"The world is at her best, you know,
When people love and care."

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Chapter image art by the incredible @elyon-x on Tumblr (check out their blog here: https://elyon-x.tumblr.com/)!

"Hold still, Marlene-"

"Just let me get the cane first-"

"Marls-"

Bell's lips turned up at her friends' bickering. James wasn't exactly the best when it came to style, so there was certainly some irony to be found in that he was helping Marlene, the most fashion-forward of the friend group, fix her hair this morning. As it was a day off from classes, the seven had congregated once more in the Marauders' dorm to prep for their little trip today. St. Mungo's might have been a whole country away, but through Professor McGonagall's permission and a little help from Floo Powder and the Gryffindor Common Room fireplace, they would be heading there in less than an hour. Since the day happened to be Halloween, all had dressed up in costumes. Bell had packed two pieces- a white pashmina and gloves -of Lily's costume in the care package they had all assembled for their recovering friend, just in case she wanted to join in on the costume fun.

"Hand me the little flowery thing- no, the one for the pocket- yeah that."

"You mean a corsage?" Remus corrected from across the room, adjusting his sleeves to a suitable length with a bit of magic.

"Carriage- corset- whatever it is, it matches my suit, and that's what matters."

Marlene went all-out this year, strutting her stuff around the room in a full-fledged suit in the style of a Victorian nobleman. She had even created a cane from scratch (with magic, of course) that she could tuck her wand into. The suit was all black, except for her cravat, which was a pale purple, and the sprig of lavender flowers she tucked into her breast pocket as a corsage- an homage to Lily, as purple was her favorite color.

"Remus- could you zip me up?"

Bell glanced over her shoulder from brushing the left side of her hair to see Remus drawing the zipper up on his girlfriend's dress. Her small smile grew to see how gentle he was with her and the sweet kiss she placed upon his cheek once he'd completed the task. It hadn't been long since the couple had become official, and yet, it seemed to everyone around them that they must have been together for longer, at least in spirit. There were all these little things they had already picked up on about each other and respected and adored. Bell hoped she and Sirius could grow to have such a relationship someday. As it often did in the last day or so, her heart gave a twirl when her gaze, following her train of thought, trailed to said fellow, who was adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"Merlin, James, we have ten minutes and you're still coat-less."

"And shirtless, if you'd somehow forgotten."

"Maybe he should just go like that- Lily'd appreciate it."

Laughter, not so loud as it might have been had Lily been with them, traveled among the friends, and Bell put down her hairbrush. She took a moment to appraise the costuming around her. Remus and Persephone had, in a move so cheesy it was adorable, decided to do a couple's costume. When they'd told their friends, James, after fangirling for a solid five minutes, demanded that they go as a fairytale princess and her prince- but in reverse gender roles. Although Remus had been so-so about wearing a dress, Persephone had reassured Bell- between just them girls -that next year, she would persuade him to follow through on James' idea. This holiday, however, the couple was satisfied being Marius and Cosette from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, a novel favorited by both. 

"Marlene, have you seen my-"

"Wig? Right here."

"Thanks."

"Speaking of fake hair, where's my beard-"

"Peter has it."

"That's what this is? I thought a yeti was shedding-"

Bell tried to suppress her laughter, but was unable, and ended up drawing a thin streak of lipstick on her cheek. In the classic manner of James Potter and Sirius Black, the pair had decided to dress up as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Bell would have felt bad that Peter was friends with these two maniacs and thus was roped into their shenanigans most of the time, if not for the fact that he'd come up with the idea. He was, amusingly enough, struggling with a bowtie remarkably similar to the one Professor Slughorn wore on a daily basis.

"Whaddaya think Lily'll say when she sees us coming down the hall?"

"She'll probably think Marlene, Persephone, and I have an escort of Professors."

"You mean an entourage."

"Marlene, when was the last time you 'borrowed' one of Remus' encyclopedias?"

"Last week."

