The day before the Masquerade was full of anxious yet relaxed students. The prefects and the two Heads were helping the teachers set up the Great Hall for the final feast and the Masquerade. Tomorrow’s lunch meal would be sent to the common rooms so the Hall’s decorations could be finalized.
When decoration ended for that night, James and Lily returned to the Gryffindor common room.
Monica and Sam, playing chess in a quiet corner, were the first people they saw. James slid his arm around Lily’s waist and led her over to the two first years.
–Well, you two. Have you finally decided to go the ball together?†He teased. Lily hit him in his stomach; he barely twitched.
Sam shot him a quick glare, and Monica rolled her eyes. They didn’t say anything however; James admired their dedication to the game.
–James, stop bothering them about that,†reprimanded Lily.
–I wasn’t bothering them!†he shot back, looking down at her.
–Yes, you were.â€
–No, I wasn’t!â€
–Yes, Potter, you were-â€
–Shut up!†cried a voice from next to the fireplace. James and Lily spun around, and saw Remus holding his head in his hands. It was he who had told them to stop arguing.
–You really can’t stand cliché little things can you?†said Lily. –Guessing games, Yes-no-yes-no... Any others we should know about?â€
–Romances where the guy tries to get the girl for six years, and then she suddenly turns around and falls in madly in love with him; those type of clichéd romances just irk me. So unrealistic,†responded Remus with a straight face.
It was James and Lily’s turn to scowl. All three students continued to scowl at one another.
–You know, eventually, they’re going to have to laugh. And blink,†stated Frank after a minute or two.
They didn’t.
It finally took Sirius jumping up and down between them and falling over Josey’s purposely extended foot for Remus, James and Lily to crack a smile.
Josey and Lily were walking through the hallways later that night towards the Hospital Wing in silence. Josey broke it when she spoke to Lily.
–How do we know if she’s ever going to come out of this? It’s been two months, if not more.â€
–Josey,†Lily said, slowly and quietly. –We can only hope it’s just a matter of time.â€
–I know, Lily!†cried Josey, leaning against the wall. –It’s just... just so different without her.†Tears started to come to her eyes, and Lily reached out to take her friend in her arms.
Minutes later, Josey stopped crying, and Lily said, –Come on. Let’s go see Madam Pomfrey.â€
When they reached the Wing, the matron was standing over Nikeia.
–Oh, Lily! Josey! How great to see you!†she cried, coming around the foot of the bed to face the girls.
–Hullo, Madam Pomfrey. How is she?†Josey asked, taking Nikeia’s pale hand in her own.
–Oh, I could say she’s getting better.â€
Lily’s head snapped up to look at the elderly woman. –Really?â€
–Well, I changed her bandages, and her cuts—why! They’re actually healing. Hoping she was finally on the mend, I didn’t give her the Dreamless Sleep potion last night. I kept a sharp ear out for her tossing and turning, mind you, though it was almost futile; she stayed perfectly still! She didn’t appear to be having any nightmares. Any at all!†The nurse clasped her hands together, the bright smile now spreading across her face. –I really have a genuine hope for her now,†she added happily.
–That’s wonderful, Madam Pomfrey,†said Lily, hugging Josey with one arm. Josey’s tears had come back, though softly.
Madam Pomfrey made a few more adjustments to the bedclothes, then straightened and turned to Lily. –By the way, how’s your scar been doing, Lily?â€
–It’ll sting every once in while, and it hasn’t got any fainter, though I really don’t expect it to. Other than that, it’s fine. I didn’t even have any trouble picking out a dress for the masquerade,†Lily admitted, and she laughed along with Josey and the matron.
–Can we stay here, Madam Pomfrey, and talk with you?†asked Josey.
–Why of course, dears. Though, I don’t know how much talking I’ll be able to do. I haven’t talked to young ladies for some time; I hardly know what to say!†She chuckled, a faint blush on her cheeks.
