The Apollonian Locket (Lily's Story, Year 2)

Are we already to the sequel? Wow, time flies! All right, well, here it is, as I said, the sequel to Lily's Story, Year 1 (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=18408). Clearly, Year 2 will make more sense if you've read Year 1, so I highly recommend that if you haven't already, you do so before joining us for Year 2. To everyone else, hello and welcome to Year 2! I know what you're all thinking, this year has an official title? Oooh...exciting! What you don't know is that Year 1 actually had a title too, I just didn't post it because, well...I didn't have a plot when I started posting Year 1, and so I didn't have a title yet, either. Officially, Year 1 is Lily's Story, Year 1: The Ancient Book of Elves. So now you know. Erm...I don't think that there's anything else you need to know before we begin, except that I do not have Year 2 finished, so if we get caught up to where I've written, it may be awhile between updates.

Okay, then, to the post! Thanks, as always for reading. A link to the feedback thread will be posted at the bottom of the story.

Part 1: School Supplies

“Lily! Are you ready dear? We’ll be leaving for Diagon Alley in a few minutes!” Lily Evans looked up from the book she had been reading as her mother’s voice floated up the stairs to her. She closed the book quickly and hurried over to her trunk to find her hat. She was going to buy school supplies today, and she had arranged it with Alice and Amelia, her two best friends, so that they would all meet in Diagon Alley that day.

“I’ll be right down, Mum! I’ve just got to find my hat!” Lily replied, pulling parchment, textbooks, robes and any other manner of school supply from her trunk and tossing it haphazardly behind her in a bid to find her hat. Lily attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but she had been home for the summer and as her parents were muggles, there had been no reason to wear her wizarding clothing. She had sorely missed it, however, and since they were going to be in the wizarding world today, she had decided to dress like the witch that she was. She finally found her hat at the bottom of the trunk, wrinkled and crushed slightly from the weight of the items that had been stowed on top of it. Lily held it out in front of her and looked at it in disappointment. If she were at school, she would simply perform a straightening charm, but that was out of the question since there were very strict rules about doing magic outside of her school, so it looked like she’d have to settle for just wearing her robes for the day.

She quickly threw her supplies back into her trunk and turned to survey her reflection critically in the mirror. Striking emerald green eyes twinkled out at her from a smiling pale face that was covered with freckles as a result of all the time she’d spent outside that summer. Her red hair was thrown haphazardly back into a braid, and several strands were already slipping out and falling into her eyes. Lily noticed none of this, however. What she saw, instead, was that her robes, which had already been getting short by the end of last term, were now far too short, and looked a little tight in the arms and across the chest. She shrugged and turned to head downstairs. They’d have to do for today, anyway. She didn’t have time to change, and her mum and sister were already waiting for her.

“It’s about time, Lily! Heavens, I hope we don’t miss the train. We were supposed to leave five minutes ago. We wouldn’t have this problem if your father wouldn’t have taken the car!” Lily caught Petunia rolling her eyes and stifled a laugh. Harry Evans, Lily’s father, was working, and so wasn’t joining them for the expedition to Diagon Alley—a fact that Lily had discovered made her mother very nervous. Although she’d been with them when they had gone the previous summer, apparently the goblins at the wizarding bank, Gringotts, scared Elizabeth, and she’d been hoping to wait outside while Harry exchanged their muggle money for wizarding money. Since Harry wasn’t going to be along, that particular task now fell to her, and Elizabeth’s nerves about it were expressed in the form of a short-temper.

“I’m ready, mum,” Lily said. In the week since Harry had found out that he wouldn’t be able to accompany them, Lily and Petunia had learned to speak quietly and agree with whatever their mother said in order to avoid a row. They hurried out the door and began the walk to the underground.

By a stroke of luck, the train was running a few minutes late, and so the three Evanses caught it with plenty of time to spare. Once they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, Lily pulled out her wand in excitement. Even though she wasn’t really doing magic, she couldn’t wait to use it again. They walked into the alley, and Lily tapped the appropriate bricks. Petunia couldn’t help but gasp in amazement as an entrance opened up before them, and Lily laughed. Petunia hit her playfully on the arm. “Hush!” she exclaimed. “I don’t get to see it every day like you do. Not yet, anyway! One more year.”

“Let’s go girls,” Elizabeth snapped, setting a hand on Lily’s and Petunia’s shoulders and urging them forward. “Lily, you do have your supply list?” Lily nodded and followed quietly behind her mother. When they arrived at the bank, Lily offered to go inside and exchange the money for her, but Elizabeth steadfastly refused. “I’m not about to send you in there alone, Lily! Who knows what you might run into?”

Lily secretly thought that the goblins in Gringotts would be nothing compared with the danger she had found herself in last year when she had stumbled across a dark wizard’s plot to become immortal. As it had turned out, it had been her and a classmate of hers, James Potter, that had ultimately been the two to stop him. Dumbledore had only mentioned the scarcest details to her parents, however, and for that she was grateful. Lily was nearly certain that if her parents knew the extent of the danger that she had been in, they would not have allowed her to return to school that year. Consequently, she just smiled, and said “See you in a few minutes, then!” before settling herself onto a step out front.

Petunia sat down beside her and Lily noticed that she couldn’t stop looking around. Lily laughed, knowing exactly how she felt. Despite having been around magic for an entire term, she still occasionally found herself amazed by it. At the moment, there was a large group of wizards in front of them arguing about quidditch, which, Lily had decided, happened whenever a group of more than three wizards assembled anywhere, and had time to talk. Lily had made that assessment after noticing that whenever the boys in her class had a free moment, the subject of quidditch inevitably came up.

Off to their right, in front of a café, was a harried looking witch with two small boys. The children had apparently been fighting, and it seemed that the oldest one had caused the youngest to go flying backwards and land hard on a table. The witch was currently trying to sort out the mess with the occupants of the table on which her child had landed and, at the same time, make sure that her son was unharmed. In the meantime, the oldest boy was insisting that he hadn’t done anything, and that the younger child had made himself fly through the air in order to get the older one in trouble. “Bet mum’s glad she’s never had to deal with anything like that!” Lily whispered to Petunia, pointing.

Petunia, however, had been looking elsewhere. “Is that a giant?” Petunia asked pointing down the alley. Lily looked up to where Petunia was pointing and saw a man who was nearly twice the size of a normal person, with wild looking hair and kind black eyes, walking down the street toward them.

Lily grinned, recognizing the Hogwarts’ gamekeeper immediately. Even in the wizarding world, he stood out. She shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “More likely half and half—real giants are at least 16 feet tall.” Lily recognized in Petunia the same awe that she had felt when she’d first overheard one of her classmates state that fact. “His name’s Hagrid. He works at Hogwarts.”

Lily stood up to make room for Hagrid as he began to make his way up the steps of Gringotts. “Hello, Hagrid!” she said, waving. Hagrid glanced down with a start before seeing Lily and Petunia standing there. “I’m Lily, Lily Evans. I don’t know if you remember me but—,” she began.

“O’ course I remember yeh,” he said with a chuckle. “I’s not ev’ry night that a young lady like yerself comes knockin’ on me door at midnight, askin’ me to help her friends. How yeh’ doin’? Stayin’ out of trouble, I hope?”

Petunia turned to stare at Lily in amazement as Lily blushed. “Yes, sir. I’ve been doing my best.”

“I’m glad ter hear it. Now if yeh don’ mind, I’d best be getting along.”

“Absolutely. It was good to see you again, Hagrid.” Lily said.

“An’ it was good ter see yeh! Can’ wait ‘till yeh lot get back to Hogwarts in a few weeks. It’s too quiet there in the summer!” Lily laughed as Hagrid turned and made his way up the stairs. A door at the top opened, and Lily saw her mother walk out. Elizabeth uttered a small scream as she saw Hagrid, and stepped nervously out of his way. “‘Scuse me, ma’am,” Hagrid said, before disappearing inside.

As Elizabeth descended the stairs toward the two sisters, it was clear that she had been shaken by her experience in the bank. “Goblin thought I intentionally shorted him. As though I know the going conversion rate from pounds to galleons. And then I run into a giant on the way out…”

“Well actually, Mum, he wasn’t a giant. Real giants are at least 16 feet tall,” Petunia said, and then both girls broke into laughter at the expression on Elizabeth’s face.

“Well dear me,” she said, her hand fluttering to her throat. “I won’t even ask how you know that, Petty. All the same, I’d rather be as far away from here as possible, in case the goblins decide to come after me!” She motioned for Lily and Petunia to follow her as she started to walk down the stairs.

Their first stop was at Fluorish and Blotts (the wizarding book store) for Lily’s books, and then next up was the apothecary to replenish Lily’s potion ingredients. Finally, they made their way into Madam Malkin’s for Lily’s new robes. “Now Lily, I’ve promised Petunia that I’d take her into the Quidditch supply shop to look at the broomsticks. You’ll be okay here?”

Lily glanced at Petunia, who was looking at her hopefully. She grinned. “You know what, mum? I’d much rather you stayed here with me. I mean, I don’t know Diagon Alley very well, and I’d hate to be finished, and then get lost trying to find you…” Lily winked at her mum.

Elizabeth smiled, and winked back. “Oh, you’re right, sweetie. I hadn’t thought of that. Well, I’m sorry, Petty. I’m just not sure we’ll get time to go in there today, then. Maybe next summer?”

Petunia’s hopeful look turned into a glare. “Lily! You’ll be fine! Mum, she can just wait here for us.”

Lily shook her head. “I really think mum should stay here,” she began, but couldn’t help but laugh at Petunia’s expression, and Elizabeth joined her. Petunia hit her, hard, in the arm.

“Petty, don’t hit!” Elizabeth admonished, but her eyes were still dancing.

“That wasn’t funny, Lils! Come on, mum.” She grabbed Elizabeth’s arm and started pulling her towards the shop door.

“All right, dear. All right. Lily, we’ll meet you back here, and then we’re meeting your friends for lunch, aren’t we? Okay, we won’t be long!” Elizabeth called out as she allowed herself to be pulled onto the street.

“Lily Evans?” a voice from the back of the shop called. She stood up and walked over to the young witch wearing cobalt blue robes who had emerged into the waiting area. “Are you ready to get your measurements, then?” the witch asked.

Lily nodded, and the witch led her in back and told her to hop up one of the two platforms in the middle of the room. “All right dear,” she said, “this won’t take very long.” Several measuring tapes began taking different measurements as the witch scribbled down various numbers. A few moments later, a second witch entered the room followed very closely by someone that Lily had not expected to see until September.

And there it is, the first installment of Year 2! I know I promised Saturday, but I went horseback riding instead. All feedback can be posted on my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=755945#post755945) for Year 2, and is appreciated more than you can know!

Wait, stop! Don't sue. Here's the disclaimer: All characters that share the names with anyone in the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling, her publishers, and whomever else the appropriate lawyers have granted the privilege. Likewise the locations and scenery. I make no claim to any of it, and thank JKR for allowing me to take her ideas out to play with every once in awhile. Any characters/locations/scenery not sharing a name with anyone in the Harry Potter series belong to me. If you would like to use them in one of your fan fics, please ask my permission. Thank you!

All right, I'm going to try something a little new that I do at some of my other sites. I love your comments on my feedback page, and I usually reply to them under the feedback, but I know that not everyone checks that, so I'm going to start posting my replies prior to my posting my the update. You can skip through if you want to, or you can read if you want to. Okay, so here we go!

Skylark: *cheers* Yes, it is Year 2! It won't take me too long to get the plot rolling, I don't think! Just a few posts to get them sort of through the summer, character development, and fluff, and all that! And yes, I feel a bit bad for Petunia-the-child, but Petunia-the-adult just ticks me off!

Lady Cassie: Lily's family relationships in future years is the reason that I started this fanfic in the first place, so I am quite excited to get to that part, actually. I was curious what could possibly happen between two sisters to make them hate each other so much! And your guess was very good!

miri: That's a very good idea for Year 3. That would be a twist, wouldn't it? Demanding a Year 3 already, though? I'm worried about reaching the end of Year 2!

stephmurden: Thank you! You might want to be careful jumping out of your seat, though... You could hurt yourself! *lol*

oliverlover: Post soon? Okay, I hope this is fast enough!

paigem: Thank you! It's good to have you, and I hope this one comes together as nicely as Year 1 did!

And that is the end of the thank yous/responses for today. As always, a link to my feedback thread will be posted after the update. Thank you for reading!

Part 2: Reunions

“Hiya Evans!” James Potter called out, stepping up on the platform beside her. “Didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Oh, Jamey! Is this a friend of yours?” the witch whom James had followed into the room asked.

“Jamey?” Lily asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Potter glanced at Lily, and smirked. “Yes, Jamey. And I suppose you could say that, Aunt Kathy, though I’m not sure how much she likes me.” He smiled at Lily. “She did kiss me, though.”

Lily flushed deeply as Kathy laughed. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me? I don’t suppose she’ll be the last to kiss you, either. You’ve got the legendary Potter charm, and more than your fair share, too, I’d reckon.”

“It was only on the cheek!” Lily protested. “And it wasn’t that at all, ma’am,” she added, to Potter’s aunt. “We had a bet.”

Potter grinned. “Which you lost. And so, you kissed me.”

As he spoke, Petunia bounced into the room. She stopped mid-skip at Potter’s words, and turned to glance at Lily in amazement. “First I find out that you’re sneaking out at midnight and need a giant—”

“Half-giant,” Lily corrected her automatically. “And what are you doing back already? I thought you’d be gone awhile.”

Petunia ignored the second half of this statement. “Half-giant, then—to rescue you. And now you’re kissing boys? And you didn’t tell me?”

At this, Potter broke down into a fit of giggles, and he was laughing so hard that for a moment, his aunt had to stop measuring him. Petunia was now staring at Potter. “She kissed you?” Petunia asked, wrinkling up her nose a little. Potter nodded, and Petunia grinned.

Lily glared back and forth between Potter and Petunia. “On the cheek!” she exclaimed, all friendly thoughts that she had felt toward Potter since the end of last year disappearing with this reminder of why she had disliked him in the first place. When she had made the bet with him, she'd thought that maybe he didn't hate her after all, but she was now fairly certain that Potter had only made that bet with her so that if she lost, he’d have yet another reason to tease her. “And only because we made a ridiculous bet that I could never have expected to lose!”

Potter wiped a tear out of his eye and winked at Kathy and Petunia, further infuriating Lily. “Oh just admit it, Evans! You wanted to kiss me.”

The witch who had been measuring Lily patted her on the shoulder. “That’s you done, my dear.”

“Not a moment too soon,” Lily muttered, turning to gather up her packages. “Thank you, ma’am,” she said to the witch who had measured her before walking toward the door that led to the front of the store.

“You’ll admit it one day, Evans!” Potter called after her.

“Over my dead body!” she retorted. “Come on, Pet!” Petunia, who had been laughing almost as hard as Potter, turned to scurry after her. Their mother was waiting out front, and she quickly explained that the quidditch supply shop had been so full that they’d been unable to get inside. Once they had paid for Lily’s new robes, they began to make their way over to the Leaky Cauldron, where they were meeting the Parkers and the Boneses for lunch. Before Lily was halfway through the door, there was a squeal, and she didn’t have to look up to know that Alice was now barreling towards her in standard Alice fashion. A second later, Alice was giving her a huge hug.

“Lily!!!!!!!!!” Alice squealed when she finally released her. “I’ve missed you sooooo much!!!!! I haven’t had anything to do all summer outside of the week that you and Amelia came to visit!” She grabbed Lily and hugged her again.

Lily laughed. “What about the week that you came to visit me, and the week that we both went to Amelia’s?”

“All right, outside of those three weeks, then! It’s been a long summer. And I’m starving, come on.” She grabbed Lily by the hand, and pulled her over to their table, where Mr. and Mrs. Parker, and Anna were sitting. Anna looked a bit petulant, and Lily suspected that it was because there were any number of things she’d rather be doing right now than eating dinner with her parents, little sister, and little sister’s friends. Mr. and Mrs. Parker greeted Elizabeth warmly, and Mr. Parker quickly engaged her in a conversation about muggle-transportation habits.

Lily glanced at the two adults and grinned. “Is he really doing a report for work?” she asked Alice.

Alice giggled. “No, he just said that so she doesn’t think he’s odd for asking. He wouldn’t have to ask her, of course, but mum refuses to discuss any of it with him. I think she finds it a bit annoying after all of this time!”

As if on cue, Mrs. Parker cut in. “Oh for heaven’s sakes, Andrew! Can you give Elizabeth a moment to decide on her meal?”

Lily and Alice giggled again, drawing a reproachful look from Mr. Parker. They both quickly turned their attention back to their menus. A few minutes later, Amelia arrived with her older brother, Edgar. “Now you heard what mum and dad said,” Edgar was saying to Amelia. “You’re to stay with your friends’ parents, and meet me at the public floo network station by 5.”

“I got it the first time mum told me, Edgar,” she snapped. “And if I didn’t get it then, I most certainly understand after the five times you’ve repeated it since.” She had her arms crossed and a look of annoyance on her face.

“Fine,” he said. “Then I’ll meet you at five, with our supplies. You don’t need robes, do you? It doesn’t look you’ve grown any!” He laughed as Amelia’s look of annoyance turned to a glare.

“Is there any reason you haven’t left yet, Ed?” she snapped.

“Because it’s so much fun irritating you, shortstuff. But I have a lot of shopping to get done. Mum’s expecting me to take care of it, so I suppose I’d better leave you.” He turned and walked out the door and Amelia scanned the room. Lily and Alice stood up and waved at her, and she came trotting over, grinning.

Lily stood back to allow Alice to greet Amelia first, figuring there was less chance of injury that way. As soon as Alice was through hugging Amelia, and squealing how much she had missed her, Lily gave Amelia a hug, and the three girls sat down. Anna glared at Alice. “For Merlin’s sake, Alice. Can’t you be a little more demure in the manner in which you greet your friends?”

Alice rolled her eyes. “Forgive me, highness, if I have offended your noble—,”

“Girls!” Mrs. Parker said sharply. “Can you two make it through even one day without a fight?”

Alice grinned. “Not likely,” she said.

Mrs. Parker sighed heavily. “Well please, try. Amelia, were your parents unable to make it, then?”

Amelia nodded. “Yes, ma’am. My dad got called into work, and my mum is at home with my little brother. Jake’s sick right now.”

“Well I do hope he feels better soon,” Elizabeth offered.

“Me too,” Amelia said emphatically. “He’s so whiny when he’s sick!”

Just then, the waiter arrived to take their orders, and after everyone had given their requests, the three girls began talking about Hogwarts and answering Petunia’s questions about the magical world. The remainder of lunch was a pleasant affair, with all save Anna appearing to enjoy themselves immensely over the good food and friendly company.

Whoops! Nearly forgot!
Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735)

Skylark: You knew? Are you sure? *checks Skylark's previous post* All right, then, a cookie to you for guessing that it would be James! (not that it was a hard guess... ;)) Regarding James and Lily...of course they couldn't stay friendly forever, could they? I have to keep things consistent with canon! As for the significance of the locket, I cannot...say. Lupin and Black will not show up (as I recall) until we reach Hogwarts, but that is not that far off, I promise! And as for Snape, I can't say much other than that you will see quite a bit more of him this year. I've even got a short story written that is a Snape POV that is a supplement to something that I've written in Lily's Story, so...he'll be around. No worries!

siriusly_me: Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you like my depiction of the characters. It can be incredibly difficult taking characters that everyone already loves (Sirius and Lupin) and writing them so that I don't turn people off. I'm happy that I've succeeded in your case! And thank you, again, for the comparison to JKR. *blushes* I assure you that I am not worthy!

stephmurden (can I call you steph?): A cookie for guessing, James, to you then, too! I'm glad that you like James teasing Lily...I'm afraid she doesn't find it half so amusing, though!

hermiones_peak: I'm so happy to have you as a reader! Welcome, welcome, and thanks for posting feedback. You are right that Sirius wouldn't have as much leverage on James if "the girl" knew he likes her. He likes to tease James about telling her. Funny, I never really thought of that before!

paigem: Yep, you can have a cookie, too. It wasn't supposed to be a cliffhanger, just the chappie was getting long, and I needed a place to cut it!

SFHPW: I'm afraid he will never give Lily a break. I keep telling her the attention he gets from his teasing is not the kind of attention he wants, but he's afraid she'll ignore him if he stops teasing her. Poor boy. Yes, Anne and Ed are at Hogwarts too. They were actually introduced (very briefly) last year. Edgar is the Bones referred to in OotP, and her younger brother, Jake, is the father of Susan.

Lady Cassie: The chapters on average have been longer in Year 2 than Year 1 (though this update is kind of short). On average, 4-6 pages in word vs. 3-5 like they were for Year 1. As for the title of the book, the full story will take awhile (well, the whole book, as it turns out!) to come out, but it will be worth the wait. I hope!

miri: The Parker sisters are a bit different in temperament. I blame it on Anna being a young teen (no offense to the young teens who read, I know I've got a few of them!). I remember that age, and being seen with your parents was horrible... But she's also not as easy-going as Alice. I don't think Alice will ever get to be like Anna! I'm thrilled that my Pet reminds me of your sister, who is roughly the same age. That means that I'm able to write her appropriately for her age! I struggle with that from time to time...(all the time)

Pet: Yay! I made it to Year 2. Thank you for posting! *huggles* You're story is fabulous as well. Anyone who isn't already reading her Year 6 (HP and the Shadows of the Watchgate), I highly recommend it. It's fantastic!

All right, that brings us to the post... As always, thanks for posting your feedback and your thoughts! I absolutely LOVE hearing from you guys! And since this story isn't finished, your input might very well inspire a story line or two. Thank you!

Part 3: Shopping

When lunch had ended, Lily, Alice and Amelia were given three hours to shop by themselves in Diagon Alley. Petunia had wanted to go with them, but Elizabeth had insisted that she was far too young to be allowed to wander the alley without supervision. Petunia had been none too happy about this, but Lily and her two friends quickly headed on their way, determined not to waste a second of the afternoon. The last thing that they heard as they walked through the entrance and back into Diagon Alley was Elizabeth trying to convince Petunia that she would at least to get to visit the quidditch supply shop if she stayed with her.

Their first stop of the afternoon was a wizarding jewelry shop. When Lily had been accepted at Hogwarts, her father had given her a locket that was a family heirloom. The locket didn’t have a chain, however, so Lily had been unable to wear it the previous year. She had settled for carrying it around in her pocket throughout the year, but had nearly lost it more times than she could count. Lily had saved up her birthday and allowance money, and was hoping that she could find a magical chain to hold her locket. As Alice and Amelia wandered around to look at the different jewelry in the store, Lily approached the counter. An older wizard in navy blue robes turned around. “Can I help you?” he asked in a nasal, bored-sounding voice.

Lily decided almost immediately that she didn’t particularly like the wizard, but he appeared to be the only person tending the shop at the moment. “Um, yes sir. I’m looking for a chain for a locket that I received as a gift.”

The wizard nodded. “Very good. And what are the magical properties of the locket?” he asked.

Lily looked at him blankly. “I—I’m sorry, the magical properties?”

“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “All of our jewelry is imbued with different magical properties. Our rings, for example, all have a perfect fit charm, so that they will never become to small, or too large. Our pendants are often charmed to stay continuously shiny. Most of our lockets are created in such a way that the giver of the gift can leave some part of themselves in the locket. The chains that we sell, therefore, are designed specifically to enhance the magical property of the jewelry, so if yours has any special properties, I’ll best be able to find a chain for it by matching up the magic in the item with the magic in our chains.”

Lily stared at him in awe. It had never really occurred to her to think about whether wizarding jewelry would differ from muggle jewelry. She shook her head. “No, sir. My locket was given to me by my father—a muggle. It possesses no magical properties.”

The look of polite interest on the wizard’s face turned into a sneer for the briefest of moments when she mentioned that her father was a muggle, and Lily sighed. It looked as though she had run across a blood-purist. That was probably the reason that she had disliked him so intensely upon first sight. “Well, I’m not sure that we have any chains suitable for muggle jewelry. Let me have a look at it.”

By this time, Amelia and Alice had joined her at the counter. She held out her locket and the wizard took it to a nearby counter in back of the jewelry case behind which he was standing, in order to inspect it more closely.

“Did you just get that, Lily?” Alice asked curiously.

“No, my dad gave it to me last year. I just didn’t have a chain, so I carried it in my pocket all year.”

“Oh—that’s what you were always slipping into your robes every morning!” Amelia said, comprehension dawning. “I always assumed it was a pocket watch.”

Lily laughed. “Nope, just a plain old ordinary locket. It’s quite old though, I think. My dad said that he got it from his mother. Supposedly it’s been in the Evans family for quite some time. I’m rather nervous that I’ll lose it eventually if I keep carrying it around loose.”

By this time, the wizard had returned to where the girls were standing, wearing an expression that Lily couldn’t discern. “I believe that I’ve got the perfect chain for you, young miss. I’ll be back in just a moment.” The wizard disappeared through a door near the back of the store.

The girls chatted quietly while they waited, and a few moments later, the wizard returned, carrying Lily’s locket, which was now attached to a beautiful gold chain. “There you are, Miss Evans,” he said, holding the locket out to her.

Lily took the locket, and stared at it in awe. It appeared that the old wizard had used a polishing charm on it, for it was now sparkling in the light of the store, and Lily noticed that the polish had revealed a tripod engraved upon the front of the locket that she hadn’t noticed with all the grime and dirt that had covered it. She glanced at the wizard. “Thank you, sir! It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to show—hang, on. How did you know my surname?”

“You mentioned it, when you were telling your friends about your locket,” he said. “I pay attention. This is a beautiful piece of jewelry, miss, one of the finest muggle-creations that I’ve come across. You’ll want to take care of it.”

Something about his tone of voice gave Lily pause, but he was now smiling at her expectantly. “I will, thank you,” she said quickly. As she moved to fasten the chain around her neck, the clasp automatically opened, and then closed, locking the chain on. Lily quickly paid the man, and then the three girls exited the shop, blinking in the bright sunlight.

The girls spent the remainder of the afternoon browsing the different shops. Amelia bought a variety of candy to take home with her, while Alice bought a quidditch chaser training manual to use when she was practicing for her try-out in a few short weeks. Before Lily was ready, it was evening, and she was seeing Amelia off at the public floo-network, saying goodbye to Alice, and walking with her mum and sister toward the underground to catch the train home. Apparently, Petunia had forgiven Elizabeth for not allowing her to tag along with Lily and her friends, for the two chatted animatedly on the way home about everything that they had seen that day. Lily, however, sat quietly, listening to them chat, and thinking about how excited she was to return to school.

And if you want to leave feedback, you can get there quickly by clicking here (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735). Thank you!

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All right, here we go, back to Hogwarts. Those of you who have requested more Snape/Lily will be quite excited by the goings on in this next chappie.

Skylark: You don't trust the jeweler, huh? Well, I can't say I blame you. He did act a bit...strangely, didn't he? But the dark arts meddling with Lily? Why on earth would they be interested in her? She's just one small muggleborn! Surely they have bigger targets!

Sirius' Babi: Oh, quite all right that it took you a few days to read! I was afraid that if I didn't put "Lily's Story, Year 2" that people might not notice, and apparently that was well founded. Perhaps I'll put a final post in year 1, directing people here. Or...have I done that already? *wanders off to check*

hermiones peak: Hmmm...Lily cares about James? *ducks as Lily tries to hex HP* Dear...I'd be careful about what you're saying. I keep trying to tell her that too, and she's hit me with a number of curses, while insisting that she hates him. *shakes head* Denial, you know.

Lady Cassie: Well, actually, when I first wrote Year 1, I didn't have any mention of the locket, so I had to go back and revise. I'm glad that you appreciated the subtle references in Year 1. The question is...just what is the secret of the locket (and how am I going to make it into the plot for this year)?

Drusilla: welcome back! Don't worry about your absence. As the holder of a master's degree, I quite understand nasty exams, and real life. It's great to have you back, and thank you for your nice words about my story! I've converted some L/J shippers...my question is, are there any Lily/Snape shippers, or...Lily/Remus shippers, or Remus/Amelia shippers (though I know the more popular pairing there is Lupin/Tonks) among you? ;)

stephmurden: It's funny you should say that! The lack of L/J stories at the site where I originally posted this is what motivated me to write this in the first place. Hopefully you will find as much joy and fulfillment in writing your story that I have found in writing Lily's!

SHFPW: Thank you. Sincerely!

And now, onto the post!

Part 4: Back to Hogwarts!

Both Elizabeth and Petunia had been short-tempered and impatient throughout the week preceding Lily’s departure for Hogwarts. When they had arrived home from their trip to Diagon Alley, Petunia had been telling Harry about the trip, and remarked that next year they’d be buying supplies for her, as well. “Now Petunia, you know it’s unlikely that both you and Lily are gifted with magical ability,” Elizabeth had admonished, sparking a huge row. By the end of it, Elizabeth had grounded Petunia for two weeks, and Petunia was refusing to speak to Elizabeth. Harry and Lily had tried to calm Petunia down, but Petunia had determinedly rebuffed all of their attempts to entreat her to reconcile with Elizabeth, leaving Lily to marvel at how stubbornly Petunia was holding onto her grudge. Elizabeth, in the meantime, was insisting that she was right to have discouraged Petunia’s “false hopes”, and steadfastly refused to apologize, leaving no doubt in either Harry’s or Lily’s mind from where Petunia had inherited her stubbornness.

When September first finally arrived, the family piled into the car and headed to the station, Lily’s owl, Romulus sitting on the middle seat between herself and Petunia. About halfway to the train station, Romulus began hooting dolefully from his cage, and Petunia snapped at Lily to keep him quiet. “Girls!” Elizabeth admonished from the front seat.

“What?” Petunia responded churlishly, finally breaking her silence toward Elizabeth. “I’ve only just asked her to keep her owl quiet. Would you prefer it if I encouraged it to make noise, instead?” Petunia then began hitting her hands against Romulus’s cage, startling him.

“Knock it off, Pet!” Lily said sharply, reaching her hand through the bars and stroking Romulus’s ruffled feathers.

“Petunia, leave your sister’s owl alone!” Elizabeth chastised.

Petunia turned to look at their mother, and Lily was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “You always take her side!” Petunia said suddenly. “In everything. Lily this, Lily that. ‘Now Petunia, it’s unlikely you’ll be gifted with magic like Lily.’ ‘Petunia, why can’t you behave in school like Lily?’ ‘Petunia, you should learn to control your temper like Lily’.” Petunia’s voice had been rising with every word, and even Romulus had turned to stare at her. “If Lily was so perfect, then why’d you even have me?” At this, Petunia’s tears began to fall, and stunned, Lily turned automatically to gather her crying sister into her arms. Unfortunately, the owl cage was in the way, and so she had to settle for patting the sobbing Petunia on the back.

The remainder of the trip passed in silence, and when they arrived at King’s Cross, Lily said goodbye to Elizabeth and Petunia at the car while Harry loaded Lily’s things onto a trolley. After she had hugged her mother and sister and told them that she loved them, they began to walk toward the platform. “Petunia was pretty upset,” Lily said hesitantly.

Harry nodded. “Yes, she is. But she’ll get over it and bounce back to being the happy-go-lucky Petunia we all know and love. She’s just a little anxious right now with you leaving for school.”

Lily shrugged. “I suppose so,” she said.

Harry stopped and turned to look at Lily. “Now listen up, young lady. You have enough on your hands with school and learning magic, you don’t need to worry about your sister, too. That’s me and your mum’s job, understand?”

Lily began walking again, and nodded half-heartedly, knowing even as she did so that her father's reassurances would not make her worry any less. As she saw it, taking care of Petunia was also her job as an older sister. If Petunia was this angry and upset, then she obviously needed someone to talk to about it, and she, Lily, wouldn’t be around. “That’s your platform,” Harry said, bringing Lily’s thoughts back to the present.

She turned to greet Alice, Anna, and Mr. Parker. After Alice had finished squealing and hugging her, Lily gave Mr. Parker a hug and said hello to Anna. The two men shook hands, and then Harry gave Lily a hug goodbye. “Remember what I said. You worry about school, and leave Petunia to your mum and me. We’ve done pretty well at this parenting thing so far, huh?” He smiled, and Lily returned his smile. “That’s my girl,” he said, ruffling her hair. “Be good this year. I don’t want to hear about any more trouble like last year.”

Lily grinned. “That wasn’t my fault,” she said, automatically. Alice snickered.

“Well, just the same, be careful, and we’ll see you at Christmas. I love you, Lily.”

“I love you, too,” Lily said, hugging her dad one last time before he merged into the crowds streaming by them in either direction, and disappeared. Lily heaved another sigh, still trying to shake off the feeling that she should be with Petunia right now, as Alice squealed again. Lily didn’t have to look to know that Amelia was making her way toward them. When Lily finally spotted her in the crowd, she saw that Amelia was followed closely by her mum, older brother Edgar, and a smallish, dark-haired boy that she recognized from her visit to be Amelia’s little brother, Jacob. Lily gave Amelia a hug, and then turned to greet Jacob, who stared at her wide-eyed and seemed incapable of speaking. He simply mouthed the word hi.

“He looks terrified,” Lily commented, glancing curiously at Amelia.

“Well he should,” Amelia said brightly. “Edgar and I have been telling him the type of tasks that you have to do in order to be sorted into a house.”

Lily grinned, and then raised her eyebrows as she turned to Jake. “Yes,” she said, faking a shudder. “I don’t even want to talk about what we had to do last year!”

Jake uttered a small scream and hid behind his mother, as the three girls burst into laughter. “Now Amelia,” Mrs. Bones said, but she was also smiling. “There’s no need to scare your brother anymore. He’ll find out what creature they face this year soon enough.” Mrs. Bones turned to greet Mr. Parker, who embraced her like the old friend that she was.

“We’d better get going,” Edgar said, pointing at the muggle clock above them. “We’ve only got a few minutes, and prefects are supposed to help the younger students get their trunks situated.”

Lily raised her eyebrows and glanced at Amelia. “Prefect?” she asked.

Amelia sighed. “Don’t get me started. He made prefect this year, and it’s all mum and dad have been able to talk about since he got his letter. Come on, let’s go, before she,” here, Amelia nodded toward her mother, “starts tearing up again over her precious baby boy being a prefect.”

The girls pushed their trolleys through the barrier at the same time, and then moved out of the way quickly to await the remainder of their group. Once the Parkers and Boneses were all through the barrier, the adults helped the kids get their stuff onto the train, and then with final hugs and words of caution, Amelia, Alice and Lily tried to find an open compartment in the now-packed train. After they had been from front to back twice, Lily thought she had found one, and motioned for the girls to join her. She slid open the door and walked inside, pulling her trunk behind her. “Oh!” she said, stopping short when she noticed that the compartment wasn’t empty. Her abrupt stop caused Alice to bump into Lily’s trunk, ramming it painfully against her leg, and she leaned down to massage her leg as she spoke. “I’m sorry, Severus. I didn’t see you in here. Do you mind if we join you? There’s no room elsewhere on the train for all three of us.”

Snape glanced up from the book that he was reading, and nodded imperceptibly, so the three girls piled in beside him. “Hello, Severus,” Alice said, choosing the seat across from him. He nodded again at Alice, and then turned back to his book. Lily settled in the seat next to him, and Amelia sat across from her.

Lily glanced over at the boy sitting next to her and wondered if either Alice or Amelia felt as awkward as she did about the current situation. Snape was friends with two people who had landed Alice in the hospital for two weeks last term, and he was enemies with four Gryffindors who, for the most part, Lily would consider friends of hers. In addition, Snape appeared to be utterly uninterested in making polite conversation with them, which was just fine with her, except that she wasn’t entirely sure whether or not it would be rude to then talk to Alice and Amelia. She looked back at her two friends, trying to ask the question silently, and the shrug that Alice gave her indicated very clearly that she had understood Lily’s question, but didn’t know the answer. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment before Alice apparently decided that she had had just about as much of the situation as she was going to take. “Severus,” she said, causing him once again to glance up from his book. “I just wanted to let you know that I know you tried to stop—,”

The door to their compartment jerked open, revealing a tall boy with longish black-hair falling into his eyes, and a second boy, slightly shorter and lankier with black hair sticking up in all directions. Both were grinning, however their grins changed to sneers as they noticed Snape was sitting with the girls. Sirius Black and James Potter walked inside. Two of their friends, Remus Lupin, a slim boy with light-brwn hair and a tired face, and Peter Pettigrew, a brown-haired boy with a pointy nose and watery eyes, followed. Lupin looked weary and drawn, and Lily also noticed a bruise on his cheek, and a gash on his hand.

With the four boys’ arrival, there was a sudden quiet in the carriage. As the silence grew louder, Lily glanced around. Lupin leaned heavily against the door frame, as though the very act of standing up was costing him all the strength that he had, Alice and Amelia looked very uncomfortable, Potter and Black looked murderous, Pettigrew looked scared, and Snape—the center of it all—sat reading his book, seemingly oblivious to the new arrivals. Lily, however, noted that Snape’s hand had moved from where it had been resting on his book and into the wand-pocket of his robes, and she was certain that he was grasping the handle of his wand. The enmity in the compartment was palpable. “What are you doing in here, Snivellus?” Potter asked icily, breaking the silence.

Lily stood up automatically and turned to face Potter. “Knock it off, Potter,” she said warningly.

“I could ask you the same thing, Potter,” Snape said, ignoring Lily and not even glancing up from his book. “I’m here because this is my compartment.”

Black glanced at the three girls. “It appears to belong to Evans, Bones, and Parker,” Black said, turning his hard eyes back to Snape.

Snape finally looked up and grinned humorlessly. “It’s my compartment,” he repeated, glancing between Potter and Black, and the girls, “and Evans, Bones and Parker are here by Evans’s request, and my consent.”

Black glanced at Lily quizzically, and Potter’s eyes flashed angrily between her and Snape. Lily was surprised at how close he appeared to losing control. His knuckles were white around the handle of his wand, which was just barely in his pocket. Lily pulled her wand out, just in case she needed it to stop Potter from hexing Snape, but for the moment, she kept it dangling loosely at her side. “Severus is right, Potter,” Lily agreed. “I asked him if we could sit here, and he agreed.”

“Well I guess that Severus,” Potter said the name mockingly, “didn’t realize that when he agreed to let you have his compartment, he was supposed to have left. You’re not welcome here, Snivellus.”

Lily had reached her tolerance point. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Potter! You don’t have the right to say who is and is not allowed to be in this compartment. Severus has been sitting quietly and reading. He hasn’t done anything to us, or to you. In fact, it was quite pleasant until you arrived and started causing trouble, so if you can’t be polite to our compartment mate, then I’m afraid that I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Black glanced at Lily in amazement, while Potter took a deep breath and turned his glare to her. Snape chuckled. “That’s interesting, Potter. From the way that Evans is talking, it sounds to me as though it’s YOU, and not me, that’s not welcome here. Now, if you’ll be on your way? I would hate for you to get detention before we even get to Hogwarts because you were causing trouble on the train.”

Potter and Black both glared, but Lupin set a warning hand on Potter’s shoulder. “Don’t start anything, Jamesy—Siri,” Lupin said firmly.

Black heaved a sigh, and nodded. “You’re right, Remmy. There’ll be plenty of opportunities later. Let’s go, Jamesy.”

Pettigrew scrambled quickly out of the compartment, followed by Black and Remus. Potter turned to stare at Lily for a moment, an indiscernible expression on his face, before he turned and followed his friends out of the compartment, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. “Well,” she said, after the door had slid shut behind them, “am I glad that’s over. I’m sorry about them, Sever—,” she began, but stopped, noticing that he had stood up and was now pulling down his things from the overhead bin. “Hang on, where are you going?”

“Unless you three wish to deal with a similar scene when my friends come looking for me, I think it’d be best if I find them first,” he said, pulling his trunk toward the door, and sliding it open before turning to glare at Lily. “And for future reference, Evans, I hardly need your apologies for, let alone your assistance in dealing with, those two little gits.” The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Lily to stare at Alice and Amelia with a look of confusion on her face identical to the ones that they were wearing.

Edit: Oops, forgot! Feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=755945#post755945)

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was dealing with family/personal issues, and was more or less away from the computer all day. But I am back today, and as always, I wanted to say thanks for reading. For those of you who enjoyed the Lily/Potter/Snape tension in that last scene, there will be some more for you in the future, but for now, we leave Mr. Snape with his friends, and move forward.

SFHPW: Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed the fight between Petunia and her mother. I am trying to develop Petunia's character beyond the 1-dimensional woman that we see in the HP books, and I'm happy that you like my portrayal of her! Do you think Snape prefers Lily to Alice and Amelia? Hmmm...had never thought about that, but I suppose it is a possibility. I wonder why, though...? And I'm so happy that you thought I kept him in character! *squeals* Snape is such a little bugger to write! As for Potter...I suppose he's suspicious that Lily might like Snape because she continually stuck up for him last year.

Sirius' Babi: Why do the boys always have to start things? Well...because they're boys, of course! And 12-year-old ones at that. They only get more obnoxious as the year progresses, I'm afraid. As for Severus being nice...it'd be weird for the adult Severus, as we know him, but I think there's more to both Severuses (Severi?) than we know, and I try to present some of that "buried" Severus in my fictions! When we get there, I also have a short Severus Point of View that supplements an event in Lily's Story. It was quite fun to write.

Lady Cassie: My updates have gotten longer this year, so consequently they cover a lot more ground. And I'm so happy that you appreciated both my emotion-filled scenes. They were a challenge to write, and your comments make me feel as though I accomplished what I was trying to accomplish with them!

siriusly me: Thank you! As for what Potter thinks...well, I think it's a possibility, but since I don't write in his POV, I can't ever know exactly what's going on. If I know too much, then Lily finds out, and ruins all the suspense. ;) And, thank you again.

LunaFan: Welcome to Year 2, then! *makes yet another mental note to post a notice at the end of Year 1 as to the location of Year 2* As for Snape's intelligence, I think that he must be a very powerful wizard in his own right, to have been a member of Voldemort's inner circle, and so I do try to capture that. He's such a complex character, and can be viewed in so many different ways that he is a challenge to write. As for Lily calling him Severus, I wonder if she even realizes she does that, and how that could be interpreted?

miri: Thank you! The sisterly interaction comes a lot from my own experience with my sister (two years older than me), and I'm happy you think that I portray it well. That's an interesting guess that you've made regarding the jeweler's reaction to Lily. I wonder if Lily would even tell her dad if his gift put her at risk? I'm so happy that you liked my train scene! Any scene I write with Snape always ends up crackling with emotional undercurrents, even if I'm not trying for that. As for what Severus knows and does not know, it is my belief that he is an excellent judge of character and motivations, and I do think that he might be aware, at least on some level, of James's interest in Lily, though I can't say that for certain. He is a difficult character to read, so his motivations and what he does and does not know often remain hidden to even his author!

hermiones peak: If you recall, that is not the first time that Snape has been with the 3 girls, and not hexed them. Last year, he was trying to help Alice when LeStrange and Bellatrix were hexing her, and he shared a boat with them the previous year... He doesn't seem to be initiating any sort of conflict with them. As for Lily's cluelessness, it's a bit frustrating for me, but what can you do? She's convinced herself that Potter hates her, and she won't hear another word about it.

Drusilla: *blushes* Thank you. Mass circulated, it is, a bit. I post on a couple of other sites besides this one. Though I have yet to reach all of the vast readership of HP. I have maybe...50ish readers all told, which I consider amazing, for my humble little fic! And thank you, again, for saying my work is worthy of publishing. *whispers* One day, I'd like to write something that I could try to have published. *stops whispering* Regarding Lily's personality, I think that you may be right. She's a lot of fun to write, frustrating though she can be! I'm glad that you like my portrayal. And I agree with you completely regarding Tonks/Bill. Either that, or Tonks/Charlie. But like you said, Bill's got the hair going for him, and I'm all for that!

And thank you all for reading and taking the time to respond! It's time now for the next update!

Part 5: A Vision of Harry

Shortly after the confrontation between Snape and Potter, their compartment door slid open again, revealing a witch with the refreshment trolley, and they each got snacks to share with one another. As they ate their snacks, Lily played absently with her locket, thinking yet again about Severus Snape. She couldn’t quite decide whether or not she liked him. Her mind traveled back to one night last year, when she’d found him crying in a classroom. Before she’d had the opportunity to ask him what was wrong, the Marauders had shown up, and he’d taken off. Of course, it was no mystery why Potter and Black would hate him, she mused, as her thoughts then shifted to the night that Alice was attacked. Once again, she saw Snape conjuring a snake, and taunting Potter and Black. She saw again the bewilderment in Black’s eyes; Potter asking Snape where he’d learned that one. Then the scene shifted, and she was no longer at the lake, watching Potter and Black trying to figure out how to get rid of the snake. Instead, she was in the Great Hall, however it was clearly not set up for dining. The tables were gone, and along one wall was a long, golden stage. She was in the middle of a large group of students, who were forming a circle. Lily recognized almost immediately that she was having another vision, and she glanced around, mildly curious as to what it would be about.

In the middle of the circle, she saw a greasy-haired man who looked to be about her father’s age whispering something into the ear of a pointy-faced, blonde-haired boy with a mean sneer that reminded Lily forcefully of Lucius Malfoy. The hair of the greasy-haired man obscured his face, but Lily assumed that he was a teacher of some sort. As she was wondering what class he taught, he straightened up, his gaze meeting hers, and Lily realized with a start that she was looking into the eyes of Severus Snape. As she wondered at the revelation that Snape would one day teach at Hogwarts, the blonde boy, who Lily now guessed was Malfoy’s son, muttered, “Scared?” To the right of her, she heard a voice reply, “You wish,” but when she tried to turn her head to see who was speaking, she found that she was unable to do so. Apparently, this was not a vision which she could control, she mused, wondering why that would be.

“Three—two—one—go!” another voice to the right of Lily shouted, and Malfoy’s son raised his wand and bellowed, “Serpensortia!” A long black snake shot out the end of the wand, and coiled as though ready to strike. Lily automatically muttered a scream and turned to back away with the rest of the crowd, as a blonde-haired man came into view and shouted “Allow me!” He waved his wand, and the snake flew into the air and landed back on the floor, and then began moving toward a student standing near Lily. At that moment, a hissing sound came from the right of her, and the snake turned towards it, slumping to the floor, almost as though whoever had made the hissing sound had told it to stop attacking.

“What do you think you’re playing at?” the boy who the snake had gone after said angrily, before turning to stomp off. At that moment, Snape stepped forward, and with a wave of his wand, the snake disappeared. He then looked over beyond Lily with an odd expression in his eyes, and Lily wondered if whoever it was that was standing on the side of the circle which she was unable to see had been the one who had made the sound.

“Lily! Lily!” Alice screamed as Lily’s thoughts returned abruptly to the present. She felt a pain throbbing in her elbow, and as she looked around, she was utterly unsurprised to find that she had fallen from her seat onto the ground. Last year, Lily had had several visions like the one that she had just had. Most of them had gotten herself and her friends out of very dangerous situations, and all save one had ended with her tumbling onto the floor at the end of it. She rubbed her elbow with a grimace, as Amelia reached out a hand to help her up. “Are you okay?” Amelia asked, as Lily grasped her hand and pulled herself to her feet.

“I’m fine,” Lily said, dusting herself off. “Just a little embarrassed.” Alice and Amelia exchanged a glance. “What?” Lily asked.

Alice tried to force a smile. “Did you have another vision, then?” she asked, and Lily smiled. She had told them last year about her “inner eye” being more keen than the average witch or wizard’s. Of course they would be curious.

“Yes,” she said, settling herself back onto her seat, and picking up a chocolate frog.

