Chapter Summaries

Lily joined James, Sirius, and Peter as they followed Remus to the Shrieking Shack and discovered he was a werewolf. After Lily helped them escape his attack, the four returned to Gryffindor Tower, where the Marauders decided to find a way to stay with Remus during full moons.

• Lily joined James, Sirius, and Peter beneath the Invisibility Cloak and followed Madam Pomfrey and Remus to the Whomping Willow.
• Sirius stopped the Whomping Willow’s branches, and the four followed Remus through the passage to the Shrieking Shack.
• Remus transformed into a werewolf and warned the four to leave, but he lunged at James before they could escape.
• Lily restrained the werewolf with spells and led the others out of the shack and back to Gryffindor Tower.
• Sirius told Peter that Remus was a werewolf, and the Marauders began looking for a way to accompany him during full moons.

Lily and the Marauders visited Lupin in the Hospital Wing and reassured him that they still accepted him after learning he was a Werewolf. Later, Lily studied with Petunia and reflected on Regulus’s path before her friends questioned her about sneaking out with Severus.

• James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily visited Lupin, brought him sweets and a potion, and promised that he would remain their friend.
• Madam Pomfrey sent the visitors away, and Lily joined Petunia in the library to study for several hours.
• Lily considered the spells she had learned and remembered that Voldemort’s power was growing.
• Mary pointed out Regulus at the Slytherin table, and Lily reflected on the Black brothers’ diverging paths and Regulus’s future resistance.
• Alice asked Lily where she had gone after curfew, and Lily claimed she had searched for potion ingredients near the Forbidden Forest.
• Lily told Dorcas that she and Severus were brewing Felix Felicis, and Dorcas teased her about being close to him.

Lily navigated James’s boastful Quidditch expectations and watched Slytherin defeat Ravenclaw with aggressive play. Before Christmas, she wrote home, then joined her friends for a snowball fight.

• Mary called James and Lily a power couple, but Lily denied having anything with James and complained that he was putting pressure on her as Gryffindor’s Seeker.
• James rallied the Gryffindor table to predict victory over Slytherin, while Lily worried that his confidence would make other teams target her.
• Lily watched Slytherin defeat Ravenclaw through aggressive play, and Sirius reflected on his brother Regulus choosing Slytherin and his cousin Andromeda breaking free of her family.
• Chalmers told James to help protect Lily during the upcoming Gryffindor-Slytherin match, and James eagerly intensified his training.
• Lily wrote to her parents and sent them Potions, then joined Dorcas and Marlene outside for a snowball fight.

James and the Marauders’ Dungbomb prank on Snape and his companions left Lily so disgusted that she struggled to eat for days. As Christmas approached, James invited Lily to Potter Manor, but she declined, and Lily returned to her homework.

• James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter threw Dungbombs at Snape, Avery, and Mulciber, but Snape dodged the blast.
• Lily arrived and recoiled from the mess and stench, then heard rumors about the Slytherins and lost her appetite after witnessing the prank.
• Petunia asked Lily why she had barely been eating, and Lily explained that she had been near the Dungbomb incident.
• James invited Lily to spend Christmas at his house, but Lily made an excuse and refused.
• James joked that he would keep inviting Lily until she accepted, then chased Sirius down the corridor after Sirius teased him.
• Lily told Petunia she had nearly finished her holiday homework and still needed to write Slughorn’s advanced Potions essay with Snape.

Slughorn praised Lily’s essay on Felix Felicis and awarded it full marks, while Lily invited Snape to spend Christmas with her family. As the holidays began, Lily and Petunia headed home, and Sirius reluctantly prepared to attend his family’s Christmas dinner.

• Slughorn read Lily’s essay, admired her analysis of Felix Felicis and its risks, and gave her full marks.
• Lily checked that Snape was not being ostracized in Slytherin and invited him to celebrate Christmas with the Evans family.
• Snape accepted Lily’s invitation with secret delight at the prospect of provoking James.
• Sirius told James he had to attend the Black family’s Christmas dinner to protect his uncle Alphard, and James invited Sirius, Remus, and Peter to his home next holiday.
• Lily and Petunia left Hogwarts for the Christmas break, looking forward to returning to the Evans family home.