Lily shook her head good-humouredly. –We’d just love any conversation that doesn’t involve those ridiculous boys.â€
Madam Pomfrey laughed, then said, –Indeed, those boys can be quite…†She huffed comically. –Now, tell me about this masquerade.â€
Lily and Josey talked all about their gowns, who they were going with—not that Madam Pomfrey didn’t know enough about the two Quidditch players already, as both spent more than their fair share of time in the Wing—the Great Hall, and anything else that happened to be brought up. Madam Pomfrey proved to be quite the amusing lady, coming up with her own stories of her days at Hogwarts and offering advice about various things—like how to prevent blisters from dancing or shortness of breath from a too-tight dress (advice that Josey paid close attention to).
It was only when James walked into the Hospital Wing that they stopped talking.
–Hey, Madam Pomfrey. I’ve come to steal Miss Evans away. We have a job to do, my pet.†He helped Lily up from her spot next to Nikeia’s bed.
–Well, that’s quite all right. Take this one too,†ordered Madam Pomfrey, waving a hand at Josey, who chuckled and thanked the woman.
–How’s Nikeia doing?†asked James.
–Better. She’s no longer bleeding, and she doesn’t appear to be in pain. I have a great suspicion that she’ll come to… soon.â€
–That’s great! I told you; you are a great nurse!†exclaimed James, winking at Madam Pomfrey. Lily chuckled, grabbed James’s arm and turned him around. Shouting partings over their shoulders, the trio left the large room and stepped into the dark hallway. They left Josey at the common room, and then James and Lily started their patrol.
After a few minutes, James stopped Lily and held a finger up to his lips. Lily listened. She heard the click of a door, followed by a bit of muffled movement. Silently, Lily pulled out her wand and whispered an incantation: –Invenio lugo.†Just like that one day so long ago, a ball of light shot out of the top of her wand, hovered for a moment, and then sped towards a spot in the hall where it split into two separate balls. James quirked an eyebrow.
–I, um, created it a while ago,†muttered Lily sheepishly as she started to walk toward the broom-closet. She was beginning to wonder why there were so many broom closets around Hogwarts.
She gestured to the door as she looked at James. He took the hint, grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. A muffled squeak was followed by some more movement.
–Ah! The Slytherin Quidditch captain! Just who I wanted to talk to,†lied James. –I was wondering how your practices were going? We’re doing mightily well; I think we’ll finally win this year. Wait, we always win!†James smiled a matter-of-fact smile. Lily sniggered.
The tall and ruggedly dark Slytherin Keeper, Adam Tait, pushed himself from his girlfriend. His face was hard at being interrupted, and the faint scar on his cheek from an old Quidditch injury (given to him by James) was highlighted in the half-light. The girl looked down at her shoes as she fixed her appearance. Lily remembered that her name was Claire Salamander, and a teammate of Adam; she was a Chaser. She pushed a strand of slightly mussed burgundy hair out of her face, and adjusted the earnings in her ears. Adam put his hand on her waist and stepped out of the closet.
–Ten points from Slytherin. Maybe you’ll be able to make it up during Quidditch,†said James with that Marauder Smirk. –Don’t let us catch you here again. Or in any other broom closet. Good night.â€
After Adam and Claire got a few feet away from James and Lily, Adam leaned down to kiss Claire quite intensely, his hands pulling her close against him. James was about to call to them, but Lily put a hand on his arm and shook her head. James sighed. Then he looked into the broom-closet, and with the same Smirk, looked at the backs of the two Slytherins. He refocused on Lily.
–My dear Miss Evans, have you ever been inside a broom-closet?â€
–Dear Miss Evans†gave James a –don’t even try it†look, and closed the broom closet door. She started walking away, but James pulled her back.
–Come on now… It’s just a broom closet.â€
He wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. She tried to keep a stoic look on her face, but his deceitfully innocent look made her smile.
He reopened the broom closet door, and pulled her in.
Not thirty seconds later, the door opened. Unfortunately, it was by someone on the outside that it opened.