Alice and Amelia exchanged another glance. “Well that—,” Amelia paused, as though struggling to put into words the question that she wanted to ask. “I mean, didn’t Dumbledore say that you only have those visions when a friend or family-member is in danger?”

Lily laughed. “Yes,” she agreed, “he did say that, but unless I marry Lucius Malfoy or Severus Snape, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.” Alice’s and Amelia’s expressions changed from concern to confusion, and so Lily quickly recounted the vision to them. After she had told them about it, and they were certain nothing bad would come of it, Alice started talking about all of the training that she had done for her quidditch try-out this year. From the sounds of it, she had spent the entire summer on a broomstick, practicing.

As they talked, Lily found herself thinking. Despite the fact that she had convinced both Alice and Amelia that there was nothing to worry about, the vision had been unsettling, but she couldn't figure out why. It obviously had not taken place any time in the near future, and nothing particularly worrisome had happened. And yet, there had been something about the voice coming from the person that she couldn’t see. It had sounded familiar to her, though she was certain that she’d never heard it before.

As she pondered this, her hands strayed once again to her locket, and she was surprised to find it open. Her father had told her when he’d given it to her that it had been stuck shut as long as anyone could remember. As she reached her hand back to unclasp the chain, the clasp came open, and the locket fell softly into her hands.

“How strange,” she murmured as she inspected the interior. There was something inscribed on the inside, but it was so faint that she could barely see it. She blinked, trying to bring the inscription into focus, but when she looked again, the writing had disappeared entirely.

“What’s strange?” Amelia asked, now staring at Lily.

“This,” she said, indicating the locket. “Dad said that my locket has been broken for as long as his mother owned it, but it came open just now. And I’m not certain, but I thought when I looked at it that I saw some writing inscribed in the inside of it, but it’s disappeared now.”

“Disappeared?” Alice asked skeptically. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you fell, Lils? Inscriptions in muggle lockets don’t just appear and then go away.”

“Don't they?” Amelia asked in genuine curiosity, causing Alice and Lily to laugh. “Do they do anything, then?”

“No wonder you get on so well with my dad, Amelia,” Alice said, grinning. “Anyway, I’m sure it must have just been a trick of the light.”

“Yeah,” Lily said, as the compartment door slid open again, this time revealing Frank Longbottom. “But I would have sworn it was there,” Lily thought silently as Alice let out an ear-splitting shriek and tackled Frank in a hug.

Click here to access my feedback thread! (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735)

Sirius' Babi: I sincerely hope that I have an interesting plot later on! ;) You are right that Harry is not necessarily in danger in the vision that Lily had. He wasn't IN the chamber when the vision occurred, and the snake posed no threat to him. I'm glad that you're enjoying this! Thank you.

hermiones peak: Oh, no! Don't fall on your head. That would be dreadful. Not to mention, I might get sued, you know, negligence in my thread, or something, or failure to put up safety pillows, something...

RavenHaven: Welcome to my story! It's so wonderful to have you. I'm glad that you've enjoyed what you've read so far, and I can only hope that this year will be just as good! And I am glad you're enjoying the Lily/James/Severus tension. I just love writing Snape, difficult as he may be!

I probably won't be updating this weekend, so the next post after this will most likely be Monday! This one is just a l'il bit of fluff to tide you all over, and advance the story a little, and it includes some Marauder merriment, so I know you'll enjoy it!

Part 6: A Walk in the Rain

The weather had grown steadily drearier as the train lumbered northward, until rain had finally started to fall just as the girls were getting changed into their school robes. When they reached Hogsmeade, Lily performed a waterproofing charm on everyone’s trunks to keep the contents within from getting wet and the three girls spilled out of the train and into the rain that was pouring down on the platform. Up ahead, Lily saw Hagrid calling for the first years, and she smiled as she noticed that he had his pink umbrella in his hand. She knew from experience last year that Hagrid’s umbrella doubled as a wand holder for him. Amelia found her little brother, shivering either from fear, or cold, or maybe both, and directed him over towards Hagrid before they began making their way toward the horseless carriages that were waiting to take the older students to the castle.

“That’s odd,” Amelia said, stopping to glance at the carriages. “Where are the thestrals?”

Lily and Alice turned to glance at Amelia. “The what?” Lily asked.

“The thestrals,” Amelia repeated. “You know—the animals that pull the carriages?”

Lily looked at Alice, who shrugged in response. “I didn’t know that the carriages were pulled by thestrals,” Alice said.

“Well of course they are,” Amelia said, looking around. “I noticed them when we took the carriages to the train station at the end of last year. And they’re all missing now, aren’t they?”

Alice shrugged again. “Dunno,” she said. “I can’t see them. Hang on—you can see thestrals?”

Amelia nodded. By this time, all three girls were completely soaked, and Lily, who had no idea what thestrals were, or why Alice (and she assumed, she) could not see them, was beginning to shiver. “Can we continue this discussion inside the carriage?” she asked, as the door opened.

“Good idea,” Alice agreed, and Lily climbed inside, followed by Alice and Amelia. In short order, the seats were soaked, however the inside of the carriage proved much warmer and Lily felt the shivers begin to subside.

“Now,” she said, as all three pulled out their wands and began directing warm air at themselves to dry off, “what are you on about, Amelia? What are thestrals, and what do they have to do with the carriages?”

“Thestrals,” Amelia said, as though reciting from a text book, “are creatures that look a bit like fleshless horses with wings. They’re often seen as omens of bad luck, but this is because they have the unfortunate characteristic of only being visible to someone who has witnessed death.”

Lily stopped moving her wand around, and stared at Amelia. “Really?” she asked.

“Really,” Alice answered. “But I didn’t know that they pull the carriages.”

“They do,” Amelia said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which, to her, it probably was.

“And you can see them?” Alice asked again.

“Yes,” Amelia answered, as the door to the carriage was yanked open, and Edgar stuck his head inside.

“You three,” he said, “someone’s let the thestrals go. They’ve gone back to Hogwarts, so we’re going to have to walk to the school.”

The girls didn’t move. “We’re walking?” Amelia asked. Edgar nodded. “In this?” Edgar nodded again. “You must be mad!”

“Afraid not, sis. By the time we got everyone across in the boats, it’d be quicker just to walk.”

Andromeda Black’s head appeared behind Edgar. “I’ll get the last carriage, and then I think we’ve told everyone,” she said, “so you can head to the castle now, Edgar.” She trotted off toward the last carriage.

“You three had better get going, then,” Edgar said, turning and running toward a girl just up ahead that Lily assumed was the other fifth year Hufflepuff prefect.

Lily, Alice and Amelia exchanged looks of dismay, but climbed resignedly out of the carriages. “Imagine walking! In this!” Alice exclaimed as they set off through the rain toward the group of students up ahead.

“They don’t seem to mind,” Amelia said, gesturing to a group of four students off in the distance. Although it was too dark to make out who they were, the group was running around, circling back, splashing water on other students, and in general, causing mayhem. As they watched, one of the figures launched itself at the other, and the two landed in a mud puddle, wrestling around, while the other two cheered them on.

“Leave it to the Marauders to enjoy this,” a voice said in Lily’s ear, and she turned to see that Frank had come up beside them.

“How do you know that’s the Marauders?” Lily asked.

Frank shrugged. “Who else would it be?” he asked with a grin, and Lily had to admit that Frank had a point.

“So my guess is that it’s Potter and Black wrestling,” Alice said.

“I’d guess you’re right,” Lily agreed. She’d seen the two of them wrestling on several occasions.

As they drew nearer, they found that their hunch was indeed correct. Potter and Black were now rolling around on the ground, wrestling each other, and getting thoroughly covered in mud. Lily shook her head in disbelief as Potter stood up.

“Hiya Evans!” he said with a goofy wave. Lily ignored him. “Do you see that, Siri?” Potter asked, turning his back to Lily as he faced Black. “I saved her life last year, and she’s already ignoring me!”

Lily grinned, a twinkle of mischief coming into her eye. She bent to scoop up a handful of mud as Black shook his head, water and mud flying everywhere. “You’re wrong about that, mate!” he exclaimed.

“What do you--?” Potter began, as he turned to face Lily. At that moment, she flung the mud as hard as she could in his direction, hitting him square in the face. The girls and the Marauders burst into laughter. “mean?” Potter finished, reaching up and wiping the mud off his face. “You’re in for it now, Evans!” he called, as Lily shrieked and took off.

She glanced over her shoulder just long enough to see that Lupin, Pettigrew, and Black were now tossing mud at Amelia, Alice, and Frank, who were returning fire. As she turned around to put on a spurt of speed, she slipped on the mud and landed, face down. She struggled back to her feet, and saw Potter drawing nearer. A thought came to her, and she sat back in the mud, laughing. She hadn’t had this much fun since she was much younger, and she and Petunia had played in mud puddles. They’d gotten into a bit of trouble with Elizabeth for that one, but it had been worth it, as it was now. As Lily sat in the mud, waiting for Potter to arrive, she inconspicuously drew her wand. Potter slowed down as he approached, and grinned. “Not fast enough, are you Evans,” he asked, c.ocking back his arm, and Lily saw his hand was filled with mud.

She lifted her wand, and as his eyes widened, she carelessly muttered, “caenum leviosa,” and flicked her wand. The mud in his hand rose into the air, and with another flick of her wand, landed on the top of Potter’s head.

“Apparently I am,” she called out, laughing.

“I didn’t know you had it in you, Evans,” he said in appreciation, as Black, Lupin and Pettigrew arrived, followed shortly by Alice, Amelia and Frank. They all took one look at Lily and Potter, and burst into laughter again.

“Oi! You lot,” Andromeda called out, striding quickly toward them from behind. “What in the world happened to you?” She glanced from one mud-covered face to the next before shaking her head in amazement. “Never mind, just get a move on. We’ve got to get to the castle. Let’s go.”

They laughed again, and then turned to follow Andromeda to Hogwarts.

All right, Monday it is, and as promised, another update!

hermiones peak: Lily is uptight a good deal of the time. *sigh* I would like to stop her, but she won't listen to me! *shrugs*

SFHPW: You should go play in the rain. That post was in fact inspired by one of my favorite college memories--playing in the rain after church with my friends. It was sooooo much fun! We didn't throw mud, but we did stomp mud puddles, and have a grand time. It was also inspired by going slip 'n' sliding on the hill near my apartment when I was first married. We used a tarp, and the rain water. It was the best time!

Lady Cassie: Thank you! It's good to know that you're still reading! As for the seer thing, of course, I can't say too much about it, but I'm glad that I've piqued your curiousity! As for Harry, of course I had to give him a mention, but Lily does not know who that was.

Sirius' Babi: I'm so happy that you enjoyed that so much! Yes, Lily does need to have more fun. Now, we just need to convince HER of it! Thank you.

Ready for the next one? All right, here we go!

Part 7: A Change of Tradition

When they arrived at the castle, the first-years were already huddling inside the entrance hall, dripping wet. As they walked quickly past the trembling students, the Marauders paused to talk to one of the first-years, a small, black-haired, dark-eyed boy who looked rather frightened of it all. “It’s okay, Reggie, they’ve told us you're fighting a werewolf,” Black said with a smirk as Pettigrew began laughing.

Potter nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Don’t try to outrun it, though. You’ll be dead before you get five feet. Werewolves are wicked fast.”

“You’ll want to jab it with your wand, preferably in the eye. That’s the weakest spot, and the stupid wolf won’t even know what hit him.”

Pettigrew began laughing even harder, but Lily noticed that Lupin had gone pale. “You think that’s funny?” Lupin asked. She, Alice and Amelia all paused automatically to watch, as Pettigrew stopped laughing, and took a step back, looking scared.

Black glanced in confusion at Potter, who shrugged. “Listen mate,” Black said, “We were just joking around with my brother. We didn’t mean any harm by it. It’s no different than all of us thinking we had to face—”

“There’s not even a full-moon tonight! It’s not like werewolves are monsters all the time! And you don’t have to be stupid to be a werewolf,” Lupin continued, apparently not hearing them, “some of the smartest wizards are—”

“You’d have to be pretty stupid to get bitten in the first place,” Black whispered to Potter, who grinned.

Lupin clenched his fists. “There’s nothing funny about that,” he said seriously.

“No, of course not,” Potter agreed. “We were only joking, Rem—”

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe not all of your jokes are amusing, James?” Lupin said, but before Potter could respond, Lupin had turned and took off running in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Without missing a beat, Potter and Black glanced at one another and went running after him, Pettigrew trailing behind.

Lily, Alice and Amelia stood there staring at each other. “What in the world was that all about?” Lily asked the other two, as Andromeda yelled at them to get moving.

“Maybe he’s got an aunt or uncle that’s a werewolf?” Alice suggested.

“Maybe,” Amelia said doubtfully as they entered the Great Hall and walked over to find seats at the Gryffindor table. “I do hope that Black and Potter find him, though. He looked pretty upset.”

Alice grimaced. “Potter and Black are probably not the best choice to calm him down, then,” she said, taking off her cloak and setting it down before settling herself beside it at the table. “They don’t always know when they’ve crossed the line between funny and irritating.”

“You mean there are times when they do know?” Lily asked with a smile, sitting down across from Amelia.

Her two friends laughed. “Quite frequently, Lily. The only problem is, when it comes to you, irritating you is what they find funny, so there is no line to stop them.”

Lily’s smile disappeared. “Why do they think it’s so much fun to irritate me?” she asked seriously.

A loud shuffling at the door of the hall heralded the entrance of the first-years before Alice or Amelia could answer, and the noise in the Great Hall immediately quieted as Dumbledore rose to his feet. “Welcome, everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts! Traditionally, I would say a few words of welcome right now—which you’ll realize I have already done—and then we would begin the ceremony wherein each new first year is sorted into the house that they will call home for the next seven years. I know that our new students have already waited eleven long years to discover which house they will belong to, and it is my regret to say that due to the—unique—circumstances of our older students’ arrival at Hogwarts this evening, the first years will have to wait another day. Madam Pomphrey has informed that she does not have enough pepper-up potion for the number of colds that you would catch if I forced you to sit here through the entire sorting ceremony and start-of-term feast before allowing you to go upstairs and get changed out of your wet clothing, and therefore, the older students are to go to their houses and change. Dinner will be sent up, and you will eat in your common rooms before retiring to your dorm rooms this evening. The first-years will stay in the Great Hall for dinner and sleep in here tonight, and classes tomorrow will be cancelled. The start-of-term feast will be held tomorrow evening instead.”

The cheers that had erupted at Dumbledore’s announcement that classes would not be starting until the day after next gave way to the rustling of students standing up and trying to make their way past the first years, who were still standing in the pathway to the door. “Wonder if that’s ever happened before?” Lily idly asked, as they made their way up the stairs to Gryffindor tower.

“Doubt it,” Alice answered. “At least Black won’t miss his brother being sorted, though.”

“Speaking of my little cousin, where’d he get off too, anyway?” Andromeda’s voice broke in, startling all three of them.

Amelia shrugged. “Dunno. He and Potter said something that upset Lupin, and he took off. They followed him.”

Andromeda sighed. “Not that it bothers me,” she said, “since I was the one who did it to them last year, but they’re going to have detention before the week’s out again, aren’t they?”

"Probably,” Lily agreed, before changing the subject. She had been the target of the practical joke that had landed them detention last year, and she didn't particularly want to talk about it. “I wonder if Black’s brother will end up in Gryffindor?”

“Unlikely,” Andromeda countered. “Regulus will almost certainly end up a Slytherin. Like my two sisters, Reggie doesn’t have the strength of character that Sirius does. He’ll be in Slytherin just like his dearest mother wants him to be.”

Lily shook her head sadly, her thoughts inexplicably drawn to Petunia, as Alice asked Andromeda about Black’s mother. She felt a sudden wave of homesickness unlike any she’d ever experienced at Hogwarts, and she reached down and began fiddling with her locket as her thoughts wandered. Petunia had been so upset when she left. She needed her older sister to talk to about it. And where was she? Away at school. She rather didn’t blame Petunia for being upset with her. She’d probably feel the same way.

“Is something wrong, Lily?” Andromeda asked, bringing Lily’s thoughts back to the present.

“Just thinking of my sister,” Lily said with a sigh. “She was in tears when I left, fighting with my mum. The two of them haven’t seen eye to eye since I came to Hogwarts, and I guess I’m just feeling…”

“A little guilty?” Andromeda asked as they arrived at the landing by their common room. Alice put an arm around Lily’s shoulder while Amelia squeezed her hand. “I’m sure your sister will be fine.”

“Password?” the fat lady asked.

“Brie cheese,” Andromeda responded, and the portrait hole swung open for them to enter.

Lily had just hopped down from the portrait hole and into the common room when there was a flash of light. In the next second, Lily had the sensation that the skin on her face was crawling. It was a moment before she realized that the sensation was from the mud on her cheeks, which had been transfigured into what felt like an entire colony of ants. She screamed, and began brushing the ants off of her face, Alice and Amelia stomping on them as they fell.

Laughter erupted in the corner, and once she was satisfied that her skin was no longer crawling with insects, she looked over and saw Potter, Pettigrew and Black all laughing merrily. Unfortunately for the three Marauders, Andromeda had come in with Lily, and had observed the entire scene. “Detention!” she shouted. “All three of you. What were you thinking? Pulling a stunt like this on the first night!”

Black shrugged. “We didn’t want to do it the first night,” he explained earnestly, “but we figured that it was the best time to catch Evans unprepared.”

“I had to get her back for throwing mud at me earlier,” Potter added. Pettigrew stared at the floor.


“So you can clearly see, dear cousin,” Black continued.

“That we had no choice,” Potter finished.

“Then surely you three can understand that I have no choice but to give you detention. Professor McGonagall will let you know your assignments tomorrow.” Andromeda gave her a sympathetic look, and then headed toward the girls’ dorm.

“Why do you think it’s so much fun to make my life miserable?” Lily asked, her eyes brimming with tears. Not waiting for an answer, she whirled around and followed Andromeda up the stairs toward her dormitory.

“It was just a joke,” she heard Potter say as she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. Lily heaved a sigh. She had desperately hoped that after what they had been through at the end of last year, she and Potter would be able to get along this year, but it looked as though he enjoyed tormenting her too much to let that ever happen.

And let us not forget, the ever important link to the feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735). I cherish your comments and thoughts more than you know. They are the reason that I continue to write! Thank you!

Wow, lots of responses on that last post. Well, here we go!

Sirius' Babi (can I shorten to SB?): The Marauders didn't know that they were teasing Remus, though, or I doubt they'd have done it. As for James, well...you'll see as the year continues. He doesn't seem to understand what it is that Lily's so upset about all the time. James make it up to Lily? Some day. Probably not any time soon...

Ephiel: Remus is...a bit touchy at the moment. Thank you for reading and for posting a comment! I do appreciate it.

Skylark: No, if Lily knew about James, I suspect that things wouldn't be half so much fun. I wonder what she'd do, though. Oh well. She is clueless, and will remain safely so, for...awhile, anyway. I'm happy you liked the introduction of Regulus. Just to let everyone know that he was in fact at school, and to be aware of that! I love family dynamics. They're interesting to write. VERY interesting. As for when they found out about Lupin, we had this debate rage on another site I post on, and it was during their 2nd year they found out, because Lupin says it took them the better part of 3 years to figure out how to become animagi, and they succeeded in their fifth year. As for the sorting ceremony...bit suspicious, isn't it?

SFHPW: Indeed, highly suspicious. You wanted to slap Potter and Black? *grins* Well, they don't know about Remmy, in their defence. They're a bit ignorant about werewolves at the moment. As for James's behavior all year, well...I wish I could reassure you. Alas, I cannot! And I quite agree, Lily has no reason to feel guilty. But when has that ever stopped her?

steph: Yes, I got a little creeped out at the notion of having ants crawl on my face, as well. YUCK!

Drusilla: I can't say much about how the Marauders uncover his secret, but when they do, it is a VERY subtle mention, because of course, my story is written from Lily's point-of-view, and she doesn't know.

hermiones peak: Now, you have to be the first reader of mine to take to James's habit of calling Lily "evans". Most have reverted to Lily's habit of calling James Potter... I can see it won't be easy to get you to sympathize with Lily!

miri: Don't worry about not having the time to give me feedback. I appreciate that you took the time now! I like your comments throughout. Sort of summed up the major points, I think! As for creepy-crawlies, I suppose they are a bit like Ron--don't mind them dead, hate them alive. I don't think Snape is a parselmouth, but you never know. I've read one fic where he is actually Voldemort's son. *shrugs* I don't believe that, but eh...could happen!

All right, next post! Sorry I didn't get one up yesterday!

Part 8: Lupin’s Strange Behavior

The next morning, Lily tried to wake Alice and Amelia early, but had nearly been hexed by Alice who had insisted that today was “the same as Saturday” since they didn’t have classes, and she was not going to waste it by getting up early. Amelia had concurred, and complained loudly about the noise that Lily was making. After a few more attempts at rousing them, Lily had eventually given up on her two roommates and wandered down to the common room to see if anyone was awake to join her for breakfast. “Good morning, Remus!” Lily greeted Lupin as she bounded down the last couple of steps and saw him sitting at a table, books spread around him. “Getting an early start on studying, then?”

Lupin looked up and gave her a sad smile. “Well, from the looks of things, I’ll be working by myself this year,” he said, a note of resignation in his voice, “so I thought it best to get as far ahead as I could.”

Lily glanced at him inquisitively. “Why will you be working by yourself this year? Have Potter and Black decided to skip going to class altogether?”

She smiled, but he just sighed and set down his quill. “No,” he said, reaching for a nearby book and opening it.

Lily sat down, unsure if she should get involved, particularly given her own volatile history with Potter and Black. After some thought, the silence between them stretched, and she decided to see if he wanted to talk about it. If not, then she wouldn’t push. “I’m guessing from your reaction last night that you must know someone who’s a werewolf,” she said gently, “and I’m sure if Potter and Black had known that, they never would have—,”

“It’s not that, Lily,” Lupin said, coming as close to snapping at her as Lily has ever seen him come. “I’ve just been—I haven’t been fair to them. They’ve trusted me, never been anything but honest and I—” he trailed off, and gazed at her intently. “I really don’t want to talk about it, Lily.”

Lily gazed piercingly at him. What on earth was he talking about? He’d been a better friend to Potter and Black than she’d have said that either of them deserved, so why would he suddenly feel that he hadn’t been fair to them? She sighed. “Okay,” she said. “I guess I won’t pry, but if you ever want anyone to do homework with, Alice, Amelia and I would be happy to work with you. I’m sure Frank won’t mind, either.”

Lupin smiled. “Thanks,” he said, and then turned back to reading the book that he had open in front of him.

Lily settled into a chair across from him, and reached toward one of the books scattered across the table. “Dark Creatures of Europe,” she read off as Lupin made an anxious grab at the book.

“Yes,” he said, a blush spreading slowly across his face. “We’ll be starting them in Defense this year, and I thought I’d get a head start.”

“Oh,” she said, releasing the book into Lupin’s hand just as Alice and Amelia came trudging down the stairs. Neither looked entirely happy to be awake.

“Good morning,” Lily said, standing up with a last look at Lupin. “I thought you weren’t getting up so early?”

“Didn’t have much choice, did we?” Alice grumbled. “You made enough noise to wake the living dead this morning!”

Lily blushed. “Sorry about that,” she said quickly. “I just thought the two of you would be more excited to be back at Hogwarts than that, is all.”

“I was excited to be back at Hogwarts,” Amelia said with a yawn. “More specifically, I was excited to be sleeping in my big comfortable bed at Hog—Oh! Good morning, Remus!” Amelia’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I didn’t see you there.”

Remus smiled another tired smile. “I’m easy to miss,” he said wryly. “I’m afraid that I blend into the walls around here rather easily.”

Alice grinned. “Well, you are a bit easier to miss than Potter or Black,” she agreed heartily.

“That’s not a bad thing,” Amelia said, her blush deepening. “Anyway, are you ready for breakfast, Lils?”

Lily nodded. “For an hour now,” she said, “but I’ll take what I can get with the two of you. Come on, let’s go! Remus, would you like to join us?”

“Oh, no, thank you, Lily. I’ve already eaten.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “We don’t mind the company.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “No, no. I’ll be fine. You three go on.”

With a last glance at Lupin, the three girls turned and crawled out of the portrait hole. When they arrived at the Great Hall, they found that most of Gryffindor Tower was already there, including Potter, Black, Pettigrew, and Frank. Lily glanced at Alice and Amelia, certain that they’d want to sit next to them, but equally certain that she did not want to sit there. “Do you guys mind?” she asked tentatively. She knew that her ongoing feud with Potter was a source of great annoyance to both of her friends, and yet she wasn’t quite ready to open herself up to the teasing that was certain to come from him this morning. She was also more than a little annoyed at all three boys for making Lupin feel as though he didn’t deserve to be friends with them. What on earth had been said when they’d caught up to him last night?

As she had expected, Alice rolled her eyes. “You’re going to have to face him sooner or later, you know,” she said with an exaggerated sigh as Amelia shook her head in agreement.

“As noted last year,” Amelia added, “we do have all of our classes with him.”

“I know that!” Lily said, her temper flaring slightly at her friends’ refusal to be sympathetic to her plight. “I’d just rather wait until tomorrow to deal with them if I can, that’s all.”

“Fine,” Alice said, heading toward the opposite end of the table from where the boys were sitting. “But it’s only going to be worse then. They’ll have had more time to think of taunts and clever comebacks by then.”

“So will I have,” she retorted, following Alice. As they sat down, she looked around the Great Hall and noticed that a fifth table had somehow been squeezed in, and that the first years were all sitting at that, still looking as nervous as they had last night. “I’m glad this didn’t happen our first year,” Lily commented, piling a couple of pancakes onto her plate, and reaching for the syrup.

“Oh, I know!” Alice agreed, her curls bouncing this way and that as she nodded her head emphatically. “It seemed like an eternity that we had to wait as it was! And I’m not the most patient person in the world, you know.”

Lily dropped her fork and opened her eyes wide in mock surprise. “Really, Alice? I would never have gotten that from you.”

Amelia giggled, as Alice stuck out her tongue. “Hello ladies,” a new voice said smoothly, and Lily cringed. “Evans,” it added.

“Potter,” she said cordially. “You might have noticed that we chose seats as far away from you as possible. We did this for a reason.”

He grinned. “Yes, it was a shame that there were no open seats next to us when you arrived. That’s actually why we thought we’d come down to say hello.”

Lily grit her teeth, trying not to allow the boys to frustrate her. “Is there something that you want?” she asked.

“Now that you mention it, yes,” Black said, shooing the third-year sitting next to Alice aside, and sitting down. “You might have noticed that we are shy one in number,” he said.

Alice, Amelia and Lily nodded. “We had noticed that, yes,” Alice agreed, smiling. For reasons that escaped Lily’s understanding, a persisting friendship had grown between Black and Alice when they had both been hospitalized for several weeks last term.

“Well, we’re wondering if you know what’s bothering him?” Potter said, glancing at Black and Pettigrew, who both nodded in agreement.

“No,” Lily said, “we don’t. And if we did, what makes you think we’d tell you, anyway?”

Potter sighed in frustration. “Look, Evans, I know that you find this hard to believe, but we really do like Remmy. He’s never acted this way before, and so, we are worried about him. As I’d think you’d be, Miss Perfect. It’s the way that friends are supposed to act.”

Lily’s temper reached its breaking point. “Who are you to lecture me about friendship, Potter? I’ve never made any of my friends think that they didn’t deserve to be friends with me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a letter to write.” Lily stood up and turned to leave, ignoring the voice in her head that told her she’d be starving later on if she did.

“Wait, Evans—I’m sorry. What do you mean, he thinks he doesn’t deserve to be friends with us?” she heard Potter call after her.

She sighed. “Now he says he’s sorry,” she thought in frustration as she swept quickly out of the Great Hall. Why did he need to push her past her tolerance point before apologizing? Couldn’t he just stop before he got there? She turned the corner to the stairwell, and collided head-on with someone’s back. The person she’d run into whipped around, and she gaped. “What are you doing here?” she asked, unable to control the dead fury in her voice.

My feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735) for your thoughts, concerns, criticisms, etc. I love hearing from you!

I hope you are all staying warmer than I am! It's -15 here (F, folks), WITHOUT windchill. WITH windchill and we're nearing 40 below (which is 40 below in celsius, too). It's FREEZING! And, my office is cold, too. Brrrr... So, stay warm! If I just trail off in the middle of my responses, it's not because I forgot, it's because my fingers froze, and I couldn't go on...

That said!

hermiones peak: I actually think she's still upset about the ants from last night, so all it took was a little this morning to set her off.

SFHPW: Yes, Lupin needs a big hug. No! No slapping the werewolf. He thinks his friends won't like him if he finds out. Poor baby. *huggles the Lupin* We love you just as you are.

Lady Cassie: He's my favorite marauder as well. Well, both he and Sirius. Actually, James too, come to that. Only after writing this story, though. In terms of canon, we don't know James well enough to love him. But Padfoot loves him and that's enough for me. *sigh* Clearly I can't choose. You can't have one without the other two (notice me leaving Petey out of this?). They wouldn't be the same. I hope you like the way that I weave the werewolf subplot in!

Sirius' Babi: Yes, slap the other Marauders, slap the--hang on one minute! No, don't slap the other marauders! No abusing my characters. I abuse them enough for everyone! ;) Amelia or Alice having a crush on Potter? Oooh, now that is an interesting thought! You're a sneaky one, aren't you?

steph: Petunia? *ponders* Well, Lily would certainly be surprised to see her there, but I don't know about furious. Bellatrix--good guess. She's still in school, so there's definitely a chance. I'm posting, I'm posting...

miri: Malfoy--but he graduated (or whatever it is that they do in England). He was a 7th year last year. I like your take on Remus. Imagine a 12 year old having to deal with the monster he turns into every year! Poor baby!!! A Weasley sweater would definitely be good for dear Remus. And like you, Remus has a soft spot in my heart. I wish I could make things easier for him, but alas...JKR won't allow it!

And now, the next post. It's a bit short, but the one after that is long to compensate! Enjoy!

Part 9: Official Representatives of the Hogwarts Board of Governors

Lucius Malfoy glanced down at her, with a look of intense dislike momentarily in his eyes before it was concealed by a polite look of interest. “Miss Evans,” Malfoy said, “how nice to see you again.”

“Miss Evans?” a second voice questioned, and Lily felt a tremor of fear at the sound. She knew that voice, and after she had glanced to the left of Malfoy, she had a face to match it up with. Lucius Malfoy’s father had long white-blond hair that framed a face with cold gray eyes, and a long, regal nose. His lips formed a half-sneer as a spark of recognition came into his eyes. Lily’s immediate instinct was to scream and run, but the rational part of her mind recognized that neither one was about to hurt her in the middle of the hallway, with Dumbledore eating breakfast a mere hundred yards or so away.

Lily steeled up her courage, and remained standing where she was. Drawing herself up to her full height (which seemed woefully short when compared to the two men standing in front of her), she gazed at them defiantly. “Yes,” she said. “You may remember me. I’m one of the students that you had your son kidnap last term.”

Malfoy, Sr. chuckled, but his eyes were not amused. “My dear child, you must be mistaken. As a governor of this school, I am bound to protect the children it educates.”

Lily didn’t blink. “I’m not mistaken,” she said, “but as I’ve got no proof that you were involved, there’s little I can do. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“You really ought to learn some manners, Evans,” Malfoy said, his dislike for Lily showing through the polished politeness he had first demonstrated. “Do you have any idea the position and esteem that my father holds in the wizarding community?”

“Now, now, son. This is your first visit to the school on official business, after all. I would hope that your childish grudges would not compel you to embarrass the family name,” Governor Malfoy said, smiling dangerously at his son. He leaned down so that he was eye level with Lily, and she saw a glint of malice in his pale gray eyes. “We are here because any time there is an interference with the normal operations of the school, the governors are duty-bound to make sure that it does not become a common occurrence. The postponement of classes for an entire day is a source of great concern for those of us who wish to see young witches such as yourself,” his lip curled slightly as he said this, “get the best education possible. This cannot happen if classes continue to be cancelled at—,”

The elder Malfoy stopped as Professor Amos approached. “Young Mr. Malfoy, Governor Malchaiah! To what do we owe the pleasure?” Amos asked, holding out his hand for the two to shake.

“Professor Amos!” Lucius exclaimed, shaking Amos’s hand enthusiastically. “It’s wonderful to see you again.” Professor Amos shook hands heartily with Lucius Malfoy before turning toward Malfoy’s father.

“Professor Amos, good to see you,” Malchaiah Malfoy said smoothly, also shaking Amos’s hand. “I was just explaining that very thing to Miss Evans, here. She’s quite a precocious little girl. I do hope that her curiosity does not get her into…trouble.”

Amos turned his gaze to Lily, and there was little within it to indicate that he thought more of her than he did the speck of dirt on his shoe. “Yes, Miss Evans’s prying has caused her difficulty in the past. We can only hope that she’s learned to control the impulse, and that it won’t happen again.”

Lily, not liking the thinly veiled threat in Governor Malfoy’s voice, and equally appalled by Amos’s response to it, turned to leave. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again, Miss Evans,” Lucius Malfoy said mockingly, as she hurried away. “Professor, we’re here as representatives of the Hogwarts Board of Governors…”

Malfoy’s voice faded as she hurried up the stairs, a million thoughts swirling around in her mind. The Malfoys were here on official business for the Board of Governors, but that couldn’t be the only reason. She’d bet her wand that they were looking to gather information for the dark wizard. Hadn’t Malchaiah Malfoy spoken before about methods of gathering information at Hogwarts when she’d had her last confrontation with him. She shuddered as the thought of this last meeting brought to mind the image of Malfoy, hooded to conceal his identity, pointing his wand at Potter, and the screams of pain that had followed. Lily forced her mind back to the present. Dwelling on what had happened that evening wasn’t going to help her determine what it was that Malfoy and his father were after, would it? Were they just trying to find out information regarding Dumbledore’s continuing efforts to prevent their master from becoming immortal and purging the wizarding world of all muggle-borns, or was there another reason?

She arrived at the painting of the fat lady, panting and out of breath. “Brie cheese,” she said. The painting swung open and she crawled into the common room, smiling as she saw Lupin still sitting exactly where he had been when they’d left, the books around him piled even higher than before. “Hi Remus!”

Lupin’s head snapped up in surprise. “Oh, it’s you, Lily. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. Where are Alice and Amelia?” Lily blushed a little, not wanting to admit that she’d once again lost her temper with Potter and left before she’d finished her breakfast. Hadn’t Lupin lectured her before on trying to remain calm when he was around? By the grin on his face, however, she could see that she needn’t explain. “Jamesy came and talked to you then?” he asked.

Lily nodded. “Yes, and I’m afraid that I was a bit short-tempered with him.”

Lupin looked at her appraisingly. “I have to admit that I’d be shocked if you said you’d acted otherwise,” he said mildly.

Lily heaved a sigh of frustration. “I’m not the one that starts it, you know—,” she began, but stopped at Lupin’s laughter.

“Oh, I know, Lily,” he said, his eyes sparkling in amusement. “Amelia has told me all about how innocent you are—or think you are—when it comes to your feud with James.”

Lily could feel her temper beginning to rise again, and decided to leave before she allowed Lupin the satisfaction of seeing how much the mere thought of Potter upset her. “I’ll be upstairs writing a letter to Petunia,” she said briskly, “if anyone’s looking for me.” Lupin shook his head, as she turned around and began walking up the stairs to her room.

“I’m sure he will be,” Lupin said quietly before she climbed out of sight. Lily sighed, certain that he had not intended for her to hear it, but confused nonetheless. What in the name of Gryffindor was that supposed to mean?

My Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735)
I would love to hear from you!

All right, in my defense, I had no way of knowing that the forums were going down for an entire week after I posted the short post. I'd have posted a longer one had I known. I swear it! Anyway, it's great to have our lovely forums back, and it's good to see you all again!

Miri: You were right!!! As for Alice and Amelia, I honestly can't say, but yes... I think they "suspect" it. And yes, poor Lupin. I'm afraid that I'm giving him quite a rough time, aren't I?

Lady Cassie: I try not to think of James and Lily being victims of Voldemort, and Sirius also losing his life for 12 years, and getting killed shortly thereafter. *sobs* I honestly can't stand to think about it, even as I wrote out the scenario in my head this past weekend.

hermione's peak: I can't figure if Lupin KNEW that Lily would hear him, or thought that Lily was safely out of earshot, so he wasn't giving anything away.

SFHPW: Yes, Lily is not having an easy year this year, and I'm afraid it won't get any easier for awhile. I'm having a bit of fun torturing her, I am... :p That's a nice thought to have had James follow her out. I'm afraid I never even considered it! Lily didn't really need his help, though. She handled it quite well on her own! As for things getting happier, well..er...no..um...comment, actually.

Skylark: It's quite all right. Depraved junkies are as welcome in my thread as those non-depraved junkies! *grins* Thank you for your compliment on Mr. Malfoy as well.

steph: Thank you. I actually haven't had a chance to read your Year 7 L&J fan fic yet. Honestly, I would love to read what you've written, but I don't often read other Lily and James stories. I went through a major bout of writer's block when I was in the middle of Year 1, influenced greatly by the fact that I was reading another Lily/James fic, and some of the ideas in that fic were very similar to my own, and I started thinking that maybe my ideas were not actually my ideas... So I had to stop reading it--and others--lest my own story and my characterizations be influenced too greatly by another author. I hope you understand! I know that some authors that write Lily/James, Harry, Snape--whoever the case may be--can read other fictions by authors writing those same types of stories. I am not one of them. Perhaps when I finish off Year 2, I'll give it a shot. I'm sure it's wonderful, and it's great to see that you're writing about my favorite couple! (oh, and for those curious, I have since gone back and re-read that Lily/James story, and discovered that the similarities are only coincidental, our story-lines, our characters, our characterizations are all very different, but that attack of confidence is the reason I no longer read L/J stories--even though I know there are some fabulous ones out there!)

SeverusSnape: Thank you! Welcome to my story, it's wonderful to have you, and thanks so much for taking the time to post and let me know that you've enjoyed it! As for the reason Lily couldn't see Harry, yes, I'm afraid there is a reason, though I can't disclose it at the moment. Writing a whole 7 years? Well, that honestly depends on JKR at the moment. I've no idea if I'll have time before HP Book 6 comes out, and if it does, and Harry finally asks about his parents, then my own rendering of their story will be a bit superfluous, really. So...yeah. It's up in the air, and depends entirely on when Book VI is released.

LunaFan: It's coming, it's coming! I'm glad you're enjoying all of this, and I hope you don't forget the things you've listed before we get to the end. Year 2 is really meandering on me...

Thank you, as always, for reading and commenting!

Part 10: The Sorting Ceremony

After a relaxing afternoon in which Lily, Alice and Amelia did absolutely nothing productive, the girls prepared for the feast, and then hurried quickly down to the Great Hall. When they arrived, Dumbledore was speaking with Lucius Malfoy and his father, and Lily suspected that their headmaster was none-to-pleased with the presence in his school of either Governor Malfoy, or his son. “They’re still here?” Alice asked, the dislike in her voice clearly evident.

“What I can’t figure out,” Amelia said, clearly irritated, “is how Lucius Malfoy is walking around free. Shouldn’t he be in jail after kidnapping Lily and Potter last year? There has to be plenty of evidence.”

“I’m sure his father bought him out of trouble,” Alice said bitterly. “When you’ve got money like the Malfoys, the laws don’t always apply to you.”

“Well they should!” Amelia said huffily. “I mean if he’s able to get out of a kidnapping charge—”

“The judge said that with only my word and Potter’s word, they didn’t have enough evidence,” Lily said dully.

“But—what about Alfie? And the other—,” Amelia sputtered.

“They weren’t allowed to testify,” she explained. “I got a letter from Dumbledore this summer. You can read between the lines. His father definitely bribed the judge who was handling the case.” Lily still got angry whenever she was reminded that Malfoy was still running around free, and she wasn't particularly in the mood to listen to one of Amelia's long complaints about corruption in the ministry, so she tried to change the subject. “Anyway, I do wonder what it is they’re doing here.”

Amelia hesitated, looking reluctant to leave behind the current topic of conversation, but she finally relented, and answered Lily. “Well, they’ll be wanting to get as much information on Dumbledore’s activities as possible, won’t they? Even if they’re not working against him for the sake of their ‘Lord’, Dumbledore is still the primary adversary to Malfoy’s legislation in the Wizengamot.” Alice and Lily exchanged blank looks, and then glanced expectantly at Amelia, waiting for her to explain. She sighed. “Honestly, do either of you bother to read the paper at all?”

Alice grinned. “I’ve explained this to you before, Amelia. It’s much more efficient to allow you to read it, and then tell us the important parts.”

Lily couldn’t help but feel guilty at the look of exasperation on Amelia’s face, thinking that maybe sometimes they took entirely too much pleasure in Amelia’s frustration with their lack of knowledge about the contents of the Daily Prophet. On the other hand, hadn’t Amelia just this morning been making light of her own frustration with James Potter? The feeling of guilt evaporated, and she giggled. “Alice is right, Amelia. I mean, we’ve each got our jobs. Yours is to keep us informed about current events.”

Alice laughed. “That's right. And Lily’s is to keep us from forgetting what, exactly, is so horrible about Potter and the other Marauders.”

“No,” Amelia corrected. “Not all of the Marauders. Just Potter and Black.”

“Mainly Potter,” Alice agreed.

Lily glared at both of them. “Are you going to explain what you’re talking about, Amelia?” Lily asked, pointedly ignoring both of her friends' comments about Potter and his friends.

Amelia grinned at Alice before continuing. “All right, fine. Malfoy has introduced legislation which he claims is aimed at ‘protecting’ the wizarding way of life.” Amelia snorted, telling her friends in no uncertain terms her opinion of this claim. “It’s basically a thinly-veiled attempt to force muggle-borns out of Hogwarts. He’s the head of an entire group devoted to this goal, actually. ‘Pure-Bloods for the Protection of the Wizarding Way of Life’ or something like that. Don’t worry,” she added quickly, “the bill has no chance of getting passed, but the thing that appalls me the most is that it’s even up for debate. It used to be that bills like his didn’t even make it out of committee for a vote.”

“So do you suppose that’s why he’s there, then?” Alice asked. “To try to persuade Dumbledore to support him?”

“It’d be a fool’s errand if he is,” Potter said, walking over to them, followed closely by Black, Pettigrew and Frank. “There’s no way he’d convince Dumbledore to join him.”

“He’d have about as much chance of that as Evans has of dating Pettigrew,” Black agreed. Potter laughed out loud at the thought as Lily and Pettigrew blushed. “Right, Petey?” Black continued.

“Right,” Pettigrew said meekly, sitting down. “I think the sorting’s about to start.”

Lily glared at Potter and Black, but turned to sit down beside Kaylie and Desdamona without a word. “It was a joke, Evans,” Black said, smirking. “By all means, date Pettigrew if you want.” He cast a sidelong glance at Potter. “My point was that Dumbledore will never help Malfoy pass the legislation.” He slid into a seat beside Pettigrew, and turned to Potter, the two of them quickly becoming engrossed in a conversation about quidditch try-outs.

“Honestly,” Lily said to no one in particular. “They could be nicer to him!”

“Who says it was him they were being mean to?” Frank asked, also sitting down.

“What do you mean?” Lily asked, confused.

“I mean, when they said that Pettigrew would never date you, you assumed they were saying that he wasn’t good enough to date you. How do you know they didn’t mean the opposite? That is, that you aren’t good enough to date Pettigrew.”

Lily was too stunned to even notice the uproarious laughter that had erupted from Potter and Black. “Good point, Frankie! You’re a bit full of yourself, aren’t you, Evans? How do you know that’s not what we meant!”

“Was it?” Lily challenged, turning to face Potter and Black.

Potter shrugged. “Does it matter? The point is that the high and mighty Princess Evans never even stopped to consider that we might think she’s not good enough for one of our friends.”

Lily felt Amelia’s hand on her shoulder, Amelia’s signal to her not to rise to Potter’s bait, but she didn’t care. “Did I miss something, Potter? Have I ever done anything to make you feel inferior to me?”

Potter’s grin faded. “Are you really asking that Evans?” Potter asked incredulously. “You spend every minute of every day trying to prove to us and everybody else that we aren’t worth your time, and the minute someone turns it around on you, you start playing the victim. Honestly!” Lily could tell that Potter was actually angry now, a sight that she thought she’d never see.

“You know, Potter, I thought at the end of last year that you and I might be able to be friends, but I don’t know why I was deluding myself. You’d never admit that every spare minute you had last year was spent making my life miserable, and that maybe, just maybe, there might be a rational reason for my behavior toward you. You’re unbelievable!”

“I’m unbelievable?” Potter repeated, turning to look at Black and Pettigrew for support. “You’ve acted like you’re too good to talk to me from the moment that you saw me on the platform in London, and I’m unbelievable?”

“Just what do you two think that you are doing?” Professor McGonagall’s furious whisper interrupted them. “The sorting hat is in the middle of its song, and all anyone in the hall can hear is the two of you shouting! That will be 20 points from Gryffindor, and both of you will be serving detention this week. No arguing, Mr. Potter. The two of you have been completely inconsiderate to the first years. Imagine if someone had interrupted your own sorting in such a manner!” She strode off toward the head table, as the sorting hat reached the end of its song.

Apparently, something about her exchange with Potter had struck the other Gryffindor second years as amusing, because all seven that were sitting around them were now trying their best to muffle their laughter. This did nothing to calm Lily’s anger, and she sat at the table, fuming, as the sorting hat began separating students into the four houses. Regulus Black’s name was called shortly thereafter.

“I don’t even know why I’m hoping he won’t get sent to Slytherin,” Black said, and when the sorting hat confirmed his suspicion, Black snorted in disgust. “He’s always been a little mommy’s boy.” Potter gave Black a sympathetic smile.

Lily’s attention was then drawn to Amelia. Her little brother, Jacob, had just put the hat on. A few minutes later, the hat was still trying to decide, and Amelia was becoming more nervous by the second. “He could be a Gryffindor, couldn’t he?” Amelia said hopefully. “I mean, he’s brave enough.”

The tear on the brim of the hat opened and shouted out “Ravenclaw” and Amelia let out the breath she had been holding. “Well, it’s better than Hufflepuff. There’s one of us in every house but Slytherin, now,” she said. “That’s good, right?”

Lily and Alice nodded in agreement, and the sorting continued. When it had ended, Dumbledore stood up for his usual start-of-term words. “I’d like to welcome Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Malchaiah Malfoy, who are visiting us on behalf of the school’s Board of Governors. They will be here through the end of next week, and I would expect that you would extend to them your utmost courtesy. And I daresay that all other announcements can wait until after dinner, so please, by all means, tuck in,” he said, before sitting down. The plates in front of them magically filled with food, and the Great Hall was filled with students filling their plates and eating.

“They’re staying through next week?” Frank asked incredulously. “Dumbledore can’t be very happy about that!”

“I don’t suppose there’s much that he can do about it,” Amelia said. “Like it or not, the Board of Governors has the ability to remove him as Headmaster if they so desire. But I’m sure he’ll be keeping close tabs on them while they’re here, anyway.”

“Where’s Lupin?” Lily asked, finally, breaking the silence she had kept since her disagreement with Potter prior to the sorting. She was tired of discussing the presence of Lucius and his father.

Alice and Amelia glanced at her in surprise. “Are you sure it’s safe for you to start talking again?” Alice asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “We’d hate for you to get detention for a second time tonight.”

Amelia giggled as Lily grimaced. “I’ve calmed down. And I want to hear nothing about overreactions, or…”

Amelia grinned. “Not a word,” she said. “Lupin’s sitting down there, by the way.”

“How long do you think this will go on?” Frank asked in concern. “It’s just so weird to see him off by himself.”

