Summary: Lily Evans has always ha
ted James Potter. That is, ever since first year when he turned her purple. But as she enters her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, things start changing...
5-31-07--Doing a major update to the first 5 chapters to make them fit with the rest of the story. You may want to actually reread them! Chaps 1-3 are done.
Categories: James/Lily Characters: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 8
Completed: Yes
Word count: 11471
Read: 34804
Published: 07/29/06
Updated: 06/15/07
1. Badges by Pinkerton
2. Hogwarts, At Last! by Pinkerton
3. Saved by Remus...I Think? by Pinkerton
4. Pickles by Pinkerton
5. Mind Games by Pinkerton
6. A Dreadful Discovery by Pinkerton
7. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs by Pinkerton
8. All's Well That Ends Even Better by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
Whew! Okay, I finally got this up. I'll try to get the next chapters up ASAP, don't bug me about it people! D;
Lily’s mind raced. This can’t be happening, she told herself. No one in their right mind would make James Potter Head Boy!
Before she had read this letter, Lily Evans had actually been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. It was her favorite place on earth, after all. But unfortunately, that same place was also inhabited by some of her least favorite people…the most prominent of these being James Potter. And she had been made Head Girl. Which meant she would have to see him…have to talk to him…every…single…week.
Maybe he’s changed, she thought desperately. Maybe he’s not the pompous, puffed-up, arrogant toerag he was last year. Actually, she hadn’t seen him all that much last year. She’d managed to avoid him most of the time…except for when he’d stay behind after class to ask her out, then just grin and swagger away when she refused. Just this thought made her feel a twinge of anger. Oh Merlin, please let him be different this year. She put down the letter and continued packing.
It was an unusually blustery fall day as Lily Evans and her family got off the subway train at King’s Cross Station. Lily shivered and wrapped her coat tighter around her. Heaving her trunk behind her, she made her way towards the platform between 9 and 10.
“Lily! Over here!”
She turned around as someone called her name. Anne Jenkins was in the crowd behind her, standing on tip-toe and waving. Lily smiled and waved back.
“Hey, sorry I haven’t written you!” said her friend breathlessly as she fought her way to her. “I’ve been in Romania all summer. Will has been using the family owl non stop. We think he’s got a girlfriend.” Anne made a retching noise.
“That’s okay,” Lily said, happy just to see a familiar face. “So how was your summer?”
“The usual. Mum understood about half the words I said.” Anne laughed. Her mother was a Muggle, and her dad was a wizard. “What about you?”
“Er,” said Lily, a bit unsure, “it was all right. Except--well--hang on.” She stopped and set her trunk down. Opening the lid a crack, she reached her hand inside and brought out something small and shiny. Something that made Anne shriek so loudly passers-by covered their ears and Lily laughed will amusement.
“Oh my God”Lily, you’re--you’re Head Girl!” said Anne in a whisper. Unable to contain herself any longer, she squealed shrilly. “Who’s Head Boy?”
Lily’s smile disappeared and Anne stopped jumping up and down. “What?” she said. Lily sighed.
“You know how I told you last year that if I’d rather die by butcher knife than see James Potter ever again?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So you better start sharpening your blades.”
Anne’s mouth opened in an expression of half horror, half amazement. “Oh Lily, no. James Potter? The James Potter?”
No, his evil twin.
“One and only,” said Lily grimly. “Come on, we better get onto the platform.”
They said goodbye to their families (both mothers began crying). Together the two girls walked up to Platform 9 ¾ and leaned casually against it, slipping through to the archway.
The crowds around the Hogwarts Express were almost as big as the ones at the Station, considering they contained parents and relatives. Lily gazed lovingly at the train. She had always been fond of its red, glossy paint and gold embossment. She was brought out of her reverie when Anne elbowed her in the ribs. They began pushing through the crowd. Anne boarded the train, but just when Lily had her foot on the step, an angry voice made her stop.
“No, she’s NOT!”
She stared around, trying to find the source of commotion. Then she saw, about three feet below her, two first year boys rolling on the ground. She quickly bent to their level and held them apart. Each one continued flailing his fists, glaring at the other.
“Is there a problem here?” she asked looking from one to another.
One with short brown hair spoke up first. Angry tears were spilling out of his eyes. “He called my sister a Mudblood!”
She stared at the other boy. “Is this true?”
“Yeah, it is!” said the other boy, who had blonde hair. “She’s a stupid daughter of Muggles who--“
She loosed both of them and clapped a hand over the boy’s mouth. “That is no way to talk to another student!” She then turned to the other boy and wiped a tear from his face. “Don’t you worry about what anyone says of your sister. Why, I’m Muggleborn, and I’m a proper witch-“
The blonde boy glared at her. “You mean you’re a Mudblood too?”
Her stomach gave a funny lurch. How she hated that word…
“What did you say to her?” Came a voice from behind her. She turned around. It was James Potter, and he looked livid.
The boy didn’t answer. James bent down and grabbed him by the neck of his robes. “Don’t you ever call her that again, or anyone else for that matter. Do you understand me?”
“Yes…” mumbled the boy. James put him down. “Good. Now go find a compartment with the some other Slytherins.” The boy stalked off. Lily turned her attention back to the brown-haired boy in front of her. “You go ahead too, and if you need a place to sit just come find me. Okay?”
“All right,” he said, wiping his eyes and smiling. “You’re nice.” And to Lily’s delight, he wrapped his small arms around her in a hug.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough, board the train,” said James a little impatiently. The boy detached himself and waved to her as he ran onto the train. She stood up and turned around. James was standing there, smiling at her. “Funny how you can always tell the Slytherins,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said stiffly. “I never thought anyone would call the Head Girl a-“ She broke off. His smile faltered
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said coolly and began to push past him. “See you.” And with that, she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Yes, that’s plucky Potter for you. Rushing to the aide of the damsel in distress. Honestly, I could have handled that situation myself! She walked through the corridors of the train, practically seething about Potter and all his shortcomings. Bloody pig head. Just then, she caught sight of a brunette mane in front of her.
“Anne! Anne, over here!” The girl turned around. “Aha! I wondered where you were.”
“Yeah, sorry,” said Lily. “There was-“ She was cut off as someone tugged her hair lightly from behind. She turned around. It was Jennifer Pierce, and she was grinning.
“Jen!” squealed Lily and Anne in unison.
“The one, the only,” said Jen, still smiling.
“Oh my gosh, we have so much to tell you!” said Anne as they group-hugged.
“Yeah, well, I’d rather we not do it here. We’re kind of blocking the whole corridor. Let’s find a compartment; there should be an empty one near the back.”
Lily faltered. “I can’t. I have to meet James in the prefect compartment.”
Jen’s eyebrows rose. “’James’? Since when do you call him ‘James’?” Lily flushed in spite of herself. She hadn’t meant to call him James...
“Since they’re both school Heads,” said Anne, giggling again.
“Oh wow! Well done, Lily, I didn’t know you were Head Girl!” said Jen with a smile.
Lily smiled too. “Thanks. I’m not sure it’s going to be the tea party I bargained for, though.”
