I had the dream again, was the only thing she wrote.

Lily leaned on her desk and put her head in her hands, chewing on her lip. Why must I keep reliving this? she thought desperately.

High-pitched laughter...Green light, then blackness...

The laughter. Lily shivered in her thin summer nightdress. The laughter was a new addition to the nightmare. She had never heard such an unearthly, spine-tingling laugh. It had always been quick before, just the wand pointed at her, the green light, then the pain...

No, stop. Don't think about it, Lily told herself. She tried to put it out of her mind. She sighed suddenly. It would be an incredible relief when the summer ended and she could go back to school. It had seemed terribly long, without Potter's foolish letters and the more often than usual presence of that bloody future-seeing dream...

James Potter, one of the few people in the world whom Lily could not stand, had sent her two long letters every week for the past six summer vacations. This summer, however, there hadn't been but one. Why should she care? True, most of them had consisted of the summer pranks he and his friends had pulled on each other, and some were even silly love letters, but they had always been amusing and cheerful all the while. Lately, at least. She remembered a time when she had absolutely loathed the letters and had sent a furious Howler in response to the first one, but they had kept coming. The loathing seemed to have dissolved last summer, and moreso this summer. Lily still hated Potter's arrogant and bullying ways, but he could really write. She wondered why he had stopped writing them...



* * * * * ** * * * * ** * * * * ** * * * * *



James Potter sat in the front row of the church, unmoving beside his parents. Parent. For now he no longer considered the man beside his monther his father. How could any father do as his had done?

The stout and slightly sweating man at the podium droned on and on. After the first sentence or so, James had blocked out the pastor's words. A fat load of tosh, James thought bitterly. No words could sufficiently describe the life or death of his younger sister, Bett Potter.

James let waves of silent fury wash over him, not for the first time in the past couple of days. His only sibling was dead. He hated, despised, wanted to cause pain to the despicable man that had killed his sister. No, not his father, though he deserved some credit. no man, no human being could have done what He had done to Bett. He could not possibly be in any way human. For in one blow, James Isacc Potter had lost both sister and father at the hands of that Creature, though one of them was sitting beside him. Only one could be held responsible for the destruction of James' entire world:

Lord Voldemort.

James's handsome face contorted with unbridled hatred. I will hurt him in some way, he thought with furious determination as he stared unseeingly at his little sister's coffin. As soon as I can so no one else will have to suffer like this. I will stop him if it's the last thing I ever do.

Petunia only replied, "Shut the door!" before screeching off. Lily sighed as she watched her older sister speed out of the parking lot of the train station. She had hoped to mend things with Petunia over the vacation, as the past summer was the last time she would be living with her family. Lily meant to get an apartment in London after she left Hogwarts. She wanted to be close to the Academy where she would be training in Potions education. Lily knew she would visit her family in Surrey--of course she would--but things wouldn't be the same as if she was actually living there. She wanted to make the most of the time she had lef--after Hogwarts. Her sister still hadn't wanted anything to do with Lily. Petunia did not forgive and forget, apparently.

Lily pushed all of these thoughts aside as she wheeled her trolley onto the platform between nine and ten. She looked around to make sure that no Muggles were looking her way, then she walked through backwards into the Wizarding world, pulling her trunk behind her. She had arrived early--it was only half past ten--wanting to live up to her new title of Head Girl. Lily had been immensely pleased and excited to open her school list and find her badge and a letter explaining that she had been chosen and what to expect. She had been a prefect since fifth year, and a good student before that, so she had contemplated the position briefly, but she had dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come, not wanting to falsely raise up her own hopes.

Lily dragged her trunk onto the Express and left it and her nap sack in the prefect's compartment. She dug her brand new book out of her bag with the idea of sitting on the bench outside to wait in case some "ickle firsties," needed assistance. The only problem was that another person already occupied the bench. A dark-haired, spectacle-wearing someone. Reading a school book.

Lily was startled to see James Potter sitting quietly on the bench all alone with a book and without his group of friends. She stared fixedly at the bit of gold gleaming on his chest. Was that a Head Boy badge pinned smugly to his robes?? It was red and gold with a large HB, exactly like her own, except hers had an HG, of course. She tried not to gawk, but it was nearly impossible. What had Professor Dumbledore been thinking? James was a troublemaker and a bully; he didn't deserve that badge. Sure, he was very intelligent and always got high marks in all of his classes. And yes, it was true that he was well-liked and mostly respected by many of his fellow students, especially the female population of Hogwarts. He never dated any of them, which was strange. And stranger still, Lily thought suddenly, was the fact that he seemed to have almost completely ceased to curse Severus last year. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't think of a single instance where James Potter had jinxed Severus Snape, or anyone else, for that matter.

While Lily had been pondering, James had noticed her standing a short distance away from him. He tried not to move, otherwise he would catch her attention, and James preferred to watch her inconspicuously. She was so beautiful. James found himself marveling at her beauty every time he was near her. And Lily didn't even realize how absolutely endearing James found her. She was so exquisite, engaged in thought. She chewed on her bottom lip and her blazing red hair framed her face. Her freckles across her cheeks and tiny nose had become more pronounced from exposure to the summer sun. Yes, Lily Evans was definitely attractive, James mused as he surveyed her out of the corners of his eyes. But these thoughts weren't new to him, hadn't been since third year when he had realized that he truly loved her.

James flicked his eyes back to his book as Lily snapped out of her reverie and looked straight at his face. James pretended to have just noticed her and said with a slight smile, "Morning, Evans."

"Potter," Lily nodded, trying to keep her voice neutral. "Head Boy, I see." Nice observation, Miss Obvious, she thought wryly.

"Yes. I was surprised, actually, thought it'd be Remus. And you got Head Girl, no surprise there. Congratulations." He said, smiling pleasantly. There was something different about him...

Just then, three boys burst onto the platform beside Lily. She recognized them immediately: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, James' best friends. They saw James and pounced, quickly exchanging hellos. Remus parted from the group and said, "Hello, Lily." Lily smiled her first genuine smile that day and embraced her closest thing to a friend. She and Remus had grown as close as she would allow two years ago when they both became Gryffindor prefects. He was so mild-tempered and kind that Lily didn't understand how he could have friends as awful as Sirius Black and James Potter.

"How was your summer?" she asked him as they drew apart.

"It was...alright," he said hesitantly, shooting a glance at James.

Lily looked at him suspiciously. "Really? What happened?"

Remus shook his head warningly, glancing at James again. Lily took the hint, and knew that it had something to do with Potter; Remus would tell her later when they were alone.

"I'd better see if any of the younger ones need some help," she said to him, moving away. "I'll catch you up later, okay?"

"All right. See you later, Lily."

Lily walked toward a bewildered-looking first year standing uncertainly with his trunk. She wondered what had happened to James and Remus, for it was clear that something had occurred over the summer. It had altered Potter, not terribly noticeable unless he was scrutinized; and Remus wouldn't talk about it in front of him. Lily helped the first year with his trunk, moving it into an empty compartment. He told her that his name was Stewart Mosiah, and they chatted for a while. Lily looked at her watch.

"Oh, Stewart, I must get to the prefects' compartment. There's a meeting at 11:15, and I don't want to be late."

"Okay," he said, looking slightly put out. "It was nice to meet you, Lily."

"You also. I hope we'll see each other again sometime." She quickly left his compartment and headed toward the prefects' compartment.

She opened the door and for the second time that day, was severely startled. Severus Snape was sitting alone in the seat, making a note in a textbook. She didn't think that she would be alone with him so soon. She hadn't expected this meeting to be thrust upon her like this. He looked up and a display of emotions rapidly crossed his face. "Hello, Lily," he said coldly, his face once again that mask of unreadability.

"Severus," she got out. "What-what are you doing in here? You're not a prefect."

"Nott resigned and Professor Dumbledore offered me the position," he said, going back to his book.

"Oh." she said.

There was an awkward pause.

She closed the compartment door and sat down across from him. "Severus, I--" she began.

"Let's not talk about it, Lily," he cut in. "I don't care to hear your excuses."

She was about to reply when the compartment door opened and Potter and Remus entered.

"Well, hello Lily, Snivelly," James said softly. "Have a nice summer?"

Almost as though he had been expecting this, Severus stood sharply to face Potter and Lupin and drew his wand. Lily stood up also, placing herself between Severus and Potter. She put her hands on Severus's arm, forcing his wand down to his side. He shot a look at her, but kept his wand down. "Remember your positions," she said sharply.

Severus gave Potter a look of deepest loathing, then sat back down and took up his book. Remus sat beside Lily, and Potter followed suit as more prefects began to file in.

Once everyone was present, Lily rose from her seat once more to address them. Potter stood also. "Hello, everyone," she said. "Congratulations on making prefect. You're here because Professor Dumbledore thought you worthy of the job. Let us hope that we all take our responsibilities seriously and live up to our titles." She glanced at Potter as she said this. "My name is Lily Evans, by the way, and I'm Head Girl. This is-"

"James Potter, Head Boy," he said, "for any of you who don't know me. We're going to have a fantastic year," he grinned at the fifth year eying him. Lily snorted, trying to quell the sudden stab of jealousy. She doubted that anyone didn't know "dreamy" James Potter. And where had that pang come from?

Lily shook off the thought, and took some parchment out of her robes. "These are your patrol duty timetables. A pair of prefects is assigned to patrol each floor every night, with alterations, of course. Read over the rules and be sure you know when you have patrol duty. There is no getting out of this," she added in response to the groans. "We'll meet at the entrance hall each night and go from there. Any questions about any of this?"

No one had any questions. "I think that's it, then." Potter cleared his throat. "Would you like to add something, Potter?"

"If anyone has any concerns or problems at all," he smirked, looking straight at the fifth year girl, "Please come to me and I'll be glad to help. That's all."

Remus snorted and Lily barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "You're dismissed," she said. "Potter, could I have a word?" Lily waited until everyone had gone, then said. "I hope you are going to take this seriously, and not just as an opportunity to take girls into broom closets."

James ignored the last bit and replied, "My dearest Lilyflower, I am hurt that you would ever suggest that I won't take my job seriously. And there's no possible chance that I would be able to escape duty; we're round partners for the year."

"How could I forget?" Lily groaned.

"No, in all seriousness, Evans," he said, growing somber. "I am going to live up to my title. No more joking around--well, at least less of it. And," he added, "I think we should try to stop bickering. You know, for the sake of professionalism and everything. Call a truce."

"I-I-sure," said Lily, disconcerted by this sudden display of maturity from the King of Practical Jokes. "Yes, uh, good thought. Truce." She took James' outstretched hand. It was warm and surprisingly soft; her own hand was lost in his. Lily let go extremely quickly.

"I-I'll see you later, then," James said, his pale cheeks ever-so-slightly tainted red. He exited the compartment, leaving an amazed Lily behind him.

* * * * * * "Bingley! Don't trip Darcy!" Lily called into the crowd of jostling students. "Keep moving now!" She was standing on the train platform holding the door of the Hogwarts Express for the students. Goodness, they're awful pains in the arse, she thought, watching some of the younger ones push and shove each other. Was my year that bad?

"Snivellus, I've never seen you look so cute!" someone shouted behind Lily. She turned sharply. Her eyes narrowed. Black. Lily quickly made her way over to where a small group had gathered. Remus and Peter, among others, were standing around Sirius Black and Severus. The former was pointing his wand at Severus, who was on the ground and wearing...a ballerina's tutu. Lily's giggle was quickly stifled when Severus caught sight of her smirking. Before Lily could begin yelling at Black, Severus unexpectedly lunged at the still-laughing Sirius, who was caught unawares at Severus's attack.

"No, STOP, boys!" Lily shouted as the gathered crowd shrieked and cheered.

"Boys, stop this!" Lily screamed again. They continued fighting, and Lily pulled out her wand and Stunned both boys. "Idiots," she muttered. She would have to take them up to the school. The Head Boy would have to watch the crowd. She looked around. Where was Potter?

James was standing back to Lily, staring at the things reined to a carriage--no longer horseless. He had read about these white-eyed, dragonish creatures and knew what they were: thestrals, only seen by those who have witnessed death. And now I can see them, he thought bitterly. The reward I earned for watching my sister die...

* * * * * * Lily opened the door of the dormitory and stepped inside, deeply breathing in the scents of perfume and slightly musty curtains. Ah, she loved being back at Hogwarts. She looked around the room she had shared with her fellow female classmates for six years. All too soon she would be leaving this place, probably never to see it again, along with all of her classmates. Stop, she gently told herself. Don't dwell.

"Lily!" one of the girls called out. Lily looked toward the voice and recognized Alice Thatcher. Alice had made attempts to get to know Lily, but of course Lily did not let that happen.

"Hi, Alice," Lily said pleasantly to the girl, who threw her arms around Lily. "Oof. How was your summer?" Lily asked politely when Alice had withdrawn from Lily's stiff hug.

"Ooh, it was wonderful!" Alice promptly began talking rapidly and Lily began to daydream. What had she ever done to make Alice like her? She had never revealed any personal information, especially not about Petunia or That Happening, and she always made up excuses whenever Alice wanted to spend time "getting to know each other." So why was this girl acting like she and Lily were best friends?

Lily finally-politely-brushed Alice off. She pulled her pajamas from her trunk and quickly changed, climbing underneath blankets warm from a house elf's hot coals. Slave labour was the last thing she remembered thinking before she succumbed to her tiredness.

Lily kept walking through the corridor full of students, hoping to dissuade the speaker from catching her up. Maybe if I ignore him long enough he’ll go away, Lily thought to herself. Fat chance. She had been wistfully hoping that for years and it hadn’t happened yet.

“Hey, Lily, wait up!� James called, sprinting down the corridor to draw level to her.

Lily sighed and turned around to face him.

“Yes, Po—James?� she asked, eyeing him warily.

“How have things been going, Lily?� James said, grinning cockily and trying to make conversation.

“You bolted down here just to ask me how I’m doing? What do you want James?�

He got to the point. “I just wanted you to know that I won’t be able to do rounds tonight.� James said this all very fast, but Lily understood him.

“Oh, really? And why not?� Lily demanded.

“I have detention with McGonagall tonight,� James said, holding his breath.

“Again?� Lily said, exasperated. “You must really like it in there; you’re in so often! Fine, James, but you had better not leave me to patrol alone every night.� And with that, she turned on her heel and strode off away from him.

James breathed a sigh of relief. She bought it, he thought. His conscience gave a twinge of guilt for lying to Lily, but he wasn’t getting out of patrol duty for his own intentions, at least. It’s for Remus, he thought, jogging to his next class.

* * * * * *

She was happy, so happy. She had no idea why, but she felt complete, unbridled joy, and it surrounded her and the person next to her. Who was he? He was unrecognizable, his face a blur of peachy color. He’s my happiness popped into her dreaming consciousness.

Fear! Oh, the overwhelming fear! It had come. The one next to her shouted in garbled speech. What did he say? She didn’t know, but decided to run from the awful fear that now forced its way into her soul. She clutched the bundle to her chest. It was small and she felt as if she needed to protect it with her life. She must keep running, taking the bundle away from the dreadful, heart-pounding, nameless fear. She stood suddenly motionless. Was she far enough away yet? She tried to listen for noises, but only heard static.

Something was coming! Her wand was in her hand. She pointed it toward the direction in which she had come and waited.

No! The fear was back! She stepped away from the black blur of terror in front of her. She tried not to panic as it drew closer. Must protect the bundle! No one to help… Please!

Then the green light shot at her—that blinding jet of light that was followed by…Pain, pain, pain! Oh, God, this pain! What was happening? Her soul was surely being ripped, torn, shredded…She was leaving her body…Oh no! The bundle! Ohhh, the pain…

Lily awoke from the dream in a cold sweat and panting, wrapped tightly in her blankets. She gasped for breath as she fought the sheets. Lily sat up and reached for her robe and wand on the floor. She stumbled out of bed and rapidly descended the staircase, her feet slapping the cold stone floor. She pulled on her robe and hugged herself tightly as she made her way across the common room to her favourite armchair beside the faintly-glowing fire. She pointed her wand at the ash-enveloped logs and whispered, “Incendio.� The dying fire came alive, plunging Lily into an orangey brightness.

Lily shivered, sinking into the stuffed armchair and holding back a sob. She had been “dreaming� this same scene over and over for so long; she should be used to it by now. But it was so real every time . The happiness, then the fear, then the horrible, nearly vomit-inducing pain. That pain was definitely genuine; she could still feel it in her limbs, though it was slowly, thankfully fading.

Lily wanted to sob her heart out. She hated The Dream, hated it! Not because of the after-effects; no, she had been dealing with them for a long time now. No, the thing that absolutely terrified her and caused her to loathe this vision was the fact that she knew that it would happen to her in a very short while.

Lily did cry then. Cried for the loss of the pure happiness she had shared with that mystery person beside her; cried for the utter terror that had gripped her heart; cried for the failure she felt as she was being ripped from her body, the failure at leaving the bundle defenseless and to care for itself while she was being taken away.

Lily’s cries quieted as she watched the dancing flames. She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, letting her long ginger hair fall in her face. It hid her. She looked out the window of the Tower. She had no idea what the time was, but by the looks of the sky, it was early morning. Lily had always loved this time of day, as well as sunset. Why am I letting this Dream take control of my life? she though suddenly. Am I really going to let a silly nightmare dictate my every move? She was, once again, trying to trick herself into feeling better. It was working a little.

Lily froze. The Fat Lady’s portrait had just opened. Who was out this late at night? She sat very still in her chair, praying that the top of her very distinctive head was hidden by the chair’s tall back. She listened hard. There was scuffing and whispered “sshhhh!s�. It must be Gryffindors; no one else knew their password. Lily gripped her wand and tensed in her seat. She jumped up from her chair, exclaiming, “Stay where you are!� She froze once more. No one was there. All movement had ceased. Where were they? Lily cautiously stepped closer to where she thought the noises had come from. “Who’s there?� she called softly, grasping her wand in front of her. She quickly took a step closer. A chair off to the left tipped over and there was more scuffling. All of a sudden, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black appeared out of thin air. Lily jumped and gasped.

“What are you boys doing?� she whispered fiercely, now pointing her wand at the two boys.

“We, erm…� Peter stammered, looking at Sirius.

“We were hungry,� Sirius supplied quickly. “Just went to the kitchens to get something to eat.� Peter nodded in agreement.

Lily narrowed her eyes. “Really?� she said smoothly. “Breakfast is surely in a couple of hours, you couldn’t have waited?�

“We were starving.� Peter said.

“Both of you go hungry at the same time?�

“No, Evans, actually Peter was hungry first, then I realized I was too-�

“Where is James?� Lily cut in. “Did he happen to go with you?�

“No,� Sirius said while Peter said, “Yes.� Sirius glared at Peter, who looked terrified.

“I see,� Lily said. She walked over to where Sirius and Peter were standing and the chair had been knocked over. She reached down to the space beside Peter. Avery had always said that the Marauders were in possession of an Invisibility cloak… She grasped and pulled hard. The cloak came off in her hand, revealing a very disheveled and uncomfortable-looking James and Remus.

“Ah,� said Lily with satisfaction, looking down at the two boys who were sprawled across each other. “Been to the kitchens as well?� she asked them.

“Yes,� James and Remus replied way too quickly.

“Really?� Lily said again. “As I recall, it was a full moon tonight.� The boys looked quickly at Remus. “I know where Remus was, but where were the rest of you?� Lily asked sweetly, looking from James to Sirius to Peter. “You weren’t with Remus; it’s forbidden and extremely dangerous.� Lily’s voice was now dangerous as her words were met with silence. “I don’t think Professor McGonagall kept you in detention this late, Potter.� Lily said, glaring at James, furious that he had lied to her.

“Lily, I can explain--�James began, but Lily interrupted him.

“I can’t believe you,� she said with disgust, and headed for the dormitory stairs, the Invisibility cloak still in her hand.

“Hey!� James exclaimed as he saw her walk off. “That’s my cloak!�

“Oh, I don’t think so,� Lily said, smiling evilly at James. “Let’s see how many nighttime adventures you can get away with without this.� She turned around and trotted up the stairs to her warm and welcoming bed, leaving the four stunned boys in her wake.

Lily made an indistinct noise. James sighed quietly. She had been treating him with cold contempt for over two weeks, ever since she had caught them after hours, AND she hadn't given him back his Invisibility cloak. James found her behavior irritating and felt that Lily was overreacting. It had been the only time he'd been out after curfew! The only time that Lily had caught him, he meant.

Lily personally found this as a perfect excuse not to talk to him. There was less of a chance for attachment and affection. And he was a git who simply deserved silence.

"I have an idea!" James said suddenly, smiling brightly. "Let's play Truth. Make rounds more interesting."

"What's Truth?" Lily asked stiffly, slightly curious in spite of herself.

"Well," he said eagerly, "We ask each other questions and whoever is answering must tell the truth, the absolute truth, no matter what. If you can't or won't answer a question and pass, you lose the game. But in order for the other person to win, they must be asked one final question. If they answer truthfully, they win. Get it?"

"That sounds like a game my friends and I used to play at slumber parties, James," Lily said with slight amusement. "Did you think this up?"

James' face clouded briefly. "My sister used to play it with her mates at their overnighters," he said. "Used to cause massive hell, but it was hilarious to listen to. Want to play?" he asked Lily.

"Erm..." Lily hesitated, not entirely sure she liked the sound of this Truth.

"I just thought," James said quickly, sensing Lily's hesitation, "it would be a good way for us to get to know each other better. You know, Head to Head, Gryffindor to Gryffindor, person to person-"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Lily interrupted before James could ramble on any farther. "I...I guess we could play. We've got an hour to kill."

"Alright!" James said, grinning excitedly and rubbing his hands together. "Do you want to start? Ladies first, after all."

"Okay..." Lily thought for a second. "What's your favorite color?"

"That's all you've got?" James said incredulously. "You have to make it at least slightly challenging, Lily!"

"I'm going easy on you!" Lily protested. "Besides, I'm not sure you can handle anything too intense."

"Hey!" James exclaimed, surprised at Lily's uncharacteristically playful behavior.

"Aren't you supposed to actually answer the question?" Lily asked him, smiling at the mildly astonished look on his face. "Is there a time limit?"

“No,� James said, eyeing her. Lily seemed very open and loose tonight. What’s wrong with her? James thought amusedly. “And my favorite color is green.�

“Mine as well. Your turn.�

“What’s your favorite subject?�

“So much for challenging questions.� Lily muttered. “Potions,� she told him. “What happened to your sister?�

Taken aback, James’ steady gait temporarily faltered. Lily’s serious question startled him slightly, as their conversation had been so easy and light. Just the word ‘sister’ brought on many bad images…

“Um…� He swallowed. “She…she was murdered. Tortured by Voldemort.�

Lily gasped. She had never known that. Of course she had heard rumors, but she had never known for certain what had really happened to Bett Potter.

James plunged on before she could speak, his mouth seemingly beyond his control. “I was there when she died. You know that my father works for the Ministry?�

“Yes,� Lily said slowly, not understanding where this was headed. “He’s an Auror?�

James nodded, looking straight ahead. “Apparently Voldemort has been trying to recruit Ministry members, people of power. People on the inside. He wants to take over the Ministry so that the country will collapse. I guess my father was considered to be a valuable asset to the Death Eaters. They came to our house last summer. My mother wasn’t at home. My dad, sister and I were.� James was now speaking very rapidly, as if he didn’t get the words out quickly enough, they would disappear into thin air. Mental images of people in dark hoods and masks…�They Full-Bodied me. I could do nothing. My father wouldn’t join Voldemort, so Voldemort tortured him.� His father writhing on the ground, screaming, his eyes rolled inside of his head. James struggling against the spell that held him in place. James’ voice shook slightly at this point, and Lily noticed that his face had gone very white. They were now stopped in the middle of a corridor, right next to a pair of windows. The half-moon shone down upon the two of them standing in the dimly lit corridor. “It was horrible. I was frozen there: I had to watch, had to listen to him scream.�

Lily shifted, wanting to reach out to him, offer him some comfort, but she too seemed to be frozen in place, not wanting to distract him.

“My sister was tortured as well when my father told Voldemort that he would never join his cause.� Bett swinging madly from the rope as she twisted and shrieked…Voldemort laughing, his wand on the child…Tears poured from the eyes that were white, rolled toward the ceiling from which she hung. “The Cruciatus Curse works wonders,� James said bitterly, shutting his eyes tightly to block out the scene playing out in his mind’s eye. “My father broke down. That wasn’t enough for Voldemort. He had wanted immediate enlistment. To punish my father for his lack of support and ‘enthusiasm for the cause’, Voldemort murdered my sister in front of our eyes.� Bett hung from the ceiling, mouth opened in an eternal scream no longer heard by those in the room, the snakelike rope now wrapped around her lifeless neck. His father sobbing on the floor beside Bett. Voldemort smiling cruelly at James before Disapparating with his Death Eaters. James turned toward the window, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “So, brutally, mercilessly, painfully, Bett was taken from us. My father is a traitor, my mother is broken, and my only sibling is dead. And that’s what happened to my sister, Lily.�

He turned away from her abruptly, but not before she saw a solitary tear slide down his pale cheek.

Lily was hurting, aching for James, who was obviously in so much pain. She had never seen him like this, and it deeply affected her. How could something like this have happened to James Potter, the popular, happy, perfect Head Boy? Lily was so moved, so deeply touched by his profound grief that, before she could check her actions, she found herself enveloping James, pulling him close. A need arose within her, and she held onto him tightly, wishing with all of her heart that she could help him, share his immense, heart-tearing pain. James wrapped his arms around Lily, holding on for dear life as tears poured down his face, wetting Lily’s shoulder. He bit his lip, fighting off the sobs, the crying out that his soul longed to do. His choking was muffled in Lily’s hair as the writing, suffering creature in his chest battled to escape. He had never discussed Bett’s death with anyone else since she had died, not even the Marauders. Telling it all to Lily felt great—actually, it hurt like hell—but he had done it, and his overwhelming grief seemed to have lessened ever so slightly.

They stood there like that for a long time, their bodies pressed together in the corridor lit from the silver moon shining through the window. Lily’s heart was pumping madly; she was sure that James could feel it. He had stopped crying, she was sure, and now she was just holding him until he got himself together. Finally, James broke their embrace, but kept his hands on Lily’s shoulders. He looked her straight in the eye and said, “Thank you.� His voice was slightly scratchy from the containment of his scream, and his eyes were red and puffy, but he was one of the most beautiful beings Lily had ever seen.

She looked back into his hazel eyes, suddenly and completely captivated by their beauty. Their light brown was speckled with gold, as if tiny rays of sunlight were shining through them. Long, delicate lashes surrounded his eyes and his spectacles reflected the light from the moon behind Lily. She tried to tear herself away from those eyes, knowing that if she didn’t do so soon, she would drown, be utterly lost in those pools of auburn, raw emotion. She couldn’t break eye contact, no matter how much she willed herself to do it. She was lost.

James was experiencing the same dilemma, feeling exposed by looking into Lily’s piercing emerald eyes. They were gorgeous, shining like jewels. He felt as if he could see into her heart, see all of her bottled-up emotions, through her eyes. He got the feeling that she was letting him in, ever so slightly.

A sound at the end of the corridor made them both jump. It was just Mrs. Norris, the new caretaker’s blasted cat. James’ hands left Lily’s shoulders, the places where they had been slightly cool as his warmth was removed. Lily felt strangely disappointed. She looked at her watch.