“I dunno,” Lily said. “I talked to him this morning, and—,”

“You talked to Remmy this morning?” Black asked, turning to look at Lily in excitement. “What did he say?”

Lily glanced coolly at Black. “Nothing that bears repeating,” she said. “Particularly not to the three of you.”

“Lily, you might tell them. It sounds like they’re just as worried about Lupin as we are,” Alice urged quietly.

“If they’re so worried about him, let them talk to him themselves. They’re the ones that made him feel like he’s not good enough to be their friend,” Lily responded, just as quietly. Unfortunately, Black’s wolf-like hearing picked up what she had said.

“That’s the second time you’ve said that, Evans. What do you mean?” he queried. Potter and Pettigrew were also looking at her with interest.

“I mean just what I said,” she said with a sigh of frustration. “Lupin feels like he’s not good enough to be your friend. That’s all I know.”

The three boys glanced at each other, and without a word, stood up from their seats and practically flew down to where Lupin was sitting, pushing aside everyone within a six foot radius to make room for them to sit down. “Well, I do hope that he reconciles with them,” she said after watching the Marauders for a moment. “For reasons beyond anyone’s understanding, he’s much happier when they’re around.”

“They’re good friends to him, Lily,” Amelia said simply. “I get the impression that he hasn’t had too many of those before.”

I have the best readers in the Snitch, and I always look forward to your thoughts and ideas! Please let me know what you think in my feedback thread! (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735)

Next post!

hermiones_peak: Sorry...I didn't mean to upset you with my responses. Thank you.

Drusilla: I'm happy you were excited for the update! I missed posting! It's good to have the CoS back!

miri: Yes, they're good boys every once in awhile, aren't they! And I'm happy you enjoyed the shouting match at the sorting. I just couldn't think of a new sorting-hat song... ;-)

Part 11: Breakfast in the Great Hall

As Lily descended the stairs from her dormitory the next morning, the voices of the Marauders stopped her just before she turned the corner and the common room came into view. She paused, feeling slightly guilty about eavesdropping, but shrugged it off as Black’s voice floated up to her. “Come on Remmy! You can’t just quit the Marauders!”

“Look, Sirius, you don’t understand. Please, can’t you three just accept that I don’t want to be your friend?”

“No,” Potter said firmly. “No, we can’t, because you haven’t give us a good reason—”

“I don’t owe you a reason,” Lupin replied, exhaustion and frustration clearly evident in his voice.

“I’m afraid you’re wrong about that,” Black countered. “If we’ve done or said something to upset you this much—”

“You haven’t,” Lupin interrupted. “Honestly. I’ve just decided that I need to concentrate more on homework and school and—”

He was interrupted by Potter’s and Black’s snorts. “You tell us when we’ve ever been able to convince you to put off homework, Remmy!” Potter responded.

“Then why wouldn’t you want to be our friend anymore?” Pettigrew whined. He sounded very near tears.

“Never mind that, Petey,” Black said, and his voice sounded suddenly harsh. “If you’re going to be like this, then fine. Just don’t come running to us when you’re stuck on Transfiguation. Let’s go.”

“Siri—,” Potter said, but only silence answered, and Lily guessed that Black had left the common room. “We’ll see you down at breakfast, Remmy, but don’t think I’m not still waiting for an explanation.”

Another silence followed this statement, and then there was sigh. “You’re going to be waiting for awhile, Jamesy,” Lupin said.

Lily waited a moment, so it wouldn’t appear as though she’d overheard the entire conversation, and then continued down the steps into the common room. Lupin was sitting dejectedly on the couch. He looked up as Lily entered.

“Oh, hi, Lils,” he said quietly. “I really don’t feel like talking right now, so…”

Lily nodded. “I’ll leave you alone, then,” she said, just as Alice and Amelia bounded into the common room.

“We thought you’d left without us!” Alice said breathlessly. “Hi Remmy, are the Marauders still upstairs?”

Lupin shook his head. “No, they’ve already gone down to breakfast. I’m not feeling particularly hungry this morning.”

Alice and Amelia glanced at Lily quizzically, but Lily shrugged. “You know what?” Amelia said, “I’m not feeling very hungry, either. Why don’t you two go ahead, and I’ll catch up to you in class?”

Lily and Alice nodded. “Sure,” they said in unison. “We’ve got History of Magic first.”

Amelia grinned. “Can’t wait,” she said, without the slightest trace of sarcasm.

Alice rolled her eyes and began crawling out of the portrait hole. “See you in class, Remus,” Lily called as she followed Alice onto the landing outside the Gryffindor common room.

The girls were about halfway to the Great Hall when Professor Flitwick and a tall, very slim professor who was wearing burgundy robes and gold wrist bangles that clicked together as he walked, came into view in front of them. Their voices floated back easily to Lily and Alice. “That’s what I thought as well,” Flitwick squeaked, “but my source assures me it was the genuine article. The question is whether or not it’s retained the gifts with which it was bestowed. I’d certainly like to examine it myself, but I’ve no idea to which student it belongs.”

“Professor Flitwick!” Professor McGonagall had appeared from one of the classrooms nearby. “May I have a word with you?”

The wizard with Flitwick bid him good day, and then continued on his way down the steps. Lily and Alice greeted Professors Flitwick and McGonagall as they passed by, and then once they were out of earshot, glanced at one another. “What do you suppose that was about?” Alice asked finally.

“Well, apparently a student has something that Flitwick would like to have a look at,” Lily said, pulling open the door to the Great Hall and following Alice inside. “I wonder what it is, though?”

Alice shrugged. “I’ve no idea,” she answered, sitting down next to Kaylie and Desdamona, and beginning to fill her plate. “Probably something very old, and very, very boring… Something old Binns would like.”

“Or Amelia,” Lily said, reaching for a piece of toast and smearing on some jam.

A fluttering of wings accompanied by numerous shrieks told the girls that the mail had arrived, and they stopped talking momentarily to see if anything had come for them. A snowy owl that Lily did not recognize landed on her shoulder, and Lily untied the parchment attached to its leg. The owl shrieked, and then flew off again as soon as Lily had gotten its delivery.

“So what were you two talking about when you got here?” Kaylie asked, as Lily read her letter.

“Nothing important,” Alice replied. “We just heard Flitwick talking to the Divination professor—I forget his name, but—”

“Professor Praevidi,” Lily said.

“What?” Alice asked.

“His name is Professor Praevidi. I have a meeting with him next week,” Lily answered. “Apparently he’d like to speak with me about ‘nurturing’ my inner-eye. This is a note from Dumbledore,” she added, indicating the note.

“That’s great, Lily! Maybe if you work with him, one day you’ll be able to see our tests before they happen and tell us what to study for!” Alice said with a grin.

Lily gave Alice a disapproving look. “I hardly think that would be fair to everyone else!” she said, as Alice rolled her eyes. “And anyway, I don’t get to pick and choose when my visions come to me.” She finished her last bit of toast, and stood up. “Are you ready for History of Magic, then?”

Alice giggled. “Am I ready for my nap, you mean?”

“Yes,” Lily agreed. “Are you ready for your after-breakfast nap.”

“Well, I have to say that I preferred last year, when it was an after-lunch nap, but I suppose this will have to do.”

Lily wrapped up some muffins for Amelia and put them in the pockets of her robe, and then followed Alice, Kaylie and Desdamona out of the Great Hall to class.

Responses are welcome! Please post them in my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=1&pp=30). Thank you!

Hmmm...I see my secret's out. Yes, I am indeed posting on another site, and yes...they are ahead of you all, simply because I started posting Year 1 there as I was writing it, and I did not find cosforums until quite some time after. However, since it is taking me so long to write Year 2, you all are rapidly catching up with them, and should be there shortly, so I beg you for patience...as we muddle through Year 2! You guys get one post a day. They're getting maybe one a week. It's a trade-off!

hermiones_peak: Thank you! Yes, indeed. Remus is terrified his friends will find out. Poor baby.

SeverusSnape: Indeed, Pheonix_Fire's fic is one of the best I've ever read. I absolutely adore Liam (hence my status as godmother. We actually tried to get custody. It's a long story, but apparently a custody order issued by a judge dressed as Elvis at 3am in Las Vegas is not a valid and binding order, so I had to consent to let PF keep him, and settled for visitation every now and again...). And as long as we're on the subject of Pheonix_Fire, he also draws fantastic art, and he did one for me for Lily's Story, that I used to have in my signature, but it was too big, so it got taken out. I'll post it again here so you can all see it, though!

http://www.webpost.net/**/bschivitz/PheonixSongFinal.jpg

And err--the disclaimer. The image is the sole property of Pheonix_Fire, and I make no claim to it. I just love it, and want to share it with you all!

Lady Cassie: Thank you! It's wonderful to hear that you think I'm channeling JKR because I am trying very hard to keep this fic in canon, and I'm happy to see that you think I've been successful! I am so happy you're enjoying the way I am telling my story, and of course...I can't answer your question about the locket!

hermione fan: Thank you! It's great to have you with us, and I'm happy you're enjoying yourself, and the arguments between Lily and James. I'm afraid that they may get on your nerves after awhile this year, but alas...that is 12-year-old love!

Skylark: Yes, the idea for after breakfast naps was drawn straight from my college days. Back in the day when I actually got up to eat breakfast, which I quit doing...my junior year, I think, when I no longer lived on campus. And props to you for recognizing Apollonian, Apollo, though I cannot say anymore!

pagiem: I'm also happy cos is back up again! It was so odd...the week without it! Your thought regarding Flitwick is quite interesting, and you are right that you won't discover the truth for quite some time. And don't worry, there will be plenty of Lily/James arguments forthcoming this year! They just don't seem to want to stop fighting long enough to talk!

miri: I'm trying to catch you guys up, I really am! Posting daily instead of weekly, or semi-weekly! I absolutely LOVE your breakdown of the Marauders in this last update!!! You caught exactly what I was trying to convey, and I couldn't be happier that you wrote it out so eloquently! *squeals* Thank you. It's so wonderful to know that I am succeeding as an author in conveying to the reader the idea that I want to portray! Thank you, so much. And yes, Apollo is the God of prophesy, and a few other things as well.

All right, are you all ready for the next? I think you will enjoy...

Part 12: It Won’t Be That Easy, Lupin

Amelia was reading the paper and looking disgusted when they arrived for class. Lupin was not yet there, but the other three Marauders were sitting in the front, huddling over a piece of parchment. Lily glanced briefly in their direction, wondering what mischief they were now planning, and sat down next to Amelia, handing her the muffins she had brought from breakfast. Amelia smiled, as Alice slid into a chair beside her, but didn’t pick up a muffin.

“Have you two read the paper today?” Amelia demanded, and Lily sighed quietly. Somehow, she had known that would be coming, but she had rather hoped that Amelia would be too distracted by Lupin’s odd behavior to go off on her morning rant.

Alice grinned at Lily. “We’ve been over this, Meli,” she said as Lily laughed.

Amelia glared at them. “Right, right, I forgot that you two are entirely too busy to pay attention to the newspaper. Well, you know that group that Malfoy’s in charge of?”

Lily nodded. “Sure, the ‘Pure-Bloods for the Protection of the Wizarding Way of Life’, isn’t it?” Amelia nodded.

“See, we have been paying attention!” Alice said. Amelia rolled her eyes. “Anyway, what about it?”

“Well, Malfoy announced that he was stepping down from his position as the chairman of the group, in order to ‘focus on his other commitments’, and they’ve appointed someone named Lord Voldemort to be in charge of it. Anyone ever heard of him?”

Lily felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine at the name. “Lord Voldemort?” she asked. “Does the magical world even recognize the idea of nobility?”

Alice nodded. “Sort of. A lot of pure-blood magical families count among their ancestors some of the better known aristocrats in muggle history. Nearly Headless Nick’s proper title is ‘Sir Nicholas’ so he must have served as a Knight to the throne of England during his life,” she said, pausing and looking thoughtful. “It’s unusual for most blood-purists to use the title nowadays, though. After all, titles of nobility were bestowed by muggle governments, even if those governments were filled with witches and wizards, and most blood-purists wouldn’t want that kind of connection to muggles. And no, Amelia, I’ve never heard of him. I suppose that Voldemort is his last name? It sounds French to me, I wonder if he’s not from England, then?”

Lily and Amelia shrugged. “I’ve no idea,” Amelia answered. “All it says about him is what he hopes to accomplish, and it’s no surprise that it’s all the same nonsense that Malfoy spouts in all of his speeches. It’s disgusting, honestly. I can’t believe that people pay him to come and speak to their organizations. I mean, all he does is promote hatred. That’s his job!” Amelia snorted in disgust, dropping the paper.

“That, and harassing innocent students at Hogwarts,” Lily added. “We saw him in the hallway on the way over here, quizzing some first-years about whether or not the delay in the start of classes had ‘adversely affected their opinion of the school’!”

“As if delaying classes is going to adversely affect anyone’s opinion,” Alice said, grinning. “I’d love to go to a school where classes are called off every other day.”

Lily sighed. “Honestly, Alice, if classes were called off every other day then how—”

The sound of an explosion interrupted Lily, followed by Black's shout of, “Bumbling bat bogeys!” The three girls glanced up to see him holding up the piece of parchment that the boys had been huddled around. The parchment was covered in a big splotch of maroon ink, and Potter and Pettigrew were both laughing wildly.

Alice raised her eyebrows. “Bumbling bat bogeys, Black?” she asked, snickering.

He blushed. “My mum says it,” he mumbled defensively, and then his expression turned sour. “I’ll make a note never to use it again.”

Pettigrew was laughing so hard that he had fallen to the ground. Potter glanced at him, and then at Black, before bursting into laughter again. “Bumbling….bat….bogeys…” he said, wiping a tear from his eye. “Your face when that quill exploded was classic, Siri, but your expression was even better! I got you with your own creation.”

Black glanced between Potter and the broken quill lying in a pool of ink on the desk, and his eyes sparkled mischievously. A split second passed in which Potter moved away from his desk before Black grabbed the ink-covered quill and tackled Potter, and the two began wrestling on the floor. Black kept trying to smear ink all over Potter’s robes and face, and Potter was trying desperately to keep Black’s hand away from him. Lily rolled her eyes and opened her History of Magic book while Alice and Amelia watched on in amusement.

Potter and Black were still wrestling on the floor when Lupin arrived. He didn’t even blink as he passed by and chose a seat near the back of the room, but Lily noticed him watching the scene out of the corner of his eye, a small smile on his lips, as he was pulling out his parchment and quill.

Lily smiled and turned her gaze away from Lupin and back toward the boys. Both of them were now laughing, their hands, robes and faces covered in ink. Black’s hair was also ink-streaked and hung in his eyes, leaving streaks of maroon on his forehead wherever it touched, while Potter’s hair, also covered in ink, was sticking up more than usual, gleaming brightly in the light of the classroom. Their eyes were sparkling, and they were pointing at each other and laughing.

Not for the first time, Lily found herself utterly perplexed about what could possibly be so much fun about a wrestling match. She had witnessed Potter and Black wrestling before, and had felt the same sort of confusion, then. “Boys,” she said under her breath, and Alice grinned at her.

“You have to admit that it’s never dull with them around, though,” Alice said.

The bell rang, and shortly thereafter, Binns floated through the blackboard into their classroom, seemingly not noticing the two ink-covered students in the front row. He called roll and then launched into a lecture on historical magical artifacts without even glancing up.

Roughly half-way through the lecture, there was a loud bang from near the back of the class. Binns did not notice, droning on about the myths surrounding many magical objects as every head in the class swiveled around to find out what had caused the noise. Lily quickly discovered that Lupin was inspecting his hands and his parchment, both of which were now covered in ink, and surmised that the Marauders had planted another of Black’s exploding quills in his bag. Lupin looked torn, as though he was not sure whether to laugh or cry. Finally, he sighed, and pulled another quill and parchment out of his bag. Lily shook her head, feeling a swell of sympathy and wondering why on earth the Marauders thought that tormenting Lupin was going to convince him to befriend them once again.

She turned back to her notes, but a moment later, a white paper airplane fell to the ground beside her. She picked it up, assuming it was intended for her, and both Alice and Amelia leaned over to see it as she read “We told you that you can’t get out of the Marauders that easily.” The note was signed by Potter, Black and Pettigrew. She looked up and saw Potter motioning frantically for her to send it on, so she refolded it and pulled out her wand. “Wingardium Leviosa,” she said, swishing her wand and flicking it. She directed the note back to Lupin before allowing it to come to rest on the new piece of parchment he was using for notes.

Lupin glanced at the note and picked it up, confusion registering on his face. He unfolded it and read it, and when he set it down again, he was smiling widely at the three Marauders. Lily turned around, and saw that all three boys were now laughing, and waving at him. Lupin waved back, and then picked up his quill again to take notes.

Lily laughed. “Boys,” she said for the second time that day, and Alice and Amelia nodded their agreement as they joined in her laughter.

And, oh yes...Feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=1&pp=30) is always welcome!

Look who's back...back again...PS is back...tell a friend...

Er...sorry. Got caught up in my Eminem CD there. Sorry, you guys, about my long absence. I've been super busy, and my husband's great uncle passed on, so we've had the funeral and everything to deal with. And now, I'm sick. That's right. I actually dragged myself out of bed today, because I promised you all a post. But I'm not actually going to write comments because...well...they won't make sense anyway. I'm under the influence of medication here. Probably the reason that I was quoting Eminem above. So...moving on. Here's the post. Forgive me for not writing responses. I shall do that sometime soon. Probably.

Part 13: The Library

After dinner that night, Alice went out to the quidditch pitch with Potter to practice for their try-out later that week, and Amelia had decided to go with the other Marauders to watch, so Lily went back to Gryffindor Tower to work on the essay they’d been assigned in Herbology that afternoon. She had found three of the six uses of gillyweed before she tired of the noise and distractions in the common room, and decided to go to the library for a bit of peace and quiet. Once she had arrived at the library, she found several Herbology books and sat down at a table to look through them. After she had been working for awhile, she felt someone’s eyes on her, and looked up to see Lucius Malfoy striding toward her.

“Miss Evans,” he said silkily, bending down slightly and setting his hands on the table beside her.

She glared at him. “I’m in the middle of an essay for Herbology right now, Malfoy. I don’t have time to waste speaking with kidnappers,” she said scathingly.

Malfoy’s expression darkened. “As I was cleared of all charges—,” he began.

“Not because you were innocent,” she countered.

“I would suggest that you stop making allegations of that severity about a member of a highly respected wizarding family such as my own,” he continued as though he had not heard her.

“Your family is ‘highly respected’, as you call it, because they bought the respect, not because they earned it,” Lily countered. “And I’m not making accusations,” she added. “I’m telling the truth.”

He chuckled. “There was a time last year,” he said slowly, “that lip like that from a mud-blood such as yourself would have gotten to me.” Lily had to use all of the willpower that she had to avoid reaching for her wand when he made that statement, forcing herself to remember that Malfoy was here on official business and that hexing the son of a school governor would only earn herself a quick ticket back to London. “Now, however, I realize that I must learn to control my temper until the time comes when your kind are not even allowed in these doors.” His lip curled as he surveyed her. “I am here to ask you some questions, Evans,” he added. “I need to know how you knew where we were performing the immortality ceremony.”

Lily returned Malfoy’s gaze. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, hoping that her fury would mask the fear she felt that he would be able to tell that she was lying, like his father had.

“I know that you must,” he said. “You and Potter are the only two who could have possibly told Dumbledore. Even if he was able to guess what we were planning, he’d never have thought that we were going to be doing it in Hogwarts’ backyard. Yet I never mentioned our final destination to you, and neither did Crabbe. So that leaves us back at the original question—how did you know? Who told you?”

Lily folded her arms. “I’ve already answered your question, Malfoy,” she said, reaching for one of the books in front of her.

He reached out and grabbed her hand roughly. “No,” he said, “I’m afraid that you’re mistaken.” He pulled Lily to her feet and drew her near him, looking intently in her eyes. Lily closed them to keep him from using whatever trick it was his father had used to discover the whereabouts of the parchment he had needed. She felt something brush against her throat, and opened her eyes again, half afraid that he now had his wand pointing at her. Instead, he was inspecting her necklace. He yanked it, and Lily winced in pain as the chain bit into her neck, not coming unclasped. She wondered briefly why it was that the chain did not come off into his hands.

“Don’t touch that!” Lily said, grabbing the chain, and yanking the locket from his hand. “My father gave that to me.”

Malfoy’s sneer returned. “The worthless muggle?” he asked. Lily’s hand crept closer to her wand.

“I’m going to tell you one more time to leave me alone, Malfoy,” she said with barely controlled rage. “If you don’t, I will report your behavior to Professor Dumbledore. I do think that the Board of Governors should be made aware when one of their representatives is harassing a student.”

Malfoy glanced at her, hatred in his eyes, and leaned over until his face was inches from her own. “There will be a time when you are not under Dumbledore’s protection, Evans,” he said menancingly. “If I were you, I would not take lightly the threat that I pose to you and your ilk.” He turned and strode off, leaving her shaking in anger.

After a moment, Lily sat back down and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, and thinking. When Malfoy had asked her how she had known about the location of the ceremony, something had told her not to tell him the truth, but she wasn’t sure why. Now that he was gone, she was glad that she had refused to tell him, but was worried nonetheless. Why did he want to know? Unless he suspected that one of the dark Lord’s supporters was a spy? And yet…

Lily shook her head, and opened a book sitting nearby, hoping to find within it the sixth and final use for gillyweed. She chewed on her locket absently, and began reading. As she read, she began to feel tired, and her eyes drooped slightly. She shook her head again, trying to wake up, and when she looked up, she was sitting in a new part of the library, a large pile of books in front of her. She glanced around in considerable confusion until she realized that she was having yet another vision. She wondered briefly which of her friends was going to be in grave danger at the library, and heard someone breathing evenly nearby. She tried to look around the books, but, as with her last vision, was unable to tell the vision what it was she wanted to see, so she sat back, waiting for it to reveal its purpose to her. A house-elf that looked a lot like the one that she had seen wherever it was that Malfoy had taken her the previous term appeared, and glanced furtively around the room. Lily stared at him, wondering what he was doing at Hogwarts. She felt someone shaking her shoulder, and when she looked up again, she had returned to her own table at the library.

“Miss! Miss!” Madam Pince was screeching. “I’m afraid that the library is not here for your napping convenience. If you are going to sleep, I’m going to have to ask you to return to your common room. Do you hear me?”

Lily glanced at her in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Madam,” she said sincerely. She was sorry that she had fallen asleep, but she was also a little annoyed that Madam Pince had interrupted her vision. She was now very curious regarding its content, and decided that she’d have to ask Professor Praevidi whether or not there was anyway to summon an interrupted vision. She sighed. “I need to get back to my common room anyway.”

She gathered up her books and made her way out of the library.

Yay! Your author is feeling healthier (mostly) and...life is good, so...another update!

hermione_fan: Cliffies are fun. Fun things. I love them so. But I'm afraid that you'll have to guess what the rest of the vision is. As of right now, Lily has not found out.

SFHPW: You are absolutely right about the interrupted vision. Well done! And yes, Malfoy is evil, but ever so much fun to write.

hermiones peak: Hang or drown Lucius, hmmm...good ideas! I should love to do that, and torture and kill Bellatrix as well. Unfortunately, I'm sticking to canon, so as tempting as it is...I can't do it! :sad:

miri: Thank you! The soup was wonderful, and the pepper-up potion worked miracles, though my cats are still confuzzled as to why smoke was coming out of my ears. And thanks as well for the well wishes. And yes, the vision was Dobby/Gillyweed/GoF.

Part 14: Quidditch and Detention

Lily arrived back at the common room to find Alice and Amelia already there. She walked over to a grouping of overstuffed chairs where her friends were sitting and sat down. “Well, what do you guys want to work on first?” she asked, pulling out a piece of parchment and her quill. “I’ve already got five of the six uses of gillyweed, but I’ll help you out with your essays if you want me—,” she began, but stopped when Alice waved her hand around.

“I finished that essay ten minutes ago,” Alice responded.

“Ten minutes ago?” Lily asked with a look of disbelief. “How? I’ve spent all night on it, and you’ve been out on the quidditch pitch.”

“Lily, you’ve forgotten rule number one of Herbology,” Amelia chimed in. “Never attempt it unless Alice is around to help. She finished it about 20 minutes after we got back. We’ve been here for half an hour or so.”

“All right,” Lily said. “What’s the sixth use, then?”

“Did you get that it’s used as the flavoring for rubber in Bertie Bott’s beans?” Alice asked.

Lily nodded. “That was one of the first ones that I found,” she said. “I’ve got—”

“James Potter and Lily Evans!” McGonagall’s stern voice called out, instantly quieting the chatter in the common room.

Lily glanced at where McGonagall stood by the entrance to the portrait hole and sighed. “I bet she’s here to give us our detention assignments,” she said, “since she didn’t see us in class today.” Lily scanned the common room for Potter and saw that he was already making his way over to where McGonagall stood. “I’d better get going.”

Lily stood up and walked toward McGonagall, ignoring the curious stares of her classmates who, like herself, were very unused to seeing their head of house in the common room. Lily had only known her to come in there on one other occasion, and that was to fetch Frank the night that his dad had been kidnapped. Lily sighed again, trying to get her mind off of that unpleasant memory as she came to a stop beside Potter. “Yes, Professor?” she asked innocently.

Professor McGonagall did not smile. “I’ve got your detention assignments for you,” she said crisply. “The length of your detention will depend on how well the two of you can work together. It will begin on Friday night at 6pm sharp, and if you work together, you should have it finished that evening. If you can’t, however, and you are unfinished by midnight, you will continue on Saturday morning.”

Potter’s eyes widenend in horror. “Friday night?” Potter sputtered. “But Professor, you must be joking? Surely you know that quidditch try-outs are Friday night! I can’t miss—”

“I’m afraid I’m not ‘joking’, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall said without blinking. “Surely you must realize that you are only one of many talented individuals that we have in this house, and perhaps next year you will remember why you were not on the team this year, and behave accordingly, so that you will not miss your try-out. I will meet the two of you outside of Gryffindor Tower at 6:15 pm tomorrow night. I expect that you won’t be late.” She turned and strode out of the common room, leaving Lily staring after her in shock. It was no secret that Professor McGonagall was probably Gryffindor House’s biggest quidditch fan, and her refusing to allow someone as talented as James Potter to try out for the team indicated to Lily just how much the two of them had upset her the prior night. Lily felt another stab of embarrassment for her own behavior during the sorting. What the new students—and the older ones, for that matter—must have thought of her!

“That’s not fair!” Potter shouted, breaking Lily out of her introspection. “I can’t believe she isn’t letting me try out for the team this year! I’m the best flyer this house has! Madam Alipes has said so. What did we do that was so bad?” Potter turned and started to stalk of toward the waiting three Marauders.

“We ruined the sorting for all of the first years,” Lily called after him, annoyed that Potter was blaming Professor McGonagall, and not himself, for the fact that he was missing the try-outs. “If we’d exercised more consideration, you wouldn’t be missing the try-out. It’s nothing more than we deserve.”

Potter whirled around on her. “Nothing more than we deserve? Oh, that’s so typical for you to say, Princess Evans! We made a mistake, and we’re already being punished, by detention. But because she timed our detention to coincide with the quidditch try-outs, she’s punishing me for the ENTIRE year! Unbelievable. And there’s you saying I deserve it. Why aren’t you being punished for a full-year, then?”

Lily stared at Potter. “So now you’re going to use this as a chance to attack me, Potter? That type of behavior is exactly what got us both into trouble in the first place, or have you forgotten already? If you would just leave me alone, we’d neither one of us be in this predicament at all!”

Potter was taking deep breaths, his face flushed, hair, as ever, standing on-end. “This is all MY fault now, then? Just like it’s me that—,”

“James Potter and Lily Evans!” a new voice cut through their argument. “I’ve had enough of the both of you, and if you don’t lower your voices immediately, I’ll be adding to the detention that Professor McGonagall just gave you, do you understand?”

Lily and Potter looked up to see Andromeda striding furiously toward them. Lily then looked beyond Andromeda and allowed her gaze to travel over the common room, noticing that everyone was now staring at the two of them in surprise. “I’m sorry, Andy,” she mumbled, her face flushing furiously. “I’ll be sure to stay away from Potter whenever I can arrange it. That should solve the problem entirely,” she added, walking back to where Alice and Amelia were sitting with their homework in front of them.

“What happened?” Amelia asked as soon as Lily had slumped into her chair.

“Detention,” Lily said, “Friday night.”

Alice gasped. “But that’s the night of quidditch try-outs!” she exclaimed.

“I know,” Lily said, dryly. “I just had Potter screaming that at me.” She shrugged. “It’s his own fault, though. Just like it’s my own fault that I’ve got detention that night.”

Amelia grinned. “And let me guess,” she said sardonically, “you told him that, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Lily agreed defensively. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but Friday night?” Alice said, apparently unable to believe that McGonagall would do that. “He’s the best flyer that Gryffindor’s got! I mean, I can’t hold a candle to him. I wasn’t even sure I was going to try-out, I mean… There’s only one position open, and he was a shoo-in!”

Lily shook her head. “You’re starting to sound a lot like James,” she said.

Alice glared at her. “That’s not funny,” she said. “I feel bad for him. I mean, to you, it’s just one night out of the term. To him, he has to sit out the entire season because of this. Seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?”

Lily sighed deeply. “I’ve already been warned by Andy once tonight about fighting,” she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out potions. “I’d rather not push my luck again.”

Alice shook her head, curls bobbing in all directions. “You could be a little more sympathetic, Lils,” she admonished.

“And he could be a little less insufferable,” Lily retorted. “Can we drop it, please?”

Alice exchanged a glance with Amelia and held up a hand. “All right, Lils. We’ll drop it, though it still doesn’t seem fair. Let me see your Herbology essay, then. I’ll go over it for you.”

Lily handed her Herbology essay to Alice. “Have you worked on your Charms homework, yet?” Lily asked. “I’ll take a look at it if you have.” Alice and Amelia both reached into their bags and pulled out parchment to hand to Lily.

“We’ll work on History of Magic as soon as you two are done correcting what we’ve already done,” Amelia said, pulling out her book to get a head start. The girls spent the remainder of the evening working on homework until Lily excused herself to retire to her dorm room and write a letter to Petunia. As she walked up the stairs, she caught a glimpse of the Marauders, who were sitting at a table near the stairs. They were surrounded by Transfiguration texts, and Lily found herself wondering why they were studying Transfiguration. She’d never known them to have to study for that class before. She shrugged, deciding she was probably better off not knowing what they were up to, and continued on her way up to her room without a second glance in their direction.

Lady Cassie: No! Never redundant. *grins* I can never hear that enough. I'm sorry about dropping hints, but it's the ONLY way to let you all know, without letting Lily know. She doesn't know what's up, but you guys do.

SFHPW: Well, Lily is...well...I won't try to defend her. I won't be surprised if she continues to annoy you as the year progresses, however. As for quidditch, *shrugs* Poor James. Detention was really harshly-timed.

miri: Yes, the boys figured it out, and now they're working on how to help! Perhaps the slack McG cut Harry his first year was to compensate for what she did to James his second year? *grins* And yes, Lily is being sanctimonious (great word!), but...well. That's Lily. For better or for worse!

hermione fan: You are not alone in your annoyance at Lily. *shrugs* what can I say! Thank you.

Skylark: Thank you! Best of luck with your fan fic. I have to say that when I started writing, I had no idea it would take over like it has. But I should have suspected. I love writing, and this gives me so many ideas! Regarding how best to format. I type it in word, using times new roman 12 point, then copy and paste. The italics, centering and bold, I use the quick keys that are above the box. And that's all I do!

Jaenelle: Yes, you didn't know gillyweed was used to flavor rubber? *lol* That actually came directly out of an RPG in which I was involved at another site. Credit for that idea goes strictly to the genius with the SN of Nanny Tonks. The other five uses, I don't know, save one, which we discover in GoF. Thanks for your well-wishes!

Rebajev: Thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying it.

All right, here's the next update. It's a long one, too! I split this up when I posted on the other forum, but there's really no reason, so here it is!

Part 15: Malfoy’s Intentions

Lily woke up the next morning to shouting coming from the direction of the stairway. “Princesses!” Black shouted. “Oi! Princesses, get down here!”

Lily sat up and glanced groggily at the rock sitting next to her bed. It was a piece of pink quartz that had been charmed to show the time of day. It read 5:30. What on earth could the Marauders possibly want this early in the morning? She pulled open her curtains, which were flashing “Marauders Drool! Princesses Rule!” merrily, and didn’t even grin at the sight. The previous year, the Marauders had played a prank on the girls, and charmed their curtains to read “Marauders Rule! Princesses Drool!” It had taken the girls a good length of time to figure out the counter-charm, and by the time that they had, all three had felt that the flashing writing was as much a part of their room as the beds themselves. They had finally decided to leave the writing, with only a small change in wording. She glanced around and saw that all of her roommates were stretching and yawning, and all looked as perplexed as she felt.

“Princesses—Evans! Parker! Bones!” Potter called out to them this time.

“Quiet down you lot!” an unknown voice answered from somewhere further up the steps.

“You quiet down!” Black retorted. “Princesses!”

“What?” Alice shouted finally, getting up and striding angrily over to the door. “What do you want?”

“We need to talk to you three, so get dressed and meet us down here!” Black returned.

“Have you gone completely mad, Black?” Alice snapped, and Lily grinned. Of all the wonderful things that Alice Parker happened to be, a morning person was not one of them. “It’s 5:30 in the bloody morning!”

“We know what time it is, Parker—,” Potter this time, “—this is important!”

“So is sleep,” Amelia muttered, but she had already started pulling on her robes.

“Oh, just go already!” Kaylie snapped. “They’re clearly not going to let any of us sleep until you do.”

Alice glanced at Lily, who shrugged, and at Amelia, who was now rifling through her nightstand for her brush. “Give us a few minutes, and we’ll be down. This better be good, or I will personally ensure that every girl that you woke up today has the opportunity to hex all of you to their heart’s content!”

Lily heard Potter’s and Black’s laughter as she started to get dressed, and shook her head at their audacity. They didn’t even seem to care that they had woken up the entire dorm! She was quite surprised that neither Andromeda or the other prefects had gone downstairs to quiet them down.

“Is Remus down there?” Amelia asked apprehensively. Lily grinned.

“I’m sure he will understand if you don’t look your best, Meli,” Alice reassured her.

Amelia blushed. “I just wondered if he was back in the Marauders now, that’s all,” she said defensively. “Besides, I could go down there wearing my pajamas or my best dress robes and he wouldn’t notice the difference.”

Lily gave Amelia a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure that he would,” she said.

“Indeed,” Alice agreed, pulling open the door and motioning for her friends to follow. “You just wouldn’t notice that he’d noticed.”

Lily and Alice laughed as all three hurried down the steps to the common room. When they arrived, they found the four Marauders in various states of repose, waiting for them. All four boys scrambled to their feet once the girls had arrived.

“Ladies,” Black said, as he and Potter bowed graciously.

“Evans,” Potter added. Lily glared at him, and then turned to glance at Lupin, who shrugged apologetically.

“I didn’t get up at 5:30 in the morning so that you would have a few extra hours to make fun of me today, Potter,” Lily said pointedly.

“You didn’t?” Potter asked, an expression of mock surprise dancing across his eyes. “Pity.”

“No,” Alice agreed. “She didn’t. Nor did we, Potter, and I’ve got most of Gryffindor’s girls just waiting for an opportunity to hex you, so you may want to stop joking around and tell us what it is that you want."

“Well,” Black said, grinning, “I’m not sure we’re going to tell you now. I mean, I’m feeling a rather lot of hostility coming from the three of you, and I’m not sure that I like it.”

“Remus,” Amelia said, red tingeing her cheeks as it always did whenever she addressed Lupin directly, “do you mind letting us in on what’s oh-so-important that it couldn’t wait until a reasonable hour?”

Lupin had settled into a chair after the girls had arrived, and had his eyes closed peacefully. He opened them and glanced up at Amelia sleepily. “I’ve no idea,” he said, yawning and closing his eyes again. “Siri and Jamesy haven’t told Petey and I yet, either.”

Lily slouched into a chair beside Lupin. “You have five minutes,” she said, waving her wand and charming a nearby pillow into counting down from five, “to get my attention before I put a silencing charm on both of you, and go back upstairs to bed.”

Potter glanced at the pillow, and then turned to Black, raising an eyebrow. “I agree mate, so hostile. And here we are, trying to warn them.”

“Indeed,” Black concurred, also raising his eyebrow.

“Get on with it, Black,” Alice said warningly.

“Fine, fine,” Potter said with a heavy sigh. He, Pettigrew and Black all settled onto a couch opposite the girls as Alice and Amelia sat on either arm of Lily’s chair.

“Malfoy knows that you tipped Dumbledore off to the ceremony location last year,” Black began and Lily groaned loudly, waving her wand and shutting the countdown off.

“Is that all?” she asked dismissively.

“What do you mean, is that all?” Potter asked. Clearly, he had been expecting a different reaction from her.

“I mean, I already know that. Although you’re wrong, slightly. He doesn’t know that it was me, he only suspects it. He tried to intimidate me into admitting it, and telling him how I knew,” she answered.

At her words, Lupin opened his eyes and sat up, the other three Marauders, Alice and Amelia gasped, and everyone began talking at once.

“He did what?” Potter said angrily.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Alice demanded.

“How does he know?” Amelia queried curiously.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Pettigrew asked fearfully.

“What do you mean, intimidate?” Black questioned roughly.

“Everybody calm down,” Lupin appealed. “Why don’t we let Lily tell us what happened?”

Everybody quieted and looked at Lily expectantly. She glanced apologetically at Alice and Amelia. With all of the fuss last night regarding the timing of her detention with Potter, she had completely forgotten to tell them what had happened with Malfoy. She repeated the story and by the end of it, Potter was pacing and muttering things like, “How dare he threaten you!” and “He’s lucky I wasn’t there.”

“Well, as it happens,” Lily snapped finally, annoyed that Potter was acting as though she had needed his assistance, “you weren’t there, and I handled the situation just fine, didn’t I?”

Potter stopped pacing and turned his gaze to Lily. “No, Evans, you didn’t ‘handle’ anything,” he replied, scathingly. “You got lucky that when he found you, you were still within the relative safety of the library and there was very little he could to you without attracting Madam Pince’s attention. You completely failed at coming up with a believable explanation that did not involve you.”

“Well, excuse me Potter, for not being as skilled in the fine art of deception as yourself. I did the best that I could under the circumstances, and—”

“I’m sure you did, Lily,” Lupin said soothingly. “And no one’s asking you to be able to lie like Jamesy and Siri can,” he added with a wry glance in Potter’s direction. Potter stopped pacing, and started breathing deeply, as though trying to calm himself down.

“Well then, what do you want me to do?” Lily asked.

“He isn’t going to leave you alone,” Black stated, “until he finds out for sure whether or not you and Jamesy told Dumbledore where the ceremony was being held, and while Jamesy here would like to think that it’s only you that’s in danger because of that, he’s wrong. You are both going to be targets. This dark wizard’s supporters are going to be wanting retaliation that his bid for immortality was spoiled, and they’re going to be looking for the two of you to get it.”

“Siri’s right, Evans,” Potter agreed. “We were hoping that they wouldn’t make the connection between our involvement that night, and Dumbledore crashing their party, but they have. We’re pretty certain that that’s the reason that Malfoy and his father are here right now.”

Pettigrew squeaked and tumbled out of his chair in fright while the three girls stared at the boys in silence.

“Have you spoken with Dumbledore about this?” Amelia asked finally, her voice trembling slightly.

The boys nodded. “Last night,” Black said, “when we figured this out. Fortunately for us, he chose not to punish us for sneaking out after hours to…gather proof…of our theory.”

“So we’re okay, then?” Alice asked, relief evident in her voice. “I mean, Malfoy won’t be so stupid as to try anything now that Dumbledore is onto his plan, right?”

Potter and Black shrugged. “That’s anyone’s guess. Malfoy knows that Dumbledore can’t watch you all the time, and he’s already shown that he can escape the consequences of the law, should he be caught,” Black replied.

Amelia let out a sigh of frustration. “How that man is even allowed to walk around free after what he did to you two,” she began.

Lupin cut her off. “We know, Amelia,” he said tiredly, “but he is, and not only is he walking around free, he’s been allowed back into Hogwarts, at least through next week.” Lupin turned to Potter and Black. “Do you have a plan, then?”

Black shrugged. “The best that we can come up with so far is to make sure that James and Lily are never alone. We’ve got to deny Malfoy the opportunity to ‘interrogate’ them.”

Lily felt herself growing impatient. “I hardly need a baby-sitter, Black,” she began.

“He’s just telling you what Dumbledore told us,” Potter returned. “If you don’t like it, I suggest that you take it up with the headmaster himself.”

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but found that she didn’t have a retort. They were right, what else could she do? She shrugged. “You woke the entire Gryffindor dormitory up so that you could tell us that,” she said finally.

Potter and Black nodded.

“And that’s all you wanted to tell us?” Amelia asked.

Potter and Black nodded again. “Well, that, and one other thing,” Black said, a bit guiltily.

“And what is that?” Lily asked suspiciously.

“We wanted to discuss our detention tonight,” Potter began.

“I’m not helping you,” Lily caught him off.

“What do you have planned?” Alice asked at the same time, and Lily glanced sharply at her. Alice shrugged. “I’ve already told you I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t want to make the team just because Potter couldn’t try out. So, what is it?”

“Well, we’re not actually sure yet,” Potter confessed. “I mean, we’ve thought of plenty of things, except how to get around the fact that if I make the quidditch team, McGonagall will know I wasn’t in detention.”

“So, we were thinking, maybe there’s a way we could get try-outs…postponed,” Black continued.

“The only problem is, none of us has any idea how we might do that.”

“I’ll help you think of something,” Amelia said. She had been looking back and forth between the boys. “I don’t think it’s fair, either,” she explained. “I mean that Lily gets punished for one night, and you get punished for a whole season.”

“Thank you!” Potter said, looking pointedly at Lily. “So you’ll help us brainstorm, then.”

“Absolutely,” Alice said.

“Petey and Remmy have said they’ll help, too, so that leaves you, Evans,” Black said, a note of pleading in his voice. “Please do this,” he added. “None of us wants to listen to Jamesy go on about how stubborn you are, and if you don’t help, we’ll be hearing about it for months.”

Lily laughed in spite of herself. Black and Potter were both giving her pleading, puppy-dog eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled at you last night, Evans,” Potter said. “I was just frustrated about try-outs, and…”

Well, that did it. James Potter was apologizing to her, and before he’d pushed her to her limit. She might as well return the favor, and maybe he’d learn a thing or two about how to treat her if he wanted her assistance. “All right,” she said, “I’ll help, as long as it doesn’t involve you wheedling out of detention. If you’re as good as Alice says you are—and you must be, for her to want to give you a chance to make the team—it’d be nice to have you on the team to give Gryffindor a chance at the cup. But I fully expect you to be there with me Friday night!”

“Wonderful,” Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands together, and sitting forward. “Let’s figure out the plan. Anyone have any ideas?”

Kicks stupid computers...I had long replies written out to all of you that posted in my feedback thread, and I went to post, and Internet Explorer crashed on me. Now I don't have time to re-write all my responses, so--my apologies! I'll just hit on a few important points.

I'm glad you all enjoyed the rose quartz clock. I had a huge piece of rose quartz that me and my best friend dug up when I was younger. We were always going to turn it into necklaces, but we never did. Anyway, I was trying to figure out how they tell time (muggle appliances don't work at Hogwarts), and came up with the thought they probably charmed something, and why not a rock. The next logical extension was the rose quartz chunk currently serving as a door stop for my parents.

Lily didn't go to Dumbledore about the Malfoys, I think, because she believes that he's probably aware of what they're doing. Remember his admonishment to her in year 1? You'd be surprised what I know about what goes on in this castle...I think she figures that he's smart enough to figure out why they're there. And now the boys have told her for sure that he does know. Therefore, there is no reason.

So...that said, thank you all for your thoughts and comments. You guys never cease to amaze me with the thoughts and insights you come up with. You often talk about things that no other reader has ever mentioned, and I think that's awesome. Thank you.

Part 16: Prong I

“Well, if I can’t get a job after Hogwarts,” Lily said wearily as she and Potter trudged quietly across the grounds of Hogwarts that morning, covered by his invisibility cloak, “I’ll certainly make a very serviceable thief if I keep hanging around with you lot.” The two were walking out to the quidditch pitch to carry out “prong I” of the “three-pronged attack strategy”—as Black had dubbed it—that they had devised for sabotaging the quidditch try-out that evening. Their job, for the moment, was to break into the equipment closet near the stadium and disguise the quidditch sets of all four houses, so that the team captain, Isabella Fuentes, would be unable to find Gryffindor’s set, and also be unable borrow a new set from another house for try-outs. Although Lily had only agreed to help them brainstorm ideas, she had somehow been convinced to once again go along and get them through the doors. Prongs II and III of the attack strategy would be carried out later, but involved making Isabella and the remainder of the quidditch team temporarily “forget” about try-outs

Potter laughed, before holding a finger to his lips to quiet her. “We may be invisible,” he said, “but this cloak doesn’t deaden our voices. If someone’s out and about this early, they would hear us.”

Lily nodded, and the two continued quietly across the grounds. “I cannot believe that I agreed to help you with this Potter!” Lily hissed as they arrived. Now that they were there, she was feeling extremely nervous, and was not entirely certain that she wanted to go through with this, but they could hardly turn back now. Besides, this was kid’s stuff after what they’d done to Professor Amos. Or at least, that was what she was telling herself. She didn’t truly believe it. At least when she’d agreed to help them with their prank on Professor Amos, she’d had a reason that she could justify to herself. As near as she could tell, she’d agreed to assist Potter this time strictly because she had been suffering from sleep deprivation. This was, she reflected, probably the reason that Potter and Black had chosen to wake them up so early that morning!

“Too late to back out now, Evans,” Potter replied, looking around, and then slipping out from underneath the invisibility cloak. “I think we’re safe. We just need to get the doors open, and then I’ll transfigure all of the quidditch sets into blocks of wood, and we’ll be on our way.”

Lily nodded, and pulled out her wand. If only getting the door open was going to be as simple as it had been last time. The problem was that they had not had time to do reconnaissance and gather information regarding which sealing charms were used to lock the door, so Potter was going to try his hand at a technique that Lupin had shown him for revealing spells which had been performed on an object. The trick, however, was that they were unsure whether the spell he planned to use was simply designed to reveal dark magic—objects that had been charmed to attack the user, for example—or if it could detect any magic. The other question mark over the use of this spell was that Potter had only practiced it a few times, and had never actually used it on a real object, so there was a reasonably high likelihood that he could end up setting the door on fire or something equally disastrous.

Lily tried to banish those negative thoughts from her mind as Potter pulled out his wand, and began waving it around, chanting what sounded like a complex incantation. With a final flourish, he stood staring at the door, and Lily automatically turned to watch it as well, although she had no idea what to look for.

After a moment in which absolutely nothing else happened, Potter sighed, and turned to Lily with a shrug. “All right, well either I did the spell wrong, or there are no magical seals on this door,” he said. “Assuming that I’ve performed it properly, alohomora should do the trick. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, that’s one charm that I’ve learned to work quite well, so I’ll go ahead and let us in.”

“By all means, then,” Lily said, motioning at him to go ahead and perform the spell. She couldn’t resist taking a few steps backward, and holding her hands in front of her eyes, as though she were afraid to watch. “Go on.”

