They all tensed. Remus lay there listening doubting Lily would ever want to see him again. James rushed over.

"Can I go in with her?" James all but begged.

Pomfery looked at him for a moment then nodded with a sigh. James didn't need to be told twice as he all but sprinted into the room. Once he was at her bedside though he paused. Very carefully he sat on the edge of her bed and took her uninjured hand.

There was silence for what felt like eternity, then James saw her eyes move under the lids.

"Lily." He said in a soft voice her name sounding like a prayer.

"Um... James?" She questioned eyes blinking open. "I had a terrible dream."

"Lil' I... I don't" He tried to find the words to say.

Lily looked up at him in confusion. Her eyes then widened as the previous day came rushing into her mind. "SEV!" She shouted setting bolt up right.

"Lily calm down!" James shouted in surprise trying to keep her in bed.

"Where's Sev? IS he alright? What was that thing?" She shot off rabid fire.

"Here, fine, werewolf." Severus said leaning on the door frame.

Lily looked at him then opened her arm. Severus came over and sat by her head laying her back down into his lap. James felt a flare of jealousy but he squashed it down for Lily's sake.

"How did a werewolf get on the grounds?" She asked feeling reassured by Severus' normal behavior.

"It was let in as a poorly planned prank." He replied

"Sirius thought it would be funny to scare Severus." James added not mincing words over the indecent.

Lily nodded taking in the information. She was silent for a long time. "I'm a werewolf now aren't I?" she asked looking down at her bandaged arm.

Both boys nodded.

"What happened to them?"

"The wolf was Remus. I broke his jaw and Potter bound him." Severus replied clinically.

Lily's eyes widened. "Remus? IS he ok?" She asked fearing for her friend and fellow prefect.

"Mr. Lupin is going to be fine Miss. Evans." Madame Pomfery said coming into the room.

"Can I go out and see him?" she asked.

Remus in the other room gasped in shock. He had hoped Lily would wait till he was out of the hospital to exact revenge.

"If you can stand Misters Potter and Snape can help you into the main room." She said holding the door.

Lily sat up again this time with one of James' hands behind her shoulder helping. When she was upright she felt a bit light headed so sat there until it passed. Standing was another trick. It took her three tries to get on her feet and the only reason she stayed there was pure determination and the boys hands on each elbow.

The walk to the main part of the infirmary was a slow shuffle. She made it over half way before crying out,"James!" as her knees give out.

James and his Quidditch reflexes scooped her up into his arms.

She lay her head on his shoulder eyes closing in exhaustion. "I'm so tired and I hurt." She whined. A few tears leaked from her eyes at her weakness. She hated relying on anyone it was one of her worst traits.

Severus ran his fingers through her hair. "Let us care for you Lil'. Please." He all but begged. His tone of voice took the last of the fight out of her and she sagged.

"Put me to bed James." She said part order part request.

James just smiled down at her kissing the top of her head. Severus went ahead of them and pushed the bed next to Remus' right up against his and turned back the covers.

Remus looked at him eyes wide but he still couldn't say anything.

Once James lay Lily down she turned and looked at Remus. Her eyes spilled more tears. "Remus." She said sadly her hand coming up and touching his jaw. "That must hurt."

He just leaned into the touch and cried. Lily used the last of her strength to pull the other boy down and wrap her arms around him. She lay her head on his chest and fell fast asleep.

Remus hesitantly put an arm around her then looked up at James and Snape with questions in his eyes.

"You're her friend. As the muggles say Hell will freeze over before she abandons a friend." The often stoic boy said. "Even if she had lost that arm she would still be your friend. Don't think such a trifle thing as lycanthropy is going to get rid of her." Snape said petting her hair with pride in his eyes.

Remus clung to her soon joining her in sleep.

