"'This is getting a little ridiculous,' Lily has the decency and semi-muddled brain capacity to acknowledge as she stands outside his door—again—at nearly three in the morning." The second in a series of Jily college AUs for the November Fanfiction Challenge

If there's one thing that Lily has learned in the last nine days, it's that there's no good way to handle the death of your parents. In fact, the ability to handle something like that at all is pretty much obsolete.

The deterioration goes something like this.

"Muggles have a lot of accessories. It's hard to keep track." "Not that you try," Lily scoffed. "Well, maybe I would have paid more attention to their purposes if I knew that six years later I'd come across Lily Evans trying to maim herself with one."

James steals Remus away for a midnight lesson in ice skating for his upcoming date. But when the Head Boy proves to fail sensationally at the task, Moony is forced to call in reinforcements in the form of the one girl James would have rather avoided.

Crazy events unfold when James unexpectedly discovers that he has four partners-in-crime, rather than three.

"Ah, we have a winner, then!" James declared, his eyes dancing. Lily half-heartedly returned his smile. "I'm not so sure." "Oh, come on, Lily. No time to be modest." "I'm not, I swear it. I just reckon this bloke isn't very interested." "Is he blind, deaf and mute?" James inquired seriously. Lily shoved his shoulder. "Sometimes I think rather so."

The one thing that stands between the Head students and their winter holiday is a reluctant confession to their mates that neither of them is excited to make. So, they linger as long as they can in the corridors, oblivious to anything except each other.

"I don't want you dating her," came a soft voice from the other end of the couch. "Lexa?" James asked stupidly, "What's wrong with Lexa?" Lily blushed. Nothing was wrong with Lexa. "Lexa Thorton? She's…she's…" Perfect? Beautiful? A bloody angel? "A slag!"

She would have thought that Hogwarts was above such petty gossip and rumors that were, of course, absolutely false. Right. False... Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She was entirely guilty and thoroughly flustered and for Merlin's sake, where was Marlene?