"Still going through the 'E's, huh?"

"Yep."

Sirius slung a green-robed arm around Bell's shoulder and drew his thumb across her cheek, rubbing off the misplaced lipstick.

"Ready to go, Angel?"

She leaned her head back against his chest and smiled into the mirror as Sirius' arm moved from her shoulders to drape around her waist, along with its partner.

"Yes, indeed."

Bell herself was dressed as Luke Skywalker from the vastly-popular (among Muggles) sci-fi movie Star Wars. Only Lily had seen the movie so far, and before the, ah, 'incident' with Snape, they had planned to go as Luke and his twin Leia. Lily had even considered magically dying her hair brown for the occasion, but Bell convinced her not to, saying that a redheaded Leia would probably be the most badass version of the costume anyone could think of (and she meant it). Bell felt a twinge of regret in her mind, and her smile flickered. She guessed that Sirius noticed, seeing as his own grin weakened.

"You alright?"

"I just..." Bell's hand came to rest over Sirius', which were now loosely clasped around her waist. It was true, his touch gave her the shivers, and she lost her train of thought for a moment when he, in response to her moving her hand, laid his chin on her right shoulder. "It seems silly to regret this, considering everything else, but Lily was really excited for this Halloween, and she even thought up a spell to do her hair just like Leia in the movie, and I feel really awful that she's not..."

Sirius squeezed her gently, a hug. "I know. But she'll be glad to see us."

Bell nodded, turned her head toward his, which was still leaning on her shoulder, and kissed his jaw. "Right. So let's get going."

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"I HAVE ARRIVED!!"

"We."

"CORRECTION: WE HAVE ARRIVED!!"

The nurse leading the group into Lily's room frowned crossly at Marlene, but the wide smile growing on their dear friend's face as she watched all seven of them push into the room, vying to see her as soon as possible, deterred any shushing Remus might have given Marlene. Lily was sitting up, leaning against an absurd amount of pillows, so many, in fact, that even if she leaned back as far as she could go, her head wouldn't even come near the wall behind her. A chair sat on either side of her bed, one of which was quickly occupied by James, and Remus claimed the other a moment later.

"I didn't know you guys were coming-"

"Of course we were! And we brought caaandyyyy-"

Bell handed the care basket to Remus, but he didn't give it straight to Lily. Instead, he passed it to James. After all, the Jily ship was finally raising sails, and if Remus could speed the launch of it even a little bit, he certainly would.

"And books."

"By candy I mean chocolate."

"And a poem."

"And by chocolate I mean a lot of chocolate, I think we might have emptied out Remus' entire stash-"

"A poem?"

James rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly, but by the blush appearing on Lily's cheeks, she was more than happy to receive even the most terrible limerick or sonnet from him. He placed the basket at her side and she shifted through it, thanking her friends for the various treats and gifts within, until she got to a small envelope and, apparently recognizing James' handwriting (another giveaway was probably that he'd addressed it as 'to Lilyflower'), opened it. Her green eyes, which had by now regained their usual life, read through the verses James (with a little lyrical help from Marlene) had written for her. Next to Remus, Persephone laid her hand on his shoulder, and he looked to her with a peaceful smile. Lily looked so much healthier already- it couldn't be much longer before she was able to return to Hogwarts.

"Volkswagon?"

James opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of what he'd almost said, and closed it again.

"It's a clever rhyme with snapdragon." Lily glanced up from the parchment and, as James beamed at her, began to smile back. "I like it."

"Really?" James quickly cleared his throat. "I mean, of course, you liked it. I am an amazing poet, after all."

She folded it up and placed it right on the table beside her hospital bed, next to a get-well card written in Dumbledore's distinct style. "You're improving," she relented and his grin returned in full force. "Though, uh, I do have one note."

James, of course, nodded, and Remus smirked, guessing what Lily was about to ask by the way her gaze went over the boy who'd been after her heart for years.

"Volkswagons aren't exactly dragon-proof."