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Remus being use to the change woke long before Lily. It was still confused by his surroundings and the weight on his chest right over his heart. He blinked his eyes open slowly absently running his fingers through Lily's hair. He looked down at the long red strands and the whole terrible incident came back to him. This time with terrible disjointed flashes of being Mooney. He just stared at her slack face for a long while. Amazed and awed by her love for him. She was a true friend. HE couldn't believe she didn't hate him. He was use to the hate of strangers. Hell his own parents could barely look at him. He was a beast but this kind muggleborn didn't even seem to care what he was... what he'd made her. Or that he had mauled her.

Remus after some more wallowing in self pity looked around the infirmary. He found James, Sirius and Sna... Severus sleeping on the beds across from him and Lily. Looking at the windows he could see it was early morning. He couldn't believe he'd slept through the skelegro, but of that he was thankful.

James being an obnoxiously energetic morning person soon began to wake. Remus froze not sure how James would feel about his girl cuddle him.

James sat and popped his back from the not so comfortable bed he'd slept on. He looked at the stiff and nervous Remus. "Just cause she's a wolf doesn't mean you can all dibs on my girlfriend." James said with that devious smirk of his.

Remus relaxed with a chuckle. "You know she likes me better." He joked back tightening his hold. With an evil glint in his eye he added. "Aaand I got to sleep with her first." His voice was a bit strained from the pulled muscles that were still healing but he was just about back to normal.

James groaned. "Dam you're right. Well I'll be the last person to ever sleep beside her."

"Yes and not till Hell freezes over if you don't shut up." She said turning and throwing a leg over Remus and snuggling in.

Remus and James both gapped at her while Sirius who'd also woken up broke out in laugher.

"What are you cackling about?" Severus said grumpily. He was NOT a morning person. "If you must get technical I've slept with Lily for ten years." He said rubbing his eyes.

Before James temper over rode his basic math skills Remus spoke. "You've been friends since she was five?"

James looked between them at that.

"Yes we have." Lily said tossing her hair over her shoulder, and giving up trying to go back to sleep. "I'm sure Mum will insist you see all our embarrassing photos. From the time Severus and I got into the food coloring while Mum was making a cake and dyed ourselves blue to the photos of us having a bath together when we would go and play in the mud hole at the park down the road." She sat up slowly still feeling weak but much better then yesterday. "And who can forget Sev as mine and Pet's dolly. We use to gang up on him and make Sev wear our dresses." She said with a chuckled.

Severus was a bit pink but he chuckled as well. "I recall a few Easter's where your mother put you in pink and you insisted we switch." HE said with a raised eyebrow. Lily turned red.

"I was 7!" She protested.

"Yes and I said no. So she, hating the color pink, said she'd rather wear nothing. And did just that. She took her dress off in the middle of the egg hunt and threw it in the duck pond." He said laughing. "And her pink panties followed it."

"You were starkers! In public!" Sirius said roaring with laughter.

"I. WAS. SEVEN!" She replied face the color of her hair.

James sat on the bed with her and Remus gasping for breath. Every time he nearly got control of himself he'd look at Lily's angry pout and crack up again. Remus was all but giggling.

"Oh. You. Be quiet you..." She said hitting his with her pillow. "And you," Pointing at Sirius "I'll tell Frank it was you that told Alice he was gay."

"What...ah... you wouldn't" He said looking frightened and shocked. "He'd eat me."

Lily just smirked. "Good. You nearly got me eaten." Her face got stern and serious. "Sirius Orion Black if you ever even think of targeting MY Severus again you WON'T live to regret it. Enough is more than enough. He is my little brother and I won't have his terrorized a moment longer."

She glared at him until he lowered his head and gave a soft "yes ma'am."

"Good Now Remus and I are hungry and bed bound. Service James." She ordered. Severus chuckled being the only one to get the reference.

After breakfast Pomfrey shooed the boys off to class. Remus having already gone trough the change had superior healing which Lily wouldn't gain till her first full moon, was discharged to go with them. Lily was happy to go back to sleep. She was very tired.

While the school knew that five students had spent the weekend in the infirmary no one was prepared for the conciseness. Even the teachers were shocked when James was flanked by Sirius and Severus with Remus at Severus' side. McGonagall knew about the second werewolf among her lions but she didn't think the incident you make James be nice to a Slytherin.

