Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything. Sadly, I'm not J.K. Rowling. If I was, why would I be writing fanfic?

“Sirius Black,” thought the young, red haired teenager dreamily, “will you go out with me?” Lily Evans sat in her favorite overstuffed scarlet couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, her books spread out on her lap as she stared dreamily into the lively, crackling fire. Although she was supposed to be finishing a tricky Potions essay about Golapott’s Third Law, or something like that, she couldn’t concentrate on her copy of Advanced Potion Making at all. Instead, she concentrated on the ravishing, dark-haired teenager goofing around in the center of the common room.

“Sirius is perfect for me,” Lily told herself. “He’s so outgoing and has such a great sense of humor, but it’s obvious he’s extremely intelligent. His eyes are amazing,” Lily though, picturing his expressive, jewel-bright, laughing eyes. “His hair is a little long”, she critiqued, “but it shows that he’s got a great sense of fun.” In Lily’s opinion, the only thing wrong with Sirius was his best friend, that arrogant jerk, James Potter.

Lily’s face flushed with anger at the mere thought of that loser. He was always showing off, cursing innocent people because he could, and teasing Lily and her friends, then constantly asking her out. He was like a naughty puppy who adored Lily, following her around while drooling on her knee. “The other guys Sirius hang out with are OK,” thought Lily, recalling Sirius’s other best friends, a sincere friend of hers named Remus Lupin and a small, quiet boy named Peter Pettigrew, “but James is just something else.”

“Hey, Lily, are you all right? You’re face is kind of red,” Lily’s best friend, Alice Jennings, asked in a concerned voice, walking over to Lily. Alice had long, stringy blond hair, warm and expressive gray eyes, and a round, full, smiling face. Though she was on the plump side, well known for being a klutz, and not considered beautiful by most people, she was extremely popular among the Gryfinndors for her gentle and kind personality.

“I’m fine, Alice,” she replied. “I was just thinking about James Potter, and how much I hate him.”

“Lily,” sighed Alice, who despised talking about other people, even her enemies, behind her back, “hate is a strong word. I’m sure you don’t hate him. You just haven’t worked out your feelings for him.” Lily made a face at her closest friend, and Alice sighed again, and went fishing through the pile of books lumped all over the sofa. Pulling out a small, untitled, leather-bound book, she read aloud, “My Diary.” Pretending to turn the pages, she said, in a joking voice, “Ooh, lets see what it says.”

“Give that back, Al!” Lily said, wincing as the book hit her in the head. “It’s empty, anyway.”

“Then I guess you’re going to have to write in it,” said a familiar voice. Lily’s other best friend, Andromeda Black, better known as Andy, strode over to them, her thick, shining, straight waist-length brown hair dancing in the air. A thin, perky girl, Andy loved writing of any kind, read even faster than Lily, and kept several diaries at one time.

“OK, what the heck, Andy, you win. But you know I don’t do diaries very well,” said Lily lazily. Opening the stiff book, she began to scribble in it: Hi, whoever you are who happens to be reading this. I’m Lily Evans and I’m only writing this because my friend Andy made me. (Andy, don’t look at me like that.) I’m in my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and am in Gryffindor. My best friend’s names are Alice and Andy. I’m really not good at this, and I don’t know what to say. As I said, Andy is making me. Oh yeah, I have a crush on this guy in my year, Sirius Black. Some people, like Andy, who’s his cousin, for example, think he’s obnoxious but I think he’s gorgeous. He’s funny, sensitive, smart, kind, handsome, cute, and- hey, Andy, that hurt!

Lily winced as Andy whacked her rather hard on the head. “You like my-” roared the thin brunette in a ferocious voice.

“Shhhh, don’t tell the whole world!” Lily gasped.

“You like my cousin?!” Andy whispered furiously. “Oh my god, Lily, you like my cousin! Why? He’s mean and snobbish and inconsiderate and he threw a pair of scissors at me when I was three and I still have the scar. Don’t fall for him; he's not worth it. Trust me.”

Lily sighed, and scribbled down: Andy just pretends to hate him because he’s family, that’s all. Her whole family is a little weird, I have to admit. They’re all Slytherins except for Andy and Sirius, and they’re completely convinced that being pureblood makes you the greatest person on Earth. They won’t let me go over their house in the summer or let Andy visit, just because my parents are Muggles, so out of the whole lot, I’ve only met Andy’s sisters and Sirius’s brother, because they go to our school. Andy’s sisters are so mean, almost as mean as my older sister, Petunia, and Sirius’s brother is the complete opposite of him. He’s shy, dry and completely unattractive, unlike his amazing older brother.

Ignoring Andy, who made a face at Lily, she continued to write: Andy and Alice don’t understand crushes because they’ve long outlived that stage. Andy and a seventh year Ravenclaw, Ted Tonks, have been going out for about a year now. Alice and the other Gryffindor boy in our year, Frank Longbottom, haven’t been going out for as long, but they have great chemistry. I haven’t had a boyfriend in my life. How pathetic am I- oh my god, Sirius is walking over to us, I think he’s actually going to speak to us. Oh, my god!

Lily took a deep breath, and tried to hide her small diary under her potions essay. Making a mental note to ask Professor Slughorn about Golopatt’s Third Law when she got the chance, she smoothed out her hair and quickly tried to arrange her clutter so it didn’t look so much like a bomb had gone off in her corner.

“Hey, girls,” said Sirius in a deep, mature voice as he swaggered over, running his large, manly hands through his luxurious dark hair. “Andy, Alice, Lily, what’s up? How’s the potions essay going, Lil?”

Andy and Alice stared at Lily, their faces expectant. Alice, the most compassionate of the three, seemed almost as nervous as Lily was. She gave her the tiniest of thumbs-up behind Sirius’s back, and gave Lily a small nod that told her she was doing fine, but to go ahead and do it.

“Fine, it’s going great,” lied Lily, searching frantically for a conversation topic.

“So, what’s up with this great weather?” The weather, she thought as her face burned scarlet, oh my god, I’m talking about the weather. No wonder I’ve never have been able to get a guy.

“I know,” Sirius said, smiling, completely at ease. If he knew how much that innocent grin and even, white teeth were killing Lily, he didn’t show it. “Listen, I wanted to ask you something.” Lily’s heart pounded wildly. Was he going to... Alice held up her crossed fingers in the air. “Lily”, Sirius said, “could I borrow a quill?”

Lily’s heart dropped all the way down to the floor. “Sure,” she said listlessly, rummaging through her purse. “Just ask him, when you have the chance,” she found herself thinking frantically as she shifted through the contents of her bag. “It’s only seven words,” she told herself. “It’s easy. Just say ‘Sirius, will you go out with me?”

Lily froze. Had she spoken out loud?

A/n- Wow, my first fic ever! Ever! I worked really hard on this and my computer kept giving me issues so this one chapter took me 2 days. Please review, and thank you for reading it to the end! I am eternally greatful for you to even consider reading this. Also, check out my author page if you like humor fics, I have a lot under my favorites!
And also, thanks to my twin sister for betaing this for me, I owe her so much!
Third chappie is up!
500+ reads! Woo-hoo! Now, if I could get another review....
And, I would like to add, if you have issue with Andy being in the same year as Lily, please read my author bio before commenting about that. I explain my reason there.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all. I own nothing. ‘Nuff said.

