Seven in the morning was, generally speaking, too early to be awake. Especially so on a day when a girl didn't have class until eleven.

And yet, Lily found herself wandering into the kitchen after an early morning trip to the bathroom, drawn by the smell of buttered bread and fresh coffee.

Lily loved bread. And the desire for bread was beating out the desire for sleep in this instance, though just barely.

Because really, and I cannot stress this enough, it was far too early to be awake.

And if it was too early to be awake, it was certainly too early for Lily's roommate to engage her in unwanted conversation about topics they'd already covered a hundred times over.

And yet.

"So, did you think about it anymore? You have to come, Lils," Dorcas said, in response to Lily's mumbled greeting. Dorcas handed her grumpy roommate mug full of hot coffee and widened her eyes imploringly. "It's our five-year reunion!"

Lily accepted the coffee with a sigh. Dorcas was beginning to sound like a broken record.

A scratched CD? A glitch in the Matrix?

Current technology doesn't have these problems. We need a new expression.

However one chose to describe it, the point was, Dorcas was repeating herself. And, based on how she was looking at Lily, she expected Lily to do the same.

And all before breakfast, the witch.

As if she'd read Lily's mind, Dorcas passed her a mini-baguette, heavily buttered. Lily sighed again. "Thank you," she said begrudgingly. "But I still don't have to go to the reunion." She felt like she was reading from a very boring script. "Which is great news, because, as I've told you, I don't want to."

"Today is the deadline to RSVP!"

"Awesome, that means you won't ask me again tomorrow." Lily took a bite of her baguette and shrugged.

For such a small person, Dorcas released quite an impressive growl. "Lily!

"Dorcas!" Lily shot back, just as frustrated. She hadn't even had a full cup of coffee yet. But more than that, her annoyance stemmed from the fact that she had hoped, after over a decade of friendship, that Dorcas would immediately understand her reluctance to attend this event, and would've dropped it without question.

And yet.

Lily sipped her coffee. It was dark and sweet, just how she liked it. At least Dorcas knew that much about her. "You're welcome to go to the reunion, but leave me out of it! Why do you care if I come?"

"I just think it'll be fun," Dorcas said, pouting. "Maybe you don't care 'cause you've always been gorgeous, but I hit that serious glow-up in college, and I want people to know it. Plus, I'm in law school, you're in pharmacy school, we've got a nice apartment, and neither of us has been arrested or to rehab. We are the people who should absolutely go to a high school reunion and humble-brag about how fab our lives are!"

"That sounds terrible, Dor. You know I hate talking about myself," Lily said, the words mumbled around another bite of bread. "And I don't care about impressing any of those people! Who gives a shit if I'm doing better than Evan Rosier? Or Auggie Rookwood?"

Each of those statements was true, even if they skirted the real reason Lily didn't want to attend the reunion. She was prone to bouts of social anxiety, and the crowd that had included Rosier and Rookwood in high school was particularly loathsome. But those factors alone probably wouldn't have been enough to keep her away.

She sipped her delicious coffee and hoped Dorcas would finally realize how stressful this conversation was for Lily. Particularly at seven in the morning.

Dorcas realized no such thing. "It won't just be them!" she declared, excited by what she perceived as an opportunity to assuage Lily's concerns. "And it's not only about bragging rights, don't you want to catch up with Mary, find out what it's like to be a struggling actress? And see Reg Cattermole and his hot wife? And Emme Vance will be there, and Ben—"

"Dorcas," Lily interrupted. It was time to be blunt. Blunt-ish. Why is this so hard? She took a deep, centering breath. "You know, he could be there."

"Who, Benjy? Yeah, I've heard a rumor that he's coming, that's part of why we have to go! He's, like, a nationally ranked tennis player, you know. I think he lost to Rafael Nadal in the first round of the French Open, but he played in the French Open! He's a big deal!"

"I'm not talking about Benjy!" Lily exclaimed, waving her coffee mug around. "I'm talking about—wait, do you think Benjy knows Rafa? That is so cool! I wonder if his butt is as perfect as it looks on TV."

Dorcas grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Not sure whether Benjy has checked out Rafa's booty, but if you come to the reunion you could ask him yourself."

"True. No!" Lily shook her head, clearing it of thoughts of Rafael Nadal's perfect rear end. "We've gone way off topic! I don't care whether Benjy's coming to the reunion." She took another deep breath. "I'm saying I can't come because You-Know-Who might be there."

