone back when we were younger and gave them a look which shut them both up immediately.

"I hope he's alright." I said curtly.

"I don't." Sirius said but I ignored him and stepped forward raising my wand.

"My turn." I said, "Expecto Patronum!"

I hoped that the Doe would burst from my wand dramatically but instead all I managed was a small wispy incorporeal patronus which was very disappointing.

"What were you thinking of?" Sirius asked.

"I... I was thinking of my small things, happy childhood memories like my tenth birthday or when my Dad taught me to ride a bike." I looked frustratedly down at my wand, "It worked back in fifth year, I don't know what's happening."

"I've had this happen too, maybe those memories are no longer your happiest." Sirius said surprisingly gently, "Fifth year was ages ago, your Dad was alive, you were friends with Sirius and would have rather snogged a giant squid than James Potter and now you're doing a LOT more than snogging from what James tells me..."

"James, how much have you told him?" I asked James who had stepped forward to perform his patronus charm.

"Sorry, I'm preoccupied right now." He said, focusing intently on the end of his wand as if he could make the stag appear by sheer will.

"Don't worry nothing personal obviously, James is a gentleman." Sirius said, "All I'm saying is adapt your memories, think about what makes you happiest now."

"Yeah..." I said, both of us watching as a large, beautiful Stag formed out of James's wand and began to run around the room in a majestic, arrogant way. I had never fully appreciated how much people's patronuses resembled them until now but the resemblance was uncanny.

"Nice one, Prongs." Sirius said clapping as the stag ran back to James and faded away as he lowered his wand.

"Great, so now I'm the only one who hasn't done it out of the three of us." I said, pouting slightly. I could help feeling a slight pang of irritation which James clearly picked up on and smiled kindly.

"It's okay, good things don't always come on the first try." James said.

"Yeah, like how you didn't say yes when James asked you out the first time but you did the one hundredth time." Sirius said with a grin. I smiled slightly, that really was a strangely good example.

"Let's do it at the same time." He suggested and I nodded, stepping forward next to him and raising our wands. We recited the incantation together and in perfect synchronisation, a doe and stag leapt out of our wands and became to canter around the room.

James's stag was strong and confident in his steps whilst mine was elegant and almost thoughtful with where she trod. They ran together around the classroom and at first glance, it appeared that the stag was leading the way but after watching them for a while, I realised that it was a joint effort. The stag charged on ahead whilst the doe remained a few paces behind, occasionally and subtly changing direction causing the stag to follow after her. They continued this entrancing routine and I almost couldn't take my eyes off it.

"What memory were you thinking of?" I asked.

"The day I first saw you." James said, his eyes still fixed on our glistening, white patronuses that were still running around the room.

"Liar, you were thinking of that time your parents left us home alone and we ordered twenty pizzas to be delivered to your house." Sirius said from behind us. James turned around to give him a joking glare which made him lose focus and his stag faded into nothing.

A strange, inexplicable sadness filled me about how my doe now ran alone which in turn, made mine vanish too into a few silvery wisps. Although there were several other animals running around the room now, it seemed strangely sad and empty now.

"I can think of both!" James said, "At least I was thinking about something pure and sweet either way, I bet you were thinking about your first shag or something."

"I was actually thinking of the time I slept with your - " Sirius said before him and James suddenly looked behind me, their eyes transfixed on something. I quickly realised the entire room had gone silent.

"Lily, how are you doing your patronus without your wand?" James said looking between me and the slender, timid doe that had formed suddenly in confusion.

"I'm not..." I said weakly, tracing the Doe back to it's owner, "Severus?" I whispered weakly, slowly becoming more confused by the second.

Severus's black eyes were fixed on the doe as it cantered around the room. He allowed it to run free for a few more seconds before lowering his wand slowly and allowing the Doe to fade into nothing. He looked up at me, his black eyes fixed on me with a strange almost longing expression on his face which made me feel distinctly uncomfortable and exposed. I maintained eye contact for a few seconds more before breaking it and swiftly turning away to face James and Sirius again.

James had a look of mild horror on his face whilst Sirius had a sort of quizzical look on his face, like he was trying to figure out what to make of the situation. The entire room was still silent.

"... Very well done, Severus." Professor Glendwin said, starting a round of applause which everyone slowly joined in with. A slight colour came to Severus's pale sallow cheeks and he looked down, not used to the attention.

"Snivellus's patronus is a... doe." Sirius said, a grin breaking out on his face suddenly, "Soulmates have matching patronuses... and you matched with Snivellus! Your soulmate is Snivellus..."

"No, it's not! I also matched with Lily!" James said, his cheeks starting to go red which was VERY unusual for him, "Stop laughing, Padfoot!"

"Yeah, but you also match Snivellus... Snivellus and Prongs sitting in a tree..." Sirius began but he couldn't finish as he was laughing too hard. A few people around us overheard and sniggered as well but I couldn't even manage a smile, the whole situation was too much for me to process.

The three of us walked quickly out of Defence against the Dark Arts, mostly because me and James were speed walking away so fast. I smiled slightly as I realised that right now, we were walking like our patronuses had been, him charging ahead but with me occasionally steering us in another direction.

Sirius walked behind us, managing to keep up with surprising ease, still laughing over the events of the lessons.

"Prongs, I don't think I can ever get over this... I had no idea... you and Snivellus of everyone..." Sirius said in between laughs and wheezes but James didn't seem to be amused and nor was I, both of us still trying to figure out what had just happened. When we got to the common room, James paused slightly.

"Padfoot... can you give me a minute with Lily?"

"Sure... Lily, be careful he doesn't sneak off for a moment alone with his darling Snivells," Sirius said the password and walked in, "Hey guys, you'll never guess what - " I heard him say before the portrait swung shut.

"Snape is not my soul mate, I swear." James said quickly, "That was strange though."

"I know..." I said, "I still can't quite process it."

"Me neither..." James looked surprisingly anxious, "What does it mean though? I know that they say that matching patronuses is the sign of soulmates or something but does that mean you and Snape are..."

"No." I said, firmly cutting him off, "I don't know what it means but it's not that. Snape's not my soulmate."

"How do you know?" James asked and it was clear that this had awakened some fears that I didn't even know existed.

"I just do... ours are complimentary, not identical. The person you fall in love with shouldn't be the same as you or mimic you, they should compliment you. You compliment me, you're confident, decisive and charismatic, I'm quiet, gentle and indecisive. You're a troublemaker and I love the rules. Even our hair, compliments each other well, mine is red and flat and yours is dark and messy and never does what it's told and I love it." I said, smiling up at him. He still looked a little concerned so I pulled his face towards mine into a long, tender kiss.

"You're right." He said, when we finally broke free.

"You want to know how else I know that you're my soulmate?"

"How?" He asked, a small smiling creeping to his lips.

"When I cast that patronus, I was thinking of us. I was thinking of you."

Guys, this is random but when I was looking for gifs for the header, I found the perfect Doe gif and I would have used it except there was a massive 'ALWAYS' on it. The struggle is real

Also I wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you for 3k views, I am so grateful to every single one of you for reading, voting and commenting, it literally means the world to me and I wish I could buy you all eternal ice cream (or sorbet or chocolate or any other sort of desert, I'd take requests) - E x