–Potter! Evans!†cried Professor McGonagall. James was holding onto Lily quite firmly, and his hair showed signs of being even more messed up than usual. –I would hardly expect to find you two students doing the exact thing you are supposed to be watching out for.â€
–But professor, we’re only supposed to make sure people aren’t in the hallways, not in the broom closets,†argued James. Lily pinched his side and sent him a glare that distinctly told him to shut up. He didn’t pay attention. –And anyway. We did take ten points from Slytherin because we caught the Captain and his girlfriend in here before us.â€
–Detention, Potter! You, too, Evans. I’ll give them when we come back from break. Out.†She stepped away from the doorway, allowing James and Lily to step down from inside the broom closet. She closed the door behind them, and then abruptly smacked James’s shoulder with her wand. He cried out and rubbed his shoulder. He looked to her with wide eyes for an explanation.
–There was a spider.â€
James abruptly stopped and wiped his hand on Lily’s robes. She scoffed and slapped James’s arm.
–You could’ve charmed it off! You didn’t have to hit me!â€
–Using a charm for such a menial task is quite superfluous,†McGonagall said, raising her eyebrow.
–And detention for such a simple act isn’t?â€
–The detention is for your impertinence.†McGonagall rolled her eyes and walked away.
Lily was holding her head in her hands, so her next sentence was rather muffled. –You know James, when someone finds themselves in a hole, the first thing they do is stop digging.â€
James smirked and shrugged. Lily glared.
As soon as McGonagall was gone around the corner, James said, –Well, unfortunately Miss Evans, our time was cut short. Perhaps another day?â€
–We shall see. If a spider got onto you that quickly, I could only imagine what more time in the closet would bring.â€
James’s eyes widened. –There was actually a spider on my shoulder?â€
–It was a little one.â€
He grimaced. –Egh. We could always find another closet without spiders.â€
–Mr. Potter, we are supposed to patrolling, not examining the inside of closets,†said Lily, biting back the laughter.
–Very well, I guess I shall just have to kiss you right here and now without the broom closet,†said James, pulling Lily towards him and kissing her soundly on the mouth. She whimpered in surprise, and then obligingly melted happily against him.
Suddenly, however, she pushed him away, caught her breath quickly, and said, –Do you realize you’ve gotten me into yet another detention?â€
James sighed, but responded. –This is the first. You got yourself into the other six.â€
Lily raised an eyebrow. –Oh, and you don’t want to take credit for them?â€
–Nope,†said James matter-of-factly. –That would be incriminating myself. Not smart. And Marauders are always smart.â€
Lily barked in very unladylike laughter, and turned away from him. He smirked, and ran to catch up with her as they continued their patrol.
James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, Josey, Sam and Monica were lounging about in the Heads’ common room the next afternoon after lunch in Gryffindor tower. As usual, James and Lily were sitting snuggly next to one another. Remus played a game of chess with Sirius, who was getting hints from Josey, for once. Sam and Monica were sitting on the floor in front of the fire, roasting the Muggle ‘concoctions’—as James called them—called marshmallows. They had picked some up at a store in Hogsmeade the other day, and Monica was showing the full-blood wizards how to eat them. Samuel, who was only a quarter Muggle, had never had them, and was chewing one with zeal. Monica was smiling at his antics and pointed the poker at Lily. She took the marshmallow off the end and was about to put it in her mouth, when James grabbed it from her fingers and shoved it in his own. Lily looked at him as if she was wondering what in the world gave him the right to do something like that. Understanding her look, he pointed to himself and said through the sticky mass: –Marauder.â€
Lily swiftly shoved him back against the armrest.
About an hour after lunch, Sirius glanced at his watch.
–Shouldn’t you girls go and start getting ready?â€
–What are you talking about?†asked Lily, holding up James’s wrist to check the time in his watch. –It’s half one!â€
–Yeah, I know. Don’t girls take, like, five hours to get ready?†Sirius looked from Remus, who was smiling with that smile that said ‘Silly Sirius’, to James, who was too busy running his fingers through Lily’s red hair to respond.