“We should go. There are only five minutes until curfew.� Lily told James.

“Right,� James said, not taking his eyes off Lily’s face. They turned and walked briskly through the corridor. Lily had heard stories about the punishments of the new caretaker, Mr. Filch, and had no desire to find out if they were true.

“Down here,� James said suddenly, pulling Lily after him through a shortcut. They broke into a jog, not stopping until the Fat Lady’s portrait came into view a few minutes later.

“Phoenix song,� James told her, panting slightly.

The portrait swung open and James and Lily stepped into the common room, James still grasping Lily’s hand.

Lily stopped, pulling James to a halt as well. “James, about tonight-“ Lily began, but James interrupted her.

“Yeah, about that,� he said, once again turning his piercing gaze upon her face. “It’s my turn next time.� And he left it at that.

Lily just looked up at him. Obviously he was trusting her not to mention what had happened to anyone else. She had no intention of doing so, of course. It would remain between them. It’s strange, Lily thought, to share a secret with James Potter.

She just said, “Good night, James,� and as if the night’s events had not been strange enough, Lily found herself on her tiptoes kissing James softly on the cheek. He stiffened, caught off-guard by Lily’s display of affection. Lily herself was mortified beyond belief at what she had just done. He had no real feelings for her; he must think her an incredible flirt. But she hadn’t meant it like that…She stepped back from him and hurried off toward her dormitory, afraid to look back at him.

“Lily!� James called, finding his voice at last. Lily turned, her cheeks burning. She waited for him to speak. James looked like he was struggling to find words, but all he said was, “Good night.� Lily turned on the stairs as James walked off to his own dormitory. As she trotted lightly up the stairs, she realized that she was beginning to understand that she would never be able to distance herself from James Potter again.

A/N: Lily and James' game of Truth was 'borrowed' from Sarah Dessen's book entitled, "The Truth About Forever". A very good book, and I strongly recommend reading it!

James, personally, was feeling very pleased with the way Lily had taken his confession and their relationship. But he felt as if he had to tread carefully around her, had to slowly ease his way in, otherwise Lily would push him away firmly and with finality. Still, James was making progress in disintegrating the many emotional walls and shields Lily had erected in order to keep everyone out. Slowly, steadily, he was breaking through.

Lily felt this penetration as well, but her reaction was opposite James’, She was beginning to dread every other night alone with him, playing Truth, but at the same time, was looking forward to them immensely. She was learning so many things about James that she had never known before, most of which greatly surprised her. Like his greatest fear (losing everyone he loves), his favorite place (his “tree house�—he wouldn’t elaborate on this), and his most embarrassing memory (the first time Lily publicly humiliated him, in first year, in Professor Slughorn’s classroom.) Despite all of her cautiousness, Lily could feel herself being drawn in by him, opening up to his free and energetic personality. She felt exposed, and did not want either of them to become too attached, for reasons she already knew.

So, as Lily and James left the Gryffindor common room for rounds, Lily told herself that she would reveal as little as possible that night without lying to James.

“I heard one of the girls saying that some of the boys are meeting on the seventh floor tonight,� Lily told James. “Did you hear anything?�

“Yeah, something like that,� James replied. “I guess we’d better be on the lookout for unusual activity tonight.�

That was another thing that impressed and surprised Lily: James was taking his Head duties very responsibly. She had yet to see him abusing his position. When had this change in maturity taken place? Lily mused. She supposed that the death of one’s sister would do a good job of sobering one up.

“Yeah,� Lily said, retuning to the present. “Maybe we had better take a trip to the seventh floor.�

“Good idea,� James said eagerly. “Hey, whose turn is it to go?�

“Um, I think it’s yours,� Lily replied as they began to ascend the stairs to the seventh floor.

“Oh good!� said James. He fell silent for a moment, thinking up a good question for her. Lily watched him with apprehension. They had touched so closely to the subject that Lily feared discussing above all else, and she hoped that it would remain at distance. She had no desire to discuss it, but she also would not allow herself to lose in any way to James Potter.

“Why don’t you ever mention your sister when you talk about your family?� James asked, turning his head to look at her.

“Oh,� Lily said, a bit relieved. The dangerous outskirts of the forbidden topic. Well, my sister and I don’t have a very good relationship. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. I think she hates me.�

“You’re exaggerating,� James scoffed. “I’m sure she doesn’t really hate you, does she?�

“Yes, James, I believe she truly hates me and everything to do with magic.�

“But what-“

“My turn,� Lily cut in cheerfully before James could ask the question that would lead to more uncomfortable ones. “Why have you suddenly stopped cursing Severus?�

James glanced quickly at her before resuming the watching of his feet as they carried him slowly down the corridor.

Lily, catching his glance, said, “Remember the name of the game, James.�

He looked up again and said, “Would I lie to you?�

Lily thought not, but she didn’t reply. James spoke again.

“You’ve noticed that I stopped jinxing Sni—Snape, then?�

“Yes,� Lily said. “The change is very noticeable, James.�

James hesitated. “And-and how do you feel about that?�

Lily, surprised, said, “Erm…I guess I’m glad that you’ve finally stopped cursing him, and I’m a bit surprised that you’ve grown up. But why don’t you curse him anymore?�

“Because…you implied that you wouldn’t go out with me if I didn’t stop. So…I guess I’ve done it for you.�

He would never cease to amaze her.

“Wow…Erm, that’s incredibly sweet of you, James.� Lily didn’t know what else to say to this.

“It’s the truth. Are you cool with that?� James asked her.

He had changed so much, and not for the worse. Was that okay with her?

“Yes, I’m ‘cool with that’.� She said, smiling.

“You should smile more often, Lily,� James said, grinning himself. “It changes your whole face. Makes it softer.�

Lily looked up into his eyes once more. She held his gaze, and became aware of the intensity in his pools of hazel. Something in her told her that that passion was meant for her.

They were suddenly very close—inches apart. Lily’s warm breath tickled James’ face and neck, and he could see her slender neck slowly flushing from pink to red. His heart sped up. He was obviously affecting her, which meant that he was making headway. Maybe, just maybe, this meant…

Lily stepped away from him abruptly. What had she been thinking, letting herself get taken in like that? She knew the consequences of affection…

“We should go around the floor one more time before we go back to Gryffindor Tower,� Lily said, briskly setting off down the corridor.

James followed, puzzled by her behavior. One minute, she was being perfectly amiable and nearly kissing him, the next she was cold and running. James again fell in step with Lily’s quick pace, watching her all the while. He face was still noticeably flushed, but her features were determinedly expressionless.

They walked along in silence, down flights of stairs, past paintings and suits of armor, around corners, and past windows glaring with the light reflecting off the snow.

James was struggling with an internal battle of his own. Professor Slughorn announced at the Slug Club meeting yesterday that he would be hosting a Christmas party the night before the Christmas holidays were to begin. James knew immediately whom he’d ask, but now he was having second thoughts. It was strange; never before had he actually thought about the question before he asked it. Now he was agonizing over his wording, Lily’s reaction. He decided to just go with it. He had certainly proven his aptitude for winging it, James assured himself, and he could do it now. He took a deep breath and said to Lily, “I have my question to ask.�

Lily was partly through the portrait hole and James was behind her on the outside of the Tower. She stopped, one leg in the room, and looked back at him when he began speaking. James faltered when he saw Lily standing there. It still struck him powerfully like this, her beauty did. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he had been struck dumb in her presence on numerous occasions. Now was one of those times.

“James?� Lily questioned softly, acutely aware of his stare.

Her voice brought James back to reality. He had forgotten that he was in the middle of asking her out.

“Erm, Lily,� James began, clearing his throat. “My question is…do you want to go to Slughorn’s Christmas party with me?� He waited on bated breath, watching Lily. She appeared to like him, but at other times…Her face went through a series of emotions and his heart leapt. James could see it in her eyes. She liked him.

Lily so wanted to say yes to James. He was such a fun and energetic person, and she knew that she would have a great time at the party with him. But she just couldn’t. She’d be giving in. Nothing but misery was sure to come to them if they became involved with each other. She didn’t want either of them to suffer because of her. So Lily broke the only rule they had agreed upon while playing Truth.

“No, James, I don’t want to go with you,� Lily lied. She hated to do it, but she turned her back and ran up the stairs, once again leaving a stunned James behind her, a hurt and disappointed look upon his face, his wand hanging limply at his side.

A/N: Sorry about the long wait to anyone that wanted a fast update. And this chapter is so incredibly fluffy. But I didn’t want to take it out. So I apologize for the fluffiness.

Lily, for one. She had refused him yet again, but James felt his rejection more now than he ever had. Just when it had felt like things were going great between the two of them, when he had been succeeding in the wreckage of Lily’s solid protective barriers, it was all ruined. She said no. Why? James wondered. He had studied her so often in the past few weeks that he was finding it easier to read her emotions. And, just for a moment, on that night a week ago, James saw for the first time that Lily actually seemed to be feeling slightly more-than-friendly feelings for him. He could tell because he had felt that way for many years. They had been actually having whole, sincere, meaningful conversations for the first time in their six years as classmates; walking to classes together; joking and laughing; making fun of Professor Slughorn in Potions class…James hated feeling the way he was right now: desperately in love. He had thought that he had fallen in love with Lily four years ago, but that was nothing compared to how he was feeling now. He was hopelessly tangled up in Lily. When she smiled at something he said, his heart skipped madly. His face felt like it was on fire those times she caught him staring during History of Magic or any/every other class. He had been so incredibly jealous when she talked and laughed with the other blokes. But she hadn’t done that in a long time, so he shouldn’t be worrying, he told himself. When had she changed? She was still extremely bright and studious, of course, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes anymore. She seemed to be holding back—everything. Lily was now more reserved, more formal, more mature, more--

James leapt to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. Something was wrong. He had no idea how he knew this, but he just felt that something was wrong with Lily. He bolted off toward the castle, slipping and sliding in the snow.

------------------------------------------------

She felt the sweat forming on her face as she ran up the stairs, The Bundle clutched to her chest. She turned into the doorway and slammed the door shut, locking it with her wand. She put The Bundle down inside an upright cage and rummaged around on the dresser looking for something. I must find it!

The door was blasted off its hinges and it crumbled into pieces, which sprayed everywhere. Lily dashed over to The Bundle, the shards of wood stabbing her body. She had to protect The Bundle, the helpless, defenseless, precious Bundle from that awful Dark thing. It was in the doorway.

“Stand aside…� it hissed from the blackness.

“No!� Lily screamed, shielding The Bundle from that Fear.

“Stand aside, girl!�

“NO!� she shouted again.

Its wand was lifted and Lily braced herself for the pain that was sure to come, all the while hiding The Bundle from view.

That blast of green light hit her in the chest. The pain! Ripped, torn…Not The Bundle! Oh, the pain! Agony…

Lily gasped, ending her scream, and opened her eyes. She shivered and quaked as the sweat rolled down her body, mingling with the tears on her face. She was cold, so cold. She needed warmth. The common room. Lily stumbled her way down the stairs, collapsing in the chair nearest the common room fire. She hated The Dream, hated it!

At that moment, the Fat Lady’s portrait opened and James came crashing into the common room, gasping as if he had run a mile. He looked around wildly, spotted Lily trembling and shaking in the armchair by the fire, and hurried over to her. Lily stood weakly to meet him. James said, sounding concerned, his eyes locking onto hers, “Are you alright, Lily?�

She looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m-� she began shakily, still shivering. “I’m okay. You?�

James brushed her words aside, obviously being untrue. “What happened?� he asked her gently.

“I-� she said, wiping her face. “I—Why are you here, James? How did you know that something was wrong?�

She looked so badly shaken—her hair mussed from sleep, her eyes puffy and red, cheeks stained with tears—that James desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her and steal away some of her pain as she had once done for him.

“I don’t know,� he replied, briefly ruffling the back of his hair out of confusion. “I felt…I just knew. But what happened, Lily?�

He just knew ? Lily wondered. How could he know what I felt in my dream?

“I just…had a really bad dream,� Lily said slowly, hating her tears as they slid down her cheeks, betraying her again. She wanted so badly to just collapse into James’ arms, but held herself back. Apart from not wanting to be the damsel in distress, falling into his arms would be entirely out of the question.

James couldn’t stand it. It tore him up to see her in so much pain. He enveloped her small frame in his arms. Lily, caught off guard and still weak from the excruciating dream-pain, felt her knees buckle, and, wrapped in each other’s arms, she and James tumbled into the armchair behind Lily. “Oof,� she went as James fell against her. The chair, also surprised by James’ sudden movement, slowly tipped over as if in slow motion—Lily let out a small scream—and met the floor with a loud thump. There was silence for a minute. Lily, acutely aware of James’ heavy body on top of hers, tried to rise, but her legs had somehow become entangled in James’ long cloak. She was pinned. All of a sudden, the situation struck Lily as one of the most hilarious she had ever been in and she began to laugh. James finally got his own feet out of his cloak, rolled onto his back beside her, looked at her and couldn’t keep himself from chuckling as he watched Lily laugh, her hair and face lit from the golden sunrise barely shining through the window above them. Her laugh was absolutely musical to his ears, and contagious as well. James began to laugh in earnest.

Lily gasped for breath, her sides aching. There were tears running down her face again, but this time from mirth. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard. It felt wonderful.

“I’m sorry, Lily,� James said as they finally controlled their laughter. “I did not mean to do that. Did I hurt you?�

“No, James, I’m not hurt,� Lily turned her head toward him. “Thank you.�

“For nearly squashing you?� he grinned.

Lily grinned as well. “No. For making me laugh like that. I haven’t laughed so hard since…a long time ago,� she admitted.

“Well, I’m glad that crushing the life of you had such a positive effect. I’ll make sure to do that more often.� Lily giggled.

They lay there on the floor for a minute, looking at each other. Lily was once again aware of the fact that she was tangled in his cloak. They were extremely close, a mere foot apart. Upside down, Lily looked out the windows. “It’s late,� she said.

“No, it’s really early,� James corrected. He looked at his watch. “Half past six. Maybe we should try to get some sleep?�

“Thank goodness it’s Saturday,� Lily yawned, attempting to free herself from the clutches of James’ slightly damp cloak.

“Oh,� James set up also. “Sorry about that. I’ll help.�

“It’s okay,� said a still-smiling Lily.

They got themselves untangled and set the armchair on its legs again. They stood there awkwardly.

“Actually, now that I’m up, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep,� James said, plopping down on the sofa.

“Me either, now you mention it.� Lily sat down and curled up at the other end of the sofa.

“I don’t bite, you know,� James said pointedly.

Lily ignored him. “It’s my turn.� They didn’t have to specify anymore when they were talking about Truth; they both understood. “What were you doing up so early?�

“I couldn’t sleep. I needed to think some things over, so I went down by the lake.�

“It’s cold outside,� Lily remarked.

“I don’t mind the cold that much,� James shrugged. “What was your dream about?�

Lily inhaled sharply. This was yet another unexpected question from James. She didn’t want to discuss this.

“I was being chased,� she said briefly. James sensed that she was telling the truth, but not all of it. He left it at that, however. Lily would tell him when she was ready.

James pointed his wand suddenly at the fire and the dying embers sprang to life.

“I thought you didn’t mind the cold?�

“You’re shaking.� James didn’t mention that Lily had only begun trembling when he brought up the subject of her dream.

“Oh.�

James knew that he was being very forward this morning, and that Lily didn’t usually appreciate his boldness, but that didn’t stop him from sliding over to her end of the sofa and wrapping his arms around her again to quell her shivering.

Lily let out the tiniest of gasps, but did not pull away. He nearly covered her entire body, which was still curled into a ball. His warmth was comforting. Lily relaxed and closed her eyes. Soon their breathing evened and their chests rose and fell in synchronized movements. They were in those same positions hours later when Remus Lupin came down the dormitory stairs to go to breakfast.

“What are you talking about, Evans?� he spat, halting his stirring. “The book states-�

“Yes, I realize what the book says! I’ve just experimented and-�

“This is no time to test your theories!� Severus hissed. They both knew perfectly well that if the other had tested another new method of potion brewing, it was most likely more effective than that of the textbook.

“Fine, then. Let me stir it and you can read me the instructions.�

Severus scoffed, but scooted over to take Lily’s place.

Lily sighed as she took up the stirrer. Severus was so difficult these days. It really was her fault, she reasoned. She and Severus had dated for nearly a year in their fifth through sixth years. It had all started when they had been partnered in Potions. Once they got past the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry and realized they shared a mutual hatred of James Potter, they began to fancy each other. Lily was fascinated—and still was—by the quiet, brilliant Slytherin. Severus, of course, wanted to keep their relationship underground. Although he greatly cared for and admired Lily, he didn’t want other members of their Houses to give either of them trouble. Lily protested at first, and they had a few minor rows, but she finally gave in. It wasn’t all that important, she had supposed. Then, among other life-altering things, James Potter happened.

Lily remembered one memorable afternoon in fifth year, right after their OWLs. She and Alice, still best friends at the time, had been basking in the warm summer sun on the rocks by the lake, elated that they had finished the very last of their exams. Lily had been distracted from her sunbathing, however, when James had decided to have some fun with Severus. Lily had briefly hesitated from interfering: she knew that Severus would be positively humiliated if she “rescued� him in his battle. She winced as Severus was suspended in midair by his ankle—one of his own inventions, created while they had been avoiding Transfiguration homework one night. Lily gave up not interfering when James coldly pointed his wand at an unarmed Severus. Pink bubbles were just starting to choke Severus when Lily raced over to the gathering crowd, wand in hand. She was a prefect, she had reassured herself, so she was expected to break up scuffles. However, she was not expecting to be highly insulted by her boyfriend.

“I don’t need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!� Severus spat out, stunning Lily with the foul word as if he had slapped at her. She blinked, looking into his eyes to see if he had really meant his words. She could see a hint of fear in the deep pools of darkness. By defending him, Lily had nearly exposed their secret relationship. So she played along, brushing his false words aside.

“Fine, I won’t bother in the future. And I’d wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus,� she said coolly, taunting him by using the Marauder’s nickname that Severus hated. And with that, she strode away. She heard another spell and the glance over her shoulder confirmed that Severus had returned to hanging in midair. Later that night, when they had met in the Come-and-Go Room, their usual meeting place, they had had their biggest row ever. Second biggest, Lily corrected herself. The night they had their biggest was--

“Lily!� Severus nearly shouted at her, causing her to jump. Lily had the feeling that he had been trying to get her attention for some time.

“Oh, sorry!� Lily gasped, understanding his panic as she realized that their Veritaserum had turned nearly black and was emitting dark purple puffs of smoke. She worked quickly, Severus handing her the ingredients as she stirred and mixed.

“What else?� Lily asked, looking at him desperately. “Maybe if we add more dragon spleen?�

Severus was checking the book, looking for some of the helpful notes Lily had written in the margins. “Yes, add them, and quickly,� he confirmed.

Lily did, while alternately stirring clockwise and counter clockwise. She breathed a sigh of relief as the potion slowly lightened and turned clear as water. And just in time.

“Time is up!� Professor Slughorn called out.

Severus bottled some of his and Lily’s potion while Lily started tidying. The bell rang as he returned.

“That was close,� Lily commented as the two gathered their things.

“Hmm,� was all he said. He exited the dungeons as quickly as possible, leaving Lily behind.

Lily sighed again, watching him go. They had once been so happy together, able to laugh and talk for hours on end. That had all changed last winter.

They had just returned from Christmas holidays. Severus and Lily were meeting again in the Room of Requirement. Lily arrived first and occupied herself with wishing for random things to see if the Room would supply them. She was nervous and trying to distract herself from thinking about the task that lay ahead. She could do it, she could do it.

The door opened suddenly and Severus walked in and saw Lily. He hurried over to her, embraced her, and made to kiss her, but Lily smoothly deflected his mouth to her cheek.

“What’s wrong?� he asked immediately. Lily was always affectionate.

“Something happened over the holidays, Severus,� Lily began, getting straight to the point. She told him all that had transpired with Petunia. He just stared at her, his face nearly impassive, except for his slightly widened eyes. “And we cannot be together,� Lily finished. She was surprised at her lack of emotion. She had thought that she would have been bawling when she let Severus go. What he said next surprised her even more.

“Fine. If that’s what you want,� he said, his mask crumpling as he turned away.

“Severus,� she said helplessly, placing a hand on his arm. “Severus, I still care deeply for you, and I probably always will. You’re a wonderful person, you truly are. But don’t you understand how this break-up is better for the both of us?�

“Of course,� he said with a twisted smile, pulling his arm out of Lily’s grasp. “I suppose this prophecy is rather convenient for you, isn’t it?�

“What d’you-�

“Potter!� he spat disdainfully, as if just the name had left a pleasant taste in his mouth. “I imagine he also had something to do with this!�

Lily just stared at him.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, always asking you to go out with him…And sometimes I get the impression that you feel the very same way!�

“Severus,� she said, finding her voice at last.

“Did you just accept my offer out of pity? Was it all a prank? You and Potter-you set me up, didn’t you?!� he was positively screaming now, his sallow face reddened, his eyes bulging. Lily had never seen him lose control like that. He was mad! She took a step backward, flinching at his words.

“Severus,� she said slowly and calmly.

He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. “I care about you, Lily. You were so convincing, I thought you cared for me as well.� His voice was dangerous and low now, controlled.

Severus turned to leave, and Lily’s anger unexpectedly flared. She made her trademark impatiently exasperated noise—that of a dying cat—and lost her temper. She whipped out her wand and hit Severus in the back with a Full-Body Bind. He tipped over backwards, Lily catching him with a charm before he hit the floor.

“Maybe now you might listen to me,� she said angrily, sitting down next to his body, still stuck in his stoop-shouldered walk. His eyes looked furiously up at her.

“I’m sorry, Severus,� she said softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I figured that this would be the best way to go before we both get too deeply involved. Don’t you understand?�

His eyes flickered.

“And about James-� Here she paused, unsure how to proceed. Her emotions were in such turmoil, she didn’t see how she could give Severus a straight, honest answer.

Severus interpreted her hesitance as a confirmation of his beliefs about Lily and James. His eyes shot daggers at her.

“Severus, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t say anything for certain,� Lily protested. “I’m not sure what I feel right now. I don’t exactly know your feelings, nor do I James’. I just don’t know! But I am sorry,� she added sorrowfully. “I’ll take the curse off you now.� She muttered the counter-curse.

Severus sat up quickly and simply glared. He rose and looked down his crooked nose at her.

“Well,� he said in his deadly voice as Lily rose as well. His eyes never left her face. “This is it, then. Enjoy the rest of your life.� He paused, waging an internal battle. “I will always love you,� he said suddenly, a rare opening of his heart to Lily. His voice was so quiet that had not Lily been closely watching his face she would have missed these words torn from the depths of his soul. Severus turned to leave, and Lily helplessly watched him go, unable to find any suitable words to say to him.

“Goodbye, Severus,� Lily said finally, long after he had departed from the Room.

Lily entered the Great Hall, still absorbed in the memory. Severus had avoided her like the plague since that day, though Lily sometimes found him staring intensely at her in Potions class. He looked away quickly every time, an expression of disgust replacing the strange look on his face. Lily tried to make the best of the occasions when they were forced to be together, such as Professor Slughorn’s class. Thank goodness James sat on the other side of the classroom; he would make things ten times worse than they already were.

Speaking of James, where was he anyway? Lily wondered, her eyes roaming over the Gryffindor table. He hadn’t been in Potions or any other of his morning classes…At that very moment, James, Sirius, and Peter entered the Great Hall. Each of them looked slightly worse for wear, but they smiled at the other Gryffindors as they sat down next to Lily at the table. Lily just looked at them inquisitively for a moment, then shook her head and diverted her eyes to her plate. As the boys began to talk loudly, helping themselves to large spoonfuls of shepherd’s pie, Lily’s eyes again rose unbidden to James’ face. No, it’s probably best if I don’t ask what happened, she thought wryly.

“Evening, ladies,� James grinned, tipping an imaginary hat to them.

“Hi, James,� said Lily warmly, while Alice briefly said, “Hi,� without halting her furious scribbling.

“Are you busy, Lily?� James asked, eyeing her barely-started Transfiguration essay.

“Not really,� Lily admitted.

“Would you care to take a walk, then?� asked James casually.

Lily glanced quickly at Alice, whose head had shot up as soon as James had asked. Alice smiled a little at her and nodded her head ever so slightly, silently giving Lily her support and encouragement, then went back to her Potions. Lily smiled and shut her books. “Sure,� she told James, pushing out her chair and rising. He offered her his arm and she accepted it, laughing and blushing. As they exited the common room, Lily could see Remus, Sirius and Peter all giving James the thumbs up and smirks and winks. Lily and James both shook their heads, Lily muttering, “So weird,� while James smiled.

They walked in a comfortable silence. Lily found herself becoming increasingly relaxed around James. He was such an entertaining and friendly person to be around that no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep herself from opening up to him.

“So…what’s on your mind tonight, James?� Lily asked him after a few moments.

“Well…� he hesitated, and then went on a rampage about Potions class and Professor Slughorn. He was apparently having trouble saying what he wanted to say, because Lily had found that James often rambled when he got a bit nervous. What was he trying to say? Lily wondered. She decided to just let him babble, knowing that he would eventually get to the point. He’s so amusing when he chatters, Lily mused, watching him.

James finally paused to take a breath. Lily quirked an eyebrow at him. James gathered his wits and said, “What I meant to say was…do you like me at all, Lily?�

Her heart fluttered. The question took Lily completely by surprise.

“Of course I like you!� she exclaimed, stalling. “We’re friends now, James. And who couldn’t like you? Other than Severus,� she added.

He looked down his glasses at her and Lily felt as if he could see right through her.

“I mean…really like me. As more than a friend? His eyes remained steadily focused on her eyes, waiting for her answer.

Lily tried to keep her face as expressionless as possible while a major battle waged in her mind. James’ question terrified her. Something deep within her stirred at his words, but she repressed it. Her heart thudded again. There was no way she could answer without lying to him or giving herself up. Lily had an inkling of her true desires, but admitting her feelings for James, especially to herself, would just be a one-way ticket for insufferable pain, and she would not let that happen—to either of them. Lily did the only thing she could do.

“Pass,� she said finally, not daring to meet his eyes.

“What?� James asked, astonished. Was this a confirmation of his suspicions? Did this really mean…?

“I pass. You win. Another question, please.� And please let it be a safe one, she prayed.

James looked slightly dumbfounded. “You think this is—Fine. What happened to you, Lily?�

“What d’you mean?� Lily asked quickly.

“Why did you suddenly stop hanging around with your friends? Why did you push away everyone who ever cared for you? Why won’t you let anyone, including me, get close to you? Answer that, Lily.� James’ voice rose as he began to get angry.

Lily hesitated, afraid to answer his torrent of questions. “I-�she began.

James waited impatiently for her to continue.

“I don’t want to cause anyone any pain.� Lily said slowly.

“You don’t think that you haven’t caused anyone pain yet, Lily?� James asked incredulously. “What about Alice? Or Dorcas? Or-�

“I needed to distance myself, James!� Lily interrupted angrily, slightly panicked. “I had to get away from everyone, to stop feeling!�

“Why, Lily? Why did you need to do any of that?�

“It’s complicated,� Lily whispered.