Potter glanced at her and rolled his eyes, then raised his wand and performed the simple charm to unlock the door. With a last look at Lily, whose nervousness was no longer feigned at this point, he reached out to open the door. It slid open without any resistance, and Lily felt a wave of relief wash over her. They’d made it this far without running into any problems. Potter let out a whoop of excitement, and ran inside, Lily trailing along behind him. Once they had gotten inside, Lily shut the door behind her and turned to glance around the room. As her gaze fell back on Potter, she noticed that he was staring around, awe-struck.

The closet was a huge half circle, with four walls separating the equipment of the four houses into individual stalls. The ceiling was roughly two stories high, and each house’s stall contained about twenty rows of shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling that were filled with unlabeled box after unlabeled box of old quidditch robes, brooms, quidditch ball sets, and any other manner of supply. Apparently each house had more than one quidditch set, and Lily had no idea how the two of them were going to find all of them to transfigure. She glanced at Potter, and saw the same question in his eyes.

He met her gaze, and Lily shrugged. “I’ve no idea,” she said. I doubt we could find them all if we had everybody here to help us. With just you and I, we don’t stand a chance.”

“I could call Black out here, I’ve got the mirror,” Potter began, but Lily shook her head.

“No, they’d be seen. We can’t risk it. There’s got to be an alternative way.”

Potter reached up and ruffled his hair in frustration. “I could try transfiguring everything in here, but it’d take hours,” he said finally, dropping his arm heavily to his side. “Well, you’re the charms expert. Is there anyway to cast a charm that searches for what you’re looking for and marks it somehow?”

Lily chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. “I don’t believe I’ve run across one,” she said. “It’s a great idea, though. I wonder if anyone’s ever tried to develop it?”

Potter’s expression turned to one of exasperation. “We’re trying to figure out how to find and camouflage every quidditch set in this closet, and you’re sitting there contemplating developing a new charm?” he asked sharply. “Can we FOCUS please?”

Lily glared at Potter. “Certainly,” she said icily. “I would be more than happy to ‘focus’ on leaving you here to figure out a solution to this and going back up to Gryffindor tower and climbing into my own bed. It’s not my fault that you can’t make quidditch try-outs tonight.”

Potter breathed deeply. “That last point, Evans, is debatable,” he said testily, “but as this is not the time for us to fight, I’ll let it go. Is there another solution you can think of?”

“I suppose I could try summoning them,” she said finally.

“Well,” he said, “what are you waiting for?”

“I’ve never actually used a summoning charm before,” she said. “I mean, I’ve used it to summon my pencil to me from my backpack, but that’s hardly the same as summoning an entire quidditch set. Or, hundreds of quidditch sets, for that matter!”

Potter glared at her impatiently. “As it’s the only chance that we’ve got right now,” he said, “it’s worth a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Lily shrugged, and then lifted her wand. “Accio quidditch sets,” she said, waving her wand. They waited a moment or two before the sound of splintering wood broke the silence. She glanced at Potter, who shrugged as a particularly loud splintering noise came from just in front of her, and a large quidditch ball set came flying directly at her. Potter grabbed her hand and pulled her aside just before the set would have flown into her, and as she turned to thank him, she noticed a hundred other sets flying towards them from all parts of the cavernous room. Other boxes were still splintering and cracking open, many falling from their shelves and breaking open leaving robes, brooms and whistles littering the floor. In addition, the quidditch ball sets were now crashing to the floor and breaking open, sending splinters flying at the two of them. The bludgers and snitches were also escaping as the sets broke open, and the bludgers in particular were zooming around, breaking things, and causing more chaos.

As a bludger flew in their direction, Potter picked up one of the wooden bats that was lying on the ground and pounded the bludger, then tugged on Lily’s hand, pulling her toward the door. “We need to get of here, now!” he said, tossing the bat and opening the door. “Someone’s bound to have heard all the noise.”

Lily nodded, and they both slipped out the door. They shut it quickly behind them, Lily re-locking it, as Potter grabbed his cloak. He threw it over both of them, and they began walking quickly back to the castle, the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass following them the entire way. When they were about halfway there, they had to stop to move aside to allow Filch and Mrs. Norris to go by. Filch didn’t hesitate even for a step, but Mrs. Norris paused and sniffed around. Lily and Potter both held their breaths as she glanced suspiciously at the spot where they were standing before following Filch. They arrived back at the portrait of the fat lady by way of a back route that Potter “just happened to know”, and Potter pulled out his mirror. “Open up the portrait, Siri, we’re back,” he said into it. The portrait swung open, and they climbed inside. Amelia, Alice, and the three other Marauders all clambered around them, asking different questions all at once.

Potter held up his hand. “Not as well as we might have liked,” he said in answer to the question that, as near as Lily could tell, was the most common. “I didn’t have a chance to transfigure the quidditch sets, as rather than four, there were several hundred of them, and Evans’s, shall we say, ‘unique’ method of finding them all more or less destroyed the equipment room.”

All five heads swiveled as one toward Lily, who was blushing furiously, and wishing like mad that she could kick Potter. Her unique method? She’d suggested it half-jokingly! He’d been the one who was so insistent upon her using it! “Well, I tried the accio charm, and it worked,” she said, trying not to show that she was pleased about this. “It’s just that all of the quidditch ball sets came flying out of the boxes they were in, breaking them open and making a huge racket. Most of them landed on the ground and broke open, too. As we ran out, there must have been a dozen or more snitches flying around the room and the bludgers were flying around madly, breaking things and one nearly hit us.”

The five Gryffindors standing in front of them started chuckling as she told the story and by the time she was finished, they were laughing quite hard. “The funniest thing about that entire story,” Alice said between laughs, “is that you are actually proud that your charm worked so well.” She and Amelia broke out into gales of laughter again.

Lily felt slightly offended, but given it was Alice saying it, and not one of the Marauders, she decided to let it go. “Well,” she said defensively, “I’d never tried it on anything but a pencil before, so I had no way of knowing…”

Potter was apparently irritated by the reaction from his friends, however, because he interrupted her. “It’s not funny! We didn’t succeed at that part of our plan. We need to think of something else.”

Black grinned. “I think what you did do may have been even more brilliant than what we originally had planned, mate,” he said. “That equipment room’s going to be in disarray for quite some time, so they may cancel try-outs just on that fact alone! However, we still have prongs II and III, so I wouldn’t worry just yet that our entire plan has been ruined.”

And in case you've forgotten, comments/criticisms/questions/concerns are appreciated, and can be posted in my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=4). Thank you!

I actually had the update to this all typed up yesterday, and accidentally closed the window. I didn't have time to retype my comments/thank yous at that time, but I do now, so here we go:

Skylark: I'm glad that you enjoyed Sirius's naming convention. He just seems the type to need a name for everything, to make it more...I don't know, interesting. For example, I'm nearly certain that the prank on Amos in year 1 was actually "Operation Get the Git" or something along those lines. Thank you!

miri: Well done! I think they were hoping that the team captain wouldnt' realize the quidditch sets had been transfigured, but I'm sure McG would have figured it out. I do hope this plan works out better. And I'm glad you enjoyed the humor in Lily being proud of her charm. She reminds me a bit of Hermione when it comes to that.

hermiones peak: Thank you.

Lady Cassie: I am very happy that you added enjoy to your comment, or else I might have been very insulted! I had not thought about Hermione's taking on the difficult challenge of the polyjuice potion, only to have it messed up. That's rather amusing, actually!

SFHPW: I have to admit that L/J are off on their own so often because I have such a good time writing the two of them together. I'm glad you enjoyed that as well. As for the other parts of the plan, we shall see!

Part 17: A Change of Plans

Shortly after Lily and Potter had explained what had happened in the equipment closet, Alice and Black left to carry out Prong II of their attack strategy, which involved some sort of forgetful draught. The draught had been designed to make whomever drank it forget about the quidditch try-out, and so Alice’s and Black’s job was to put a drop of it in every glass on the table, save their own. They hoped to get to the Great Hall early enough that there wouldn’t be any teachers there yet, however the rest had stayed behind in Gryffindor Tower in order to avoid arousing the suspicions of any teachers that happened to be on patrol. The five remaining behind waited until Kaylie and Desdamona had arrived in the common room, and then traipsed downstairs together along with the other Gryffindors.

“Lily Evans and James Potter!” McGonagall’s voice called out shrilly when they entered the Great Hall.

Lily and Potter glanced at one another guiltily, wondering if there was any way that McGonagall could have found out what they had been up to this morning. There was no time to discuss it and come up with an alibi, however, because in the next second she was upon them.

“Yes, Professor?” Potter asked as sweetly as he could.

McGonagall’s eyes narrowed. “As you might have already heard,” she said, “someone has vandalized the equipment closet.” Lily did her best to look surprised while McGonagall peered at her closely. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Potter had opened his eyes wide in amazement. “As a result,” she continued, “the Gryffindor quidditch try-out has been postponed until Monday evening.” She held up a hand as Potter’s face brightened and he looked as though he was going to speak. “Your detention, however, has also changed.” Lily glanced side-long at Potter, wondering how he would react if their detention had also been postponed until Monday night. “Rather than helping Madam Pince with a relatively easy project in the library, you and Miss Evans will be helping young Sirius Black and Alice Parker—who were caught in possession of an illegal potion this morning—to clean up the mess in the equipment closet this evening.”

Potter let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Professor! That means I’ll be able to try out, then. Do you have any idea who might have done this?”

“Yes,” McGonagall said in a clipped tone, “I have a very good idea about who might have done it, but I think that they will both be punished adequately by the amount of clean-up required for their prank.”

Potter and Lily both continued to look at McGonagall quizzically. “So they’ll be helping Evans, Parker, Siri and me with the equipment closet, Professor?” Potter asked without missing a beat, and Lily nearly laughed out loud.

McGonagall’s expression softened to some extent. “I believe that it’s fairly safe to say that they’ll be there,” she answered, before turning around and beginning to walk away. Lily and Potter exchanged looks of relief as McGonagall paused and turned to face them again. “And Mr. Potter?” she inquired, “I had already planned to ask Isabella to postpone tryouts for you, so you needn’t have gone through the trouble. After some pleading for you on the part of Madam Alipes, it occurred to me that it was unfair to punish you for what might be an entire year while Miss Evans would be punished just for that evening.” Potter shot an ‘I told you so’ look at Lily, who glared in response. McGonagall watched the exchange with a small smile playing at her lips. “Although Miss Evans might argue that a night spent with you, Mr. Potter, is akin to an entire year of punishment.” McGonagall turned once again and strode rapidly toward the staff table.

Lily laughed as Potter sputtered after her retreating figure. “Well, come on,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the table. “You got what you want, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Potter said coolly. “Siri will be in detention with us, so I won’t have to be alone with you.”

Lily glared at him. “As if spending an evening alone with me would be so bad, Potter!” she said angrily.

“There was a time I didn’t think so,” he responded, “until I had to do it last year. What a nightmare!” He walked away from her, laughing, and found a seat next to Black, who was sitting with the other first year Gryffindors. Lily stood there for a moment staring after him, before turning huffily and striding out of the Great Hall. Let him be that way, then, she thought, ignoring the voice in her head that told her that she, too, was glad that Alice would be with her for their detention. Why was it that Potter’s words could upset her like that, anyway? It wasn’t as though she liked him. He was just letting her know the feeling was mutual, that was all. And that was it, wasn’t it?

She arrived at their Charms classroom and slammed her bag down beside a desk. She had always thought that in spite of the way that Potter had acted towards her, he still liked her, and that thought had given her some comfort. She had deluded herself into thinking that he just didn’t know how hurtful he was being, but that wasn’t it at all. He had known how mean his pranks were, and he had truly enjoyed watching her suffer like that. He had wanted to hurt her. The spider, making her late for class, teasing her at every opportunity—even the bet had been meant to embarrass her, to hurt her. Her cheeks flushed furiously as she thought of it. She’d thought that he’d wanted to help her, but he hadn’t. He’d just been setting her up. She wouldn’t even be surprised if he’d somehow adjusted their grades so that she would beat him. After all, it had only been a point—just enough for her to win, but not enough for her to brag. She reached down and began looking for her course book, and her breath caught in her throat as she realized—of course she hadn’t beat him legitimately! How could she have? Even if she had managed to scrape an E in that course, she couldn’t have beat Potter, who could have gotten an O without blinking! She’d have to check with McGonagall to be sure, but she was now nearly certain that her final score would be different than the one that had been posted. And James Potter was behind it all.

She found her book and sat up to set it on the desk, uttering a small scream as she realize that she was not alone in the classroom. Her eyes landed on Lupin, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. For a moment just before she saw the face of the person who was standing beside her, she had been certain that Malfoy had come to continue the conversation that she’d ended in the library the previous night. She took another deep breath, still trying to stop her heart from racing. She hadn’t been thinking, had she? Running out of the Great Hall alone. Hadn’t Dumbledore himself said—“I’m afraid you’re not following our plan from this morning very well, Lily,” Lupin said, smiling mildly and putting some muffins in front of her. “Alice and Amelia thought you might be hungry,” he added, motioning toward the muffins. “They seemed to think that you get crabby without food.”

Lily laughed a little, thinking back to the previous year. “They’re right about that, though I’d argue that I usually have reason to be crabby,” she said, picking up a blueberry one. “But thank you, I appreciate it all the same.”

Lupin shrugged again and sat down beside her. “So what did James say this time?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. Lily noticed that he seemed to be recovering from whatever illness he had been suffering from when they’d first arrived at Hogwarts, or maybe it had been his making up with the Marauders that had caused him to look so much happier. Either way, she was glad to see him looking so full of life.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said through a mouthful of muffin.

“And I have been sworn to secrecy on the matter,” he said, nodding. “James has asked me to say nothing of our conversations to you. He’s afraid you might…take them the wrong way.”

“I know he doesn’t like me,” Lily said, finishing the blueberry muffin, and fighting back the tears that she felt near the back of her eyes. “I’m not sure why, but he hasn’t liked me since before he’d even talk to me. I used to think it was just his personality—but he isn’t so mean to everyone else.”

“I won’t disagree with you there,” Lupin said. “James can be very hurtful, even when he’s not trying to be.”

Lily groaned. “Please don’t defend him,” she said, wiping away a tear as it escaped. “I know you’re his friend and everything, but he acts different with me. He treats—he treats his sworn enemy better than me! You’ve admitted as much to Amelia, haven’t you? He acts like a git to me and Snape.”

Lupin looked at Lily thoughtfully. “I did say that, yes,” he agreed, “but that was before—”

“Don’t say it was before I kissed him, Remus,” she said, brushing another tear away. “I only did that because of a bet, and he’s done nothing but tease me about it since.”

“I wasn’t going to say that,” he said simply.

“What were you going to say, then?” she asked, again irritated by Lupin’s defense of his friend. Couldn’t he see that Potter purposely did things to hurt her? Even Alice and Amelia had admitted as much, and they liked the git! “Not that it matters. He told me today that spending an entire night with me would be torture!”

“It would be torture,” Remus agreed, “but not for the reason—”

“Oh, thanks!” she interrupted. “That makes me feel much better, I—,” she glanced up as the Slytherin second years began filing in, followed by the Gryffindors. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Remus,” she added. “Please.”

“All right,” Lupin said, getting up as Potter and Black motioned him to a desk on the other side of the room, and walking over to where they were sitting.

“Thanks for the muffins,” she called after him, glancing up to greet Alice and Amelia, who settled into desks on either side of her.

If you'd like to leave me feedback, I'd love to read it. You can do so by clicking on my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=5). Thank you!

Well, I was going to post this in two sections, but there's really no reason for it, so you all get a really long update today! Yay!

miri: I can't tell you how James will take the news. He's certainly not about to let Lily know how he feels. Not at the moment, anyway. I'm glad you enjoyed McGonagall. I quite enjoy writing her, and I think you'll like her in this next post, as well.

Lady Cassie: Thank you! McGonagall just jumps off the page when you write her. It's impossible to keep her quiet, honestly. You won't get to see James's reaction to Lily's tears, I'm afraid. I do have a James POV that I'll post up after we get past a certain part of Year 2, that takes you through Year 7--of course, after Year 2, it's an alternate-universe to my fic, meaning the things that happen in the James POV won't happen in Lily's Story after Year 2 (to avoid spoilers), but you'll get to see James's POV on a few things, anyway. A story where a grown-up Remus meets a grown-up Amelia? Wow...that would be quite interesting, wouldn't it? I might have to think on that!

SFHPW: Even if they had taught her that rule, I'm not sure that Lily would believe it. She's a bit thick-headed sometimes. You will see McG in this next post and a few times after that. I really love writing her, so I spent a bit of time with her this year. You'd think Lily, possessing an inner-eye as she does, would be a bit more aware of her surroundings, wouldn't you? I agree that her preoccupation may get her into trouble one day. As for James's POV, like I was telling Lady Cassie, I do have a fic where I write two scenes from Year 1 and two scenes from Year 2 in James's POV. You'll get to find out exactly what James was thinking when he first saw Lily, don't worry. I've also got one scene from Year 2 written in Remus's perspective, and one written in Snape's perspective that I'll post up when we get to those scenes, and...erm...let's see, I have one planned from Sirius's perspective, though I haven't had the chance to write it just yet. As for Frank, you will see more of him, but he's been a bit quiet and withdrawn this year, after what's happened to his Dad. He doesn't seem to be in the mood, really, to socialize. Umm...and I don't know when Pet's birthday is, but she figures out the summer after Lily's second year that she's not going to Hogwarts. In my version of the world, you don't get your letter on your 11th birthday (after all, Harry's letters started coming before he actually turned 11), they simply come in the summer before. She'll know when it's time for Lily to leave for school that she's not a witch.

And now, for the update! Enjoy!

Part 18: Detention

Despite the fact that Lily was willing it not to, 6:15 arrived as scheduled that evening, bringing with it the prospect of spending an entire night with Black and Potter. As she was waiting outside the portrait hole for McGonagall to “escort” them to their detention in the quidditch supply room, Lily remained silent. She was stubbornly ignoring Potter’s presence, and not even talking to Alice, who was carrying on an animated conversation with Black, both of whom were either completely oblivious to, or purposely ignoring, the chill that was emanating from both her and Potter. She checked her watch and was surprised to see that McGonagall was running late. After a few more minutes had passed, she was about to say something to Alice when McGonagall arrived, looking harried and flustered, with Malchaiah and Lucius Malfoy trailing behind her.

“I’m afraid that this is where I leave the two of you,” she said crisply, a trace of agitation in her voice. “I must see my students to their detention, and I’ve already taken more time with you than I should have this evening.”

“It has been a pleasure, Minerva,” Malchaiah said, taking her hand and kissing it. Black, Potter and Alice all giggled, while Lily stared in disbelief. McGonagall arched one eyebrow, her expression saying all too clearly that she had found the experience anything but, and turned toward Lily, Potter, Alice and Black.

“If you’ll excuse me then,” she stated, leaving no doubt that she had dismissed them.

“Of course, Minerva,” Lucius said, and Lily noticed McGonagall’s lips tighten.

“You have yet to earn the right to address me by my given name, Mr. Malfoy,” she stated matter-of-factly, turning around and facing her former pupil. “Until such time as you do, you may continue to address me as Professor McGonagall.”

Lucius Malfoy’s eyes blazed angrily for a moment before Malchaiah set his hand on his son’s shoulder and directed him toward the staircase. “We really should leave Professor McGonagall to her duties, Lucius,” Malchaiah said smoothly, walking away.

McGonagall watched them leave, muttering what sounded like, “the nerve of the two of them, returning to Hogwarts after their behavior last summer!” before turning once again to face Lily and the other three second years. “I trust that you four are ready, then?” she asked briskly. Lily and Alice nodded while Potter and Black groaned loudly. McGonagall raised her eyebrows, however, and they followed without further comment.

“As I stated earlier, you four will be cleaning up the mess that you left in the equipment closet this morning,” she said as they made their way quickly toward the entrance hall. “Don’t look so surprised, Mr. Black, of course I know,” she added, and Lily stifled a laugh. Black had been mouthing “she knows?” to Potter as McGonagall had been speaking. “I’m really rather surprised that Mr. Potter did not tell you that I was aware of your plan to get quidditch try-outs postponed. I must say, it was quite clever. May I inquire as to whom it was that made the forgetfulness draught?”

Lily looked determinedly at the ground, and McGonagall’s query was met by silence. “Well, I didn’t expect you to tell me, but you may pass on the compliment that Mrs. Figg was quite impressed by its quality, particularly because you must have thrown it together so quickly.”

“We’ve no idea what you’re talking about, Professor,” Black managed finally.

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course you do. I am also rather curious which charm was used to create such havoc in the equipment room,” she continued. “Professor Flitwick is quite certain that it must have been a summoning charm, but he could only think of one second year student advanced enough in charms to use that one successfully on so many heavy objects.” Here, McGonagall paused and glanced at Lily, who couldn’t help blushing proudly at the compliment. An expression of surprise fleetingly traveled across McGonagall’s face before she smiled. “So you were involved, Miss Evans?” she asked, and Lily’s flush of pride turned to one of embarrassment. “I wasn’t certain. So you are capable of working together with Potter. Well, I must say that in the future I hope all four of you will invest your considerable talents in more productive activities.” McGonagall pulled out a large wrought-iron key as they arrived at the equipment closet. “I will be locking you in here and will check back with you in four hours to assess your progress.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Potter’s and Black’s eyes light up with excitement. McGonagall must have noticed too, however, for she glanced at each of them sternly. “I am well aware that you will be able to get this door unlocked if you were to decide that it is your wish to do some ‘exploring’ tonight,” she said seriously. “I trust that I don’t need to remind you of the dangers that our ‘guests’ pose to you, Miss Evans and Mr. Potter. It would be wise for you to remain in this closet until I come to retrieve you at 10:30. I am sure that neither of you wants to put your friends Miss Parker and Mr. Black in the same danger that you are currently in. Please, do you use your common sense this evening.” With a last look at each of them, McGonagall turned and swept out of the room, the door clicking locked behind her.

All four stared at the door in silence for a moment, and then Lily turned to survey the mess in front of her. Most of the shelves had been completely destroyed by the bludgers crashing into them for the entire day, a pile of hundreds of quidditch cases lay in ruin in front of them, robes, whistles, brooms, pads, and all other manner of quidditch supply were strewn all over the floor, gold flashed this way and that as hundreds of snitches that had been freed from their cases zoomed merrily around the room, and on top of everything the bludgers were still careening madly about, crashing into things. Lily let out a small yelp and ducked as one came whizzing by her. When she looked up, another was heading toward Alice, and she pulled out her wand, saying “Petrificus totalus!” as she waved it at the bludger. The bludger wasn’t affected in the least, however, and Alice had to dive out of the way.

“Your charms won’t work, Evans,” Black said, picking up a beater’s bat and tossing it at her. “They’re charmed to resist magical tampering by the spectators,” he explained. “Go ahead and knock away any that come your way, and Jamesy and I will work on catching them. Why don’t you and Parker start repairing the cases so that we have somewhere to put the bludgers once they’re caught.”

Lily glanced at Alice, who reached out to grasp the bat that Potter was handing to her. She knocked a bludger in Black’s direction. Lily couldn’t tell whether Black had caught the bludger, or whether the bludger had hit him in the stomach, knocking him on top of it, but he was soon hollering for a quidditch case. Lily muttered, “reparo”, and pointed her wand at a case. After the broken pieces had flown back together, she hurried the newly mended Ravenclaw case over to Black, who strapped the bludger in. After he had successfully secured it, he turned to Lily with a grin, his eyes sparkling. “Just like that,” he said, “and we’ll be to the ‘fun part’ before you know it!”

Lily glanced at Alice who was helping Potter secure a particularly feisty bludger into a Hufflepuff case, but Alice did not see her. She shrugged, and repaired another case as Black wrestled with another bludger. “Fun part?” she couldn’t help but wonder. What on earth had Black been talking about?

They spent the next two hours repairing quidditch cases and catching bludgers. After they had finished that, they set to work repairing the shelves that had been destroyed by the bludgers, and then began the laborious task of repacking the remaining quidditch supplies into boxes. Potter and Black had been working over in the Slytherin stall, packing up their gear. They had volunteered to work on that section, and although both she and Alice had been suspicious of their motives, in the end, neither had wanted to argue. For the last half hour, she’d seen flashes of light, and laughter coming from their section, but whenever she’d asked them what they were doing, Potter or Black had responded with, “Relax, Evans, we’re just re-designing them a little,” or something equally cryptic.

After an hour of re-packing, with no end in site, Alice turned to Lily. “You know a packing charm, don’t you, Lils?” she asked, attempting to cram a quidditch robe into an already overstuffed crate. Lily glanced up from her own box and frowned.

“I do,” she agreed, “but I don’t know if it’d work on so many items at once.”

At her words, however, both boys groaned at once, and emerged from behind the row of boxes that they’d been working on. “Let me get this straight, Evans,” Black said incredulously, “you know a packing charm, and over the entire last hour, in which we’ve managed to pack up LESS than one full row of shelves, it hasn’t even occurred to you to use it?”

Potter snorted. “She probably thinks we deserve the punishment,” he said bitterly.

Lily glared at him, and then went back to packing her box. “You’d get done a lot more quickly if you didn’t stop every five minutes to tamper with Slytherin equipment,” she said stiffly. “I rather hope McGonagall suspends you from the team if you do make it, Potter, for what you’re doing tonight.”

“Would you give it a rest already, Princess?” Potter asked. “We’re not doing anything that will put them at a disadvantage during a match. We’re just trying to have a little fun. Don’t do the charm if you don’t want to, I don’t care.”

Alice glanced at Potter in dismay, but Lily was too annoyed at that point to bother responding to him. She certainly didn’t care if they were still cleaning up the equipment closet on Monday night. She had no place to be, so she went back to packing. As she was trying for the third time to coax a broom into her box, Alice finally spoke up. “Don’t listen to Potter, Lily,” she urged. “If you try your charm and it works, we’ll be finished before you know it, and then we’ll be free of him.” Lily looked up to find Alice and Black standing in front of her, eyes pleading. Potter was determinedly ignoring her.

“Go on, Evans,” Black said, puppy dog eyes out in full force. “Please?”

Lily stood up and brushed herself off with a small grin. “Well, since you asked nicely, Black, I suppose I could give it a go. You’ve obviously learned how to treat a lady!” she added, glaring at Potter.

Potter snorted again. “I don’t see any ladies,” he said.

Black let out a bark-like laugh, while Alice shot a glare at Potter, and then turned to watch Lily closely. Lily closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm down, and then determinedly pulled out her wand. “I’m doing this for Alice,” she repeated over and over to herself as she flicked it at a pile of equipment lying nearby, and all of the equipment rose at once, packing itself neatly into the repaired crates lying on the ground. Once a crate was full, Lily directed it up to a shelf, and then pointed her wand at a new pile, repeating the process. Alice watched her carefully, and then pulled out her own wand and tried the charm.

On her first try, she was so excited when the equipment rose and began to pack itself that she let out a small shriek and sent whistles, protective gear, and brooms flying across the room. Lily, Potter and Black all laughed, as Alice blushed, and then went back to packing her crate. Potter and Black joined them shortly, and before long, the equipment closet was packed up, with the shimmering snitches flying overhead the only evidence of their prank that morning. Just as Lily was looking up, trying to figure out how they were going to catch the hundreds of snitches zooming around (a summoning charm wouldn’t work because, like the bludgers, the snitches had been enchanted with anti-cheating spells), a broom hit her in the back of the head. She rubbed the spot with a grimace, and turned to see Potter and Black laughing.

“Now for the fun part,” Black said with a grin.

“Go on, Evans, hop on!” Potter added, mounting his broom and soaring toward the ceiling. “There’s only one way to make sure these all get put away properly.”

Lily glanced at her broom, and then glanced up at her three companions, all of whom were now flying happily around the room, grabbing snitches, laughing, and having a good time, and then back at her broom. The ceiling was at least 30 feet high, and even after an entire year of flying lessons with Madam Alipes, Lily had still not gotten over the fear of heights that had paralyzed her every time her broom had risen over ten feet. She shook her head. “No, thanks,” she said, setting the broom down. “I’ll just wait down here for you guys!”

“What’s the mater, Evans?” Potter said, reaching out and grabbing a snitch gleefully. The bag that he had draped around his shoulder was fairly buzzing with the small, golden balls. “Are you scared?”

Lily glared up in his direction. “Not everyone enjoys riding around on a broom and chasing tiny little balls, Potter,” she replied. “That doesn’t make me scared.”

“No,” Black agreed, hanging upside down off his broom and grabbing a snitch that flew by underneath him. “It makes you stupid.” He righted himself on his broom as Potter burst into laughter.

“Oh, come on, Evans,” Potter said, flying toward her and coming to a stop beside where she was sitting and watching them. “It’s fun, and I, for one, happen to feel that I would be doing you a great disservice if I allow you to sit here and miss out on that. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Hmm…let me think, I could fall and seriously injure myself?” Lily asked sarcastically.

“No,” Potter corrected her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. “I’ll catch you if that happens.”

“We’ve been through this before, Potter,” Lily said, pulling her hand away and sitting back down. “If the only thing standing between me living or plummeting to my death—”

Potter waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, I know, I know, you’d choose death. The only problem is, at the end of last term—when you had to make a similar choice—you chose me.”

“As I was unconscious at the time,” Lily countered smoothly, “I’d hardly say that it was me making the choice.”

“You cheated!” Black’s voice rang out, interrupting them. Lily and Potter glanced up to see Alice holding a struggling snitch triumphantly in her hand as she soared around the room.

“I beat you legitimately and you know it,” Alice responded joyfully.

“Why don’t you prove it by beating me again, then? There, that one,” Black added, pulling out his wand and marking a nearby snitch with an ‘X’. The snitch soon disappeared among the others, and Alice and Black took off, trying to find it.

Lily glanced back at Potter. “Oh go on, Evans. Have some fun for once in your life. It’s even legal. We’re supposed to be catching them!” he pleaded. “Don’t make me tell McGonagall that you refused to help us.” Lily gazed speculatively at Potter, wondering briefly why it was so important to him that she join them, before picking up her broom. He was right. She was supposed to be helping them clean up, and that meant capturing the snitches, and returning them to their cases. “Yes!” Potter called happily, grabbing his own broom and taking off. “I’ll bet I can catch more than you can,” he added.

Lily grinned in spite of herself. “I bet that, too,” she said in self-deprecation. She mounted the broom and took off, focusing on the snitches closer to the ground. She spotted one off to her right, but by the time that she had turned to grab it, it had darted off. She continued to try to grab snitches, but every time she’d get near one, it would zip away. Lily slowly circled, and saw one near the ceiling. Glancing over, she saw that Potter, Black and Alice all had nearly full bags, and not wanting to listen to Potter’s teasing if she wasn’t even able to catch a single snitch, she steeled up her courage to fly that high, and pointed her broom toward the snitch. Just as she was ready to reach out and grab the snitch, however, she saw a blur of color next to her, and realized that Potter was going for the same one that she was. She was unable to swerve out of the way in time, and their brooms collided. Lily’s head cracked into Potter’s, and an explosion of pain ripped through her skull. She was conscious of trying to maintain her grip on her broom, but she could no longer control it. She began to fall, spiraling towards the ground as Alice and Black screamed. She had completely lost sight of Potter, and she wondered if he had managed to keep his broom in the air. As she spun, she caught sight of the door, which was standing open, and noticed that Lucius and Malchaiah Malfoy were standing there. In the next instant, what was left of her broom hit the ground and Lily lost consciousness.

My feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=5)

Hi all! Thank you, as always, for reading!

SFHPW: Oooh...Lily owing the Malfoys a lifedebt. That would be interesting, wouldn't it? Hmm...you'll have to wait and see! I'm happy you enjoyed McG. Like I said, she just comes alive when I write her, so I can't resist including her when I get the chance. And you've got some very good guesses as to what happens. I shan't say more than that.

Lady Cassie: As SFHPW explained, this story will not change into James's or anyone else's perspective. I'm writing strictly from Lily's POV. However, I've got some stand-alones that I'll either post on this thread, or in a new thread, or...in my feedback thread, maybe, that fill in some details from other character's perspectives. They are quite fun to write. And yes, SFHPW, I do have them finished, and they are just waiting for you to reach the right place. We're getting closer to when I can post the first one, I assure you!

hermiones peak: Thank you.
Part 19: The End of Detention

“The mudblood has it,” Lily heard when she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes cautiously. Where was she? She glanced around, steeling herself for the swell of panic that always came when she found herself away from Hogwarts. She realized that she was behind a bed, and crawled silently toward the edge, and then peaked around the corner. She was in a large room, obviously a bedroom judging by the large canopy bed and dresser the room contained. Her gaze continued to travel around the room, taking in elegant portraits of sour-faced people, probably relatives of the owner of the room, before it fell on Narcissa Black, who was sitting in an overstuffed chair, her sister Bellatrix in front of her. Narcissa set down the comb she had been holding and began to braid Bellatrix’s hair. Lily crouched down slightly, hoping that they had not noticed that she was now awake. The element of surprise was an asset that she needed if she were going to get out of there.

A laugh from the corner drew Lily’s gaze to Lucius Malfoy, who was standing in the corner opposite the bed, watching the girls. “It’s just a replica,” he said. “I’ve seen it.”

“It’s not a replica,” Bellatrix said, turning to face Lucius and causing Narcissa to lose her grip on the braid.

Narcissa sighed. “Trixie, if you want your hair braided, you’ll have to sit still for it.”

“I’ve seen it, too,” Bellatrix said, sitting back down as Narcissa once again picked up the comb and began separating the strands into three sections. “It’s real, Lucius.”

Lucius walked over to the bed and sat down heavily. “You haven’t examined it as closely as I have, believe me, Trix. I was hoping it was the real thing, too, but it’s not.”

The dust from behind the bed was starting to bother Lily, and she felt her nose itching. She ignored the sensation, and strained to listen to the conversation.

Bellatrix crossed her arms, and tried to turn again to glare at Malfoy, but at an annoyed sigh by her sister, she turned to face forward again. “It is the real thing,” she said, “and I intend to get it from her.”

Lily pinched her nose shut, trying to keep from sneezing.

“Leave it alone, Trix,” Malfoy said. “You’ll be wasting your time and risking expulsion. You know how protective Dumbledore is of his precious Gryffindors.”

Finally, Lily could no longer resist the urge, and she sneezed loudly. She stood up, wand drawn, still hoping that they might be startled enough by the fact that she was awake that she'd have an advantage. Nobody seemed to have noticed her however, because the conversation continued as though she hadn't just popped out from behind the bed.

Narcissa and Bellatrix both snorted in disgust. “Tell me about it,” Bellatrix said nastily. “It’s disgusting.”

Lily raised her wand cautiously. “Expelliarmus!” she said, waving her wand, but nothing happened. It took Lily a moment to realize that the three Slytherins were acting as though she weren't really there because she wasn't. She was having a vision. Quickly, she began to look around, trying desperately to figure out the significance of the vision. She glanced at the items on the dresser and saw a silver 3-D replica of the skull and snake that had appeared at the quidditch game last term. She moved to examine it more closely but as her hand closed over the object, it burned bright green and she felt a searing pain in her hand. Lily dropped the object and screamed as the room disappeared and everything once again went black.

When she woke up again, she found herself back in the equipment closet. Her hand throbbed in pain, and she glanced at it in surprise. Hadn’t the pain been a part of the vision? And yet, as she examined her hand, she clearly saw a red burn mark, but instead of being relatively large, it was the exact same size and shape as her locket. Lily reached up automatically to grasp for it, but it wasn’t around her neck. She felt a wave of panic wash over her and she searched frantically for it, sighing in relief as she saw gold glinting to the right and in front of her. Just as her hand closed over it, the metal hot to the touch, another hand covered hers, and she looked up in surprise to see Malchaiah crouched beside her. He easily pried the locket out of her hand and stood up, brushing off his robes carelessly.

“You leave her alone!” Potter, Black and Alice shouted as one. Lucius had them backed against the wall, wand pointed at them. Malchaiah laughed.

“I’ve no intention of hurting her just yet,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “Well, well, what have we here?” He looked over at his son, who grinned malevolently. Lily stood up and made a grab for her locket, the shooting pain in her head a reminder of her mid-air collision with Potter, but Malchaiah grabbed her wrist. “I’m afraid that I’m not quite through with this yet, Miss Evans,” he said, jerking her to the side roughly, and continuing to gaze at the locket. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then he handed it back to her, releasing her wrist just as suddenly. “There, you see. I just wanted to have a look at what kinds of gifts,” here Malfoy paused and curled his lip disdainfully, “muggles give to their mudblood children.”

Lily heard her friends begin yelling again as she reached for her wand without thinking. She grasped the handle and glanced up to find that Malfoy already had his pointing at her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, young miss,” he said quietly. “I could have your wand out of your hand and curse you before you even thought of a hex to use on me. That’s a good girl, lower your hand. Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of hurting you at the moment. I just want to ask you a question. Go on, lower your hand.”

“I don’t know how he knew,” Lily spat, dropping her hand to her side and clutching her locket tightly, “as I’ve already informed your son.” Lily turned her head away, remembering her last meeting in which Malfoy had been able to look into her eyes and get the answers he wanted. She wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to do that again. He grabbed her wrist once more, and tried to spin her around to face him, but she fought him.

“What is going on here?” McGonagall demanded suddenly, and everyone in the room whirled toward the door. Lucius quickly dropped his wand, and Malchaiah released Lily’s wrist. She stumbled over to where Alice, Potter and Black were standing, rubbing her wrist, as Lucius sidled over to stand beside his father.

“That’s exactly what I’d like to know,” Malchaiah said, his voice hardening as he turned to look at Alice, Potter and Black. “As I was strolling the grounds with my son, we heard yelling and laughter coming from this shed. Disturbed that students would so blatantly disregard the rules set up for their safety, I planned to stop them and demand that they return to their common rooms. When I arrived, I found young Miss Evans lying on the ground. Believing that these three may have hexed her, I came over to make sure she was okay. I think I startled her when she woke up, however, because she seemed to mistake my concern for her well-being as a threat. I was simply trying to reassure her that I wasn’t going to hurt her when you arrived.”

Lily glared at Malchaiah defiantly. “I did not mistake your intentions, Governor,” she said quietly.

At her assertion, Potter, Black and Alice all started talking at once, collaborating what Lily had said. McGonagall held up a hand. “I’ll hear your side of the story later,” she said, turning toward the Malfoys. “These students were out here serving a detention for me, Governor—,” she began.

“How many times must I ask you to call me Malchaiah, Minerva,” he said smoothly.

“At least as many times as I have to ask you NOT to call me Minerva, Governor,” she said stiffly. “Now, as I’ve said, these students are serving a detention for me, and I suspect the laughter and noise that you heard was the result of their diligence in trying to return the equipment closet to the state in which they found it this morning. Please come with me to Professor Dumbledore’s office. He’ll be wanting to speak with you again about the terms to which you agreed prior to his authorizing your visit to our school. As for the four of you,” McGonagall continued, meeting each of their gazes, “please finish returning the snitches to their cases. I will be back to escort you to the common room as soon as I have finished with our guests.” She pulled the door open and motioned to Malchaiah and Lucius, who walked out the door. McGonagall swept after them, and a loud clicking sound indicated that they had once again been locked inside.

After the door had swung shut, Lily was immediately surrounded by Alice, Potter and Black, who were again all talking at the same time.

“Lily! Are you okay?” Alice screeched, “Did you have another vision? What happened? One second you were falling, and then—”

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Black demanded.

“I told you I’d catch you,” Potter said, but the smile on his face didn’t quite reach all the way to his eyes, and Lily realized with a shock that he had been worried about her.

Lily fastened her locket around her neck, and then looked up, perplexed. “What do you mean, you caught me? I saw the broom hit…”

“Are you okay, Lily?” Alice asked again, “Potter may have stopped you from hitting the ground, but you did crack your head against his awfully hard—”

“But the broom—,” Lily protested again. “If I didn’t hit, why did I pass out?”

Black shrugged. “Fear, I suppose,” he said. “You are quite right about your broom, it’s entirely smashed. You, however, did not hit hard. Jamesy used some sort of charm on you and—”

Lily glanced at Potter, who was flushing furiously, and grinned. “Why’d you catch me, Potter,” Lily interrupted, “I told you I’d prefer death.”

Potter glared at her. “We’d better get started putting these snitches back. That’s going to take some time.” He pulled a snitch roughly out of his bag, but didn’t have a very good grip on it, and it zoomed away. “Bloody hell!” he said angrily, grabbing a broom, and taking off after the snitch.

Black and Alice laughed as they watched Potter chase after the snitch, but apparently his concentration was off, because every time he got close to it, he missed. After a few minutes of this, Black stood up with a laugh. “I suppose I’d better help him. In the mood he’s in, he’ll be up there all night.” Black grabbed another nearby broom and mounted it swiftly.

“Well come on,” Lily said, standing up with a sigh. “While they’re up there playing seeker, I suppose we’d better get the rest of these put away. McGonagall will be back any minute.” Alice groaned, but joined Lily, and soon, all but two cases had snitches restored to them.

“Is there a second snitch somewhere up there?” Alice asked. Potter and Black were now racing each other around, trying to knock each other off-course to be the first to grab the snitch.

“No,” Potter shouted as Black let out a whoop of excitement. “Just the—Siri! That’s not fair, catching it while I’m talking.”

Black grinned, and landed softly next to Alice and Lily. “Your fault for being distracted,” he said. “You’ll have to ignore distractions during the game, you know. I’m a little worried about that with you, Jamesy. That’s why you always lose our wrestling matches, too.” Black returned the final snitch to its case as Potter landed next to him.

“What do you mean I always lose?” Potter asked, outraged. He lunged at Black, and in the next second, the two were grappling on the floor. Potter was trying to get out of a pin attempt by Black when the door opened once again. Both boys jumped to their feet as Alice and Lily laughed.

“We’re finished, Professor,” Potter said with a winning smile.

McGonagall’s eyes sparkled momentarily. “I do hope so, Mr. Potter,” she said. “Come on, children. You’ll need to come with me to my office so that you can tell me what really happened this evening.”

Join the Lily's Story community by posting your thoughts and comments in my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=5). Thank you!

Yay!!!! After this post, I can post up one of my short fics--it's a Remus POV. I will probably post that up as a separate thread, and I'll post the link to that thread in my next update on this story. *hopes that made sense*

Lady Cassie: What did you do to get so many updates? Nothing, I'm afraid... I just have a bit of extra time at the moment. I give the impression that everything is planned out for Year 2? *grins* Wow...I'm quite good at improv, then...

SFHPW: Your musings are quite interesting. It's fun to see what you're thinking as the story continues. Obviously, I cannot comment, but I find your thoughts interesting, if nothing else! I don't think Lily meant to be harsh on James, I think she meant to tease him. I didn't mean for it to be...mean, necessarily. Thank you!

Sirius' Babi: Thank you! Lily does like Potter. Well, she wants to like him, as a friend. She doesn't actually want to fight with him, and there's the bond that's there from last year. To quote JKR, there are some things you can't go through without liking each other. Being kidnapped by a dark wizard and escaping is one of them. But that doesn't mean all is smooth sailing of course! Like I said to SFHPW, Lily didn't mean to be mean to Potter, she was trying to tease him.

RJ: Thank you!! I'm happy you enjoy McG, because I have so much fun with her.

And like I said, I'll post this up, and then, tomorrow, probably, post up the Remus Lupin POV on this particular scene.

Part 20: The Journal of Dreams

Monday evening arrived, and Lily sat in the common room, working on a dream journal. The letter from Professor Praevidi had asked her to keep a journal of all of her past dreams that she could remember and any other dreams that she might have prior to their first meeting, although Lily was not at all certain why. She had only had one dream so far that had come true, and she was inclined to think of that as a fluke. She was trying to decide whether or not to include the dream that she’d had the Friday night previous during detention—she had not been conscious when she’d had it, but neither had she been asleep—when Potter’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“What’s this Evans?” he asked, reaching for her journal. Lily made a frantic attempt to keep him from grabbing it, but Potter had already snatched it and swept it cleanly out of her reach. She swiped at it, but he tossed it to Black, who grinned mischievously, sitting down in a nearby chair, and propping his feet on the table. Lily made another attempt to grab the book, but Black held a hand up.

Realizing it was hopeless, she stood back and crossed her arms, glaring at the marauders and flushing furiously. Potter was now standing behind Black, looking for all the world as though Christmas had come early that year. Lupin was still sitting at the table that the Marauders had been occupying a few moments earlier, pretending to read a book on Charms, but as Lily’s gaze passed over his, she caught his eyes, and he immediately looked back down at his book, steadfastly ignoring her. Pettigrew was laughing and clapping his hands together, as if the excitement was just too much for him, and Lily sighed in frustration. Obviously neither Potter nor Black were going to return the journal to her, and if she’d been hoping either Lupin or Pettigrew would step in to help her, she’d been sadly mistaken. Why, oh why had she been stupid enough to bring it down to the common room in the first place?

“A dream journal, Evans?” Black asked, interrupting her thoughts. He opened it, and flipped to the first page, Potter reading over his shoulder.

“Go on, Siri! Tell us what it says,” Pettigrew said, squealing excitedly.

Black rolled his eyes. “I would if you’ll calm down for a minute, Petey. Don’t wet yourself!”

Pettigrew blushed, and Lily turned her furious gaze to Black. “You don’t need to be so mean to—,” she began, but Potter interrupted her.

“Hush, Evans,” he said laconically. “I can’t read while you’re talking either.” He glanced at Lily as though daring her to object, and when she didn’t respond, he cocked an eyebrow at her.

Black laughed. “Good, now that Petey’s stopped squealing, and Evans has figured out how to keep quiet, shall we see what this journal has in it, Jamesy?” he asked calmly.

“We shall,” he said, and they sat in silence for a moment, moving the journal just out of reach any time that Lily tried to grab it.

After a moment, Potter glanced up from the journal and looked at Lily, his eyes dancing. “Look, she’s got the one about me in here!” he said as Pettigrew and Black dissolved into gales of laughter. “Was that a vision, then Evans? Have you had more than one? ‘Oh, James! Save me! I fell off my broom! James! Save me!’” he continued, his voice high-pitched in a pathetic imitation of her own.

Lily’s face flushed an even more brilliant shade of red and before she knew what she was doing, she raised her hand and brought it down hard across Potter’s cheek. Black glanced up in surprise at the sound, which was so loud that it almost seemed to echo, and Lily took advantage of his surprise to grab the journal from him and retreat to her dormitory, fuming. How dare he! How dare they! All of them. Lupin just sitting there, watching it all. He could speak up! She could tell by the look in his eyes when she met his gaze that he didn’t think what they were doing was right, but did he say anything? Oh, no! Wouldn’t want to stand up to all-powerful James Potter and Sirius Black. Lupin’s failure to speak up when his two friends were doing something dangerous or stupid had irritated her in the past, but now she felt somewhat betrayed. She had always considered Lupin a friend, and she’d thought that he would stand up for her in a situation like that. His failure to do so hurt her more than she would have imagined. She’d obviously been severely mistaken about what type of person he was; that much was certain. When it came to Potter and Black, it seemed as though Lupin was incapable of speaking his mind.

Tears welled up in the back of her throat, and she willed them back down. Just who did the two of them think they were, anyway? “Oh, James! Save me!” Any gratitude that she felt for Potter for having caught her before she landed on the ground the previous Friday was immediately replaced with resentment as she thought about his words tonight. Leave it to Potter to tease her about it. He just couldn’t resist lording it over her when he was better at something than she was. And why was everything a competition with him, anyway? Yes, he was a better flyer! She hadn’t even wanted to get up on that broom, but if he hadn’t run into her, she wouldn’t have needed his help in the first place, so really, she wasn’t even at fault. He was! How typical! Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? She reached up and brushed away a tear that had somehow escaped her eye. Was it too much to hope that Potter would be knocked off of his broom by a bludger during the quidditch tryout and be rendered unconscious for the remainder of the year?

