And now we have the second installment. I'm pretty tired right now, so I'm going to stop writing and let you get to the actual story.

Lily lay out in her front yard sunbathing. While not used to nor enjoying the sensation of being outside in a bikini, her mother had been right; the sun was doing her a massive lot of good. Just being outside and not needing to think was doing her a lot of good.

It was officially three weeks into summer holidays and while she hadn't seen Remus again since meeting his mother, Severus had been over a few times. It pained Lily to admit it, but she and her friend were really growing apart. He had been worse than ever this past year, ignoring her mostly, only spending time with her when his snakey little friends couldn't see him, and they'd already had a fight the last time she had tried to bring it up.

And there went her peaceful thoughts. Sighing heavily, but knowing she wasn't likely to get anymore rest while her thoughts were dwelling on her oldest friend, she sat up and pulled one of her knees up so she could rest her chin on it. She was getting freckly, she observed, the brown spots on her legs more numerous than ever. Hopefully, her face had been spared this time so she didn't end up looking like she had spattegroit.

"Lily?" a voice called from her fence. She looked up to see Remus standing with one hand on her gate, blushing, but smiling questioningly at her. "I had hoped to spend some time with you, but if you're too busy—"

"No! No, it's fine, just let me—" she stood up and grabbed her dress —just a simple shift that her mum had bought her to go over her swimsuit should she ever get invited to go swimming— and pulled on her sandals. That done, she bounded over to where Remus was standing, smiling widely. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?" he said backing away from the gate so she could leave the enclosed area. Even dressed in Muggle clothes, an old-fashioned pair of slacks and button up shirt, he was a welcome reminder of Hogwarts, away from Petunia and Mum's gossip. Not that she didn't love them both, she did, but just like her father, Lily had always annoyed with the other female Evans' penchant for finding skeletons in their neighbors' closets.

"I'm not bad. Happy that summer's here."

"Hm. I miss school, to be completely honest."

"So do I, sometimes. Then I remember what a nightmare final exams were and I feel grateful to get away from it all and have time to just relax."

"There is that," Remus agreed. "But I miss being around so many people our age."

Lily snorted. "You mean being around those fatheads, Potter and Black."

Remus frowned. "Lily—"

She raised her hands in front of her in a gesture of surrender. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry. I know they're your friends." Though I can't imagine why, she added silently.

They walked in silence for a bit before Remus spoke again. "They're good people, Lily."

Lily missed a step and looked at him with a mixture of incredulity and real anger. "What! Oh, I'm sorry, did I miss the past four years or did you?"

"No, Lily, I didn't mean—" Remus tried to explain, but Lily ignored him and kept talking.

"I'll tell you how nice they are! They so nice that Sev ended up in the Hospital Wing for two days! And Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye and—"

"Davey wasn't their fault, Lily—"

"—not to mention what they say to Pettigrew, who thinks the sun shines out of Potter's—"

"Please, Lily, I don't want to argue." There was something desperate in the words that made Lily finally stop. She couldn't feel awful over what she had said —it was the truth after all— but the apologetic and nervous expression on her friends face was enough to make her cut off her tirade.

"How's your mum?" Lily asked after a half a block passed in silence.

"She's fine."

"Has she been feeling better lately?" Lily pressed slightly, hoping to get the shy boy to open up some, but only succeeding in making him look awkward and nervous.

"Wha- uh, yes. Yes. She's been fine recently."

"I, uh, I had to tell my mum that she's ill. She's a bit of a gossip really, and she won't stop until she knows everything about everyone and your mum just refused her book club without really telling her why and so I—" Remus squirmed slightly and Lily broke off the end of her sentence. "Sorry, I know you don't like talking about it."

Remus smiled wryly. "You're alright. Does everyone in the neighborhood know then, if your mother has a habit of gossiping?"

"Try addiction," Lily corrected flatly, "but I think I managed to shout her down to the point where she won't tell anyone."

"Thank you. Mum isn't happy that I tell people she's sick at school."

"Is…is it very bad?" Lily asked quietly. She had never noticed him talking about his mother possibly dying, but he didn't speak about his mother illness very often and the only other students who seem to know anything concrete were just as tight-lipped about it as Remus.

"It…comes and goes. My father works almost constantly, so when Mum gets sick, she can't really handle things on her own. That's why I have to visit sometimes, then come back once she's feeling better."

"Right."

"I saw Severus the other day. He didn't see me, I don't think, but he passed by my house while I was reading in the front room. I didn't realize you lived to close together," Remus commented, changing the subject entirely.

Lily nodded. Sick mother was too sensitive a subject, she could work with that. "We were the only two wizarding families in this town until you moved in. He was the one who told me I was a witch," she said to follow his lead in the conversation.

"I think your mum mentioned something like that."

"Yeah. But it's been getting harder and harder to spend time with him. He spends a lot of time shut up nowadays."

Remus nodded, looking a little awkward. Lily grimaced.

"Have you started on your summer homework yet?" Remus asked. "I tried to start on Transfiguration a few days ago, and my head started spinning."

Lily laughed. "Well, don't try fishing for help from me. I managed well enough last year, but if even you're struggling…"

"You make it sound like I have actually understood what she talking about for the past four years."

Lily laughed. "Le gasp! Are you telling me that Mr. Top-Marks-Lupin, is secretly cheating?"

Remus rolled his shoulders, attempting suaveness but not pulling it off nearly as well as either Black or Potter ever had. "Well, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a mate who's naturally brilliant at all this transfiguration."

Speaking of the two idiots. "Are you talking about Potter or Black?"

"James. Sirius only seems so smart because his parents had him learned most of Hogwarts curriculum up to fourth year. He's actually been reviewing rather than learning this entire time."

"Why on Earth would they—"

"They wanted Sirius to be the best. Literally, the best out of all of Hogwarts." A note of bitterness had entered his voice. Muted, but there. Lily furrowed her brow.

"Well, he does get top marks."

"He used to. He's considering letting it go this year for the sake of, quote, 'Sticking it to his parents.'"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sirius Black. Such a polite, refined gentleman, wouldn't you agree?"

They laughed, Remus quietly and Lily snorting in a very unladylike fashion. Unfortunately, it was when she drew breath to make another quip at Black's expense that she realized where they had stopped. The Snape house, in all its dilapidated glory was right across from them, and a small, sallow figure was present in the upstairs window, clearly staring directly at the both of them.

Lily's breath caught. She couldn't seem him clearly to make eye-contact from the window, but she knew he was glaring at her. Remus stopped laughing slowly and glanced to where she was staring, his expression of concern turning to one of discomfort when he realized who their spy was.

"Um, Lily?"

She kept her eyes locked on the other boy as she replied, "Yes, Remus?"

"Should we— I mean— do you think that—"

He cut off abruptly when Severus did an about face in his bedroom window and walked out of sight. Lily swallowed a yell of purest frustration and smiled brightly at the lanky boy beside her. "You know what? I think I'm going to head home and try to start that Transfiguration homework. Think we could meet up another time?"

"Sure. Do you want me to walk you back to your house?" Remus asked, concern bleeding out into his voice. Lily glanced at the window Severus had disappeared from.

"No," she said finally, grimly pleased that her voice was level. "Your house is just around the corner, I won't keep you."

"I don't min—"

"Have you been to the shopping center yet? They put in a new dollar cinema just a few months ago. Could be fun."

Remus bit his lip and seemed to examine her face before answering. "…Saturday?"

"Alright. See you then." Lily turned around smartly and marched back to her home, not giving a single backwards glance to her best friend's house.