James suddenly realized that he had been nearly yelling at Lily and calmed down a bit. “I’m sorry, Lily,� he said, his voice low. “I didn’t mean to shout at you like that.�

“It’s alright.� Her voice was still a whisper. “I never knew you felt that way—that strongly.�

“Now you do.�

Lily stood still. The “game� wasn’t over. It was her turn. Now was the perfect time to find out the Truth…

“D’you…d’you like me-in the way you described before?� she asked, waiting on bated breath for his answer. She didn’t have long to wait.

“Yes.� He said simply, and looked at her in such a way that Lily felt herself blush from the roots of her hair. James grinned widely, watching her endearing blush creep over her face. His grin faded to a small smile as he moved closer to her, inches away. His hypnotizing eyes locked purposefully onto Lily’s, and her breath caught in her throat as he put his hands on her upper arms. James was much too close to her. She looked up at him, mouth barely open, hardly daring to breathe. Lily could see how his long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, how his beautiful hazel eyes were flecked with gold-brown and sparkling in the dim light of the torches in the corridor. She could even see a faint scar on his left cheek. He was drawing ever nearer. It was almost as if…

Lily froze. James was going to kiss her! No, no, no! She could not, she must get away! James’ lovely red lips were mere centimetres from her own when she dashed away from him down the corridor. Right, up the stairs, left around a corner, up another flight of stairs. He was calling after her. Lily didn’t look back but kept running. She had no hiding place in mind and suddenly found herself at the base of the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. She pelted up the stairs, her tiring legs carrying her upward. Once in the Tower, she leaned against the wall, panting heavily and trying to control her racing heart.

What had she been thinking? She had almost let James kiss her! Moreover, she finally admitted to herself, she had wanted to so badly! She had dreamt of that moment for over a year now. (Dreamt! She snorted. Speaking of cursed, bloody dreams…) Yes, she was at last, at last admitting the thought she had suppressed and denied for so long. She, Lily Charlotte Evans, enormously fancied James Isacc Potter.

Lily froze once more. She thought that she had lost James a few floors ago, but she now heard his footsteps on the stairs. Lily looked around wildly. There was no place to go. Hiding was futile. He knew she was in the Tower. Why hadn’t she chosen a better place to escape? All she could do was stay and wait.

She watched as James came into sight, holding his lit wand in front of him and tucking a piece of white, parchment-looking stuff into his robes. Lily’s almost normal heartbeat quickened again as he climbed the staircase. In spite of herself, Lily admired him. He was so beautiful…No, Lily, you mustn’t think like that. It isn’t safe.

“Lily?� James enquired softly, hesitantly approaching her. “Are-are you alright?� His wand was casting leaping shadows everywhere.

“James, I-I don’t think…I can’t-we can’t go on like this.�

“Like what?�

“Like—I can’t see you-or talk to you-or be around you any longer. We-we cannot be together at all. Not even as friends.�

“But-why?� James looked stunned. “What did I do? Oh, Lily, I’m sorry I tried to kiss you, I just-�

“No, it’s not that,� she hesitated. Could she tell him about The Dream? No, of course not. “I can’t tell you, I can’t explain it. I don’t think you’d understand.�

“Try me.� James said firmly.

When Lily fell silent, James wrongly took her debating silence as a refusal. “I don’t think you understand, Lily!� he burst out. “We’ve come so close! I have gotten to know you, really know you, and no matter how hard you try and ‘distance yourself’, I will always care about you. Nothing you say can change that. You can tell me whatever it is you need to say so I can apologize.�

Lily slid down the stone wall as her knees weakened, stifling a laugh. As if he had done anything! She buried her head in her arms. And he still didn’t understand. This had changed her entire life, and not for the better. She was constantly counting down the days, living in fear, worrying, losing sleep. She did not want James to go through what she had. “I can’t burden you with this, James.� Her voice was muffled, her face still buried in her arms. “It’s not exactly light and fluffy. It’s better for both of us if you remain ignorant of my secret.�

“Lily,� came James’ voice from above her. He was kneeling next to her on the cold stone floor. He set a hand on her arm, causing her to raise her head. James reached over and gently swept her hair out of her face, sending pleasant shivers down Lily’s spine. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I’m here for you. Whatever you need. I won’t-can’t-think any less of you. No Dark secret will do that, I promise.� James’ voice was so soft, his hazel eyes so pleading that Lily nearly lost her resolve. When James saw Lily waver, he put on his best puppydog face. Lily felt she had no choice now.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you!� Lily half-laughed. “Just please don’t look at me like that. And James,� she added, going solemn. “Just remember that there’s no going back.�

“I understand.� He looked at her expectantly.

Lily rose suddenly, leaving James on the floor. She looked up at the night sky and breathed in the cold air. It was no longer snowing. The stars twinkled brilliantly under a sliver of a moon. She wanted so desperately for James to know her secret, to let him share some of her pain, but her conscience wouldn’t let her burden him with her secret. She didn’t know what to do. He was there, expecting her promised response, and running away again—which is what she felt like doing—was absolutely childish. She heard a shuffling sound behind her, and before she could turn around, she felt James’ arms pull her backwards into him.

“I’ve got you now, Lilyflower,� came James’ soft, teasing voice. Lily laughed as his breath tickled her ear and neck. Back when his letters were silly and carefree, “Lilyflower� was how he’d address her. That seemed so long ago…

“I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s troubling you,� he said, tightening his grip.

“James,� Lily half-laughed as she tried weakly to escape James’ grasp.

He turned her around suddenly to face him. “I want you to know, Lily,� his face had such an expression that Lily had never seen before. “You can try to have nothing to do with me, but just by knowing you, I’m already involved. By choice, even. So there’s no getting rid of me. I’m too attached to you now, Lily. I’ve never been this serious about anything in my entire life.�

Lily’s heart was melting. He was completely serious she knew. He had to be told.

“I-� she started, her voice hoarse, then stopped and cleared her throat. Alright, James, I’m ready to tell you.� And we’ll see then how much you’re willing to stay involved. Now where to begin?

Lily gently broke free of James’ grasp, promising, “I won’t go anywhere, I swear.� She fidgeted with the sleeves of her robes, trying not to shiver. James did some fancy swirling with his wand and conjured two steaming mugs of butterbeer, handing one to Lily. She thanked him, but wasn’t distracted.

“When I got my letter inviting me to attend Hogwarts,� Lily began, “my parents were thrilled, absolutely ecstatic. My sister, Petunia wasn’t. She was jealous that I’m a witch and she’s not. But it never seemed as if she hated me. I mean, we got along well enough but she won’t talk about anything unnatural…� Lily glanced at James. He nodded, showing that he was listening, but his brow was wrinkled.

“And then, last winter, something happened. It changed my relationship with Petunia forever. I found out that…� Lily hesitated for a second, preparing to brace herself for James’ reaction, then took a deep breath.

“I’m a Première Seer, James.�

“A-what?� he asked carefully.

“A One-Time Seer. I’ve only ever Seen and will ever See one happening that is to come, though it replays itself over and over in my dreams.�

James looked into Lily’s pale, beautiful freckled face and asked, with a feeling of deepest dread, “What did you See?�

“My death.�

James felt his heart stop. His Lily? Predict her own death? It wasn’t possible, Divination wasn’t possible, wasn’t real.

“Are you-you’re sure of this?� James asked mildly, not wanting to arouse her anger. Lily nodded, looking at him worriedly. “You believe me, don’t you?� she asked anxiously. “You don’t think I’m just mental…?�

“No, of course not,� James said firmly. “You’re not mental…it’s just…hard to digest…� James broke off, deep in thought. “Do you remember giving this prophecy?� he asked suddenly.

“No,� she shook her head.

“Then how…?�

“Petunia was the only one in the room when I—when it happened.�

“So how can you be sure that this really did happen? Maybe your sister was just winding you up-�

Lily turned away from him and stared up at the moon, pain and discomfort written all over her face.

“Lily, how do you know?� James persisted, getting in front of her so she was forced to face him.

“I’ve researched everything, James, everything matches up. The dreams sometimes take place. They’re not another prediction, just a continuation of the prophecy.� She wouldn’t look at him. Lily was avoiding the question.

“How do you know, Lily?� James asked again.

Lily didn’t answer this time, but instead pulled a tattered, folded piece of parchment from the pocket of her robes and handed it to James, who rather snapped it out of her hand, annoyed that he hadn’t been answered. His irritation vanished, however, as he read the words on the parchment.

THE DEATH OF LILY EVANS LOOMS EVER CLOSER…

BETRAYED BY THE COWARD IN LION’S DRESS,

SHE AND HER LOVE WILL TRIUMPH

BUT HER LIGHT WILL BE LOST WITH HER FOREVER.

LILY MUST DIE…

Under these words was a date: 31 October 1981.

James just stared at the parchment, pale-faced, reeling from what he had just read. “Where did you get this?� he asked her, his voice no more than a whisper.

“I wrote it down,� Lily said, her voice equally as quiet. “Petunia told me.�

“I thought you said that she refused to talk about it?�

“She wouldn’t talk about it,� said Lily hollowly. “I-I used Veritaserum.�

James stared at Lily.

“The use of Veritaserum is strictly controlled by the Ministry, Lily,� he said slowly, giving her a hard look. “Not to mention extremely difficult to brew-�

“I know, James, I know!� she cried. “But I was desperate, James! I needed to know why my only sister suddenly started to hate me with a passion! She wouldn’t speak to me, wouldn’t look at me. She acted as if she couldn’t tolerate the mere presence of me. I had to know why. It was eating me alive, not knowing. Had I said anything wrong? Had something happened? Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t found out. I’ve done all the research,� Lily said again, somewhat desperately. James let her carry on with her speech, knowing that it would do her good. She needed someone to finally confide in, and he was more than willing. “Première Seers are more common than normal Seers. But prophecies have ruined lives. People have tried so hard to fulfil them, or the other way around.� She fell silent, her eyes downcast, lower lip trembling.

“You know what this means, don’t you?� James questioned. Lily raised her head, shaking her head at him. “We’ve got to make the most of our time together. Three years isn’t a lot of time.�

Lily stared at James as if she’d never seem him before. He had a brain somewhere in his head, she knew; he wasn’t stupid. So why did he not understand? She had spend at least an hour trying to explain why they could not have a relationship, but James still wasn’t comprehending.

“James,� she said slowly.

“No, Lily,� he said firmly. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re stubborn, Lily, but so am I. No prophecy is going to get in our way.�

“I’m going to die, James!� Lily choked out. “I’m going to be killed painfully! There’s no way to tell who will die with me! There’s someone else in my dream, but I don’t know whom. I could lead you to your death!�

“Killed?�

“Yes!�

“How do you know this?�

Lily let out an exasperated noise that resembled a cat being strangled. “I Saw it! I dream of it all the time! I told you that!�

“But you never said you’d be murdered,� James said doubtfully. “You’re sure these aren’t just dreams? Maybe-�

“I’m sure,� Lily cut in. “I’ve read up on it, checked out every possibility and every single book on Divination that Hogwarts has. That’s why I’m still taking the stupid subject! These types of dreams can occur along with the One Sight. I’m dreaming of my death, James.�

“Our death,� James corrected her softly, his face full of that same emotion that Lily had seen earlier.

“What d’you mean? I’ve only ever Seen my death.�

“I must’ve been wearing my Invisibility Cloak, then,� James smiled slightly. Lily looked at him quizzically.

James took both of her hands in his. “When you die,� he said quietly, his voice quavering, “I’ll die with you. I-I don’t see how I’ll live without you.� Then he voiced what he had hinted at earlier that night. “I love you, Lily.� He looked directly into her emerald eyes. “Probably more than you will ever know.�

Lily’s half-filled eyes now matched James’. For once in her life, the fiery redhead was speechless. He loved her. Loved her. He really had loved her all those years he kept asking her out. She thought that he had just singled her out as an easy target. However, she had been wrong so many times. And he loved her! Her heart skipped a beat. She believed him. And in that moment, she brushed everything aside. She raised herself up from an enormous pool of doubt and despair. In that moment, Lily gave her entire heart to James Potter.

“Oh, James,� she murmured.

James had been watching her emotions play out on her face, and his heartbeat quickened when he saw that she had finally come to realization. Once again, James’ perfectly poised mouth was drawing nearer to Lily’s, but this time she did not run away. Quite the contrary. She tilted her face toward his, stood slightly on her tiptoes to reach his mouth, and their lips met. It was the most wonderful thing Lily had ever experienced. All of her fear melted away in James’ embrace. She was filled with a mixture of the utmost happiness, contentment, excitement, and…love. Love? She loved James? Her own reply was simply, “Yes.� Lily loved James. As that though rose in her mind, Lily kissed James with all the force she could muster, wanting him to know exactly how she felt about him.

They broke apart moments later, each gasping for breath. “Wow.� James said, his voice breaking. “Well, I take it that’s a yes for Slughorn’s party tomorrow night, then?�

Lily stared at him in disbelief, then burst out laughing. “You prat!� she said warmly, taking up his arm again. James gave her a broad grin and tenderly kissed her again. They set off for the common room, arm in arm.

Then she saw him. He was in robes of brightest yellow, like a wasp, and Lily could tell from her position below that he had tried to tame his unruly hair. That attempt was proving to be futile, because his damp locks were springing back up to their unmanageable mess. But he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And his hazel eyes had found hers. He was beaming down at her.

“You look gorgeous, Lily,� he said, descending the last few steps and kissing her.

“You as well,� Lily replied a little breathlessly, kissing him back, thankfully keeping most of her composure whilst her heart beat madly.

“Now, you’ll keep the cooing down to a minimum, I hope?� Sirius said from behind James, grinning as Lily jumped. She hadn’t even realized that he was with James.

“Yes. Well,� she said, minorly disgruntled. “Shall we go?�

The three of them set off for Professor Slughorn’s classroom in the dungeons. The corridor leading to the classroom had been festively decorated with what looked like tiny bottles of glowing white potion. On the way, Lily listened to Sirius and James banter back and forth. She found it difficult to refrain from bursting out in laughter. Separately, they were funny, but when together, the boys were hilarious. Why had she never noticed how funny they were? Oh, that’s right, Lily reminded herself, I was too busy loathing and snubbing them to care.

They had arrived at the dungeons, which were crowded with people. Lily stood on tiptoe and peered around. Most of the professors were there, along with every member of the Slug Club, it appeared, plus a guest for each of them. The classroom was overflowing with people. Christmas music played softly in the background, mingling with the many voices of chattering people, and tiny fairies were flying around the ceiling, lighting the room with a creamy warmth. Alice, standing with Frank near the fireplace, spotted Lily and waved. Lily happily waved back. Lily hadn’t revealed the contents of her prophecy just yet, but she was eager to begin repairing the friendship she and Alice had once shared.

Lily became aware of the sensation that someone was watching her. She glanced around, her eyes roaming over James and Sirius talking with Fabian Prewett from Hufflepuff, Bellatrix Black apparently eating Rodolphus Lestrange’s face, and stopping to rest on the face of Severus Snape. Her heart gave a leap as if it had been jolted. His eyes were boring into her face, and Lily was startled at the intensity of his gaze. He was purposefully giving her a glimpse of his current feelings. Why? Severus’ eyes shifted to the left of Lily, and she turned her head slightly, following his line of vision. They landed on James. She felt as though something boiled beneath the surface, a sudden, indescribeable hatred that only ceased when Severus' eyes returned to rest upon her own face.* She tore her own eyes away, unable to witness his raw emotion. He knew.

Lily tried to focus her attention on James, who was now speaking to her.

“Lily, are you hungry? Would you like punch or something to eat?� he asked.

“Uh, sure,� she murmured, still very aware of Severus’ gaze on the side of her head. “I’ll go with you,� she added as an afterthought.

“I’ll just stay here, thanks!� Sirius called cheerfully after them. He was already eyeing Dorcas Meadowes and sliding casually over to her. Lily smirked over her shoulder.

She and James filled their goblets with iced pumpkin juice and stood several feet from the dessert table, observing the other guests in comfortable silence. As Lily watched Dorcas flirt with Sirius, James unexpectedly put his arm around Lily’s waist and pulled her closer to him.

“You look so beautiful tonight,� he murmured into her hair.

“Thanks.� Lily’s voice was muffled in James’ fluorescent robes and her nostrils filled with the smell of him.

They mingled with the other students for a while. As Lily and Alice laughed at James, Sirius, Frank and Will and John Parry**, amazingly Gryffindor-like Slytherins, about halfway through the party, Professor Slughorn accosted them.

“Ah, Lily, James, Frank!� Slughorn boomed, barely acknowledging the others in the group, “Having a good time?�

“Yes,� they chorused.

“Good, good!�

At that moment, Lily saw Severus out of the corner of her eye. He was trying to leave unnoticed, Rodolphus, Bellatrix and Regulus Black in tow. What’s he doing with them? Lily wondered. Severus was a loner, always had been. He didn’t usually socialize with anyone else, not even his fellow Slytherins. Moreover, Bellatrix, Sirius’ cousin, was not known for her kindness. She and Severus had rarely spoken. Something felt wrong.

“Umm…�Lily directed vaguely at the group in general. James and Alice looked over at her. “I’ll—I’m going to the loo. I’ll be right back.� James said, “Okay� and Alice just nodded, but Lily was already leaving the party, weaving her way through the laughing students. She made her way back to Gryffindor Tower as fast as she could without actually running, taking all of the shortcuts.

She gave the Fat Lady the password and hurried past the students in the ‘G-com’ as Sirius had so ‘hip-ly’ put it, up the stairs to her dormitory. Lily dug through her trunk, throwing books, clothes and potions supplies haphazardously on the floor until she found what she was looking for. Lily looked around quickly to make sure she was really alone, then swirled James’ silvery Invisibility Cloak over her head. She raced down the stairs as quietly as she could, but she needn’t have worried. The occupants of the ‘G-com’ were loudly getting a head start on holiday celebrations. Lily had just heard the Fat Lady close behind her when her logic caught up with her. She stopped. Where had Severus and the others gone? She hadn’t noticed any sign of them when she had raced to the Tower, and she had no way of knowing where they were…She began to feel slightly stupid. What could she do now? Footsteps from the corridor in front of her broke Lily out of her thoughts. It was James. What was he doing away from the party? She had told him she would be right back; there was nothing suspicious about going to the ladies’ room.

Lily held her breath as James halted in front of her. He was looking down at a slightly crumpled piece of parchment, puzzled. He looked around and said hesitantly, “Lily?�

Lily’s heart jumped to her throat. How did he…? Well, it was no use trying to hide; he knew she was there, so she might as well show herself.

“How did you know I was standing there?� Lily voiced her thoughts, baffled, as she removed James’ cloak.

James debated for a moment before answering. “I can’t really hide it from you, but you can’t tell anyone.� Lily nodded, interested. James held out the piece of parchment to her and Lily took it. She just stared down at it confusedly, then her eyes widened as she watched the specks moving across the paper. As Lily stared, captivated by a tiny dot on the second floor labelled ‘Argus Filch’, James said, “That’s the Marauder’s Map. Sirius, Peter, Remus and I invented it. It’s--�

“But it says here,� Lily interrupted, pointing to the top of the page, “that ‘Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present’--�

“Yes, well,� James said hastily, “No time to explain that now. The Map shows everyone in the castle, whether they’re under the Polyjuice Potion or an Invisibility Cloak. We even included secret passageways out of the castle that we’ve discovered. If you’ll look on the grounds, near the Whomping--�

“Severus,� Lily breathed, eyes trained on his tiny pinprick moving quickly toward the Whomping Willow, along with Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Regulus, and a few others that had joined the group, before disappearing completely off the Map.

“Yes, him,� said James, peering over Lily’s shoulder. “I was looking for you--�

“I told you I was going to the loo!� Lily exclaimed indignantly. “You could tell that I was lying?�

“I can read you like a book, Lily,� James said affectionately. “I could tell from the look on your face that something was wrong. Anyway,� he continued, his voice resuming its brisk urgency. “I was looking for you on the Map and I saw Sni—Snape join up with other, uh sketchy members of his House--�

Bellatrix, Lily thought grimly.

“—and I figured that this could be the rumoured Death Eater meeting.�

Lily gasped. “Oh, I’d suspected that! You don’t really think it plausible that You-Know-Who--�

“Voldemort, Lily.�

“Yes, him. You don’t think that V-Voldemort would want to recruit mere teenagers not even out of school yet, do you?�

“I can’t fathom the ways of Voldemort,� said James flatly, his hazel eyes hardening behind his glasses. “I was coming to see if I could persuade you to give me back my Cloak so I could--�

“We need to leave quickly,� Lily said. “Their meeting may be over by the time we get there.�

“We?� James questioned. “You’re not coming with me.�

“I am!� Lily burst out. “You don’t have a choice in the matter.� When James opened his mouth furiously, Lily said, “Let’s not waste time arguing, James. I’m coming with you. C’mon, let’s just go!� She held out a cloak-draped arm to him. James reached for the Cloak and Lily let go of it as they began to walk quickly, clumsily bumping each other, neither really yet used to being in such close proximity with the other.

“So,� said Lily awkwardly as they padded down a flight of stairs, “Where do you think they were heading? Why did Severus just disappear once he went by the Whomping Willow?�

“There’s a secret passageway that begins at the base of the Willow,� James panted. They were almost in the entrance hall. “It opens into the Shrieking Shack.�

“The Shrieking Shack?� Lily halted suddenly, almost pulling the Cloak off James’ head. “But isn’t that--?�

“No, it’s not haunted,� James said impatiently, pulling Lily’s arm so they were once again in step with each other.

“I’m not stupid; I know that,� Lily said hotly. “It’s just—not a full moon,� she finished, relaxing minutely.The light from the half-moon spilled over them as they stepped into the cold winter’s air.

“No, it’s not,� James said carefully, looking over at her. “Why would that matter?�

“You don’t need to pretend with me, James,� Lily told him, her breath rising in clouds. “I know that Remus transforms into a werewolf in the Shack, and as one of his best friends, I would hope that you know that as well. If you didn’t, and I have just blabbed his deepest, darkest secret, please hold still while I 'Obliviate' you. Remus told me in fifth year when we were both prefects.�

“Oh,� James said simply, looking both amused and impressed. “I should have known that you’d know.�

“Humph,� Lily said.

“Is that all that he told you?�

“Well-no, we talked a good deal during--�

“Did he say anything about me?�

Lily just looked at him underneath the Cloak.

“Of course he mentioned you-�

“He didn’t say anything about…well, he didn’t mention any special, uh, talents of mine, did he?�

Lily stifled a laugh. “Special talents? What, snoring, jinxing, your wonderful ability to attract attention wherever you go? Which ‘talent’ are you referring to exactly, James?�

“Nothing,� James just muttered. “Forget it.�

Lily giggled to herself, imagining James’ ‘talents’.

They trudged on through the snow in silence. They were nearing the Whomping Willow. James stopped their trek.

“Stay here,� he said as he lifted the Cloak, sending cold air in to nip Lily’s flushed face. She shivered suddenly and wished she had thought to grab her travelling Cloak. She hugged her arms to her chest and watched as James picked up a stick from the ground and prodded a knothole in the tree. The willow froze.

“C’mon,� James beckoned to her. Lily hurried over to him. “We’ll have to take the Cloak off until we’re inside. Even then, we’ll probably have to leave it off. The tunnel’s not exactly huge.�

“Okay,� Lily said a bit apprehensively. James held out his hand, and Lily handed over the Cloak. “I’ve been missing this; bit hard getting ‘round the castle without it,� he said, smiling widely as he stuffed it into his pocket. “I’ll go first.�

“Okay,� she said again.

James crawled headfirst through the gap in the tree’s roots. As soon as his feet disappeared into the darkness, Lily followed. She slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.*** James was waiting at the bottom, his eyes glittering in the light from his wand and shadows flickering across his face. He extended his hand to her and Lily took it. Once they were both righted, James said, “Ready?�

Lily nodded but then stuck out her hand. “Wait, James,� she whispered. “What’ll we do once we find them? We can’t just go barging in on potential Death Eaters—they’ll probably have alarmed the place --�

James thought a moment; Lily’s mind was racing as well. Now that she was thinking on it, this was a very stupid thing to be doing. What were they supposed to do against possible Death Eaters?

Lily was momentarily distracted from her frantic thoughts by James rummaging around in his robes.

“Where is it?� he muttered, searching his pockets, his jerking wand sending up crazy shadows. “Just had it a few nights ago…Aha!� he cried triumphantly.

“Shhh!� Lily hissed. “Keep your voice down. They could hear us, and what a cute spot we’d be in then-�

“Quit your fretting,� James said. He held up a small object. Lily hastily lit her wand and saw that it was a small mirror.

“We’re saved!� she said sarcastically. “The Mirror of Doom!�

James just smirked at her attitude and held the mirror close to his mouth. “Sirius!� he whispered, his breath fogging the smooth surface. “Sirius, are you there?�

There was silence.

“Sirius!� James said as loudly as he dared.

“What-� Lily began, but Sirius’ all-too-loud voice interrupted.

“Mate, where are you?� They could hear music and loud voices. Sirius was still at Slughorn’s party. “Oh,� Lily said desperately. “The noise--Muffliato!� She cast the spell toward the end of the tunnel they had yet to access.

“The tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. Look, Sirius, I don’t have time to explain, but there may be Death Eaters in the Shack�

“What?!� Sirius exclaimed. “How... Not Snape?�

“Yeah, Snape. I think Lily and I could use some help—just in case.�

“Lily?� Sirius paused. “I’ll bring Peter and Remus,� he said. “We’ll be there A.S.A.P.�

“Thanks.� The mirror went blank again, and James slipped it back into his pocket.

“I’m not even going to ask about that thing,� Lily said to him, impressed.

James just smiled at her.

“Let’s go,� he said. He took her unoccupied hand. “They’ll be a while and the tunnel is long.�

A/N: * “She felt as though something boiled beneath the surface, a sudden, indescribeable hatred that only ceased when Severus' eyes returned to rest upon her own face.� This sentence is an extremely helpful suggestion from my awesome Beta, lumos_aeternum.
** “Will and John Parry�—This is my way of alluding to my favourite non-Harry Potter series, His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.
*** She slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. This is an excerpt taken from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 336, American paperback version.

A very faint light was shining through a large opening into the tunnel. James pulled himself out through the hold and Lily followed, straightening her incredibly dirtied dress robes as she surveyed the room they were standing in. The unfurnished pieces of furniture were smashed, and strange-coloured stains were all over the floor. The few windows were boarded up tightly

Lily glanced at James, but he was standing stock still, eyes on the ceiling.

“They’re upstairs,� he whispered, reaching in his robes for his Invisibility Cloak. Lily moved closer to him and he threw the Cloak over the both of them. “Quietly as they could, they crept out into the shadowy hall and up the staircase.�* They put out the lights at the end of their wands before they reached the dark landing. Lily tried not to breathe—though her heart was still hammering—as she and James tiptoed toward the first door on the left, behind which voices could be heard. Lily and James crouched side-by-side outside of the door, wands held at the ready, ears as close to the closed door as they dared to get.

“…He is getting more powerful by the day,� a female voice spoke. “It would be a mistake not to join him.�

“It would be a mistake to foolishly expose ourselves by joining someone who is off his rocker-� another voice began, this time a male’s.