Sirius froze, numb disbelief washing over him. He couldn’t believe Lily Evans had just asked him out, and he didn’t know what to do. On one hand, Prongs really seemed to like Evans, and he was his best friend. On the other hand, he had never turned a girl down in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now. Avoiding James’s hurt and bewildered glare from across the room, he stared Evans straight in those mystical, bright green eyes and said in his most seductive voice, “Sure, hon. How about sometime tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh,” Lily responded in a nervous, shaking voice. “Tomorrow’s a Hogsmeade weekend. We can… you know, go to the Three Broomsticks or something.”

“Let’s meet in the common room at four tommorow afternoon, OK? See ya then, babe,” Sirius replied, remembering with a bound in his heart that not only was tomorrow a Hogsmeade weekend, but it was also the full moon. As he watched Lily fling aside her books and giggle excitedly with her friends, that overweight, always smiling blonde girl and his perky cousin Andy, he thought, “Tomorrow is gonna be fun.”

It was nearly four o‘clock in the afternoon the next day, and though Lily looked stunning, with her hair in an elegant bun, new robes, a golden necklace and dazzling makeup, she still had something left to do. She sat next to Andy on her favorite couch, and wrote in her diary : Oh my god, he said yes. Sirius Black is going out with me! Me! I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment- my first date! It’s a day that will live in lights forever in my mind. Okay, maybe, I’m not being melodramatic. I’ve been up since 6:00 AM getting ready. Alice and Andy positively swamped me with advice, or warnings in Andy’s case. I must have changed my robes five times, and don’t even get me started about makeup. Andy even let me borrow her favorite, most expensive purse. It’s from a famous designer. She wants me to make a good impression on her cousin, I can tell. Inside, I think she really does like him but doesn’t want to admit it- it’s a family thing. Oh my god, Alice just gave me the thumbs up from the landing on the bottom of the stairs leading up to the dorms- that means he’s coming!

It was about half an hour later. Lily tried to carry herself elegantly as she strolled down the lane to the village with Sirius at her side. One of the main things she had worried about as she tried to fall asleep last night was what she was going to say to Sirius. Though she felt distinctly awkward because she had never gone on a date before, Sirius kept up a constant flow of flirty chatter. Obviously, he wasn’t new at the game of love.

“So, er, where do you want to, um, go?” Lily asked Sirius, feeling very nervous. “Do you want to go to the Three Broomsticks and, you know, have a butterbeer? Or do you want to go somewhere else?”

Sirius said, “Nah, the Three Broomsticks is always packed. I know of a better place. Have you ever been to Madam Puddifoot’s?”

Lily let Sirius lead the way to the quaint tea shop, giggling at a very funny story he was telling about Frank Longbottom, his friend Peter Pettigrew, and a mad house-elf called Dobby or something like that. When they reached the tea-shop, Lily stopped, terror-struck. The shop was decorated lacy doilies, pink bows, and frilly magenta napkins. Worse, the shop seemed completely filled with couples, and though each set had mugs of tea or coffee in front of them, none of them were drinking. Instead, most of them were holding hands, caressing each other, or passionately kissing. When she managed to find her voice, she asked, “Do you like this place?”

Sirius responded, “Hell no, I usually take girls here because they like it. The tea’s good, though, but the décor’s a little frilly for me. I like the entertainment though.”

A pang shot through Lily. Entertainment… she didn’t even want to think about it. “I agree,” she said, warily eyeing a lace doily with disgust. “It’s so frilly, it’s sickening.”

Sirius smiled. “You’re daring,” he said softly, a smile playing at the corners of his face, as he turned away from the tea shop and began to walk to Honeydukes. “I like that in a lady. You’re very daring, but then again I suppose you have to be to ask me out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” scoffed Lily, running to catch up, desperately wishing she had listening to the Flirting 101 lesson Andy tried to give her this morning. Seeing the look of surprise flash across Sirius’s face, she hastily said, “I mean, it wasn’t like I meant to- oh, no, that’s not what I meant. When I asked you out, it sort of just, I don’t know, slipped.” After walking a few steps, she softly added, “But I’ve been wanting to ask you for a very long time.”

“Of course you have,” Sirius said cockily, grinning mischievously, sprinting ahead. “I’m irresistible.”

Lily gently punched him on the arm, while giggling. “Well,” she thought, “he is a bit of a ham, but he is definitely worth it.”

Sirius made a face, and grabbed Lily’s small, petite hand with his large and warm one, and led her into the candy shop. A firework seemed to explode in her chest as Sirius’s hand closed over hers. Her entire body tensed as her heart pounded painfully, and her date noticed. “What’s the matter?” he asked, all joking forgotten.

“Nothing,” Lily responded, grabbing a piece of fudge from a sample tray. The hand Sirius was holding onto was tingling. “Everything is just perfect, Sirius. Try some fudge, it’s excellent.”

“This is your first time doing this sort of thing, right?” Sirius asked, casually but gently putting a muscular arm around her waist. He was drawing awfully close. Lily’s heart was beating so furiously she thought it was going to burst. She fell into the depths of his dark eyes, and hardly noticed what she was doing. He was coming closer, closer… An inch away from Lily’s face, Sirius suddenly drew back and they fell apart. Lily wondered for a heart-stopping second if Sirius didn’t like her, but then she saw an oily-haired, greasy-skinned teenager gaping at them. “Not again,” thought Lily wearily.

“Well, look who it is,” said Sirius tauntingly. “Snivellus.”

Lily felt as if something was closing in on her, strangling her. She hated to see anyone tease Severus “Snivellus” Snape, James’s arch-enemy, but if she stood up for the Slytherin boy, Sirius would hate her. Wishing more than anything that she was invisible, she turned away and examined the display of Cockroach Clusters behind her. Still, she could hear every word of Sirius’s and Severus’s argument.

“What would Potter do if he found out that you were snogging Evans?” Severus asked, cruelly.

Lily gasped. “What would James do?” she wondered. She vaguely asked herself what she would do if she found out Alice had gone on a date with the guy she liked, but stopped because thinking like that made her uncomfortable, for some reason.

“Don’t you dare tell him!” Sirius said, in a voice more angry than Lily had ever heard him. Lily spun around, against her better judgment, just in time to see Sirius hit Snape with a curse that forced him upside down. Hanging by his foot, Snape shot a spell at Sirius but missed, and the jet of red light hit a container of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans instead. Lily screamed as candy shot everywhere. Though the other students in the shop began to cheer for Sirius, Lily grabbed him by the arm and marched him out of the shop, leaving Snape hanging in midair.

“Lily, why did you stop me? He was being obnoxious, Lily, so why can’t I-,” stuttered Sirius, though he fell silent at the look on Lily’s face.

Lily tried to force herself to remain calm. Taking a deep breath, she said, shaking with compressed rage, “Sirius Black, you are probably the most handsome guy I know, but if you think cursing Slytherins will impress me, think again.”

Sirius quailed slightly under the glare she gave him. “Take it easy, Evans,” he said softly. “God, I was right,” he added on an afterthought. “You are daring.”

Lily drew herself to her full height. Her eyes flashing, she said, coolly, “Excuse me. What do you mean by ‘daring‘?”