“Well, we’ll see you later. I think we’ll be in the last compartment, okay?”
“See you then.”
But as she turned around to head to the front carriage, Anne practically screamed, “And say hello to James for us!”
Lily ignored it.
After a little bit of pushing, she managed to get through the flow of students to the very front compartment. She slid the door open…empty. Walking in and sitting down near the window, she checked her watch. 10:56. She was late, but Potter was later.
As if thinking his name was a summons, the door to the compartment banged open a little violently and James Potter walked in. He rumpled his messy black hair as he saw her.
“Hey, Evans.” He said casually. She raised an eyebrow. He put on an innocent face as he sat down opposite her. “What?”
“You’re late.”
“My apologies, fair one. Sirius and I required a crucial discussion, due to the fact that Hogwarts will be swarming with fresh first years tonight.”
She raised the other eyebrow. “I hope you’re not planning anything I’ll have to clean up.”
“No worries,” was all the answer she got. She couldn’t help but feel a small sense of foreboding. As the minutes ticked by, he took a snitch out of his pocket and started fiddling with its wings. Lily found herself staring at his head. Was it just her, or was his hair even messier than last year?
Just then, the door slid open again and Professor McGonagall walked in. Lily saw James hurriedly put the snitch in his pocket out of the corner of her eye.
“There you two are, here are the schedules for Head and prefect duties.” She handed them each a stack of parchments. Lily glanced down at hers.
Prefect Duties:
Gryffindor shift; 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays
Ravenclaw shift; 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Hufflepuff shift; 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Slytherin shift; 3:30-6:30 p.m. on Sundays
Head Duties:
Patrol corridors at 9:00 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays
Discuss problems and concerns during monthly meetings
Change all House passwords every three weeks
Add or subtract House points when seen fit
“Please hand these out to all the prefects, their names are at the bottom of the page. You will also be required to change a House password if someone in a different house somehow discovers it.” Said Professor McGonagall. “This year, we decided to give you the privilege of giving and taking House points. Please do not abuse it.” She looked pointedly at James, who winked at her. “I suppose that is all. You may go.”
Lily jumped up and left the compartment at top speed before James could say a word to her, the parchments still clutched in her hand. She sped all the way down the corridor and didn’t stop until she reached the last compartment. She wrenched the door open and flung herself down.
“Why Miss Evans, what a pleasant surprise!”
She looked up at the strange voice. To her horror, she saw the faces of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, all grinning at her.
“And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”
She had entered the Marauder’s compartment.
Hogwarts, At Last! by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
Took-so-long-must-repress-shame--GAH! D;
For a moment she just stared at them all in horror, her mouth slightly open. Then she stood up and turned to go, only to find her face inches James Potter’s. He looked a bit confused.
“Was there something you needed?” he asked.
She stepped away from him and gave him the nastiest look she could muster. “I need to get out.” She said through her teeth.
“But why!” exclaimed Sirius in mock dismay. “We were having so much fun. After all, it was you who entered our compartment. You can’t just leave!”
Try me. She found herself wishing fervently she was back in the prefect carriage. “I only came in here because I thought this was where my friends were.”
“But your friends are here,” said James. She glared at him so hard he seemed in danger of catching on fire. “Oh, just get out of my way.”
He stepped aside from the doorway and looked even more confused, as well as hurt.
She swept past him and out into the merciful corridor. She checked every compartment until she found one that contained the familiar faces of Anne and Jen.
“But”I”Lily”” stammered James desperately from behind her.
She turned around in a flash. “And DON’T call me Lily!”
With that, she whirled and yanked open the other door. No doubt they’re all laughing their heads off. As if I would ever seek out their horrific company… That was what she hated about Potter. He thought other people’s embarrassment was just the funniest thing in the world. How did he ever manage a position as Head Boy?
Jen and Anne appeared to have been talking, though they stopped when she came in.
“So?” said Anne expectantly as Lily sat down. “How’d it go?”
“How’d what go?” she said glumly, setting down the parchments in her hand. “The meeting, or the most embarrassing moment of my life?”
“Eh?”
“What happened, Lily?”
As she explained the story, Jen’s expression became more and more bewildered. “I don’t get it. It doesn’t sound like he did anything to embarrass you.”
“Well”I”what matters was that I was embarrassed, okay?” spluttered Lily. Jen gave her a ‘you’re paranoid’ look. “Riiiiiight. Look, Lil, it sounds like you just want an excuse not to like him.”
“I do not!” she said grumpily. Anne, who had remained silent throughout this narrative, suddenly burst out, “Oh, this is all my fault!”
Lily looked confused. “What? Why?”
“I was the one who told you we were going to be in the very last compartment! I’m so sorry, can you ever forgive me?”
Lily laughed. “Of course, don’t get so flustered about it! I should have looked to see who was in there before I just barged right in. Don’t let it get to you.”
Anne sniffed. “Thanks.”
“Aw, Kodak moment!” said Lily, clasping her hands over-sentimentally.
Jen looked curious. “What’s Kodak?”
“It’s…oh, nevermind.”
“If I may have all your attention, please.”
It was a stormy night in the Great Hall at Hogwarts (at least, according to the ceiling).
The chatter which had been going on before Professor Dumbledore spoke subsided.
“Now, I know you have all come a long way and are most likely ravenous.” He said, smiling. “Therefore, I have nothing else to say besides ‘dig in’!” There was a ripple of appreciative laughter before food appeared on the four long House tables, and everyone turned their attention towards them. Lily, Anne, and Jennifer, who were sitting side-by-side, returned to their conversation.
“Okay, so he said what again?”
Lily gave Anne an exasperated look. “I told you, he called me Lily and I told him not to. Well actually, I kind of yelled it.”
Anne squealed. “Gah!” yelled Jen. “Jeez, Anne, you have to stop doing that!”
“Sorry, it’s just…I knew it! I knew he’d still like you, even though you’re so frosty! Sorry,” she added quickly, looking rather sheepish.
“So yeah, Potter still likes me, the sky is still blue, blah blah blah. What else is new? Personally, I couldn’t care less if he was on the other side of the world.”
“She looks as if she wouldn’t care if you were on the other side of the world, mate.”
Sirius tried to snap James out of it as he gazed down the Gryffindor table at Lily Evans. She was chatting with her friends and did not even glance at James. He, meanwhile, was not listening to a word Sirius was saying.
Why is it she still hates me so much? Can she be that prejudiced? I did my best to be polite…Remus even gave me by-mail lessons. Thanks by the way for that, Moony.
“I wonder what they’re talking about…” he muttered. Sirius gave Remus a dark look.
“See what I mean? It looks like he’s about to drool. In fact…I think he is drooling.”
Remus put down his cup of pumpkin juice. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said fairly. “It looks like he’s just thinking.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he’s been staring at Lily Evans for the past ten minutes. Watch.” He leaned towards James. “Prongs? Oy, earth to Prongs! Woo-oo!” He waved his hand desperately in front of James’ face, who just sighed.