“Don’t you dare insult him!� came the woman’s angry reply. “He is more of a wizard than you can ever hope to be!�

“Bellatrix is right, of course,� a smooth, drawling voice agreed. Lily recognized the voice to be that of the Head Boy four years previously: Lucius Malfoy. She had always disliked him and his ridiculous ideas about purity of blood and ‘Mudbloods’ like herself. She might have guessed that Lucius Malfoy would join Lord Voldemort. Lucius continued to talk to the group of students gathered behind the door.

“The Dark Lord is quickly taking over. Those who do not align with him choose to doom themselves to the losing side. Hear it from me: it is far better to offer yourselves to the Dark Lord willingly than to be forced into lifelong servitude.� Lucius paused.

“How do we join?� asked a slightly timid male voice.

“Regulus.� The barely distinguishable sound of disgust came from James.

“You must present yourself to the Dark Lord. If he deems you fit to join his ranks, you will be branded with the Dark Mark.�

Lucius paused again, and Lily heard faint gasps from the room. Lucius must have shown the group his own Mark, Lily guessed.

“If the Dark Lord suspects you untrustworthy, or simply establishes you as detestable slime under his shoe, he will kill you.� Lily could almost feel the collective involuntary shudder go around the room at these words.

“However,� Lucius continued, and his voice moved as he apparently paced the length of the room. “Before you are branded or tortured to death, you must prove your worth to the Dark Lord. You are all given one mission,� Lucius again paused dramatically, and even Lily found herself holding her breath in nervous anticipation. “You must find a way to allow the Dark Lord entry into Hogwarts.�

“How?!�

“But that’s-�

“That’s suicide!�

“Impossible!�

“You will find a way,� Lucius said imperiously, not bothering to disguise the threat. “Do not let even the merest hint of this reach Dumbledore’s ear. My master will be most displeased. This is the chance of a lifetime. Prove your worth to the Dark Lord. Your success will ensure the fulfilment of your wildest dreams. But, should all of you fail-� pause “-punishment will be most harsh.

“The Dark Lord does not extend this invitation lightly. He has asked me-� Lucius put enough emphasis on the word ‘asked,’ leading Lily to believe that he was ordered with no room for argument, rather than presented with a light request.

“-He has asked me to seek out those gifted wizards and witches of noble blood whom I esteem worthy enough to take on such a task. But remember,� Lucius’ tone was warning. “Unlike the old fool Dumbledore, the Dark Lord does not offer second chances. Plan your moves carefully. You have until the end of the school year, no later, to succeed.

“Before I depart, I have been instructed to give each of you this communication parchment.�

Beside Lily, James started.

“Keep it with you at all times. When the time comes for another one of these meetings, I will use this parchment to contact each of you simultaneously. The instructions will appear and you are to follow them. Is there any confusion?�

“Okay, let’s go now!� said James urgently.

“Now?� Lily asked, panicked. “But we don’t know how many-there’s only two of us-Sirius-�

“We’ll have the element of surprise. We’ll go in there, Stun as many as we can while dodging-�

“-while avoiding getting hit with an Unforgivable! This is stupid, James, completely irrational-�

“Are you coming?� James asked, squaring his shoulders and holding his wand high, reaching up for the Cloak.

“No!� said Lily angrily. “We should just wait here, under the Cloak, until Sirius and the others arrive.�

“We’re wasting time,� James hissed. Lily could hear footsteps and the scuffing of chairs on the floor. James whipped the cloak off them and shoved it back into the pockets of his wrinkled dress robes.

“Ready?� he asked.

“James, no,� said Lily desperately, fishing the Cloak quickly out of his pocket and trying to cover them both with it. “Put the Cloak back on right now! We need to wait for Sirius!� There was a minor scuffle while they grappled for possession of the cloak.

“James, put it-�

“No, Lily, we have to go now-�

“Stupid prat-�

“Element of surprise-�

The fighting was cut off by the opening of the door.

“Who’s out there?�

James and Lily held completely still, half-hidden under the Cloak that Lily had been trying to cover them with.

“What’s that?� Someone just inside the room pointed to the floor. Lily and James both looked down. Their legs were clearly visible. James tried to quickly swish the Cloak over them, but it was too late. Lily pushed the Cloak off completely, catching the students gathered around the door off-guard.

“Stupefy!� yelled James and Lily, hitting the two boys nearest them directly in the face. They fired Stunner after Stunner at the group, and somehow ended up in the middle of the meeting room. Some spells missed, but many found their targets. After the surprise wore off, however, Lily and James had lost their only advantage. While they had only heard a few voices in the room, there had really been nearly twenty five students on the other side of the door. They were vastly outnumbered.

The would-be Death Eaters were closing in on them, forming a circle and trapping Lily and James in the middle. They stood back to back with their wands held unwaveringly in front of them, eyes flashing from face to face around the circle of students. Where was Severus? thought Lily.

“A bit over your heads, aren’t you, Potter, Evans?� A voice behind Lily spoke. She turned her head. William Bingley, seventh year Slytherin, fellow prefect.

“Brave of you to come here without a teacher!� called Bellatrix Black from Lily’s right.

Before any of them could speak another word, more people burst into the room. Without thinking, and once again using surprise to their advantage, James and Lily began firing spells at their captors. Sirius, Peter and Remus, as well as Frank Longbottom, Alice, and the Parry twins immediately engaged in the battle.

“Impedimenta! � cried Lily, sending the nearest student into a mess of chairs.

“Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy! � she shouted over and over again.

“Petrificus totalus! �

Lily felt the spell hit her in the back, and fell to the floor, rigid as a board, breaking what felt like every bone in her face.

There were blasts and crashes overhead mixing with shouts of jinxes and pain. Someone tripped over Lily’s legs as she lay there dripping blood into a puddle underneath her slightly opened mouth.

“Stupefy! Finite. � Lily’s body went limp as the curse was lifted. She pushed herself up off the floor and sat up. She rolled over to face Remus Lupin on the floor beside her, his legs sprawled over hers.

“Are you-� he panted as he removed his legs from hers. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the flow of blood on her face. “Oh, God, Lily! You need to get to the hospital wing!�

Lily shook her head, as she didn’t think it would feel good to speak, and quickly raised her wand to his head. Stupefy! she thought as hard as she could. Thomas Nott dropped to the floor behind Remus.

“Thanks,� he said, glancing over his shoulder at the fallen body. Remus stood quickly and yelled, “Rictusempra! � A jet of red fired in their direction and they both ducked out of the way. Lily tried to speak, but her face felt like it was being hammered with an iron-spiked fist. Remus quickly helped her to her feet.

“Incendio! � Bellatrix shouted a little ways away from them, sending a jet of fire straight at Sirius’ chest. His arms flailed around for a moment in panic before he tripped over a groaning body. His eyes widened as he fell backwards into the black veiled curtains, catching them on fire as well. ***

“Stupefy! � both Peter and Frank yelled. Bellatrix flew into the air and hit the opposite wall with a sickening crunch.

Things were quiet again except for the panting of James, Peter and Frank. Sirius was spluttering, drenched from the water he and John Parry had doused his body and the curtains with. Those standing looked around at the devastation. Stunned bodies of the pre-Death Eaters lay strewn over the room, some buried under others. Crabbe lay in the tangle of chairs where Lily had blasted him. Will Parry was leaning heavily against a boarded window.

But two were missing from the scene, Lily noted. Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.

“Malfoy,� Lily croaked. James was hurrying over to her.

“Lily, are you alright?� he asked, his face slightly panicked at the sight of the blood covering her face. “Of course not. Stupid question. I’ll get you to the hospital wing.� Before she could say anything, James scooped her up in his arms.

“James!� she exclaimed, slurring his name, causing bursts of pain on her cheeks, nose and forehead. She winced, and then said, “I can walk, you know.�

James ignored her.

“Sirius, mate, you okay? Did she get you badly?� James called.

“Nah, I’m great!� Sirius called cheerfully, still sopping and shaking the dripping hair out of his eyes like a dog.

Peter and Frank had bent over Alice, who was unconscious on the floor and oozing something green and odorous from a gashed cheek.

“Alice!�

“Sirius, why don’t you come to the hospital wing with Lily and me?� James said, and then continued talking over Sirius’ protests. “Frank, Peter, bring Alice to the hospital wing, and Will, you stay with Remus and John to watch over this lot.� James indicated the fallen with a jerk of his head. I’m going to see to Lily.� James turned and carefully made his way over the objects littering the floor of the Shack, Lily’s arms wrapped around his neck. They made their way down the staircase, Sirius and Frank trailing them. Frank had his wand trained on Alice hovering in front of him.

“Peter’s staying to guard the Slytherins. I’ve got Alice,� Frank called to Lily when he noticed her looking back at him.

As they reached the first floor, Lily became aware that James was walking rather unevenly.

“James,� she questioned concernedly, trying to move her split mouth as little as possible, “Are you hurt as well?�

“Nah, m’alright,� he muttered, setting her down gently on her feet outside of the entrance to the tunnel. “Go ahead, I’m right behind you.� He gave her a small prod in the back and Lily had no choice but to oblige him.

Once in the tunnel, they didn’t speak much. Every jarring step made pain shoot through Lily’s broken nose and jaw. She heard James’ somewhat laboured breathing behind her, and Frank’s mild cursing every time he accidentally brushed Alice against the side of the narrow tunnel.

Finally, Lily could see the faint light from the half-moon shining through the gap in the roots of the Whomping Willow. James brushed past her, climbed the steep incline, and extended his hand to her. She took it and together they climbed.

“No, I don’t need any help, you guys go on ahead,� Sirius called up to them. Lily laughed, and then winced as pain shot through the shattered parts of her face.

Their breathing was ragged as Lily and James finally emerged into the crisp night air. James let go of Lily and extended his hand to Sirius, who grasped it, and pulled him up with a jerk. Alice’s floating body came next, followed by Frank. James and Sirius hauled him up as well, Frank’s wand never wavering from Alice.

They trudged through the snow back up to the castle, and the clinging snow fell from their feet and robes to make messy puddles in the entrance hall.

“Filch’ll have our heads,� Sirius muttered.

They entered the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey immediately bustled over to them.

“Goodness gracious!� she exclaimed. “What on earth have you kids been doing? Not duelling, I hope!�

“It’s a long story,� said James.

She wasn’t listening to him. She was instructing Frank where to place Alice.

“Easy, now. Gently.�

Once Alice was carefully placed on a cot, Madam Pomfrey hurried around her, wand out, inspecting the damage. All of a sudden, Alice gave a shudder and coughed, sending a dribble of green onto the pillow.

“What happened to her?� Lily whispered.

“Lestrange,� said Frank, his face hard. “I’m not sure what he hit her with.�

Madam Pomfrey had looked up at the sound of Lily’s voice; temporarily halting the cleaning of Alice’s cut.

“Heavens, child!�

The nurse hurried into her office, returning quickly with numerous bottles of different-coloured liquids. She set the majority on Alice’s bedside table, but kept two in her hand, measuring out the right amount, and handing some to Lily.

“Drink up,� she said briskly.

Lily tipped her head back and drank down the potion, fighting the urge to retch. The pain alleviated almost immediately, and with a quick flick of her wand, Madam Pomfrey mended Lily’s broken nose. She held her hand to Lily’s jaw and tapped her wand to it.

“There,� she said, pleased with her work. “Better?�

“Much, thank you,� said Lily gratefully, gingerly touching her nose.

“Are the rest of you hurt?� asked Madam Pomfrey as she siphoned the blood off Lily’s face with her wand.

“Sirius was burned a bit, I’m positive James has an injured leg, and I’m not quite sure if anything happened to Frank,� Lily answered quickly for them, finishing with a questioning look at Frank. James and Sirius just glared at her.

“Just some minor cuts and bruises,� Frank shrugged.

Disregarding his comment, Madam Pomfrey looked him over quickly, pronounced him fine and tried to shoo him off.

“But Alice-� he began.

“And you,� Madam Pomfrey talked over Frank, turning to examine Sirius behind the screen.

“Minor burns,� the nurse muttered. “Nothing serious.� She poured Sirius some of the potion she had given Lily and called, “Come here, Mr. Potter! Quickly, my patient awaits my care.� James scurried behind the curtain as Sirius emerged, gagging.

“Can’t handle your healing potion, Black?� Lily teased him, feeling much better now that she was no longer in pain.

“I liked you better when your jaw was broken,� he replied cheekily. Lily just glared daggers at him.

Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey hadn’t said a word in examining James. She just dashed out from behind the curtain, snatched a different bottle filled with orange potion, and disappeared behind the screen. James emerged a moment later, his face red as he straightened his robes.

“Alright, mate?� Sirius asked, regarding James’s flushed face suspiciously.

“Fine. Just a…cut,� said James evasively, and Madam Pomfrey tutted at him.

“Now, out, all of you!� she shooed them out. “Yes, even you, Mr. Longbottom. OUT!� And with that, she shut the door of the wing.

“I’ll stay here until Alice wakes,� said Frank, sinking wearily to the stone floor beside the door.

“I’ll stay with you,� said Lily at once.

“No, no, you go on to bed. I’ll stay.�

“Are you sure, Frank?� questioned Lily.

“Quite.� He waved them off.

They had walked a few steps in the direction of the common room when Lily said suddenly, “Someone must tell Professor Dumbledore what happened.�

“Not me; I don’t really know the whole story,� said Sirius, shrugging his damp shoulders carelessly. “One or both of you two should. Besides, I’m going back to the Shrieking Shack to check on the guys.�

“Right,� said James. Sirius left.

“Well,� Lily said, taking James’ hand, “Let’s go, then.� They set off through the corridors to the Headmaster’s office.

“Fizzing whizbee.� Lily gave the gargoyle the password and the stone guardian moved aside to allow them access. James knocked on the inside door.

“Enter,� came Dumbledore’s voice from within.

James pushed open the doors, releasing Lily’s hand as they walked into Dumbledore’s office.

“Mr. Potter, Miss Evans,� he greeted them, rising from his desk. “To what pleasure do I owe this rather late visit?�

“Sorry about that, sir,� Lily apologized quickly.

“No, quite all right,� Dumbledore replied. “You are a responsible Head Boy and Girl; you must have a good reason.� He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Please, sit.�

They sat.

“So…� Professor Dumbledore prompted.

“Right.� Lily glanced at James. “We were at Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party tonight, sir.�

“Indeed? I stopped by myself, a little late, perhaps. Please continue.�

“I saw Sev-some suspicious students leaving early, Professor,� continued Lily. “This was a group of students who did not normally fraternize with each other, so I was naturally suspicious.�

“Naturally.�

“I-I ran up to my dormitory to get-� Lily paused, glancing again at James, silently asking his permission to share the bit about his aid to mischief. James nodded at her.

“-to get James’ Invisibility cloak.�

Professor Dumbledore’s blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles.

“It is quite all right, Miss Evans,� he said, smiling at her from across his desk. “I am well aware that Mr. Potter is in possession of an Invisibility cloak. But that is a tale best left for another time, yes?�

James grinned.

“Uh, right,� said Lily, and she proceeded to tell the Headmaster about the events that had taken place that night, James adding in his own comments here and there.

“Alice is still in the hospital wing,� Lily finished worriedly, her voice shaking a little. “I do hope she’ll be all right. Frank didn’t know what Rodolphus threw at her…�

“Madam Pomfrey is more than equipped to handle Miss Thatcher’s injuries, not to mention well-qualified,� Professor Dumbledore said comfortingly.

“Professor,� James said hesitantly. “We were in the Shrieking Shack, which is in Hogsmeade, not Hogwarts. Do you think-Maybe Lucius Malfoy Apparated away once Lily and I entered the room-?�

“That is the most likely possibility,� Dumbledore agreed, standing up from his high-backed chair. Lily and James did as well. “Thank you for telling me all of this, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans. Your information has been invaluable. But now I must assess the damage and take the correct course of action.�

“Of course, Professor.� They moved out of the Professor’s way as he exited the office, James and Lily following right behind him. Once outside, Dumbledore bid them both a hasty good night and hurried off to the Shrieking Shack.

James and Lily slowly walked hand-in-hand back to the Gryffindor common room. Lily’s mind was reeling from everything that had happened. Not with Lucius, certainly…

“We should probably go up to bed and not investigate what’s happening out there, huh?� said James ruefully.

“Sirius, Remus and Peter will tell you when they get in, won’t they?� asked Lily vaguely, still occupied by her own thoughts.

“Mm-hmm.�

Lily looked over at him. His hair was sticking on its end and all over the place; his glasses were spotted with bits of unidentifiable flecks; and his bright yellow dress robes were filthy with dirt and dust, and they were torn in a few places. Lily knew she didn’t look much better. But she just looked at James, who gazed back at her, and she felt a sudden upsurge of affection for him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her, burying her face into his chest.

“You’re very brave and rash and a bit foolish sometimes, you know that?� she asked, her voice muffled and barely distinguishable. Lily felt James laugh, his chuckles vibrating in his chest.

“But I do like you an awful lot,� she said softly, removing her head from his chest and looking up into his hazel eyes.

“I do too, Lilyflower,� James replied. He bent his head and Lily raised herself on her tiptoes to meet his lips. Hers met his, sending pleasant shivers down her spine and causing that familiar swooping sensation in her stomach.

They sauntered back to the common room, which still wasn’t yet empty, and said good night, kissing each other once more before going into their separate dormitories.

Lily changed quickly into her pyjamas, brushed aside the clothes and other random items she had throw from her trunk earlier, and collapsed gratefully into her four-poster bed. She didn’t even have time to twitch the hangings closed before she fell asleep.

A/N: * “Quietly as they could, they crept out into the shadowy hall and up the staircase.�—This was also taken from Prisoner of Azkaban, page 338, American paperback version.

** “[Sirius’] eyes widened as he fell backwards into the black veiled curtains, catching them on fire as well.� In case any of you didn’t catch this obvious allusion, I am doing a little bit of foreshadowing to Sirius Black’s unfortunate and incredibly stupid death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The next morning, as soon as she was dressed, Lily made her way to the hospital wing to visit Alice. The door was open, as well as the blinds, which were letting in the wintry sun. Alice was very pale, but she was propped up in bed, Frank sitting in a chair beside her. They were surrounded by the Slytherins who had been injured the night before. All of them glared at Lily as she walked past, but Lily was not feeling threatened, as they were in more trouble now than the four Marauders had ever been.

“How are you feeling, Alice?� Lily asked anxiously, hurrying over to her friend’s bedside.

“All right,� she announced. “Madam Pomfrey found an antidote-�

“-half way through the night!� Frank finished indignantly. Lilly glanced at him. He looked exhausted.

“Frank’s been here all night,� Alice explained, looking at him affectionately.

“So what was the curse?� asked Lily, undeterred by Frank and Alice’s tender moment.

“Madam Pomfrey isn’t sure exactly, but she thinks it was a student-made jinx, a combination of a Liquefying curse and something else that Madam Pomfrey won’t tell me,� Alice said amidst Lily’s horrified gasp. “But she knew enough about them to make an antidote. I’ll be free to go this afternoon.�

“Wonderful!� Lily exclaimed, relieved that Alice would not have any lasting effects of the curse.

“When are you leaving, Lily?� Alice asked her.

“One o’clock,� said Lily. “I’m taking the Knight Bus back to Staines.�

Ignoring the other occupants of the wing completely, Alice, Frank, and Lily talked for a while longer, and then Lily’s stomach gave a loud growl, reminding her that she had not yet eaten breakfast.

“Did you have breakfast, Lily?� asked Alice.

“No,� she admitted.

“Well, don’t let me keep you. Why don’t you go with her, Frank?� Alice suggested. “Eat and then freshen up; you’re a right mess!� She chuckled. “I’ll be fine, go on.�

Frank obliged her. He and Lily said goodbye to Alice—Lily looked away pointedly when Frank leaned in and kissed Alice—and together they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat down next to the Marauders, who were already halfway through their sausages and eggs.

“Good morning, all,� Lily said to the boys, kissing James lightly on the cheek.

“Morning,� they replied.

“How’s Alice?� asked Peter.

“Much better,� said Frank, piling sausages onto his plate. “Madam Pomfrey found an antidote, and Alice will be going home this afternoon.� That said he tucked into his breakfast.

Lily buttered some toast and asked the boys, “What happened after we left last night?�

“Well,� Remus began. “Peter, Will, John and I guarded the Slytherins, Stunning them if they started to wake, until Professor Dumbledore showed up with McGonagall and Slughorn.�

“He was really quite angry,� Peter said simply, helping himself to second helpings. “Dumbledore, I mean.�

“Yeah, he was,� chimed in Sirius. “But he just conjured up some stretchers and we levitated the Slytherins to the hospital wing. Dumbledore thanked us, gave us some House points and asked us to leave so he could speak with the Slytherins alone.�

“Of course, they weren’t all Slytherins, were they?� Lily interrupted. “I saw a few Hufflepuffs, you know, the two Smith brothers-?�

“And the Perkins bloke from Ravenclaw-� said Frank.

“Okay, so there were definitely others,� Sirius conceded, defensively. “So what?�

“So were they expelled?� Lily pressed. “What was their punishment?�

“Precisely what I would like to speak with you about, Miss Evans.� Professor Dumbledore was standing behind Lily, who had jumped with surprise when the Headmaster spoke. “May I see you and Mr. Potter in my office when you have finished your breakfasts?�

“Of course, Professor,� said James instantly. He and Lily hastily rose to their feet and followed Professor Dumbledore to his office. James held a half-finished strip of bacon in one hand. Lily raised her eyebrows at him. He just shrugged and wolfed it down.

Once they were all seated, Dumbledore began speaking.

“I thought it best to inform you of the consequences those who gathered in the Shrieking Shack last night will face. All twenty-four students are suspended for two weeks, beginning after the Christmas holidays. In addition, they will all suffer a month’s worth of detentions at the hands of Mr. Filch.�

“You’re joking!� James burst out. “They’re not being expelled?�

“No, Mr. Potter, they are not,� Dumbledore said firmly, looking sternly at James over the rims of his glasses. “I felt it best for the offending students to remain in school. I am afraid that expulsion from Hogwarts will only serve to push them into Lord Voldemort’s service that much sooner.�

“But they’ve pretty much made up their minds, Professor,� James persisted. “I don’t think even you can save them now.� Lily thought he was pushing his luck.

“There is always hope for redemption, James,� said Dumbledore softly, but with finality. "Be not so quick to write off a person for past misdeeds. Are we not all full of those little regrets we would rather forget?�

James shifted slightly, uncomfortably. He didn’t retort, but still looked mutinous.

“Now,� Dumbledore changed the subject briskly. “As the Head Boy and Girl, it is your duty to assist the Professors in trying to keep the peace among the students. I suspect that there will be an increase in tensions among the students caused by the events of last night. Be on your guard. Of course, this is likely to happen after the suspended students return, but this is just a heads up.

“I have confiscated the communication parchments from all who had them. However, more such objects may appear. Be on the lookout. Oh, yes,� Dumbledore added. “I have awarded the both of you, as well as your other classmates who aided you last night, fifty points each for your House.�

“Thank you, Professor,� Lily spoke for the first time.

“Thank you,� he replied. “Your information and assistance has proved invaluable. If you don’t mind me asking,� he added hesitantly, again changing the subject abruptly, “what are your plans for after Hogwarts, Miss Evans? Professor Slughorn seems to think that you will enable him to have a much-needed retirement in two years.�

“Erm…I had planned on attending the Heirem Venenietus Academy for Potions in London, sir,� she said, puzzled by the sudden change in the direction of the conversation. “Then I was hoping to get a job…at Hogwarts, if possible…� she added, trailing off as with some hesitancy.

“That is a good possibility,� Professor Dumbledore hinted, his eyes twinkling. “And what of your plans, Mr. Potter?�

“Sirius, Peter and I are going to train to be Aurors,� said James proudly. “We’ll be getting an apartment in London over the summer so we’ll be closer to the Ministry of Magic.�

“A dangerous, yet exciting profession,� commented Dumbledore.

“Why do you ask, sir?� inquired James.

“Just curiosity. And perhaps something more that I cannot reveal to you just yet.� He arose, the signal that the meeting was ended. “Happy Holidays to the both of you.�

James and Lily returned his wishes and left, heading back to the common room. James was still seething about the punishment Dumbledore had decided upon.

“Keeping them in school is not going to prevent most of them from becoming fully-fledged Death Eaters later on,� he said fiercely before going quiet, caught up in his stewing thoughts. “That was our idea, you know,� he said quietly. When Lily looked at him questioningly, he elaborated, “The communication parchment. Sirius, Remus, Peter and I invented it.�

“Oh,� said Lily. She was pondering other thoughts. “James?� She hesitated. His eyes found hers, waiting for her to continue. “This may be a bit premature, but I thought I’d ask anyway. You don’t have to say yes if you don’t really want to,� she added hastily, blushing slightly.

“What is it, Lily?�

“D’you—I mean, would you like to—to come home with me over Christmas break? You don’t have to come immediately; you can wait until after Christmas, you don’t even have to come at all-�

A wide grin was spreading across his face.

“I’d love to,� he said elatedly. “I’ve told my parents that I’d be home on Christmas day, though. Would it be all right if I come the day after Christmas?�

“That’d be wonderful,� she said happily, kissing him.

***

“May I have the peas, please, Vernon?� Lily asked politely. The portly man handed over the steaming dish of vegetables.

It was Christmas Day and the Evans family, plus Petunia’s newly-acquired fiancé, was sitting down to a massive feast. Though rather grand, it had nothing on Hogwarts’ feasts, Lily reflected offhandedly.

When she had gotten home a few days before, Lily learned that her sister was to marry Vernon Dursley next February. Throughout the meal, Lily had been observing Vernon carefully and objectively, trying to glean information about his personality through his body language and comments. He seemed to be a respectable man: quite polite, mildly funny, and according to him, awaiting a promotion at his uncle’s drill company. Overall, he appeared to be all right, though Lily rather thought she might have seen hints of a nasty temper at points during the meal.

“Dad, Vernon works at Grunnings for his father,� Petunia said smugly. “He’s awaiting a promotion, actually.�

“Grunnings, you say?� asked Lily’s father interestedly. “The drill factory?�

“Yes, sir,� Vernon replied, even more pleased than Petunia. “Father would like me to take over the business for him someday.�

“Really?� Lily’s father sounded intrigued, but Lily stifled a yawn.

Vernon then went into a very long-winded description of his typical day at work, Petunia interjecting her praise proudly. He really is quite dull, though, thought Lily sleepily over pie. Her father seemed interested in Vernon’s job, however. They were chatting about the particulars of drill making now. As Lily and her mother began clearing the table, Vernon and Mr. Evans took their discussion into the sitting room.

“He’s a nice young man,� murmured Lily’s mother over the clattering of the dishes.

“Yeah,� said Lily fairly. If her mother liked Vernon Dursley, Lily couldn’t wait to see what she would think of James.

***

The doorbell rang. Lily jumped to her feet and hurried to the front door, eager to end the argument she and Petunia had been having. She swung open the door, letting in a gust of snow-filled air.

“Hi, James! Happy Christmas!�

“Happy Christmas,� he smiled at her. He kissed her and pulled her into a rib-crushing hug.