“I mean…um, uh, Wormtail, how nice to see you!” responded Sirius, hastily and brightly. Lily spun around rapidly, and sure enough, a short, watery-eyes, overweight blond boy walked down the street, fidgeting with his robes. “Wait a moment, Lily,” Sirius said, and hurried to talk with his friend Peter, whom he called Wormtail, for some odd reason.

Lily wandered down the street, looking in all the shop windows. As she wandered closer to where the two boys where conversing, she distinctly heard Sirius say, “So then, Snivelly came in and caused a scene, of course.”

“What did you do?” Peter asked in a high, squeaky voice.

“I cursed him,” Sirius said, “or at least I tried to. Evans didn’t really let me.” He gave Peter a deep look, and continued, “Don’t worry about him, Wormtail. Tonight’s the full moon. Yesterday, I told Snivellus how to, you know, get into the secret place. If all goes according to plan, he’ll follow Moony and it should be quite a show.” With a bitter smile, he significantly drew his finger across his neck.

Lily gasped as waves of horror rolled over her. Suddenly, Sirius didn’t seem too handsome anymore. She had a shrewd feeling she knew what her date was planning, and she didn’t like the sound of it at all. Ever since they were partners in Astronomy in third year, Lily had thought that Sirius’s other best friend, Remus Lupin, who was nick-named Moony, was a werewolf. If Snape followed Remus down to wherever he transformed, he would be attacked by a vicious monster. Lily didn’t want to interfere, but if she didn’t, there was a good chance Severus Snape would be attacked by a werewolf and killed.

A/n- Sorry it was so fluffy, the next chappie will be more Sirius- er, serious.
And thanks to my amazing betas and friends, MalfoysMistress and SnufflesSnogger.
Sorry for the wait, next time I'll be much better at this and it won't be rejected as many times. Third chapter coming soon! You can preview it at www.freewebs.com/lupinslover!
And thanks to my wonderful mod for helping me figure out why it was rejected. Note to self: Severus has one "r" in it. *bangs head against book*

Disclaimer: Come on, you know the drill. J.K. Rowling owns everything. I own nothing. Need I say any more?

Lily felt panic fog her brain and fear cloud her heart as she mechanically made her way down the well-worn path from Hogsmeade to the castle. She couldn’t believe what Sirius and Peter were plotting. She knew Sirius was a bit obnoxious, if not reckless, but she’d never imagine he would purposely and deliberately put another individual in life-threatening danger. Snape isn’t the most outgoing guy out there, she thought numbly as she quickly crossed the chilly grounds, but why would a popular, smart, kind boy like Sirius try to kill him? Deep in her heart, Lily knew the right answer, but after months of dreaming of him, she couldn’t bear to face it. Sirius Black wasn’t the nice man she thought he was- he was reckless to the point of cruelty. Face it, Evans, Lily told herself, trying to ignore a stubborn tear making its way down her cheek, he isn’t perfect for you.

With one hand on the heavy door to the entrance hall, Lily stopped suddenly. She had been so busy digesting the horrors of Sirius and Peter’s plan, she had forgotten to plan her next move. She knew she had to do the right thing, to prevent Snape from being killed, but what exactly was the right thing? If she told Snape what was under the Whomping Willow, he would laugh at her and sneak under it anyway to meet his doom. If she told Professor McGonagall, her favorite teacher, questions would definitely be asked- she was pretty sure students weren’t supposed to know Remus was a werewolf. Plus, how do you know Remus Lupin was a werewolf, anyway? a calm, cool, soothing voice from the very back of her head asked. You’ve got to ask him. And you know where he probably is and who’s with him. Lily took a deep breath, and leaned on the wooden door for support as another wave of dread washed over her. Yesterday in Charms, she had overheard Sirius tell Peter that James was staying with Remus in the boy’s dormitory the next day. To save an innocent life, Lily would have to go to the last place on Earth she wanted to go to- the boy’s dorm.

The dull thunks Lily’s hurried footsteps made as she quickly ascended the stone spiral staircase to the boy’s dormitories rivaled the pounding of her heart. She couldn’t figure out what made her so nervous about the boys’ dorms, but the mere thought of them made her uneasy. She had only been up here before once, in her first year, when she and Alice had visited Alice’s older brother Daniel, who was in his seventh year at the time, early Christmas morning. Panting slightly, she reached the uppermost door at the very top of the tower. For several long moments, she simply stared at the thick wooden door and lopsided sign reading, “Sixth Years,” as though daring it to open. Finally, she reached out a shaking hand and quietly knocked.

Lily heard voices inside- the gentle and low speech of Remus Lupin and James Potter’s fluent cursing- before the door opened slightly and James’s head peeked out. “I’m sorry, you can’t- Evans?!” James’s voice rose with surprise as he saw the attractive red-head standing outside the door. “What- what the hell are you doing up here?” he asked, stumbling over his words, but trying to stay cool. “The girl’s dormitory is on the other side of the tower. This is the boys’ dorm. You can’t be up here, unless you want be with me, of course.”

Lily resisted the urge to smack James hard on his fat head. Ignoring his rude comment, she said in a surprisingly calm voice, “I know it’s the boy’s dorm, you idiot. I came up here for a reason. I need to talk to Remus.”

“You what?” James asked. He stuck his head back into the dorm briefly, and Lily heard Remus whisper something to him. With his usual arrogant smile on his head, he poked his head back out and said in a triumphant voice, “He’s sick. You can’t come in.”

Lily was prepared for this, and said in a bored voice, rolling her eyes, “I’m sure he is. Look, Potter, this is very important. I need to talk to Remus right now.”

“I’m sorry,” James said in an equally forceful voice, “but he is sick. OK? Just- just go away, Evans. You can’t talk to him now.”

“If he’s so sick, maybe I should go and get Madam Pomfrey,” Lily said menacingly. She smiled as she watched James try to work his way out of that one.

“No, don’t get Madam Pomfrey, she already knows,” James said quickly. “She told him to, er, rest, yeah, that’s it. She told him not to talk to anyone, stay in the dorm, and, um, rest.”

“Madam Pomfrey knows, and so do I,” Lily said, quietly and swiftly. “OK, I know. He’s a werewolf. Happy? Now let me in!”

James whistled, long and low. “You are one determined woman,” he said softly in an awestruck voice. “Fine, if its that important, fine. Come in.” He threw open the door.

“Victory,” laughed Lily. A second later, her jaw dropped open in amazement and disgust as she got her first real view of the boy’s dormitory. It was an utter mess. Each of the five four-poster beds were unmade, with huge piles of books, papers, quills, ink bottles, socks, and robes thrown haphazardly onto them. Lily couldn’t see the floor; it was masked by a residue of crumbled parchment and wrinkled clothing. A peculiar smell wafted upwards from a damp brown paper bag that looked like it once contained food, and a line of ants scurried to it. Lily gasped as she saw several overflowing trunks spilling piles of dirty robes and crumpled-up t-shirts, and tried not to stare at the many pairs of boxers thrown upon the floor. Lily couldn’t remember a time when her dormitory was half as dirty as the boy’s; Andy, who was a bit of a neat-freak, had always made sure to clean up the dorm using some handy household spell, and had forced the others to do the same. Suddenly, Lily let out a soft scream as she saw the gaunt figure slumped in a chair near the window.