“Lily?” Alice’s voice interrupted, and Lily glanced up, surprised to find Alice and Amelia standing beside her. As had happened on several occasions this week, she hadn’t realized that she was no longer alone. Lily found that she was somewhat alarmed by the number of times that she had been surprised by the presence of another person in a room she’d thought to be empty, and she decided this was probably something she should work on. At the moment, however, she was perfectly safe, and once her heart rate had returned to normal, Lily surveyed her two friends, her expression quickly turning to one of concern. “Are you all right, Alice?” Alice was completely pale, her hands were trembling, her voice was a few octaves higher than normal, and she looked as though she might throw up at any moment.

Alice tried to smile. “I’m fine,” she said, striding over to her nightstand and viciously trying to comb her curly hair into a ponytail. “It’s you I’m concerned about. I’m just a little nervous.” Alice’s voice was returning to near normal, but her face was still pale. “Did you really slap Pot—Ow!” she screeched as the comb got caught in a knot. Alice’s hand slipped from the comb, and it went flying across the room.

“Here, let me do it. You won’t have any hair left at the rate you’re going,” Lily said, retrieving the comb and walking over to where Alice was standing, as Amelia giggled.

“She’s been throwing things all afternoon. She nearly hit Madam Pince with her pencil at least twice when we were at the library.”

Lily grinned in spite of herself as Alice reddened. “So I throw things when I’m nervous,” Alice said, but she was laughing, too. “There are worse things.”

“It’s a shame you decided not to come with us to the library, Lils,” Amelia said, reaching into her closet and pulling out her cloak. “You could have gotten your dream journal done there, too, you know.”

Lily smiled. “Well, as I nearly got hit with a spoon today at lunch,” she said, “I thought I’d be safer in the common room.” Her expression darkened. “Obviously, I was wrong, though.”

“What happened?” Alice asked, her eyes meeting Lily’s through the reflection in the mirror they were standing in front of. “I mean, we heard that you slapped Potter—”

“Left a mark, too” Amelia chimed in.

“But we don’t know why. Potter seemed to think that he’d done nothing to provoke—”

“Parker! Get down here, or I’m going without you!” Potter shouted up the stairwell to them.

Lily quickly finished tying Alice’s hair back into a ponytail, and patted her on the shoulder. “There, you’re done.”

Alice turned around and engulfed Lily in a hug. “Thank you,” she said. “I’d still be trying to get it back in an hour from now if you hadn’t helped me!”

Lily shrugged. “I’m an older sister,” she said, her eyes traveling to the picture of her family that she kept on her nightstand. “It’s my job.”

“Well thank you, anyway,” Alice repeated.

“Parker, now! I’m halfway out the portrait hole.”

Amelia glanced at Alice, who shrugged. “We came up here to calm you down,” Amelia began.

“From the sounds of it they acted like total prats,” Alice continued, “but—”

“Go,” Lily said, grinning, and making a motion as though she was shooing Alice out the door. “My problems with the Marauders can wait. You have a quidditch try-out to get to. Although why you’d want to go with James Potter is beyond me!” she added, and her two friends grinned.

“You have your meeting with Professor Praevidi, right?” Alice asked. Lily nodded. “Well, if it doesn’t go too late, maybe you can make it to try-outs. Otherwise, we’ll see you after you’re finished!” Lily smiled, and waved as Alice swept out of the room, followed by Amelia.

After her friends had left, Lily turned and opened up her journal. She flipped to the first dream that she had entered, and felt the blush returning to her cheeks. It was the one about Potter that she’d had at the beginning of her first year in school. Leave it to Black to flip right to the first page, too, she thought angrily as she closed the cover of the journal quickly, and threw it into her bag. Professor Praevidi was expecting her at 6:30 sharp, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She hurried quickly down the stairs and out of the common room.

Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735)

In case you didn't see, I posted up the Remus POV! You can access it by clicking here (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=24145).

SFHPW: I was also surprised James got upset about Lily's teasing. I suppose it was because he was just still worried about the fact that she could have been hurt. It's hard to say. I'm glad you enjoyed James in that update, even though Lily hated him! Regarding Praevidi, she got a letter from him awhile back--right after they overheard Praevidi and Flitwick discussing the student's object that Flitwick would like to see. You are quite right about her having something to hang over her head. I have the feeling that he won't ever figure out why she was so angry about this, and since you mentioned it, I'll include the sort of spontaneous short that I wrote about that very think in a response on another site:

James: Remember the time that Siri and I stole your journal and you overreacted and slapped me? *Sirius and James laugh at the memory*

Lily: What do you mean I overreacted??? *hands on hips, raised eyebrow*

James: *laughing again and totally missing the warning in Lily’s voice* I mean, Siri and I were just playing around and having fun, and you flipped out. You were so high-strung back then.

Sirius: *out of the corner of his mouth to James* Not sure you should have said that, Jamesy. She looks angry.

Lily: *voice dangerously hard* I was high-strung, was I? I overreacted, did I? Honestly, James, you’re so thick sometimes. Every time I think you get it, you go and prove me wrong. If you can’t see what was wrong about you taking my journal and teasing me about my dreams, then I ought to slap you again, just for mentioning it! *Lily storms off*

James: *glancing in bewilderment at Sirius, who is now laughing merrily* “What is it with her?”

Sirius: *stops laughing and shrugs, but is unable to completely wipe the grin off his face* Offhand, I’d say she thinks you acted like a complete prat just now, mate.

Sirius' Babi: Yes, Potter does have a problem recognizing when he steps over the line, and it's always Lily that suffers! I'm happy to see you think he deserved the slap. Some of my readers are deeply divided on whose right this year. I have avid Lily supporters, and rabid James fans. I've actually divided them into camps on another site. It's quite amusing.

rupertlvr: Thank you!

miri: I completely understand your excuse, and I see why you had no choice but to read fanfic. *nods* It makes perfect sense to me! And I'm happy you chose my fanfic! I'm thrilled you enjoyed McG. *huggles McG* I just love writing her. Alice was really worried. She had practiced so much that I think she just sort of psyched herself out. And yes, James was out of line to tease Lily about the broom. But he doesn't realize it. *sigh* Those two!

Next post, now showing! We meet the Divination professor, Praevidi. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas! You can access my feedback thread by clicking the link at the end of the post. As always, thanks for reading!

Part 21: The Divination Professor

McGonagall was waiting by the portrait of the fat lady, and she nodded a curt good evening to Lily before leading the way toward Praevidi’s office. They walked for quite some time before finally arriving at a staircase and beginning to climb it. After they had climbed for what seemed like ages, and just as Lily was beginning to think that ascending Mount Everest wouldn’t take as long, they arrived at a landing with no further stairs to climb. She glanced around in confusion, looking for a door, but there weren’t any of those, either. In fact, the only exit from the landing appeared to be through a trapdoor above them. She glanced at McGonagall quizzically, but McGonagall had rapped on a brick beside a lantern, and seemed to be listening for the lantern to respond.

After a moment, she nodded. “I’m here with Lily Evans for your meeting, Professor,” she said, speaking into the lantern. Lily heard the sound of creaking hinges, and looked up to see that the trap door above her had opened. A ladder was slowly descending from the opening, carrying the wizard that Lily had seen speaking to Professor Flitwick a few days previous. As the ladder slid down, Lily was able to see his face for the first time. Beautiful black eyes peered out at her from a handsome, smooth, unlined face, and Lily guessed that he was not much older than the seventh years that he taught. He wore crimson silk robes embroidered with delicate gold filigree that matched the golden bangles that tinkled every time he moved, and glimmered under the dim lighting of the landing.

Praevidi stepped gently off of the ladder, and turned to McGonagall, hand extended. “Thank you, Professor,” he said with a slight Indian lilt in his speech. He grasped McGonagall’s hand, and bowed his head to it, “for seeing that our young Miss Evans arrived at my office safely.”

McGonagall looked startled for a moment, but quickly hid her bewilderment with a severe glance in Lily’s direction. “She is to be back in the common room by no later than 8:30, Professor,” she said sternly. “I trust that you will not be keeping her after that time? She has other homework that she will need to complete tonight, as well.”

Professor Praevidi nodded slowly. “Indeed, Professor,” he said solemnly. “I shall summon you no later than ten after eight tonight. I know how hazardous the halls become after 8:30.” He glanced at Lily and winked.

Lily gaped at him. If she was not wrong, Praevidi had been mocking McGonagall’s strictness about the rules. She bit back a laugh as Professor McGonagall nodded stiffly. “Yes, well. I’ll leave you two alone then.” She turned and hurried toward the steps.

Praevidi’s eyes followed her as she disappeared. “My mother went to school with her, and from the way she tells it, Professor McGonagall wasn’t always as strict about the rules as she is now,” he said, shaking his head. “I do my best to act professionally when she is around, but there are times that I can’t resist giving her a hard time about her by-the-book behavior.” He turned back to face Lily, grinning widely, black eyes sparkling magnificently. “I’m still not certain that she’s ever forgiven me for being able to ‘see’ what was going to be on her Transfiguration final in my fourth year, and selling that information to interested parties, though.”

Lily glanced at Praevidi in shock. “You were able to use your sight to know what was going to be on an exam before you took it?” she asked, thinking back to her conversation with Alice last week.

Praevidi chuckled. “That’s certainly what I told them when they caught me,” he said. “The reality of it was that I snuck into her office and knicked it when she wasn’t looking.” He glanced at Lily with a smile. “Don’t look so shocked, Lily. I was young and stupid. I certainly wouldn’t advocate such a practice now, not the least reason being Professor McGonagall did not believe me, and I nearly got expelled for it. I think the only thing that saved me from it was the fact that she’s my godmother. As it was, I got an entire month of detention for it.” Praevidi chuckled again. “Now, shall we go up to my office, and attend to the business for which you have been summoned?”

Lily nodded, still bewildered by Praevidi’s demeanor, and followed him up the ladder. “My humble abode,” he said, waving his hand around his classroom, which was filled with items that Lily assumed were associated with the practice of Divination. “We can either work here, where we’ll have more space, or we can go up to my office. It’s a bit claustrophobic up there, though. Which would you prefer?”

Lily was still looking around, trying to take in the room. It was filled with numerous small tables filled with crystal balls, teacups, cards, and other divination-related materials. The shelves were filled with volumes of books with titles like “Communication Between Your Inner and Outer Eyes—Impossible Myth or Admirable Goal” and “Coping with What’s Coming—A Guide to the Psychology of Seeing”. She glanced at Praevidi, and realized that he was waiting for a response from her so she smiled awkwardly. “Erm…I don’t care. Here is fine,” she said. “Professor?” she added nervously.

“Yes, Lily?”

“I don’t think that my gift will translate into any of these…items,” she said slowly. “I’ve never even seen most of these outside of muggle textbooks on what they think magic is.”

Praevidi grinned. “Most true seers do not use these items, Lily. They are used for students of the art that are not…quite as in touch with their inner eye as you or I are. These items are simply trinkets that help you focus your natural gifts. Think of them as ‘glasses’ for your inner eye. A devoted student who may not have much natural talent can become quite a gifted seer if they are disciplined enough in their study of these methods.”

Lily nodded. “Will I be using these items then, professor? To help me focus and control my sight?”

He shrugged and sat down at a nearby table, motioning for Lily to join him. “I’m not sure, honestly,” he said. “It’s difficult for me to assess the needs of a student until I have the opportunity to interact with them, as you and I are now. I can already tell that you have a very…inquisitive…nature that will serve you well in your pursuit of this field. Now, have a seat, and we’ll do some exercises to assess your gift.”

Lily settled in a chair across the table from Praevidi, blushing. “I wouldn’t call it a ‘gift’ Professor. More like—a knack.”

“Your knack, then.”

He pulled out his wand and motioned toward a large box that was sitting against one wall of the classroom. It glided effortlessly to him, and landed softly on the floor.

“How’d you do that?” Lily asked, amazed. “When I use the accio charm, I can’t control how hard the object that I summons hits, and—”

She stopped as the sound of Professor Praevidi’s melodious laughter met her ears. “So I’ve heard,” he said, “I suppose that knowing how to control the force with which an object hits would have helped you tremendously in the quidditch supply closet the other day, wouldn’t it?” Lily blushed, but Praevidi’s eyes held no hint of reproach, so she allowed herself to smile.

“It would have, yes,” she admitted.

He smiled. “I’m afraid that question is one for Professor Flitwick. I have very little time with you tonight, and I do not wish to spend it attempting to teach charms. I’m sure you’ll learn it in time. It really is a matter of practice—though I might suggest that you find lighter, less dangerous objects to practice on next time. Shall we get started?”

Lily nodded uncertainly. “I’m ready,” she responded, feeling anything but.

“Relax,” he said, “you can’t fail this test. Did Professor Dumbledore explain to you the ‘sight continuum theory’ last term?” Lily nodded. “Okay. All I’m trying to do right now is discern where you are on the continuum at this moment. What I need you to do is tell me if you can sense what is on the other side of the card I hold up, okay?” He picked up a card, and Lily focused on it, but nothing came into her mind.

“Nope,” she said. “Nothing comes to mind.”

He scribbled something down, and picked up the next card. “How about this one?”

Lily once again focused on the card, and once again, her mind remained stubbornly blank. “No,” she said. “Again, nothing.” He nodded, and scribbled, and picked up the next card. They continued this exercise, Praevidi asking her what she saw, Lily seeing nothing, until quite some time after Lily would have judged it useful. After about twenty cards, she began to get impatient. If she couldn’t get the first five, she saw no hope for getting the next forty, so what was the point? And yet, they continued. After about thirty cards, she stopped even trying, and began chewing on her locket’s chain, and looking around the room.

“Lily!” Praevidi’s voice exclaimed, snapping her back to the present.

“What?” she asked, letting the chain slip out of her mouth, and catching the locket in her hand.

“I need you to concentrate, or else we’ll have to go back and repeat this entire exercise.”

Lily blushed. “I’m sorry, Professor. It’s just, I don’t even see what all of this has to do with Divination, anyway. Even if I could see what’s on those cards, how does that prove that I can see the future?”

“That’s a very good question,” he said, folding his hands together and tapping his index fingers against his lips. “The answer is that there is no easy way for one to demonstrate their abilities to ‘see’ the future, not the least because it is an ever-changing landscape. However, this particular method works because if you were at the far end of the spectrum that Professor Dumbledore told you about—that is, if you can see any point in the future at will—then you would be able to see me showing you what’s on each of these cards, and therefore you would know what’s on the card.” He contemplated her for a moment. “Of course, since the ability to see is a continuum, there are varying degrees of that. This test only measures whether or not you can see at will.”

“But I’ve already shown with the first thirty-five cards that I can’t, Professor,” Lily said in frustration. “Why do we have to keep going? My answer isn’t going to change anytime soon!”

Praevidi smiled again, his eyes sparkling. “You may be surprised. Even the most famous seers, those born with talent to see at will, were not able to do it the first time. The repetition allows you to adjust your mind to the process, and there is always a chance that you’ll have a break-through. Now, I need you to concentrate. We’ve only got five more left to go.”

He picked up another card, and Lily again looked at it, concentrating hard. At first, it was the same as all of the others had been, and her mind remained stubbornly blank. After a moment, however, the room around her began to dissolve, and she was sitting at the base of a large tree that she recognized to be one growing on the grounds of Hogwarts. She knew that she was having a vision, and she let out a small shout of excitement that she’d succeeded at her task. Almost instantly, the tree she was leaning against disappeared, leaving her once again sitting in a chair in the Divination classroom. She glanced at Praevidi with a slightly awed look in her eyes, and he leaned forward in excitement. “Did you see what it is this time?”

“I saw a tree,” she said, amazed that she had been able to do it. Praevidi did not react as though she’d expected him to, however.

“No,” he said, looking a little disappointed, but smiling brightly. “Lily, if you don’t see it, I don’t want you to make it up. Just tell me if you really see something, okay?”

“But, Professor, I did! I was sitting by a large tree, it’s one of them at Hogwarts and—” she began, but stopped as he shook his head.

“Well, in that case, you were having a daydream. This card had a picture of a black dog on it.” He flipped the card over to show her, and Lily slumped back in her chair in disappointment, allowing her locket to fall back around her neck. The letdown from finding out that she had not succeeded in seeing what was on the other side of the card when she thought she’d had a breakthrough proved to be even more frustrating than her failure on the first 35 cards, and she sighed heavily.

“Four more,” Praevidi said, and Lily sat up straight in her chair, trying to concentrate on the remaining cards.

The next four cards passed with no other “false alarms” as she had come to think of the last “vision”—or whatever it had been that she’d had— and Professor Praevidi packed them into the box. “Don’t get discouraged, Lily,” he said seriously. “I thought they were crazy when they first asked me to do that exercise, too. All we’ve discovered at this point is that you are not able to ‘see at will’ at the present moment. I’m sure this is nothing that you didn’t already know.” Lily nodded. “There, you see? And now, we are going to go with a less structured exercise. I simply want you to tell me about your visions—everything you can remember. Tell me what happens when you have them, what usually triggers them, where you’ve been and what you were doing when you had them, things like that. I’ll have you write these details down formally in a ‘vision journal’—exactly like the dream journal that you are already keeping, only that this will be strictly for visions that you have while you are awake—of course, so we are able to discover patterns with your visions that may not be obvious at the moment, but for right now, just give me an idea, and your thoughts on what may trigger them.”

Lily was quiet for a moment. “Would you mind telling me about your experience first, Professor? I’ve never known anyone who…possessed ‘an inner eye’ as Professor Dumbledore calls it, and I’m curious about your skill.”

Praevidi grinned. “I will tell you my own story in time, Lily. Right now, I have less than two hours to assess your ability and put together a plan of action for cultivating it. I’d hate to waste that precious time talking about myself.”

Lily nodded. “All right,” she said, taking a deep breath, and beginning to tell Praevidi as much as she could remember about her visions. When she arrived at the most recent one, she considered telling him about the pain in her vision translating into real pain when she woke up, but decided against it. She was not yet sure it meant anything, and she didn’t want to look ridiculous in front of him.

Before she knew it, 8:10 had arrived, and armed with instructions to write down every detail of every vision she could remember, no matter how small, in a vision journal, she followed Professor McGonagall back to Gryffindor tower. As she climbed through the portrait hole, she saw that there was a party going on inside, but before she could figure out why, Alice’s shrieks drew her attention toward her friends, and Lily grinned. Alice was holding two bottles of something in her hand and barreling towards her. “LILY!!!! LILY!!!!” Alice screeched, catching Lily in a huge hug, and twirling her around a couple of times. “I did it! I made the team!! I made the team!!!!”

Lily’s smile widened. “You made the team?” she asked, dancing around with Alice. “Really? Potter didn’t make it then? I knew you could beat him!”

Alice stopped spinning. “No, Potter made the team, too,” she said, pointing to where Potter was celebrating in the middle of a huge group of Gryffindors.

Lily glanced at Alice quizzically. “But you said there was only one position open,” she began.

Amelia grinned widely. “There were two. There was only one starting position up for grabs.”

“James got that, of course,” Alice said, waving her hand dismissively. “And you’ll be happy to know that I haven’t even congratulated him on it. I can’t believe what he and Black did to you tonight! The nerve of them. I’ve already yelled at both of them about it, too.”

“Never mind that,” Lily said, shaking her head. “What is your position, then?”

“I’m a reserve chaser,” Alice said. “If anyone gets hurt this year, or can’t make a game because of detention of suspension or whatever, I get to play.”

“Of course, a reserve player has only started a game 18 times in Hogwarts history,” Amelia interrupted, “but—”

Alice shrieked again. “There’s a starting position opening up next year, and I’ll have consideration over everyone else who tries out. I’m almost certain to be a starter next year! Isn’t that great?”

Lily grinned widely and hugged Alice. “Oh, Alice, I’m so happy for you! Will you be practicing with them, then?”

Alice nodded, and her grin widened. “Here,” she said. “Have a butterbeer. They’re fabulous.”

Lily took the bottle that Alice proffered, and sat down in a nearby chair. “So,” she said. “Tell me all about it.”

“You first,” Alice said. “You know my news. How did your meeting go?” They sat down beside Lily, and she began to fill them in on everything that happened. It took her quite some time, because they kept getting interrupted by Alice’s well-wishers, however both Alice and Amelia were very impressed by the Divination professor and agreed that they were definitely taking his class next year. Frank joined them when Lily was about halfway through her story, and she smiled happily. He’d been withdrawn for most of the term, and it was nice to have him seeking out their company once again.

After awhile, they pulled out their homework and began working on it, and Lily stole a glance around the room. She was worried about the Marauders attempting to retaliate, but they did not appear to be making any effort to seek her out, and so she ignored them and focused on her essy for History of Magic. It was getting late, however, and after a short time, the girls decided to go upstairs for bed.

Lily packed up her backpack and picked it up. As she flung the bag over her shoulder and stood up, her gaze skimmed across the Marauders. Potter was facing her, gesturing wildly, hair standing up in every direction, eyes sparkling and grinning from ear to ear. He looked up and as his eyes met hers, his face turned to stone and the sparkle disappeared. There was no trace of apology in his expression. The other Marauders turned around to see what Potter was looking at, and Black's and Pettigrew's expressions changed to match Potter's. Only Lupin had the grace to flush and look away, and Lily sighed heavily as she followed her friends out of the common room. So that was how it was going to be, then, she thought as an emotion that she couldn’t quite pin down washed over her. Well, at least they wouldn’t be teasing her anymore.

My Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=5)

rupertlvr27: In spite of it's shortness? This was actually posted in two parts on another site. It's a rather long post. Over six pages (nearly 7!). The usual size is 3-5. But no matter... As for Lily's interpretations regarding the reality of Potter, it's entirely possible that she's misinterpreting. After all, this is entirely in her perspective, so unless she notices some remorse from Potter, you won't see it. I actually don't know, honestly, if he feels bad about it or not. As for Lily liking James, honestly, she doesn't. She disapproves of him, and she's tired of fighting with him, but she doesn't like him, particularly not in that way. That's entirely one-sided at the moment. Of course, you can choose not to believe me. Certainly Potter interprets Lily's behavior as indicating that she likes him. :-)

SFHPW: At any rate, it would have been a vision of Sirius near the whomping willow, though whether or not it included Ron remains to be seen. Hehe...remains to be seen. By Lily. Because she's a...ahem. Right. Moving right along... Yes, I do think of Praevidi as being a sort of...grown-up Marauder. A bit like I expect Sirius would have been had fate not intervened. Yes, Potter still thinks Lily overreacted about her journal (erm, because my hubby says that Lily overreacted, and he is my authority on the boys in this fic!). *sigh* Boys! They just don't get it.

riazul: Ah, yes. Hi Fawkes!

miri: A certain Sirius Black was just about to emerge from the tree. Or disappear under it, one of the two. I'm happy you caught that! As for Praevidi, his father is Indian, and I'm thinking that he lived in India for awhile in his youth. Perhaps. I just liked the idea of him having a slight Indian lilt, actually. I'm glad you're enjoying my Praevidi. We will see more of him later on. It's odd that you should refer to this as a cold war, because a little later on in year 2 something else develops that I refer to as a cold war. *lol* And yes, Lily should put 2 and 2 together and realize that Remus prank = we love you Remus, you can't leave, and Lily prank = we love you Lily, please join us. But she won't. She's just too logical, and can't follow the boys' logic on that.

Lady Cassie: Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed the Lupin POV. He's a ton of fun to write, and it was interesting to see how that scene played out from his perspective. I'm hoping that I'll be able to live up to your expectations now! Wow, that's quite a compliment.

Thanks to everyone, as always, for reading. Ready for the next post? After this one, there will be another short. See if you can guess in whose perspective. :p

Part 22: A Conversation with Snape

The news about Lily slapping Potter had spread like wild-fire through the Gryffindor common room, and it appeared to Lily that it was now a favorite hobby of many Gryffindors to see what she and Potter would do next. Lily thought that she wouldn’t have minded all of Gryffindor gossiping about her every move, making bets on who would yell at whom next, and so on—after all, she and Potter had provided plenty of entertainment for them this year, with their numerous very public rows, so they had brought that on themselves—if the Marauders would just leave her alone.

Everywhere she turned, it seemed, there was a Marauder giving her a hard time. If she’d thought that they would stop teasing her after her confrontation with Potter, she’d been dead wrong. They might be refusing to speak to her, but that did not mean that Potter and his friends had given up their campaign to make her life miserable. Since their stony-faced glares on Monday night, they had tripped her, pulled her pony-tail, thrown spit-wads at her in class, turned her robes various colors, transfigured her ink bottles into spiders (which, she had learned, sprayed ink in every direction if you tried to smash them), and recruited a number of first-years to shriek “Please don’t hit me, lady! I didn’t mean it!” and run in the opposite direction any time she came near one of them. This last trick had actually amused her the first time that it happened on Tuesday morning, but it had quickly grown old, and at lunch that same day, one of them had done it in the Great Hall. The entire Gryffindor table had erupted in laughter and she’d stormed out of the Hall, tears streaming down her face.

Alice and Amelia had caught up with her shortly, first assuring her that Frank, Kaylie and Desdamona had hollered at the first years, Potter and Black, and then reproaching her for leaving yet again without an “escort” as she had come to call the people who were constantly by her side to make sure that Malfoy didn’t have a chance to get her alone again. The first years did leave her alone after that, but the rest of Gryffindor had caught on, and now everywhere she turned, there was a Gryffindor screeching and running away. By Wednesday, she had started avoiding the common room completely, preferring to study in the relative privacy of the library until curfew, and then retreating to her room as soon as she got back to the tower.

This was somewhat frustrating for Alice and Amelia, who didn’t have any real reason to avoid the common room like Lily did, and preferred it to studying in the library, given the comfortable chairs and more relaxed atmosphere that the common room offered. She had been telling them all week that as long as she was not out in the halls after hours, and stayed near the front desk of the library, the Malfoys were no risk to her, but they hadn’t listened. For her part, Lily was growing very wary of the need to have an escort wherever she went. She was tired of being treated like a five-year-old child again. When Thursday night rolled around, both Alice and Amelia had already completed all of their homework for the week (“It’s amazing what studying constantly will accomplish,” Alice had commented wryly), and Frank had challenged Alice to a game of wizard’s chess in the common room. Alice was trying to convince Lily to stay in the common room for the evening, but since Lily needed to work on her vision journal, she flatly refused. Nor did she want to try writing up in their room. Finally, after seeing that they weren’t going to change Lily’s mind, Alice and Amelia consented to “allow” Lily to walk to the library by herself, and then she and Amelia would pick her up when it was time for her to return to the common room. Lily shook her head, annoyed and comforted at the same time by her friends’ protectiveness, and set off for the library, enjoying the freedom of being alone with her thoughts for at least a little while.

Once she arrived, she looked around for a table near the front desk; however the tables were all completely full, save one, which had one person sitting at it. She walked down there, figuring that she could just share a table with them, and set her books down without glancing up. “May I sit here?” she asked, reaching down and pulling out her vision journal. “All of the other tables are full and—” she stopped as the person sitting across from her met her gaze and she realized it was Severus Snape. A thought flitted through her mind that she might be in some danger, talking to him, given his apparently close relationship to Lucius Malfoy, but she pushed it away quickly. She had no reason to believe that Snape was aware of any of the “darker” activities in which Lucius was involved. “And, I need to stay near the door to watch for my friends,” she finished lamely.

Snape gazed at her appraisingly before shrugging his shoulders. “You certainly may,” he said, lip curling slightly, “however I wouldn’t think that a Gryffindor such as yourself would want to sit with a Slytherin like me.”

Lily flushed slightly but sat down anyway, and pulled out her quill and ink bottle. “Why would you think that, Severus?” she asked quickly.

“You don’t think the ‘friends’ that you’re meeting will make a scene when they see with whom you’re sitting, Evans?” he asked, smirking. “Not that I don’t welcome a scene with them,” he added, somewhat bitterly, and Lily smiled.

“The Marauders are not my friends,” she said emphatically. “I came here to get away from them. But if they were to find me here with you and make a scene, I daresay that I’d be on your side.”

Severus sighed. “You really don’t get the hint, do you, Evans,” he said. “I’ve all but told you that while you technically may sit anywhere that you desire, that does not mean that I would like for you to join me here.”

Lily gaped at him, her cheeks burning furiously, and she felt the urge to cry rising up within her again. She swallowed, trying to force back the tears, and took several deep breaths before answering. “If that was intended to hurt my feelings,” she said, striving to maintain her composure, “it failed miserably. I put up with too much grief every day from the Marauders for a little put-down such as that to bother me. Now, I’m terribly sorry to inconvenience you, but as I’ve already stated, the other tables are all full, and so I’ve really very little choice as to whether or not I sit here. I’m staying.”

She flipped open her journal and began thinking about how to go about the task of writing down every detail surrounding her visions, including what happened immediately before, during and after they occurred. As she pondered a method, she felt, rather than saw Snape’s shrug and breathed a small sigh of relief before turning her full attention to the task at hand. She decided that the first logical step would be to quickly list out every vision that she’d ever had, and then fill in the details of each later. The first vision, of course, had been the dream about the quidditch match. She shuddered as she remembered the terrible feeling of realizing that it was coming true. She hoped never to have a vision as terrifying as that particular one again, although she guessed that now she’d at least be able to cope with them.

She wrote down the quidditch match, and then quickly added all of the visions she’d had the previous school year, all of which had come true shortly after she’d had them. Next, she moved on to the visions she’d had this year. The first was the one which featured the very person across from which she was currently sitting. She giggled slightly as she wondered what he would think about the fact that he would one day become a Hogwarts professor. She wrote down the vision, but when she had finished, she couldn’t help but look at Snape and consider the man he would become. As she was pondering what odd chain of events would bring Snape back to Hogwarts, he glanced up and caught her looking at him. She blushed and looked back down, but it was too late. He contemplated her for a moment, and an uncomfortable silence stretched between them before he finally spoke. “Your laughter is distracting me,” he said, and then looked back down and began writing again.

Lily stared at the top of his head, wondering if she dared to ask him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then opened it. Snape slammed down his pen and sighed in annoyance. “Evans! If you’re going to sit here, quit gawking at me like a fish,” he whispered furiously. “Either leave your mouth open or leave it closed. Preferably closed, as then you can’t talk.”

For some reason, something about this reaction struck Lily as extremely funny and she laughed, drawing reproachful looks from the students sitting at adjacent tables. She put her hand over her mouth, and once she had control of her giggles, she finally made her decision. “Have you ever thought about teaching?” she asked, trying to make it appear as though the comment was off-hand.

Snape raised his eyes to meet hers, and she was somewhat disconcerted to see them flashing angrily. “No,” he said, “I haven’t.”

“Oh,” she said, finding this bit of information rather amusing in light of what she knew of his future. “Can you imagine anything that would make you change your mind?”

She giggled again as he glared at her like she had gone mad. “Absolutely not! I don’t like being around kids our age right now. What in the name of pureblood makes you think I’d want to spend the rest of my life teaching snot-nosed brats like the Marauders?” He snorted in disgust, and then picked up the Defense Against the Dark Arts book that was sitting beside him and flipped it open, muttering silently to himself as he ran a finger down the page.

Lily immediately felt her good mood lift at Severus’s use of the word “pureblood”. “I was simply curious,” she answered stiffly, standing up and picking up her backpack.

He didn’t glance up. “Leaving already?” he asked, flipping the page.

“Yes, I, uh…erm, forgot something in the common room, so I’m going to go back there.”

He shrugged carelessly. “I’ll tell your ‘friends’ if they should happen to stop by,” he said, picking up his quill and writing something down. Lily walked quickly out of the library, trying to figure out if Snape even realized how incredibly insulting his words had been, or if it was a phrase used so often in his house that he didn’t even think twice about it. Perhaps he hadn’t even realized he’d said it. Oh, why was she defending him? Hadn’t the Marauders tried to tell her that he was a bigoted git? It was simply her fault for not believing them. But then, he’d been perfectly polite to her up until that point—or at least, as polite as she assumed that Severus Snape was capable of being. Her thoughts continued in that vein as she made her way toward Gryffindor Tower, through the portrait hole, up the stairs (ignoring the shrieks of ‘lady, don’t hit me’ that followed her), and into her dorm room. It wasn’t until she’d sat down at her desk and opened her backpack that her thoughts returned to her vision journal—and she realized that she’d left it lying on the table in the library.

And as always, your feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=6) is welcome and appreciated.

First a quick announcement. Along with two other author friends of mine (Vicarious Leigh and Cheering Charm), I have started a Yahoo group called the Triumvirate of Verbosity (because of our propensity to take even so-called "shorts" and turn them into a marathon), where our motto is: "If it's not worth taking a long time to say, then it's not worth saying." The purpose of the group is to bring together readers from all of our sites, and to support and encourage one another's writing. In order to encourage members to join, we will probably be posting little snippets and cookies that only members of the group will receive (this is all just theory at this point, but it's a very good possibility). I would like it very much if you all joined up. The bonus for anyone reading here is that I will eventually be posting Year 2 up in chapters up to where I am posting on other sites, which is roughly 14 posts ahead of you--though I'm doing what I can to catch you up--and there are also a variety of shorts I've written that have not gone up here yet. In addition, you can discover where else I'm posting my fic, so if you're impatient waiting for me to get the additional chapters up on the group (there's no time frame for that at the moment), you can go over to those other sites and satisfy your curiosity immediately. So...that is my little plug for my group. You can join by clicking here:

Triumvirate of Verbosity (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/triumvirateofverbosity/)

One other note! For those of you interested in Severus's side of the last post, I posted that in Lily's Story Alternate POV One-Shots and other shorts by Phoenix Song (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=24145) (and after reading that title you understand where the name of our Yahoo group came from!)

Next up in this very lengthy introduction to the next post: Reader responses, both to the last update in this thread, and the Snape POV I posted up in the other one.

Sirius' Babi: I take it you are a bit of a Snape/Lily shipper, then? I'm glad you enjoyed that last update! When I first wrote it, I was very scared that I would turn off some of my readers who will refuse to consider dear Snape in a different light. I'm happy to see you enjoyed my portrayal, because I quite enjoyed writing it.

Skylark: Thank you! I quite enjoyed that myself. It seemed like something my annoying classmates and also my male cousins would do when we were younger, so...I had to throw it in. I did see you on Schnoogle, and thanks for your review. I think at this point, you're my only reader over there. *sigh* Well, it's such a large board, I'm afraid that my fiction just gets lost in the muck.

Lady Cassie: More of Snape you requested, and more of him I promised. I really enjoy his character too much to leave alone for too long. There will be a lot more Snape as Year 2 progresses. Your questions and speculations regarding Snape are all very interesting. I think you've raised some very interesting discussion points. As for slapping the Marauders again, I'm afraid it's a no go at this point. Lily and her conscience won't allow me to write it again, deserving or no.

The cute little kids in your story either die, become servents of Voldermort, spend the rest of their lives as vegtables/outcasts/convicts. Its so sad. I'm still lobbying for a post OotP story to tie up Remus, Amelia and Snape too.

I actually can't think about that, at all. I get too sad/depressed. Sirius's and Remus's fate has always been hard for me, because JKR brought those two characters alive in my mind, but now L/J and A/F's fates are also hard to think about. So...I don't. I love the idea of a post OotP story, but...I'm not sure I could do that. I'd have to include Harry, and I'm not sure I want to tackle a character that everyone knows so well. That's why I love the MWPP era. We know of these characters, and we know them as adults, but as children, I have only a few snippets to go on and the rest is open to me for interpretation.

miri: *lol* Yes, I imagine that he did think she was a bit nutters. As for Lupin, his role is a bit murky. He's not actually directly involved, he's simply not standing up to Potter and Black and stopping them. Peter, however, is active in helping them (of course, little rat). Ahem...I mean, poor misdirected little boy that he is. (die, Petey, die!)

Regarding my Snape post, I love using the flashback techniques. It's one of my favorite techniques for short stories. I agree completely that had Lily noticed what she'd caused Snape to do (or, alternatively, he had told her), she would have waved her wand and erased it, but...what are you going to do? It's Snape, isn't it? Regarding Severus's grandfather, it's actually his mother's father (which is in the text, albeit only once, and not very prominently). I don't know anything whatsoever about his father's dad. My muse would not divulge that information to me.

rupertlvr27: Oh, don't worry! I didn't take your last post as being obnoxious. I was strictly surprised that you had called it short, that's all. Thought I'd comment on it. Potter's reaction will be coming...eventually. This year is really moving rather slowly. They're only in the second week of school at this point!

Tinuviel: Welcome! I love your SN, by the way. It's fantastic to have you. I'm happy you're enjoying the story. If you haven't uncovered them already, I have linked to some shorts that are "supplements" of this story, if you will, from other character's POVs. I encourage you to read them.

riazul: Thank you so much!

Okay, so...the next post.

Part 23: Fetching the Journal

Lily was almost back out the portrait hole before she realized that Alice and Amelia were shouting at her. “Lily! Where are you going now?” Alice asked.

Lily quickly shushed her and strode over to where they were sitting. “I left my vision journal at the library.”

“You did what?” Alice shrieked by way of reply.

“Alice, quiet,” Amelia said. “What happened?”

Lily sighed in frustration. “There’s no time to talk now, I’ll explain it when I get back,” she said, “I’ve got to go get it. Do you realize the kind of danger I would be in if--” Lily stopped as Alice held up a hand. She was breathing quickly, her stomach tightening into a sickening knot as she thought about it.

“All right, all right Lily. Calm down. You can’t go back by yourself, there’s almost no one in the halls at this hour. We’ll go with you.” Alice took Lily’s hand and started pulling her toward the portrait hole and Lily tried to hold off the dread that was very rapidly overtaking her. They fairly ran all the way to the library, and were panting and breathing heavily by the time that they arrived. They paused for a moment outside the entrance to catch their breath before entering the quiet of the library, but before they could go in, the door burst open, and Severus Snape came striding past them.

“Severus!” Lily exclaimed. He turned and looked at the three of them with a mixture of amusement and irritation.

“Evans. I rather expected I’d be seeing you again. Did you remember whatever it was you ‘forgot’ from your common room before?” he asked laconically.

Lily blushed. “Erm, actually, I didn’t come back to study,” she began.

Snape raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at her. “Didn’t you?” he said, an expression of mock surprise on his face.

Lily shook her head. “No,” she said, feeling flustered and not at all sure why. “I came back to get my jour—my notebook. I left it lying on our table.”

A smile spread slowly across Severus’s face. “You left your notebook?” he inquired.

Lily took a deep breath. “Yes,” she said. “I left it lying on our table. You didn’t happen to see it, did you? Maybe you accidentally packed it up with your stuff?”

Snape raised a finger to his chin and tapped it thoughtfully. “Do you know, Evans, I’m not certain what happened to that. I think I remember Lucius coming along and picking it up.”

Lily, Alice and Amelia all gasped in unison. “He didn’t!” she shouted as Alice screeched “No!” and Amelia said, “Why would you let him take it?”

Snape chuckled. “I suspected it was more than just a ‘notebook’. Makes me curious as to why you wouldn’t want my dear friend Lucius to see it. However,” he paused and reached into his bag, extracting Lily’s journal, “I have it right here. Safe and sound.”

“You didn’t read it, did you?” Lily asked, grabbing the journal, and flipping it open, as though looking for evidence that it was untouched.

“You certainly have a high opinion of yourself, Evans,” Snape said by way of answer.

Lily glanced up at him, her cheeks growing hotter. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, wondering again why she felt so off-balance at the moment.

“What in the name of pureblood,” he asked, sneering at her and watching for a reaction as Lily purposely kept her face blank, “makes you think that anything you have to say would interest me?” He picked up his backpack and threw it over one shoulder before turning to look at Lily one more time. “You needn’t worry. I didn’t read your journal. Your precious secrets are safe inside.” He strode away without waiting for them to respond.

“Thank you,” Lily called after him, and then watched in silence as he disappeared, trying to figure out whether or not to believe him, and what had come over her during that conversation. She knew that Severus had been mocking her for her hasty departure earlier, and yet she felt more embarrassed that he had known why she had left than angry over his use of the word “pureblood” this time. She took another moment to sort out her thoughts before looking again at Alice and Amelia. “Do you believe him?” Lily asked finally.

Alice shrugged as Amelia nodded yes. She and Alice looked at her quizzically. “He’s never given me any reason to distrust him,” she said simply. “Come on, we need to get back to the common room so we aren’t in the halls after hours.” Lily and Alice nodded, and the three girls set off for the common room, a flood of relief washing over Lily.

“Why were you sitting with Snape at the library?” Alice asked as they turned a corner and began to walk toward the stairs that led to Gryffindor Tower. “And why were you getting so flustered?”

“I was sitting with Snape because there was no other table available near Madam Pince’s desk,” Lily explained. “And what do you mean, flustered? How was I supposed to act?”

Alice shrugged. “All I know is that had Potter acted at all like Snape did just there, you would have jumped down his throat, and yet you remained completely calm with Snape. I just found that…odd.”

Amelia chortled. “As did I.”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with Snape,” she answered.

Alice and Amelia exchanged knowing glances and giggled. “I’d say there’s more to it than that,” Amelia said.

Lily was now blushing furiously, and busied herself with her journal, hoping they wouldn’t see. They both started laughing harder at her lack of response, and Lily felt herself growing irritated again. “There’s nothing more to anything,” she snapped. “I was just happy he had the courtesy not to read my journal. That just shows how much more class he has than either Potter or Black.” She gave them a look that clearly told them the conversation was over, however this just served to make her friends giggle harder.

“It seems to me,” Alice said through snorts of laughter, “that for the very first time in the history of this school, a Gryffindor may have a crush on a Slytherin.” It was a good thing that they had reached the portrait hole by this time, because Alice and Amelia were now laughing so hard that they had to stop and catch their breath.

The fat lady looked scandalized. “Which Gryffindor has a crush on a Slytherin?” she demanded.

Lily glared at the fat lady before whirling on both of her friends. “I do not have a crush on Severus Snape or any other Slytherin,” she said. “Do you hear that? Brie cheese,” she barked.

The fat lady huffed and swung open and Lily crawled through the opening. “Well, she didn’t need to be so rude about it,” she heard the fat lady saying to her friends as she climbed into the common room.

“Please don’t hit me lady!” a third year began, and Lily whirled to face him murderously.

“Don’t tempt me,” she spat, and stormed up the stairs to her dorm. She pulled out a piece of paper and attempted to write a letter to Petunia, but she found she was once again too angry, and she flopped down on her bed, trying to get a grip on her emotions. The term had not started off as well as it could have, but there was still plenty of time—and room—for improvement. There was no need to let her fears and frustrations get the best of her, and cause her to act like a complete idiot. She was going to ostracize the rest of her friends if she kept it up, she knew that, and she was slowly running out of people she could count as friends.

Why was it that she had been so irritated by her friends suggesting that she had a crush on Snape? She most certainly didn’t. She had just been worried about her journal, and had gotten caught up in the flood of relief that had washed over her upon discovering it safe within Severus’s—no, Snape’s—bag. That was it. Or was it? Lily chewed absently on her quill. No, that was it. How could she have a crush on Snape? He was really no better than Potter, after all: the same arrogance, the same frustrating calmness, the same glint of amusement in his eye. She sighed and dipped her quill into the ink well. She most certainly did NOT have a crush on Snape. She just didn't get angry with him like she did with Potter because she felt a certain kinship with him, due to their similar situations with the Marauders. That was all, and she would explain that calmly and rationally to Alice and Amelia—as well as the fat lady—as soon as she saw them again. But first, she would apologize. She was reasonable enough to see that she had acted like a git, and unlike Potter, she knew how to respond accordingly.

*points* Feedback: The lifeblood of authors (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=851837#post851837). It would make me happier than you can know to hear your thoughts!

Thanks to all of you who have joined the group. All chapters except the newest in Year 2 are now up on that site, as are all shorts and alternate POVs that I've written thus far.

Skylark: It is absurd that a Gryffindor have a crush on a Slytherin, isn't it? Even the fat lady was appalled. Regarding the forum, it's really meant to bring together readers from all of the different sites at which we post for discussion and conversation of our writing. I am also hoping to encourage readers of mine who have not read Cheeringcharm and Vicarious Leigh to do so, and they are hoping that readers of theirs will read my writing as well. In a nutshell, the three of us have become very good friends, and we're hoping to use this group as a way to give our writing more exposure, and encourage one another. For the members of the group, we're hoping to give you a chance to get to know and interact with other people, and discuss our writing...your theories, ideas, etc. Also, we've posted up some fanart that our more artistic readers have created for us, and if we ever write them, some of our original work will probably go up on that site as well. I hope that more or less explains it! Thanks for the encouragement about Schnoogle. I'm not sure I'm going to keep posting over there, though. It takes far too much time! And finally, what is the nature of your story? I always try to support my fellow authors (as free time permits!)

Lady Cassie & Tinuviel: *lol* Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't suppose you could tell that your author was in a bit of a temper when she wrote that as well? :p Regarding your question on Snape, as it just so happens, when I was writing that, I did find out whether or not Snape read the journal--and more importantly, whether or not he allowed Lucius Malfoy to do so, or told Lucius Malfoy. I wrote the Snape POV all the way to his encounter with Lily when he returned the journal to her. I had to edit it out, however. I didn't want you all finding out whether or not Malfoy now knows about Lily's vision, do I? So I had to end it right after Lily left, and leave you all in the dark with regards to what Snape does and does not about Lily.

SFHPW: I do hope you mean Severus POV? I'm glad you enjoyed the two updates. I think the Lily on edge spark you saw there is something that will develop further as the year goes on. In this case, she'd simply had enough, and with her closest friends teasing her about her possible feelings for Severus, she didn't want to deal with it. I take it from your comments, then, that you believe Severus when he told her he didn't read the journal? Not everyone has been so willing to take his word at face value, as it turns out. Cheeringcharm has two one-shots: "Ron's Royal Flush" (an R/H) and "Hold that Thought" (an H/H). And as I mentioned, both she and Vicarious Leigh post up at portkey. They have a hilarious comedy fic that they wrote jointly called "Slip of the Tongue". I had the pleasure of serving as the beta for that, but I laughed out loud even reading it through the second time. They are wonderful women, and their sense of humor just leaps off the page in that particular story. Obviously, I am a big fan of both of these women, particularly if you are an H/Hr shipper (which, actually, I am not!), but even if you don't usually cruise the HMS Pumpkin Pie, they are worth reading. Believe me, I'm as hardcore R/H as it gets (I even have a bet ongoing with my sister), but the way these women write H/Hr make it worth reading.

Miri: Snape most definitely hangs out with Slytherins most of the time. I pulled that directly from GoF, where Sirius tells Harry that to a man, all of Snape's friends became DEs. Then he lists them--Bellatrix and Rodolphus LeStrange, Avery, and...I think one other guy. For simplicity, I usually have him with only a couple of those two at any given time, and usually just Bellatrix and Rodolphus. With regards to his thoughts about the journal, I can't say what he does and does not know about Lucius or about Lily. Obviously. But you've raised some very interesting questions, anyway. You've got an interesting view on James's motives for reading Lily's diary. I do believe you're the first to rationalize it so well that even I almost forgive him for that. And believe me, I think there's nothing worse than stealing a girl's journal and reading it!

Nys: Thank you! It's so great to have you reading. I look forward to your thoughts and discussion with you as we move forward with the fiction! Regarding the Apollonian locket, a big part of it is actually revealed in this next update.

Part 24: The Locket?