“Oof,� she said and stepped back, letting him inside. “Thank you for the bracelet, it’s-� She stopped when she caught sight of his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes. “You look…tired,� she commented simply. “Did you have a nice Christmas?�

“Yes, thank you,� he said quickly. He paused while Lily called to her parents. “My uncle came over for Christmas dinner. He’s my only living relative, other than my parents, of course. It wasn’t a quiet dinner. My uncle’s a riot.�

“I didn’t know that,� Lily stated, steering James into the sitting room. “My parents are both only children, so I don’t have any other relatives.�

“Grandparents?�

“My mother’s parents passed away when I was five, and Dad’s disowned him. They didn’t approve of his marriage to my mother. We don’t talk about them.�

They entered the sitting room. Petunia was sitting on the loveseat with her arms folded huffily, still cross about their earlier argument. She was staring at James.

“Petunia, this is James Potter,� Lily told her sister with false cheer in her voice, wanting to forget the cruel words Petunia had hurled at her moments before. “James, this is my sister, Petunia.�

Petunia stood stiffly and shook James’ outstretched hand, letting go as quickly as possible.

“Hi, Petunia,� smiled James. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.�

“Yes, Lily has spoken most highly of you,� said Petunia sweetly. “It’s a bit of a surprise to learn that your name is actually James and not ‘Great Arrogant Tosser’.� Petunia sat back down, apparently satisfied with herself.

Lily flushed and glared hotly at her sister. She was about to retort when her parents entered the sitting room.

“James, dear!� her mother said, embracing James like one of her own. “It’s wonderful to meet you at last! I’m Helen. You know,� whispered Lily’s mother conspiratorially, “Lily’s never brought a boy home from school. She must quite fancy you, James!�

“Mum!� exclaimed Lily, scandalized.

“Well, it’s true, dear.� She winked at James.
“Nice to meet you,� James said, amused and a little pink-faced.

“And I’m Michael,� Lily’s father introduced himself. He and James shook hands solemnly.

The rest of the afternoon passed splendidly. James and Lily chatted with her family, telling them of their Hogwarts adventures. At one point, James had them all laughing uproariously at a joke. Except Petunia, of course, but even she could not keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards. Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Evans excused themselves, Petunia immediately following them, leaving Lily and James alone on the sofa.

“I like your parents,� said James sleepily, leaning his head on Lily’s shoulder. The reflection from the crackling fire danced on his face.

“I think the feeling is mutual,� Lily replied warmly.

“You think so?� asked James, his tone casual; but Lily could hear the slight underlying concern.

“I know so,� she reassured him firmly, kissing the top of his head.

“Lily,� James sat up suddenly. “I’m going to ask your parents’ permission to date you.�

“But we’re already dating,� she laughed.

“I know, but…it would seem appropriate. I mean, I’d like it if we had your parents’ blessing.�

“Alright,� Lily beamed at him.

When they were comfortably nestled together again, Lily asked James, “What about your parents? Should I speak with them? Ask for your hand?�

“Oh, I’ve already told them,� he said brightly, ignoring the teasing lilt in her voice.

“They’ve approved of you since third year.�

“Third year?� she spluttered. “But-we weren’t-�

“You forget that I’ve fancied you for years,� James said quietly, tilting his face upwards to look at her. Lily’s heart swelled and she kissed him soundly.

And thus that evening passed in a peaceful manner that would be difficult to find in the months to come.

Lily was stressed. However, it was not just the Head Girl, many fifth and seventh years were becoming more and more irritable as OWLs and NEWTs loomed nearer. Lily was finding it difficult to juggle Head duties, Charms and Potions Clubs, massive amounts of homework, and the antics of the Marauders.

Lily hadn’t known that when she began seeing James, she would apparently be getting the entire collection of maniacs. They were insane, the four of them; their energy was limitless. All four loved Quidditch—rain or shine—though James was the sole House player of the group. Remus, James, Peter and Sirius had even tried to convince Lily to go for a fly, but after a disastrous first year flying lesson, Lily had been cured of all her desire to swing a leg over an unsafe piece of wood again.

Overall, the third years and above eagerly and gratefully welcomed a getaway trip to Hogsmeade village in the middle of February. Lily and Alice had made plans to go shopping together then meet up with Frank, James, and the others for lunch in the Three Broomsticks.

Lily and Alice, their purses tinkling with coins, strolled leisurely along the streets of Hogsmeade, stopping to browse through the more interesting stores. The girls chatted and giggled non-stop, reverting back to their former best friend-ship as easily and comfortably as slipping on a favourite pair of shoes.

“You know,� Alice remarked as they emerged from Scrivenshaft’s, “Hogsmeade wouldn’t be a bad place to live at all.�

“Mmm…It wouldn’t,� Lily agreed. Her stomach rumbled. “How’s about meeting the others for lunch, eh?�

“Good idea.�

A sudden shriek pierced their ears.

“What was that?� Lily asked.

Alice just looked bewildered as they took off running. They turned onto Main Street and were greeted with a terrible sight. Villagers and students were running away from Lily and Alice, towards Hogwarts. Lily and Alice both gasped as they saw what was causing so much terror.

Graphorns*.

Death Eaters.

Lord Voldemort himself!

Lily was almost paralyzed with fear. Lord Voldemort, here? Why here?

“Oh, my God,� Alice whispered, her voice trembling with the same, familiar fear.

“We’ve got to do something.� Lily found her voice at last.

“Yes.� Alice rushed forward, Lily hot on her heels.

“I’ve got to get the younger students back to Hogwarts!� Lily shouted to make herself heard over the screams as they ran towards the fray. “Gather up some of the older students and try to hold off the Death Eaters. Try not to get yourselves killed, and avoid the graphorns!�

They split up. Lily ran to a group of panicking third years closely pursued by a black-robed Death Eater.

“Petrificus totalus! � Lily got him from behind. “Come on, guys, follow me!� She swept them in front of her and they took off running up the road to Hogwarts. She met Remus, Peter, and two other prefects herding other students the same way.

“Remus, Peter!� Lily gasped, relief seeping through her. “Where are James, Frank and Sirius?�

“I dunno,� Remus replied, looking sweaty and dirt-stained. “We lost them a few minutes ago.�

“Ok, then,� said Lily worriedly. “Will you take the kids back to the school? Alert the Professors. I’ll-�

Lily never finished her sentence. A tiny girl in Hufflepuff robes screamed and pointed past Lily. Lily whipped around. The graphorn, an enormous, ugly grey-purple creature, was charging toward the group of students. Lily, Peter and the prefects quickly pushed the students together and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of them, blocking them all from the graphorn’s view.

As the graphorn closed the distance between them—unaffected by the spells thrown at it—a huge black dog came out of nowhere and launched itself at the graphorn’s hunched back. The two creatures went rolling, snarling and sending up bits of mud and slushy snow. Some spattered the pale, watching faces of the students transfixed in horror. Then, Peter tore his eyes away from the scene and said urgently, “Quickly, while it’s distracted! Let’s go now!� The group sprang into action. The prefects and Peter charged the students in the direction of the school while Lily and Remus sprinted in the other direction. Remus glanced over his shoulder at the fighting animals.

“Lucky, that,� said Lily breathlessly as they ran. The spitting from behind ceased and Remus was suddenly knocked off his feet as the graphorn bowled him over.

“Remus!�

“I’m alright,� he gasped, pushing himself up as Lily tried to lift him. His trousers were torn and bloodied where he had been grazed.

“Are you-�

“Avada Kedavra! �

Remus dove to the ground, bringing Lily roughly down with him as a jet of green light missed them by inches.

Lily caught sight of long, dark robes billowing ominously in front of her in the chilly breeze. She had a bad, foreboding feeling about the person who would accompany such robes, robes as magnificent as if Satan himself had placed them on the body of the creature in front of her. She and Remus scrambled to their feet, wands held at the ready.

“Ah, students out to play?� asked a cold voice in a low hiss.

Lily’s heart nearly stopped as cruel red eyes roamed over her and Remus. He twitched his wand and Remus went sailing through the air, the siding of the Three Broomsticks violently halting his flight. He was knocked unconscious immediately, sliding to the ground. Lily was rooted to the spot, shaking madly with fear.

“So, my pet,� drawled Lord Voldemort, “have you come to play with Lord Voldemort?�

He was playing her. Lily felt sickened. He was going to toy with her before he killed her. Well, she was not going to let him. She squared her shoulders.
“Stobensie! **� she cried, sending the orange light straight at Voldemort. He blocked her spell easily.

“Not going to play nicely, are we, Miss Evans?� he said menacingly. “Very well.�

He threw something powerful at her, and Lily barely dodged it. She smelled burning hair. Things continued in this manner: Voldemort would throw a curse at her, each more deadly than the last. After her first dodge, Lily wasn’t so lucky. Her eye felt as if it had been gouged out, and her left arm was on fire. She was panting, completely winded, while Voldemort stood watching her lazily, unscathed.

“As much as I have enjoyed this time together, I’m afraid that our playtime must end now.� Voldemort’s eyes glowed with anticipation as he raised his wand again.

“Farewell, Miss Evans.�

Lily threw one last weak curse at him. This is it, she thought. Prophecy or no, I am going to die right here.

“NOOO!�

Voldemort’s jet of green light was never fired. He turned quickly to block the unexpected attack, and his scarlet eyes narrowed with malice as they spotted his new prey.

“Mr. Potter,� he breathed through his snake-like nose; a thin, mocking smile appeared after the initial frown of displeasure.

“Get away from her!� James snarled. He was in front of her, blocking her view of Voldemort, his wand held pointed at Voldemort’s chest. He looked battered; his robes were in tatters, hair unruly and sticking to a bloody gash on the back of his neck.

“James, no,� Lily hissed from behind him, clutching a fistful of his robes. James wasn’t listening. His eyes were locked on Voldemort.

“Decided to join me yet, boy?� Voldemort’s cruel, taunting voice asked James.

“Never!� spat James, his wand never wavering.

“Pity. Your temper would make you a magnificent killer.�

“I am not a killer!� yelled James furiously, growing red with rage.

“No, that’s a job best left to your father, isn’t it?� Voldemort’s low voice mocked James. James fiercely shot a spell at Voldemort, who blocked the advanced magic as easily as though he was swatting a fly.

“Temper, temper. You could live a wonderful life you know. Just give in to your dark nature; it is calling to you, James. Join me now and avoid the fate of all who defy me***.�

James fired another jet of white light at Voldemort.

“You have chosen the loosing side, James. You are all foolish to believe that you could ever defeat me-�

“Dumbledore! �

The cry rang amongst those still duelling in the streets of Hogsmeade.

“My Lord!� A masked Death Eater approached Voldemort quickly. “My Lord, he’s here!�

“Dumbledore,� Voldemort breathed. “A foe beyond any of you. Fly, you fools! ****� He commanded his followers, and they instantly Disapparated. “We will not meet again,� he said to Lily and James, and he swished his wand toward the two. He Disapparated, as well. The building behind them crumbled.

“Are you alright, Lily?� came James’ muffled voice from the rubble beside Lily.

“Yes,� she said, rising unsteadily to her feet.

An ear-splitting screech reached Lily and James.

“I’ve got to go,� said James urgently. “Get up to the castle, Lily.� He raced off in the direction that the sound of pain had come from. Lily waited until he was out of sight, and then followed him as fast as her tired legs would take her. The cry had sounded like that of an animal. The only animals Lily had seen that day were the graphorns and that black dog. By the sounds coming from the alleyway down which Lily was now travelling—the one leading to the Hog’s Head—the dog and graphorn were still at it.

She sped up, realizing that James was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone? Lily turned a dark corner and stopped dead in her tracks, staring, mesmerized by the sight before her.

The graphorn was backed into the dead end, wounded fatally. The black dog was poised a short distance away, crouched low to the ground, its hackles raised. Beside it was a gorgeous chestnut stag with its golden-antlered head lowered toward the dying graphorn. There were dark earthen stains all over its lustrous body, as well as splotches of blood. It had its fierce brown eyes trained on the graphorn, awaiting the creature’s next move. Its eyes were beautiful, thought Lily through her anxiety for the two creatures, almost familiar, like a friend’s…

Before Lily could even complete her thought, the fatally wounded graphorn made one last leap at the two creatures in front of it. In the blink of an eye, the trapped creature was lying in a bloody heap beneath the stag. As the black dog slithered out from underneath the stinking graphorn, Lily gasped a little. The two animals turned sharply toward her, startled by the unexpected sound. Lily took a few steps back as the animals walked tentatively forward; then she backed into a wall to let them pass, her wand held uselessly at her side.

Though they appeared dangerous beasts, they had probably just saved a few lives and deserved to walk away. As they passed her, the animals’ eyes, locked onto hers, glittered in the light of her wand. Up close, Lily could see that both dog and stag were decorated with flowing battle wounds. The dog stopped in front of her and wagged its tail at her. Lily tentatively held out her hand and the dog rubbed its head against it. Its blood-matted shag was still soft and the muscles almost gentle beneath her touch. The stag bent its head and gave the dog a prod with its antlers. The dog bounded off down the alleyway.

The stag stopped in front of her also. Beneath a gaping slash on its forehead, its eyes startled her. Their expression was mournful, yet loving, as if saying, “I’m so sorry you had to witness that, but it had to be done.� Then it was gone.

Lily tried to follow the two saviours back through the alleyway but the hoof beats were soon out of hearing range. Once back to where the battle had taken place, Lily looked all around, but both animals had disappeared. Lily gave up the thought of searching for them and made her way over to where Professor Dumbledore was examining an injured student. She picked her way over debris and the other graphorn, dead on its side.

“Miss Evans,� Dumbledore said as she approached. “Once again, I am indebted to you for your assistance in a disastrous situation. This wasn’t exactly in your job description as Head Girl, eh?�

“No, Professor,� she said, smiling faintly.

“I suggest you go up to the Hospital Wing to have Madam Pomfrey take care of your injuries,� he said, turning back to the student sprawled on the ground. “Please then offer your services where they are needed. I imagine that Madam Pomfrey will be in need of some help.�

“Yes, sir,� she said. Before she did as Dumbledore asked, she wanted to find Remus.

“Mr. Lupin has already been transported to the Hospital Wing.� Professor Dumbledore was helping the student to her feet as he stood up also. “Miss Evans, are you hurt badly? No? Then could you please assist Miss Lund to the hospital wing as well?�

“Of course, Professor.�

“There, good as new,� Madam Pomfrey declared as she put the finishing touches on Lily’s arm. “You may go, Miss Evans. But,� she said, looking at Lily sternly as Lily flexed her arm, “I don’t want to see you in here again this year.�

“Yes, ma’am,� Lily laughed, pulling her robes on straight. Madam Pomfrey hurried off with the screen. Lily arose from the cot and spotted Peter, Sirius and James all gathered around a bed that she assumed belonged to Remus. Lily hastened over to them. As she joined them, she was appalled to see nicks, bruises, dirt, and gashes all over the three boys, Sirius and James worst of all. They had definitely been in the thick of it.

“Guys, what-� Her eyes widened as she peered down at the limp figure on the cot. Lily slipped her hand into James’. “How is he?� she murmured, concerned.

“His skull was fractured, and every bone in his back was shattered,� James muttered, turning his face toward hers. Remus was paralyzed. Lily took in the flowing slice on his forehead and the blood dripping down his neck. “Graphorn poison was spreading up his leg, but Madam Pomfrey got him the antidote to that at once.�

Lily tore her eyes away from James to glance down at Remus again. She looked at Sirius, sprinkled with the same purplish blood as James. Only one creature known to Lily has purplish blood, and two of those had just terrorized Hogsmeade village. Did they have something to do with the one Lily had passed, lying dead on the ground, or the one that had been killed by the stag and the dog?

“Miss Evans,� Madam Pomfrey interrupted Lily’s thoughts, “you’re free to go! Back to your dormitory with you!�

“Madam Pomfrey,� Lily said quickly, coming out of her reverie, “Professor Dumbledore has instructed me to offer my assistance where you are in need of it.�

“Oh.� She paused in her rapid inspection of Remus’ injuries. “I have my two Healers-in-training,� she said, pointing at the other end of the ward where Dorcas Meadowes and Melissa Greenleaf were bustling about. “We may not-

Just then, the door to the wing burst open and three cots of moaning students came floating through the door, followed by Professor McGonagall.

“These students are in need of care, Madam Pomfrey,� she said, “though not immediately. Minor injuries.� She set the cots down gently and exited quickly.

“Madam Pomfrey should I-?� asked Lily questioningly.

“Yes, yes, see what you can do for them, Miss Evans. I need to make a call to St. Mungo’s.� With that said, she rushed into her office to use the Floo.

Lily did her best to make the three students comfortable until Dorcas took over, flashing her a brief smile of thanks. Melissa mended the Marauders quickly. Remus and another badly mangled student were whisked away to St. Mungo’s shortly after.

The following morning over breakfast, Lily shared the more interesting bits of her Daily Prophet with Alice, Frank, and the Marauders.

“‘After the attack on the village of Hogsmeade,’� she read aloud, “‘He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters devastated the Muggle town of Dundee, leaving nearly one hundred and fifty dead. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a squadron of Aurors were dispatched to the scene within minutes of the attack. Unfortunately, they were too late to save most, as the Dark Lord and his followers Disapparated the moment the DMLE appeared. Obliviators were forced to wipe hundreds of memories.

“‘This attack was unexpected and unprovoked,’ said an exhausted-looking Enforcement agent. ‘We don’t have any clue about where You-Know-Who will strike next.’� Lily finished.

“Bastard!� growled Sirius. “All those-� He cut himself off as the great hall grew quiet suddenly. Professor Dumbledore was standing at the staff table.

“Students of Hogwarts,� he said gravely. “A most terrible tragedy occurred yesterday. It was unanticipated and unjustified. Nonetheless, it has struck us. Two of our number were taken from us by Lord Voldemort.�

Lily heard sobs from the Ravenclaw table and the third year Gryffindors.

“Let us honour them now.� Dumbledore raised his goblet and the school followed.

“To Sahara Arahm and Basil Watton.�

Breakfast afterwards was a quiet affair, but Lily had to ask James about something that had been bothering her since the attack yesterday.

“James,� she said, lowering her voice. “How were you and Sirius injured yesterday?�

James and Sirius met each other’s gaze for a fraction of a second. Lily noticed.

“A graphorn,� said James briefly.

“Did you kill it? Did it hurt you badly?� Lily asked, the sight of the beast on its side floating through her mind.

“Yeah, we killed it, but it didn’t hurt us badly.� There was a pause.

“James,� she said tentatively. “After V-Voldemort Disapparated, I tried to follow you, but you had disappeared.�

“Yeah..?�

“I went down the alleyway leading to the Hog’s Head, and I saw—I saw the other graphorn.� Peter, Sirius and James were all leaning in close to hear her better. “It was cornered by a huge dog and a—a deer. They…killed it,� she choked out. “They probably saved a few students by doing that, but…it was so strange.�

“Yeah, strange,� repeated Sirius, shooting a furtive look at James, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Undeterred by their lack of response, Lily continued.

“They were injured: the dog had a massive gash on its side and the stag—it was beautiful—the stag had a cut on its…forehead…� Something clicked in Lily’s brain. She twisted around in her seat to look straight into James’ face, which in turn looked a bit like a deer caught in some headlights. “James, that cut on your forehead…How did you get it?�

“I just remembered that I haven’t finished my potions homework!� Sirius exclaimed, jumping up from the table.

“Me, too.� James and Peter made to follow him, but Lily grabbed James’ arm. “Were you that stag, James?� she whispered feverishly, and then shook her head as if bringing herself back to her senses. “No, you can’t have—How could that have been you? Unless-� Her eyes gleamed as she rose from the table. “You know, I have to finish something as well. Research. I’ll be in the library if you need me. See you guys later!� She hurried out of the Great Hall and wasn’t surprised when she heard quick footsteps behind her a moment later.

“Lily,� James called. “Lily, wait! D’you, uh, need some help with that research?�

“No,� she replied cheerfully. “This is some research that I’d rather do on my own, thanks.� She sped off, leaving him behind. James just stared after her, at a loss for a course of action. She was bound to find out sooner or later, though I had hoped it would be later, thought James. Well, I’d better tell her myself, and soon.

A/N: * Graphorns—I did not make this creature up; J.K. Rowling did, however. For more information on this creature, check out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, pages 19-20.
** “Stobensie! �—This is a made up spell of mine, which is garbled German for ‘repel’.
*** “Avoid the fate of all who defy me�—A helpful suggestion by my Beta, lumos_aeternum
*** “Fly, you fools!�—Here, Voldemort shouted this to his Death Eaters. In “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring� the film, Gandalf the Grey whispers this to the Fellowship before falling into the pits of Moria.

James and Sirius were laughing at her. She didn’t know why. She was just standing there watching them play quidditch. They would not stop the obnoxious sounds.

“Stop it,� Lily whispered. She couldn’t seem to raise her voice above a whisper to shout at them. They landed, continuing their laughter. James poked her in the forehead with his broomstick. Sirius’ laugh turned maniacal, cold and high as his body twisted and morphed in front of her. Lily’s feet were moulded into the floor; she couldn’t run as Lord Voldemort turned his wand on her.

“Time to play, Lily,� he said. James was still cackling and poking his broom at her.

“Stop it,� she tried to yell.

“Lily, join him,� James urged her, still poking. “C’mon, Lily, join him. Lily! Lily, Lily…�

“No!� she shouted in her eerily toned down voice.

“Lily! Lily!�

Lily’s head tossed side to side as she fought to regain consciousness.

“Lily, wake up!� a faint voice called.

Her eyes opened. She raised herself on one elbow and rubbed her eyes, blearily looking around the room for the source of the voice. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the dormitory, she saw her dorm mates sleeping soundly. Alice was snoring. Who-

“Lily, over here!� Lily looked over at the window she had gazing out of before she went to bed. Her mouth opened a little in her surprise. She pushed away her covers and stood up to get a better view. James was hovering outside the window on his broomstick, his winter cloak fluttering in the slight breeze.

Lily padded over to the window and opened it.

“What are you doing, James?� she hissed.

“Good night, my lady,� he said quietly in a jovial voice, grinning at her. “Care to take an unbelievably romantic and thrilling late night fly?�

“No! Are you mad? We could get caught!� He pulled out a silvery material from his pocket and dangled it in front of her face. “Not with this we won’t.�

“I am not getting on that broomstick!� she whispered emphatically, pointing a wavering finger at it.

James pulled his broom closer to the open window. “Please, Lily? I want to talk with you.� He had rearranged his features into that face again, the one he knew Lily found irresistible.

“No. Won’t work this time, James,� she said, crossing her arms defiantly. His eyes were pleading.

“Err!� she let out an exasperated noise and twitched the curtains around the window shut. She rummaged around in her trunk, using her wand as a dull light. She pulled on a pair of Muggle jeans and a warm jumper, her stockings, and trainers. She grabbed a scarf, mittens, school robes and thick travelling cloak. Who knew where James planned to go? Lily put her wand in her pocket, and then pulled back the hangings around the window. James was still hovering in mid-air where she knew he would be, his back to Lily, but he quickly turned when she opened the curtains.

“You’re coming, then?� he said delightedly, smiling at her.

“You knew I would. You always buy me with those eyes,� said she as she climbed onto the window ledge. She gripped the castle wall tightly as James rose to her height.

“Have you ever done this before? Two people riding on an already dangerous length of wood does not strike me as safe.�

“Relax, Lily,� James said unconcernedly. He offered his hand to her and she took it, but didn’t release the stone wall.

“You might need to let go, Lily,� James laughed quietly.

“You know, I’m kind of tired, I think I’ll go back inside.�

“No you don’t. C’mon,� James held both his arms out as if he was going to pick up a child. His broom was inches away and they were very close together, leaving no room for Lily to fall between the ledge and the broom.

“You won’t fall, I promise,� he said soothingly. “Just swing your right leg over-that’s it-� She was on. Lily had James’ back in a death grip.

“Here, take this.� Lily could hear the laughter in his voice. She took the Invisibility cloak from him as quickly as she could and wrapped it around them, moving as little as possible. “Hang on,� he said, and took off. Lily held in a shriek as James pointed his broom handle at the Forbidden Forest below them. James laughed outright and Lily relaxed ever so little. His enthusiasm was infectious. She began to actually enjoy the flight underneath the light of the moon. Everything looked snowy, white, and gleaming in the pale moonlight. Their toes were skimming the highest tops of the trees in the forest. Once Hogwarts castle, toy-like in the distance, was out of sight, Lily pulled the cloak off them. The breeze rushed through Lily’s hair, making it wilder than it had been before. James began thrilling her with his dives and loops. Lily just gasped and held on for dear life. She had forgotten just how good of a flyer he was, however. While his manoeuvres were perilous, he was skilled; Lily trusted him.

James began descending, and soon they landed softly and smoothly on a snow-topped hill.

“Wow,� said Lily as she and James got off his broomstick. “Everything’s so beautiful right now, isn’t it?�

“Mmm,� mumbled James from behind her, wrapping his arms round her waist. They remained in that position contentedly for a few moments, taking in the breathtaking mountains and sharing each other’s warmth.

“What do you see for yourself when you look ahead to the future?� Lily asked him softly.

“Truthfully?�

“Yes.�

“I see hope. I see myself battling alongside friends, allies, schoolmates to stop Voldemort. This war will end. I see you,� he said, and Lily craned her neck to look up at him, “and me, getting married and living happily ever after with our millions of children�-Lily laughed-“in a world with no war, no killing, no picking which side to pledge your life to. And someday we’ll grow old together-�

“But you forget,� Lily interrupted gently, turning her head back to look ahead. “My-�

“-prophecy, I know. But that is what I see,� James finished, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“If only things didn’t have to be this way,� she said a little wistfully.

“What way? Living on limited time so we appreciate life that much more?�

“Well…�

“You need to get past your prophecy, Lily!� They were facing each other now. “Don’t let it dictate your life. Live a little! Make the most of the time you have! Can’t you understand? Maybe the prophecy was meant to be a blessing rather than a curse.�

“Somehow, I doubt it,� she said, bitterness welling in her voice.

“And maybe,� James continued. He was just getting warmed up. “Maybe we were meant to be together. I needed someone to ground me, and you’ve done that, Lily! You guide me like a ship to a lighthouse. And maybe I’m meant to help you learn to live. I can do that, Lily, I can!�

Pieces of a puzzle were beginning to slide into place. Light…James had said she was his light, and he could be hers. The light… “But her light will be lost with her forever…� Lily took a step backwards, horrified.

“No, James, the prophecy! I can’t let you-�

“Let me what?�

“The prophecy, James,� she said miserably. “You would die with me, according to it!�

“So what?�

“Does death mean nothing to you?� she cried. “Don’t you value your own life?�

“Of course I do, but not to the extent that I would cut myself off from friends and family and life just so I’d live!� he shot back at her.

“But-�

“Luv.� He took up her hands. “Everyone must pass on at some point. So what if ours is a little earlier than most. As long as we live every day to the fullest, we have nothing to fear. What’s coming will come, and we’ll meet it when it does.*�

Lily soaked up his words like a sponge. He was right. James was always right. He rested his forehead against hers.

“I’ll always be here for you, Lilyflower,� he said affectionately. His warm breath tickled her cold nose. “No matter what.�

Lily let out a breath. He was so sweet. Perfect. Right. “I’m sorry,� she said weakly, but James stopped her. She sighed faintly against his mouth. She loved it when he kissed her.

Lily pulled away finally, remembering suddenly why they were here.