Lily had always been very close with Remus Lupin, the frail, sickly yet intelligent friend of James, Sirius, and Peter. They had become friends after they had to share a telescope in Astronomy during third year, and since then had spent many hours in front of the Gryffindor Common Room fire or in the library, studying together or simply talking. Though Lily knew Remus was extremely sickly and was a werewolf, she had never seen him in such a feeble state. His skin was as pale as death, and his eyes dull as he hunched up in the arm chair, shivering slightly even though he had wrapped a scarlet blanket tightly around his thin frame. He barely turned his head when Lily entered the room, and though she was worried for him, she couldn’t help but notice his corner was probably the cleanest- although she wasn't sure if that fuzzy green thing on the floor was a fun sock or an old sandwich. Ignoring the clutter of disgusting objects on the floor, Lily hurried to Remus and gave him a quick hug. “Oh, my god,” she whispered softly.

James crisply slammed the door behind Lily, and watched her with an expression of mild amusement on his face. “Look, Evans,” he said after a moment, “if whatever you need to tell Remus is so important, you'd better get cracking.”

Lily gave a start; she was so caught up in how sickly Remus was, she momentarily forgot James was there. “I don’t know where to begin,” she said shakily. James made an impatient noise, but Lily didn’t care. Deep in her heart, she knew telling James and Remus about the discussion she had overheard would help save Snape and make things better, but for some reason, she couldn’t face talking about it.

Remus said, softly in a hoarse and tired voice, “Lily, is it important? Because if it involves, you know, me being a w-werewolf, I have to know immediately.”

Lily took a deep breath, and said in a shaky, nervous voice, “I was in Hogsmeade right now, with Sirius-”

“What were you doing in Hogsmeade with Sirius?” asked James in an aggressive but hurt voice.

Lily felt her face redden, and hung her head down. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t bear to look at James, though his glare was drilling into her. “W-we went together, James. Just you know, talking, seeing the sights…” her voiced trailed off.

James retorted, “Talking, right! I can't believe Sirius would take you on a date, Evans. And I really can’t believe you would let him!”

Lily felt a strange aching in her heart. “It was nothing- look, we’re not going out, James! I swear we’re not. Anyway, he and I were in Honeyduke's and Severus Snape came up and tried to say something smart, but Sirius cursed him. I took Sirius outside and was, well, telling him what I think of people who bully innocent victims, and then Peter Pettigrew walked up and asked to talk to Sirius. I couldn’t help but overhear what they were saying, and they were saying horrible things! Sirius said he told Snape where Moony was transforming, and that they were going to have quite a show tonight. James, I think they’re going to try to kill Snape!”

James swore vehemently. “Damn him,” he screamed, “damn him! Moony, do you realize what is going to happen tonight?”

Remus nodded grimly. Lily was suddenly remembered something she was always curious about, but had never bothered to ask. “Remus,” she asked, “where exactly do you go to transform?”

Remus sighed loudly. “Lily,” he said gently, “do you know that mad tree, the Whomping Willow? I’m sure you do… anyway, on it there is a certain knot that will freeze the entire tree. The Willow covers a special underground passage, which leads to the Shrieking Shack, in Hogsmeade. The tree…the tunnel…the shack, they were all built for my use. I go down there every full moon to transform. Snape noticed I leave the school once a month, and has asked me, James, Peter, and Sirius why many times. I suppose Sirius told him how to get into the tunnel under the tree. If he gets that far, Lily, you and I know he will be faced with a fully-grown werewolf- me. He’ll be killed, and there‘s nothing we can do about it.”

Lily found her voice was cracking slightly. “What do you mean, we can‘t do anything?” she asked furiously. “Surely we can tell Professor Dumbledore, or tell Snape not to go down, or something. We have to do something.”

Remus sighed. “I have to go down to the Willow in about ten minutes,” he said, frowning. “None of those plans would work, and we have no time to think of a better plan. What can we do?”

Lily asked, “Well, can’t we tell Snape or Dumbledore?”

James responded, “Snape would never believe us. Trust me, that would only make him more curious to find out what’s under the tree. And if we told a teacher, that would be like a betrayel of trust to Sirius. He would be expelled for sure. I’m mad at him right now, but we just can’t do that to him. He’s my best friend.”

“So, does that mean we let Snape die?” Lily screamed furiously, shaking with rage. “Aren’t innocent lives worth more than friendship?”

James sighed, sank onto one of the beds, and pounded his forehead for a moment, evidently thinking hard. Finally, he straightened up and said, with a grim smile, “I’ve got an idea. But, Evans, before we pull it off, I’ve got to warn you the plan is really risky. I’m only doing this for you, Evans, so you better think long and hard before you agree to this. Because if the plan doesn’t work, Evans, there’s a good chance me and Snape will both be killed.”

About fifteen minutes later, Lily and James silently prowled down the stairs of the boy’s dormitory under James’s silver Invisibility Cloak. Although usually she would have been awestruck by such a powerful magical object, Lily hardly cared now. For some reason, she felt more aware of her body than usual, and every time her shoulder brushed against James, she felt an electric shock surge through her body. She wondered if the cloak would make her hair stick up, but then reminded herself they were on a mission, and needed to focus. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as they slowly made their way through the common room. James hadn’t told her yet about the plan, and Lily was beside herself trying to figure it out, although she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know what it was.

“Look, Evans,” James said as they crept into the forest. The sky was beginning to darken, and for the first time, Lily noticed how James’s hazel eyes glowed in the twilight. “Here’s the plan. You wait out here. I follow Snape into the passageway and pull him back.”

Lily gasped in horror. “No!” she whispered angrily. “That’s stupid, and really dangerous! God, James, I thought you were smart! That plan is just ridiculous.”

James quailed under the look she gave him. “It isn't the best or safest plan out there, but it will have to do,” he said gravely. “What other choices do we have?”

Lily felt the fight go out of her. “Fine,” she said in a defeated voice, “but if we have to do that, why must I just wait outside? James, please, let me help you! I want to help.”

James scowled. “No,” he gasped, “Lily, please, you can’t. Lily, it’s a really risky thing to do, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t care!” she retorted in a deadly voice. “An innocent life is at stake, James! I would rather try to save him and die trying than sit and wait outside. I’m a girl, James, but I’m strong. I can handle it. What I can’t handle is sitting back and watching you get killed, James. Please, let me help!”

“No!” pleaded James. “You mean too much to me, Lily. I can’t let you do this.”

“What about me?” Lily asked. “Do you think I don’t care? Do you think I’m not worried about you? Do you think I don’t like you? James, I really can’t let you go alone! Honestly, you mean too much to me!”

Lily wasn’t sure of what she was saying or doing anymore. All she knew was that she couldn’t let James go alone. The James she had known her whole life, the annoying, arrogant, teasing James simply melted away and was replaced by someone who was much, much more. Before she knew what was happening, his mouth was pressed against hers, and there were firecrackers exploding in her chest like she had never dreamed she could feel. She didn’t know how long they kissed, and only when they broke apart did she realize what she had done, and what she had felt, about James Potter! She wondered why she didn’t slap him away, the realized that she loved him. Sirius didn’t matter anymore. She knew she was perfect for James. She knew what he needed to do, and she loved him for that.

“Thanks,” James said in an oddly husky voice. “I needed that, really, I did. I’ve got to go now. If I die, I’ll have that memory forever. Lily, I just want to tell you, before I risk my life, that I love you!”