The Malfoys left the school without incident the following day, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief that she was now free to roam about the castle without fear of being accosted by the Governors, though she realized that they would not have given up their quest to seek revenge on both she and Potter for their role in spoiling Tom Riddle’s plans. As there was very little that she could do about this, however, she did her best to push the thought to the back of her mind and concentrate on school. September faded into October, and as the time marched on, she found her thoughts frequently pre-occupied with the day-to-day problem of dealing with the Marauders, who failed to tire of their endless tormenting. Every day, it seemed to Lily, they came up with some new method of pranking her, one day using a severing charm to split open her backpack and send her supplies spilling across the floor in the hall between classes, the next day bribing one of the Gryffindor girls to switch her shampoo with a whitening potion that turned her auburn locks white. She was never sure what to expect.

Both Alice and Amelia stood resolutely beside her, although she couldn’t help but feel guilty that both were paying a price for their loyalty. Potter was quite popular among his older quidditch teammates, and Alice had to endure teasing from the team, most of whom thought Lily to be a nutter that just didn’t appreciate James Potter’s sense of humor, and needed to lighten up. Perhaps worse, however, was the fact that her close friendship with Black had not held up under the strain of competing loyalties, and the two constantly argued over his involvement in the Marauders harassment of Lily until Alice had finally given up on speaking to Black altogether. Amelia’s friendship with Lupin had also been strained almost to the breaking point. While Lupin was not actually involved, and confided to Amelia that he disagreed with his friends’ actions, Amelia felt that he was not “doing enough” to stop it. On several occasions, Amelia had revealed to Alice and Lily that she was terribly disappointed with his behavior.

For her part, Lily was sick to death of the constant drama. She had even stopped writing letters home, unable to fill more than a paragraph with the kind of news that her parents wanted to hear, and she did not want to worry them with her problems when they had their hands full dealing with a rambunctious Petunia as it was. She began to dread going to class, knowing that she had to face Potter every day, and she avoided the common room, and most of her classmates, whenever possible. The library had become a second home to her, and since Alice now had quidditch practice several nights a week—which Amelia liked to go out and watch—Lily was often there by herself. She ran into Severus in the library on several occasions, almost always by himself, and invariably looking annoyed to see her, although she was usually able to coax him into conversation when she attempted to do so.

Lily never told her friends about these conversations, knowing that they would find it to be further proof of their theory that she had a crush on him. She was certain that she did not have a crush, but whenever she did try to figure out why she was making such an effort to befriend him, she decided that it was because he was perhaps the only person in all of Hogwarts who could understand what she was going through, and maybe give her some advice on dealing with it. Not that Severus was cooperating. Whenever she brought up the Marauders, he always arched one eyebrow and asked her what in the name of pureblood—it was now a running joke, she had decided—made her think that he was interested in her problems. He never walked away from her, however, and occasionally he would make a joke that made Lily think he was not as irritated by her presence as he would like her to believe. Before long, Lily found herself looking forward to running into him, and couldn’t stop the feeling of disappointment that always came whenever he was not at the library, or when he was there with friends.

The other bright spot in the bleak term was her weekly Divination “lesson” with Professor Praevidi. Praevidi had given her a brief history of the art of Divination her second lesson, and she had learned that all of the most renowned seers in history had one “trigger” for their visions which they first identified, and then learned to control. They had spent the proceeding lessons trying to determine what triggered Lily’s visions. This meant a lot of time spent analyzing every detail of every vision, and while the work itself was quite tedious, Lily found that there was something about Professor Praevidi’s voice and demeanor—or perhaps it was the tranquility of his classroom—that she found soothing, and she looked forward to her lessons eagerly.

The Thursday before Halloween, Lily made the now-familiar trek to Praevidi’s classroom, more agitated than usual. When she arrived, she was disconcerted to find that not even the calming atmosphere of the tower was enough to soothe her jangled nerves, but she dutifully sat down with Professor Praevidi to once again go through her vision journal. She was flipping between her quidditch dream—in the dream journal—and the vision she’d had on the way to Hogwarts this year, looking yet again for any similarities in the circumstances of each, when the tedium became too much for her, and she let out a shout of frustration and sent her quill flying across the room.

Professor Praevidi’s eyes followed the quill across the room to where it hit against a chair before falling to the ground and rolling across the floor with a loud clatter. He continued to watch the quill until it came to rest underneath a table before turning his gaze back to Lily. When his eyes met hers, they were dancing, and he was smiling slightly. “Feel better?” he asked, a slight trace of laughter in his voice.

Lily glared at him. “No,” she replied heatedly.

Professor Praevidi contemplated her silently for a moment before leaning forward in his chair and handing her another quill. “Here,” he said, indicating that he wanted her to throw that quill as well. “Just please, try not to get ink on the chair this time. I’ve never been good with cleaning charms.” Lily glanced at him in surprise. “Go on,” he said, raising his eyebrows and nodding again in the direction in which she had tossed the other quill. “Don’t worry; I’ve got plenty of them. I can spare a couple.”

Lily continued to stare at him, longing to take him up on his offer, and yet feeling somewhat embarrassed by her behavior and still not at all certain if he was serious, or if he was teasing her for her outburst. He sighed, and reached for a different quill. “I can see you’re going to take some convincing that I mean what I say,” he said, sending the quill flying across the room. Instead of bouncing off the chair and onto the floor, his quill hit the back of the chair and stuck. “Your turn,” he said after a moment, turning his gaze back to Lily.

She gazed at the quill, and then heaved it with all of her might at the chair. Not waiting to see where the quill hit, she grabbed at the next one that Praevidi was holding out to her. Over and over she tossed quills at the chair, relishing the opportunity to release the frustration that had been pent up inside of her for the last two months. Finally, weak from the emotions coursing through her body, she slouched down in her chair and began to cry.

Professor Praevidi grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly as she sobbed, and when the torrent of tears finally subsided, he smiled once again at her. “Now do you feel better?” he asked, conjuring a tissue and handing it to Lily. She blew her nose softly and then nodded.

“I’m sorry, Professor, I—,” she began.

He held up a hand and shook his head. “There is nothing for which you need to apologize, Lily,” he said. “One of the most important lessons that any seer must learn is that when our minds are too preoccupied with the present, we cannot hope to see the future. In order to get the present out of our thoughts for just a moment, sometimes it is necessary to throw things, though I myself find a muggle dart board to be preferable to quills and a chair. I’m sure that we each have our own preferences, however.” Lily smiled, and felt herself blushing slightly. “Yet another way that I’ve found to get my mind off the present is to talk to a willing listener,” he added. “I’m willing to listen if you would like to talk about what’s bothering you.”

Lily sniffled, and then nodded. “All right, I’ll talk about it. But only if you swear not to tell anyone,” she answered. Once she was assured of his fidelity, she launched into an explanation of everything that had been going on since she and Potter had called a truce at the end of last year. When she had finished, she looked up to find him chuckling slightly. “It’s not funny!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself defensively.

“No,” he concurred, “I quite agree with you on that. I was just thinking how amazing it is how quickly we teachers forget that our students are dealing with more than just school and homework.”

Lily nodded in understanding. “But what should I do, Professor? I thought if I ignored them, they’d go away, but that just makes them try harder!”

“Do?” he asked thoughtfully. “Well, no one can answer that question but you, unfortunately. I know what I would do if I were in your situation, but my solution wouldn’t work for you, anyway. Not to mention I’d lose my job for suggesting it.”

“But I don’t know what to do!” she wailed, tears once again prickling the back of her eyelids.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I really don’t have an answer for you. Perhaps you will be able to use your gift and see the proper way,” he said, shrugging. “I’m afraid that all I can do for you is to listen. Although in the future, I do encourage you not to wait to talk to me until you are throwing quills and putting me at risk of losing an eye, okay?”

Lily laughed, and followed his gaze over to where it was resting on the pile of broken and bent quills lying near the legs of the chair. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“Back to work then,” he said, motioning toward the chalkboard on which they were writing elements which were shared by two or more visions. “Now, tell me, do you notice any commonalities here?”

“Relaxing,” Lily said, “or at least…not consciously thinking,” she added as her eyes skimmed over the dream and the vision she’d had while unconscious.

“Very good,” he said, “but we figured that one out last week. Do you see any others?”

Lily glanced again at the blackboard. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and she reached for her locket, wondering why she hadn’t seen it before. “My locket,” she whispered, awe-struck. “I’m always touching or holding my locket in some way.”

Professor Praevidi’s face split into a wide grin. “Indeed,” he said, his eyes sparkling in delight. “Before your outburst tonight, I was amazed that you had not yet made that connection. Of course, now I realize that you were entirely too pre-occupied with your other problems, but I am thrilled you were able to figure it out yourself. I was going to point it out to you next time if you didn’t get it tonight.”

Lily shook her head, still fingering her locket in surprise. “But…how?” she asked.

Praevidi shrugged. “I’ve worked up a variety of theories on that,” he said, “but we’ll be spending our next lessons figuring out the exact answer,” he responded. “I’m afraid that we’re out of time for tonight.”

As you can probably tell by the fact that I personally respond to everyone who leaves their thoughts and comments, I love feedback. I love interacting with my readers, and discussing their ideas. As such, I would love to hear yours! Please visit my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=851837#post851837) to tell me what you think! Thank you.

Hello! So, I've got a lot of free time this week... For those who haven't read it, I posted up a short Praevidi POV in my other thread (see link in the post above).

I hope you enjoy this. I'm posting up both Parts 25 & 26 because...well, the only reason I split them up originally was to give myself time to finish Part 26.

Skylark: *lol* I think Professor I-don't-know-how-to-spell-his-last-name was harder to write than his last name. Praevidi, which roughly translated means "to see before" or "to foresee" in Latin. Yeah...the whitening potion. Well, I'm a princess at heart, not a Marauder, and I was having issues coming up with pranks. *shrugs* You might be right about James not ever wanting to change Lily's hair color. We'll call that one a Sirius prank. Regarding your fic, I will read it as soon as time permits. I have two others that I'm hoping to get caught up on as well. I'm sure it's wonderful! Regarding your thoughts on Trelawney, I had never thought of it that way. As I said, that was just written as a fun little contest fic. I didn't particularly mean it to be character development for anyone, but I see now that in some manner it was, for Trelawney if nobody else.

miri: Thank you so much! I love that you spend time thinking about my fiction after I've updated. That's fantastic. I also wish the boys would see that they are hurting Alice and Amelia as well as Lily, but I'm afraid it's James and Sirius driving it, not Lupin, and they just think the girls are overreacting, and should get a sense of humor. Regarding Trelawney, as I said to skylark, that's a very good point. I hadn't thought of it that way before. My muse knows more than I do, that much, at least, is obvious!

Tinuviel: Thank you! I love the way you described my writing. Especially because I can't paint worth a lick with a paintbrush.

Thank you all for reading! Now to the next two updates.

Part 25: Ambushed by...?

On the afternoon of the Halloween feast, Lily was once again at the library, doing research for divination. Her task was to try to discover if any known seers had a “trigger” similar to hers. Although she had been unsuccessful during her search, she had come across a rather fascinating book on the origin of magic. The book began by presenting the finding that witches and wizards are more receptive to emotional stimuli than their muggle counterparts, and then used this finding to present a theory that it is the greater emotional capacity of witches and wizards that allowed them first to perceive, and then to understand and control the magical energy that surrounds them. Lily was most intrigued, however, by the books conclusion that if the theory is true, then the strongest magic is going to come directly from a witch’s or wizard’s emotions, therefore making the two strongest human emotions—love and hate—the two most powerful magical forces. Lily found that she was quite excited to learn more about the ongoing research in the study of the origins of magic as well as research into the possible relationship between emotions and magic. When she finished the book, she flipped it over to look again at the cover, and made a mental note to look for other works by the book’s author. She had just reluctantly set the book down and picked up the next one in her pile in order to turn her attention back to the task at hand—she really shouldn’t have continued to read that book after it had become clear that it would have no relevance to the research that she was supposed to be doing—when Alice’s inquiring voice reached her ears.

“Lily? Are you still here? Lily?” Alice was calling, rather loudly.

“Alice, shhhh!” Lily admonished, conscious of the angry glares that were coming from a group of nearby Ravenclaw seventh years. “I’m over here,” she added.

Alice, Amelia and Frank emerged from behind a bookshelf and came darting over to Lily. “Oh, good! I’m glad that we caught you before you headed back to Gryffindor Tower!” Alice fairly shrieked. Amelia shushed her quickly.

“Why?” Lily asked, “the Malfoys aren’t around so I don’t have to worry about them, anymore.”

“No, that’s not it,” Alice said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Then what?” Lily queried, a little impatiently.

“Apparently the Marauders are planning some sort of trick on you, and they are waiting to ambush you outside of the common room,” Frank explained.

“We came to escort you back there, to make sure that their plan failed,” Amelia added.

“What?” Lily asked, glancing at each of her friends in frustration. Why wouldn’t the Marauders just leave her alone? “How do you know? Did you overhear them, Frank?”

Frank shook his head, but he was grinning from ear to ear. “Remus warned Amelia,” he explained.

Lily turned her gaze to Amelia in surprise. “Did he, now?” she asked, and couldn’t stop the smug grin that crept across her face. “I wonder why he’d do that?”

Alice and Frank both laughed as Amelia blushed furiously, but Lily noticed that her expression had darkened considerably. “Not for the reason that you think, Lils,” she said, a note of disappointment and disgust in her voice. “He told me about the ambush because he got tired of me comparing him to Switzerland and telling him that he ought to be ashamed of himself. He knew that if he didn’t tell me about this, he was going to hear about it tomorrow, and he decided to stop the tirade before it started. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but it’s most certainly NOT because he likes me that way, like you all are thinking.”

“How is it, exactly,” Alice queried innocently, “that you can be so perceptive when it comes to how other people are feeling, yet when it comes to Remus Lupin, you can be so clueless?”

Amelia’s blush deepened, but her gaze was cool when she turned it to Alice. “You don’t know him like I do, Alice,” was all she said by way of reply.

“Oh, Amelia! You’re utterly hopeless when it comes to him! Ask Frank! He would know. He rooms with him, I’m sure he’s overheard something,” Alice said, turning to look expectantly at Frank, who was suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

“Err…well, actually, Alice, he doesn’t really… Well, I’ve never heard him talk about any girls. Even to the Marauders. James is the only one that—” he stopped, blushed furiously, and busied himself by picking up Lily’s books for her.

“James does, huh?” Alice asked meaningfully. “And which girl is it that has caught the new Gryffindor quidditch sensation’s eye? She’ll be the envy of the whole school.”

“I doubt she sees it that way,” Frank said, flushing again. “But I can’t—erm…Well, they made me swear that I wouldn’t talk about it.” Frank shifted his weight, and looked even more uncomfortable than when the subject first came up. “Anyway, I think we’d better go before the Ravenclaws over their pull out their wands and hex us into next year.”

Lily followed his gaze to find all of the seventh years now glowering at them murderously. She nodded, and took her books from Frank, and then followed Alice, who was leading the way out of the library. They had walked about halfway back to Gryffindor Tower when Alice stopped suddenly at the door of a nearby classroom, glanced around furtively, and motioned for the other three to go inside.

Lily glanced at Alice inquiringly, but seeing that she was quite sincere about her desire to have them go into the classroom, she led the way inside, before turning around to face her friends, who had barricaded her inside. The eyes of all three were dancing with mischief and delight, reminding Lily forcefully of the Marauders, and it suddenly occurred to her that her friends had led her into a trap of their own making. When her gaze met Frank’s, the thought that he seemed to be enjoying himself like he hadn’t in so long crossed her mind, and she smiled. At that moment, the closet door to the right of where her friends were standing opened, and Kaylie, Desdamona, Andromeda, Joshua and Lupin came piling out.

The four new arrivals took their places on either side of the original trio standing in front of Lily. Lily remained silent and watched them file into place while wondering what they were up to. All five of the newcomers wore expressions identical to Alice’s, Amelia’s, and Frank’s, although, if she wasn’t mistaken, she detected a bit of nervousness in Lupin’s as well. She continued to stare at them, waiting for someone to explain what was going on.

Nobody seemed to want to be the first to speak, however, and the silence stretched between them, broken only occasionally by a giggle that Alice could not quite hold in, or a deep sigh by Joshua. She did not want to be the first to give in, but the Halloween feast couldn’t be too far off, and she felt that if they stood there much longer, there was a good chance that they would miss it. “Erm…what are you doing?” she asked finally. “Why are you all here?”

Andromeda, Kaylie, Desdamona, Alice and Amelia all began to laugh slightly, while Lupin’s face turned red, and Joshua’s eyes continued to dance. Andromeda pulled out her wand and arranged 7 desks in a circle, and left another desk in the middle before Alice finally spoke. “We’re having an intervention,” Alice declared, taking Lily’s hand and leading her to the center desk as the others filled in around her.

Part 26: An Intervention (The Muggle Way)

“An intervention?” Lily asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Andromeda replied, smiling again. “An intervention. I read about them in muggle studies. Psychiatrist’s have families do these whenever a family member is on a self-destructive path—to help the person recognize that they have a problem and need treatment.” Everyone standing in front of her all began nodding vigorously in agreement.

“We’re doing this for your own good, Lils,” Amelia added.

Lily’s look of disbelief became one of incredulity. She stared at each of her friends in turn, waiting for the punchline of the joke, but none seemed to be forthcoming. “I don’t have a problem!” she exclaimed.

“Denial,” Joshua said seriously. “The book said that’s what she’d say.”

The others all nodded in unison with him, and then Andromeda spoke. “You do have a problem, Lily. The Marauders are a problem.”

Lily turned to Joshua. “All right,” she agreed. “They are a problem for me. But I’m not the problem IN my problem. They’re the problem.”

Alice looked positively giddy. “The book said that you’d say that, too, Lily.”

“It did, did it?” she asked, now feeling frustrated and annoyed. “Well, the book saying that does not change the fact that they are the problem,” she reiterated. “And there’s nothing that I can do to stop them.”

“And that’s your problem, Lily,” Lupin said. “You don’t think that there’s anything that you can do, so you just go on ignoring them.”

“And that,” Amelia chimed in, “is the purpose of this intervention.”

“It is, is it?” Lily asked skeptically.

“It is,” Andromeda agreed. “Now, we noticed that Potter and Black seem to get worse the more that you ignore them.”

“We were a little surprised that you hadn’t noticed, to be honest with you,” Kaylie added.

Lily took several deep breaths and allowed herself to relax. “No, I had noticed,” she corrected Kaylie. “I just don’t know what to do about that. Retaliating doesn’t work, either, or haven’t you noticed what they do to Snape.”

“You are not Snape, Lils,” Lupin said evenly, “and you’re wrong to think that they will respond to you the same way that they respond to him. They hate him—sort of like with Alice and Bellatrix—so they look for any excuse to hex him, and if he responds, that just gives them another excuse.”

“How’s that different than me, though?” she asked, hopelessly. “They hate me, too.”

Lupin, Frank, Andromeda, and Joshua all exchanged knowing-glances, Kaylie giggled slightly, and Alice, Amelia and Desdamona all shook their heads. “No, Lily,” Andromeda corrected, “they don’t hate you. In fact, they find you incredibly amusing. That’s the problem.”

“If…but…yeah, still, though…I mean, why do—arghhhhhhhhhh!” Lily shouted finally. “That doesn’t make sense! You don’t treat someone like they’ve been treating me if you like them. They like Alice, and they don’t treat her like that. They like Amelia, and they don’t treat her like that. They like Kaylie, and they don’t treat her like that. They like—”

Joshua held up a hand. “You’re missing the point, Lily. They like Alice, Amelia and Kaylie, and they don’t treat them like that. Okay, fine. But they don’t find those three half so amusing as they find you. They know that when they target you with pranks, they are going to get a reaction. They make bets on what it’s going to be. It’s entertainment for them. It’s fun. They don’t do it because they want to make you suffer. They do it because they think it’s fun.”

“Oh,” she said sarcastically, “that’s loads better. I mean, at least I can sleep at night knowing that they don’t do it to be mean. Wow, this intervention has sure been helpful!”

Desdamona rolled her eyes. “Is she always this thick?” she asked, and to Lily’s chagrin, Alice and Amelia nodded.

“Always,” Alice agreed. “You’re still missing the point, Lily. The point is, your reactions amuse them because they are so predictable. They spend time thinking about how to push your buttons, and then they sit back and watch the show. The way to get them to stop doing it, then, is by reacting unpredictably. Like—like you did in the mud. Potter wasn’t angry that you threw mud at him, he was surprised that you were joining them.”

“And then he transfigured the mud on my face into ants,” Lily responded dryly.

“And you acted predictably by stomping off with tears in your eyes,” Andromeda pointed out. “That’s what we’re saying. There’s where you needed to act differently. You should have just charmed his cloak to turn pink whenever he laughed, or something. They find you so amusing to tease because you are so predictable. Stop being predictable, and you’ll stop being so much fun.”

“Exactly,” Joshua agreed. “And we’re not leaving here until you agree to let us help you with your first prank.”

“You can’t be serious!” Lily exclaimed, still uncertain that what they were proposing would work.

“No, we’re not,” Andromeda agreed. “Sirius is back in the common room for the moment, waiting for the signal from Lupin that you’re coming.” Everyone in the classroom groaned collectively at the pun, and Andromeda smiled in delight at the reaction. “However, my pranking skills rival his, although I don’t show it very often at school. He learned most of what he knows from me.”

“And she learned most of what she knows,” Joshua added, “from me. So, will you let us help you then?”

“Why do you want to help me so badly, anyway?” Lily asked, a bit petulantly. “I mean, I understand you, Alice, and you, Amelia and Frank…and maybe even you, Remus, since you’re caught in the middle of all of this, but what about the rest of you?”

Kaylie, Desdamona, Andromeda, and Joshua exchanged glances. “I’m sure we all have our own reasons,” Andromeda began.

“Like peace in the common room,” Joshua interrupted.

“However, the main reason is, none of us thinks what Potter and his friends are doing to you is right,” she finished. “Regardless of whether or not we like them, they’re acting like prats to you, and we don’t want to see it anymore.”

“So you see, Lily,” Amelia added, “we aren’t doing this for ourselves. It’s your best interests that we’re thinking of here.”

Lily was quiet for a moment, thinking about what they had just said. She had to admit that they had a point. What she had been doing wasn’t working, and she was tired of the constant harassment that she faced. She didn’t particularly care if they got along, she just wanted them to stop making her life miserable. She also had to admit that there was some appeal in retaliating. She sighed. “Okay,” she said finally. “You can help me.” But even as she said it, she realized that the idea of pranking the Marauders back just didn’t feel right to her. As though reading her thoughts, however, Alice stopped her before she could give voice to her feeling.

“And don’t you go feeling guilty about this, Lily Evans,” Alice said sternly. “They deserve it, and you know it, and it’s the only way to get them to stop!”

Lily couldn’t help but smile. “I can’t help it,” she said. “I’m not sure that I like the idea of sinking to their level.”

Andromeda shook her head. “That’s another one of your problems, Lily,” she said with a sigh, “however, this is a one-problem intervention, so we’ll deal with your other issues at another time. For now, you’ve agreed to let us help you, and we aren’t going to let you out of that. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

Feedback is appreciated (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=7&pp=30)

*sigh* I already typed this once, but I got an error message, so...here we go again.

LC: I forgot to answer your questions regarding Lily's visions. The reason she remembers them and Trelawney does not remember hers is because they are two different types. And I honestly can't explain anymore at the moment. I'm happy you enjoyed the Trelawney fic. Like I said, it was just a shorty written for the contest, but it ties into the story to some extent, so I thought I'd post it up. I'm very proud of you for exhibiting restraint and not reading ahead! I look forward to your comments as we try to catch up (won't be long now, you're only 10 chappies back).

Tinuviel: 10 more to go, and you'll be caught up. It would be fun if JKR did something like that and I'm flattered that you think I'm good enough to be included. Thank you.

miri: Very good point. Lily did discover she's got friends on her side, which will help her in the future when dealing with the boys. Regarding James, well...I don't think of his death as a sacrifice, and here's why. Voldemort tells Harry his father fought bravely, but his mother didn't have to die. Well, to me that means one of two things. One, Voldy wanted James dead, no matter what, just like he wanted Harry dead, but he didn't particularly care about Lily. I don't think that's the case. If it were, he'd have just killed Lily too, rather than waste time arguing with her. The other meaning is that he wanted Lily to live for some reason, but wanted Harry dead, and so decided to go ahead and kill her anyway. Therefore, James was dead no matter what, voldy didn't give him the choice. Thus, he didn't actually make a sacrifice. If Voldy had said, move aside or die, and he died, that would be a sacrifice, but Voldy didn't. He just killed him. Not that James wouldn't have died to protect Harry, just that he was dead either way, so his death wasn't because of his refusal to let Voldy get near Harry, which Lily's was. She could have lived. She chose not to. Well, that's my understanding of it, anyway.

Moving on to the update... Two of them today, guys. Just because there's no real reason to split them up, and I know you all want to get to the prank.

Part 27: Lupin’s Hidden Talent

After they had explained their plan to Lily, Andromeda, Joshua, Kaylie, Desdamona, Alice and Amelia had left to “get in position”. Once they were ready, they would signal Lily and Lupin, by means of a coin that Andromeda had charmed to grow warm and glow when she pressed a similar coin in her own pocket. After they received the signal, they were to leave the classroom and lure the Marauders into their ambush. Lily was walking around the classroom, inspecting the chalk at the chalkboard, and the contents of the various closets that led out of the room, thinking about the prank that they were about to carry off. She had balked when Andromeda had first explained it to her, thinking it unfair to pit six against three, but she had finally consented when they’d pointed out that the Marauders had planned to pit four of them against the one of her. Still, she wasn’t entirely certain that she felt right about what was going to happen. She also felt slightly awkward at the current situation. It was the first time that she and Lupin had spent any time alone together since his failure to speak up when Potter and Black had stolen her journal, and the all-out war had begun, and though she was happy that he had finally spoken up, she was still hurt that it had taken him so long to do so.

“I suppose they’ll kick me out of the Marauders after they find out that I’m the one that betrayed them to you,” Lupin said off-handedly.

Lily looked over to where he was sitting on a desk, and her eyes met his amber ones. She saw in their depths a fear that belied his casual tone, and realized for the first time what a sacrifice Remus Lupin had already made by simply telling someone what his friends were planning. All of the hurt and betrayal that she had felt toward him flowed out of her at this realization, and she was speechless for a moment, unsure what to say. “I—thank you,” she said finally, and Remus blushed deeply.

“No need to thank me for something I should have done long ago,” he said, standing up and putting his hands into his pockets uncomfortably.

“No,” she said, striding over to where he was standing, and surprising both Remus and herself by catching him in a hug, “there is a need to thank you. I was too busy being angry with you for not speaking up to realize how much you’re putting at risk here.”

“Try telling Amelia that,” he mumbled again, before blushing and pulling away from her embrace. “Everything is so simple to her. She doesn’t know…she doesn’t understand my friendship with them.”

“Very few of us do,” Lily said facetiously, and Remus laughed.

“Well, I won’t deny that,” he said. “I can’t even explain it, actually. Not that it's any excuse, of course, but they’ve given me something that I haven’t had in a long time, and I guess I was just reluctant to risk it.”

“What’s that?” Lily asked, sincerely curious.

“Acceptance,” he said softly, so that Lily could barely hear him. His eyes held hers for a moment, and then he looked down at the coin in his hand, and began playing with it nervously. Lily watched him quietly for a moment, wondering what he’d meant by that. Hadn’t she, Alice, Amelia and Frank welcomed him as a friend as well? Was there something about himself that he hadn’t told them and he thought that if they found out, then they wouldn’t want to be friends with him? Lily’s thoughts traveled back to a conversation she’d had with him earlier this year. In explanation to her query about his falling out with Potter, Black and Pettigrew, he had talked about them always being honest with him. Had he been keeping something from them? “I wonder what’s taking Andromeda so long,” Remus said suddenly, derailing Lily’s train of thought.

She realized that she had been staring at him, and her face reddened. “I dunno,” she answered, avoiding his gaze, and walking over to the blackboard. “As long as we’re here, we might as well have some fun, though,” she added, picking up a piece of chalk and drawing a picture of a house. “Do you like to draw?”

Remus’s face lit up, and he bounded across the room to join her. “I prefer painting, actually,” he answered, picking up a piece of chalk and beginning to sketch.

Lily added a chimney to her house, and drew smoke spirals coming out of it before looking over to see what Remus was creating. From the looks of it, he was drawing a castle of some sort. She went back to her own picture, adding a picket fence, a tree, and some flowers and birds, and then stood back to admire her handiwork. She surveyed it critically for a moment. It was okay, she supposed, but looked rather childish and she couldn’t help but laugh. Whatever other talents she might possess, the gift of drawing was not one of them. She decided that her picture was missing some grass, and picked up the chalk to add a few blades. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus set down the chalk and step back, clapping his hands together lightly to brush off the chalk. She quickly drew in the grass, and then turned to look at what Remus had drawn.

Her mouth fell open in awe as her gaze traveled across the rendering of Hogwarts Castle that Remus had created. It was the view of the castle that they had seen from the lake on their first night at Hogwarts. The castle sat high atop a rugged cliff, with waves from the lake pounding against the jagged rocks that stuck out from the bottom of the cliff. Each detail of the castle was true to life, including the light spilling out of Gryffindor tower, and the half moon behind it.

“So, what do you think?” he asked lightly. “I usually prefer to work with a paintbrush, but I do have some practice with chalks. Of course, it’s just a rough drawing, but—,”

“It’s beautiful!” Lily exclaimed, turning to face him, still in shock. “I had no idea you can draw!”

Lupin smiled slightly, and Lily saw that his eyes, usually weary, and so recently filled with fear that he was about to lose his best friends, were dancing with joy. “I’ve been drawing since shortly after—” He paused, looking suddenly flustered. “Well, I was really sick one time, as a kid, and I spent a lot of time in bed, without anything to do. The nurse—Miss Emeline—suggested that I take it up as an outlet for all of my pent up energy. I found that I really liked it, so…” He trailed off, and reached into his pocket, drawing out the coin, which was now glowing brightly. “That’s our signal, then. Are you ready?”

Lily felt the butterflies beginning to dance in her stomach, and drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “I suppose,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “And you’re sure this will work?”

“No,” he answered honestly. “I’m not even sure that I approve, actually, but you’ve got to do something. I’m tired of watching them tease you.”

His amber eyes once again met hers, and they were once again filled with anxiety at the thought of his friends finding out that he had betrayed them. As she tried to think of something to say to reassure him, an inspiration hit her, and she smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said finally. “We’ll make it so they don’t know that you’re involved. That is, if you don’t mind being ambushed, too.”

Lupin gazed at her for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Do you know,” he said, the grin now stretching from ear to ear, “I don’t think I’d mind at all. Just make sure that you let Andy and the others know.”

“I’ll make sure they follow my lead,” she said, pulling open the door and setting off down the hallway, Lupin following at a distance, so as to appear to be “trailing” her.


Part 28: Acting Unpredictably

As per their plan, Remus left Lily when they arrived at the landing by Gryffindor Tower. She was supposed to head slowly down toward the Great Hall, so that they caught up with her just as she reached the corridor where the others were lying in wait. She walked along slowly, hoping that the Marauders wouldn’t arrive earlier than they were supposed to. If that happened, then the whole prank would be ruined. As it turned out, she reached the corridor long before the Marauders caught up with her, and so she dawdled, inspecting statues, and then striking up a conversation with a peasant who was pulling a cart down a road in a landscape painting near where the others were hidden. He had just asked why she was not in the Great Hall for the feast when she heard Remus’s voice saying loudly, “She can’t be too much further ahead of us!” which was their signal.

She turned around, pretending to have heard them just as Potter came around the corner, Black, Pettigrew and Remus following closely at his heels. Lily turned to face him, and her eyes narrowed in anger. “Potter,” she said tightly. “I had hoped that by not going back to the common room, I’d avoid you this evening.”

Potter grinned, as Remus, Black and Pettigrew all circled around her. “Aw, don’t be that way Evans,” he said, winking at Black. “What’d I ever do to you, anyway?”

“It’d be quicker to list what you haven’t done to me, Potter,” she said, feeling her temper rising in spite of the fact that she knew what he was planning, and was prepared to counter it this time.

Potter leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Let’s hear it then,” he said, nodding his head at her. “What haven’t I done to you?”

Black and Pettigrew snickered, and Lupin shrugged apologetically—playing his role so perfectly that she almost laughed out loud. “Well, let me see,” she said, pretending to think. “You’ve never been nice to me. You’ve never helped me. You’ve never acted like a gentleman. You’ve never passed up an opportunity to make fun of me. In fact, unless our lives in mortal danger, you never do anything but act like a complete git toward me.”

She saw a blaze of anger flash across his hazel eyes, but he hid it quickly, and turned to glance quizzically at Black. “Wasn’t that just what I was saying to you this afternoon, Siri?” he asked.

Black nodded. “Indeed, mate, that’s EXACTLY what you were saying to us this afternoon,” he concurred.

“I remember that, Jamesy,” Pettigrew’s squeaky voice chimed in. “You were telling us how you thought that we’ve all been too hard on Lily.”

Lily stared at Potter for a moment, taken by surprise at the turn of the conversation. She had not been expecting that response, and she wondered how much of what he was saying was genuine. She didn’t have to wait long to find out. “Exactly,” Potter said, straightening up from where he was leaning on the wall, “and so, when we went into Hogsmeade this afternoon, I decided that I should get you a little gift. You know, just to show you how sorry I am about what’s gone on between us this year, and to ask you if you wanted to call a truce.”

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a brightly wrapped package. It didn’t take Lily very long at all to realize that this was the “trap” that Remus had warned her they were planning to spring on her that evening. Inside the package was a drooling potion that they had poured into a bottle and transfigured into chocolate. Apparently none of what Potter had just said was genuine, and instead was just a way to trick her into taking the bait.

She gave no indication that she knew what they were planning, however, and instead opened her eyes wide in surprise. “You—you’re serious about this, Potter?” she asked skeptically, and he nodded vigorously, along with Pettigrew and Black. Lily pretended to consider it some more, and then reached out to take the package. She could almost feel the anticipation rising in Potter, Black and Pettigrew, and once again had to fight the urge to laugh. Instead, she opened the package, and pretended to be taken by surprise at the piece of chocolate sitting inside the box. “I’m still not sure I believe you,” she said, eyeing the candy suspiciously. “I seem to remember you trying to give me some joke candy at a quidditch match last year.”

Potter sighed heavily. “I’m hurt, Evans, I really am. Didn’t I just say that I was trying to apologize for all of those things that I’ve, that we’ve—,” he added, gesturing at Black, Pettigrew and Remus, “been doing to you.”

Although she was rather enjoying the feeling of being in control of the situation—even if they didn’t know she was in control—anger was still continuing to course through her veins. Of everything they had ever done to her, this had to be, by far, the worst. It wasn’t the prank itself that bothered her. Instead, what bothered her most is that had she not known that they were leading her into a trap, she would have believed that they were sincere in their apology, only to find herself the target of one of their pranks yet again. She silently thanked Remus for having the courage to warn her, and then forced herself to smile at the Marauders. “Yes, but how do I know that you’re sincere?” she questioned, continuing to inspect the chocolate as though looking for some sort of warning tag.

“I’m hurt, Evans!” Potter exclaimed. “Do you want me to taste it, or something? Would that prove it to you? Of course I’m sincere!”

Lily’s eyes met Potter’s, and she grinned. “Do you know,” she said thoughtfully, “I think I do want you to taste it. That way I know you haven’t spiked it with anything.”

Potter’s reassuring smile slipped for one tell-tale instant, and Lily nearly laughed out loud as he glanced back and forth between Remus, Black, and Pettigrew, who were all snickering slightly. “You’re kidding, right Evans?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “There’s barely enough chocolate there for one person, and I’ve had plenty today. I wouldn’t want to take it away from you.”

“Well,” she said, breaking off a piece of chocolate and thrusting it at Potter. “Unless you try it, I’m going to take it and toss it in the nearest bin. So if you don’t want your money wasted, I suggest you ‘prove’ your sincerity to me.”

Potter looked almost angry that she was challenging him, and for one brief moment, she wondered if she hadn’t pushed him too far, and he was going to walk away. At long last, however, he reached out his hand and snatched the candy from her. “I can see how much you trust me, Evans,” he said, shoving the chocolate in his mouth. “There, are you happy?” he asked around the mouthful of candy.

“All right, then,” she said, smiling, “it looks like I owe you an apology.” She took the remaining chocolate and put it in her mouth, chewing it quickly and swallowing.

“You don’t have to apologize, Evans,” Black said, snickering slightly.

“Well,” she said, “thanks then.” She turned to give Potter a “hug” but stopped mid-step, as they had planned, and allowed her eyes to gloss over. She clutched at her chest, gasping for air, and grabbed hold of her locket before falling to the ground, writhing. She could feel her own lips tingling, and knew that the novacaine-like effects of the potion should be kicking in on Potter, as well. Her suspicions were confirmed when he spoke next.

“Lily! What’th the matter? Lilyths?” Potter’s voice exclaimed, the concern clearly evident even through the slurring induced by the chocolate. “Thith ithn’t what’th thupposed to happen, ith it? Ith it Petey?”

Peter’s voice sounded panicked. “No, no!” he cried. “It’s supposed to do what it’s doing to you. It isn’t supposed to do anything like this!”

“Well why isn’t it working that way on her?” Black asked abruptly, and she felt him crouch down beside her as she continued to roll around on the floor, gasping for air, and moaning as though she was in pain.

“I don’t know!” he squeaked. “Maybe she’s having some sort of reaction to one of the ingredients.”

“I told you this was a bad idea!” Remus said angrily, striding over to where Lily was and pushing Black aside, blocking her from their view. She quickly opened the antidote that she had hidden in her sleeve and swallowed it down. She’d just slipped the vile back up her sleeve when she felt Remus being tugged away from her, and heard Potter’s voice in her ear.

“Lilyths! Lilyths! Can you hear me, Lilyths?” Potter cried out, and Lily once again had to fight the urge to laugh as he made a loud slurping noise. “Oh, thith ith not good. Lilyth!”

“I don’t think she can hear you, Jamesy,” Black said.

“What should we do?” Pettigrew squeaked.

“We have to get her to Madam Pomfrey,” Remus said. “Help me with her.”

“Yeth, Madam Pomfrey,” Potter agreed, again slurping loudly. “Of courth. Thiriuth, Petey, help uth!” She felt four pairs of hands grasping onto her arms and trying to pull her to her feet.

“Just what exactly do you think you four are doing to Lily?” Alice’s voice cut in, and Lily silently thanked her. Apparently she’d realized that Lily wasn’t going to sell Remus out to the Marauders. “Let her go! Lily, where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

The Marauders dropped her arms, and she collapsed to the floor as Amelia shrieked. “What have you done to her? What’s wrong with her?” Amelia cried

“I—I don’th know,” Potter said, and Lily squinted her eyes open just enough to see that he had stood up and was now running his hands through his hair, looking completely lost for words. He lifted his arm and wiped the drool that was running down his lips.

“And what on earth happened to you, Potter?” Alice whirled around to face Black, and pointed an accusing finger at him. “What in the name of Merlin happened to them?”

“Nothing, it was nothing!” Black said. “There’s no time to explain. Someone needs to get Madam Pompfrey!”

“Someone needs to tell us what happened!” Alice contradicted.

“There’th no time,” Potter disagreed. “We have to help Lilyth. The’th havin’ a reacthion to the pothion.”

Afraid that if she didn’t stop soon, Potter would decide to run off and fetch help on his own—and Lily knew better than to think that Alice and Amelia would be able to stop him if he decided that he needed to go—Lily went very still, and allowed her breathing to slow to a regular pace. The arguing immediately stopped, and all six pairs of eyes turned back to her. “Is she—still breathing?” Pettigrew squeaked.

“Can’t you see her chest moving, you idiot?” Black snapped. “Of course she’s still breathing. Is she awake, though?”

Lily took that as her cue to sit up, and so she drew herself up slowly, allowing her eyes to be open slightly, but with a dreamy, faraway look to them. She heard Amelia let out a sigh of relief. “Oh,” she said with a small laugh. “She’s having another vision. I recognize the look in her eyes.”

“Another vithion?” Potter asked, again wiping the drool from his lips with the sleeve of his robes. Relief was clearly evident in his voice.

“Yes,” Alice said. “Her visions can start violently like that, it’s just unusual. But that’s definitely what happened. Look—she’s holding her locket. That’s a dead giveaway.”

“What do we do, then?” Black asked, taking a deep breath.

“Just wait for it to be over,” Amelia said, sitting cross-legged in front of Lily. The boys and Alice all followed her lead. “What did you four do to her, anyway?”

Black flushed a little. “Nothing permanent,” he assured her, not taking his eyes off of Lily.

“Nothing permanent?” Alice asked, feigning anger at the thought that they’d done anything at all. “Nothing PERMANENT???”

“Relaxth, Parker,” Potter said.

“And why are you talking like that, Potter?” Alice asked as Black and Pettigrew started laughing at Potter’s speech.

“Thhhhhhh!” he said, glaring at his friends. “You’re going tho wake her up before the vithion ith over, and I don’t know about you, but I’d thure like to hear what it ith.”

“Me too,” squeaked Pettigrew.

“Me too,” agreed Black, laughing. “So pipe down, Parker.”

Lily nearly laughed out loud at the expression on Alice’s face. “Pipe down?” she said, standing up and brushing herself off. “Pipe down indeed! That’s some nerve you’ve got, Black. The first time you speak to me in weeks and it’s to tell me to pipe down.”

Black sighed heavily. “No, the first time I spoke to you in weeks was when you first arrived, and as I recall, my words to you were telling you what was wrong with Evans.”

“You’re wrong about that, Black,” Alice countered. “Your first words to me were to tell me that you hadn’t done anything at ALL to Lily, which was clearly a lie and—”

Deciding to stop Black and Alice before a full-fledged fight erupted, Lily opened her mouth and let out a small moan. All eyes immediately turned back to her, and she had to close her eyes to keep herself from laughing at the looks on the boys' faces. “She's about to say the vision,” Amelia exclaimed with excitement.

“On the seventh day of the seventh month in the end of the decade in which they met at school, Lily Evans and Severus Snape will marry—,”

“Well, well, well,” a sneering voice behind her interrupted, “if it isn’t my cousin and his little—fan club. Did I hear someone say something about…a vision?”

Lily’s eyes snapped open in horror, and she turned slowly around to find Narcissa and Bellatrix Black standing behind her, wearing identical smirks. “So—you’re a seer, Evans?” Narcissa Black said, tapping one perfectly manicured fingernail against her lips. “That’s interesting. That’s very interesting.”

Stupid computer...error message resulted in double (well, triple, actually) posting.

Again, the error message. *sigh*

Hi all! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

Rupertlvr: I'm glad you enjoyed the humor in that post. It was nice to give Lily a bit of revenge there. And as to your second part, what SFHPW said. It was part of the prank. The reason for it will be explained later.

SFHPW: It could have been Snape. Interesting you should mention him.

miri: All right, I agree with you about James. Two sacrifices, not one but the fact remains that Voldy didn't give him a choice. For one reason or another, Voldy offered Lily the option to live. Regarding your worries about Lily's prank, yes well...that will be addressed. And I can't delete my post! I wonder if it's because I'm just an ickle firstie? I don't know. I don't get that dialogue.

Tinuviel: Thank you. Yes, miri has convinced me. I hadn't looked at it that way before.

Hope you all enjoy!

Part 29: The Black Sisters

Lily continued to gape, openmouthed, at Narcissa and Bellatrix. The Marauders, Alice and Amelia all circled protectively in front of her while Pettigrew yelped and stumbled backward. “Vithion?” Potter asked. “Who thaid anythinb aboub a vithion?” Had she not been so horrified at the moment, Lily would have laughed at the progression of Potter’s speech from bad to worse as the potion’s effects strengthened.

“That’s right,” Black agreed as Pettigrew continued to cower immediately behind him. “The only vision any of us has had was of you, leaving us alone. Evans here was just suffering some bad effects from the potion we gave her.”

Narcissa arched an eyebrow and glanced behind Black to where Lily was now numbly stumbling to her feet. “Was she now?” she said in mock concern. “Well she looks just fine now. It’s rather remarkable how quickly the potion’s adverse effects seemed to have worn off.”

“Yeth, welb, that’th very eathy to exthplainb, acthually,” Potter began before wiping the drool off of his face.

“Well, let’s hear it then,” Bellatrix said, waving her hand in the air as though motioning them to come out with it.

“I’d much rather hear the sound of you two, walking away,” Black barked before hissing something in Potter’s ear.

“Yes,” Narcissa said lazily, “I suppose you would, though I’m still curious about your ‘explanation’ regarding what’s going on here. I know that Evans was having a vision. We both saw quite a bit of it before you noticed us. Something about she and Severus,” Narcissa’s lip curled mockingly, “marrying? Well, it wasn’t much of a vision then, was it? As if Severus would ever consider marrying a mudblood.”

As soon as the first sound of the word issued from Narcissa’s lips, the Marauders sans Pettigrew, Alice and Amelia had all drawn their wands and had them pointed at the Slytherins. Pettigrew had also drawn his wand, but as he had made no effort to peel himself from the back of Black’s robes, he looked more ridiculous than intimidating.

Andromeda, Joshua, Frank, Kaylie and Desdamona also emerged from their hiding places, the three second-years brandishing their wands as well. “Put them away,” Andromeda commanded.

“But Andy,” Black began.

“The called Lilyth a mubdloob,” Potter snapped at the same time, in the dangerous tone that Lily had only heard him use a few times previously. “The needth to apolgizth!”

“She deserves to be hexed just for using that word!” Frank insisted quietly.

“I said put them away!” Andromeda repeated forcefully as Remus opened his mouth to argue. “The last thing I want to do is to have to give any of you detention for this. Trust me, my dearest sister is not worth the punishment.” The second years all looked murderous, but did as she had instructed.

Narcissa chuckled. “Don’t punish them Andy,” she said mockingly. “At least they’re willing to stand up for what they believe in, even if it is rubbish.”

Andy’s eyes flashed. “You’d do well to watch what you say around me, Cissy. You’re forgetting that I have the power to give YOU detention, as well.”

Narcissa scowled. “Only my family members are allowed to call me Cissy, Andromeda,” she stated dangerously.

“I’m warning you, Cissy,” Andromeda repeated. “Both of you,” she added, turning to look at Bellatrix as well. “You don’t want to push me.”

Bellatrix laughed. “Ooh, I’m really scared, Andy. Detention. Oh no! You’re not going to write home and tell mother, are you? Oh wait, I forgot that mother isn’t speaking to you anymore, is she?”

“I said that’s enough, Trixie,” Andromeda said, her voice wavering a little. “There’s no need to drag our family problems into this.”

“Our family doesn’t have a problem—anymore,” Narcissa drawled. “You always were an embarrassment, and now that you’ve been disowned for dating that mudblood you met last summer—a ridiculous American on top of it—our problem is gone.”

Andromeda lunged at Narcissa at the same time as Black and Potter grabbed her arms to hold her back and Joshua pulled out his wand and pointed it threateningly at the Slytherins. “You will shut your mouth, Narcissa,” Joshua announced cooly, “or I’ll do it for you. Unlike Andy, I have no problem using my wand on you! I have no doubt that everyone here would provide a suitable alibi if you tried to get me in trouble for it.”

Narcissa reached out and put one finger to the end of Joshua’s wand, forcing it toward the floor. “Tsk, tsk,” she said as he pulled his wand away angrily and again directed it toward her. “There’s no need to get violent. I simply heard a commotion and thought that I ought to come check it out.”

Throughout the confrontation, Lily had been frantically casting around in her mind for an explanation that Narcissa and Bellatrix would believe. If they were to find out that she was a seer, then Malfoy would almost certainly be informed of it, and that was knowledge she’d rather like to keep hidden from a Dark Lord. Even if Tom Riddle was unable to deduce that she had used her gift to discover the ceremony location, she was certain that nothing good would come of him knowing about her abilities. She fought back the wave of panic that washed over her at the thought of Tom Riddle, and finally settled on simply telling the truth. “It was just a prank,” Lily said. Her voice sounded somewhat hollow to her own ears. Everyone whirled around to face her in surprise, as though they had forgotten that she was there.