“See what I mean?” Sirius repeated as he sat down again. Remus just laughed. Suddenly, James turned away and put his chin in his hands. “I don’t get it!” he said. “Why does she hate me so much?”
“Well now, shall we do a quick review?” Said Sirius in his best teacher voice. “First year, levitated a balloon full of icy lake water right over her head. Granted you didn’t know her yet. Second year, threw a plate full of spaghetti at her back””
“That was an accident! I was aiming for Snape, you know I was, she just happened to walk in front of him!”
Remus gave Sirius a ‘can’t-you-see-he’s-in-pain’ look. Peter spoke up.
“Just because a certain blonde didn’t snog you the minute you got off the train doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us.”
Sirius smacked him on the side of the head, although he was for once lost for words.
Back at Lily’s end of the table, she was staring at a certain raven-haired someone, although with a little less fondness. Stupid prat, she thought. Why does he have to be so annoying? Why can’t he just leave me alone? I swear, if he wasn’t wearing a bloody badge on his chest, I wouldn’t even talk to him this year. She stabbed a baked potato with her fork in frustration. Taking her eyes off Potter, she turned instead to look at her friends.
Anne was a brown-eyed brunette who had a tendency to laugh at rather inappropriate times. She was the picture of cheerfulness and optimism, always looking on the bright side of the situation. Most people thought she was a bit useless and ditsy. Lily knew better. Anne was capable of unbelievable amounts of loyalty and courage, although very few knew it. Like the time in fifth year when Lily had been going to Hogsmeade with Amos Diggory, Anne had let her use the very last of her precious hair mousse.
Jennifer, on the other hand, was basically a real-life Malibu Barbie. She was very tall, and had tan skin that contrasted with her wavy blonde hair. Her eyes were Lily’s favorite part though. The left one was blue, while the right was half brown and half green. She had gone out with several guys in the past couple years, although they had been too intimidated by her good looks and she had dumped them. That was the way Jen worked. You couldn’t handle her, she couldn’t stand you. But just like Anne she had a hidden side. If you knew her well enough, she was really kind and caring. Most of the time she covered it up with her adorable cynicism.
As Lily looked at her friends, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly. They were so different…and yet they fit together so well. It was like they’d swapped personalities so that they were as confusing as possible. She couldn’t have asked for better friends. Unlike a certain someone and his two moronic cronies. Without thinking, she looked back at Potter.
Meanwhile, Anne and Jen watched Lily. They slipped each other knowing looks when she turned her attention back to Potter. Each of them knew the other knew Lily didn’t know she liked him. It was a little thing called, ‘denial’. He wasn’t a truly bad guy, after all. He’d cleaned up his act a bit.
You see, they had made a deal with each other at the end of last year; that no matter how much she protested, Lily would be going out with James Potter by the end of seventh year. And both of them fully intended to keep it.
“Anne?” Jen whispered. Anne raised her eyebrows as a sign she had heard. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Anne grinned and nodded.
“Good,” said Jen, smirking as well. “Then let the games begin.”
Saved by Remus...I Think? by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
Sorry, I seem to be addicted to cliff-hangers lately. Enjoy. :)
Sitting in the common room an hour later, they were all unknowingly thinking of the same thing. Lily, however, held a book up in front her face as a cover. I know”I’ll go to Professor McGonagall. She’ll do something about it. She won’t let that hopeless git become Head Boy”
“Hey Lil?” came Anne’s voice from the armchair across from her. “What are you reading?”
“Wha…?” she said, caught off guard. “Well actually”er”I was just thinking….”
Jen grinned in a way that made her strongly resemble Sirius. “Oh. So that’s why you’re holding it upside down.”
Lily flushed and threw the book onto the coffee table. Anne lunged towards her alarmingly. “Admit it. You can’t stop thinking about-“
But they did not find out what she couldn’t stop thinking about. For at that very moment, a loud BANG echoed around the common room. The girls whirled around to locate the source of the commotion.
Three of the Marauders were standing in the corner, laughing as they observed the scene of chaos before them. Seven of what could only be called ‘creatures’ were running around in front of them. Lily realized with horror that they were first years, although each one of them had a different colored fish head sprouting from their neck. They were going around in circles, flapping their arms desperately. The expression in Lily’s green eyes turned from shock to keen fury. She sprang up from her chair and was over to the corner in a flash. The Marauder’s laughter died out somewhat as she stood before them, arms crossed. Peter gave a quiet squeak of fear.
“What,” she said in a deadly voice, “is the meaning of this?”
“It means the spell works,” said Sirius as he marked something on a piece of parchment in his hands. She snatched it from him and tore it cleanly in two.
“Oy!” he yelped. “The enchantment was on there-“
“Where’s the countercurse?” she demanded. He looked unsure. “Er”we haven’t really invented it yet…” Her eyes practically shot sparks.
“Honestly, Lily, it was only a little spell,” said James, grinning. First he rescues a first year, then he gives one a fish head? She turned disbelieving eyes on him.
“A little spell? A LITTLE SPELL?” she screamed. “YOU HAVE JUST PERFORMED A HOMEMADE CURSE ON SEVEN FIRST YEARS, AND THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL A LITTLE SPELL?” He held his hands up in a “don’t look at me” manner. “My God, Potter, YOU-ARE-HEAD-BOY!” She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “I want you three to take these students to the Hospital Wing, now!”
“Look, we’re not done with””
“NOW!”
“ALL RIGHT!”
James, Sirius, and Peter reluctantly pushed the fish-headed first years through the portrait hole. Lily stood there looking after them, fuming. When she turned back to her friends, they were both looking at her with a mixture of awe and fear.
“Blimey,” whispered Jen. “You don’t waste time, do you?”
She rolled her eyes and looked away. “I’m going to the library.” And without further ado, she also swept out through the portrait hole.
The halls were relatively quiet, although a few students were finally making their way back from the Great Hall. The last of the evening sunlight filtered through the castle windows. Lily went down the long hallway that led to the Library and Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The sun-tinted walls were a peaceful shade of orange. At the end she saw the large wooden doors. Unthinkingly, she pulled on the handle. It swung open. She felt a little bit of suspicion…weren’t the doors usually locked at seven? ‘Oh well’, she told herself. ‘Maybe someone needed to return a book or something.’ She walked in and the door snapped shut behind her.
The library was one of her favorite places in Hogwarts. One day, after she had finished school, she would come lock herself in here and read every single book. All frustration with Potter and the Marauders vanished. She walked in between the shelves, running her fingers across the spines of the books…
“Oh hello, Lily.”
She whirled around, her heart in her throat. A boy was sitting in the corner behind her, smiling. She let out a sigh of relief. It was Remus.
“Hello,” she said, walking over to him. “What are you doing here?”
He looked out the window he was facing. “I come to the library a lot to just think. It’s nice and peaceful here.”
“Me too.” She smiled as well and sat down next to him.
He looked at her and laughed. “Well, to tell you the truth, I came here to get away from James and Sirius. They told me they were going to conduct an ‘experiment’ on some first years.”
Her expression hardened. Remus noticed. “I take it the experiment worked, then?”