Lily couldn’t trust herself to speak. She was still in shock. Numbly, she sat down on the ground and thought about what had just happened. As she watched James walk away, she realized there was nothing left to do but wait.

A/n- finally, I’m done with that brick of a chapter. I've changed my plans to include a bonus chapter- TWO more chapters, people! Chappie 4 will be a climax and Chapter 5 is going to be a conclusion. Thanks for all your reviews!
As always thanks my betas, this isn't Jess, MalfoysMistress and my sister. Thanks to my wonderful mod, Magical Maeve.

Lily’s heart was pounding wildly as she sat numbly in the eerie darkness of the woods at night. The full moon bathed her in white light and illuminated her hand, which was still tingling from where James had touched her. She couldn’t believe what had happened, and wasn’t sure of her feelings. How could I let James kiss me like that? she thought frantically. You’re supposed to hate him, Lily, remember? she told herself. Yet how could she forget how safe she felt in his arms, how tender his hands were as they embraced? How could she ignore the fear she felt now as James risked his life to save a boy he hated? Lily knew that if she had never alerted James to Sirius‘s plan, he wouldn’t be risking his life now. I had to tell him; I couldn’t let Snape die, Lily told herself furiously. Yet, a nagging voice told her, deep down inside, If James dies trying to save Snape, it’s my fault.

A high-pitched snicker lurched Lily out of her confusing thoughts. “D’you think when Moony gets him, he’ll scream?” Lily heard the unseen, squeaky voice of Peter Pettigrew ask only a few feet away from her.

“Peter,” Lily said in a low, but surprisingly even and calm voice. She heard Peter give a girly ooh of surprise, and a familiar voice she knew all too well curse fluently. Suddenly, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black fell out from behind a tree.

“Should have used the cloak, ” Sirius grumbled to Peter. Seeing Lily staring at him lividly, he said in a deep, seductive voice, “Hello, Lily. Fancy seeing you here.”

Lily felt her face flush, and her heart pound wildly. She didn’t expect to see him, and panic fogged her brain. Fury flowed through her body like an electric shock, and she felt a strange weakness carrying all that anger with no place to put it. She wanted to scream at him, yell at him, hit him, and beat him to a bloody pulp, but at the same time run into those tanned and muscular arms and embrace him. As her hands curled into fists, and stars swam before her eyes, a sudden and vivid memory paraded into her mind, the unwanted memory of her first kiss. How could she love him, but how could she ever hate him? He was patient, handsome, loving and kind, yet at the same time he was arrogant, cruel, thoughtless and horrible. Lily hated him, but it appeared that Sirius thought this was a chance meeting in the forest. He still thinks I love him, Lily thought numbly.

What is love? Lily wondered, not for the first time in her life. She had thought she had loved Sirius, but he was so arrogant and cruel! He had done nothing to her, but he had tried to harm the innocent. She knew Snape had done nothing to Sirius, yet he had tried to kill him. Sirius was kind to her, yet she hated him so much! In one sense, I don’t have a reason to hate him, Lily thought, but how can I think I like or even love him? He isn’t James. James is arrogant, but would he ever do such a thing to another living human? Lily gasped as she said aloud, in the smallest possible voice, the thought that had been plaguing her since she and James had kissed. “I don’t love you, Sirius- I love James.”

“Lily,” asked Sirius in a small voice. “Sorry, babe, I didn’t catch that. Do you feel okay? You look kind of faint.” Sirius ran forward, and embraced Lily in his strong arms.

Lily stiffened as Sirius wrapped her arms around her. How was she tell the boy who loved her that she no longer loved him? Lily wiped away a stray tear before turning around to face Sirius. As she gazed into the dark eyes of the handsome boy, she almost felt like going along with Sirius and pretending to still like him. “Sirius,” she said a bit louder, “I am so sorry. But I can’t believe what you did to Severus! I can’t like you anymore, I can’t stand you!” Lily felt her voice raise into a shaky yell, and she desperately tried to control her temper. “Sirius, I can’t love you! I hate you!” She wretched her hand out of his, and slapped him across the face.

Sirius slowly reached up to touch his red cheek. He seemed completely shocked. “You knew about my plan?” he asked numbly.

Lily laughed in a completely fake way, and tried to stop the hysterical shudders running through her body as she tried not to break down sobbing. “I knew?” she asked. “Of course I knew! Just as a general bit of advice, don’t parade your secret murder plans in the middle of the street! How could you, Sirius? What has Severus Snape done to you?”

Sirius took a deep breath. “Lily, I’m sorry,” he said in a grave voice most unlike his usual casual one. “I didn’t mean to- er, insult or upset you. But,” he continued a little too quickly, as Peter made a nervous snuffling sound, “what have you done? How long have you known?”

Lily felt a new stream of tears. Even now, she wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing. “I-I told James,” she stuttered, “an-and he w-went in after S-snape!”

Sirius cursed vehemently, as Peter whimpered. “No, he did not!” Sirius said when he finally stopped using words that shocked Lily.

“Yes, he did. He said he would pull him back, “ Lily said hoarsely. As soon as she said so, a horrible, terrorized scream filled the air.

Lily felt icy terror fill her insides with fear, and she sprinted to the moving, deadly tree. James was in trouble, she knew it! She could stay outside the Whomping Willow and be safe, but let her only love die, or go in and risk her life to save James. She knew he wouldn’t be in there if it wasn’t for her, and she had to help. Numbly, Lily picked up a thick branch, before realizing she didn’t know how to . “Freeze the tree!” she bellowed at the two shocked boys who stood before her. She seemed to wither on the spot as the branch swung around wildly.

Sirius’s instincts quickly set in, and in an instant, he had used the stick to hit the knot that deprived the dangerous willow of its’ power. “You‘re not going in, are you? Are you crazy?” he screamed at her.

“I‘ve got to go in! I have to save James!” Lily shouted.

“No, let me!” Sirius said, grabbing Lily’s arm. “I’m stronger, and I know how to control werewolves!”

“I can’t let both of you get hurt tonight! Stay here, Sirius!” Lily screamed. She twisted her arm out of Sirius’s vise-like grasp, and hastily slid down the opening in the roots of the Whomping Willow. She found herself in a musty, earthly passageway in a low tunnel. A scream ran out through the tunnel again. “I’m coming, James!” Lily belted out, and ran forward in the tunnel, her sneakers slipping on the dirt path. Lily began to slow down when she saw a dim light shining in ahead from a small opening. Suddenly, the little light was blocked by a mass of human-shaped forms.

Lily ran forward, and tried to take in the bizarre scene that flashed before her eyes. James Potter was hobbling down the passageway on his left foot with terror apparent in his hazel eyes. On his shoulders, he had the lean, oily, limp body of Severus Snape draped over his shoulders. Lily felt more fear pulse through her as she heard the snarl of a werewolf not far behind the odd procession. “James!” Lily bellowed. “What happened?”

“My god,” James said, in a panicky voice, “Lily, what are you doing here?”

Lily hugged the earthen wall of the tunnel as James ran past. “Saving you,” she replied in a low voice. “What happened to Severus?”

James cursed, and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it painfully as he pulled her along. “Lily, Snape fainted when he saw Moony. I went to grab him, and I twisted my ankle. Get him out of here, okay? I’ll take care of the werewolf!”

“No,” Lily cried out, grabbing Snape’s leg to lessen the weight on James. She pulled out her wand, and pointed it at James’s right ankle. She muttered, “Ferula," and a splint formed on James’s ankle.