“A prank?” all four Marauders (Lupin still playing his part to perfection) exclaimed in unison.

“Yes,” Lily reiterated. “A prank. And not a very nice one, if you want to know the truth. Not that your prank was any better, Potter. This was just the first phase of mine, actually, that you and Bellatrix stumbled upon, Narcissa.”

“De firth phathe?” Potter asked in disbelief.

“Yes, Potter, the first phase. Unlike the four of you, I’m quite capable of coming up with more complex pranks than transfigured potions.”

“Hey!” Black said defensively. “That was a perfectly good prank until you—”

Lily smiled sweetly. “I’m not saying it wasn’t ‘perfectly good,’” she agreed. “I’m simply saying that it lacked creativity. For the self-proclaimed Marauders, it was really rather…sophomoric, actually. Not to mention predictable.”

“Thopmoric?” James said, his eyes blazing. “Prebicable, wath it? And I thuppothe that what you camb up wif wath tho muth better, wath it?”

Lily pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. “You might want to wipe your mouth, Potter,” she said. “You’re getting drool all over your robes.”

“What were you playing at, faking a vision like that anyway, Evans?” Black asked.

“Why did you believe I was having one, Black?” she countered, raising her eyebrows almost imperceptibly, “when I’m not even a seer?”

“How are we supposed to know you’re not a seer?” Remus asked, cottoning on. Lily felt like hugging him.

Narcissa faked a little yawn. “Yes, well…as much fun as it has been to watch your ridiculous little argument, I’m afraid that Trixie and I really must be getting down to the feast.” She gazed at Lily piercingly for one last moment before turning and walking down the corridor toward the stairs.

“Evans marry Severus,” Bellatrix added, laughing merrily and following her sister down the hall. “Some seer she is.”

Lily continued to watch the two Black sisters until they’d disappeared, trying to decide whether or not they believed her claim. After they had gone from view, she turned her gaze back to her friends. “If you don’t mind, we’re going to head down to the feast as well,” Kaylie said with a smile.

“No, not at all,” Lily said absently as Kaylie and Desdamona followed the path that the Black sisters had taken a moment earlier. Her gaze was fixed upon Andromeda, who still looked as though she might cry at any moment.

Sirius was standing beside Andy, his arm around her waist. “Forget what she said, Andy,” he was saying. “I’m counting down the days until they disown me and I can leave. You’re better off, you know that.”

Lily handed Andromeda the handkerchief that she had been using to taunt Potter earlier, trying to banish thoughts of Petunia, and their argument before she’d left for Hogwarts, from her mind, as Andromeda took it gratefully. “I know that, Siri,” she said with a wistful sigh, “but I still keep hoping that one day I’ll have the sisters that I remember from childhood.”

Potter shook his head sympathetically. “I’m afraib thothe dayth are gone, Anby,” he said, also putting an arm around her and hugging her. Black reached out and shoved him.

“Do you want to shut up, Jamesy?” he asked, laughing. “You sound like an idiot with that lisp, and if you drool anymore, I think you’ll officially be a Saint Bernard. What were you thinking, taking a bite of the chocolate?”

Potter shrugged and ruffled his hair in agitation. “I hab too, Thiriuth, or elth the wouldn’th have beliebed me and the whole prank woulb have been ruinb.”

“Yes,” Black agreed with a nod. “But you didn’t have to actually swallow the chocolate. You could have spit it out when she wasn’t looking.”

Potter opened his mouth to retort, but was obviously unable to come up with anything suitable, for he closed it again and settled for giving Black a small shove. Black shoved him back, but before a full-scale wrestling match could break out, Remus interrupted them.

“And it was ruined anyway,” he said, “or don’t you remember?”

Potter grimaced. “Don’d reminb me, Remmy,” he said. “Evanth and Thnape. I thoulb have known the wath faking.”

An idea began to form in Lily’s mind, and she smiled at the thought. “Who said I was faking?” she asked innocently. The group once again in unison shifted their gaze to her.

“You did,” Black said.

“I said that to Narcissa and Bellatrix, Black. I couldn’t very well allow them to find out I was a seer, could I?”

Lily felt a twinge of guilt at the expression on Potter’s face. For a split second before his eyes blazed in anger, he looked as though he had been punched in the stomach. “Don’b be ridiculouth, Ebanth! We know that wathn’t real. Ath if Thnape woulb eben talk to you! Bellatrixth and Narthitha were right aboub that, at leatht.”

“Were they?” she asked mysteriously, enjoying in spite of herself the look of horror that none of the Marauders could quite hide. “I wonder why he’s been spending so much time at the library with me lately, then?”

Potter shook his head in disgust as the other three Marauders all watched him warily. Behind her, she heard Andromeda and Joshua trying to disguise their laughter as coughing fits, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Alice, Amelia and Frank exchange satisfied glances. Potter opened his mouth as if to say something, and Lily just had time to register the look of betrayal in his eyes before he closed it again and strode away without a word. Black, Pettigrew and Remus all gave her one last glance before following quickly after him.

Brushing off the feeling of guilt that threatened to overtake her—she was being ridiculous. Why should Potter feel betrayed?—Lily pulled out her wand, and Alice and Amelia followed suit. “On three, then,” she whispered. “One, two, three!” They all waved their wands, and then quickly hid them as the boys turned around at the rush of air that had hit them.

“Hitting uth with our backth turneb, Evanth?” Potter asked laconically. “Well, you don’t have very goob aim, do you?” The four boys again turned around, and Lily fought valiantly to supress the laughter that threatened to overtake her. The word “Princesses” was flashing merrily on Pettigrew’s robes, “rule” was scrawled on Lupin’s, “Marauders” was twinkling on Black’s and “Drool” was running across Potter’s robes.

“I believe our work here is done,” she announced quietly as all six Gryffindors remaining in the hallway burst into laughter and exchanged high-fives before heading for the Great Hall.

In case you missed it before, feedback can be posted in my feedback thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=7&pp=30). Thank you!

Hi guys! I want to get this up before I head home, and I'm leaving shortly, so there will be no reader responses this time. I loved your reactions to the prank! Yay! I'm so happy you all enjoyed it. The next post is just a sort of "finishing" up type of post, but it's quite fun, I think. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and this will be the last update until Tuesday. I'm away from home until then.

Part 30: The Aftermath

After the Halloween feast, Lily, Alice, Amelia and Frank sat at a table in the common room, ostensibly doing homework, but in reality placing bets on how long it would take the Marauders to notice their robes.

“I’ll bet that they don’t notice it until they’re getting ready for bed tonight,” Alice said, grinning. “Potter’s so convinced he’s cleverer than us that he’ll never even consider we might have used an ordering charm on the words.”

Amelia shook her head. “You’ve forgotten the entire group of first years sitting around them,” she commented. “I think the little blond one—what’s her name, Emily, or whatever—has a crush on Potter. She’s bound to tell them as soon as they stand up, and she notices.”

“The blond one has a crush on Potter?” Lily asked in surprise. “How do you know?”

Alice rolled her eyes. “It never ceases to amaze me how incredibly blind you are when it comes to boys and the obvious,” she said as Amelia giggled. “Look at her? Can’t you see the way she’s swooning after him? And I’ll tell you something else, the third year sitting over there, pretending not to listen—she’s been ogling Black every chance she gets.”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t get it,” she said, baffled. “What is it that they see in them? I mean, they’re obnoxious, they’re arrogant, they’re rude, they’re…”

“Dark haired, dark eyed, funny—don’t give me that look, Lils. They are fun to be around when you’re not the target of their pranks.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Lily said dryly.

“All right,” Amelia added. “How about when they’re the target of your pranks? You have to admit, tonight was fun.”

Lily chuckled as her mind traveled back to the Halloween feast earlier that evening, when the four boys had first realized what was written on the backs of their robes. A Ravenclaw second-year had scampered over to the table and told them. They quickly tried to erase the words, shooting defiant glares at Lily and her friends as they did so. When it became clear that no simple countercharm was going to work, they had tried to solve the problem by rearranging themselves. Black and Pettigrew switched places, so that the backs of their robes would flash “Marauders rule, Princesses drool”. Unfortunately for them, the words rearranged themselves when the Marauders did thanks to Lily’s ordering charm.

Of course, they might still have realized this had happened and gone back to Gryffindor tower to change robes, had they not asked Frank to verify that their robes now read “Marauders rule, Princesses drool”, apparently not realizing that he had been in on the prank from the beginning. The Marauders had proceeded to smirk at Lily, Alice, and Amelia for the remainder of the feast, making several comments regarding “nobody being able to maraud the marauders”, while the girls attempted to hide their laughter and arrange their faces into one of chagrin, as they agreed that the Marauders had indeed “outsmarted” them.

Now, the Marauders were sitting off to the right of the girls and Frank, against one wall of the common room, surrounded by a group of admiring first years, recounting, as far as Lily could tell, the prank that she had tried to play, and how it had “backfired”.

“Would you listen to them?” Alice said, shaking her head. “Backfired? You’d think ONE of them would think to take off their robes and check!”

Amelia, Lily and Frank all started laughing, and glanced over to where the boys were sitting. Andromeda had apparently stopped by, and was now standing there, listening to the story. She let the boys talk for a few minutes, laughing and nodding her head along with the others before she raised one eyebrow and said, “I’ve only one question for you boys.”

Black stopped talking and grinned, eyes sparkling. “What is it, cousin?”

“If your prank was so successful—and you managed to turn the ‘princesses’’ prank around on them—why is it that Lily never developed a lisp like James did?”

“Oh that,” Potter said, waving his hand dismissively. “Clearly the part of the chocolate that I ate must have had the majority of the potion in it, so what was left wasn’t strong enough to have an effect on Evans. That’s not what we’re talking about, though. She tried to get us back by making our robes say that the Marauders drool, and she clearly didn’t realize that we would be clever enough to switch ourselves around. Any idiot with a brain would have made it so that the words stayed in the same location, regardless of what order we stand in!” The boys all began laughing and nodding again, exchanging high fives as Andromeda pretended to think about this

“Ah,” Andromeda said, and a look of comprehension came over her face before she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Then why are they still flashing that the Princesses Rule, if you fixed it?”

“You must not have seen them since we rearranged ourselves,” Pettigrew chirped before dissolving once again into a fit of laughter.

Andromeda nodded her head in understanding. “That must be it,” she responded. “I just must not have noticed. Stand up, and let’s see your triumph, then.” The boys obliged, lining up in order, from Black to Remus to Pettigrew to Potter. “Hmmm…,” Andromeda said, as the group around them started laughing. “It doesn’t appear that you’ve fixed it at all, boys,” she announced.

“What?” Pettigrew exclaimed, as all four began scrambling out of their robes before throwing them on the floor. “Princesses Rule, Marauders Drool” flashed up at them from the ground.

“That can’t be right!” Sirius exclaimed, grabbing his cloak, and switching it again with Pettigrew’s. “We must have been in a different order.” He looked back down.

“Princesses Rule, Marauders Drool”

Potter rubbed his hand through his hair. “Must’ve been me and Remmy that switched, Siri,” he said, grabbing his robe and switching it with Remus’s.

“Princesses Rule, Marauders Drool”

“Well, that can’t be right!” Remus exclaimed, surveying the common room. His eyes met Lily’s before settling on Frank, and she could see that he was enjoying himself thoroughly. “Oi, Frank! Didn’t our robes say ‘Marauders Rule, Princesses drool’ when we were in the Great Hall?”

Frank looked unconcernedly up from the book that he was pretending to read, thinking. “Did you say ‘Marauders Rule, Princesses Drool’, Remus?” he asked, scrunching up his face thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Black answered impatiently, “of course that’s what we said!”

“Oh,” Frank said mildly, as though he’d only just realized. “I thought you’d asked me if it said Marauders drool, Princesses rule.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”

“You thought…you thought what?” Potter sputtered, turning again to stare at the robes. “WHY would we want our robes to say that?”

Frank shrugged again. “Dunno,” he answered truthfully. “I wondered that myself.”

Black and Potter stared at one another for a moment, dumbstruck, before turning to exchange glances with Pettigrew and Remus, who both shrugged. “Well, there’s only one thing for it,” Black said, his eyes glinting dangerously.

“My thoughts exactly, Siri,” Potter concurred. They both reached into their robes and pulled out their wands.

“Run!” Andromeda had yelled, and Lily, Alice, Amelia and Frank had all gotten up from where they were sitting, and fled up the girls’ staircase. Unfortunately for all four of them, the stairs responded to Frank’s presence, sending the group cascading back into the common room, where they crashed into the Marauders, who had been following them. A tangle of arms, legs, and heads was all that was visible for a moment until the group had managed to untangle themselves and separate, Princesses and Frank on one side, Marauders on the other, and Andromeda in the middle.

“I think we’ve all learned a very valuable lesson here,” she said, sounding less and less like fun Andy and more and more like prefect Andromeda.

“And that was?” Black asked, the laughter dancing in his eyes belying the snarl in his voice.

“That the ‘princesses’ are quite capable of retaliating, should the mood strike them, that Frank is not above helping them, if he can, and that it might not be such a great idea to tease Lily all the time anymore, now that you know what she’s capable of.”

Potter stared at Andromeda for a moment, as though she’d gone completely mad, before a small smile started to spread across his face. “That’s not what I’ve learned,” he said seriously. “Is that what you learned, Siri?”

Lily saw a momentary flash of confusion in Black’s eyes, before he also smiled slowly, his face mirroring Potter’s. “No,” he agreed. “That’s not what I learned either, mate. Remmy?”

Remus looked as though he had been dreading the question being tossed to him, but decided to play along anyway. “Nope, I learned something completely different as well,” he agreed. “Petey?”

Peter looked at each of his friends in turn before shaking his head. “I don’t think I learned anything else, guys,” he said, as Black rolled his eyes in exasperation and Potter let out a shout of laughter.

“You learned nothing else tonight, Petey?” Black said suggestively.

Peter closed his eyes in concentration. “Nope,” he answered. “I don’t think so.”

Potter clenched his teeth tightly together before smiling brightly. “Well, then,” he said, “I suppose it falls to me to educate you about what the rest of us learned tonight. We learned that Evans,” his eyes met Lily’s over Andromeda’s shoulder and he gave her a small wave, “has a crush on Snivellus.”

Lily’s smile disappeared, and she felt her cheeks beginning to burn. “That’s not true!” she said heatedly, “I—” but stopped as Black smiled at her.

“Come now, Lily, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all heard your vision. It makes perfect sense, if you think about it.” Black looked at Potter, as though asking if he agreed, and Potter nodded.

Potter’s hard eyes met hers, but they gave her no indication of how he felt about the situation. “Right you are, Siri,” Potter agreed. “Snivellus is a whiny baby, and Evans is a nagging mother. They’ll get along famously.”

Alice gasped, Amelia put a comforting hand on her shoulder, Frank looked completely nonplussed, and Andromeda was speechless as Lily felt tears spring to her eyes. She stared at Potter for a moment, too stunned to respond, before whirling around and storming silently up the reformed staircase to her room.

“Evans and Snape, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” The Marauders voices followed up the staircase behind her before she slammed the door. The sound carried through. “First comes love, then comes marriage—” She whipped out her wand and put an unperturbable charm on it, breathing a sigh of relief as their voices disappeared.

“So much for them leaving me alone,” she thought silently before climbing into bed without even bothering to change out of her robes.

----------->My Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=7&pp=30)<-----------

Hey all! I'm back. Wow, cosforums was busy while I was gone. So many wonderful responses. Thank you all so much!

Miri: No, I doubt Andy would have minded in the least if Lily'd pulled out her wand and hexed James into next week, but...Lily is still new to this "maraud back" world. Don't worry. She gets better at it. She just has a bit of angst to go through before it's all over. And yes, you're dead on about Lily's sense of humor! I'm glad you can appreciate it. I agree completely with what you said there.

Skylark: Thank you. Yes, the James POV has a MAJOR spoiler to this year, as you well know (though we are fast approaching that spoiler, and once we pass it, I will post the James POV up here). As for having everything planned out, with the exception of Year 1 and 2, the James POV is an alternate universe to Lily's Story, I suspect. I don't know for certain, but at the moment, I don't intend to use the events in Why Don't You and I in Lily's Story. I might, though. *shrugs* I only wrote that because every time I heard the song, I thought it fit my L and J so perfectly that I had to write a fic about it, and well...Jamesy hijacked my muse. I have to admit that by the end of that fic, I was very sympathetic to James, even though I'm a firm Lily-supporter. I'm happy you enjoyed that!

Tinuviel: I couldn't agree with you more!

rupertlvr: Yes, you are quite right about James's reasons, but Lily has STILL not figured that out. For a bright witch, she can be very slow. I'm happy you enjoyed the Marauders boasting. It was fun to write.

damcdono: I have to disagree that Lily doesn't have a sense of humor. Her thoughts on this subject are expressed in an update I wrote that is...about 6-7 posts off. Her sense of humor is not the same as James's, and if you enjoy James, then I'm sure she's frustrating you just as she's frustrating him. I'm actually happy about that! It means that I'm doing my job as the author. Lily's not supposed to be perfect, and I'm happy that you're getting irritated with her (though I am of the opinion that it's James with whom everyone should be irritated, I'm aware that a lot of people disagree with me on that!). Thank you!

Twisted Rose: Yes, James needs to realize that he can't treat Lily that way and get her to like him. It will happen some day.

Nys: Well...yes, Lily could stand to learn to laugh at them, but that's a difficult thing when you're constantly being harrassed, day in and day out. It's not funny to her. She perceives it to be out of dislike for her. It's not. She can't understand that at the moment. This will play out more as we continue.

stephmurden: I like the idea of doing a scene where they are all having fun together, but I'm not sure it will happen. In OotP, it is very strongly indicated (and then reinforced by Sirius and Remus) that Lily and James didn't get along. I intend to stick to canon. Does that mean that they will always hate each other? No, obviously not. I give them fun every now and again, but there has to be more angst than fun, otherwise they would form a bond. I need them unbonded at the moment. Well...James already feels bonded to her but Lily does not feel bonded to James. This is in keeping with OotP. I don't know if they'll have some lighthearted fun for awhile, but Lily will not constantly be angsty in the future installments, I promise. And of course, I will show you the light-hearted side of the Marauders to the best of my ability, but you have to remember that I'm confined by writing from Lily's POV. She doesn't see that light-hearted side most of the time, so it's very difficult to write. Thank you for your thoughts and comments, though! I shall try to keep them in mind when writing future updates.

And now...to the next update of the story. A lot happens in this one and the next.

Part 31: Facing Snape

“First comes love, then comes marriage,” Lily heaved a sigh as she climbed through the portrait hole, trying to ignore the chorus of voices behind her as they swelled even louder. “Then comes the baby in the BABY carriage! Evans and Snape…”

The portrait swung shut, and Lily leaned against the wall, allowing her backpack to fall to the ground, and closing her eyes in relief, trying to get the taunting song out of her head. If she had thought that her retaliation against the Marauders would actually stop their endless taunting, she had been wrong. If anything, they had redoubled their efforts in the three weeks that had passed, and now made every effort to make references to Severus whenever the opportunity presented itself, which wasn’t every day, so much as every minute of every hour of every day. She sighed again, and rubbed her temples, willing away the headache that had been threatening to form for most of the day. Still, she reflected, she would do it all over again just to have the memory of their faces as soon as they realized that they had been walking around all night with “Marauders Rule, Princesses Drool” on their backs.

Lily chuckled a bit before straightening back up, then, hiking her backpack over her shoulder, she set off down the hallway toward the staircase. She had just passed the library on her way to Professor Praevidi’s classroom in the north tower when she was startled by a hand on her shoulder.

Reaching automatically for her wand, she whipped around, heart pounding, to find Severus Snape standing there, looking furious. “I’ve been looking for you, Evans,” he spat.

Lily lowered her wand, her gaze meeting his in confusion. “Me?” she asked. “Why on earth should you be looking for me?”

He looked slightly non-plussed for a moment. “What do you mean, ‘why?’”

Lily couldn’t help but grin at him standing there, looking slightly uncomfortable. “You’re a Slytherin, I’m a Gryffindor,” she began. “You pointed that out to me months ago in the library, so I didn’t think it would have escaped your notice tonight.”

Severus flushed. “Well it’s not because I actually want to talk to you,” he explained, “so you needn’t worry about that. It’s because I want to find out what in the name of Salazar you were thinking, telling the ‘Marauders’ that you and I were going to marry someday!” Lily stared at him for a moment, taken aback. “Well?” he asked impatiently. “Why would you say such an incredibly stupid thing?”

Lily felt tears spring to her eyes. She swallowed them back impatiently, trying to figure out why she was getting emotional. Severus had asked a very reasonable question, and she needed to answer it. She opened her mouth, closed it again, thought for a moment and then opened it again. “Oh, come on, Evans! I haven’t got all night, and I’m not terribly fond of that fish imitation of yours. Are you going to explain yourself or aren’t you?”

Lily snapped her mouth shut and glared at Severus for a moment before speaking. “What does it matter to you?” she asked finally.

“What does it—what does it matter? You aren’t honestly that dense, are you Evans?” he replied, the cool exterior slipping. “Do you have any idea the kind of harassment that I’ve had to put up with both from your precious Marauders and my own housemates because of your hair-brained ‘prank’?”

“You’ve had to…?” she asked, her voice trailing off as the realization hit her—of course. Narcissa and Bellatrix weren’t going to keep something like that quiet. “Oh, Severus…,” she said finally. “I’m sorry, truly. I never thought—,”

“That much, Evans,” he snapped, “is obvious. But that doesn’t explain why you did it.”

“Oh,” Lily said, “of course it doesn’t. Well…erm, actually, Andromeda suggested it.”

“Andromeda…?” Snape questioned roughly, “Black’s cousin? Why would she tell you to pull a stunt like that?”

“Because,” Lily snapped, feeling suddenly defiant at Snape’s interrogation. Why should she have to explain herself to Severus Snape of all people? It wasn’t like she owed him an explanation, for heaven’s sake! “She thought that any Gryffindor liking a Slytherin would bother James Potter more than anything else that I could do.”

“Bother Potter?” Snape barked, before a look of understanding dawned across his face. “Of course…and not just any…And I thought Trix was the only one with brains in that family…”

Lily was once again unable to mask the confusion she was feeling. “Just WHAT are you on about, Severus?” she demanded.

Snape looked at Lily as though he had forgotten she was still standing there. “Well, I suppose I should be thanking you, then,” he said, ignoring her question entirely. “Or rather—thanking Andromeda.”

Lily blinked. There was no getting around it. She was now hopelessly bewildered. What was it about him that always made her feel off-balance? “Thanking me?” she asked.

Severus almost smiled, and Lily marveled at the change such a small gesture wrought on his features, her puzzlement forgotten entirely as she gazed at him. The severe lines of his face softened and his eyebrows lifted, revealing a depth and intensity behind his dark eyes that made Lily feel suddenly breathless. She tried to look away, suddenly very conscious of her odd behavior, but found that she was positively unable to take her eyes from his.

He cocked his head to the side almost quizzically, his smile widening as he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, however, his gaze shifted to a point behind Lily, and his smile abruptly disappeared, hidden again, as ever, behind the ever-present sneer. Whatever it was in his eyes that had captivated her attention was veiled, and the energy that had radiated from him moments earlier was suddenly and completely shut off, as though someone had turned a switch. She turned behind her to ascertain what had caused the sudden change in Severus’s demeanor and groaned out loud.

“Potter,” she and Snape snapped in unison, the tone of disgust in their voices identical. “What are you doing here?”

----------->My Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=7&pp=30)<-----------

See! I told you the missing post would reappear and I'd end up double posting...*sigh* Stupid computer. I don't know what's wrong with it!

Thank you guys so much! I love your comments. *huggles readers*

rupert: So you are choosing not to trust Snape at the moment? We shall see where that goes!

miri: You think Snape was being honest. Well, I will say this. His reaction seemed genuine to me, but I don't know for certain if it was. We shall see. I'm happy to see that you're not completely against Lily "going for it", so to speak. The two characters do have quite a bit in common, don't they?

Nys: Hmmm...well, I'm a bit worried about your reaction to quite a bit of what I've got written, insofar as Snape is concerned. I hope that you will set aside your reservations and follow me down this path I'm blazing!

And on to the next post, then! This one created quite a bit of uproar on my other sites, so...I'm very interested to see how you all react.

One note on this chapter, there's a lot of internal monologue going on here with Lily. It's the first time I've really used internal monologue in a fic, and I'd appreciate any thoughts on it. I used the internal monologue a lot in James POV. It's in italics and should be obvious. The idea for incorporating internal monologue came from Vicarious Leigh and Cheeringcharm (Plug time: Two wonderful authors that you can read if you join my Yahoo group. They write Harry/Hermione, if that interests you. I myself am not an H/H shipper but I manage to suspend disbelief where these two are concerned. Their writing convinces me (at least, within the contexts of their fics) that H/H could work, and that's no small feat, I assure you. They are phenomenal.) who use it masterfully in their joint comedy fic "Slip of the Tongue" and their individual fics, "Power He Knows Not" and "Triumvirate of Resolve" by Vleigh and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" by cheeringcharm.

Second note, tomorrow I will start posting my James POV. I'll post it in a completely separate thread, with a different feedback thread, since it's a short novel in itself (50 pages total. *sigh* That was mean to be a SHORT one...). I'll be updating both...probably alternating, though I may wait longer between updates to the James POV, depending on time. I'll always post a note up in this thread with a link to the James POV when I update.

Part 32: Charades

Potter looked absolutely livid. “Get away from her, Snape!” he commanded.

Severus glanced at Potter lazily. “I won’t,” he stated calmly, returning his eyes to rest on Lily. “Since Lily and I are ‘fated’ to be together, we need to get to know one another. I can’t do that if I don’t go near her, Potter.”

Lily swung her gaze quickly toward Severus, mystified. What was he playing at?

Potter’s eyes bulged, and his face was rapidly turning an angry red. “Oh, come on, Snape! You know as well as I do that Lily isn’t a seer!”

“Do I?” Severus asked, clearly enjoying the moment. “Then why have you been cornering me all the time, demanding that I leave Lily alone or answer to you and your friends? If you aren’t concerned that there is some truth to her vision, then why have you been threatening to hex me into next year if I so much as even look at her? “

Lily spun her head around to look at Potter, reaching surreptitiously for her wand. She wanted to be able to stop either boy from doing serious damage to the other in the event that this confrontation escalated into a duel, which seemed likely, given their history and the murderous look in Potter’s eyes at the moment. As she continued to gaze at Potter, her thoughts began to swirl rapidly around in her mind. She hadn’t needed Andromeda’s reassurances to know that it would bother Potter if he thought that she liked Severus—after all, he’d gone out of his way last year to convince her that Severus was a dark-wizard-in-training when she’d defended him—but she had thought that he’d realized the prank was a joke when she’d denied that she liked Severus.

But maybe Potter teases me about it to hide his annoyance at the thought of me having a friendship with someone he hates. I mean, if it doesn’t bother him, why did he go to such lengths to keep Severus away from me? But then, why should it bother him so much who I’m friends with, anyway? Unless….

Potter’s eyes met hers, and she looked away quickly, hoping that he was unable to see in her eyes what she was thinking.

Potter like me? Don’t be ridiculous! This is Potter. He’s probably just upset that if Severus and I join forces, we won’t be such easy targets anymore.

If Severus and I join forces….of course!

Andromeda’s words from the intervention came rushing back to her suddenly. “They find you so amusing to tease because you are so predictable. Stop being predictable, and you’ll stop being so much fun.”

What could be more unpredictable than if I ally myself with Severus to get back at him?

She grinned as she realized the reason for Severus’s smile before Potter’s arrival and for his odd behavior just now. It was driving Potter crazy to think that there might be something between the two of them. Potter had been teasing both of them about it, and they had both been allowing him to get to them.

But why should we? Why shouldn’t we turn it around on him and play it up?. Get to him by convincing him that one of his worst fears had come true?

Almost as soon as she’d thought it, however, she felt the familiar feeling of guilt come back to her. What she would be doing wouldn’t be a very nice thing.

And yet…why should it matter to Potter who I do or do not like? Isn’t that my decision to make, anyway? And if my choice bothers him, well…so much the better, really! Maybe he’ll finally leave me—and Severus—alone.

“Just what gives you the right to tell Severus to stay away from me, Potter?” she demanded, snapping out of her thoughts and allowing her very real anger over his attempt to control her life show through in her voice.

“What do you mean, what gives me the right, Evans? Haven’t I told you time and again what kind of wizard Snape is? I’ve made sure he won’t harass you. You should be thanking me!”

“Thanking you?” Lily asked incredulously. “Thanking you for deciding who I can and can’t be friends with? What’s next Potter? Are you going to start telling me how I should dress and the best way to wear my hair? Just WHO do you think you are?”

Snape’s face briefly betrayed his surprise at Lily’s outburst, but he quickly covered it with a look of unconcern. “Yes, Potter. It’s not as though you’re Lily’s boyfriend—,”

“Don’t you call her Lily,” Potter spat. “You don’t deserve that familiarity—,”

“He deserves whatever familiarity that I choose to grant him, Potter,” Lily countered defiantly, all of the resentment and anger that she had been feeling toward him for the past year bubbling to the surface. She suddenly wanted more than anything to make him know the same hurt. “It’s my choice, and my choice alone, and I don’t need your—or anyone else’s—approval. Now, if you don’t mind, Severus, I have to get to my meeting.”

Severus nodded. “I’ll see you at the library tomorrow afternoon for our date,” he said finally, giving her another rare smile, and Lily’s stomach did a flip-flop.

She tried to act as though what he’d just said did not come as a total surprise. “Yes, of course. After supper, then?” she replied. Potter was staring back and forth between the two of them in disbelief.

“I can’t wait,” he said, giving her another small smile. Lily brushed aside the lingering discomfort she felt about the charade, trying to convince herself that Potter had brought it all on himself, as Severus leaned toward her. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized he was about to kiss her. Before she could decide how she felt about this, his lips brushed her cheek and he straightened back up. With a last glance at Potter, he was gone, leaving Lily stunned.

Her hand automatically touched her cheek, which was tingling where Severus’ lips had touched her skin.

Now just WHAT is going on? Get a hold of yourself, girl, she chided herself internally. We’re doing this just to get the Marauders off of our back. You don’t like him, and he doesn’t like you…

But the pleasant sensation wouldn’t go away in spite of her longing for it to do so.

She realized Potter was staring at her, and dropped her hand quickly. “Is there anything I,” she said, her voice higher-pitched than usual. She cleared her throat, willing her voice to sound normal. “Anything I can do for you?”

Potter stared at her for a long moment, the expression in his eyes empty. Lily was used to seeing Potter laughing, his eyes dancing, and full of enthusiasm. Even when he was angry, there was an undeniable energy there. At the moment, however, they were…flat. That was the only word that could describe them, and Lily was not at all certain how to feel about that, though ashamed was definitely the number one contender. She hated to think that she was responsible for whatever he was feeling that had taken the vibrancy from his eyes.

“No,” he said finally, turning to walk away. He had taken two steps when Lily felt an overwhelming desire to stop him—to tell him the truth, to bring the life back into his expression.

“Potter—,” she began, and he turned around slowly.

“Yes?” he asked.

She opened her mouth to tell him that it was all just a joke, but found that the words would not come out. How much of it really is a lie? she asked herself, trying to be honest. Given her reaction to Severus’s smile, and subsequent kiss, Lily was beginning to think that maybe she really did have some sort of “crush” on him…as ridiculous as it sounded even to her own ears. And besides, she was tired of being the butt of Potter’s jokes. In front of her lay the perfect opportunity to stop it. She’d be a fool to pass it up.

“Should anything happen to Severus,” she said evenly, “as a result of our confrontation today, it would not please me. I’m no longer going to be your punching bag, Potter, and I won’t allow Severus to be either, are we clear?”

Potter’s eyes narrowed. “Crystal,” he said, all trace of emotion gone from his voice as well as his eyes.

“Good,” she said, now turning away from him and continuing on her way to the north tower.


*******************Your Feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=8&pp=30) is welcomed and greatly appreciated!*******************

That update always sparks an interesting reaction! I even got comments from readers from whom I do not usually hear! Yay.

Okay, so...responses:

Miri: I'm so happy that you enjoyed that! I quite liked allowing Lily to stand up for herself for once, but I'm always afraid of how the readers will respond to that. They may not like Lily being the victim, but most of them don't want to see her get one over on Potter, either. It's a delicate balance, and I'm thrilled that you were so happy with it. And given your reaction to Snape, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you are a Lily/Snape shipper? :)

Rebajev: If you look at my James POV, you'll find out what was going through his mind. As for Snape, I've no idea. That's an interesting question, though. Perhaps I will explore it through a one-shot at a later time.

Nys: I'm sure you're not the only one, no worries there. James is a hard character to dislike. I'm not sure if that's my fault, as the author, or JKR's, for writing Potter as she has.

rupertlvr: All that I can really say is to try to remember that Lily and James get together in the end. Blame JKR for making them wait until 7th year...or me, for sticking to canon. I hope that you can get past your reservations and enjoy where the story is headed on this.

Drusilla: *checks bank account* Yes. Decidedly NOT JKR, though I appreciate the compliment. Thank you! Lily and Potter will patch things up soon enough, but I've got to put them through a little angst, don't I? I'm so happy you enjoyed the last post. I started using a beta regularly from about part 31 and forward, and I think that you can see the improvement in my writing. My beta knows which questions to ask, and points out places of improvement that I'd been overlooking. Thank you! Oh yes, and best of luck on your exams.

WildBlueFlaming: I'm happy you're enjoying the story. I'm pretty sure that double posting isn't allowed on this site, however, so next time you want to add something to your post, you can click the "Edit" button, and add it that way. With regards to your post, yes Lily and James will eventually end up together, but at the moment, Lily does not like James. She doesn't hate him, but she doesn't like him. James likes Lily, though, you're right about that. As for releasing the third book...umm...no comment, and the end of the second one will go up as I write it. I think there are 5 more updates and you all will be caught up to what I have written.

Ravenhaven: Well, Lily realized it, but refused to admit it could be true, so she has a ways to go yet! I'm happy to have relieved at least some of that tension, however. And I think either of those options that you presented could possibly happen. James will either ignore her completely, or be even more mean to her.

Rachel: Welcome to cosforums! I'm glad to have you as a reader of my fiction. Thank you! Lily's character hit a turning point with the prank, and you will see a bit of her stronger side coming out in the future updates. I'm happy that you are enjoying this new side to her.

twisted rose: It's a tough call, who to feel sorry for. Since Lily is my heroine, naturally I pick her but when writing the James POV, I found myself feeling quite a bit of sympathy for James, idiot though he is. And I'm happy that you're trusting me on the Lily-Snape interaction. Perhaps I'll turn you intoa Lily/Snape shipper yet! *grins* Only joking. How long are they going to pretend? Honestly, I have no idea. But not forever, I assure you. I'm just hoping to show a more sympathetic side to Snape, as I am trying to show a sympathetic side to Petunia. I actually like Snape, in the series, better than I like Petunia (despite what Snape does at the end of PoA), so he's easier to write as a sympatheric character than Petunia, but it's difficult to try to write both of them and portray the reasons they became what they became.

Assai_K: I think you did just fine with your English! It's great to have you with us. I'm thrilled you are enjoying my story, particularly because you appear to read quite a bit of fanfiction. I'm glad this was not thrown into the "not worth your time" pile! And your compliment that this is the backstory that you needed is one of the best I have ever received. I started writing it because I would very much like JKR to write the prequels and she's insisted she won't, so I decided I would. I couldn't be happier that you think I'm staying true to what little we have in canon, and that it's believable. Thank you.

And now, the next post. For those that have not seen it, I did post up a James POV, Why Don't You and I (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=25106). The author's note at the beginning tells you all you need to know about the fic, but the kiss scene was explored from his POV. I hope you all read it and enjoy it!

Quick note, if you haven't realized it already. Lily's visions are different than Trelawney's. For a start, she remembers them. That should clear up most of the confusion that may result from this post.

Now, to a little more Praevidi. I hope you enjoy!

Part 33: An Ever Changing Landscape

The trap door to Professor Praevidi’s classroom was already open when Lily arrived, and the ladder had nearly completely descended. She waited for it to touch the ground, and then stepped on, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind—an impossible task, as it turned out. Thoughts of Potter and Severus were swirling around, mingling, separating, and inter-mingling again. When the ladder stopped, and she opened her eyes, she saw Professor Praevidi seated behind his desk.

“Lily!” he exclaimed, standing up, and striding over to the trapdoor to help her off the ladder. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Professor,” she said, taking his hand and stepping off of the ladder. “How did you know I was here before I rang the bell tonight?”

“I saw you coming,” he responded mysteriously, his voice taking on a misty quality, and Lily rolled her eyes.

“No, I really did see you coming,” he said, indicating a mirror hanging on his wall. “It’s charmed to show me whatever the one I placed downstairs reflects. Didn’t you notice the new mirror hanging in the hallway on your way here tonight?”

“Actually, no,” Lily admitted, a flush creeping up into her cheeks. “I was a bit…preoccupied with my thoughts.”

Professor Praevidi contemplated her for a moment. “Anything you wish to talk about?” he asked. “I would rather talk about it now then get halfway through the lesson and have to dodge something you’ve thrown. I am mortally afraid of flying quills as a result of the last time you had something on your mind, you know.”

Lily’s blush deepened at the thought of trying to explain everything to her Divination professor. Even if she completely put aside the fact that it had all begun by her faking a vision—of which she was certain Professor Praevidi would not approve—the thought of discussing the crush she may or may not have on Severus Snape with one of her teachers was too mortifying to think about at the moment.

“No,” she said quickly. “No, that’s all right. It’s nothing big. I just—I don’t know how well I’m going to be able to concentrate tonight is all.”

“I could find out for you,” he replied. “One look into my crystal ball, and we’d know for sure whether the lesson tonight will be a waste of time for you, or not.”

Lily stared at him like he’d gone mad. “You don’t use a crystal ball, Professor,” she reminded him.

Praevidi’s expression was comical. “Don’t I?” he inquired, dark eyes dancing. “And I thought that the Praevidi method was named after me. Well…no matter,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal. “Tell me, if you don’t think that you’ll be able to accomplish much with Divination tonight, how shall we pass the time? Perhaps you’d like to discuss your most recent vision?”

Lily stared at Praevidi in confusion. “Most recent…? Professor, I haven’t had a vision recently. The last one I had was the one with the Black sisters, and Lucius Malfoy.”

“Then my students were wrong when they informed me that you’d predicted the marriage of yourself and Severus Snape?”

Lily wished that she could crawl into a hole and disappear, or, barring that, that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She couldn’t find any holes big enough for her to fit into in the walls of the room, however, and the floor appeared to be remaining stubbornly solid, so she had no choice but to answer the question. “Pre—predict our marriage, Professor?” she asked, trying to look confused.

“Indeed,” he said with a grin. “Now, I must say that I was surprised when I heard about this, because the vision should have been in your journal, and yet it was not. I’m certain of that. I would have recalled if this vision had shown up. Is there any reason that you didn’t write it down?”

“Erm…” Lily stammered, her face still burning. “Well, actually...” She stopped, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation. “I didn’t include it,” she said finally, “because it wasn’t a real vision.”

Professor Praevidi’s expression was one of outrage and shock, and Lily shifted her gaze quickly to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

“I would never have believed that a student of mine would fake a vision,” he began, his tone severe.

Lily cringed. She’d never been reprimanded by any teacher before, let alone one that she held in such high regard.

“That is so blatantly untrue,” he continued. Lily looked up quickly, and realized that he was joking around with her. The corners of his lips were crinkling with laughter and his eyes were dancing once more.

“Lily, if you’re going to fake them, you’ve at least got to make them believable, or everyone will think you’re a fraud.”

Lily stared at Professor Praevidi, feeling slightly defensive. “What do you mean, blatantly untrue?” she asked. “Why couldn’t we be friends?”

Praevidi sighed very deeply. “There’s a very big difference between friendship and marriage, Lily, although either would be difficult for the two of you, anyway. Your family is very different from Severus’s, and while it may not bother Severus at the moment, I….” he stopped. “I honestly can’t discuss this with you. Suffice it to say that you and Severus will never be together.”

“You’ve seen that?” she asked, not entirely certain whether she wanted to know.

“My sight has nothing to do with my certainty about your future with Severus, Lily. Whatever I may or may not ‘see’ about your life, it is all so far off in the future that it’s highly uncertain at best, and completely inaccurate at worst.”

“What do you mean—‘uncertain’ A true vision is a true vision, right? What happens in it cannot be changed. That’s what I’ve read.”

“What you’ve read was written by a bunch of fools with no understanding of the power of true Divination, Lily. When I recommended those books for you to read, I should have made it clear that they were only for you to gain a solid understanding regarding the origin and history of the art.”

“So you’re saying that what I see in my visions—they may not actually happen?” Lily inquired.

Professor Praevidi pulled out his wand and conjured a couch. He sat down on it, and motioned for Lily to sit down next to him. “I’m sorry I haven’t discussed this with you sooner,” he said. “I’d forgotten that you haven’t already heard my lecture on the ever-changing landscape that we call the future.”

Lily sat down beside Professor Praevidi on the couch. “I’ve heard you use that phrase before, Professor, but I’m not entirely clear about what it means.”

“It means that the future is constantly changing. Every second of every hour of every day, we are all making choices. Those choices define the future, and at any given moment, a choice may be made that changes what the future was prior to that decision being made. When you look into a crystal ball, you see the most likely event in the future. For example, if I looked into my crystal ball right now,” he grinned at Lily, “limited though my vision may be by the confines of the crystal ball, I may see that you will receive a 99% on your Transfiguration exam next week.”

Lily laughed. “And you were admonishing me about blatantly untrue visions, Professor,” she reprimanded and Professor Praevidi’s musical laughter joined hers.

“All right,” he agreed, “bad example. You’re only getting a 95% on your Transfiguration exam. Let’s assume it’s Charms, then. I look into my crystal ball, and it shows me that Lily Evans will receive a 99% on her Charms exam. What my vision didn’t take into account, however, was that while you were studying that night, James Potter decided to steal your book, and transfigure it into a snapping turtle, so that you can’t study for the—”

Lily snorted. “Sounds exactly like something he would do.”

“Does it?” Professor Praevidi said, grinning again. “It’s a tricky transfiguration, but I used it once on a girl that I—” He broke off in laughter as Lily harrumphed her disapproval.

“I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised you’d do something like that,” she interrupted, but she was also laughing slightly.

“Anyway, so you aren’t able to study for the exam, because you don’t know how to transfigure the book back. Or it’s wandered off. Or…whatever. So you make a choice to go to bed, and not finish studying. That’s a choice that my vision would not have considered it likely you would make, and therefore, I did not anticipate that. As a result, your choice not to continue studying alters your future. You only receive a 75% on your exam, because you chose not to study. Do you understand?”

Lily nodded. “So, rather than telling us what will happen,” Lily said slowly, “my visions actually show me what is most likely to happen.”

“Exactly,” Professor Praevidi said. “Likewise, your knowledge of the future may in and of itself alter the future. Can you think of a way that might occur?”

Lily absently twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, chewing on her locket’s chain, as she searched for an answer. “Like my vision at the end of last year!” she exclaimed finally, her eyes lighting up in comprehension.

Professor Praevidi gave her an approving look, and nodded. “Very good,” he said. “However, if I recall correctly, you jolted yourself away from the vision before you saw the end of the ceremony, right?” Lily nodded, and Praevidi continued. “Right, but had that not happened, you probably would have seen the conclusion of a successful ceremony. What you see in visions is still bound to what you know, and you had no way of knowing that you’d be able to tell Professor Dumbledore where the ceremony was being held. The knowledge you gained from the vision, however, allowed us to stop Tom Riddle, thereby changing what would have happened if you hadn’t had the vision in the first place. Or, going back to the example of the Charms exam, let’s say that I told you not to worry about the exam, because you were going to get a 99%. You thought this meant that no matter what you did, you’d receive a 99% on the exam, and so you decided not to study. As a result, you receive a 75% on the exam. My vision did not take into account the effect that your knowledge about the future would have on your behavior.”

Lily nodded as she contemplated this. “Is there any way for a seer to push beyond that limitation, Professor? To see more than just the most likely scenario?”

“The ability to see beyond the most likely scenario is a very rare gift, indeed, Lily, and I’ve no idea whether or not it’s one that you possess.” He held her eyes for a long moment.

“The whole purpose of this lecture was simply to warn you to be careful. Sharing knowledge of your visions—and making up visions—could affect people’s behavior, and have consequences on the future that you could not possibly fathom at the moment. It’s not something that should be done lightly—if at all. Although I expect that this was just a one-time event, and we will not have to speak of it again, if I should hear of it happening in the future, I will express a concern to Professor Dumbledore that perhaps you are not quite ready to study Divination. There is a reason that Hogwarts does not offer the class to students until third year. Usually, students are not mature enough to handle the knowledge they may gain until that year. I believe, and Professor Dumbledore agrees, that you are mature enough to handle the immense responsibility that comes with your gift. I do hope that we were correct, and something like this will not happen again.”

Lily found that she was once again unable to look Praevidi in the eye as his lecture continued. She was beginning to realize that she hadn’t really thought at all when she’d agreed to go along with Andromeda’s idea to fake a vision in order to distract the Marauders. Not only had she not thought about being overheard in the hall by someone who could use that information against her, or considered Potter’s reaction, and the possibility that he might tease her more, or thought about what Severus would have to go through, she also had never considered the possibility that a change in someone’s behavior as a result of her fake vision might actually alter the future in some way.

And most of all, I let Professor Dumbledore and Professor Praevidi down, she thought miserably. And now they’re second guessing their decision to let me study Divination! They trusted me, and I allowed myself to get caught up in the ‘fun’. I’ll never make that mistake again, she promised silently before looking up and nodding her head emphatically.

“I won’t let you down, Professor,” she declared forcefully.

“Good,” Praevidi responded, giving Lily a small smile before standing up and stretching. “I see no point in continuing tonight, since your thoughts are elsewhere. Next time you’ll work on your mind-clearing exercises before you arrive?”

“Of course,” she said, also standing up, her mind still working overtime. When she met Severus in the library the next night, she’d have to tell him that they could not go on with their charade. Professor Praevidi may view any continuation of the prank as evidence that she had not understood his lecture, and she did not want to risk the suspension of her lessons. She had come to love the time spent with Professor Praevidi, trying to crack the mystery of the locket and “unfog her inner eye”, but what Lily cherished more was that her Divination lessons seemed to be the only times that she was able to relax and truly enjoy herself this year, and did not want to lose that outlet.

The logical continuation of that thought was seeking out Potter when she arrived back at the common room that evening. As much as she hated the idea of giving up the one thing that she had over him, she recognized that she had to do what her instincts had urged her to do earlier—tell Potter that it had all been part of the prank, and that there was nothing going on between herself and Severus.

The only problem with that, Lily mused, is that I’m not entirely certain that’s the truth, either.


Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=8&pp=30)

For some reason when I updated, it shows the update here, but it didn't bump this to the first page. So...I'm hoping to bump to Page 1, or else no one will realize I updated. Ahem. *bump*

Skylark: I'm glad that you enjoyed my interpretation of Lily's visions. As for your musings, I honestly can't comment, but they are interesting questions, certainly! I'm also happy that you liked Lily's guilt. I've found some of my readers tend to get a bit frustrated with her conscious.