“James, what was it that you wanted to talk about?�

“Nothing, really,� he replied nonchalantly. He grew tired of standing and sat on his broomstick like a chair. Lily joined him. “Well, actually…How’s your ‘research project’ coming along?�

“Wonderfully,� she said, playing along. “I’ve finished.�

“Really?� James said nervously.

“Yes,� she said simply, leaving it at that. She became very interested in a star twinkling overhead.

“Well?� James burst out. He couldn’t take the suspense. “What did you come up with?�

“Oh, you’re interested?� said Lily with mock surprise. “You aren’t usually too concerned with anything involving the library.�

James gave her an exasperated look.

“Alright, then. I’ve decided that you are an Animagus and your animal form is really quite a beautiful stag. Because the three of you are extremely close friends, I have come to the conclusion that Sirius and Peter are also Animagi. Sirius is the big black dog who was with you when Hogsmeade was attacked, and I have no idea what Peter transforms into. Remus, of course, is a werewolf.�

“A rat,� James supplied, a bit taken aback.

“What?�

“Peter is a rat.�

Lily burst out laughing. “A rat! So I was right, then?�

“Of course.�

“Do you know how advanced that type of magic is?� Lily asked him, amazed.

“Yes,� James admitted.

“When did you become Animagi?�

“In fifth year.� “You were only in fifth year?! I’m very impressed.�

“We did it to help Remus with his ‘furry little problem.’ He can’t really hurt us as animals, and the transformations are easier for him when he has us with him.�

“James, that has got to be one of the noblest things I’ve ever heard,� Lily told him proudly.

“Yeah, well,� James reddened.

“But you are also illegal, unregistered Animagi,� she said somewhat sternly, sounding almost like Professor McGonagall reprimanding a naughty student. “So that kind of cancels out the nobility part.�

“Ha ha,� he laughed wryly, unabashed.

“Wait a second,� Lily said abruptly. “Remus is in St. Mungo’s. The full moon is-�

“In two days,� James finished.

“He won’t be out before then, will he? And wouldn’t his Healers know about his condition?� she said hopelessly.

“I doubt it. So Peter, Sirius and I are going to sneak in to St. Mungo’s-�

“Sneak in to St. Mungo’s?!� Lily yelped into the stillness. “That’s crazy, James!�

“Remus hasn’t transformed without us for over two years, Lily! Think of him! He’s worse off than we would ever be if we got caught.�

“You could get expelled, James!�

“Remus needs us,� he argued with her.

“I thought I was the anchor, the lighthouse, the voice of reason! Aren’t you supposed to listen to that voice?�

“I’m going to St. Mungo’s, Lily,� he said in a perfectly calm and inflexible voice.

“Isn’t there anything I can say to prevent you from going?�

“Nope.�

They were silent for a few minutes, each a little huffy and put out.

“James?� asked Lily carefully.

“Yes, luv?�

“D’you-Could you…I mean…Do you think you could maybe—transform—right here—so I could see...?�

James absolutely beamed at her. “Yeah!� he exclaimed. He hopped off his broomstick, turned to face Lily, and then he was gone. In his place stood the towering auburn stag Lily had seen in Hogsmeade. He stood perfectly still and upright, his magnificent golden antlers gleaming in the nearly full moon. James pranced around, showing off his beautiful Animagus form, causing Lily to giggle at his flouncing.

“Yes, James, I see you. You’re quite pretty, you know.�

His large amber eyes gave her such a reproachful look that Lily let out a laugh. The stag took a few steps closer to her and nuzzled his head against Lily’s arm. She couldn’t help herself; she reached up to scratch him behind the ears.

“You’d make a wonderful pet,� she murmured teasingly. James snorted, and then lowered himself on all fours.

“What are you doing?�

He gave her a look, and then jerked his antlered head backward.

“No, I’m not going to get on!� she exclaimed, amused. “A broomstick was bad enough.�

The stag stretched out his neck and pulled on Lily’s sleeve with his teeth. Lily laughed again and feebly protested even as she swung a leg over his back.

“I won’t be too heavy?� she questioned.

James snorted again, as if to say, “Oh, please.� He waited until she was comfortably positioned, then stood up and took off quickly, causing Lily to clutch his neck. If James had been in his human form, he would have been laughing with mirth at the sight of her. He galloped around the field, and only stopped when Lily, on the verge of retching, asked him to go back.. He turned around and slowly made his way back to the spot where his broomstick was hovering in mid-air. The moon had travelled across the sky, which was lighter now. Lily slid off the stag and walked beside him, one hand resting on his back.

“The country is so lovely.� She breathed in the winter-scented air. “Thank you for this night, James.� They had reached his broomstick. James gave Lily one last nuzzle, then changed back quickly. She smiled at him.

“I think I prefer this form.�

They flew over the lake again. Lily was silent most of the way, trying to fight off sleep.

“You could have died, you know,� she said finally.

“What?� he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

“In Hogsmeade. When Voldemort…� she trailed off.

“He was about to kill you,� James said bluntly. “No one in their right mind would have stood aside to watch the one they love die, Lily.�

Lily just buried her face in his robed back, the Invisibility cloak flying about them.

“Thank you,� she whispered, her voice lost in the wind.

“You’re welcome,� she thought she heard him whisper back.

Lily stiffly climbed off the broomstick and said a lazy, “Alohamora,� opening the window.

“Goodnight, Lily,� James said, flying in closer to kiss her delicately on the mouth.

“Goodnight,� she murmured. He flew off into the night, Lily watching him sleepily. Then she fumbled with her cloak, letting it fall to the floor. She sank onto her bed, completely dressed, and drifted off to sleep, feeling contented and very loved.

A/N: * “What’s coming will come, and we’ll meet it when it does.�—Hagrid said the same quote to Harry in The Goblet of Fire, page 719, American paperback edition.

Patrol duty was not going well this night. As of late, James and Lily thought it best to split up, taking different floors and then check in with each other after an hour or so. Lily had taken the seventh and eighth floors, and James had taken the fourth and fifth. Lily already had a massive headache from her massive workload, and rounds were not helping. She had had to dock Frank and Alice for being out after hours, had nearly toppled over a suit of armour, and gotten her leg stuck in that trick step she always seemed to forget. By the time she met up with James, Lily was not in a pleasant mood. James thought he could dissipate her tension with a few well-placed kisses, which worked wonders on her mood. Just as Lily was beginning to relax…

“Miss Evans! Mr. Potter!� a voice screeched.

James and Lily broke apart noisily, both equally red-faced. Professor McGonagall had just come around the corner. She was standing perfectly still, a shocked and scandalized look upon her face as she began to shout at the Head Boy and Girl.

“Show some control and dignity! Rounds are not to be used for your own enjoyment! Twenty points from Gryffindor for your inappropriate conduct. Miss Evans, I caught you once before, and I had hoped most fervently that I would not do it again. I will not repeat this warning in the future, and next time, harsh consequences shall be paid! The same goes for you, Mr. Potter!� With that, she briskly turned and walked away from them.

James turned to Lily, a hard look upon his still-flushed face.

“What did McGonagall mean when she said she caught you once before, Lily?�

“Nothing, it was nothing,� she said breathlessly, thoroughly embarrassed that she and James had been discovered in such a compromising position by McGonagall of all people.

“We’ve never been caught before this, have we?� asked James curiously. “Who were you with?�

“That’s none of your business, James,� Lily said roughly, more out of fear than anger.

“It is my business! If my—I thought you said that you’ve never dated anyone else, Lily?�

“I never said that!�

“You implied! Who was it?�

“You don’t know when to give up, do you? You do not have the right to know everything! I don’t know everything about you! And this particular part of my history doesn’t concern you!�

“Were you…cheating on me, Lily?� James asked, looking disgusted, horrified, and extremely angry all at the same time. “Is that it? You don’t want me to find out whom it was that you were seeing behind my back? Was it Sirius? Because I told him hands off-�

“James, I wasn’t cheating on you! This was years ago! And if I was going to go sneaking behind your back, it sure as hell wouldn’t be with Sirius!�

“Then who was it?!�

Lily snapped.

“I can’t tell you, James!� she shouted hotly, miserably. “This isn’t only my secret! He never wanted anyone to know about our relationship at all, and I will not break my promise to him just to satisfy your curiosity!�

James was just staring at her, his mouth slightly open with astonishment. That only fuelled Lily’s temper and irritation.

“I’m going to finish rounds now!� Not sparing him one last glare, Lily turned on her heel and angrily strode after the opposite direction. She heard James call after her hesitantly once, and she sped up. She had shouted at him, and if they tried to make up, Lily was sure they would have a Shouting Match: Round II.

Lily stopped, and then paced up and down the corridor. James had no business knowing about her relationship with Severus. He did not know when to leave something alone! But then again, James never pried for anything she did not want to share. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of them. Comprehension dawned on Lily. Of course! James was jealous. That obviously made sense. She felt a tiny bit foolish, and much less angry. Oh, she wished she could just tell James about Severus…

Her pacing halted abruptly and Lily stared. An ornate oaken door had just appeared in the space of wall in front of her. She looked up and down the corridor. Of course, this was the seventh floor—the Come and Go Room! Lily gazed at the door. It held so many memories, this room. Maybe just a peek inside wouldn’t hurt…But no, she reminded herself, she was supposed to be patrolling. The sound of rapid footsteps echoed suddenly down the hallway. James? Probably. Lily made up her mind quickly and dashed through the door into the room. She snapped it shut and turned around, leaning on the door. She squinted around the room, mildly awestruck. The lighting was dim, the floating ebony candles casting leaping shadows on the walls. There were photos all along the wall and in the centre of the room…Lily crept closer. Bloody hell. She gasped, and her eyes darted back to the walls. The pictures…they were all of her! And the pale shape in the middle of the room like a shrine—her! A life-sized mannequin in a wedding dress! She backed away, and the thing blinked at her! She crept a little closer. Yes, the eyes definitely looked alive. But what was it?�

“Lily.�

She whipped around, searching for the person connected to the voice. Then she spied him rising from the black plushy sofa, his pale skin, illuminated by the candlelight, contrasting greatly with the black of his school robes. His expression was his usual unreadable mask, but yet stranger than Lily had ever seen it.

“Severus,� she breathed. “What are you doing here? What have you done to this place?�

“Like it?� he asked in a soft, deadly calm voice, perfectly controlled.

“No,� she said firmly, disgusted.

“Pity.� He stopped advancing a short distance away from her. “This is where we used to go together, with a few—alterations.� He gestured around the room with his hand. Lily again found her eyes drawn to the mannequin’s. “I still come here often, you know, when things become too much.�

“Severus,� Lily said hesitantly. “What is that?� she pointed to the life-sized Lily in the middle of the room.

“Oh, that. Just a reminder of my failure.�

“Failure-�

“The only relationship I’ve ever had was a failure.�

“Severus, that wasn’t your fault-�

He ignored this, taking a few steps toward her. Lily, in turn, hastily stepped back.

“And how have you been doing, Lily? Wonderful? If not, do you feel as if your life is already at an end, your soul grown cold and bitter? No, I don’t suppose so." His smile was a reflection of his bitter soul.

“Severus-�

“You have never had your heart ripped from your chest, never felt the pain, never had a constant, gaping wound that does not heal!�

“Severus, please! I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused.� Lily was trembling. Though he had not raised his voice above that eerie whisper, he was successfully causing Lily much distress and fear. His presence was captivating, commanding one’s silence and attention. Lily was both hypnotised and frightened by this side of him. “Please, Severus, you must believe me. I never meant to hurt you. I broke things off to prevent that.�

“Never meant to hurt me?� he scoffed. “It’s a bit late for that, Lily. Does ‘James Potter’ ring a bell?� He was advancing on her. She remained stock-still.

“Severus, I-� Lily stammered. “There’s nothing-� She could not finish her sentence. Her feeble defence was futile. They both knew she would be lying, whatever she said.

“Liar,� he hissed, circling her like an overgrown bird of prey. “I’ve seen you two together, laughing, bashing Slughorn like we used to do to Potter.� His cool, spidery hand reached up and touched Lily’s neck. She started, surprised by his bold movement, but remained otherwise still. His fingers were so cold; their touch sent more shivers down Lily’s back.

- this gave me the shivers “Everything has changed now, hasn’t it?� His hand had travelled to her face and hair, stroking her fiery locks gently. “Look around your world, Lily,� he whispered tantalisingly. “Is it everything you hoped it would be? No; the wrong guy, the wrong situation…The right time to come back to me.*� He was behind her now, his arm around her, pulling her to his chest the way James often did. Lily closed her eyes, trying to steady herself and remain calm, but Severus was greatly unnerving her.

“Severus,� she said shakily, opening her eyes as one of his hands travelled dangerously lower. She put her hands on his arms, halting their progress. “Severus, please stop this. You’re scaring me.�

“Why should I frighten you? I’m the very same person I was last year when you rejected me…�

“Severus, please! I’m so sorry.�

“Sorry!� He spun her around to face him. “You think just an apology will suffice, will make up for all of the agony you have put me through this past year?�

“No,� said Lily desperately. “Please, Severus, tell me what I can do to try and make it up to you.�

His eyes lit up with a strange fire.

“Run away with me.�

“What?� Lily said, stunned.

“Run away with me. Let’s get out of here. We don’t need any of this, any of them . We’re better than all of them.�

“Severus, that’s crazy. We can’t possibly-�

“We can, Lily! The year is almost over. Who needs NEWTs, really, in the midst of a war? We can run away to be together, always.�

“No, Severus,� Lily said firmly.

“What?�

“No, I will not run away with you. That is preposterous. Not only entirely impossible, I can’t: I-I don’t love you.�

His hands dropped from her arms as if she had burned him.

“What did you say?� His hollow, unnatural whisper was back. She could see nothing of his face, shadowed by the hair that provided a veil between him and her.

“Severus, please look at me."

He did, very slowly. One bulging eye appeared between the part of hair that hid his face.

"I said that I don’t love you anymore,� said Lily clearly, watching him cautiously, knowing that her words would most likely infuriate him to madness. “I can’t love you.�

“But I suppose you can love James Potter?� he spat, his eyes glinting in the dancing candlelight. “What happened, Lily? We are so perfect for each other, don’t you see: both the cleverest in our Houses, severely misunderstood people, both prefects, even! We were partners, brilliant manipulators of potions and ingredients! Why don’t you love me?!� He was getting angrier.

“I can’t, Severus! You know that. The prophecy-�

“God damn that bloody prophecy to hell!� he screamed at her, losing all pretexts of calmness. “I love you, Lily! You are the only person that I have ever loved, and you turned me away! All because of Potter and that prophecy! Swayed by an arrogant bastard! Why? What does Potter have that I don’t?� he grabbed her shoulders again roughly in his pincer-like grasp. “I LOVE YOU, LILY,� he shouted once more as he shook her. “You drive me mad! I cannot get you out of my head! I need you; without you I’m-� He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately on the mouth. Lily’s eyes widened and she was so startled that she could not move. As Severus deepened his kiss, she gathered her wits and struggled to free herself.

“Severus!� she gasped when they finally broke apart. “You must stop. This is mental-deranged—you’re not yourself-�

As if confirming this, he laughed maniacally. “Love makes people desperate, Lily.� He slowly leaned in, ready for more. Lily stepped backwards into something solid. The door trapped her. Severus thought the same; a grin spread across his fanatical visage. “Nowhere to go,� he whispered, stroking her cheek as he neared her mouth. His body pressed against hers, pinning her to the door. Lily suppressed a shudder.

“Severus,� she choked, nearing tears. “Please stop this!�

“I can’t, Lily,� he spoke softly, his eyes roving greedily across her face. “I’m in love with you.� His mouth met hers and he hungrily kissed her. She reached immediately for the wand in her pocket, but Severus held her arm away. Lily was reeling. Severus was not himself. What had happened to him? He was unstable, unhinged, deranged…Nothing like James. James. She could almost hear him calling to her…

***

James had been pounding on the door where Lily had disappeared ever since she had entered the room. He could see the Room of Requirement on the Marauder’s Map, and Snape and Lily inside, but the Room would not grant him entry. Please let me inside, please let me inside, James thought desperately, pacing past the door. He fisted the wall where the door should be, but nothing happened.

“Come on!� he said angrily, growing impatient. Suddenly, a noise from within the room caused him to cease all movement. Then there was silence.

“Lily!� James shouted, pounding on the hard stone. “Come on!� He directed a kick at the wall, and was rewarded with a pain in his foot. ** He hobbled past the stretch of wall many more times, but could not gain entry. James was now frightened as well as frustrated. Lily was locked inside the Room of Requirement with Snape. James did not even want to imagine what could be taking place inside of that room right now…

***

“The Room of Requirement is an amazing place, isn’t it?� Severus breathed into Lily’s ear, temporarily pausing in his onslaught of kisses upon her neck.

“Severus, I beg of you,� she moaned, tired of fighting him, “Please stop.�

“I’ve told you: I cannot stop loving you.�

Lily was getting desperate and not a little frightened out of her mind. The Room, answering Severus’ every wish, had pinned Lily to its door, leaving Severus free to do…other things…Wait, Lily thought, hit by sudden inspiration. They were in the Room of Requirement. It could give her anything she needed. She closed her eyes and wished with all of her strength. There was a faint ‘pop’ and Lily’s wand was in her hand. Severus, preoccupied with her collarbone, failed to notice. Then a few things happened in quick succession.

“Lily!� she heard James’ voice calling her again.

Severus paused. Hi lifted his head and stared at the door behind Lily.

“So,� he said, drawing his wand. “Prince Charming is here to rescue his princess. Save your breath, Potter!� He called this last sentence through the door. Meanwhile, Lily shut her eyes again. I need the door to open, she wished. She opened her eyes as she felt the door behind her following her command. She disarmed Severus a split second before James blasted the door off its hinges. Lily flew with it across the room, still attached, as she heard Severus let out a furious bellow. Lily and a million shattered pieces of oak collided painfully with the opposite wall, and the world went black.

A/N: *“Look around your world, Lily,� he whispered tantalisingly. “Is it everything you hoped it would be? No; the wrong guy, the wrong situation…The right time to come back to me.�—This was paraphrased from a song by Del Amitri called “Roll to Me.� **“Come on!� He directed a kick at the wall, and was rewarded with a pain in his foot.—This was taken from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 465, American hardback.

“James!�

The forlorn, frightened cry sounded as if torn from the innermost crevice of someone’s soul. It jarred James instantly out of his light doze. He sat up straight and sleepily rubbed his eyes. They settled on the figure that had been tossing and turning under the covers of the small cot. She was sitting upright as well, her bandage askew over her red hair mussed from sleep. Her eyes that had previously been leaking fat tears found James seated beside her bed. She reached out to him as he stood to embrace her.

“Lily,� he said concernedly as she buried her recently repaired head into the front of his robes. “What’s the matter? What’s happened?�

“Oh, James!� Her voice was barely distinguishable. James had a feeling that she was shielding her face to cover the fact that she had been crying rather than to cover her grief. “The dream-�

“Again? It will be all right, dove. I’m right here,� James said soothingly.

“You were in it this time.� Lily removed her face from his wet front and twisted her head upwards. “You really died, James.� Her voice was very quiet and scared.

Though not the first time he was hearing of his death, James was jarred by Lily’s words. Nonetheless, he kept using his soothing tone.

“We’ll cross that bridge-�

“This can’t happen,� Lily whispered. Her voice quavered. James thought that he had never seen his calm Lily so shaken. Her eyes were wide and over bright; she was shaking; and her fiery hair was standing on its end.

“It will, but right now-�

“It can’t happen because…because I love you, James!� Lily exploded fiercely. “I love you so much, and I would fall apart if anything happened to you!�

James sank onto Lily’s hospital bed. Speechless, yet beaming, he put his arms round Lily.

“I love you too, Lily,� he said softly, pressing his lips to her forehead.

***

Charms was one of Lily’s favourite classes, and she revelled in the challenging class work Professor Flitwick assigned them. On top of that, she loved to take notes on Flitwick’s lectures, which meant that she had volumes upon volumes of seven years’ worth of scribblings on Summoning and household cleaning charms, and diagrams for the more complicated spells like the Fidelius and other charms.

However, today, Lily was writing a different sort of note. James had unearthed the boys’ communication parchment—that he referred to as “Instant Notes�—and thought it would be fun to chat in Charms class. Lily was resolutely against the idea, with NEWTs approaching quickly, but she was itching to find out exactly how the “Instant Notes� worked. So against her better judgement, Lily, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were all engaged in a discussion inspired by the news in that morning’s Daily Prophet.

Lily, it was only goblins, wrote Sirius. It’s not as if they were people or anything…

Lily, of course, bristled instantly.

Sirius! That is terrible! They are living, breathing beings! What a stupid thing to say-

Lily, Sirius is only winding you up, Remus cut in. Look over here. He loves goading you. Keep humouring him and he will wet himself.

Lily glanced over at the boys. Sirius did indeed look as if he was about to explode with mirth.

Padfoot, appeared James’ messy scrawl. Control yourself and leave Lily alone. Only trained dogs are allowed inside Hogwarts, don’t you know that?

There was a minor disturbance at the Marauders’ table, earning Sirius and James a reproving, “Boys!� from Professor Flitwick. They settled down and resumed their conversation with Lily.

So much for allying himself with the goblins, Peter scribbled.

What d’you suppose Voldemort wanted with the goblins, anyway? posed James.

Yeah, put in Sirius, They’re not interesting in helping wizards. They just like their gold.

That is probably why that family was killed, reasoned Lily.

Hey, Lily, wrote Remus abruptly. Isn’t that your owl at the window?

Lily looked up. That was definitely her tawny owl outside the classroom window.

Yeah…Wonder what she is doing here…

Aspen tapped on the window loudly, successfully interrupting the Charms lesson.

“Whose owl-?� asked Professor Flitwick squeakily.

“Mine, sir!�

“May I-?�

“Quickly. But please wait until after class to read your mail, Miss Evans.�

Lily took the letter from Aspen, who clicked her beak affectionately before flying off to the owlry. Lily returned to her desk, turning the envelope over in her hands. She recognized the writing at once, but was puzzled. Why would she voluntarily write to Lily?

As soon as the bell rang at the end of class, Lily bolted out of the classroom and down to the Great Hall, not even bothering to drop her bag off in Gryffindor tower. She dropped onto the bench at the Gryffindor table and tore open the letter.

Lily,

I will not waste words and space on niceties. There was a car accident yesterday. Our mother is dead. The doctors say that dad probably will not make it through the night. He has asked for you; I would not be writing to you out of my own free will. He should see you before he passes. The funeral is in two days.

Petunia Dursley

In shock, her brain barely registered the Marauders sit down on all sides. James’ voice seemed to wake her.

“What’s wrong, Lily?�

“I need to see Professor Dumbledore,� she said numbly, rising unevenly from the bench.

“What is it?� James asked again, concern in his voice.

“There has been an accident.�

***

“Oh, Dad,� whispered Lily, stopping shortly after stepping through the doorway.

Electronic machines whirred softly in the room. The air was saturated with the smell of hospitals and medicine and…death.

And in the midst of it all was her father, adorned with tubes. Lily noiselessly approached his bed.

“How is he?� she asked her sister.

“The doctor said that his health is rapidly declining,� answered Petunia stiffly, sniffing. Her eyes were red and puffy. “There is a very slim possibility that he will survive. His injuries were fatal.�

“Oh, Daddy,� Lily murmured. Her own eyes were filling as well. “Has he woken at all?�

“Just once before slipping back into his coma. That’s when he asked for you.� Petunia rose. “I’m going to get coffee.�

Lily sank into the hard chair her sister had just vacated. She stared at her father. “Could I have prevented this if I had been here, Daddy?�

No answer but for the beeping heart monitor.

“They could heal you at St. Mungo’s, no problem.� Lily tried to distract herself from the seriousness of the situation, but to no avail. “The doctor said that you won’t make it through the night. I’m sorry, Dad. Please forgive me for anything I have done to wrong you. Because of Hogwarts, I haven’t seen as much of you as I should have. But I love you. You knew that, didn’t you, Daddy?� Lily hid her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t go, Dad. We have lost Mum; Nia and I can’t lose you too. Please don’t go!�

Petunia stepped back into the room, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. At the same instant, Michael Evans’ heart monitor gave two quick beeps, then went flat.

“No, Daddy, come back!� Lily cried, close to hysterics. She clutched his hand desperately. Petunia ran for a doctor. “Daddy…� Lily touched his bandaged cheek. “I love you. Please don’t leave us…�

The nurses and doctors rushed into the room, pushing a sobbing Lily aside. She watched as if in a dream. Time seemed to yield. Petunia entered slowly, her eyes wide, her pink blouse stained with coffee. The medics bustled about, but the heart monitor remained a never-ending, high-pitched beep.

***

James came for the funeral. He didn’t attempt to comfort her, knowing from experience that his words would seem empty and inadequate. So he just held her.

The funeral was brief. James stood with Lily as she and Petunia received condolences from distant family members at their home. Petunia thanked each person when he or she expressed their sorrow at the sisters’ loss. Lily just gave them all nods while grasping James’ hand tightly to keep from breaking down in sobs.

When everyone but James had gone, Lily collapsed onto the sofa.

“That was horrible,� she muttered, putting a hand to her head.

“I know,� James said sympathetically, stoking her long hair.

“Thank you for being here today, James. It meant so much to me.�

“Of course, love.� James joined her on the sofa and enveloped Lily in his arms. Lily loved that about James; when he hugged her, he didn’t simply wrap his arms around her, he enveloped her. But this was too much for Lily on an emotionally tolling day such as this. She screwed up her eyes and hugged him back forcefully, fighting down the tears and the scream of utter, soul-tearing agony that were struggling to be released.

“Lily.� Petunia’s crisp voice snapped into Lily and James’ moment like a whip. Lily jumped, and she and James broke apart, looking at Petunia expectantly.

“What is he still doing here?� Petunia demanded rudely, avoiding looking at James, or even mentioning his name.

“James is staying for a while, Petunia, as my guest.� Lily’s voice hardened.

“Fine,� Petunia said harshly. “There are some things we must discuss.�

“Yes?� said Lily wearily.

Petunia adopted a business-like tone. “As you know, our parents divided their rather large sum of money between us, but the house was handed to me as my responsibility. As Vernon and I have already purchased a house in Little Whinging, and you are living in your little freak world, this house will not be necessary.�

“What are you saying?� asked Lily uncertainly.

“I’m selling the house, Lily.�

“What?� Lily said, aghast. “But where will I live after I get out of school, Nia?�

“How should I know?� Petunia snapped. “That’s not my problem. And don’t call me by that ridiculous name!� Their father had used that as a pet name for his eldest daughter. “You have two days to move all of your things out.�

“Two days!� Lily cried, standing. “Petunia, that’s crazy! I can’t possibly-I have nowhere to go! Can’t you-�

“No,� she said flatly. James, on the other hand, looked livid.

“Two days?!� he said angrily. “Lily is your sister, Petunia! Don’t you have any compassion at all for her? Your only living-�

“No!� she screamed at him suddenly. “I have had it with her.� Petunia jabbed her finger accusingly at Lily. “I will NOT tolerate her and her unnaturalness any longer! I was only as decent as I was because our parents wished it. Now that they’re gone, no formalities are necessary.�

“Your treatment of Lily can hardly be called decent!� James shot back furiously. “My only sister is dead, and I would give anything and everything to have her back! Why can’t you appreciate the only family you have left? Lily is amazing and-�

“Get out! Never step foot in this house again!� Petunia screamed at James, beside herself with anger. “Get out of my house!�

“With pleasure!� He stormed out the front door, Lily hot on his heels.