Dorcas inhaled sharply, and her brown eyes went wide. "Ohhh, shit," she murmured, her tone more serious than it had been all morning. "I didn't even—he wouldn't actually show up, would he? He hated high school."

Lily hesitated. She kept her gaze trained away from Dorcas and her voice quiet when she said, "I know. But he might, if he thinks I'll be there."

It was the kind of thought she wouldn't normally share out loud, for fear of sounding arrogant, or paranoid, or overly dramatic. But she thought – hoped – Dorcas would understand.

Because Dorcas was one of the few people who knew that, long after they'd put high school behind them, Lily had been scared to walk around their university campus alone – because he might show up at any time, even though he went to a college miles away. Dorcas knew that Lily had deleted her social media accounts and created new, private ones under a fake name (Carmen Sandiego, obviously). Dorcas knew about the time when, after Lily had deleted his numbers and blocked him from all her devices, he'd shown up at her parents' house during Winter Holiday break, begging her to just talk to him.

Dorcas knew the extent of Severus Snape's obsession with Lily, and the trauma it had caused.

"Wow. I'm sorry, Lils. I…didn't realize he was still a problem. I shouldn't have pushed." Dorcas frowned. "Are you worried he might…hurt you?"

"No, not at all," Lily said, too quickly, with more confidence than she felt. "But if he's there, it'll be awkward, and he'll hang around me all night no matter what I say. I don't want to make a scene."

"Ugh. What a creep." Dorcas shook her head. "I don't want you to miss this because of him, though! That's so unfair. Why should you be worried about making a scene when he's the one who was basically stalking you?"

"I just don't want the attention." Lily shook her head. "It's fine, missing the reunion is not a huge loss."

"Yes it is!" Dorcas wailed. "Mary hasn't been home in years, you don't want to miss her! And you need to be able to ask Benjy all your questions about Nadal's ass! There has to be some way we can keep Greasy McSlimeball away from you."

Lily let out a sardonic laugh. "That restraining order I had was effective, but it expired after a year. Now if he shows up where I am, there's not much I can do about it."

Dorcas smiled sympathetically. "Aw, Lils. You know I'll fight him if I have to."

"I know you would," Lily said, smiling back. She chuckled again and said, "Maybe I should just hire a bodyguard, save you the trouble."

Dorcas laughed, too, but then she raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Not a bad idea. Ooh, actually…"

"Dorcas, I'm not going to hire a bodyguard for our five-year reunion."

"No, no, not a bodyguard. But what about a boyfriend?"

"I…don't have one," Lily said, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "And I'm sure you're not telling me hire an escort?"

"No!" Dorcas laughed again. "But bring a date. Someone you're comfortable with, and we'll pretend it's serious. Even if Sir Stalks-A-Lot shows up, he'd have to stay away from you then."

Lily smirked at the nickname, as she knew Dorcas intended her to, but she shook her head at the plan. "That's ridiculous, I can't ask someone to be my fake boyfriend for the reunion. It's too embarrassing."

"It's not embarrassing, we just need someone you can trust. And someone that can intimidate Captain Creepy," Dorcas said, tapping a finger to her full lips. A second later, her eyes lit up. "Ooh! What about my cousin, James? He wouldn't judge you, he'd think it was a fun game, like playing a character all night."

"Oh, my God, no. First of all, I don't want to intimidate the creepster, I don't want to play games with him at all! I just want him to leave me alone. And second of all, I definitely don't want a pity date. Especially not from someone who thinks I'm pale and doughy."

"What?" Dorcas giggled in surprise. "James doesn't think that at all! I happen to know he thinks you are, and I quote, 'bad as hell.'"

Now it was Lily's turn to look surprised. "What are you talking about? He literally poked my tum and called me the Pillsbury Doughboy last time he saw me."

She felt her cheeks redden as she remembered the moment. James had been asleep on the couch at Lily and Dorcas' place after a raucous party. Lily had enjoyed his company that evening, and she felt a surge of affection watching him sleep there, glasses askew, mouth open, and one arm bent behind his head in a way that highlighted just how toned his biceps was. She had just bent over him, intending to move his glasses to safety and wondering how strange it would be for her to bury her fingers in his thick black hair, when he'd awoken with a start. She froze, and he blinked a few times, then smiled and ran a gentle hand along her waist before giving her a soft poke, right beneath her belly button.

