TW AND CW: Death, depression, mental/nervous breakdowns

A/n: letting you guys know again, it's still pretty sad in this chapter too...

"So, Lily," said Marlene, glancing up to meet her face.

The two were sitting in the library doing their homework.

"Yes?" asked Lily, looking up from her own essay.

"So are you and James- like- official?" asked Marlene slyly.

Lily giggled and nodded. "Yeah."

Marlene smiled and nodded. "Finally. She admits it. So when's the marriage?"

"Sorry?"

"Can I be the Maid of Honour?" asked Marlene, cutting Lily off.

"There's no wedding!" exclaimed Lily loudly with a blush. "Oh- sorry, Madam Pince," she added to the librarian.

"Alright, alright," said Marlene with a smirk, holding her hands up in defeat. 

There was silence for 5 minutes as they continued working, until Lily raised her head to stare at Marlene.

"Why are you being like this?" Lily asked suddenly.

Marlene raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I mean- your laughter seems fake- you've kinda been forcing it all week- and you've been kinda mopey lately..." said Lily, scratching her nose with the tip of her quill.

Marlene sighed. "Ok, I'll tell you the truth, alright? But- don't tell anyone else- not even Alice. You're my best friend. I love Alice too, but I've known you longer than anyone else at Hogwarts."

Lily raised an eyebrow, as if to say, 'go on'.

"My parents passed last Saturday," said Marlene, no louder than a whisper.

Lily still heard, however. Her energetic eyes filled with sympathy.  Lily placed a warm hand on Marlene's shoulder. "I'm here if you need anyone to talk to about ANYTHING. ANYTHING at all."

Marlene smiled at Lily's strong face. "I love you so much."

"And I love you, Marls," said Lily with a warm smile. "But- If you don't mind me asking- how...?"

Marlene glanced at her shoes. "Murdered. By the same people who killed all the muggle-borns that we read about in the paper."

Lily watched as Marlene wiped away a small tear in frustration and tugged at her hair.

"You know," said Lily quietly. "It's ok to cry."

So Marlene did just this. She cried- not loud, but silently. And even though there was no noise, you could still hear all the sadness.

Lily pulled Marlene in for a side-hug. 

After Marlene's tears had faded, Lily raised her wand to conjure up a handkerchief.

She handed it to Marlene, who wiped her nose and dabbed at her eyes. 

Lily stood up. "Come on. Let's ditch the homework and go eat something in the kitchens."

Marlene was slightly confused. "What? Do you mean breaking the rules? Are you sure you're Lily Evans?"

Lily smiled. "I'd break a law for my best friend."

Marlene smiled back. "I'd break a human for my best friend, but breaking a law is fine too, I guess."

Lily giggled. "Come on, let's go break a rule or two."

A/n: Thanks for soooooo many reads! The next couple of chapters are gonna be a little sad, but the sadder part is that we're getting close to the end of seventh year noooooooo...

But fortunately, I'm planning on writing a third book in the series- their time AFTER hogwarts. So keep an eye out for that too :)

thanks again! :)

Love, Jui Weasley