–No. Some girls do, but I most certainly do not,†admitted Lily, leaning back against James again.
–Yeah, I only take... two hours, at the absolute most,†said Josey as she pointed a move out to Remus while Sirius was looking towards the fire. Remus smirked and moved.
–Checkmate,†he said with that Marauder’s Smirk stuck on his face. Sirius whipped around and looked down at the board. Then he looked from the board, to Remus, to the board, and finally to Josey, to whom he gave an accusing look. Josey’s eyebrow lifted in a silent challenge for Sirius to say something. He scoffed and folded his arms. Monica stood up and handed him a marshmallow. He looked at it skeptically.
–It won’t kill you, Snuffles. It’s not traitorous like Josey,†teased James.
The Traitorous Josey glared at James.
Sirius smirked at Josey and grabbed the roasted marshmallow. He shoved it in his mouth, and appeared to bite down on it. However, he struggled to open his mouth to bite back down on the marshmallow.
Monica’s smirk deepened.
–Well, look at that. Monica’s smirk could almost be called ‘Marauder-ish’,†admitted Remus with a smile as Sirius struggled to open his mouth again.
–So call it a Marauderette’s Smirk,†suggested Josey, her own ‘Marauderette Smirk’ in place.
–What did you do to that marshmallow?†asked Lily, stunned at Sirius’s prolonged silence.
–I put a piece of caramel on the end. When you pull the marshmallow off the roaster, the caramel gets stuck in the middle. It’s half melted, so when you bite into it…†She pointed to Sirius, who, at that moment, managed to get his teeth unstuck. He gagged slightly and looked to Monica incredulous.
–What type of caramel, in the name of Merlin, did you use?†Sirius looked somewhat disgusted as he spoke, his mouth still full of caramel and marshmallow. It was a lot of sugar.
Monica laughed, before replying with: –Honeyduke’s Triple Sticky Caramel.â€
Josey raised a hand over Sirius’s head, and Monica slapped hers against it in a high-five. Monica returned to her spot near the fireplace where Sam, Lily and James were all smiling appreciatively.
–Well, Monica,†started James, sitting up and leaning forward around Lily. –You have officially been inducted into newly established Order of the Marauderettes. Congratulations.†James reached out a hand and shook Monica’s. She was still smiling as if she was very pleased with herself. Which she was.
–Well…†Monica fiddled with a marshmallow before putting it on the poker. Sam noticed and, though James didn’t see, started silently laughing. –You have my mother to thank. She did it first.â€
–Your mother was the first one to make marshmallows?†asked Sirius, his words slightly jumbled as he ran his tongue over his teeth to get the caramel off.
–No, she made caramel-middle-marshmallows before Monica, you idiot!†Remus reached across the chess table and smacked Sirius. There was a howl, and Sirius clasped a hand to his mouth. Remus raised an eyebrow and Sam, who had momentarily gotten control of his giggles, answered his unspoken question: –I think he bit his tongue.†In answer, Sirius nodded vigorously. Lily was surprised he didn’t bite his tongue again.
–Anyway, they’re called ‘Shutter Uppers’.â€
Sam gave a shout of laughter and Josey joined him. Sirius, who could talk again, said, –I can see why. It’s a perfect name!â€
–Another, James?†asked Monica, once again holding the poker out to James and Lily. James nodded pleasantly, not seeing Sam, who was hidden behind the large chair, shaking with violent—but silent—laughter. James pulled the marshmallow off the metal pole, not seeing the tan strings that clung to the pole. Lily covered her mouth just in time to hide her laughter.
James put the marshmallow into his mouth, and with a startled mumble, he realized just what it was.
Sam, who had poked his rather blue-looking face over the armrest, finally burst. He flew back from the chair and started rolling on the floor in laughter. Sirius pointed his finger at James, laughing hysterically, and promptly fell off his chair. Remus and Josey, too, started laughing joyfully, leaning against each other as they did so.
