"Miss Evans," the man with silver-gray hair and a hard expression said, "please, take a seat."
He gestured towards a chair across from his desk, and Lily slipped into it nervously. She'd arrived at her workstation that morning to find a notice from Healer Lanwick on her desk, telling her she'd been summoned to this office. She'd never been here before - she didn't think anyone from the program had been here before.
"Do you know who I am?" the man asked.
"Yes, sir," Lily said, resting her hands in her lap. "You're Healer Akhlys. You're the Head of the Master Medicinal Potioneer Program."
"I am," Healer Akhlys replied.
Lily couldn't quite place his accent. It was clipped, precise - but it had a hint of something Eastern European in it.
He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily cringed inwardly. She had hoped that this meeting would have nothing to do with the article, but every rational part of her brain had pointed out that there really was no other reason that a man of his importance would wish to speak to her.
"These accusations are quite serious," he said. He pressed the tips of his fingers together and surveyed Lily. "Before my grandfather took over as Head, this program was a joke. The titles it conferred were meaningless. But he turned it into something we could be proud of, and when he passed it along to my mother, she turned it into the prestigious program it is today." He leaned forward. "I don't like to see the reputation they created ruined."
"I did not…" Lily started, but the Healer lifted a hand to stop her.
"I am not interested in your excuses," he said flatly. There was no sympathy in his eyes. "We cannot have even the slightest hint of impropriety. Too much is at stake."
"Are you…" Lily started, then stopped, her mouth suddenly dry. "Are you kicking me out?"
Healer Akhyls considered this, then said, "I want you to think… really think, Miss Evans… is this the right place for you?"
"It is, sir," Lily said firmly. "I don't need to think about that. I know."
Healer Akhyls frowned. "It would be a shame for you to waste your time," he said, and the implication of that statement was clear.
They'd already made a decision - she wasn't going on to the next round.
Charlus Potter Accused of Buying Wizengamot Verdict.
James didn't even bother reading the article. He knew the case - Mundungus Fletcher had gotten into trouble with the Ministry, and James' father had smoothed things over before it could spiral out of control. The headline was wrong, and the article probably was, too. Mr. Potter hadn't bought the Wizengamot verdict, he'd prevented the trial from happening in the first place.
It didn't matter if the details were correct or not. Interfering with the Wizengamot was a serious charge, and people would believe it merely because it was in the newspaper.
The Potters were under attack.
"This is ridiculous," Sirius growled. "I am going to beat them into a bloody pulp."
"Who are you going to target?" James asked wearily. "Avery? Malfoy? Regulus? Rita Skeeter?"
"All of them," Sirius spat. "Every single one." He shook his head angrily and started pacing, his entire body shaking with pent-up rage. "I want to do something."
"I know, mate," James agreed. "And we will figure out a way to strike back. We just need to… we just need to be careful."
"Be careful?" Sirius seethed. "What we need to do is teach those bloody Slytherins why they shouldn't mess with any of us."
James pressed his lips into a flat line and said quietly, "Mr. Pettigrew's shop caught fire, Padfoot, and no matter what Peter says, we both know it wasn't an accident."
Sirius paused. "I know," he said, his voice tight. "I know." He ran a hand through his hair, his movements sharp and filled with frustration. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
"It wasn't your fault," James said, because he could tell by Sirius' expression that his friend was feeling the same guilt that James felt. It was hard not to - Mr. Pettigrew's shop had nearly been destroyed because of Peter's friendship with them.
Sirius scowled. "Right," he said skeptically.
Peter had told them that Avery and Bellatrix Lestrange had threatened the shop if Peter didn't spy on his friends, and Sirius had then had multiple confrontations - first with Avery and then Regulus - after which the shop had burned almost to the ground. There was one obvious conclusion to draw from that, and it was hard to bear the possibility that the fire had been a direct response to Sirius' actions.
But James had spent a lot of time thinking this through, and had come to the conclusion that there was nothing they could have done to prevent that fire except go back in time seven years and not befriend Peter. Whether Sirius had confronted Avery or not, the Slytherins would have eventually grown tired of trying to bully Peter and would make good on their threats.
Or maybe they would have merely done it for fun.
After all, Bellatrix Lestrange was criminally insane.
"I can't believe little Wormtail stood up to them," Sirius said finally.
"Well, he must have, or they wouldn't have attacked his father's livelihood," James replied. He hesitated, then added, "We need to smooth things over with him."
"Yeah, well…" Sirius flashed a cold grin, "maybe I'll invite him along to watch while I beat up Avery."
James rubbed his eyes. "We need to be careful," he said again. "Don't forget what Malfoy threatened. He's got too much on Remus, and we can't take the chance that he'll go to the Ministry or the Daily Prophet with what he knows. He'll ruin Remus. And he'll use that information to ruin you, too."