“You could say that,” growled Lily. “They basically gave seven first years fish heads.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh. Sirius told me if it worked he was going to try it on you.” She looked at him incredulously. “In that case, I’m glad I sent them to the Hospital Wing. Or else Jen and Anne and I might be stuck with fish heads for the next few days…they hadn’t even found a countercurse!”
“You sent them to the Hospital Wing?” She nodded. “I admire your courage. I’m sure I couldn’t have brought myself to do that.”
“Well,” she mumbled, blushing slightly, “I’m glad I did it, I like my head the way it is.” He chuckled.
“Maybe Anne would have gone to the infirmary with a fish head, but not you and Jennifer.” He clarified after catching sight of her expression. “Sirius has fancied Jen for quite a while now, he wouldn’t have let James or Peter do anything to her.” She giggled and he smiled again. “You didn’t know?”
“Now I do,” she said, still giggling. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to though.”
Remus shrugged and looked back out the window. “It’s obvious anyway, you don’t need to bother keeping it a secret.”
“But what about me? I’m sure Sirius would quite enjoy giving me a fish head.”
He turned to look at her. “James.”
“Er…” she said, confused. “What? Wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top of Potter’s sundae, giving me a fish head?”
Remus shook his head. “You don’t understand. He’s in love with you, Lily.”
She stared at him, nonplussed. “Wait”what?”
“He’s in love with you. Been that way ever since third year. Yes, I know what you’re going to say, he’s always been rather fond of pranking you. But I think he’s just not sure how to express it.”
Lily had not said anything. Her mind was still echoing those three words…’He loves you’… I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Wait, what am I saying, of course it’s a bad thing! Embarrassing me in front of his stupid friends, conducting experiments on students as if they were guinea pigs…
She looked back at Remus. “How do you know?”
“Well, considering I’ve been friends with him since first year…”
“Oh.” She realized the rudeness of her question. “Sorry, I should have realized””
He cut her off. “No, it’s all right. I understand.”
There was a long silence as they stared out the window at the now dark grounds. Then another question sprang to her mind. “How do people like you get to be friends with people like Potter and Black?”
He did not look at her as he answered. His speech was slow, as if he was weighing each word.
“It always amazed me you could never tell. Your ability to see the good in others has always astounded me, and yet with James and Sirius…well, putting it lightly, you’ve always had a certain enmity for them. James in particular. I suppose it doesn’t come as a surprise that your perception of their qualities is a little clouded by prejudice, especially taking into account their horrible behavior the last couple years. But once you get to know them…when you were friends with them, like I am, you’d come to realize just how valuable their loyalty and support really is. That is why I’m friends with James and Sirius.”
They sat for a long while in silence. Lily pondered his words. She was embarrassed, but rather pleased about what Remus called her “ability to see the good in others”. So then, why was it she had never tried to see the good in James Potter? Was it because his attitude had so completely disgusted her at first that she couldn’t get over it? She remembered Jenifer’s words on the train…
“It sounds like you just want an excuse not to like James, and you’re too frosty to admit it.”
She felt a twinge of shame. Had she really been that icy and unforgiving toward him? She hadn’t meant to. The irresponsible things he did sometimes were just too much.
She didn’t even see as Remus got up slowly and walked away. After several seconds, she looked around and noticed he wasn’t there. She got up and ran after him.
“Remus, I think you’re right,” she confessed as they walked towards the library doors. “I don’t know about Sirius, but…you’re completely right about James. I was just so intent on hating him that I didn’t even notice he was actually being rather civil.” She went on in this vein for a while as they walked back to Gryffindor tower. Remus just smiled to himself.
When they finally reached the portrait hole, it was very dark and Lily supposed they were technically out of bed after-hours. She climbed through and he followed. Sure enough, the common room was empty and the fire had burned to red coals.
“Remus,” said Lily, turning to him all of a sudden. He looked at her. “I just wanted to say thanks for talking to me. I needed it.” And in a sudden rush of friendly gratitude towards him, she wrapped her arms around him in a huge hug. He was caught off guard, and just patted her back awkwardly. She was vaguely aware of someone whistling as they came through the portrait hole. Each of them looked towards the doorway. Lily felt like a stick of lead had been dropped into her stomach.
It was James Potter.
Author's Notes:
Things continue to chug along a-okay. Here's another chapter-bon appetite!
They broke apart abruptly as he looked up. His mouth opened slightly as he caught sight of them, Lily with her hands still on Remus’ shoulders. She jerked them away quickly. For a reason she could not explain, her face burned and she felt a strange pang of guilt. They all stood there in the horribly thick silence, James with his mouth open in the doorway, Remus standing awkwardly trying to explain non-verbally, Lily facing him but watching James. After what seemed like forever Lily gathered herself together enough to speak.
“Er…” she said quietly, “well, goodnight.” And without further ado, she rushed up the stairs to the girl’s dormitory. She didn’t even bother to knock but opened the door swiftly and threw herself onto her bed. Thankfully, the lights were out and Jen and Anne appeared to be asleep. She buried her face into her pillow and let out a little scream. James thinks I like Remus! she thought in agony. Well, I mean I like him because he’s nice, but not like that! She couldn’t explain the feeling of guilt inside her. It’s not like I have anything to be ashamed of. But then why do I feel like this?
It’s because you like Potter, said a small voice inside of her head. For what seemed like the first time in her life, she actually listened to that voice. And for some reason it did not nettle her as much as it usually did. What if it was right? What if she did like James? Impossible! But if that wasn’t the explanation, what was? You like him. Maybe that was it. Maybe she felt guilty because she liked James and was just too proud to admit it. It was a little bit funny…she hated him for six years, and now that he thought she didn’t like him, she realized she did. Just my luck. She loosened her death grip on the pillow and laid her head down. For a while she lay there, trying to hear if they were yelling at each other downstairs, but with no luck. After a long while, she began thinking about James. The way he rumpled his hair, the way he grinned at her, the way his hazel eyes sparkled when he laughed. She felt herself drift off to sleep…
“She WHAT?”
“Anne, keep your voice down, someone might hear!”
“I can’t believe he thinks you’re a couple now…”
“Yeah, he’s being a bit thick.
Jen, Anne, Remus, and Sirius sat in a corner whispering furiously. They had definitely not counted on the plan going this way.
Practically overnight, the supposed Potter-Evans-Lupin love triangle had become the most famous gossip topic in nearly a decade. Two fourth-year ‘eye witnesses’ swore they had seen James and Remus duel rigorously for half an hour. Rita Skeeter, the school’s biggest snipe, had even said she had seen Remus and Lily snogging in the Charms corridor.
“It’s all complete rubbish, of course,” whispered Jen vehemently. “These people will believe anything. I mean, Remus is loyal to James and always has been! He’d never go out with the girl James fancied.”
“Hear, hear!” said Remus. Sirius sighed and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes.
“I swear, when James comes out of that dormitory, I’m going to have a serious word with him,” he said. “And I’m going to make him talk to Moon-to Remus. Whether he wants to or not.”
“Good,” said Jen. “So, meeting adjourned then?” They nodded and began to depart.