“James!� Lily called after him. “James, please wait!�

“She’s terrible, Lily!� he declared, and Lily could almost see the steam coming from underneath the collar harbouring his neck flushed with anger. “How did you stand that for seven years?�

“She is my sister, James,� she said softly.

“I know. I’m sorry,� James said grudgingly. He tried to steady his breathing to calm himself down, and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “Where will you go?�

“I have no idea,� Lily said hopelessly. “I suppose I could just ask Professor Dumbledore about staying at Hogwarts-�

“Students aren’t allowed,� James reminded her immediately, gently.

“-or maybe I could stay with Mum’s cousins. They’re distant, though. Today was the first time I’ve met them. I just don’t want to burden anyone…�

“I think I know somewhere you can stay,� said James carefully, “where you definitely wouldn’t be a burden.�

“Where?� asked Lily sceptically, though she thought she knew what he was going to say.

“With my parents and I,� he said, smiling with satisfaction, apparently pleased with himself.

“James, I couldn’t-� she protested.

“Yes, you could! It’ll be fun, Lily! C’mon, you know you want to!� he said in a singsong voice.

“Talk to your parents first, James, and then we’ll see,� Lily allowed after some hesitation.

“Woo hoo!� James whooped. “They’ll love you, Lily!�

“James,� Lily said, smiling at his enthusiasm. “I do have an awful lot of stuff, are you sure-�

“We have lots of room, don’t worry!�

***

Did they ever have a lot of room! Lily was astounded by the sheer vastness of the Potters’ residence. It was beautiful…The outside of the structure was built with pale stone, except for the roofs, which were a deep red. Half a dozen towers shot up at various points inside the wall. If the exterior was impressive, Lily couldn’t even imagine what the inside would look like… “You didn’t tell me that you lived in a castle, James,� said Lily, awed, craning her neck upwards to look at the mansion’s magnificent towers.

“Slipped my mind,� James said carelessly. He was preoccupied with making Lily’s luggage dance in midair. He stopped when they reached the front door. It opened for them.

“Master James,� something squeaked excitedly. Lily looked down.

“Hi, Dolly,� James greeted the house-elf. He could see Lily swelling like a bullfrog, preparing to give him her opinion about the enslavement of house-elves that he had heard a million times before. Luckily, his mother saved him.

“Hello, darling!� said Mrs. Potter, embracing her son.

“Hi, Mum,� James allowed his mother to kiss him on the cheek before detangling himself to introduce Lily. “Mum, this is Lily Evans.�

Mrs. Potter turned to Lily, who was a bit intimidated by this formidable-looking woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose bun, reminding Lily of Professor McGonagall. There were laugh lines around Mrs. Potter’s eyes and mouth, so at least she was not lacking in a sense of humour like the Professor. Though Lily had been surprised by the woman’s age, James’ mother did not act like an elderly woman. However, sixty-one was hardly old, especially for a witch.

From behind oval spectacles, Mrs. Potter’s grey eyes looked Lily over. “So you’re Lily, are you? I’ve heard much about you…I’m Harriet Potter.� Lily accepted the proffered hand. “My husband is working at the Ministry at present, but you will meet him at supper.�

Lily snuck a glance at James, whose expression was determinedly unreadable. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Potter.�

Harriet scoffed. “Please call me Harriet, dear. ‘Mrs. Potter’ makes me feel so old.�

Lily laughed at the irony of this statement. “Alright,� she said.

Harriet paused to give her one long, piercing look. “I like her,� she declared to James. “She has a musical laugh.� Lily blushed and James chuckled at her.

Harriet swept down a corridor to the right. “Leave the luggage, James. Dolly and Lycra will attend to it. We will show you to your room, Lily.� Lily, torn between politely obeying James’ mum and her desire to treat house-elves as equals, just stood uncertainly in the entrance chamber. James put his hand on the small of her back and Lily reluctantly set off down the hallway.

“See,� he whispered to her as they followed Harriet. “I told you she’d like you. You had nothing to worry about.�

Lily gave a short chuckle. While Harriet Potter had seemed to accept her, Lily still felt nervous. She supposed that would fade with time.

“Here you are,� announced Harriet, stopping outside a door. James hastily opened the door for the women, and Harriet entered after him. Lily followed and her jaw dropped. The room was probably the most gorgeous room that she had ever been in. It was almost like being back at Hogwarts, with the copious amounts of red that most of the room was bedecked in. The ceiling was very high, and rose to an almost peak that ended in beautiful skylight windows, letting in the warm afternoon sun. The king sized bed was hung with heavy velvet drapes that matched the long curtains just barely trailing on the thick French carpet. The honeyed oak furniture gleamed in the soft light of the gently flickering floating candles.

“Now,� said Harriet briskly, interrupting Lily’s gawking at the elaborate furnishings over the fireplace. “I realize that you are both of age, and as such, I do not expect either of you to act irresponsibly or foolishly when left alone. I trust that the two of you know to what I am referring.�

Lily again blushed a deep crimson. Mrs. Potter thought that she and James would actually--? Under his parents’ own roof?!

“I hope your stay here will be comfortable, Lily,� Harriet told Lily, not embarrassed in the least by her insinuating warnings. “If you are in need of anything, do not hesitate to let someone know. I will send you up a house-elf exclusively for your personal usage.�

“Oh, that won’t be necessary-� Lily began, but Harriet waved away her protests.

“Don’t be silly; of course it will. Dolly and Lycra will soon be in with your luggage, Lily. James, could you come with me for a moment, please?�

“Yes, Mum.�

“Thank you for your hospitality, Harriet,� Lily said as Mrs. Potter started to leave the room.

Harriet gave her the first genuine smile Lily had seen directed at herself. James’ smile. It seemed to take ten years off her face.

“You’re most welcome, dear.� Harriet took Lily’s hand in her own and pressed it warmly. “I am truly sorry for your loss.�

Lily swallowed. “Thank you,� she said softly.

“Come, James.� Harriet exited the bedroom.

“I’ll be back in a moment, love.� James kissed Lily gently and left the room.

Lily sank onto the bed as she watched him exit, suddenly very fatigued. Mrs. Potter’s comment had suddenly and completely reminded Lily why she was at James’ house in the first place. Her eyes filled with tears. My parents are dead.

What a very trying day, thought Severus boredly. It had all really begun when Sirius Black began the day by humiliating him in front of the entire school once again at breakfast. Severus, of course, could not let his pride and reputation. As such, he retaliated—and what a good Severe Stinging Hex it was! The look on Black’s face was well worth Severus’ extra detention administered by Flitwick, after Severus had returned from serving the last of his two week’s worth of nightly detentions with Professor McGonagall for the Lily incident. A hot flick of embarrassment ignited in his stomach. What a fiasco. He loathed himself and his actions. He had lost control that night. But Lily had been driving him mad. That had been his final, desperate outreach for her; they could have no other relationship than that of torturer and sufferer. His love for her was yet unwavering, and Severus knew there would be no hope of curing that miserable emotion. He scoffed. Love. He had dared to put his faith, trust, his entire heart, into love, that weak and demeaning emotion, and look where that had gotten him! Rejected, humiliated, and angered profusely, he had withdrawn into himself. Never again would he allow himself to become so involved with one person the way he had been—still was—with Lily Evans. But bloody hell, he loved her so much that his love-parched heart actually ached, his normally cool-cool tempered head spun and strange things came out of his mouth when he was around her. He had nearly died when he saw her body broken along with the fragments of the door of the Come and Go Room. Of course, before Severus could even move, Potter had Stunned him and pompously carried the prize—hisLily—off to the hospital wing. James had rescued Lily and swept her off her feet, something that Severus would never again be able to do to her.

But he had ‘friends’ now. Yes, friends, he sneered, carelessly watching the Lestrange brothers scuffle loudly in the hallway. Friends united in their servitude to the Dark Lord. Granted, the Dark Lord Voldemort instilled within Severus such a great fear that he had never before experienced, not even while living with his wretched, abusive father, but Severus respect the Dark Lord above almost all others. The Dark Lord was someone to be revered, because he offered his followers a slice of the enormous amount of power he beheld. What Severus wouldn’t do for a bit of that power…What would Lily Evans think of him then?

“Well, well,� crooned Bellatrix Black suddenly, jolting Severus harshly from his thoughts. “Look what’s coming our way.�

“My brother’s friend, the Head Mudblood Lily Evans,� Regulus taunted the approaching figure. Severus put his hand inside his pocket, wrapping his fingers around his wand.

The swift motion caught Lily’s attention. Her emerald eyes flicked over Severus’ face quickly before returning to Regulus. She did not rise to the bait.

“What are you lot doing here this late?� she asked the group at large.

“That is none of your business, Evans,� answered Rodolphus Lestrange.

“Yeah, keep your filthy nose out of things that don’t concern you, Mudblood,� leered Rabastan, Rodolphus’ twin brother.

“Watch your language, Rodolphus,� said Lily calmly. “It is of my concern. What are you up to? You had better not be causing trouble tonight…�

“Was that a threat?� Bellatrix said incredulously, sneering and raising her wand eagerly.

“Put your wand down, Bellatrix,� Severus said lazily, speaking for the first time. “We are not here to needlessly fight jumped-up Mudbloods.� Lily’s hurt eyes sliced through his heart, but his own eyes betrayed no apologies for his biting insult. “Get on your way, Evans.�

“No,� she said firmly while shaking with suppressed rage. “Not until your lot clears off. It’s close to curfew-�

“It’s only half-eight, Evans,� said Regulus Black. “Plenty of time.�

“I know you’re up to something,� Lily continued doggedly. “If you all don’t leave here at once, I’ll be forced to take away House points.�

The Slytherins burst out laughing, cruelly mocking her.

“You dare to undermine my authority?� Lily demanded furiously, despite the hot flush creeping up her neck. “Fine! Ten points-�

“Oh, bugger off, Evans!� Bella jeered, “or I will be forced to curse you, and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to Dumbledore’s Head Pet Mudblood, would we?�

Lily made to retort, but Severus stepped closer to her and lowered his voice so that only she could hear him.

“Leave, Lily,� he said dangerously. “You are outnumbered five to one. One curse could incapacitate you for a month. You have no idea what you are dealing with. We are not here to cause trouble, just to conduct some necessary…business with a friend of ours. Business that does not concern you. Now, leave. Go back to your arrogant bastard Potter.�

Lily just stared at him, that wounded expression upon her face as she searched his eyes for some reassurance that he was only putting on this hard façade for the sake of the other Slytherins present. She was heartily disappointed, and told him so.

“Your opinions no longer have any influence here, Lily,� Severus said quietly. “Leave.�

She gave him one last hard, penetrating look before continuing her way down the corridor, holding her head high despite the jeers and cat calls that rained on her retreating back.

Severus let out a breath and lowered his wand just as a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows. He quickly raised his wand again. He felt the others tense and do the same.

“Show yourself!� commanded Bellatrix tersely.

The figure removed his hood.

“You’re late,� Snape said.

“I-I’m sorry,� stammered Peter Pettigrew. “I couldn’t get away-�

“We’re not here to listen to your excuses, Pettigrew,� said Bellatrix haughtily.

“I believe I am the one with the instructions,� Severus said coldly, not acknowledging Bellatrix’s scowl. “Now, you know why you have come, don’t you, Peter?� Severus forced himself to use the boy’s first name. “Do you want to join us? You could have real friends…�

“I do have real friends,� Peter interrupted.

“That so?� said Rodolphus disdainfully. “I didn’t think that real friends treated their best mates like sidekicks, or a pebble stuck in one’s shoe.�

“But James and Sirius and-�

“You think that Bighead Potter and womanizer Sirius Black really need you, Peter?� scoffed Regulus. “I’ve heard them talking. They say you’re just a follower, someone to do their bidding. And when you’ve gone off like a dog obeying his master, they have a good laugh. Did you know that?�

“I-� Peter looked stunned.

It was Severus’ turn again. “But the Dark Lord shares power. Offers it freely. He treats his friends like equals, not as minions. He can give you all that you’ve ever wanted. You’ll never have to take another’s order. He’ll entreat you to your deepest desires.�

“There was silence as the Slytherins watched Peter process this information.

“Anything I want?� he questioned finally.

“Anything,� murmured the group.

“But what is the cost? There must be some stipulation-�

“All the Dark Lord wants is friends who support him,� Rodolphus smoothly. “You can be one of those friends, Peter, just like us. The Dark Lord aches to have someone like you at his side.�

Emotions chased each other across Peter’s chubby face. He so desperately wanted to fit in with these people who offered him something more than peonage, yet he felt, within his heart, that he would somehow be sealing a betrayal of his friends’ trust. Things between the Marauders would change forever if he accepted the Slytherins’ offer…

“What do you say, Peter?� asked Severus softly. “Will you join the Dark Lord?�

“I-I-� he stuttered.

“Well?� Bellatrix’s impatience was evident. “We don’t have all night.�

“I can’t!� Peter said fearfully. “I can’t do it. My friends—They’re all against the Dark Arts and-�

“To hell with your friends!� exclaimed Bellatrix. Her patience with the timid Gryffindor was nearly at its end. “The Dark Lord-�

“No!� Peter backed away as the Lestrange brothers, sensing an explosion of Bellatrix’s terrible temper, closed in on Peter. “My friends hate You-Know-Who and anything Dark—They’d hate me, too, they’d-�

“Will they beat the living tar out of you for being a snivelling, crawling piece of scum?� Rabastan, almost completely silent through the entire persuasive exchange, spoke out finally. He had been growing more and more disgusted with Pettigrew’s every whinge.

“Rabastan,� said Severus warningly, meanwhile holding his wand at the ready.

Peter, scared by Rabastan’s threat, suddenly turned and scampered.

“No you don’t!�

Peter didn’t even have time to cry out before four different spells hit him. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

“See what you have done?� hissed Severus as the five students approached the fallen Gryffindor. “I told you-�

“What shall we do with him now?� said Rodolphus, not interested in Severus’ lecture.

“Over there.� Regulus pointed to a nearby tapestry that opened into a narrow, darkened corridor.

After Rabastan had trod on Peter’s chubby face, the Slytherins levitated the body into the side corridor, hiding it with the tapestry.

“Obliviate,� muttered Severus, then he said to the others, “Let’s go. He’ll be found soon enough.�

The Slytherin five quickly fled the scene. Regulus caught up to Severus while they speedily made their way back to the common room.

“Why exactly did the Dark Lord want a wanker like Pettigrew, anyway?�

“I presume that the Dark Lord was in need of someone close to Dumbledore, whether he be a milkweed or not. However, Lucius Malfoy hinted that the Dark Lord wanted a willing idiot volunteer.�

“Volunteer for what?� Regulus asked curiously.

“A suicide mission,� replied Severus as he stepped through opening in the cold stone wall.

Death Eaters cause massive wreckage in South London…

Seven year old arrested for attempted murder of Muggle next-door neighbours…

Ministry of Magic employee suspected of leaking valuable Ministry secrets to You-Know-Who.

Entire Muggle family tortured to death…

The abandoned Daily Prophet was scattered across the floor of the seventh year girls’ dormitory, forgotten by its reader. Alice Thatcher was lying on her plush four-poster bed in the dark dormitory, an impenetrable cloud of happiness providing her with enough glowing warmth to drive the icy Darkness from her mind. Another sudden grin manifested itself prominently across her face.

What a glorious day this is! she thought happily. I must tell Lily when she gets in. I wonder where she has gone to…

Her exuberant thoughts were interrupted just then by the loud slap of shoes on stone. Speaking of Lily…If she didn’t know better, Alice would have guessed that the sharp footfalls meant that her best friend had had another explosive row with ‘that arrogant toerag.’ To be fair, things between Lily Evans and James Potter had changed drastically—for the better—and the two of them hadn’t argued in ages. Not publicly, at least.

Maybe they will have their own happy day, as well, Alice giggled to herself.

Lily finished storming up the stairs and threw open the door to the dormitory, huffing all the while. She flung her bag on her bed, spilling books, parchment, and quills all over the place, and then caught sight of Alice’s beaming face and stopped short.

“Oh, Lily!� Alice exclaimed, jumping off her bed, before Lily could even say anything. “The most wonderful thing has happened—Oh, I’m so happy I could sing!—Frank asked me to marry him tonight!� Alice proudly held out her arm to Lily. Perched on her left hand was a tiny, exquisite diamond ring.

Lily felt all of her anger ebb away as suddenly as a pricked balloon. Who could possibly stay angry with Severus Snape after hearing news such as this? Her mental groan became a shrill cry of happiness.

“That’s great, Alice,� Lily squealed, taking Alice’s hand to examine the ring. Alice giggled excitedly and the girls embraced.

“I’m so happy for you! I can’t believe that my best friend is getting married!�

The two girls let out another round of extremely energetic shrieks.

“How did Frank propose? When is the wedding? How many people are you inviting? Where will it be held?� The questions tumbled one after another from Lily’s mouth.

Alice laughed giddily.

“We’re to be married within the first week of July, almost immediately after commencement. It’s going to be a fairly small wedding at our church with just family and close friends. You’ll come, of course?� Alice questioned Lily a bit anxiously.

“Of course I will!� Lily exclaimed.

“Would you be my maid of honour, Lily?�

“Oh, Alice, I’d love to!�

Another couple of squeals and a tight embrace, and the girls were off, describing to each other in depth their own picture of The Perfect Wedding.

“I’m glad you’re having a summer wedding, Alice,� said Lily. “That’s the best kind.�

“Oh, I don’t know,� Alice responded. “A spring wedding wouldn’t be so bad. Everything is just blossoming and coming to life—it would symbolically be a nearly perfect setting for the start of s new life in marriage.�

“How poetic, Alice.�

“Oh, you stop teasing, Lily Evans. You’re too cynical to get married, anyway!�

“I am not cynical!�

“You are! Well, you’re better than you used to be, anyway. James has almost completely reformed you, Lily.�

Lily spluttered her offences, but Alice continued.

“He has. You are much mellower and much happier than you were a year or so ago.�

“Are you saying that I was a surly, rampant beast, then?� Lily asked indignantly, even though she knew that she probably had been.

“You said it, not me.�

“Alice!� Lily thwacked Alice with one of her feather pillows. Alice, of course, retaliated, and a massive fight ensued, littering the dormitory with feathers and giggles.

“Ok, ok!� Lily shouted, gasping for breath. Alice had wrestled Lily’s pillow away from her and backed her into a corner of their dormitory. “I give up, I give up!�

“Good.� For good measure, Alice thumped a pillow over Lily’s head one more time.

Once they had settled back down on Alice’s bed, Alice turned to Lily and asked her quite seriously, “Do you think that you and James will ever get married?�

Lily, still flushed from her recent pillow encounter, grew redder still, not expecting the question. “I don’t know. I’ve thought of it, of course, but…It’s never really come up in conversation between the two of us…�

“Hmm,� said Alice thoughtfully, her face pensive.

“Why? Do you know something I should, Alice?� Lily asked her friend, taking in the suspicious look upon Alice’s face.

“Lily, do you really think that James Potter and I would be discussing your marriage? Ever?�

“Well, no,� Lily admitted. “But that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen.�

“Humph.�

“But I would very much like to be married, though,� said Lily said with a distant-eyed sigh. “Someday.�

“You will be, Lily,� Alice said confidently. “You deserve some happiness in your life.�

“Don't we all?� asked Lily heavily.

“I wonder if we will live to see the end of this war?� Alice mused, worry apparent in her soft voice.

“Of course we will!� exclaimed Lily fiercely. “We will bring the end!�

“Do you really believe that, Lily, or is that just for bravery’s sake? What can we possibly do that will change the tides of You-Know-Who’s war?�

“There must be something more active that we can do to help. We’ve already begun by simply speaking of resistance. Our time for valour will come, Alice, I’m sure of it.�

The girls sat in contemplative silence for a moment or two before Lily broke it by yawning loudly.

“Enough talk of war,� she said brightly. Her face transformed into a huge smile. “You’re getting married, Alice!� Alice laughed giddily while Lily broke out into a horrible rendition of “Chapel of Love.�

“I’ve let you gloat, Alice,� said Lily playfully. “Now tell me how Frank proposed!�

Alice giggled again. “Oh, it was extremely romantic, Lily! We snuck out-�

“Again!� Lily exclaimed, amused.

“-and went to Honeydukes in Hogsmeade,� continued Alice, ignoring Lily. “Frank bought me an enormous box of chocolates full of chocolate sherbet fizzes, turtles, kisses and such. I thought it was so sweet; Frank even fed me a kiss or two,� Alice giggled.

Lily tried very hard to resist spouting some sarcasm, but couldn’t help letting out a gag. She laughed and ducked a swipe from Alice.

“You’re insufferable!� exclaimed Alice, trying to sound put out.

“I’m sorry, Alice.� Lily sobered immediately, and Alice continued on. “There was this huge square-shaped chocolate in the middle—I had never seen a boxed chocolate that large, so naturally I was suspicious, expecting another exploding truffle, you know—so I went to open it, and it just crumbled in my hand. I knew then that Frank had tampered with it, but then I saw this gorgeous diamond ring just sort of hovering in my hand where the box had been. And then Frank got down on one knee and slipped the ring on my finger and said that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. And he asked me if I’d mind horribly spending mine with him-�

“You said yes, of course,� Lily teased.

“Of course,� Alice laughed. She was twirling her delicate diamond around her finger as she spoke. “Then I said that I would love more than anything to marry him, and we, well-"

“Okay, I can guess what happened next, you don’t need to tell me! Snog fest!� And they were off again. It was at least another hour before they ceased laughing and chattering, finally running out of things to say.

For being at the top of our class, Lily is just so adorably clueless sometimes, Alice thought sleepily, turning to her side and surrendering her conscious mind to the world of pleasant dreams.

The seventh year boys dormitory wasn’t nearly as silent as the girls. Sirius, Peter, Remus and James had deemed it absolutely necessary to throw an impromptu stag party of sorts for Frank Longbottom.

“Woo hoo!� whooped Sirius, just returning from Hogsmeade, bearing gifts of butterbeer and assorted sweets. “Our man Frank is gettin' hitched!�

Whilst the inhabitants of Hogwarts School were nestled comfortably inside the safeguarded castle walls, the Dark Lord and his followers were planning their next brutal attack. The Light would be demolished, and there would be no hope of them regaining their strength. To the Dark Lord Voldemort, the end of the war and the crowning day of his victory were within sight.

Finally, it had arrived! The day Lily Evans had both been dreading and looking forward to for years: her valediction from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For her part, Lily was surprised that this many of the members of her original first year class had completed the full seven years of schooling. Lily wistfully thought back to all the classmates they had lost. Davey Gudgeon had been killed in a Death Eater attack in Diagon Alley the month before. That wound had not even begun to heal yet, and Lily did not allow herself to dwell on the memory of receiving word of his horrific death. Two sets of peers had dropped out of school and gotten married, one had moved to America, another two to France, and five or six had never returned after the Christmas and Easter holidays. Lily preferred to remain optimistic about their disappearances—they, too, could have moved away or transferred—but she had a nagging suspicion that something Dark was involved.

Nevertheless, the majority of them were here. They were all alive and well, that was the important thing, thought Lily. Just then, her eyes were drawn to a tall black-haired boy coming toward her. No, Lily correct herself, James was a man now. They were all legally adults now. Where had the time gone? It seemed such a short time ago that Lily had been laughing most cruelly at an embarrassed James Potter as she refused him a date for the first time. If someone had asked her then if she could ever see herself loving James she would have had a good laugh before shouting out a resounding, “NO!�

Lily sighed and affectionately gazed at James weaving his way through the crowd of people to reach her. How they both had changed. Lily would not have believed a year ago that she could possibly love another human being as much as she now loved James Potter.

“Lily,� James began, but Lily grabbed the front of his robes and proceeded to snog him breathless.

“Wow, uh…thanks,� said James dazedly when he and Lily separated a moment later. “What was that for?�

“For just being you,� Lily said, giggling at him. “Did you want to tell me something?�

“Oh, erm, yeah,� he said, shaking himself out of his stunned state. “Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with us in his office.�

***

Lily stepped into Dumbledore’s office after James, surprised to see other students already seated and glancing curiously at each other. Sirius, Remus and Peter were there, as well as Frank Longbottom, Alice, Dorcas Meadowes, Will and John Parry, Emmeline Vance from Hufflepuff, Benji Fenwick from Slytherin, and another couple of students with whom Lily was not familiar.

“Come in, come in!� called Professor Dumbledore cheerfully, rising from his seat behind his desk. He conjured two more squishy chairs for Lily and James and they sat.

“Excellent,� said Dumbledore. “Now that you are all here, let me first offer my congratulations on finishing the last of your seven years at Hogwarts. I understand that most of you have plans and goals for the years ahead, and you may want to pursue those rather than, or in addition to, my offer.� Dumbledore stopped briefly. All of the students were gazing very intently at him, now intrigued.

“Curious creatures, phoenixes; they conjure life from death, take what is moulted and burnt and create beauty,� Dumbledore continued. “It is toward this end, the creation and sustaining of life, that we all must dedicate ourselves, as all honourable people do.�

“When a darkness falls,� here the light of the candles flickered and dimmed, “light must shine through the purer.� As he finished this phrase, Fawkes the Phoenix lit up in a brilliant light that was more keen and shapely amid the shadows than its candle-bound predecessors. Slowly, the light equalized and the candles were lit as before. Dumbledore seemed to retain that spark, that fiery light from Fawkes, in his words and motions.

“What I am asking of you,� said Dumbledore softly but clearly, “will be most dangerous and life-threatening at times, and many of you may not pull through with your lives intact. You may decline if you wish, and no one will think any less of you.�

No one breathed.

“As you well know, the Dark Lord Voldemort and his band of followers, the Death Eaters, are rapidly gaining control of our world. Naturally, there are witches and wizards determined on standing in his way. A select few of those people, myself included, formed a group called the Order of the Phoenix. We work in secret to try to suppress Lord Voldemort. The Order has many members—most of which will remain unknown to you for secrecy purposes—but as of this moment, Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters outnumber us. This is where all of you come in.

“As the Order’s leader, I have chosen you, Hogwarts’ finest, to join the Order of the Phoenix. The Founders chose to divide this school by those blurred lines of bravery, cunning, cleverness, and loyalty. This day, as you leave these hallowed halls, I ask that you forget these walls we all have forged and join together as one. Together, we are more cunning, clever, brave, and loyal than any of us apart.� As he pronounced the valued aspect of each House, Professor Dumbledore steadied his icy-blue eyes on a student from the House.

“However, as I said before, this organization cannot escape its brushes with death and danger, so it is understandable that some of you will decline joining the Order.�

There was silence for a moment as the students digested all of this, then-

“I’m in,� said James firmly, rising from his seat proudly.

“Me, too,� Sirius, Remus and Peter echoed while they stood, followed almost immediately by Lily, Alice, and Frank. Soon, every student in the office was standing, steadfast and defiant. Fawkes took off from his perch, trilling a twisting melody that leapt and fell with wild abandon. The occupants of the office watched the phoenix’s majestic flight, feeling their hearts swell with strength and hope.

“Bravo,� said Professor Dumbledore, clapping his hands together and positively beaming at his pupils. “I will be in contact with all of you shortly into the summer with further instructions.�

The graduates left Dumbledore’s office, most strangely subdued. James and Lily walked side by side, but Lily hung back slightly when the other Marauders joined James and began conversing with their heads slightly together.

