Just thought I'd let you know that mum's in the emergency room again. The doctors told me they didn't know if she's going to be well enough to come home anytime soon. Not that you deserve to know anything, especially not from the people you call your 'family'. I hope you know, you may just be one of the reasons she has cancer in the first place. After dad left, the last thing mum and I needed was for you to evaporate off to some school for freaks while I'm at home making her last days as comfortable as possible.

Then you have the nerve to try and take her to some freak hospital, St. Muggo's or whatever the hell it's called and dare suggest your kind attempt to heal her? You're just lucky that she is a selfless person and won't blame you for anything, but I know better. Have a good time at Hogwarts while our mother is dying back home.
Yours truly, Petunia.

Lily looked up from the letter and stared out through the wide window of the Owlery. Her elbows rested on the edge of the sill, cold hands gripping the thin letter she had just received. Petunia had always been a blunt person but this was malicious even by her standards. She stared out over the stunning snowy grounds of Hogwarts, not truly seeing them. She ignored the sting of her wind-burnt cheeks as icy currents rocked through the window. But it wasn't due to the wind that she felt chilled to her very marrow.

The owls fidgeted and the scraping of claws on perches all around her interrupted her thoughts. Her stomach felt empty even though she had just come from lunch in the great hall. But she relished the emptiness; far too afraid of what she might feel is she thought too deeply about Petunia, about her mother. Her mother was the most amazing woman. She supported Lily's dreams of being a witch and Lily never heard her utter a word against any of Petunia's either. She was hard-working and ran a bakery at many difficult hours of the day and night before she had been diagnosed. Yet, she had always found time for her girls, driving them around and holding them close when they cried. She had a very distinct smell; it was of butter and lavender.

All of a sudden, she heard the crunch of snow under shoes and then raucous laughter. She reeled around, her lower back pressing against the hard wood to see the Marauders saunter into the Owlery. Oh no, she thought dejectedly. The last people she wanted to run into when she was this emotionally edgy. They were the seniors of this school year, a grade above Lily; either despised or awed upon by every other pupil in the school. Their hair was drenched and their robes were covered with snow; they had obviously been throwing it at each other. James Potter was first to notice her standing across the space. He smirked at her from under his lashes, melted snow dripping from his dark hair. Sirius Black was second to notice her; he wasn't as subtle.

"Well hello there!" called Sirius cheerfully, his voice laced with a flirtatious undercurrent.

"Black," Lily acknowledged him with and unsmiling nod. Lily was hyper-aware of the letter in her hand. She inconspicuously put it behind her back.

"My name's Sirius actually, but that's alright. You make my ghastly last name sound almost sexy."

Remus Lupin glanced at her once before deciding to wait outside with the short, plump, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius seemed to be going through the Owls, checking their legs; looking for whatever delivery he was expecting.

"I was just leaving," said Lily brusquely. She didn't know what expression her face held; she hoped it was emotionless, unreadable. She threw her long red hair over her shoulder pushed herself off the window sill, away from the wall. Looking straight ahead, she strode towards the doorway. James was leaning against the doorframe, staring at a spot on the floor in an apparent daze. Lily made to completely ignore him when, to her astonishment and sheer horror, she felt the letter plucked out of her hand. She twisted around with a growl and stared at up at James amused face. He was smirking again, dark eyes fixed on her while one hand held her open letter up.

"Potter," snarled Lily warningly. She held her hand out expectantly. This wasn't a joke, and it wasn't funny. Lily didn't want to even say the words my mother is dying in her head, let alone out loud, let alone to James Potter!

"Potter, get over yourself and give it to me!" hissed Lily, motioning her outstretched hand and feeling like a complete moron.

"You're frightening when you're angry," grinned James. He shook his windblown hair arrogantly from his eyes. She began to over-heat in her thick coat as a hot wave of fury and humiliation coursed through her. She could feel herself flushing to the roots of her hair. In one fast motion she whipped out her wand and pointed it at James.

"Evans, as prefects of the school we have the right to take points for Dueling out of class," murmured James, his cool breath washing over her.

"You wouldn't take points from Gryffindor."

"Be that as it may," Sirius joined the argument. "We can send you to McGonagall, and personally I'd rather lose the points then face that old cat."

"What are those anyway?" asked Lily, glancing at the purple forms Sirius was fiddling with. Anything to sidetrack James. He was infuriating. In the meanwhile she inconspicuously shoved her wand back into her robe pocket. Sirius held up a thick pile of parchment.

"Invitations to my party," explained Sirius his shaggy black hair contrasted with his somewhat pale face. He strolled over to stand by James and separated a single piece of parchment from the bunch. He approached Lily and unbuttoned her front pocket, tucking the purple invite in and rebuttoning it before stepping away again, grinning. Lily looked at him coldly. Did she imagine the brief look of irritation which flickered across James' eyes when Sirius had touched her robe?

"It's in Hogsmeade tonight, to celebrate the opening of a new bar," continued Sirius. "Consider you and your loser sixth year friends invited."

"I'd rather serve a detention than come to your party," snapped Lily. She turned back to James, green eyes blazing. "Now hand it back, we've all got afternoon classes to attend you insensitive little prat."

"Merlin Evans, chill out! What, is it from your mommy?" teased Sirius before James could reply.

Lily felt abruptly cold. Her slow breaths became shaky through her dry lips. Sirius seemed to be too preoccupied with the thick wad of paper he was holding to notice the sickly pallor which began to creep over Lily's cheeks at his last word. James, however, did seem to notice. His brow furrowed as he brought the letter to eye level, looking at it with genuine curiosity this time.

Lily's small hand shot out and grabbed desperately for the paper. James was taken by surprise but was still too fast, holding the letter up. Lily groaned in pure exasperation and found herself grabbing the front of his robe in an attempt to boost herself higher. Lily felt her vision go blurry with anger-induced tears. Sirius looked on at the wrestling match with a grin plastered across his handsome face.

It wasn't really James which was making Lily upset. It was the fact that she was too ashamed to let anybody know what a coward she had been. That in coming to Hogwarts, she felt a sickening sense of relief that she could pretend her mother wasn't ill and her father hadn't run out on them. It was her guilt-ridden escape from reality. James looked down at her and his smirk vanished when he saw the tears building up in her eyes. His face was, for once, astonished.

"Just – give me my letter James," said Lily quietly through clenched teeth, looking away from his searching gaze. She suddenly sounded exhausted. The sound of people laughing in the grounds below them felt like sounds from another world. Reluctantly, James handed her the letter. She seized it roughly and pushed herself off his chest, stalking off angrily before any of the Marauders saw her wipe her un-spilt tears with the back of her sleeve.