"What?"
James and Sirius both spun around at the sound of the new voice, James jumping from his seat and knocking his chair over in surprise. It clattered to the floor, but James paid it no attention, because Remus was standing in the doorway, his face white with shock.
"Moony…" Sirius started uneasily.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked. "What does Malfoy know about me? And how is he going to use it against you?"
"Evans… Lily, wait! Come on… Lily!"
"Get away from me, Potter! And it's Evans to you."
"Come on, just talk to me…"
James reached out and grabbed Lily's arm, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the other witches and wizards on the street. He didn't care that he was about to have a very public fight - he'd never cared about that, and plenty of his yelling matches with Lily had occurred surrounded by Hogwarts students.
He just needed Lily to slow down long enough for him to explain.
Although he really had no idea what he would say.
Lily yanked her arm from his grasp and snapped, "Just leave me alone, Potter!" Her face was covered in red splotches, a sign of just how livid she was.
Confronting Lily in the middle of Diagon Alley was probably not the smartest thing to do, but she hadn't returned any of his letters or allowed him back into her flat. He'd caught sight of her stepping out of the apothecary and instinctively rushed over, determined to take this opportunity to talk to her.
And she was equally determined not to let him.
"You can't think I ever wanted this," James protested. "I didn't think…"
"No, you didn't think! You just did what you wanted without any concern for the way it might effect me," Lily shot back. She pressed her lips together in frustration. "You've ruined any chance I had…"
"I was just trying to help!"
"Yeah, well…" Lily stepped further back, away from him. "You didn't help. You just made things worse."
She looked exhausted. It took him a moment to realize that. Underneath the flush of her fury, her skin was too pale, too sallow. There were dark circles underneath her eyes and her lips had lost their usual rosy color.
"What happened?" James asked.
Lily shrugged one shoulder. "Exactly what you would expect. I've received hate mail from people I've never even met. I…" She stopped, biting off the words, and he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "It's over, Potter. Everything I wanted… it's over. Because of that stupid article. So you've really done enough damage."
"I didn't…"
"Just go away, Potter!"
"Lover's quarrel?"
James turned at the sound of the mocking voice, and narrowed his eyes in fury at the sleek-haired wizard approaching them.
"Malfoy," he said disdainfully.
"Hello, Potter," Lucius Malfoy said. His gaze slid past James and settled on Lily. "And Evans, too."
James bristled and moved ever so slightly to the left, positioning himself between Lily and Malfoy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily glare at him, clearly incensed at the implication that she would need his protection. But he just couldn't help it - he knew what Malfoy was capable of, and he didn't like considering the possibility that Lily had become a target because of James' feelings for her.
He curled his lip. "What do you want?"
"Nothing, nothing," Malfoy said casually, waving one hand as though to dismiss James' anger. He was holding a cane in the other hand. It was slender and black, with a silver snakehead at the top.
"Then leave us alone," James said.
"Ah, Potter… where are your manners?" Malfoy asked with a light laugh that sent shivers down James' spine. "Has Evans' uncouth ways made you forget your own upbringing?"
"Uncouth?" Lily demanded.
"My condolences on the Daily Prophet's article," Malfoy continued, ignoring Lily. "It is so unpleasant to have to face the consequences of your sordid actions, isn't it?"
"Sordid?" James repeated. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"Ah, but I am certain that interfering with independent training programs is frowned upon," Malfoy countered.
A crowd had gathered around the three of them. Most of Lily and James' argument had been witnessed already - would that end up in the Daily Prophet also? - but the debate with Malfoy was drawing even more attention. Diagon Alley really was not the best place to have what should have been a private conversation.
"I didn't do anything wrong," James said again, "and I wasn't trying to buy Lily a spot in the program. She's a better potioneer than anyone else there and could easily get into the next stage on her own."
"Hm… so your father didn't speak to anyone about her?" Malfoy asked delicately.
James couldn't answer that truthfully, but lying wouldn't help, either. He cursed inwardly. How had he let Malfoy get the upper hand so quickly?
Fortunately, he didn't have to respond, because Lily stepped forward and said furiously, "And how many times has your family bought someone a job at the Ministry, Malfoy? How many times have you used your influence to get what you want?"
Lucius pursed his lips. "Careful, Evans," he cautioned, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "You don't want to slander my family."
The name Malfoy carried enough weight for that tone to usually get Malfoy exactly what he wanted: fear. James knew that going up against a Potter was harder for the blonde wizard, because the Potter named carried weight, too, and James wouldn't be easily intimidated by implied threats. But Lily didn't have the protection of blood status, money, or family influence, and that tone should have scared her.
Maybe it did. But if she felt fear, she didn't show it.