“Thanks!” James said. The werewolf made a louder snarl, and James began to run faster. “Please, take care of Snape! Get him out of her! I’ll stop Remus!” Lily aimed her wand at Snape’s pale, life-less body and muttered, “Mobilicorpus.” Instantly, Snape hovered by himself in thin air, his head scraping the top of the tunnel.

“Lily, thank god you are way too smart for your own good,” James said, and he quickly brushed his lips against hers. Lily felt all her fear leave her, and for a second, everything was all right. She and James weren’t in life threatening danger; they were teenagers, enjoying life with no worries. It was beyond magical for Lily to be relieved of the constant fear she had bore for the entire afternoon, even for just a second. Suddenly, Lily heard the loudest werewolf growl yet, and she glanced behind her back at the corner they had just turned. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Lily and James had forgotten about the werewolf as they shared that simple, yet unforgettable moment, and in werewolf form, Remus did not like to be ignored. A lean yet muscular creature with brown hair the exact color of Remus Lupin’s rounded the corner in the tunnel, sprinting on four long legs after its prey. Lily screamed and broke out into a sprint, nudging Snape along with her wand with James at her side. The werewolf opened its long, strong jaws and howled; Lily felt her legs nearly give out under her as she saw inch-long teeth sharpened to a deadly, knife-like point. The werewolf was catching up on them. “James,” she shrieked, desperately, “do something!”

“Get Snape!” James screamed in reply, pulling her along. “Let me handle Remus! Grab Snape, and get as far away as you can! As soon as you get in the forest, get Madam Pomfrey, and stay away from the tree! GO!”

“I’m not leaving you!” Lily screamed. She turned to look at James, to make a mental image of his handsome face in case she never saw him again, but saw nothing but empty space. “JAMES?” she yelled. Just when Lily thought she had seen enough that night, she saw yet another shocking sight. Where James had disappeared, a dark shape was galloping forward to meet the menacing werewolf. Lily paused, and glanced back. Was James an Animagus? A student at Hogwarts couldn’t be an Animagus, it was impossible, Lily thought frantically. But, if James hadn’t transformed into the animal, where had he gone, and where had the stag came from?

Despite the terror she felt, Lily was awed by the beauty of the stag. His bristly, uneven fur was the same black color that James’s hair was, and his huge antlers were a sight to behold. Though his body was almost shaggy, when he moved, Lily could see the strong, impressive muscles of the stag bend and flex. He was an animal version of perfection, except for the white bandage splint, looking exactly like the one Lily had conjured for James, on his back right leg. Suddenly, the stag sprung into action, his leg muscles rippling with the effort of his powerful leap. Using his impressive antlers, James had pinned the werewolf to the ground in a second. But the wolf was fighting back.

“NO!” Lily gasped out loud. The stag looked up from his struggle and gave Lily a reprimanding look out of its familiar hazel eyes. “I’ve got it under control,” the stag seemed to say. “He can’t hurt me, but he can hurt you. Go, now, listen to me!” Lily didn’t need any more silent reminding from the struggling animal. She glanced back at the fighting pair of beasts, and prodded Snape with her wand. With the floating body in tow, she hurried down the passageway. She only could bear one glance back at the fighting stag; her throat tightened and her body shook with silent sobs.

Lily heard her footsteps echo as she ran through the tunnel, and somehow, finally made it up the passageway out. As soon as she awkwardly climbed out of the tunnel, and pulled Snape from the roots of the trees, a triumphant shout filled the air, one that was not her own. Lily took a cleansing, deep breath of fresh air, then looked around wildly through her streaming eyes, searching for the source of the yell. She gasped as Sirius ran to her from deep inside the woods, his face pale in the glowing moonlight. Desperate to avoid eye-contact with the potential murderer, Lily glanced towards the castle, where she saw an odd procession being led down the castle lawn by a short figure she recognized as Peter Pettigrew. The tall, proud silhouette of Professor Albus Dumbledore was running down the grounds, followed shortly by the square-jawed shadow of Professor Minerva McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, followed the dignified teachers, dragging a large bag with a red cross on it- it was presumably a first-aid kit. The massive form of Hagrid, the slow yet sweet gamekeeper, brought up the rear.

In a flash, Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid had sprinted to where Snape lay under the tree; Lily had been so overcome with emotion she had been unable to sustain the charm that kept him floating in midair. It seemed if people were surrounding her, giving her water, wrapping her too tightly in blankets, asking unanswerable questions. “How was Snape hurt?” “How did you fight off the wolf?” And the worst question of all, from Sirius: “Where’s James?”

Lily stood silently as the many faces of the people who intended to be helpers, but instead were her captors, swam before her. She was so tired, but so awake and full of fear. She wanted to calmly answer their questions, yet at the same time she felt a strong desire to bawl like a baby. All she wanted was James, yet she wasn’t sure if he even was alive. What would she do if the werewolf killed him? As if he had heard the silent longing of her heart, Lily heard a gentle, familiar voice behind her. “Lily!” came the urgent cry of James Potter as he climbed out of the tree roots expertly, his hair ruffled, his robes tousled, and a gash crusted with dark red blood adorning his face and neck.

Lily ran to him, unaware of Sirius, Peter, Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore and all the others watching her curiously. James seemed to catch her as she fell into him, her head pounding furiously. For a long time, he just held her, silently. Lily had never ever felt so secure; as long as she was in his arms, no one could hurt her. The full extent of what had happened that night bore down on her. She wasn’t quite sure what it had all meant. In the terms of the world, did one night, one fight with a werewolf, one burst of bravery to save another student, mean anything? Yet to Lily Evans, the night had been so draining yet so uplifting, and so wonderful yet so terrible. All the feelings she had stored up inside her since the night before, when she had asked Sirius out, bubbled up inside her and poured forth like a volcano eruption of tears all over James’s new robes. She was safe.

Lily didn’t feel like the brave red-head girl everyone told her she was as she embraced James. She had bore the weight of a horrible secret, a horrible heart-ache, and a terrible need for action the entire day. All she wanted now was to cry like a baby and be held by James Potter, who she knew she had to love. What other feeling could that wonderful magic be? Yet, as she held on to James, unaware of Madam Pomfrey shooting a spell at his leg to heal it, or Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall reviving Snape, she wanted nothing but comfort. Yet the horrible experiences she had endured that night taught Lily a valuable lesson- never think love can shelter you. She knew, now, that there were evil things in the world like plotting lovers and werewolves, and that simply a hug could not make them go away. She would have to bounce back, and keep on fighting. They lived in a cruel world; what was there left to do?

Finally, Professor Dumbledore broke up the embrace. Only then did Lily realize Snape, Madam Pomfrey, and Hagrid were gone, presumably up to the castle. “Miss Evans, Mr. Potter,” he said in a kind, yet low voice. “Madam Pomfrey has kindly offered to allow you two to sleep in the Hospital Wing tonight should you feel it is necessary. You have been through quite an ordeal, and she highly suggests it. However, whether you want to or not is your choice.”

“No, sir,” replied James quickly as Sirius, who was standing next to Professor McGonagall, shot him a meaningful glance.

“Very well,” Dumbledore answered. “Miss Evans?”