"Pillsbury Doughboy! Whoo-hoo!" he murmured. He grinned a crooked grin and closed his eyes.

He was snoring before Lily could respond.

Now, in their kitchen, Dorcas burst into laughter. "He did? When was that, at Remus' birthday party?" She shook her head in amusement. "I'm sure he was drunk, and he's prone to putting his foot in his mouth, for sure. But he probably meant you're little and cute. Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to touch you, or something. I dunno."

"The Pillsbury Doughboy, though?"

"I mean, he used to call me a Keebler Elf. Also a hobbit. So, Pillsbury Doughboy is, I think, in his book, a positive?" Dorcas smiled sweetly.

Lily did not. "Dorcas."

"Hmm?"

"You're reaching. Also, that doesn't sound like he thinks I'm bad as hell. At worst, he thinks I'm pasty and round. At best, I remind him of his cousin."

Dorcas giggled again. "Fine, my examples were bad, but I promise—you remember when we went to that Fourth of July cookout at my parents' house, a couple years ago? He told me then I should bring you around more often. But you were dating Kingsley at the time."

"Hmm." Lily gave Dorcas another dubious frown. "He said that?"

"Mmhmm," Dorcas said, nodding vigorously. "And Jamie's cute enough, right? You could do worse for a fake boyfriend for the night."

"That's true," Lily said cautiously. Internally, she directed her disapproving frown at herself for even considering the idea.

"And he's not intimidating for real, just like—he's tall and good-looking and you won't feel like you have to look over your shoulder all the time for Count Von Skeevy. Jamie will be your lookout."

"If I do this, I don't want to tell him about You-Know-Who, though," Lily said quickly. "I don't want…"

To look so weak, she thought. But she just shrugged. "I just don't want to talk about him at all, if possible. I hope, after this reunion, I never even have to think about him again."

"I understand," Dorcas said. "I could just tell James you need some company, since I'm going with Gideon and half our classmates are douchebags. That's all basically true, anyway." She grinned. "Sound good?"

Lily puffed up her cheeks and blew out a breath. You shouldn't give that whiny jerkoff so much power, she told herself. You should be able to go to your high school reunion without calling in the National Guard. What are you so scared of?

Being watched, another, quieter voice whispered inside her head.

She tried to ignore it. No one was watching her now. She almost believed no one had been watching her in years. And going to the reunion would be a big step for her. It might even be fun.

And if she needed some extra support to make it happen, so be it.

She looked up at Dorcas and nodded, her jaw set. "Yeah, okay," she said. "I'll try it. For you."

But she smiled a little as she thought, And for me.

When Dorcas had called him to say her friend needed a date to their high school reunion, James had immediately brushed her off. I'm not tryna be some lonely girl's trophy for the night, he'd told her.

"She's not lonely, and you're hardly a trophy," Dorcas had replied playfully. "More like...a distraction."

"Ha! I think that's worse. No thanks."

His annoying little cousin had just hmmed thoughtfully. "Fine, I'll tell Lily you said so," she'd said. "Talk to you later."

That caught James' attention. "Wait. Evans?"

Dorcas snorted. "How many Lilys do you think I know?"

That was all it took. And Dorcas probably knew it when she called, the little witch.

So now James was involved in whatever shenanigans Dorcas was cooking up, and she and Lily were on their way to meet him at the apartment he shared with Sirius. He was glad, at least, to be meeting Lily on his turf—Dorcas was being so mysterious about what she wanted him to do that he was beginning to feel like he'd agreed to go sky-diving but forgotten to confirm he'd have a parachute. Being in his own apartment felt a little more like he was on solid ground.

He couldn't fall to his death in his own apartment, after all.

Not unless I trip and crack my skull open on the coffee table.

James winced and shook his head. He was pretty sure that's what had happened at Remus' birthday party a couple months ago, in a metaphoric sense – some sort of misstep that had thoroughly killed any growing attraction Lily may have felt for him.

He wasn't even sure what he'd done, honestly, but it must have been pretty bad. Because although he and Lily had been getting along really well during the party, maybe even flirting—he had a vague memory of her hovering over him on the couch while he tried to tickle her, which was decidedly flirtatious, right?—the following morning Lily had been cold as ice. She had avoided his eyes and rushed them out of the apartment with words about cleaning and studying, and then she barely said goodbye before closing the door in James' face.