The outrageous laughter continued for a long time. So long, that James was just swallowing the sticky mass when they finally stopped. When he looked at his friends in contempt, they broke into new fits of laughter and James had to join in.
–You know, those Shutter-Uppers are extremely sticky!†exclaimed James. Monica smiled –innocentlyâ€. –Did you do something to them?â€
–I may have enchanted them very, very slightly.†Monica gave a shaky smile, but James could see the sparkle in her blue eyes. –But other than that, it’s all Honeydukes!†James glared at her and shook his head.
–I don’t now which was funnier: watching you two fall prey to a Muggle thing, or Nikeia kissing Sirius full on the mouth after Exploding Snap,†admitted Remus after he had received his self control again. Sirius’s face fell a bit at the mention of Nikeia, but at that moment, Josey remembered something.
–Oh!†she cried, jumping out from behind the chess table and coming around to kneel next to Sirius. –Lily and I went to the hospital yesterday, and Madam Pomfrey said that Nikeia is healing. The cuts are healing, and she’s no longer having nightmares! She might wake soon.â€
Somewhere in the midst of Josey’s announcement, Sirius had gotten up to his knees, and was clutching her shoulders. With each word, his face cleared and became happier. –She’s going to be alright, Sirius,†Josey whispered to her friend. Sirius’s face broke into a full-blown grin, and he hugged Josey very tightly.
After a few more Shutter-Uppers sacrificed themselves to a who-can-open-their-mouth-faster contest between James and Sirius, and much more laughter, Josey grabbed Sirius’s wrist and looked at his watch. She gasped and beckoned to Lily and Monica.
–What is it?†asked Monica.
–It’s four. Time to get ready.†Suddenly, Josey’s disposition took on that of an uptight Auror. –Monica, get your dress and anything else you will need and bring it back here. James; get your stuff and get out of here. We have to get ready, and don’t need you boys around here to distract us.†Josey looked so strictly at the boys that no one would have imagined that she had been laughing just a few seconds ago. James opened his mouth a few times, closing it each time to look suspiciously like a goldfish. –NOW!†shouted Josey, and James jumped.
He glared at Josey, then quickly kissed Lily. –Two hours will be too long,†he muttered theatrically.
Lily rolled her eyes, but was smiling happily.
He pulled himself off the couch and then disappeared down the hallway. Remus and Sirius were just reaching the doorway, when he returned. Instead of turning with them, however, he dashed over and kissed Lily again. Josey bit back her laughter and ordered him out of the room.
He proved very unwilling however; he sat on the couch and attempted to hide behind Lily. She could only laugh and shake her head.
Sirius seemed to be fed up with James’s antics and walked over to the couch, pulled James from it and threw him over his shoulder. Lily gasped, but continued to laugh at his awkward state. James, however, began shouting at Sirius. Sirius, of course, ignored his best friend.
Remus retrieved James’s fallen bags, and followed Sirius.
They disappeared down the hallway, the sounds of laughter from the girls following them.
When they had left the hallway, Lily turned to Josey and slapped her arm lightly. –Why did you have to get rid of them so quickly?â€
–Because, dahling,†Josey took on a posh English accent as she put one arm around Lily’s and the other around Monica’s. They began walking toward Lily’s room. –We all need to take showers and get dressed and do hair and—Oh! Monica, dahling, I told you to run to your room and get your stuff. Hurry up now, angel!â€
Monica looked at Lily as if for an explanation, but Lily just shrugged.
Monica was at the portrait when Josey called, –Oh, and find Alice! If she’s with Frank, pull her away!â€
The first year sighed, and exited through the portrait.
Josey began laying out their dresses and accessories, and then turned on Lily.
As she was pushed toward the bathroom, she looked back over her shoulder as if she could see the freedom of earlier that evening go floating out her door. She groaned.