Wow, kind of a long break between chapters, sorry about that everyone. So with this chapter we end their first year at Hogwarts! I'll start CoS tonight so if you want to see some specific scene or want to include someone just PM me or leave a review. As usual thanks to all my awesome reviewers, you guys make it worth it.

It was as if not a day had gone by. She knew little about the room's magic but she'd long ago guessed that, much like the Room of Requirement, it altered itself to suit the needs of its inhabitants. How it could possibly combine Slytherin and Gryffindor she couldn't fathom.

Currently, as it had during the 1977-78 school year, the room was a cozy and inviting combination of maroon, gold and dark wood that warmed her up and made her smile. No matter how used she'd become to the Slytherin green and silver, she was a lion at heart and seeing her house colors swelled her heart with pride just as much as seeing them win Quidditch matches and (hopefully) the House Cup.

Immediately ahead of her, wide windows overlooked the Black Lake and beyond it the forest, beneath the windowsill the well-worn window seat she'd spent countless hours reading on. On one side of the windows a large fireplace around which sat two armchairs, a low coffee table and a snuggly couch. On the other side the wall was lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves overflowed with tomes ranging from Wizarding fiction, to Muggle history with an insinuating emphasis on school subjects. In front of the shelves, stood two desks each with its own little lamp. Matching staircases between the fireplace and the window and the bookshelves and the window led to the Head Boy and Girl dorms and their shared bathroom.

With a sigh, Alexandra allowed her feet to lead her to the staircase on the left and up to her old room. Nothing was different there either but, unlike the common room, it didn't feel like home. She attributed that to the fact that she'd spent the second half of the year in James' room, much to their friends' amusement and teasing.

Steeling herself to the bombardment of memories to follow, she crossed the large bathroom and emerged into what was truly her old room, their old room. And predictably enough, memories swept over her and twin emerald orbs filled with tears. This was home, or as close as she would ever get to again.

This was where the Marauders had confessed Remus' lycanthropy and their status as Animagus after she'd spent several terrifying hours poring over Sirius's grisly wounds, courtesy of their lupine friend; covered in blood and wounds, pale and exhausted James had told her everything as Sirius whimpered in his sleep and Peter watched over their friend.

In this room she'd cried over her father's death and her sister's abandonment. Here she'd received a letter from St Mungo's head of recruitment informing her that her stellar track record and Slughorn's brilliant recommendation had prompted the institution to offer her a position in their exclusive and extremely sought after training program, ever before she'd done her NEWTs.

Here she'd spent nights with her friends laughing at Sirius' antics or celebrating Alice's engagement to Frank. Here she'd laughed, cried, studied, broken a few rules and experienced some of her most romantic and magical nights.

Knowing she couldn't stay there much longer, the blond girl swept down the stairs, cloak billowing behind her in a way that reminded her of her slimy head of house. As she made to cross the common room, her eyes strayed to the window seat and she bit her lip nervously as her own exasperated voice entered her thoughts.

"You lost it?!"

"Now, love, lost it is a bit harsh, I've merely misplaced it," James replied, attempting to ignore her annoyed expression while futilely looking around as if his problem could be solved with ease.

"Misplaced, a pretty euphemism."

"Yeah, great euphemism that is, right you are, darling," her boyfriend grinned, trying to ignore his supposed best mate's snigger.

Lily raised her eyebrows. James gulped, Oh oh, he thought.

"James, euphemism is substituting one potentially erm painful or inappropriate word for another," Remus interjected, feeling bad for the messy haired Marauder.

"You lost it brother!" Sirius barked with laughter, "That's what it means."

"Thanks, Paddy," Prongs growled contemplating multiple ways to torture the mangy mutt if he survived the wrath of Lily.

"We spent the whole year working on that yearbook!" Lily wailed.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, really, I'm just not sure where it is right now, I'll find it, I promise."

Marlene glanced at Mary with a look that said Yikes as they watched the redhead's upset expression and Potter's guilty face. Sprawled on the couch with his head of Marley's lap, Sirius kept sniggering.

"Oh bloody hell, Sirius! Stop laughing, it's not funny!" his friend snapped, "If you hadn't spent the whole bloody month trying to ruin and-" he broke off annoyed.

"Desecrate?" Alice offered brightly.

"Thanks Ali. Desecrate my bloody book forcing me to hide it all over the bloody common room we wouldn't be dealing with the bloody problem in the bloody first place!"

His eyes widened as he registered his own words, "Um, Lily darling, I might know where the book is but um you're not going to like it."

"Where?"