"It's not slander if it's true," Lily retorted.
Malfoy stepped forward, his hand tightening around his snakehead cane.
"Back off, Malfoy," James snapped defensively, already tensing. The rational part of his mind told him that Malfoy would not start an actual duel in the middle of Diagon Alley, but something about the way the other wizard was leering at Lily made James' stomach clench.
"It's nice to see you have Potter to fight your battles for you," Malfoy said maliciously, not taking his eyes off of Lily.
"I can fight my own battles, thank you," Lily replied coolly.
"Hm… can you?" Malfoy drawled, his tone colored with disbelief. "Well… let's see if you make it to the next stage of the program without his help."
He didn't wait for either James or Lily to respond, but rather started walking away. The crowd split, people scrambling to get out of his path.
James turned back to Lily, his mouth open and a comforting comment already partially formed on his tongue, when he noticed that she looked dangerously close to tears. He had not expected the confrontation with Malfoy to rattle her so much, and for a moment, he had no idea what to say.
"Evans?"
Lily blinked hurriedly and swiped at her eyes. "Just go, Potter," she said tiredly.
"Hey, Evans," James said, moving quickly to block her path as she attempted to leave, "you can't let Malfoy get to you. You'll do fine in the program, you just need to…"
"No, I won't," Lily snapped. "Don't you get it, Potter? I won't do fine. I won't…" She glared at him furiously. "It's over. Done."
"What do you mean? How can it be over already, you still have another week…" James stopped, abruptly cutting the words off as a thought occurred to him. "They didn't… they didn't drop you from the program, did they?"
"Not in so many words, no," Lily said bitterly. "I think they're hoping I'll drop out in disgrace, and save them the unpleasantness of actually having to kick me out." She wiped at her eyes again, brushing away a few lingering tears. "It doesn't matter if I drop out or stay in to finish this round. Healer Akhyls did make it abundantly clear that I wouldn't go on to the next stage."
"That's not fair," James protested.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed, "Life isn't fair, Potter." Her tone became colder, more resentful, "You have no idea what life is like for those of us not blessed with your status, and maybe in whatever perfect land you inhabit, everything always works out just the way you want it. But I assure you, the real world isn't fair."
"I'm not the enemy here, Evans!"
"Well, you certainly aren't an ally," Lily shot back. She started walking away from him, and he followed behind her quickly, refusing to give up.
"I'm sorry," James said. He wasn't sure how many more times he could apologize, wasn't sure how he could convince her that he really was sorry.
Or maybe she already knew that, and just didn't care.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" Lily practically snarled, pausing just long enough to shoot him an annoyed glare.
"Not until you listen to me!"
The crowd had dissipated after Malfoy's departure. James caught a few glances being tossed his way as he continued hurrying after the irate redhead, but for the most part, people left them alone.
"What could you possibly have to say?" Lily demanded.
"I was only trying to help you! It's not like I had any idea that this would happen," James said. "I am on your side. In case you haven't noticed, they've come after my family, too!"
"I don't need your help," Lily said.
"It wasn't just about you," James answered, taking a breath and forcing himself to calm down. "I was trying to fight prejudice. Against Muggleborns and against werewolves. I was trying to do the right thing. For me." He glanced around to make sure that they weren't being overheard, then lowered his voice and said, "And for Remus. This was about helping him as much as it was about helping you."
Lily took a step backwards and ran a hand through her hair, seemingly unsure what to say. Her expression was a mix of anger and resignation.
Finally, her shoulders sagged and she said, "I know. I know. But…" She averted her gaze. "It's over, James. This program, the Wolfsbane potion… it's all over."
"Why, Vanessa Lovely, you look quite depressed."
Vanessa glanced up, her lips curling in disdain. "Rabastan Lestrange," she said. "Should I be worried that you know who I am?"
Lestrange pulled out the barstool next to her and sat down. "After you tricked information out of Morrison and then pulled that little stunt with the Daily Prophet article, some of us made a point of finding out just who you were." He glanced around the pub. "Come to drink your sorrows away?"
Vanessa shook her head. "None of your business," she said curtly.
"Now, now… don't be like that," Lestrange replied. "I'm just trying to be friendly. Perhaps you need a shoulder to cry on?" His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body, and then he added lasciviously, "Or maybe we could do something else to take your mind off whatever is troubling you?"
Vanessa slid off the barstool, appalled at the implications. "Not a chance," she snapped, turning to stalk away.
Lestrange caught her wrist. "You must realize that holding on to Potter is pointless," he said in a low voice. "He and his family are going down. Do you really want him to drag you down, too?"
Vanessa yanked her arm out of his grasp. "You won't beat him that easily," she retorted.