“Wait!” cried Anne. Everyone stopped and turned to look at her. “Aren’t we going to make a name for our club?”(“Ridiculous,” Jen muttered.)
Sirius rolled his eyes. “This is not a club. We’re just helping two people form a relationship.”
“That’s what I mean!” said Anne. “We need a name, if not for safety purposes.”
“Okay,” Jen sighed. “You all have two minutes to think of a name.” They all sat for a while in silence. Finally, Remus spoke up.
“What about the ‘Foundation of Lily Potter’?” Anne clapped her hands in excitement. “That’s perfect! Okay, all in favor for the F.O.L.P., say ‘pickles’.”
“Pickles.”
“Pickles.”
“Pickles.”
“Anne, I am NOT going to say-“
“JUST SAY IT!”
“Okay FINE, PICKLES!”
“Right,” said Jen in a businesslike manner. “Until tomorrow, then.”
Lily awoke unrested next morning. She yawned and stretched, then looked out the window. Good, it was sunny today. She got up from her bed and noticed that Anne and Jen’s beds were empty already. Lucky. They got actual sleep, she thought. Then the memory of last night washed over her. With a groan, she walked over to her trunk and grabbed her robes. All of a sudden, she cocked her head. The room was silent. Funny…she thought she heard someone yell ‘pickles’.
James lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about Lily. Lily and Remus, a couple. Well I can’t hold that against her. She’s always liked him more than me…life goes on.
No, it doesn’t. said a small rebellious part of his brain. You know you can’t live without her.
I can too!
Liar, liar, pants on fire, ten feet higher, chicken frier, hanging on a telephone wire...
I get it. But what am I supposed to do, just make them break up? I can’t sever my friendship with Moony. I became an Animagus for him. I broke Wizard law for him! You don’t just decide that you’re going to hate your best friend of seven years! It doesn’t happen that way!
Talk to him. He’ll understand.
…Okay, I will. James sprung up out of bed and grabbed a pair of robes off the floor. But if this doesn’t work, it’s your fault.
As Lily came down the stairs from the girl’s dormitory, loud shushing noises came from somewhere. Rounding the bend in the staircase, she saw Jen, Anne, Sirius, and-her stomach lurched a little-Remus standing in the corner of the Common Room. When they saw her Jen shushed the group more desperately. Lily continued pinning her Head Girl badge on her chest as she stopped to look at them.
“What are you guys doing?” she asked curiously.
“Studying,” said Sirius immediately. Lily dropped her hands from her badge and raised an eyebrow skeptically. “You? Study? The day you begin studying is the day pigs fly, Sirius Black.”
“Hey!” said Jen, going into defensive mode. “I’ve seen him study before! Like yesterday when-er-“ she struggled, trying to remember when she had actually seen Sirius study. Sirius himself raised his eyebrows.
“We’re not doing anything bad, if that’s what you mean,” said Anne loudly. Everyone turned to look at her. Lily shook her head in amusement.
“I won’t ask,” she said, laughing, as she walked towards the portrait hole. Jen gave Anne a death glare behind Lily’s back. Anne shrugged. “What? It worked, didn’t it?” She and the others turned when someone came down the boy’s dormitory stairs. A head of messy black hair appeared. Sirius and Remus stiffened.
James looked up and saw Anne, Jen, Sirius, and-he felt a pang of hurt-Remus. They were all staring at him in a ‘so-when-is-he-going-to-attack’ way. He stopped and turned towards them.
“Remus?” he asked, and he was surprised at how calm his voice was. “Could I have a word?” Remus nodded and followed James over to the opposite corner of the room. Despite all outward appearances, this was exactly what Remus was hoping for. A chance to explain himself. Anne made a scared little squeaking noise and covered her eyes.
“I can’t watch! You guys tell me what happens!” And she ran out the portrait hole after Lily. Jen and Sirius were left standing there, watching James and Remus talking. Well that’s good at least, thought Jen. They’re talking, not yelling.
“Well, looks like just me and you, beautiful,” came Sirius’ voice from her right. She was kicked abruptly out of her train of thought. She turned and looked at him. He was grinning at her in that cocky way he had. He was joking. She almost felt a little disappointed. But then she noticed there was something else in his eyes; something really-was it seductive? Yes, she was sure it was. She had seen that look in all the eyes of every guy she had dated. With Sirius it was different though. Fiercer. She wondered why she had never seen it before. Maybe it was because she had never been this close to him before. He grinned wider. A little nervously, she realized that she had leaned in so that her face was a foot from his. Wait a second-since when do I get nervous around guys? With reluctance, she pulled away from him and rolled her eyes.
“Come on, lover boy. Let’s get to breakfast.” She walked hastily towards the portrait hole. Sirius followed her, leaving James and Remus to their conversation. He chuckled. She so wants me.
Author's Notes:
Sorry, it's a bit short, but I was very busy this weekend. So this is to tide you over. :)
-----------
“What is it, Miss Evans?”
Lily was sitting in Professor McGonagall’s office, and the professor herself was sitting behind her desk. Lily had gone to her during breakfast and asked for a private word. She had seemed a bit distressed, the professor remembered. Now she sat in front of her desk, her hands clasped nervously in her lap.
“Professor, I just wanted to ask something…” she reached up and unpinned her Head Girl badge. “I want to retire my position as Head Girl.” Minerva McGonagall gave the girl in front of her a piercing stare. After a long time, she spoke.
“Certainly not. It would degrade the Headmaster’s authority and I will not allow you to.”
“But-“ Lily began. If James was going to hate her for the rest of her life for something she hadn’t done, it wasn’t worth spending two nights a week alone with him.
“I will not hear another word,” McGonagall cut her off sharply. Lily bowed her head. Though she could not see it, something in the professor’s face softened slightly. “I have faith in you, Miss Evans. The Headmaster picked you for a reason. I know you would never give up your position as Head Girl unless something has gone wrong. Won’t you tell me what is troubling you?”
Lily tilted her head upwards slightly. “It’s--it’s not like that, Professor. It isn’t really anything serious. I just…” she trailed off. I just what? Have some boy problems and want to leave school? Got involved in a little gossip and want to say good-bye to Hogwarts? Suck it up, Evans! You’re not going to let a little drama get to you!
Yes. She knew what she was going to do now. What a spineless prat I’ve been! She sprang up from the chair and grabbed her bag.
“Sorry, Professor, but I have to go find someone!” And she dashed out of the office.
Professor McGonagall made no move to stop her. She just sat, contemplating the complexities of the teenage mind.
“Look, Moony, I expect you know what I wanted to talk about.”
Remus and James stood in the corner of the Gryffindor Common Room next to the dormitory stairs.
“Yes, and before you start James, I need to tell you something.” James instantly made signs of interrupting but Remus held up a finger. “Lily Evans and I are not going out, and we never will be.”