By the end of the day some of his house mates had over come their shock and approached Severus. "Hanging with the blood traitors and mudbloods are you?" Bellatrix said snidely

"I think it's rather Slytherin to use connections to get and in with Heir Lord Potter and Heir Apparent Black" Sirius said using his head since being a hot head had caused this mess. "Don't you cousin" He added emphasizing her place.

She gave his a dirty look.

"I wonder if Grandfather still has that Bones contract." He said the name almost in disgust.

"You wouldn't dare." She replied fear creeping into her eyes. "But they're traitors, and breed with animals."

"And every male Bones in the last three generations have produced two or more children." James said. "This generation even has two Daughters of Nyx."

"And you know how mother likes to boast Daughters in out line." Sirius said inspecting his nails.

"The Dark Lord would never allow it." She all but shrieked.

Sirius gave a feral grin this was more fun than shouting matches. "Should I tell Grandfather that?" He asked "You know he'll never follow that beast unless he can prove his claims."

"There is no heir of Slytherin. He's a fraud and a line thief." James told her.

"Watch what you say Potter." She hissed. "You'll be next."

"Let his try. He won't target my family. If he's dumb enough to do so he'd just be sending his minions on a suicide raid against the Potter wards. Then if by some miracle he brought them down he'd have to battle my parents."

"Even if he could do all that." Sirius picked up. "All he would accomplish would be driving the true purebloods to the light side. The Potter line is the oldest alive if he's really for blood supremacy he'd never kill the purest one of us."

James nodded. "Father has a tapestry that can date my family back to the time of Merlin. No other line can boast that." His face turned hard. "Keep talking and I'll ask father to foreclose on the Malfoy loans. That'll dry up dear Narcissa's betrothal real quick. What will she think of her sister then?"

Bella took a step back and quickly fled. The dark lord was one thing, Narcissa was truly terrifying, and she didn't live with the dark lord.

Severus smirked. "See hos much more fun you can have using your head for more than a hat rack"

"I've been trying to tell them that since first year." Remus said shaking his head.

They all four sat at the Gryffindor table. Frank looked at them but didn't say anything. And that reaction from the Head Boy set the tone for the rest of the red and gold house.

"Thank you for that." Severus said.

"Don't worry about it." James said with a smile. "If I have my way you're going to be my brother-in-law."

"And I grew up in the snake pit I know what it's like to be the black sheep... so to speak." HE added with a smirk at his own pun.

Peter was across from them but didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

After dinner the boys trooped back up to see Lily, only to find her girlfriends were already there. Seeing it with new eyes they were all amazed by just how many friends she had. There were nine girls around her bed from every house. James did a double take she he saw the Slytherin uniform. It took him a moment to place the Greengrass, the only daughter of four, which was odd for that family.

The girls just looked at them dully when they tried to interrupt. James came over and kissed Lily sitting by her on the bed. The guys quickly left as the girls weren't stopping their girls talk just for them. Hearing about the various players assets was not how they wanted to spend an evening.

As they left Severus spoke. "That gaggle is worse than her and Pet."

"Who's pet?" Sirius asked. "What kind is it?"

"Pet. Not a pet. It's short for Petunia, Lily's older muggle sister." Severus corrected.

"Oh." He looked awkward. "They still get on?"

"As well as ever." He said with a shrug. "They fight and fuss but never anything that lasts more than a day. I know Lily really misses her. Last summer they sent the whole afternoon in each others arms reconnecting as sisters. With Pet starting Uni in the fall it will be even harder for her."

"Uni? What's that?" James asked

"University. It's like mastery for muggles." Remus said

Severus nodded. "Uni... University starts mid August, so they with have two less weeks than last year."

"More than that." Sirius added sadly. "She'll be gone every full moon."

They all became sad and quiet. "We'll find a way to make it work." James said. "We have to."

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An: Sorry to end the chapter on a sad note.