Lestrange smiled. "We'll see," he replied smugly. He paused, giving her a contemplative look, then said with a smirk, "But it is so nice of you to hold onto your loyalty for him. Particularly when he seems so willing to put his own reputation on the line for Evans. How does it feel to be second best?"
Vanessa couldn't stop the look of pain from washing over her features. She didn't want to believe Lestrange, but some part of her had already accepted this. With James, she would always come in second to Lily Evans.
"Seems like I hit a nerve," Lestrange said. He leaned forward and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, "What if I told you I could make sure Lily Evans was out of the picture?"
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
Peter had honestly thought being on the receiving end of Sirius' temper was the worst he could possibly feel.
James' temper burned bright and fast and faded just as quickly as it appeared. Remus didn't have a temper, not really. But Sirius - when Sirius got angry, his anger lasted. He could hold onto grudges far better than anyone else Peter had ever known, and there had been times at Hogwarts when Sirius had hated someone for so long that he'd eventually forgotten what had triggered his rage in the first place.
When Sirius had decided that Peter had betrayed his friends, when Sirius had gotten angry...
Some part of Peter had assumed that Sirius would never forgive him, or that if forgiveness did come, it would be reluctant and begrudging and occur several years in the future. And James did nothing to cool Sirius' temper, just stood there and let Sirius yell, and Peter had truly believed that this was the worst he could feel.
He had been wrong.
"Firewhiskey?" Peter asked slowly, taking the bottle from Sirius. "Uh... thanks?"
"I know you have a lot of work to do at your father's shop and so probably can't go out to a pub," Sirius explained. He fished two small glasses out of his pocket and displayed them with a flourish. "So I brought the pub to you."
He walked past a stunned Peter and started towards the Pettigrews' sitting room. It wasn't a large house, and the sitting room was crammed with oddly shaped furniture and boxes of toys that hadn't been delivered to the shop yet. Sirius didn't seem to mind this, and simply settled himself onto the sofa, placing the glasses on the coffee table before him.
"Prongs wanted to come," Sirius said, "but he just found out that Evans was told she wasn't going on to the next round, and he's... I dunno..." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Alright, so I have no idea what he's doing at the moment. Fretting, probably."
"Evans didn't make it to the next round?" Peter asked in trepidation. Did James know who had told Avery about the Potters interference in the program? Did they know that Peter was the reason Lily's dreams had been crushed?
Sirius didn't seem to notice his worry. He gave a laconic shrug. "Apparently. And Prongs thinks it is all his fault, and he's trying to figure out how to make it right." He rolled his eyes and said with a snort, "Even when he's dating someone else, all he can think about is Evans."
Peter sat down on the chair opposite Sirius and placed the bottle of Firewhiskey on the table.
Sirius' expression turned grave. "Also, Moony knows about Malfoy's threats."
Peter blanched. "Is he... how did he... handle it?"
Sirius shook his head, a far away look in his eyes. "Not well," he said simply. He didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to. Peter knew just how insecure Remus was, and how much their quiet and bookish friend hated that his werewolf status was occasionally a burden for the people he cared about. Now that Remus knew about Malfoy's threats, those insecurities would be magnified.
Peter looked at the liquid swirling inside the bottle of Firewhiskey and tried to stop the guilty thoughts that rose in his mind.
Avery had been thrilled when Peter told him about Mr. Potter's actions regarding the potioneer program. He'd laughed aloud and clapped Peter on the shoulder, declaring the Gryffindor to be a brilliant spy. He'd gone on to say that Malfoy and Lestrange might find more uses for Peter.
Peter hadn't wanted this. It wasn't supposed to happen this way - he wasn't supposed to betray his friends.
Sirius reached out and opened the bottle, pouring a little Firewhiskey into each glass. He pushed a glass across the table towards Peter and then lifted his own.
"Cheers, mate," he said.
Peter obediently picked up his glass and clinked it against Sirius'.
"To Wormtail," Sirius said, "brave enough to stand up to the Slytherins."
"What?" Peter practically gasped.
Sirius downed his Firewhiskey in one gulp and then said, "You don't have to lie to spare us the guilt, Wormy. Prongs and I know that the only reason your father's shop caught fire was because you stood up to Avery and my darling psychotic cousin." It was an apology, or at least as close as Sirius would ever come to giving one.
Peter sipped his own Firewhiskey and tried not to look ashamed. James and Sirius honestly believed that he had stood up to Avery. They had seen the fire as proof of Peter's innocence, and not recognized it for what it really was - the action that had finally pushed him into his guilt. They didn't know, hadn't even suspected, that the fire had prompted Peter to betray his friends.
And now Sirius was here, complimenting him on his bravery.
However horrible it was to be at the receiving end of Sirius' fury, this was so much worse.
But Peter knew one thing for sure; no matter what, he could not let his friends learn the truth.