James looked surprised for a moment, but furrowed his brow. “You’re serious? You’re not just saying that to placate me?” Remus nodded. James sighed in relief and even laughed a little shakily. “I should have trusted you, but…”
“Honestly, what kind of a friend do you think I am?” asked Remus incredulously. “You should know I would never go out with Lily, or any other girl you liked for that matter.” James nodded. “I was being a bit thick, I admit…but,” he wrinkled his brow in curiosity, “why was she hugging you?”
To his surprise, Remus looked a bit uncomfortable. “Well-I sort of had a talk with her…” he trailed off. James raised an eyebrow.
“About what?”
His friend shifted in even more discomfort. “Er…you.”
James’ eyebrows now threatened to disappear into his messy black hair. “And you told her what, exactly, that made her want to hug you?”
“I told her you fancied her.”
“Oh. Well, she’s known that for years.”
“Well, no. I actually told Lily you loved her.”
“YOU WHAT?”
“It’s not like she didn’t know it already! I mean, you’re completely devoted to the girl.”
“But-I don’t-“
“Don’t kid yourself, mate. You’ve loved her practically forever and you know it.”
“Okay, okay, you win!” said James in a harassed way. “But why’d you have to go and tell her? She probably hates me even more now…”
Remus tilted his head. “Actually, she seemed a bit pleased.” His friend looked up.
“You mean-”
“James!”
The two boys turned towards the portrait hole. James felt his heart beat a little faster as a familiar head of red hair came swinging towards them.
Lily shifted her bag on her shoulder. No way, they both still have all their limbs?
“I just wanted to talk with James,” she said breathlessly. “Er-do you mind, Remus?”
James’ heart leapt. Since when does she call me James? But Remus said, “Of course not”, and retreated to the couch to get his bag before walking out the portrait hole. Lily waited for it to swing shut before rounding on Potter.
“Look, I just wanted to tell you something. Remus and I aren’t going out.” To her surprise, he smiled.
“Yeah, he just told me. I guess the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding on my part.”
Her mouth formed an ‘O’ of understanding. “Okay…so…we’re clear on the subject?” He nodded. “So we’ll be doing patrols as usual tonight?”
“I guess so,” she said, subconsciously tucking her hair behind her ear. She was surprised how easy it was talking to him; it was almost like talking to Anne or Jen. But then she realized with a funny feeling that they were completely alone in the Common Room. Completely alone? That’s funny, you would think-
She started as if shocked, then checked her watch and gave a cry. “Ohmygod, Potions is in five minutes! Come on!” And grabbing his wrist, she pulled a startled James out of the Common Room and into the hall.
A Dreadful Discovery by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
This chapter should be...interesting.
“Ugh,” said Sirius, sitting down with a grunt on the sofa in the Common Room. “I think ‘A Potionmaker’s Handbook’ is crushing my spleen…you’d think Slughorn was trying to kill us, giving us an essay like this!” He shifted his arms so the immense stack of books on his lap fell onto the couch.
“Seeing as this is school, Sirius,” said Remus, who was sitting on the floor pouring over a piece of parchment, “you need to get used to schoolwork.
James made a disgruntled noise from an armchair near the fire. “Easy for you to say. All you have to do is say one word to Grandpa Slughorn…”
Sirius gave a bark of laughter. “Yeah Remus, what’s up with that, anyway? Why does he play favorites with you all the time?”
Remus turned slightly pink. “I believe Horace Slughorn plays favorites with anyone in his class who shows talent. Lily Evans, for example.”
“Talent is an understatement. That girl could make the Drought of Peace with half her brain tied behind her back,” said Sirius vehemently. “First of all, I a) suck at Potions, b) do not know what the hell wormgrass is, and c) do not give a bat bogey what its properties are.”
“Wormgrass is a plant found only in the northern regions of Greenland. It thrives under ice and is useful only when quite fresh, when its leaves are still razor sharp. In this form it can be a key ingredient in many different poisons.”
James chuckled. “Now, now, Remus, what have we told you about eating the textbooks?”
“If you two would just try to read a book once in a while, this assignment we be much easier.”
“I beg to differ.”
All of them looked up as Jennifer walked towards them from the portrait hole. She looked half-dead. “Old Sluggy kept me there for extra time. Apparently, he doesn’t appreciate the beauty of Snape covered in bubotuber puss.”
Sirius stared at her. “Wait--you’re telling me that you covered Snape with bubotuber puss?”
She smiled wryly. “Actually, I sort of made it explode in his face. But trust me, I had a good reason.”
James leaned in, curious. “Oh really?”
Jennifer sat down in a chair opposite his. “Let’s just say he spoke some choice words to Lily,” she growled.
“Oh yeah, where is Lily?” asked James.
Jen rolled her eyes. “Slughorn kept her late; she’s his favorite you know.” (here Sirius looked at Remus darkly) “Last I checked they were talking about moonstone or something.”
Remus finished his paper with a flourish and began rolling it up. Jennifer turned on him, incredulous. “Oy, don’t tell me you’re already finished! I haven’t even started yet!”
He shrugged and slipped the essay into his bag. “I work quickly. Anyway, I think I’ll go to bed now, I…feel kind of tired.” James looked up to see his friend walking toward the boys’ dormitories. He exchanged a quick glance with Sirius. Just one more day now...
Lily’s eyes opened slowly. For a little while she lay in her bed, not quite realizing she was awake. Why am I not asleep? Then she remembered. She’d heard something. A small noise that had awakened her…
She sat up quietly. From the moonlight shining in her window, she could see Jen and Anne in their beds. It wasn’t them…she looked around. Nothing seemed amiss. That’s when she heard it. Whispers just barely floating up from the Common Room. She pulled her jeans quietly back on and pinned on her Head Girl badge, preparing to confront any mischief makers.
She tip-toed to the dormitory door and turned the knob. Inch by inch, it opened to allow the whispering to reach her ears. Whoever it was, they were out of her view-but the orange light from the fireplace cast their elongated shadows weirdly over the carpet. There were three. She poked her head out the door to hear them.
“…not supposed to happen yet!” There was a scuffling sound.
“Whether we like it or not, it is happening. We have to get him out. Damn it, why isn’t Wormtail here yet?” More scuffling, louder this time.
One of them gave a soft groan. “We don’t have time. Let’s go.”
With that, the shadows and their owners retreated through the portrait hole. Lily waited for it to close after them, then leaped into action. She sprang down the stairs as quietly as possible, crossed the Common Room, and exited through the portrait hole. She looked around the dark corridor. No one to the right…turning around, she was just in time to see one of the front doors drifting shut.
She took off at a run. Wrenching it open, she ran out onto the grounds. And then she stopped. She surveyed the whole dark grounds, but could see no one. No one here…there’s no one here! Then she heard a yell.
She whipped around. It sounds like it came from the Whomping Willow! Her stomach did a strange flip. This trouble-making was going too far…
Ignoring her gut, Lily ran toward the Willow. There was still no one there, but she ran anyway. A cloud shifted and the moon was obscured. She stopped, fearing she would run in to something. It was almost completely dark. She gripped her wand. The moon burst forth from behind the clouds.
“NO!”