Still, James told himself now, she must not totally hate me, or she wouldn't be asking me to come to her reunion.

He held onto that idea as doorbell to his apartment chimed. He took a deep breath before pulling the door open with what he hoped was a confident smile.

Dorcas and Lily were standing at the threshold of his apartment, Dorcas as tiny and cute as she'd ever been, and Lily even prettier than James remembered.

She seemed more vibrant, somehow. Her cheeks were a little pink and there was a nervous look in her deep green eyes, but also a hint of something more. A sort of cautious excitement.

James thought he recognized the look. He felt something like that, too.

Dorcas stepped into the apartment first. "Jamie!" she sang, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Dory," he replied, grinning down at his cousin. "You look good, Squirt."

"Don't call me that!"

"Ah, it's a term of endearment. And you deserved it, you called me Jamie."

"Jamie is a natural derivative of your name. And Squirt is not endearing." She turned to Lily and rolled her eyes. "Now I see what you were saying before."

"Wait, about me?" James asked, raising his eyebrows in alarm.

"Anyway!" Dorcas declared, ignoring James' question, "Jamie, you remember Lily?"

James nodded casually, trying to ignore the fact that Lily and Dorcas had been talking about him before they arrived, and it did not sound like that talk had been flattering.

"Yeah, we've met a couple times," he said. "Lily…Evans, right?"

As if he'd ever forget.

"Right," Lily confirmed with a nod and smile of her own. "Good to see you again."

"Thanks," James said, relieved to hear she sounded sincere. He grinned and tugged at his hair. "So, Dorcas says you're interested in retaining my services for an evening?"

"James!" Dorcas punched him in the ribs with more force than he thought necessary. "Stop making it sound like you're a sex worker! I mean, it's fine if you are, of course, but Lily isn't hiring you! You're hanging out with her—non-sexually—as a favor to me, and a friend to her. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," James said. He smirked and added, "And I'm not a sex worker, for the record."

"Do you need one?" Sirius asked, entering the living room. "'Cause I might have some recommendations." He smiled and winked at Dorcas. "Hey, Squirt."

"Don't call me that!" Dorcas stomped her foot, which only reinforced the juvenile nickname. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Lils, you remember my other cousin, Sirius."

"Yeah, of course." Lily waved, but looked at them quizzically. "I didn't know he was your cousin, too, though."

"Oh, you know." Dorcas waved a dismissive hand and giggled. "I'm black. If we're close, you're my cousin. Easier that trying to explain who's really related to who and how, you know?"

"Hmm, but I'm not black," Sirius said, his tone falsely contemplative. "I mean, I'm a Black, sadly—and I really should consider a name change—but I'm not a black person, so—"

James slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. "Sirius. You're not helping," he said. He turned back to Lily and shook his head wearily, but there was affection in the gesture. "What these fools mean is, Sirius is like my brother. My parents consider him their second son. And if he's my brother, that makes him Dorcas' cousin."

"Yup! Unfortunately," Dorcas said, sticking out her tongue.

"Whatever, you love me," Sirius shot back, smirking as he patted Dorcas on the head. She swatted at his hands and tried to step on his foot.

"Got it," Lily said, smiling. She raised her eyebrows at James and teased, "So, it sounds like you've already got a fake brother, and now you're going to have a fake girlfriend, so all you need is, like, a fake pet of some kind, and—"

"Sirius isn't my fake brother," James interrupted, a little more curtly than he meant to. He tried to soften his words with a half-smile. "I just mean, he's family."

Lily cringed. "Sorry!" she said, covering her mouth with her hand. "I was just trying to make a joke, it wasn't funny, I'm sorry."

"Sorry, I just—it's fine, I know you were making a joke," James said, hoping he hadn't come across as a humorless asshole. His protective instincts tended to hover around eleven where Sirius was concerned.

Fortunately, Sirius had a talent for easing the tension in any situation, and he decided to put it to use.

"It's cool," he said smoothly, leaving off tormenting Dorcas and coming to stand next to James. He put his arm around him and added, "This bromance is 100% real. But you guys have been hiding the ball, here. Did I hear something about a fake girlfriend?" His eyes gleamed. "Tell me everything."

...

This is a little story I started working on for a friend's birthday, and it's grown past what I initially anticipated. I now expect 3 chapters. It's a little all over the place? But I like this story, and I hope you do too! If so, I'd love your reviews! xo