On one hand, Lily was thoroughly elated. The commencement ceremonies had not yet faded from the Hogwarts grounds. She was going to be living with her wonderful, loving, nearly perfect boyfriend and his family, and would be attending Heirem Venenietus Potions Academy in the fall. To top it all off, she had just joined an exclusive group that was active in the war against Lord Voldemort. On the other hand, however, Lily was nervous. While she felt positive that joining the Order of the Phoenix was the right thing to do, she, James, and all of their friends would be putting their lives even more in danger. Though we seem to do that on a regular basis, thought Lily wryly. She worried no more about it presently because just then, James joined her.

“Talk about leaving school with a bang, eh, Lily?�

“Mmm,� was all she said, and she leaned in to kiss the man she loved.

And then frightened, frantic screams pierced the laziness of the after-ceremony, breaking up the pleasant conversations and wishes of congratulations.

Lily and James broke apart quickly, turning in the direction that most of the crowd was now facing.

“Oh no,� said Lily the same time that James exclaimed, “Death Eaters!� They both drew their wands.

A few cheers rang out from among the screams. Dumbledore, they chanted.

“He’s here,� James said. His voice had taken on such a loathing tone that Lily knew James did not mean Dumbledore. She followed his steady gaze. There, in the midst of his Death Eaters, was Lord Voldemort himself. An involuntary shudder temporarily shook Lily’s entire body as she set her gaze upon the Dark Lord. But James’ eyes were fixed upon the person behind Voldemort.

“Who-?�

“My father.� James’ eyes had a hardened, blazing anger deep within his umber orbits.

“Are you sure that’s him?� Lily asked uncertainly, peering intently at the man charging across the grounds.

“I know my father. That’s him.�

“James," began Lily warningly, gently. "Don’t do anything you’ll wish you hadn’t…�

“Lily, I’m not going to fight my own father. Let’s help Dumbledore.�

Professor Dumbledore had the new Order members gathered, wands held in front of them, ready to fight.

“Your time for aid has come, it seems. A bit earlier than expected, but no matter,� Dumbledore said hurriedly. “Do not be afraid of the foes you face. Stand strong. Simple Stunners ought to suffice if you are hard pressed. Stay out of Lord Voldemort’s range. With that said, drego morn*!�

Their action only slightly delayed by the curious last words of the Headmaster, the students and teachers charged the Death Eaters. Immediately, the front line of both sides crumpled. Spells of every colour and intensity flew in all directions. Some were aimed to kill, others to cause suffering, and still others were fired simply for the sake of striking at the enemy. From a distance, the light show would no doubt have been beautiful; up close, it was terrifying. The innocent spectators who had come to partake in the commencement ceremonies fled for the shelter of the towering, impassable Hogwarts school. The first major battle of the First War had begun. A handful of Death Eaters stood off to the side, picking off at random the spectators as they ran headlong up the path. Lily saw this and was incensed.

“Stupefy!� yelled Lily.

After a seemingly endless period, Lily finally had a moment to catch her breath. She had certainly held her own, to her satisfaction; but she was lucky to have made it thus far with only a few shallow slashes on her arms and cheeks, and what promised to be a severe headache later on. She quickly laced her wounds to the best of her abilities, and then looked around to see where she could be of assistance. A darting mop of messy black hair caught her eye immediately. James was duelling a thick-limbed, red-haired Death Eater. Both of them were panting in their exhaustion, and neither looked as if he was making much headway in battle. As they straightened up to begin fighting again, Lily noticed that she was not the only one to gain an interest in James’ duel.

Voldemort remembers James! thought Lily, an arrow of fear piercing her heart as she pressed through the mass of wizards and witches engaged in battles to the death. I will never make it in time…

Luck then graced a rapidly tiring James. As he dodged yet another green burst of light, a fallen comrade glanced the back of the red-haired Death Eater, throwing him off-balance. A quick “Petrificus totalus!� from James incapacitated him. A second more and the Death Eater’s wand was snapped in two.

“Whew,� breathed James, relieved.

“Excellent work, Potter,� came a cold, high voice James had hoped he would never hear again. Immediately, his wand was back at eye level.

“Unfortunately for you,� Voldemort said, narrowing even more his slitted red eyes, “you have yet chosen the wrong side to pledge your allegiance. The losing side.�

James angrily shot a flaming blue whip at the Dark Lord.

“Tsk, tsk,� said Voldemort patronisingly, effortlessly sidestepping James’ hex. “You must learn respect for your superiors, James.�

His curse left James writhing and screaming in agony on the ground at his feet. Voldemort laughed cruelly.

“Funny, isn’t it?� he said softly. “Two members of the same family lost in the same, undignified manner, screaming like animals. Going to beg for your life now, James?�

“No,� James spat, blood dribbling from his lip as he pushed himself up laboriously from the ground.

“I don’t believe you’ll be rising from there again.� Voldemort’s mouth, twisted in a horrific smile, began to form the words that would end James’ life.

“No, you won’t!� Lily threw herself over James’ half-risen body, blocking him from Voldemort’s line of fire.

“Foolish Mudblood,� spat Voldemort. “I don’t have time for your heroism! Avada-�

A blurred black shape suddenly raced across Lily’s vision, blocking Voldemort from view.

“-Kedavra!�

The body fell heavily beside Lily. It was-

“No!� James’ howl was torn from his throat as Voldemort bellowed his displeasure at the betrayal of one of his own Death Eaters.

Voldemort raised his wand a second time, a most frightening shadow of fury covering his face, but Lily and James were spared from his wrath by the arrival of Dumbledore. A shocked Lily watched the two most powerful wizards in the world engage in a fierce battle before James’ desperate voice claimed her attention.

“Oh, God!� he moaned in a strangled voice, running a hand across his face and grasping his hair with both hands. “My father is dead!�

Lily crawled to him and held his head to her chest. She rocked him while the tears ran in torrents over his sweaty, dirt-streaked cheeks, his words flowing into each other until they were an indecipherable wail of anguish muted only slightly by Lily’s robes. Spells ricocheted dangerously off the rocks about them, but they did not see it.

“I am so sorry, James,� Lily said, tears of empathy filling her own eyes. She was at a loss for words; she knew only too well that there was nothing comforting she could possibly say to ease James’ suffering. Lily looked down into the wide-open eyes of James’ father. Though his robes were those of a follower of Voldemort, he had distinguished himself from every Death Eater on the battlefield. He had willingly given his life for his only son. He had failed to protect his daughter. It had tormented him to no end, Lily knew. Perhaps now, for himself, he had finally made some amends.

James pulled away from Lily suddenly. “I’m going to kill him,� he said calmly, then bolted to his feet, aiming for where Voldemort and Dumbledore were battling ferociously.

“James, NO!� Lily yelled loudly, catching him by the arm. “You’ll kill yourself! Stop it!�

“No,� he snarled, a reckless sort of anger taking hold of him. “I will kill that sodding bastard!� He tried to shrug her off, but Lily held on tightly.

“Let go of me, Lily!�

“No, I won’t! You must stop, James!� They were fighting each other tooth and nail, each of them flailing arms and legs, neither caring where their limbs connected.

“James!� came Sirius’ voice.

“Please help me!� cried a panicking Lily, on the verge of angry tears.

“What’s happened?� Sirius panted as he and Lily bodily restrained James.

“VOLDEMORT KILLED MY FATHER!� bellowed James. “I’LL KILL HIM!�

Sirius swore.

“No, you won’t, James. Listen to reason,� he said. “You’ll get yourself killed. No one 'cept Dumbledore stands a chance against Voldemort.�

“Please stop, James,� said Lily desperately, her tired muscles crying out against the strain of holding him back. “Your father died to protect you. Stop fighting us. I will Stun you.�

Her desperate tone rather than the threat halted James’ struggle. He sagged against them as if suddenly and completely drained of energy and willpower. His face was still wet with tears and blood. Just then, it began to rain.

Lily blinked the droplets out of her eyes and surveyed the grounds, littered with witches and wizards scuttling around like ants. All around them people were moaning as they died, shouting as they released a spell or were hit by one, wailing as they called out to slain friends.

“There are too many of them,� Lily said hopelessly.

“Where are the bloody Aurors?� interjected Sirius angrily.

As if answering Sirius’ call, the blue robes of countless Aurors flooded onto Hogwarts grounds, a veritable welling ocean of force.

“Finally,� muttered Sirius.

“James?� questioned Lily tentatively, turning her attention back to him.

“I’m all right, Lily,� he replied tonelessly. He straightened his shoulders and Sirius and Lily finally released his arms. “They still need our help.� Without a glance back at his father’s body, James launched himself into the fray. Lily and Sirius exchanged a wordless, worried glance, and then separated.

Various wizards and witches had halted their duels and were standing rooted to the spot, staring transfixed at the two titans locked in combat. However, with the arrival of the Aurors, the battles began anew. A few feet to Lily’s left, Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures professor, was exchanging spells wildly with his opponent. A jet of purple sent the professor sprawling. The Death Eater caught a glimpse of Lily.

“Care for a dance, poppet?� he grinned sinisterly.

Flaming anger ignited in Lily’s chest.

“Conglaco!� she shouted. A stream of water spouted from Lily’s wand to the Death Eater’s outstretched arm, crackling as it turned to rock-solid ice. Glacial torrents had soon encased the man’s entire body. Lily broke the wand from his icy fingers and ignited it with her own wand. The flames leapt rapidly toward her fingers and she tossed the burning strip of wood to the ground.

“Professor?� Lily whipped around, her eyes searching for the fallen professor. He was kneeling on the ground a short distance away.

“Miss Evans!� He called her over.

Lily knelt beside the professor and nearly jumped back in horror. The body was that of a sixth year Ravenclaw student, Richard Emrich. His leg had been sliced, the bone cleanly cleaved in two. The ground was covered in dark, wet blood that the rain was diluting into the surrounding grass. A quiet trickle dripped from the stump of Richard’s leg.

“Please transport Mr. Emrich to the hospital wing,� wheezed the professor, working quickly to bandage Richard’s leg. “You must hurry. He hasn’t much time.� Professor Kettleburn conjured a floating stretcher and levitated the ashen-faced Ravenclaw onto it.

“Go quickly. I’m needed here.�

Lily ran as fast as her tired legs could take her, concentrating on training her wand on the stretcher floating before her and nothing else. The acknowledgement of the cries as their owners lay dying on the ground would be her undoing.

“Madam Pomfrey!� she gasped as she burst through the open doors of the hospital wing.

The wing was bustling with the noise of patients and students aiding the nurse. It reeked of blood. Madam Pomfrey detached herself distractedly from a patient’s bedside and rushed to Emrich’s levitating cot.

“Oh dear,� she muttered as she quickly looked him over. “Set him down over there, Miss Evans.�

“Is there anything I can do?� asked Lily anxiously, clutching at a chest that was gasping in searing breaths of air.

“No, no, Healers from St. Mungo’s are on their way. They should be arriving any time now. However, you can bring me the wounded from the grounds, Miss Evans. Trot!�

“I’ll go with you, Lily!� called Peter Pettigrew, emerging from the crowd.

“I just brought Hooper in,� panted Peter as he and Lily raced through the corridors. “Broken ribcage.�

In the same moment that Lily and Peter flew into the entrance hall, the huge wooden doors opened inward. Peter instinctively grabbed a fistful of Lily’s robes and pulled her after him into the shadows behind the nearest tapestry. They stood unmoving in the dark, their laboured breathing effortfully muffled, Peter’s hand still resting on Lily’s arm, both of them straining their ears to recognise the voices.

“I need you to do it now,� they heard Lord Voldemort say. “Mulciber and Nott are already stationed at the Ministry. Go; bring him here. Time is of the essence. You know the consequences, should you fail.�

“Yes, Master,� at least two meek voices answered immediately. Among the quick scuttling of footsteps, another voice asked, “Master, what about Dumbledore?�

“I have sent a rather…giant distraction for him,� replied Voldemort, a cruel smile twisting his snakelike face. “Now leave!� There was a clap of footsteps as the man hurried to oblige his master.

Peter and Lily watched from a tiny opening in the tapestry as Lord Voldemort strode briskly down the corridor, both of them hardly daring to move or breathe too loudly. When he was out of sight, Lily whispered to Peter, “Let’s follow him.�

“No,� he said in a panicked sort of voice, tightening his grip on Lily’s arm, causing her to squirm uncomfortably. He released her, apologizing, but was not deterred. “We can’t just go racing after You-Know-You, Lily.�

“Well, we certainly cannot stand here doing nothing,� she whispered back vehemently.

“Oh!� Peter gasped excitedly. He rummaged around in his pockets for a moment before pulling out a slightly-rumpled piece of parchment. He pointed his wand at it and muttered, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.�

“Excellent,� exclaimed Lily, pulling on the tapestry to let in a little more light. Peter tilted the Marauder’s Map toward the light, and he and Lily both bent over it, searching for Lord Voldemort. They saw him pacing on the seventh floor before disappearing completely off the map.

“The Room of Requirement,� they said together.

“What d’you think he’s doing in there?� Peter wondered.

“We must go after him,� Lily said resolutely.

“Lily,� Peter cut in. “Think logically. We cannot possibly hope to out-duel Lord Voldemort. What do you think we can do to stop him?�

Lily gaped at him. In the months that she had been dating James, her previous ideas of all four Marauders had been nearly revolutionized, but Peter had been the one whose intelligence had not been updated in accordance with his behaviour. Against all of her stereotypes and expectations, Peter was turning out to be a clever fellow, albeit a slightly whiney, eager-to-please one. He wasn’t completely daft, and now more than ever his statements were making complete, undeniable sense.

“Yes, you’re right,� she said absently, thinking hard. “What should we do, then? Voldemort is obviously planning something horrific…Should we alert Professor Dumbledore? The Ministry is possibly going to be attacked, so they’ll be of no help…Should we send an owl? It may be too late-�

“He’s coming back,� said Peter suddenly, pocketing the map as Lily hastily released the tapestry, sending the pair of them plunging into darkness once more.

The tall, wooden doors to the entrance hall opened then, just as Voldemort rounded the corner, carrying a gleaming silver sword in his right hand. The grip of the sword encased glittering rubies the size of eggs. The three Death Eaters who had just entered were suspending between them a man Lily recognized as Charles Robards, the Ministry of Magic’s Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

“Mr. Robards,� spoke Voldemort in a mock-gracious hiss, “it is a pleasure that you could be here.�

“What could you possibly want with me?� asked Robards coolly, though he was struggling to maintain his composure.

“You, sir, have been most improperly leaking some valuable information of mine to Albus Dumbledore and his bothersome Order of the Phoenix, have you not? That, my friend is unacceptable.�

“I thank you, Nott, Mulciber, Rosier, for bringing Mr. Robards to our little party,� said Voldemort. “You may leave us now. Ah, not you, Mr. Robards.�

Voldemort flicked his wand carelessly and Robards, no wand in sight, quickly flew to the Dark Lord as if connected to a puppeteer’s strings.

“You know, Mr. Robards, I do not take well to being subjugated by interference,� Lord Voldemort’s voice was low now, cruel and mocking. “You thought you could best me? No one deludes the Dark Lord Voldemort. Fear not; your death will not be in vain. It will serve a greater purpose.�

Voldemort had his back facing Lily and Peter, so they could not make out his next words very well. Peter leaned in closer to the gap in the tapestry.

“Have you…heard of…-crux…�

Charles Robards looked puzzled.

Voldemort held up the jewel-encrusted sword.

“This will be my advocate in accomplishing what no other man has ever dreamed of achieving.�

Lily was greatly bewildered by this declaration. How on earth could that sword, so small in the scheme of things, possibly help Lord Voldemort gain control over the entirety of Britain?

“Now, onto business,� said Voldemort, sneering humourlessly at the broken man at his feet.

“Avada Kedavra!�

Peter and Lily watched, horrified, as Charles Robards crumpled to the stone floor in the entrance hall. Almost immediately, Lord Voldemort began to wave his wand in a complicated, intricate pattern, fluidly moving the strip of wood in controlled loops and slashes through the air, tracing sequences that he alone could see. Through her shock, Lily tried to engrave every movement in her mind, but she could not follow the erratic patterns.

Swirling, colourful flashes of light that resembled the leaping Aurora Borealis, or brightly coloured matches being struck and then quickly blown out, accompanied the wand swishes. Voldemort’s mouth moved silently as he muttered a lengthy incantation unknown to Lily. After a full two minutes of spell casting and light flashing, Voldemort held the glistening sword, which hummed quietly for a moment as it vibrated, out in front of him, then released it. The sword flew up the staircase and out of sight.

Back to the Come and Go Room, Lily guessed.

With another flick of the wand, Charles Robards’ lifeless body was dragged across the stone floor behind Voldemort. Lord Voldemort flung open the doors and held up the secretary’s body to the crowd like a trophy before throwing it unceremoniously to the side like a rag doll. The doors thudded closed loudly, abruptly cutting off the image of a laughing Lord Voldemort.

Lily and Peter waited tensely for a moment before cautiously stepping out of their hiding place behind the tapestry.

“What the bleedin’ hell was that all about?� Peter burst out as he and Lily set out once more for the battlefield.

“I have no idea,� replied Lily, thoroughly mystified by Lord Voldemort’s strange behaviour.

“You mean you weren’t witnesses, then?� said Nott suddenly from behind them.

Peter and Lily turned, startled.

“Obliviate!� cried the Death Eater, then “Impedimenta!� Lily and Peter crumpled in a heap, tumbling helplessly downward before coming to a halt halfway down the slick stone staircase.

A/N: *“Drego morn!� was a traditional battle cry of the Men of the North in the First Age, as told in the Silmarillion, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. I wanted something extremely eccentric for Dumbledore, and this seemed to fit.
I also used JKR’s own description of Gryffindor’s sword. It’s almost exactly word for word out of The Chamber of Secrets, American paperback version, page 320.

Every bone in Peter Pettigrew’s body seemed to ache. Odd, he groaned to himself, I don’t remember it being the full moon already. He opened his eyes and slowly raised his throbbing head ever so slightly off the pillow. He was in the hospital wing. A very noisy hospital wing. Peter was surprised that the noise had not woken him sooner. How did he get here, anyway?

Peter turned his head to the right. Lily Evans was in the cot beside him, just barely regaining consciousness. She blearily took in her surroundings and then caught sight of Peter. He smiled weakly at her.

“What happened?� she croaked.

“I requested the wounded from the grounds, and you brought me yourself as a replacement, Miss Evans,� said Madam Pomfrey briskly, hustling over to their cots. “I hear the two of you had a rather nasty fall.�

“I guess we did,� said a bewildered Peter, not really remembering, but he assumed that was what had happened.

“Where do you think you’re going, Miss Evans?� said Madam Pomfrey sharply to Lily, who had thrown off her bedclothes and begun to rise from her bed.

“I need to find James,� she said steadily, even while swaying and gripping the bed frame for support.

“No, you don’t.� Madam Pomfrey pushed Lily firmly back down. “You and Mr. Pettigrew will stay put until I have examined you thoroughly.�

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey,� said Lily rather meekly, surprising Peter. He had thought for sure that Lily would have protested. He watched her closely as she settled back into bed.

“That’s a good girl,� said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. “I’ll be back with a potion for those injuries shortly.�

As soon as she was out of sight, Lily bolted from her bed, Peter scrambling belatedly behind her.

They opened the entrance doors overlooking the grounds. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, putting a hazy mist over their vision. Voldemort and his legion of Death Eaters were nowhere to be seen, but his perished followers were littering the wet ground, side by side with their enemies, the heroes of the Light. Lily and Peter wandered through the paths shaped by bodies and debris, searching for, yet dreading finding, a familiar face.

“Look, Lily,� whispered Peter, pointing to their right. He felt as if he was walking in a graveyard, and lowered his voice out of respect for those departed. Lily’s eyes followed his chubby finger downward.

“Oh, no,� she murmured. Professor Findlay, the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, was sprawled on the ground, her wand still clutched in her outstretched arm. Judging by the stricken expression frozen on her face, she did not appear to have died a painless death.

“The poor professor,� whispered Lily, closing her eyes and turning her face away, willing her brain to forget the image in front of her.

“There’s James!� exclaimed Peter, waving frantically. Lily squinted at the mass moving slowly toward them. Sirius and James were supporting a limping Remus between them.

“Who was it, Remus?� asked Lily as the two groups approached each other.

“Snape,� he grunted. James flashed Lily a sudden accusing glare, as if it was her fault that Snape had attacked Remus. She ignored him.

“Well, carry on to the hospital wing, then,� she said. “James,� she touched his arm. “Are you alright?�

“Please don’t start, Lily,� he said abruptly, not meeting her eyes. His words stung and surprised Lily, but she brushed them off.

“Okay, then, where’s Dumbledore?�

“Over there,� James inclined his head in the direction.

Lily nodded and kissed his cheek gently. “Ta, love,� she murmured, and then with forced cheerfulness, “Let’s get orders from Dumbledore, eh, Pete?�

They parted with the other Marauders and made their way to the Headmaster. Lily worried about James. Thus far, he was not handling his father’s death well, which was perfectly understandable at this point. Lily knew what James was suffering, but that did not mean that she would stand aside and allow James to give in and retreat inside of himself. He had been there to ground her when her parents had died, and no matter how much he tried to push away, Lily would not abandon him now.

***

After speaking with Professor Dumbledore, Peter and Lily scoured the vast lawn spreading out from Hogwarts Castle, looking for any survivors that may need medical attention. The Headmaster had also instructed them to identify anyone they possibly could, but only if the identity was absolutely certain.

Lily took a deep breath to steel herself as she knelt next to the nearest body, the face pressed into the grass. She reached with her left hand, keeping a firm grip on her wand with her right, and gently turned the person over so that he was lying face up. She recognized the mask immediately as that of a Death Eater and immediately withdrew her hand from the shoulder, as if the Death Eater was the Dark Lord himself. After a moment of calming herself, Lily removed the mask. Glazed, brown eyes bored into her green ones, slightly shocking Lily. Her eyes travelled over the Death Eater’s face, and Lily took in the sharp contours of the nose and cheekbones. She saw that he was a male, and that he had been bleeding profusely from a deep gash gouged along the left side of his jawbone and underneath his right ear. Lily toppled backward, horrified by the ugly laceration marring the Death Eater’s otherwise handsome face. She felt extremely light-headed, and took slow, deep breaths to prevent herself from fainting.

When she regained some semblance of composure, Lily again focused upon the body before her. She had to check for a pulse. As she brought her hand to the least bloodied side of the man’s neck, his eyes slowly followed her. She gasped in revulsion.

“He’s alive!� she breathed. How could that possibly be when he had most likely been lying there bleeding for hours? Nevertheless, this Death Eater was alive, but just barely.

Lily concentrated on quickly conjuring a hospital stretcher. She produced a bandage and, immobilizing the man, wrapped it gently around his neck. She then levitated the man onto the stretcher and sent both toward the castle and into the hospital wing.

She felt odd about saving the Death Eater, an obvious supporter of Lord Voldemort. Were he able to, he would have killed Lily before she could have helped him. Instead of returning his malice in like kind, she had just saved his life. After all, she reasoned firmly with herself, that man was a human being, too. A suffering human. And no one, not even a Death Eater, deserved to suffer like that. With her resolve somewhat tightened, Lily moved on to the next broken body.

***

Had Lily been granted her wish, she would have had no memory of the awful days to follow. However, no lamp was fortunate enough to cross paths with Lily Evans, so her memory remained.

Members of the Ministry of Magic had been called to Hogwarts to collect the corpses, dispel the press that had caught wind of the attack, and to take the wounded Death Eaters into custody. Voldemort’s attack had left dozens of students, professors, Aurors, civilians, and Death Eaters dead, and over one hundred wounded, all told, not counting escaped Death Eaters. Madam Pomfrey mended many, but others were whisked away by Floo and Portkey to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. There were funerals and memorial services to attend, one emotional massacre after another, until the Hogwarts community felt utterly drained. By the end of it, all pain was dull and feeble as compared to the initial shock. Anger welled more prominently than any sense of loss.

The Hogwarts Express, delayed by a few days, had just pulled into the station at King’s Cross, and Lily and James were preparing to Apparate to the Potters’ home. Previously in the day, they had once again graced the lush castle grounds, this time under a beaming mid-June sun for the funeral of Professors Findlay, a married couple who had taught Defence Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Lily and James had sent their belongings to the Potter residence beforehand and were now saying goodbye to the friends who had still remained at Hogwarts.

“Oh, I’ll miss you, Lily!� gushed Dorcas Meadowes, one of Alice’s best friends.

“You as well,� said Lily, capturing both Alice and Dorcas in a squished hug. “But I’ll see you both at the wedding in two weeks.�

Alice smiled brightly, blushing slightly; her smile faded marginally as she said, “Both of you try to be safe until then, understand? I don’t want anything to happen to my two best friends.�

“We’ll try,� Dorcas answered for them both. “And you heed your own advice, eh, Alice?�

“I will.� The girls parted.

Lily turned, searching the crowd for James, whom she spotted a short distance away with the other three Marauders. Lily joined them, silently slipping her hand into James’ hanging limply at his side. He pressed his palm to hers and graced her with a smile.

“So, I expect I’ll be seeing a lot of you boys over the summer, then?� said Lily. It wasn’t really a question.

“Oh, you can count on it, Lily,� said Sirius cheerfully. “It’ll be almost as if we’re all living together.�

Lily groaned good-naturedly. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle that much maturity,� she said wryly.

“You’ll be able to,� said Peter simply. “We’ve grown up, you see.�

Silence fell as they soaked in Peter’s abrupt yet truthful statement.

“Yeah, I guess you have,� Lily said softly, briefly catching James’ eye. She embraced the other three men one by one, echoing Alice’s earlier sentiments.

“Be safe, all of you,� she urged, releasing a slightly reddening Peter.

“You, too,� they chorused.

“See you soon.�

They went their separate ways, leaving Lily and James alone.

“Well,� said Lily to James after a short pause. “Shall we go, then?�

“Yeah.�

“James?� said Lily impulsively, halting James mid-turn.

“Yes?� he replied.

“I love you,� she said quietly, gazing up into his eyes with such intense tenderness that reminded James of all that he was still blessed with, even though he had lost someone valuable and irreplaceable.

He stared back into those pools of liquid emerald that were reflecting the brightness of the day. Merlin, he loved her. There were many things he would like to say to her, but his mind could not manage to form coherent sentences. She had saved him more than once in the last week, from both Lord Voldemort and the devices of his own mind. He would have lost himself to the recesses of despair if Lily had not been there to stop him and jostle his lethargic body back into the world of the living. There was a war tearing apart the world around them, but Lily was there to keep him grounded in reality.

His voice full of emotion, James replied, “I love you, also, Lily Evans,� and kissed her fervently on her rosy lips. Lily and James disengaged a moment later, each grinning giddily as they spun around together, perfectly in sync, for the journey home.

A/N: The title for this last chapter was taken from a quotation by a woman named Sonia Johnson, who said: “As we do at such times I turned on my automatic pilot and went through the motions of normalcy on the outside, so that I could concentrate all my powers on surviving the near-mortal wound inside.� (www.thinkexist.com) I found that it described the aftermath of Voldemort’s first attack almost perfectly.