Her head whipped in the direction of the Willow. As if a fluid cloth had fallen away, the three figures came into view again. Two seemed to be fighting with the third. They thrashed and grappled, one finally pinning him to the ground. As she looked, Lily couldn’t see the other figure. Then a large black dog bounded toward the base of the tree.
The Whomping Willow sprang to life, flailing its limbs at the animal. The dog dodged its blows, weaving in and out. For a moment it was obstructed--then the tree froze. The figure on the ground dragged his captive to the base of the tree, and all three disappeared. Lily stood for a moment, undecided. Then she took off at a sprint.
As she ran toward the Willow, she noticed something she couldn’t see from her former position. There was a hole near the roots of the tree. She concentrated on it as she sped closer. She was almost there…almost…almost…NOW!
With a reckless leap, she dove head-first into the hole. Whump. She landed painfully on her stomach. A little cloud of dust rose around her. Coughing, she rose to her feet.
Wait. This isn’t a hole--it’s a tunnel. A dark passage, large enough for three people, twisted off in front of her. What is this place? I never knew there was a secret tunnel under the Whomping Willow. She held her wand out in front of her.
“Lumos.” The light from her wand showed that several low, tight passages branched off from her own. She kept to her own, the largest one. The air was damp and chilly, and she shivered. She walked in silence. After several minutes, a sound that sent a corkscrew sensation up her spine echoed down the passage. It was low and elongated; the sound of someone in extreme pain. She had to hurry. Someone was badly hurt.
She quickened her pace through sinuous passage. The person shrieked again and again, every time louder and deeper until it was like a howl. Each one sounded closer than the last. She finally felt a rush of fresh air as she neared the end of the passageway. She rounded one more curve, and then stumbled into a chamber. Her mouth opened with surprise. There were no students.
Crouched in the middle of the room, with its claws outstretched, its fangs bared, was a werewolf.
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
Answers to all your questions lie in this chapter...at least, most of them. ;) Also, there's one of Jo's lines in here! See if you can spot it!
Lily froze. The beast raised its head, and for a moment they stared at one another. Then it gave a ferocious roar.
She raised her wand instinctively, but no spells came out of her mouth. The werewolf stalked toward her, growling. She couldn’t move…she could not move. It advanced closer and closer to her, and she still couldn’t say anything. Her whole body was shaking with fear…do something!
She screamed.
Something”someone”hurtled out of the tunnel behind her; her wand went flying. She felt something sharp graze her left cheek, and was knocked to her knees. The thing then jumped with dexterity toward the werewolf and threw it backward. It whimpered as it hit the floor.
Lily stared at this extraordinary scene for a moment. Then she crawled quickly toward her wand. The wolf turned on her, snarling. It sprang, but was again knocked down by something. She didn’t look back to see what. Only a few more feet now… A horrible cracking noise came from behind her. She was inches away…it was in her hand”
”Homorphus!”
The power of the spell threw her back hard against the wall. Her head slammed against the hard surface, sending her eyes streaming. She slid down onto the ground. Head throbbing, blood clouding her vision, Lily could just make out the outlines of a large dog and a stag”
Then the ground swung up to meet her, and everything turned black….
“…Look, look, I think she’s coming round!”
“Someone tell Madam Pomfrey!”
“Do you think she can talk?”
“Lily…Lily?”
Lily’s eyes opened slowly. She blinked several times and two pale faces standing over her came into focus.
“Oh, good,” Anne breathed. “Look, Jen, she’s conscious.”
“I can understand what you’re saying, you know,” mumbled Lily. She was lying on a very soft bed…the Hospital Wing? But”
“NO!” she yelled, sitting up. Her head gave an almighty throb of protest. Jen and Anne eased her gently back onto her pillow.
“Lily, shut up!” hissed Jen. “You need to rest for a little while. I know you probably want to tell us what happened, and we want to hear, believe me. But it can wait.”
“But how”” murmured Lily, “How did I get back up to the castle?”
“Well it was James, wasn’t it?” whispered Anne. “Came up the grounds carrying you. Sirius was right behind him. Someone got up for something, I dunno, and then we all came out into the Entrance Hall. Blimey, when we saw you-” she broke off. Even her freckles turned pale. “We thought”you weren’t moving, both covered in blood…”
The two of them looked earnestly at Lily as though they were about to cry. “Look, Lily,” said Jenifer, “I think you’d be dead if it weren’t for him. No one had any sense, we were all really scared…he told us to take you to the hospital and then he got Professor Dumbledore. They went back onto the grounds, I think they’re still out there”oh, damn,” she added as Madam Pomfrey came bustling toward them. She promptly informed them that Lily needed rest, and shooed them both away with out further ado. She picked up a cloth, poured a drop of something thick and white on it, and began rubbing a cut on Lily’s arm.
“Madam Pomfrey, there’s something I need to tell you!”
“Nonsense, dear. You need to rest quietly.”
“No, you don’t understand, there’s a w””
“Now that’s enough!” said Madam Pomfrey, straightening, her nostrils flaring in a very McGonagall-ish way. “Be quiet and go to sleep, or I’ll have to give you a Sleeping Draught!” She threw down the cloth”Lily noticed her hands were trembling slightly”and hurried back to her office. The torches on the wall died down to a slight flame.
Lily checked her watch, whose face was now cracked. It was almost 3:30. She suddenly realized that her eyelids felt very heavy…
The last of the evening sunlight was filtering through the windows as Lily awakened for the second time in the dim ward. Her arm was tingling faintly. Blasted Madam Pomfrey… She heard low voices coming from the doorway and looked up. The headmaster was talking with Madam Pomfrey about something. They seemed completely absorbed. Then, as her stomach did a feat of acrobatics, Lily saw James and Remus standing behind Dumbledore.
They were in terrible shape”Remus had miniscule cuts all over him, and what looked like a particularly bad gash on his shoulder. His chin rested on his chest. James, she noticed, was limping, and he had large cut on his right temple. He was supporting Remus with one arm. He happened to glance over at her. She raised an eyebrow. He winked cheekily.
She looked away, pensive. Why was he acting like nothing happened? The headmaster soon left, and Madam Pomfrey turned toward the two boys.
“Oh, it’s you, is it?” she said suspiciously, looking at James. “I suppose you’ve been doing something dangerous again?”
“Can’t resist a chance to see you, Poppy dear,” said James with a winning smile. She ignored this and led him to a bed near Lily’s.
“Stay put, I’ll be back in a moment.” With that she guided Remus toward a screened area.
James flopped down casually. Lily waited until she was sure Madam Pomfrey couldn’t hear them.
“Hey. Hey, James!” she hissed.
He turned around in the dark. “Yeah?”
“What happened to you? I mean”you and Remus are all bloody””
“’Fraid I can’t say, it’s””
“Oh be serious, would you?”
He was quiet for a moment. “Believe me, Lily; I want to tell you the truth for once.” There was a note of sincerity in his voice. “But it’s an extremely long story.”
“Well,” she sighed, “you can start from the beginning. I’ve got a lot of time.”
“So, let me get this straight”you and Sirius are Animagi, and Remus is a werewolf?”
