Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?

She loved him, yeah...
She don't want to leave this way.
She feeds him, yeah...
That's why she'll be back again.
Can't find a better man.

Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns ,
It calls me on and on across the universe.

Jai guru deva om.
Nothing's gonna change my world.

October was beautiful. The leaves were orange but not yet coated with frost. The ground, as though preparing for the quickly approaching cold, clung to the day's warmth for the brief twilight period after the sun set but night had not yet begun. And for those reasons it was Lily's favorite month.

It was at this time that she found herself staring out at the Black Lake, the sound of the water lapping softly against the bank aiding her meditation. She had been off all day. Alice had asked her about it over breakfast, after the post had arrived, but, bless her, she had dropped the subject after Lily had shrugged it off as nothing. That was one of the many things Lily loved about Alice.

Alice Jones was perhaps Lily's best friend. She trusted her in a way she trusted no one else, the way she had once trusted her sister. It was Alice who made the day bearable; when Flitwick assigned a three foot essay, when one of the Slytherins made a particularly nasty comment, when Potter decided to stand atop the Gryffindor table at dinner and declare his undying love for her. Alice had seen her through it all.

Of course, with Alice came Frank Longbottom, her boyfriend of three years. Frank was a stout, cheerful young man known throughout Hogwarts for his good-naturedness and aptitude for Quidditch. Keeping, to be precise. With him on goal, Potter on Quaffle, and Barbury on Snitch, Gryffindor was damn near impossible to beat. Frank was the Head Boy to Alice's Head Girl; it was no wonder they were attached at the hip. It was also widely believed that they would marry upon exiting school next spring.

The thought of next June filled Lily with a sense of dread. It wasn't that she would be without company; she was popular enough, generally well liked. But the thing of it was that most of the student body were what Lily thought of as "acquaintances," people with whom she could carry on a pleasant conversation but would never share personal, private information with. Apart from Alice, the only person at Hogwarts Lily really felt she could call a friend was Marlene McKinnon, the fiery brunette who occupied the four poster bed next to hers.

And so it was with these thoughts that Lily sat staring out at the Lake, hiding, if you will, from the world and feeling, utterly, completely, hopelessly, and helplessly alone. The last purplish-orange rays of sun had faded, pulling her out of her semi-trance. Sighing, she hoisted herself off the now cooling ground, brushing dirt from the back of her robes. Turning to face the looming silhouette of the castle, yet another thought burst into her mind, like the pop of a firecracker as it reaches the peak of its flight.

She had prefect duty tonight.

Slapping her forehead, she ran to the castle, praying that no one had noticed her absence. Lily had worked out a game plan with Remus for their shifts at the beginning of fifth year; he would take the ground floor through the fourth floor, and she had the fifth through seventh floors, including the five towers.

Remus Lupin was of an odd variety. Not that he was odd personally, though he frequently did look like a nice hot meal and a nap would do him some good. He was intelligent, polite, respectful, and just a good person in general. The sort of person who was quiet as a rule but could still carry on a long, stimulating conversation if the mood suited him. Which made his decision to hang around with the unrestrainable, brutish Marauders all the more inconceivable.

By now Lily had come through the great front doors, not yet locked for the night. Huffing and panting, she had ascended the grand staircase and the three following it. She was still in Remus' territory. Sprinting down the third floor corridor, she round the corner only to find herself lying flat on her back, her shoulder throbbing from an unseen impact.

"Sweet Merlin!" came a decidedly male voice from somewhere beyond Lily's feet.

She cringed, clamping her teeth together. She was entirely too familiar with that voice. Only one voice in the whole dang school could be as arrogantly husky as Sirius Black's.

There was a shuffling, and Lily could feel him standing over her in the dark of the corridor. "Evans, what the hell were you doing running through here like you were being chased by a dementor?"

Staring straight up, she said, "I could ask you the same. Now help me up."

"I asked you first."

Lily rolled her eyes. Of the Marauders, everyone knew Peter Pettigrew was the child, but Black was definitely the most childish. "If you must know, I've got prefect duty on the upper floors. Now for once in your life could you be a gentleman and help me off this floor?"

And then there was that barking laugh signature to Black. "Are you trying to tell me that Miss Gryffindor Prefect herself is actually late?" Another bark. "Man, that's better than the joke about the goblin and the Animagus James was telling earlier."

"You're going to leave me here, aren't you?"

Lily's eyes had at that point adjusted well enough that she could see Black tilt his head to the side, staring down at her. "Actually, I quite like the view from this angle. Perhaps we should do this more often."

Sighing in a huff, Lily grabbed the leg of his pants and pulled herself to her feet.

"Easy on the goods, love."

Typical Black.

"Seriously, Black what are you up to?"

This time she could see his smirk. "Now Lily, I really don't think what I do in my private life is any of your business."

"Spill Black, or I'm taking five points from Gryffindor."

"Why Evans, turning face on your own house? I must say I'm very disappointed in you."

That faux-surprised voice could become irritating so quickly.

When she didn't respond, he added in a normal voice, "Look Evans, I'm not going to pull anything, alright? I'm just out for an evening stroll."

Lily snorted. Not likely. However, she had wasted so much time deliberating with Black that by now she must have been very, very late. "You're not going to help Peeves throw furniture from the sixth floor landing, are you?"

"Aw, Evans. You know I haven't done that since fourth year." Again with the fake voice.

"Just be back in the Gryffindor tower by the time my rounds are over."

"Done."

She watched him turn and disappear down the corridor, his footsteps surprisingly muffled.

Merlin, why did he always have to be so obnoxious?

Well, there it is, chapter one. Hard to believe I know. This story's gonna be pretty long, though at this point I do have a general plan of where to go with it.

The title is a reference to the Pearl Jam song, and the chapter title is after Across the Universe by the Beatles. This will be a trend, you see.

The next chapter's already written and should be up on Friday or Saturday. It's quite fabulous, if I do say so myself, so stay tuned

And as always, please review! I desperately want to here what ya'll think. It's my first multchapter story, after all. Oh, and if you spot any errors while reading, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'm such a grammar freak.

Cheers!