"Um inside that window seat you loved so much?" he muttered sheepishly.

Queue exasperated sigh.

"Good one, mate. Never would've thought to look there," Sirius congratulated.

"Don't worry about it, Lil," Peter piped in, "We've all got a copy and you've got yours so we can all share with Prongs."

"Thanks Peter, that's sweet," she smiled, "I'm going to make tea, anybody want a cuppa?"

"Sure."

"Thanks Lil."

"Add some Firewhisky to mine, will you Lilypad?"

"Thanks, mate," James muttered to the youngest Marauder, "Good to see I still have good mates around," he glared at Sirius who whistled innocently.

Standing in the middle of the Head Dorms Common Room thirteen years later, she didn't dare raise her hopes up as she closed the distance between the portrait hole and the window. The whisper of a spell undid the hastily fixed seat and another had lifted the fluffy cushions and seat. Sure enough, right where he said it'd be, lay a deep red book with golden leaves framing the picture placed front and center. The photograph made her smile as her friends waved up at her, smartly clad in their graduation robes.

Lifting the book gently, she held it to her chest for a few moments before setting it down on the coffee table and fixing the window seat again. She'd have to look through the album later, it was late and she didn't want to get caught out after curfew.

"Thanks Sirius," she whispered into the empty space.

She got back with no trouble after thanking the golden maiden and being assured that no one would enter the rooms without the Slytherin's permission. The next couple of weeks were a flurry of studying as students endeavored to cram anything and everything into their heads, a last minute dash to try and learn everything they ought to have been learning throughout the year.

For Alexandra the process was adorably hilarious and she sat back to watch her fellow classmates tear themselves up over the tiniest of details. A mixture of guilt and compassion eventually had her crossing the common room one evening to join her hassled friends and wrenching the book out of Draco's hands she plopped down onto the couch beside him.

"Alright, what don't you get?"

"Bless you," he sighed as the whole group turned to the girl.

It was obvious that she found this all too easy, and she had yet to pick up any book that wasn't one for her particular entertainment. They occupied the darkening space until the last embers had died in the fireplace and faint slivers of light began to illuminate the lake beyond the windows.

The exams held the following week were a piece of cake and she found herself being twirled around the common room by an ecstatic Daphne once they were finished.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" the brunette squealed clinging onto her laughing roommate.

What did worry her was, as if it were not obvious, Harry. They'd been looking for Flammel and it was perfectly deductible that his philosopher's stone was hidden in the castle under the careful vigilance of his old friend Dumbledore. So what was the trio's obsession with the stone?

It was a few days before the farewell feast that she discovered exactly what. The news that Harry Potter had fought Voldemort in the bowels of the castle spread like wildfire and chilled her heart before it swelled with motherly pride as his triumph and good health were assured.

The end-of-year feast was held amongst a sea of silver and green and although she was proud of her adopted house, Alexandra couldn't help but wish the lion house had won, not only did her true loyalties lie there but she would've liked to see her son's elated expression and give him that sense of overwhelming house pride she had known so well during her own years at Hogwarts.

Needless to say, she had to restrain her growing smirk as Dumbledore's last minute points were added. She was warmed by the achievements of the so called Golden Trio but it was Neville's mention that made her heart swell. Alice's shy little boy had a lot of potential and had the solid foundation to be a brave and strong young man, with the right push in the right direction, and he needed to see that.

Somehow amongst the crowd she caught the round faced boy's eye and mouthed "Well done" as the poor boy blushed to the tips of his ears. It was an appropriate ending to the year and not even Draco's whining was able to ruin her good mood.

The following morning found an old school owl sweeping down onto the Gryffindor table and dropping on a startled Harry Potter's plate a single envelope. With a frown and a glance at his two best friends, he tore the envelope open and pulled out a single photograph; in it James Potter and Sirius Black leaned against each other in breathless laughter as they tried to remain standing. Franticly looking for a note, the boy came across a short sentence penned in an elegant yet not at all familiar handwriting: Your family would be extremely proud of you, well done.

Across the hall, a blond girl watched through her curtain of hair as the emotions flickered across the boy's face. It would be as close as she'd ever be to tell him what she thought, but that was alright, after all an image is worth a thousand words.

I might've gotten a bit sentimental with this chapter but hopefully not enough to be classified as sappy?

I tend to forget mentioning the disclaimer since I'm sure we're all very clear in that I'm (unfortunately) not JKR and thus none of these characters are mine (oh my poor heart). The only thing I do own is the idea and Lily's disguise as Alexandra.