The sun had long since sunk below the horizon, to be replaced by a large yellow moon. James hadn’t lied. It had been a very long story. There were still a few things she didn’t understand, though. Why had Remus transformed last night, when the moon wasn’t full yet?
“But…last night wasn’t a full moon.”
“That’s what Sirius and I don’t understand,” said James. “We don’t usually get hurt nearly this badly, either. I don’t think Remus recognized us for some reason.”
“Wait…” she counted in her mind. “What about that other boy you used to hang out with?”
“Who, Peter? We don’t really know what happened to him. Remus says he might just be visiting his parents in Ireland for a month, but then again-” He turned toward where Remus was confined. She had the distinct impression he was worried. “-Remus isn’t really one to say.”
“You really became an Animagus just for him?”
“That’s right.”
“…once you get to know them…when you are friends with them, like I am, you’ll come to realize just how valuable their loyalty and support really is…”
She smiled. Yeah, Remus. I think I do realize that now. Then she realized something else. Something her conscience wouldn’t let her get away without doing. Oh, dear…
Lily mumbled something even she couldn’t hear. James turned back around.
“Sorry?”
“I said, I’ll give you a chance.” She wasn’t looking at him”her pillow had suddenly become quite interesting. “That’s to say…I’ll go out with you.”
“Lily!” She couldn’t see his face, but she was sure he was beaming. Then his voice changed. “Sorry, didn’t catch that.”
“What?” she said quickly, looking up at him.
“A little louder, please…”
She gritted her teeth. “I’ll go out with””
“Still can’t hear you””
“I’LL GO OUT WITH YOU, DAMN IT!”
“BE QUIET AND REST, BOTH OF YOU!”
All's Well That Ends Even Better by Pinkerton
Author's Notes:
Well, this is the end. It's been a great trip. :)
Sirius turned up the next morning with a broken arm on a bed across from James’s. They gave each other an enthusiastic thumbs-up. No one was permitted to visit Remus yet. Madam Pomfrey went into his enclosure several times a day, sometimes carrying a dose of potion, other times changing bandages (which James pointed out were “quite bloody”). Lily assured them that Madam Pomfrey was giving him a Blood Replenishing Potion.
It seemed the tale of their midnight escapades had traversed the whole school in a matter of days. Lily received dozens of get-well cards in an hour”half of which were from teachers”but not near as many as James and Sirius. Mountains lay unread on their bedside tables. It seemed every girl in their fan club had sent each of them at least one.
No one seemed to know the whole story of what happened, however, which the three of them were all too glad to keep quiet. Someone had even spread the rumor that they fought a band of centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Sirius seemed to be enjoying all the publicity. He’d prattle on enthusiastically like some kind of war hero to a crowd of giggling sixth-year girls, with Jenifer scowling at him from across the room.
Within a week they were out of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had been particularly reluctant to let Remus go, giving a dark warning to James and Sirius as to what she’d do if they over-exerted him. Granted, none of them looked too healthy with half their limbs still bandaged, but it was difficult to be depressed about anything as they all sat in the warm Gryffindor Common Room one December evening. Snowflakes drifted lazily past the frosted windows. The house elves had done a marvelous job on the Yuletide decorating; garlands hung from every inch of the ceiling, and a towering Christmas tree stood in the corner. The Fat Lady had even traded her pink dress for a fur-trimmed robe.
The room was full of laughing and chatting students, all taking a welcome break from their studies. Lily, Anne, Jenifer, Sirius, James, and Remus sat in a circle around the cheerfully crackling fire.
“Hey, Lily! Christmas cracker!”
Lily reached over and grasped the other end of a brightly papered tube. With a loud POP and a puff of smoke, it opened to reveal a flamboyant purple Santa hat. Sirius grabbed it and perched it jauntily on his head.
“You have confetti on your ear,” said Jen. She lunged over and brushed it off, then proceeded to fix his hair as Sirius mumbled something indistinct.
“Sirius, mate, are you blushing?” said James delightedly. Sirius threw a pillow at him. Everyone laughed except Lily, and Remus, who was reading.
“You know,” said Lily thoughtfully so only James could hear, “I still don’t understand why Remus transformed if the moon wasn’t full yet. I mean, lycanthropy doesn’t come and go by a few days, does it?”
She saw James exchange the smallest of glances with Sirius, who had suddenly stiffened and become wary-looking. James looked back at her and shook his head very slightly.
“Oy Remus, what’re you reading?” inquired Sirius.
“It’s French, you wouldn’t like it.”
“Glad to see you’re better, Remus!”
Remus looked up. A pretty blonde girl was smiling at him as she walked past. Remus waved quickly, promptly dropped his book, and dove to retrieve it.
“Who was that?” asked Lily.
“Grace Emerson from Arithmancy,” said Remus, straightening to watch the girl.
“Oh, Grace Emerson from Arithmancy, eh?” said Sirius roguishly, elbowing his friend in the ribs.
Lily smiled. She knew James had deflected her question about Remus, but she didn’t blame him. If he wanted to keep that private, she wasn’t going to pry.
Her friends’ reaction when she’d told them she was going out with James Potter was, to say the least, unexpected. Anne and Jen had taken the news quite calmly, which saved Lily a lot of embarrassment. (Though once she turned her back, they high-fived each other.) Remus had been mildly surprised, but smiled and congratulated her in his quiet way. Lily, fearing what public displays would occur should he find out, hadn’t even wanted to tell Sirius, but Jen persuaded her. She wasn’t disappointed”he gave a triumphant, “HA!” and punched the air, then bounded around the Great Hall, shouting the news to anyone who’d listen. Lily winced at the memory.
But perhaps most surprising of all was James. She half expected him to begin strutting with renewed vigor around the castle, just because he’d finally scored with Evans. His reaction couldn’t have been more different. In fact, as far as she knew, Remus and Sirius were the only ones he’d personally told. It seemed he had even stopped hexing other students between classes. Although”after calling her several distasteful names in the Ancient Runes corridor, Evan Rosier had recently turned up in the Hospital Wing with some sort of cross between a Confundus Charm and a Jelly-Brain Jinx. “Didn’t change much, the great bloody prat,” said James vehemently.
It was just strange to be going out with James Potter. Strange to be doing the one thing she had denied countless times at the top of her voice. Strange to sit next to him during meals, him playing with a lock of her hair, her trying to fill in his schedule (which, for some reason, she found was increasingly difficult to concentrate on with him sitting near her).
I suppose I always have kind of liked him. She absently smoothed his messy hair. It’s just…he was so cruel back in fifth year, sending off hexes right and left. He’s different now, though, she thought with conviction. I’m sure of it.
“You know,” said Anne quietly, “this is our last year. At Hogwarts, I mean.”
They were all silent. Lily looked at James. James looked back. She leaned her head onto his shoulder.
And it’s going to be a good one.
She supposed she should move her head”Jen was giving them both an unbearably smug look”but she didn’t. They’d just have to get used to those sorts of things.
Besides…it felt kind of nice there.
Thank you all for your loyal support, even though my writing was at times a bit sporadic! And yes...I will be starting another James/Lily fic soon. :)
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