Lily’s tongue was dry. She felt too dizzy to move, yet she didn’t think she could bear a night in the Hospital Wing. She glanced furtively at James, who shook his head. “N-no, sir,” she said quietly. “I’ll be all right.”

“Excellent,” Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully, and for a second Lily thought she saw the characteristic twinkle in his clear blue eyes. “I am happy to inform you Mr. Snape will suffer no lasting harm from his ordeal tonight. No one was hurt. However, I must talk with all of you, and Mr. Lupin, tomorrow morning. It is to utmost importance we discuss this incident, preferably before Mr. Snape gets out of the infirmity. I advise you all go back to Gryffindor Tower now, and get a good night of sleep. I expect you in my office at promptly ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I trust you know how to get there. Remember, I like Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum.”

Lily had never been in Dumbledore’s office, but was too tired to be curious about where it was. She would just have to ask James tomorrow. As they walked away from the tree, James casually put his arm around Lily’s shoulder. Sirius made a face, but Peter gave a high-pitched cheer. “You finally got her?” he asked excitedly.

James nodded. Lily felt odd, and opened her mouth to say she wasn’t his property. Before she could get the words out, she saw James coming down for the kill. He stifled her words with a gentle kiss, and Lily felt the fireworks like before. How could she ever dislike him? He was perfect! There was nothing so magical as the wonderful, passionate kiss they shared as they stood in the woods. It didn’t matter that two not-so-smart boys were watching and gaping as they kissed. It didn’t matter that their strict and important teachers were watching as well. Lily felt loved, and that was all that mattered. As she and James walked out of the forest, she could swear she heard Professor Dumbledore say, “It seems as if the sixth year’s most famous couple has finally gotten together. Minerva, I believe you owe me one lemon drop.”

A/n- As always, thanks to my amazing beta MalfoysMistress! And I started the fifth chapter, but my computer got a virus and I'm not sure if I can get it back. If I can get it, it should be up in a few days.

A/n- Ted Tonks is a Muggle-born, not a Muggle. If you don’t believe me, I advise you read Order of the Pheonix again. Oh, and the usual, JKR owns everything, I own nothing.

“Mr. Potter, Mr. Pettigrew, Mr. Black,” Professor Dumbledore said in a very grave voice, “I hope you realize what you attempted to do last night was very wrong.” James, Sirius, Peter, Remus and Lily stood in Dumbledore’s circular, crowded office. The bright morning sunlight streamed in, bathing the silver instruments and shiny desk with a wave of gold, yet Lily felt anything but cheerful. She had spent a long night down in the Common Room with the boys; they had explained their adventures in becoming Animagi there. It had been about four o’clock in the morning before Lily had made the long climb to her dorm, finally satisfied that she had known everything she needed to understand. Only four hours later, she blinked in the cheery sunlight as she stood on one side of Dumbledore’s desk, leaning slightly against James as the tall professor reprimanded the boys.

“I have heard young Mr. Snape’s side of the story,” continued Dumbledore, as each boy hung his head slightly, “and find no reason to doubt it. You behaved irresponsibly with the intent of taking another student’s life. Not only did you put yourselves at risk last night, you also put another student’s life at risk. I would like to hear her side of the story. I am talking about Miss Evans, of course.”

Lily blushed, still staring around at Dumbledore’s office in amazement. She had face-to-face conversations with the headmaster before, but they were usually about her studies or him offering his congratulations about her becoming prefect or excelling at her exams. She had never been reprimanded by him before, and certainly never had to lie to the greatest wizard alive before. For that was the way it had to be. Last night, Lily and the boys decided if Lily was to tell the full story of how she and James had rescued Snape, the fact that the boys were illegal Animagi would become quite apparent. I’ve got to lie, she told herself. Yet Lily Evans had never told a lie in her life. If I don’t lie, James, Sirius and Peter will be expelled, if not arrested, she argued with her conscience. Lily took a deep breath, brushed a thick strand of red hair out of the way, and began her tale.

Lily decided on the truth, or most of it. “I was in Hogsmeade with Sirius, and Peter came up to us,” she said. She didn’t mention what she was doing in Hogwarts with Sirius, but Dumbledore’s gentle stare and barely-concealed chuckle seemed too understanding. “Anyway, Peter came up to talk to Sirius. He said something about, well, what they were going to do, and well, I kind of guessed what they were going to do to Snape, sir. I figured the told him how to get into where Remus was hiding as he transformed.”

“I see,” Dumbledore said simply, nodding slowly. “I must ask, boys, how do you all know Remus is a werewolf?”
Lily glanced at Remus as the other three boys’ heads simultaneously flickered to him. “Sir,” he said softly, “I know you told me not to tell anyone my secret, but after six years of being their best friend, how can James, Sirius and Peter not realize that I disappear once a month? I told them, sir, and they have provided me great…moral support during the weeks leading up to my- er, transformation.” Lily shot Remus a wan smile. She knew how much it hurt him to talk about his lycanthropy, especially in such a casual way. Last night, he had confided in her that he felt like a marked man. He was different, he had told her. The other boys beamed at him, and Lily knew he had confided in them about his feelings as well.

“I see, Remus,” Dumbledore said, “that you have discovered the greatest gift of all, friendship. Always trust your friends, Remus. You need them.” He paused for a second, glancing meaningfully at Remus. Then he turned to Lily. “Miss Evans, would you do me the honor of continuing with your story, if you don’t mind?” he asked.

Lily took a deep breath. Her heart pounding wildly, she decided to make her story short and simple. “I- um, I didn’t know what to do,” she said softly, “so I decided to go up and, erm, visit Remus and James. I went up to the boy’s dormitory, and I told Remus and James what we Sirius was planning on doing. They decided to help me stop them, but we didn’t have a lot of plan to think of a plan. We really didn’t know what to do.”

“Why did you not confide in a teacher?” Dumbledore asked rather sharply.

“I…didn’t want to get Sirius in trouble. I’m very sorry, sir,” Lily said meekly, hanging her head. Why hadn’t she listened, way back when, to her reason instead of her heart?

“No need to apologize, Lily,” Professor Dumbledore said. “You did the right thing, though you broke about fifty school rules along the way. I’d like you to continue on, if you don’t mind.”

“No sir, I don’t mind,” Lily lied. “So, anyway,” she continued, “we decided that James would go in to grab Snape while I waited. I stood outside, and I… er, met up with Sirius…” Lily’s voice trailed off as James glared at her accusingly.

“You did?” he asked in a strange, faraway voice.

“We did,” Sirius said cheerfully, briskly rubbing the red mark his cheek where Lily had hit him. “I think it may leave a scar.”

Lily blushed. Had she really hit him that hard? In a wavering voice, she continued, “I went in the passageway because I heard James scream. Sirius and Peter went for help. When I went in there, James was holding Snape on his back. He had twisted his ankle, and Snape had fainted after seeing Remus in the, er, werewolf form. I bound up his ankle, put a spell on Snape that made him float, and we ran.” Here, Lily’s voice shook alarmingly. This was the first big lie she had ever told to a person. Dumbledore’s clear, slightly twinkling blue eyes seemed to X-ray her. I’m blowing our cover, she found herself thinking frantically. I just know he’s going to find out!