Lily spent the Hogwarts Express journey practicing spells and eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans with her friends before the Marauders attacked Prefect Rosier. After arriving at King's Cross, she hurried away from James to look for Petunia and Severus.

• Lily practiced spells on the train, and Petunia warned her not to exhaust her magic because it could damage her magic nexus.
• Lily found Mary, Marlene, Dorcas, and Alice, then ate several Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans that all tasted pleasant to her.
• Lily opened the compartment door and saw James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter attacking Prefect Rosier with spells and stuffing beans into his foaming mouth.
• The students got off the train at King's Cross, where Lily wondered where Petunia and Severus were.
• James approached Lily and tried to take her suitcase, but Lily refused and hurried off to find Petunia.

Lily waited for Snape at the station while James secured an invitation to spend Christmas at her home. Snape returned alone to Spinner’s End after his father’s death and found his mother withdrawn, then received Lily’s worried letter.

• James stopped Lily from leaving and asked her parents if he could visit her at Christmas, and they agreed.
• Lily and Petunia went home with the Evanses after Snape failed to appear, while Lily said she would write to him.
• Snape returned to Spinner’s End, where he learned his father had drowned after falling through a hole in a frozen river.
• Snape found Eileen sitting silently with his father’s coat and believed she was close to death.
• Snape received Lily’s letter expressing concern for him and wondered what to do about his feelings for her.

Lily spent Christmas with Petunia and Snape, then welcomed James Potter to her home a few days later. James explored the Muggle household while Lily showed him its devices, and Petunia left them to study.

• Lily brought Snape inside, and he joined her and Petunia in baking cookies before discussing an improved healing potion with them.
• Snape left for the Potions workshop to test Lily’s idea, and Petunia asked Lily whether she liked Snape or Potter.
• Snape declined to join the Evans family’s Christmas dinner because he was absorbed in brewing Potions, so Lily saved him a meal.
• James arrived at the Evans home and confronted Snape, who refused Lily’s invitation to come inside with them.
• James greeted Mr and Mrs Evans with Christmas gifts, then explored the television, refrigerator, and radio while Lily explained them.
• Petunia returned to her room to study as James continued asking Lily about Muggle devices.

James stayed with the Evans family over Christmas, bonding with Lily over a video game and enjoying a rare hug from her. Sirius endured a frightening Pure-blood gathering where he learned of the Death Eaters’ plans, then regretted not spending Christmas with James as James settled comfortably into the Evans household.

• Lily showed James a home video game console, promised him one for Christmas, and let him hug her once, making her think Potter was less annoying than usual.
• Lily opened her Christmas presents, including a bottle of Felix Felicis from Snape, while James watched television at the Evans home.
• At a Pure-blood banquet, Sirius overheard Death Eaters planning to target Muggle communities and Muggle-born families and infiltrate the Ministry, then faced Voldemort alongside Regulus.
• Sirius fled upstairs, regretted not going to Potter Manor, and received James’s letter about moving in with the Evans family and winning a hug from Lily.
• Sirius replied with congratulations and a scolding, while Snape kept his distance from James and the Evans family welcomed James at their dinner table.

Lily went shopping in London with the Evans family and James, while Snape stayed behind to work on his potion and brooded over feeling displaced. In London, a chance meeting and James’s persistent flirting left Lily speechless as he declared that he liked her.

• Lily left Snape in the workshop to go shopping in London with James and the Evans family, while Snape watched her leave and felt jealous of James.
• On the drive, Lily and Petunia wore matching apricot-white dresses, and James turned red and babbled when Lily called him cute.
• Mr Evans met Mr Jones in London, and Mrs Jones mistook James for Lily’s boyfriend.
• James linked arms with Lily and insisted they hold hands while crossing the road, while Petunia ignored Lily’s silent plea for help.
• James told Lily that he liked her, and Lily struggled to respond.