James gave her a slight nudge in the back. Speak! Lily told herself. She knew the more silent she was, the less convincing the fib would be. Yet how could she lie to the most impressive wizard in history? He would figure it out, and her perfect reputation would be tainted. James and Sirius would be expelled, her parents would be notified, and her friends would desert her because she got the most handsome and popular students in Hogwarts kicked out. When she just stood there, opening her mouth slightly and gaping in a perfect imitation of a fish out of water as her life flashed before her eyes, James took the lead. “Lily and I just ran,” he said easily. “We somehow got away from the wolf. I don’t know how, but we did.”

Lily was afraid Dumbledore would rage at them and punish them for their lie, yet he seemed perfectly unconcerned. Remus gave a slight nod of agreement, a dark shadow over his face. “I see,” Dumbledore said slowly. “You boys realize the seriousness of your actions, don’t you?”

“I’m Sirius, seriously!” Sirius said. Lily sighed as all the other boys fought snickers. Boys are so stupid! she thought as she chocked down a laugh. Yet if they were so stupid, why was she in love with perhaps the stupidest of the lot? Lily felt dizzy as the question penetrated her conscience. Why indeed was she so in love with James? As if he had read her mind, James subconsciously slipped his arm around her shoulder. Immediately, Lily felt safe, and more calm then she had felt in over a day. He can protect me, and he loves me back, she thought suddenly. That’s why I love him.

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, Mr. Black, you are. But in all solemnities, you could have done Mr. Snape, Miss Evans, or your own best friend, Mr. Potter, serious bodily and mental harm when you played that churlish prank. I know you realize that, and that is punishment enough, but I have no choice to punish you more. Therefore, Mr. Black, you shall be serving detention with me every Sunday morning until the year is done.”

“What?!” Sirius cried out in shock and outrage.

“Yes, detention every Sunday morning,” Dumbledore repeated. “However, this morning, you are excused.” He cleared his throat significantly. “I suggest you go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Good day, and behave.”

Several hours later, Lily sat outside by the shimmering lake with Andy and Alice and their boyfriends, Ted Tonks and Frank Longbottom. She had talked with her friends in the Common Room after the meeting with Dumbledore and at lunch, but she was careful not to mention where she had been the previous night or her date with Sirius. She felt incredibly detached, as if she was watching her life from outside her body. How could she exist and function normally when she knew Remus’s grave secret? How could she act natural when she was so in love with James and no one knew? And how was she going to tell her best friends of her newfound love?

“Alice,” she said softly, trying to get the attention of her most compassionate friend, who seemed very busy with Frank. She needed to tell someone, yet how could she explain why she loved James so much?

“Mmm…” Alice responded, detaching herself from her boyfriend. She turned from Frank and surveyed Lily with her kind, thoughtful grey eyes. Lily felt an overwhelming desire to spill the truth out to her best friend in the world, yet embarrassment and shame kept it from coming out. Alice was so trusting, yet how could she even think for a second that Lily loved James? It was too unbelievable. “Umm… uh… do you want to go inside?” she asked suddenly.

Alice made a face. “Spit it out, Lily. What do you need to tell us?”

“N-nothing,” Lily replied, going beet red.

“She’s bored,” Andy said suddenly, looking up from her embrace with Ted. She pulled a book out of her purse, and tossed it at Lily. “Write, girl. Write your heart out!”

Lily stared at the leather book. “What are you doing with my diary?” she asked curiously.

“Making sure you write in it,” responded Andromeda. “So write!”

Lily sighed as her friends returned to their boys. They were too hopelessly in love to be any help to her. What am I going to write? she thought lazily and helplessly. With a sigh, she stared at the blank page, willing for words to describe the overwhelming feelings she experienced the night before to come. When none came, she resorted to doodling “I love James” and “Mrs. Lily Potter” all over the clean, beckoning pages, as well as making some very good likenesses of James’s Potter’s head in Superman’s body.

“Lily Evans, my god, what did you do to that beautiful diary?” Andy shrieked, drawing Lily out of a long reverie in which she was picturing some very cozy scenes with James.

“Sorry,” Lily responded sheepishly.

“You’ve destroyed it!” yelled Andy in an increasingly high-pitched voice. “You doodled all over it- oh, my god!” By now, Alice and Frank had distangled themselves from each other, and were looking over at Lily and Andy with mildly interested expressions on their faces. Andy’s voice sunk to a low deadly whisper. “Lily,” she gasped, “you love James Potter? ”

In Lily’s opinion, it was a perfect theatrical moment. As if they were one, Alice, Frank, Ted and a large group of Hufflepuff fourth-years who Lily had never spoken to in her life gasped simultaneously. Alice looked as if you could knock her over with an owl feather. When she finally recovered, she said in a triumphant voice, “I knew it!”

“But you hate him, Lily!” gasped Andy. She seemed by far the most surprised by this discovery. “You hate him!”

“Not anymore,” laughed Lily, glad her two best friends knew about her latest secret.

“B-but, but, what about Sirius?” Andy stuttered, trying desperately to find a loophole in Lily’s new love.

“He’s got a new girlfriend,” replied Alice in a mildly disgusted voice.

“What?” asked Lily, aghast.

“Haven’t you seen him with Katherine Columbus, that fifth year Gryffindor? They sat together at lunch and have been inseparateable since. It’s disgusting, really,” Alice responded in a gossipy voice, pointing at where the Marauders sat under a tree.

Lily glanced quickly at them, and saw that Sirius Black and the dark-haired, outgoing younger girl indeed were wrapped around each other so tightly, Lily couldn’t distinguish whose arm was whose. She was surprised to find out that the new information or the sight of the two love-birds didn’t hurt at all.

“And did you hear about Remus Lupin and Allie Hartman?” asked Andy. Lily, who had tried to avoid looking at the Marauders as much as possible, did a double take and saw that Remus was holding the hand of the gentle Ravenclaw girl, whom he appeared to be deep in conversation with.

“Even that fat boy, Pettigrew, has a girlfriend,” Alice remarked in wonder, pointing to where a huge and unattractive Slytherin seventh-year named Meredith Bulstrode sat on Peter Pettigrew’s lap, crushing him with her immense bulk.

“Only James is alone,” Lily said softly and blankly. Almost against her will, she glanced at the lonely, rugged, handsome Marauder, who stood staring out at the deep lake with an unfathomable expression on his face. As she did, she felt her face flush and a rush of something flow through her. More than anything, she wanted to look away, and feel neither love nor pain. Yet something drew her back to James Potter and his kind, lovely face.

Suddenly, as if he had felt the magnetic field that drew Lily to his face, James looked up. He made contact with Lily’s exquisite green eyes, and Lily felt something magical happen. Fireworks were exploding, sparks were flying through the air. James and Lily had a connection between their steady gazes greater than any magic they knew, or would ever know. “Go to him, girl!” Andy urged on. Alice gave Lily a sincere smile. And then, like in a fuzzy, wonderful dream, everyone was gone except James and Lily. Nothing else mattered.

With the feeling she was skating on golden clouds, Lily tentatively but surely made her way over to James. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she met up with the man she loved so much, but instinct told her it would be something she wouldn’t want to miss. When she finally reached James, he held out a warm, rough hand for her to take. “James, I think we’re perfect for each other,” Lily said softly. After the kiss that followed, Lily knew that they were perfect for each other, forevermore.

A/n- I know what you’re thinking…once again, Ted is a Muggleborn, NOT a Muggle. Thank you. And, just for the record, there will be no more chappies after this. It’s over, done, fin!