Assai: Your question about James's reaction is certainly interesting. I'm afraid we won't find out in this post, however. As for Snape, I quite agree with you about his character, but I'm playing the Devil's advocate here, and trying to figure out why, exactly, he acted like he did. POV means point of view. I'm happy you've found my other stories that sort of coincide with this one, as well. We will see more of Lupin in this chapter. I also love his character. He and Sirius are by far my favorites of canon characters. I think it's wonderful that you're writin fanfiction. I'm certain that it will help you to improve your English. Don't worry about typos/grammar mistakes/spelling errors. I'm sure I've got plenty in my own writing. I know I have to make a lot of changes when I edit and revise. I can't imagine writing in a language that is not the one I've been speaking my entire life! Congratulations on your writing. It's wonderful, isn't it?

miri: Ah...good point. Of all my readers, I think that you intimidate me the most. You tend to remember the details that so many of my readers forget, and you have such thoughtful questions and ideas! Thank you so much. I completely understand your explanation of Lily/Severus now. Thank you for that! I'm thrilled to hear that it was my Severus POV that really helped you to sympathize with his character. That's such an awesome compliment! Writing that Snape short was not easy. I'm happy it had such an effect on your thoughts of Snape in my story. That's a VERY interesting thought regarding James's response to Lily's actions here. I think you have a very good point that he may have the tendency to see Lily's behavior as similar to his own with Kaylie last year.

rupertlvr: I'm glad you didn't think that the post became too bogged down in all of the Divination theory. That's my one fear with Praevidi. I need him to give Lily (and you all) crucial information about her ability, but I don't want to make it to much like sitting ina boring lecture hall and listening to a speech! As for your getting freaked out about the Snape/Lily thing, I will take that as a compliment. It seems that I have succeeded in making you care about *** characters as I write them, and that's a wonderful thing for any author to know.

All right, next post is up.

Part 34: Reactions

“I’m sorry, Jamesy,” Lily heard Remus saying just before she rounded the corner to the landing in front of Gryffindor Tower. She stepped quietly around the corner, not wishing to intrude, but not wanting to stay hidden and eavesdrop, either. The Marauders were standing near the portrait hole, and were all so intent on one another that they didn’t notice her standing there. Remus was slumped dejectedly against the wall, looking utterly forlorn and wretched; Pettigrew beside him, near tears.

“Sorry, Remmy? Sorry???? How could you do this to us?” Black demanded, his eyes hard and angrier than Lily had ever known them to be.

“Never mind, Siri,” Potter said hollowly, the expression on his face one of resignation.

“You’re right, Jamesy. Why should I even waste my time yelling at him? I thought after all we did for you, Remus, we could trust you—,”

“You can trust me, Sirius! I just meant for you to get an idea of what she was going through. I—”

“Forget it,” Black said roughly. “Come on, Jamesy,” he said, grabbing James’s arm and pulling him toward the stairs. He stopped abruptly as he noticed Lily standing there.

“Spying then, Evans?” Black demanded.

“No, I—,” she began.

“Did your new boyfriend teach you that?” Potter interrupted. “Seems just underhanded enough for a Slytherin.” He and Sirius pushed quickly past Lily and disappeared around the corner. Pettigrew looked anxiously back and forth between Remus, and the direction in which Potter and Black had gone, as though unsure which of his friends with whom to side. He finally made up his mind, and took off, yelling for Potter and Black to wait up. Lily watched him for a moment, before turning to speak to Remus, who was now wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his robes.

“Is everything okay?” Lily asked in concern, walking over to where Remus was standing.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I told them about the prank. They think I betrayed them,” Remus explained. “They’re right,” he added despondently. “I shouldn’t have…” He turned to face the portrait. “Brie cheese,” he said. The portrait swung open, and he crawled quickly inside.

“Wait, Remus!” Lily called out, but the portrait had already swung closed behind him. “Bloody hell,” Lily swore quietly.

“Would you talk that way in front of your mother, young lady?” the fat lady asked, looking highly affronted.

Lily ignored her. “Brie cheese,” she said.

“You children have no respect!” the fat lady exclaimed, swinging open. “I can’t imagine speaking to my elders in such a manner!”

Lily bit back the urge to remark to the fat lady that she would have a time finding someone older than her to speak to like that in the first place, and instead climbed through the portrait hole, scanning the room for Remus. Before she found him, however, Alice’s accusing voice rang out across the common room.

“Lily Elizabeth Evans!” Alice shouted. Lily groaned and turned to find that all of Gryffindor was now staring at her, and Alice and Amelia were striding purposefully toward her. For a brief second, she considered returning to the hallway, even if it meant running once again into Potter, Black and Pettigrew. She’d almost rather deal with the three of them than try to explain to Alice and Amelia what, exactly, had happened earlier tonight, although by the looks of things, Lily guessed that her friends—along with the rest of Gryffindor—already had a fairly good idea.

“Yes?” Lily asked, smiling innocently.

“Do you want to explain what in the name of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin is going on?” Alice demanded. “I mean, it’s one thing to tell Potter that you and Severus are getting married, but from what I’ve heard tonight it sounds like you actually—”

Lily’s cheeks reddened until they matched the scarlet of the chairs in the common room, and clamped her hand over Alice’s mouth, cutting her off. “Do you mind if we wait until we have a bit more privacy before we discuss what did and did not happen tonight?” she hissed, angry, for once, at Alice’s complete lack of discretion.

Amelia waved her hand, motioning toward the girls’ dormitory. “Our room should be empty right now,” she said. “I think Kaylie and Des are still at the library.”

Lily strode up the stairs, Alice and Amelia trailing behind her. When they arrived at their dorm, she flung her bag heavily onto the floor, and dropped face-first onto her bed, just resisting the urge to scream in frustration. “Why is it,” she asked, her voice muffled by her pillow, “that everyone else in this school can have fun—play a few pranks—get a good laugh, and nothing bad happens, but every time,” Lily turned over onto her back, growing steadily louder with each syllable, “—EVERY time—I decide to join in, it all explodes in my face?”

She stared at the top of her bed, not looking at Alice and Amelia, who were sitting on the bed opposite her.

“That’s not true, Lils,” Alice said finally. “You’ve joined in before, and nothing bad happened.”

“That’s right,” Amelia agreed.

“When?” Lily asked, heaving herself into a sitting position. “Tell me one time.”

“What about in detention our first year, when you, Potter and Black discovered the passage to Hogsmeade?” Amelia suggested. “You admitted that was fun.”

“Yes,” Lily agreed dryly. “It was fun. Right up until the point that we ran into Malfoy and his friends in the passage and found out that Tom Riddle was trying to become immortal. Need I remind you that I was nearly killed when I tried to stop him? Not to mention that I now have all of his supporters looking for me to get revenge,” she said, her stomach turning at the thought.

“Well, at least you were able to stop him, Lils,” Amelia reminded her. “Imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been down that passageway.”

“That doesn’t mean that it was a good experience,” Lily countered. “There’s a good chance that—”

“Okay,” Alice interrupted, “bad example. What about when you helped us get Quidditch try-outs postponed?”

“I got detention,” Lily said dully. “And nearly killed myself trying to catch a snitch, or have you forgotten?”

Alice and Amelia both sat in silence for a moment. “Surely there’s one time,” Alice said finally. “We’re just not thinking hard enough.”

“I know!” Amelia exclaimed, snapping her fingers and looking at Lily hopefully. “The mudfight. You joined us then, and nothing bad happened.”

“If you call having ants crawling all over my skin ‘nothing bad’. Not to mention the row that Potter and I had about it, which ALSO resulted in detention,” Lily said miserably, before sighing heavily. “No, you may as well admit it. I’m cursed. I’m not meant to have any fun. I’ve even let Professor Praevidi and—”

“I’ve got it!” Alice announced triumphantly, cutting Lily off. “The prank on Amos. Nothing bad came of that. Not one thing.”

Lily thought about this for a moment. “Nothing bad has happened YET, you mean,” she said. “He may still find out who was responsible. But even if nothing does happen, that’s one. One out of four that we’ve thought of tonight. That’s 25%. Hardly reassuring!”

“But it does prove that you ARE capable of successfully pulling off a prank, Lils,” Alice said happily. “You’ve just had a run of bad luck. And I’m not entirely convinced that this one has been a total disaster, anyway. The entire Great Hall saw them walking around advertising that the ‘Princesses Rule’ and the ‘Marauders Drool’. That had to have been worth the teasing you’ve put up with.”

“It was,” Lily agreed, “at least until tonight. Now everything’s messed up.”

“What happened?” Amelia asked. “We’ve heard some pretty fantastic rumors.”

“The truth is pretty fantastic,” Lily said, standing up to pace, and launching into the story, starting with Severus stopping her in the hallway. When she mentioned how it had occurred to her that her friendship with Snape actually bothered Potter, and that was the reason that he teased her, Alice started clapping.

“It’s about time, Lils!” she said. “We’ve known that for ages!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Lily demanded.

Amelia shook her head. “You’d never have believed us,” she said, trying to hide her laughter.

Lily was a bit disconcerted to find out that her big epiphany was common knowledge among her friends, and suddenly wondered what else they’d been keeping from her. “Anything else you’re not telling me?” she asked.

“Plenty,” Alice said.

“Plenty?” Lily repeated. “Plenty?”

“Yes, plenty,” Amelia agreed.

“Like what?” Lily demanded.

Alice waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll tell you later. Go on, what happened next?”

Lily stared at her friends for a moment. “All right, but after I’m finished, I expect you to tell me the ‘plenty’ of stuff you’ve been keeping from me,” she said before continuing with the story.

Alice and Amelia seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with her carrying on the charade about Severus, and told her so.
“Though I’m a bit sorry that Snape’s getting revenge out of this,” Alice admitted ruefully. “He’s a slimy git, that one. You should hear what they’re saying downstairs though, Lils. They’re saying that you kissed! Can you imagine, kissing Snape?” Alice shuddered dramatically and Amelia giggled.

“I just can’t believe we thought it was true. I mean, Lily…kissing Snape? Talk about ridiculous!” Amelia declared and Alice collapsed into giggles.

After a moment, Alice and Amelia realized that Lily was not laughing with them, and had not denied the rumor. Both immediately stopped laughing, and stared at her.

“It was just a rumor, wasn’t it, Lils?” Alice demanded, looking horrified. “You didn’t…did you?”

“Er…no,” Lily answered truthfully. “No, I didn’t.”

“Oh, thank Merlin!” Alice and Amelia said in unison as both began laughing again.

“Can you imagine if you had? I mean—” Alice began.

“He kissed me,” Lily interrupted, and if she hadn’t been so thoroughly embarrassed by the fact that the entire common room was apparently discussing the incident, she might have laughed. Their jaws had dropped so far that their chins were in danger of hitting the floor, and both were staring at her, Alice quite possibly for what was the first time in her life, speechless.

Amelia was the first to speak. “He kissed you?” she repeated. “And…erm…how do you feel about that?”

This was the question that she had been dreading answering since this line of conversation had begun. “Well…er…,” she stammered. “I—I don’t…I don’t know, actually.”

Alice’s silence ended as suddenly as it had begun. “What do you mean, you don’t know?” she demanded. “Lily, this is Snape.”

“Severus,” Lily corrected automatically.

“Severus, then,” Alice agreed. “A Slytherin. Best friend of the two people who put ME—your best friend—in the hospital ward last winter. Surely you haven’t forgotten that?”

Lily reached down and began playing with her locket. “No,” she admitted. “No, I haven’t forgotten that, Alice, but he did try to stop them, and you yourself have said that there’s no reason to hold that against him. We don’t hold it against Remus that his friends are idiots, do we?”

“But there’s a big difference between Remus and Snape,” Amelia said defensively.

“Severus,” Lily corrected. “And how?” she challenged.

“Well…Remus’s friends—his friends are in Gryffindor!” Amelia began. “And—”

“Oh, they’re in Gryffindor. So that means it’s okay they’ve made my life a living hell this year, I suppose?” Lily exclaimed, dropping the locket and standing up. She strode over to her dresser and began roughly brushing her hair. “I’m surprised at you, both. Especially you, Amelia! I thought you’d be the last person to hold something like that against Severus! He’s not like his housemates.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Alice began, and Lily turned to glare at her furiously.

“We’ve got just as much reason to believe that he’s not a total git as we have to believe that Remus isn’t a total git, Alice!” she nearly shouted.

Alice and Amelia fell quiet again, though whether it was from shock that Lily was defending a Slytherin or because her defense had made them think, she was uncertain.

“Okay, Lils,” Alice said finally, and her tone was calm. “All right. We’ll grant you that. Snape—Severus—has given us no reason to believe that he shares the same dark leanings as his friends, okay? He may know a lot of dark magic, and he even may have performed some of it on the Marauders, but he’s most likely just defending himself. I’m not denying that. But need I remind you that he’s buddies with the Malfoys?”

“And we have every reason to believe that the Malfoys,” Amelia continued, “would very much like to see you dead.”

Lily stopped her brush mid-stroke and turned to face Alice. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she said honestly.

Alice stood up and walked over to where Lily was standing. She grabbed the brush and set it back on the dresser and then took both of Lily’s hands in hers, and looked her directly in the eyes. “If you really like Sna—Severus—” she said, “we’ll support you, okay? Just be careful? Please? You can’t forget what you’re up against here, Lils. It’s not a joke. Malfoy is not a joke. Tom Riddle is not a joke.”

“And when you’re talking about spending time with someone who’s this close to your enemy,” Amelia chimed in, also standing up and making her way toward Lily. “you—”

“That’s right,” Alice interrupted, dropping Lily’s hands and chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. “He’s very close to your enemy…”

“What are you thinking, Alice?” Amelia inquired. She and Lily both watched Alice curiously.

“I’m thinking that this situation that you’ve found yourself in may actually be ideal, Lils,” Alice said finally. “My grandpa always says ‘Keep your friends close,’” Alice began.

Lily’s eyes lit up in understanding. “’Keep your enemies closer,’” she finished.

Alice nodded. “I was only thinking about the possible danger to you, but…this may be the perfect opportunity to find out how much Malfoy knows—and what he’s up to. Remember what Professor Dumbledore told us last year.”

“Students are frequently a great asset to those aurors whose job it is to seek out and contain underground threats from dark wizards,” Lily and Amelia both quoted.

Lily walked over to her bed and sank back into it. “So you think that I should maintain this charade with Severus, and get as much information from him as possible?” she asked.

Alice nodded. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? You were already using him to get back at the Marauders, why not use him to find out about Malfoy, too?”

Lily twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers, thinking. What Alice and Amelia were saying made sense, but a part of her rebelled at the thought of “using” Severus at all. It didn’t feel wrong to use him to get the Marauders back, but that’s because he knew about it. He was doing the same thing.

If I’m trying to get information from him about Malfoy, he won’t know I’m doing it!

Something about that just didn’t sit well with her.

But I might never have a better chance to find out more about Malfoy’s plans.

And then there were Professor Praevidi’s words to consider.

If I continue the charade with Snape, he may think that I didn’t take his warning seriously, and discontinue my lessons.

Lily looked up to where her two friends were watching her. Without a word, she picked up her pillow, held it up to her face, and let out a scream of frustration. After she had finished screaming, she sat in silence for a moment before setting down the pillow and smiling. “So I guess I know what I have to do then,” she said. “When I meet Severus tomorrow night in the library, I suppose it’s not so bad if I just sit and talk to him—try to find out what he knows.”

“And it’s not as though you don’t like Sna—Severus, either, so you’re not really lying,” Alice reasoned.

Amelia started to say something, but before she could, there was a stampeding sound on the staircase, followed by the unmistakable giggling of Kaylie Lynch. “Looks like Kaylie and Desdamona are back,” Lily said, standing up and picking up her wand, which had landed halfway underneath her bed when she’d thrown her bag down. “I’m going down to the common room.”

“The common room?” Alice asked as the door to their room flew open and Kaylie and Desdamona came piling in.

“Yes,” Lily confirmed. “I need to talk to Potter.” She walked quickly into the stairway, shutting the door behind her.

Feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=8&pp=30)

Grrrrrrr....... You all know the drill. *sigh* Double post. I think I'm going to have to stop posting from work. This computer always seems to screw things up lately!

Once again, didn't bump to the top. No idea what's wrong with my comp. Or the site. Whichever.

Thanks to everyone for reading and writing.

Assai: Yes, I'm afraid that there's an issue with my comp. *shrugs* Hopefully the double posting won't happen again! What you are wondering about Lupin is right on. There had to have been a reason that Sirius didn't trust Remus not to be a spy for Voldemort. I've introduced an element of doubt into their relationship. I plan for their to be more about that tension from time to time in the future. As for Lily's knowledge of Lupin, she hasn't figured it out just yet. When she does, you all will know.

miri: Don't worry. It's good to have you to intimidate me. It makes me more careful in my writing. And I'm more aware of plot holes and things. I imagine that you're a fantastic beta-reader, as well. I agree that the other Marauders are being really harsh, but...Sirius is rash. And he has a temper. He'll calm down, though. He always does.

cmc: Thank you! It's great to have you reading.

rupert: So you think Lily shouldn't use Snape that way, huh? Well, I can't say she won't struggle with the ethics of that choice. I hope you like the Lily/Potter meeting!

And now, a nice long update for you all! I had to post it in 2 parts becuase it wouldn't post. The link to feedback is at the bottom of the second post.

Part 35: Conversing with Potter

When Lily reached the common room, she scanned the area quickly and determined that it was completely devoid of Marauders. Not even Remus, it appeared, had decided to remain in Gryffindor Tower that evening. She checked her watch and then set off for the library. It was the only place within the castle that she knew the Marauders had been frequenting this year, usually hidden behind a stack of books at a desk by a window. As she made her way to the library, she rehearsed what she was going to say in her head.

“Potter, the vision of me marrying Snape wasn’t real. I only pretended it was because it seemed to bother you so much. I am going to meet him in the library tomorrow, but don’t you go and ruin it. I’m trying to get information about Malfoy, so you need to give me a chance.”

That seemed to say everything she needed to say. Of course, it didn’t answer the questions that had been nagging at her since she’d run into Severus on the landing a few hours before.

Was it really only a few hours ago?

So much had happened that she felt like she’d lived through several months since then.

And now I have a date. No…it’s not a date. Severus only said it to bother Potter.

Lily ignored the tinge of disappointment that washed over her as she corrected herself.

And he succeeded brilliantly. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen him so upset! But why? Why does it bother him so much? Why should he care?

She just didn’t get it.

The only possible explanation was that he liked her, and that didn’t make sense. If he liked her, then why had he treated her the way he had?

When you like someone, you don’t go out of your way to make them cry, she added to herself, as though that settled the matter.

When she arrived at the library, she opened the heavy door and paused for a moment to look around the place in which she had spent more time this year than any other. Off to the left, there were students of all ages and sizes crowded around a row of tables on which quills were scrawling rapidly across rolls of parchment without the benefit of a hand to guide them. The tables contained the records of all of the books housed in the library, and students could use them to search the library’s collection in any number of ways, from keyword to subject to author. Students simply had to tap the table with their wand, and say what they were searching for, and the quill scribbled out a list with all books that fit the search criteria.

The library is certainly busy tonight!

Lily thought as her gaze continued down the row of search-tables, all of which were full. She stifled a laugh as her gaze fell on a panic-stricken first-year standing beside a roll of parchment that was at least 7 feet long, and growing. He had pulled out his wand, and was now tapping the table with it, commanding the desk to “Stop! Stop!” apparently not realizing that the quill interpreted his action as a request for a list of all books in the library which contained a reference to “stopping”. Lily allowed a small laugh to escape before she strode over to the boy, and reached out to grab his wand.

“You’re just making it worse,” she said gently as the startled boy glanced up at her, and Lily did a double take. “You’re Black’s brother, aren’t you?” she asked, recognizing the boy as the one the Marauders had teased in the entrance hall. The boy was smaller even than Petunia, with short dark hair. His eyes were a deep brown, identical in color to his brother’s, but they were missing the depth of character—or perhaps it was the mischievous glint—she had come to know in Black’s.

“Regulus,” the boy said, nodding. “I’ve heard all about you, Evans.” He ran his gaze over Lily, his expression changing to a sneer.

Lily was undaunted. She’d been on the receiving end of too many sneers from Slytherins to be intimidated by a first-year smaller than her younger sister. “Have you?” she asked flippantly. “Then I expect that you’ve heard of my familiarity with the library search quills. By tapping the desk and saying stop, you’re telling it to search for all books that reference the word.”

The boy looked surprised for a moment, the flush on his cheeks returning. “I meant to look for that,” he said sullenly. “I didn’t—,”

“Look,” Lily interrupted, “I know you’re a tough Slytherin and all that, and you would rather die than admit that a Muggle-born knows something you don’t. But, as none of your friends are around to see you fraternizing with me, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Why don’t you just let me tell you how to end the search if you’ve found enough? Unless, that is, you need nine feet of parchment referencing the word ‘stop.’”

The boy looked beyond Lily, as though confirming her assertion that nobody had noticed he was speaking with her, before answering. “All right,” he said, as the quill continued to scratch noisily in the background. “I expect you’re right, so if you want to tell it to end the search, go right ahead.” He waved his hand carelessly toward the desk, then stood back to watch Lily.

Instead of pulling out her wand and tapping the parchment, Lily simply grasped the parchment where it was touching the edge of the desk, and tugged slightly. The quill finished scratching out its reference, and then the parchment unrolled a little bit more and ripped off, fluttering softly to the floor. The parchment containing references to whatever it was Regulus had been searching for originally, and the numerous searches for “stop” that he’d unknowingly conducted, rolled itself neatly up. The roll of parchment attached to the desk rolled out a new clean sheet and the quill returned to hover complacently at the top, waiting patiently to start writing out the next student’s search.

“There you are,” Lily said, reaching down and picking up the results of Regulus’s search. “And just out of curiosity, you haven’t seen your brother lately, have you?” she asked. She figured that finding Black was just as good as finding Potter. Where one was, the other would undoubtedly be.

“Sirius?” Regulus asked, taking the roll of parchment from her.

“Unless you have another brother?” Lily teased gently.

Regulus flushed again. “Last I saw him, he was over by the Restricted Section, threatening to use some hex on me that even mum would be proud of.” Regulus scowled in the direction of the Restricted Section before setting off, backpack in tow.

“Don’t know why I expected a ‘thank you’,” Lily said quietly to herself. “I’ve dealt with enough Slytherins to know that it’s not in their vocabulary.” She steadfastly ignored the voice in her head reminding her that there was one Slytherin who had recently said the very phrase to her, while she’d never heard it in conversation with a certain Gryffindor, as she set off toward the Restricted Section in the direction that Regulus had indicated.

Lily’s initial impression that the library was extremely busy tonight was proving to hold true as she made her way through the stacks in search of Black or the other Marauders. At nearly every table students were huddled around newspapers or schoolbooks, talking and laughing, or playing games. She maneuvered quickly through the crowds, trying to ignore the funny looks that were being occasionally shot in her direction. As she drew nearer to the Restricted Section, an odd noise met her ears. Lily turned the corner, wondering what it might be, and found herself at the back of a small crowd that had formed around Madam Pince. She stood on tip-toe and saw the librarian, wand out, attempting to stun what Lily thought at first was a bird, and then realized was actually a book.

The book was flapping around noisily, shrieking, and dancing out of Madam Pince’s line of fire every time she shot a spell at it. As a result, her spells were bouncing off of the nearby bookshelves, sending books cascading to the floor, and drawing Madam Pince’s attention from the shrieking book in the air to the books falling to the floor. Whenever her attention was turned away from it, the book took the opportunity to dive bomb the librarian, who had to drop onto the floor to avoid being hit in the head.

Lily’s eyes were drawn from the spectacle in front of her, to movement in the crowd of students standing across from her, and she saw Black slipping quietly away from the crowd. Lily turned to leave, hoping to cut him off, and realized that more students had filled in behind her. By the time she had finally succeeded in pushing her way out of the crowd, Black was nowhere to be seen. Her watch alarm chimed—she’d charmed it to remind her when it was fifteen minutes to curfew so that she was never out after hours—and she sighed heavily. Apparently, she’d have to wait for Black, Potter and Pettigrew to return to the common room before she’d have the opportunity to talk to them.

Lily reached the portrait of the fat lady a few minutes later. “Going to curse at me again, young miss?” the fat lady asked huffily, not meeting Lily’s gaze.

Lily flushed and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I was pre-occupied.”

“Yes, well,” the fat lady said, lifting her tissue to her eye and daubing at it dramatically, “I ought to find something to ‘pre-occupy’ myself, so that you can’t get in, and then maybe you’ll understand what it’s like. Why, I’ve never—” The fat lady launched into a tirade, and Lily did her best to appear chastened, but she was fast growing tired of the lecture.

“Brie cheese,” she finally interrupted.

“Eh?” said the fat lady, who had just been going into the punishments she’d have received as a child for using ‘that kind’ of language around an adult. “Oh, right. I expect you’ll treat me with more respect next time,” she said, swinging open, and Lily crawled through the portrait hole with a sigh.

The noise level in the common room dropped off dramatically as she entered, and she tried to brush of the persistent notion that she had been the subject of most of the conversations ongoing when she’d arrived. She spotted Black sitting with Pettigrew and a group of Gryffindor girls who, from the looks of things, were laughing at something that Black had just said. Pettigrew was laughing and clutching his side, and looked as though he was about fall off of his chair.

“And so I say,” Black said, also laughing, “‘Charmed the book, Madam Pince? You know I’m not good with Charms.’ And she looks right at me and says ‘I know you’re good at whatever you put your mind to, Sirius Black, but I’ll take your word if you look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t charm that book.’ So I looked her in the eye, and I told her, and I didn’t even have to lie, because I hadn’t charmed the book. I was trying to transfigure it, and hadn’t quite finished the transfiguration when she caught me!”

The girls, Pettigrew and Black all burst into fresh laughter. “Too bad Jamesy wasn’t there, he’d have…” Black’s voice trailed off, his good natured grin slipping from his face when he noticed Lily approaching him.

“Evans,” he said coolly, all traces of laughter gone from his eyes.

“Black,” Lily responded, just as coolly, intentionally ignoring the girls sitting around Black, who were all wearing identical glares of dislike. “I’m looking for Potter, have you seen him?”

“He’s in the dor—” Pettigrew began before Black cut him off.

“That’s a dumb question, Evans. Of course I’ve seen him. He’s about this tall,” Black held his hand up to indicate Potter’s height, “black hair, brown eyes, and oh yes, most importantly, completely unwilling to speak to you at the moment.”

Lily sighed. “Well, thanks for the help, Black,” she said sarcastically. “Tell me, what do I have to do to make YOU completely unwilling to speak to me? I’ve been trying for that all year, but you can’t seem to take a hint.” She smiled sweetly at Black, who was giving her an indiscernible look, before turning to Pettigrew. “In the dormitory, did you say?” Pettigrew nodded, and then yelped in pain as Black elbowed him hard in the stomach. “Thank you.”

“Hey, you can’t go up there!” Black yelled out. When she whirled around to face him again, he had crossed the distance of the common room, and grabbed for her arm to stop her.

She jerked her arm free, and pointed her wand at Black’s books. “I’m going, and you can’t stop me,” she said simply.

“Can’t I?” Black asked, reaching for his wand.

Before he could get it out of his robes, however, Lily waved her wand in an m-shaped motion, and said “fuga avitus”. The largest book on Black’s pile took flight, its pages flapping as it flew directly at him. He glanced at the book and then back to Lily in shock, before diving out of the way as the book flew at his head. The book went soaring past him before doing a wide u-turn, and again flying at Black, who tugged on his wand, trying to get it unstuck from his robes. Lily, her path to the boys’ dormitory now clear, smiled smugly, and continued toward the steps.

She paused and turned around at the bottom of the stairwell, stifling her laughter as the book anticipated Black’s next move, and caught him square in the back, sending him falling to the ground. Pettigrew had his wand out, and was aiming it at the book, attempting to stun it, his efforts about as effective as Madam Pince’s had been earlier. If he carried on that way, he was no doubt going to stun another student, if not Black himself.

“Thanks for the great idea, Black!” she said, turning and setting off up the boys’ dormitory to speak to Potter. “I’d say the charm is just as effective as the partial transfiguration!”

Conversing with Potter (continued)

She walked slowly up the stairs, looking into each door for some indication as to which room belonged to the Marauders, as there were no names on the doors indicating to whom they belonged. As she neared the top, Lily was giving up hope of figuring out which room belonged to the Marauders just by sight. At the second to the last door, she looked inside, and took a deep breath as her stomach started to churn nervoulsy. This had to be it.

She stepped inside, and closed the door behind her, trying to ignore the musty smell that greeted her. The closets were all open, robes, socks, and even a pair of knickers, were spilling out onto the floor. Some sparks whizzed around the room, most likely, Lily thought, the remnant of a Fillibuster firework, and on four of the desks sat an identical picture—Pettigrew, Remus, Potter and Black out on the Quidditch field, smiling and waving merrily at the camera. On the fifth desk was a picture of Lily, Alice, Amelia and Frank that had been taken on the return trip to London at the end of the previous term.

The curtains of four of the five beds were sitting open, revealing unmade beds. Lily glanced at the fifth, which had the curtains drawn tightly around it, and sat down on the bed opposite, trying to think of what to say. “Potter?” she asked finally.

There was a loud thump, as though Potter had sat up too quickly and knocked his head on something, followed by an “Ouch!” before a muffled voice said, “Evans? What are you doing here! You’re going to get us both into trouble”

That was a good point, but now that she was here, she wasn’t about to leave without saying what she’d come there to say. “Since when have you ever cared about getting into trouble?” Lily asked.

“Clever, Evans,” Potter responded. “If you’ve come here just to insult me, then get out!”

“I’m not here just to insult you,” Lily said, enjoying the conversation in spite of herself. “That’s just an added perk. I need to talk to you.”

“Didn’t Siri tell you that I’m not talking to you right now?” the sullen voice answered.

Lily glared at the curtains, her nerves about being in the boys’ dormitory to actually seek out Potter, of all people, rapidly being overtaken by the familiar annoyance that seemed to accompany all conversations with him. “He did,” she agreed. “Unfortunately for both of you, I’m a bit stubborn, and there was something that I wanted to tell you, so I coerced Pettigrew into giving up your position.”

Potter snorted. “Coerced?” he asked, curtains still closed tightly, obscuring him. “That’s a word for ‘Petey can’t keep a secret’ that I’ve never heard before.”

“Yes, well…It was more like Pettigrew volunteered than I coerced him,” Lily agreed with a laugh. There was rustling on the bed across from her.

“All right,” Potter said, the sulky tone back in his voice. “You’re proven your point, you’ve found me.” The curtains opened, revealing Potter sitting in front of her, hair standing up everywhere, and robes askew, broomstick, polish and a rag lying beside him. Lily guessed that it had been what he’d knocked his head on when she’d first arrived, and had to stifle the giggle that threatened to erupt at the image. He gazed at her for a long moment. “Did you come here to rub it in my face that you’re destined to marry my mortal enemy, Evans?”

Lily met Potter’s eyes for a moment, the suspicion from earlier coming back stronger than ever.

Why does my liking Snape bother him so much? The only reason it should is if he…if he…likes me.

But as soon as she’d allowed herself to think it, she immediately started denying it.

If he likes me, then why has he made it his priority to torture me this year?

If he doesn’t like you, then why did he want you to kiss him last year?

So he could tease me about it! She answered, but there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Potter had to like her. It was the only logical explanation that Lily could come up with for his behavior today, and if there was one thing that Lily could understand, it was logic. It didn’t matter that his other behavior completely contradicted the conclusion she’d just drawn, she somehow knew that she was right even as she probed Potter’s eyes for some evidence that she was mistaken. She didn’t find it, and her eyes widened in surprise as her suspicion was confirmed.

He flushed, then picked up the broomstick and began polishing it roughly with the rag. “Well?” he demanded. “Is that what you’re here for?”

“No,” she answered, ignoring the butterflies that had suddenly erupted in her stomach. His question reminded her of the reason that she was there, and with her newfound knowledge of Potter’s feelings toward her, the conversation no longer seemed harmless and straight-forward. “I came up here to tell you that the vision was a fake, Potter. It was all a part of the prank. I don’t know why it bothers you so much to think that I might marry him, but—”

“I already know it’s a fake,” he said dismissively, the tinge disappearing from his cheeks. He set the broomstick aside, and when his eyes met hers again, a cool look obscured from Lily’s view whatever emotions he was feeling. “Remmy told me—you saw the row we were having. And I’ve already explained the reason I don’t want you around Snape, haven’t I?” he added petulantly. “He hates muggle-borns, Lily, and You. Are. A. Muggle. Born.” He said each word slowly for emphasis.

“Then why’s he been so nice to me?” she queried.

“To bother me,” Potter said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, I see,” Lily said, somewhat stiffly, her temper flaring yet again. “Because that’s the only possible explanation for someone liking me.”

Potter sighed. “No, Lily. It’s the only possible explanation for HIM liking you. And I can’t believe that you’re willingly associating yourself with someone who put your best friend in the hospital last year!”

“He didn’t put my best friend in the hospital last year, Potter. His two friends did. He was trying to stop them.”

“Oh, well that makes it much better then,” Potter said, smiling dryly. “It was just his friends. Well, I’m sure that who a person chooses for friends says nothing at all about the type of person he is.”

“We don’t hold it against Remus that he’s friends with you,” Lily countered, using the same defense that had worked so well on Alice and Amelia.

“I’ve never put any of your friends in the hospital for two weeks, Evans! You may not like me, but there’s no way you can compare me to LeStrange and Bellatrix Black!” He glared at her as though daring her to disagree.

Lily gaped at him for a moment. She hadn’t really thought of it that way. “Fine,” she said, standing up. “Fine. You don’t have to like it that I have a friendship with him, Potter. Do you know why? Because it’s not your business.”

“Fine,” he agreed, flopping back on the bed. “It’s not my business. It’s all a moot point anyway, isn’t it?”

“Why’s that?” Lily asked, not following Potter’s line of thought.

“Because,” he answered, “the vision wasn’t real. I know that now. There’s no reason for you to carry on this ‘charade’ with Snape, and meet him in the library tomorrow.”

“Who said I’m not going to meet him?” Lily asked, irritated. She now knew that the reason for Potter’s annoyance at her friendship with Snape was jealousy, but the fact remained that he did not have the right to tell her who she could and could not be friends with. That was something that he was going to have to learn.

“You did,” he said.

“No, I didn’t,” she corrected.

Potter sat up quickly. “What do you mean, you didn’t? You said you weren’t going to marry him.”

Lily stood up and smiled slightly at Potter, some part of her enjoying his discomfort. “I said I wasn’t destined to marry him,” she agreed walking over to the door of the room before turning around to look at him again. “But I never said that I don’t like him.”

She spun around and bounded down the stairs without even waiting for Potter’s response.

Feedback (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=8&pp=30)

Before I begin, I just want to share something that amused me. I just had to set up a new webpost account to host my Gryffindor Princesses flashy-thingy because my current webpost account has the letters "**" in them, and the censor on the site took the ** and replaced it with ** so the url wouldn't work. *rolls eyes* I mean, I know it's here for the protection of kids and everything, but honestly! It's my intials people! (yes, my initials are **. Hush, all of you!)

Anyway, to the thanks...

Rupertlvr: Sorry! I didn't intend that to be a cliffhanger. The butterflies in her stomach were probably because she was in the boy's dorm, and she knew that wasn't allowed. After all, Lils likes to follow the rules. And she doesn't like Potter at this point. :)

Assai: It is frustrating. And yes, 4 years, but I wrote the James shorty so that you could all get a little L/J romantic fluff before Year 7 arrives for Lily. Yes, she did forget to tell James that she was actually spying on Severus. Either she "forgot" intentionally, or it was just overlooked in the heat of the moment, but either way, at this point, she doesn't know. Why I chose Lily's dad's name to be Harry was that I needed a name, and that seemed as good as any. Regarding Vernon's forgetting the name of baby Harry, I'd leave that as Vernon simply not paying attention to what Lily and James named their child. Why would he care, honestly? He probably just heard it and forgot that baby Harry was named after his grandfather.

miri: Thank you! I had to allow Lily to have a little bit of fun, didn't it? You can actually thank my beta (cheeringcharm) for that. She begged me to allow Lily to have a bit of fun, and so I conceded and let her get one over on Sirius. As for why Sirius was threatening Regulus, while I don't know the answer, I suspect it was simply that Sirius was giving his brother a hard time. He doesn't seem to like/respect Regulus very much in OotP, so I figured that probably started when they were young, Regulus being the golden child and all, and Sirius being the outcast. Probably a bit of jealousy there, as well. I love this: Still, James can now say he and the girl of his dreams have spent time alone together in his bedroom while he polished his broomstick... *snickers*

That bit was so, so funny I'm fairly certain Lily caught the euphenism too?
****. Too funny! :rotfl:

One quick note to give credit where credit is due: The idea of the pureblood's reasoning for wanting to keep muggleborns out of Hogwarts and out of their world came from Jadealinda, a wonderful author on the Snitch, in her incredible original character, parallel story fic, Born of Evil, the Story of Aurielle LeStrange. I simply borrowed it because I loved her reasoning, and it gives Amelia something to rant about. Also, a huge thanks to my beta and secret keeper, cheeringcharm, for being a fantastic beta and an awesome friend (even if I completely failed her challenge to finish the outline for this story by Sunday. *sigh*).

Part 36: At Breakfast

“What in the bloody hell was I thinking?” Lily whispered quietly, staring at the darkened canopy of her bed and trying to ignore the sensation that a herd of wild nifflers was stampeding through her stomach. “I can’t fool Severus into giving information to me. It’s not as though I can just waltz into the library and say ‘Hey Severus, just out of curiosity, you don’t happen to know if Tom Riddle knows about my sight, do you? And, oh, by the way, is your friend Lucius plotting to kill me?’”

The more Lily thought about it, the more absurd the entire plan seemed. The plot would be tricky to pull off, even for a good liar. Although she’d gotten better at it this year, Lily was not, by any stretch of the imagination, good at deceiving anybody, least of all herself, which is why she hadn’t slept well last night. Most of her wanted to be successful in this endeavor; she really did want to find out what Riddle had planned. But she could not completely escape the realization that if she were successful—as unlikely as that may be—she would end up hurting Severus, something she did not want to do. Whether that did or didn’t make any sense no longer made any difference to Lily. Sometime in the darkest hours of the night she had finally admitted that she did have a small and growing crush on Severus Snape, and that tiny but vocal part of her was loathe to hurt him, and ruin any chance they might have for a friendship. And yet she couldn’t pull out, because she may never have another opportunity like this, and the chance that she would find out something useful was too great for her to cancel her date that evening.

It was a classic Catch-22.

Rustling noises from Alice’s and Amelia’s beds let her know that her friends were awake, but she didn’t move just yet. On any other day, she’d already be downstairs, waiting for them, but she had been avoiding the Gryffindor common room in the vain hope that if she did not make an appearance this morning, discussion about her relationship with Severus would die out. Of course, logically Lily knew that the gossip surrounding herself and Severus would not end overnight; still she wasn’t quite ready to deal with the whispering and stares that were sure to be directed her way as soon as she ventured out of the seclusion of her room. Now that Alice and Amelia were awake, she wasn’t going to be able to skip breakfast and simply meet them at their first class, as she had hoped. They would insist that she join them in the Great Hall, and she knew that they would point out to her that if she were going to go through with this charade, she would have to get used to the gossip that was sure to follow. And she couldn’t argue with them. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin was a curiosity that most of Hogwarts would not be able to resist discussing. She wondered briefly if Severus, who had been so quick to condemn her failure to think through the consequences of her actions when she had pretended to prophesy their marriage, had realized what he was getting into when he had kissed her in the hall. Surely he knew that James wouldn’t keep that type of thing quiet—

“Are you sick, Lils?” Alice’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and Lily smiled slightly.

“No, I’m fine,” Lily responded, resisting the temptation to answer affirmatively, and spend the day in the seclusion of her bed. “I just decided to try ‘sleeping in’ and see why you and Amelia make such a fuss about it,” she added, pulling her curtains open and swinging her legs over the side of her bed. “I have to admit that I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“That’s because,” Amelia said, emerging from behind her curtains and yawning, “you didn’t actually sleep. In order to understand why sleeping in is such a wonderful thing, you actually have to stay asleep past 6 am. Sitting in your bed talking to yourself doesn’t count. And for the record, I don’t think asking whether or not Lucius is planning to kill you is your best bet in getting the information that you require from our dear friend Severus.”

Lily paused to stare at Amelia. “You were awake?” she asked.

Amelia rolled her eyes. “Yes,” Amelia answered. “And just to remind you, the curtains around our bed frames are not walls. You might consider putting a sound-proofing charm around your bed next time you’re going to talk to yourself.”

“Couldn’t you sleep, either?”

Amelia shrugged. “I might have been able to, had I tried. But I didn’t, as it turns out. I waited up in the common room for Remus.”

“Didn’t he come back last night?” Lily asked, feeling slightly guilty that she had been too excited about the victory she’d scored in her exchange with Potter to even notice that he was still absent from the common room when she had gone upstairs to write Petunia.

“No,” Alice responded, “I wonder if he didn’t get sick again? He was looking really pale and tired last night, even before the big fight.”

“I was worried about that, too, but when she returned from hall patrol, Andromeda said he wasn’t in the infirmary. I stayed up to wait for him, thinking he might want to talk, but he didn’t come back. I finally gave up around 5:30, and then Lily kept me up, talking to herself.”

“You’re certainly getting bold lately!” Alice exclaimed. “Our ickle Amelia is all growed up…waiting by herself in the common room to talk to the boy she’s going to marry and—”

Alice was cut off by the pillow that Amelia had thrown at her head. “I’m not going to marry him, Alice.” She sighed heavily and sat back down on the side of her bed. “He’d have to notice me before he could propose, and that will never happen. The point is, Remus didn’t come back to Gryffindor Tower last night. I don’t know what happened to him.”

Alice and Lily both stopped laughing. “Where do you suppose he was, then?”

“I’ve no idea,” Amelia answered. She sighed again. “I suppose we’d better get ready for breakfast, or we’re going to miss it.”

“I can’t say I’d mind that,” Lily responded dryly.

Alice gave her a sympathetic look. “It’ll get better with time, Lils,” she reassured her.

“No,” Lily answered, “it won’t. But I can’t avoid it forever. Come on, let’s get ready.”

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

Twenty minutes later, the girls arrived at the Great Hall. When Lily walked in, all talking at the Slytherin table ceased, and every face at the table fixed her with a glare that Lily was quite surprised didn’t kill her. Apparently all of Slytherin house had heard about her “date” with Severus, and were not pleased. Lily’s eyes scanned the length of the table. Severus was not there, and she wondered briefly where he was, before her attention was shifted to Gryffindor table, which she suddenly realized had also grown quiet. The eyes of Slytherin were no longer upon her, as their gazes were now shifted toward the Gryffindor table, which stared back as one, unblinking. For a moment, it seemed as though a fight might break out among the tables, but the clattering of heels on tile indicated the presence of Professor McGonagall, who was striding briskly toward her house’s table. At the sight of their head of house, most Gryffindors went back to talking and eating. The noise level at the Slytherin table was also reverting to normal, and another glance in their direction confirmed that Professor Amos was now strolling along the Slytherin table, making sure that none of his students decided to start a fight.

A searing heat begin creeping across Lily’s face, from her cheeks, across her nose, and all the way to the tip of her ears, until she was certain that the fiery red of her skin was now indistinguishable from the flames in her hair. She hunched her shoulders, and moved her eyes toward the ground, trying her best to blend in with the wall as the three girls quickly found seats next to Frank, and began serving themselves breakfast. Her eyes scanned the table, searching for Remus, and she was slightly startled to find that none of the four Marauders were there.

While they ate, Lily noticed that every few minutes, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor would engage in a staring contest, as if reminding the rest of Hogwarts that while one member of each of their houses might have gone temporarily insane and decided to be friendly with one another, the enmity and rivalry that had existed between the two houses since the founding of Hogwarts was not forgotten, though Lily thought it would certainly be better if it had been. The mail arrived a short time later, pulling Lily’s thoughts from the silent war now being waged between her house and Slytherin to the owls swooping overhead. Not expecting anything, she returned her attention to her plate, and was startled when an unfamiliar owl landed softly on her shoulder with a small hoot. She quickly untied the letter from its leg, and gave it a piece of bacon rind before it went soaring toward the open window of the Great Hall once more.

“Didn't you just get an owl from your folks?” Alice asked, taking a bite of sausage and sorting through her own pile of mail. “Oh, good! Grandpa’s finally written back. I’ve been waiting for his letter!”

“Who’s it from, Lils?” Amelia asked absently, unrolling the Daily Prophet and beginning to peruse the headlines.

“I dunno,” Lily said, examining the envelope. She didn’t recognize the neatly slanted writing on the front that read “Lily Evans, Gryffindor Table, Great Hall, Hogwarts”.

Lily tapped the envelope with her wand. It slit open neatly, and she pulled out the letter. After she unfolded it, she quickly skimmed the writing, and then folded it back up and returned the letter to its envelope.

“Did your grandpa have any interesting news, Alice?” she asked, hoping that her friends would forget about the letter.

“Grandpa always has interesting news, Lily,” Alice said with a smile. “Nothing regarding the actions of You-Know-Who, though.”

The girls had decided it was better not to say the name of Tom Riddle in public, so as not to reveal the fact that they knew about the dark wizard. Unable to come up with a suitable nickname—Alice had suggested TR, but Lily thought that even his initials were risky—they simply decided to use “You-Know-Who”. If anyone overheard them, they would just assume that the girls were talking about a crush or something equally innocuous.

“It’s almost like he’s dropped off the face of the earth,” Alice added. “After all of the activity that went on last year, there’s just no trace of him this year.”

“Well that’s good news then, isn’t it?” Lily asked. “I mean, maybe he was so disheartened after his failure that he’s given up.”

“Not likely, Lily,” Amelia said, throwing the paper down. “I can’t believe the stuff that’s passing as legitimate legislation this year!”

Lily and Alice glanced at one another, and then did their best to appear interested. “What’s going on now, Amelia?” Alice asked.

“The wizengamot is considering a bill to keep muggle-borns from working at the Ministry. That’s sheer brilliance, that plan is. Chuck all of the muggle-borns out of the Ministry and you’ve lost half your work force. Don’t these people think?”

Alice shook her head. “No,” she said. “That’s why they’re so scary. They ‘feel’ what they’re doing is best for wizard-kind, but they don’t stop to think through what it would really mean to do what they're proposing.”

Amelia snorted again. “Tell me about it. I mean, they say that we shouldn’t admit muggle-borns into our world, because with every muggle-born admitted, we are exposing our world to muggles, and risking the greater world discovering us, but do they think that muggles don’t notice when their child ‘accidentally’ uses their magical powers? Imagine an adult with as much magical ability as Lily who hasn’t had it trained! They’d cause major magical accidents whenever they experience strong emotions. Do they think the muggles won’t notice that? And then you’re talking every muggle in the area at the time, not just the two or three in the muggle-born’s family. It wouldn’t be very long before the muggle scientists started a full investigation into the phenomena, and don’t think that they…”

Lily didn’t hear the rest of Amelia’s rant, however, because she was thinking about what had just been said regarding muggle-borns who are unaware of their ability using magic when they got emotional. It was true. When she was younger, her magical ability had manifested itself only when she’d been experiencing very strong emotions. This lent credence to the emotion/magic theory that she’d read about awhile back, and she reminded herself to get back to the library to do more research on the topic. At the moment, however, they needed to get to class. They would be late if they didn’t hurry.

“It is ridiculous,” she agreed, picking up her backpack and standing up, determinedly ignoring the stares that were still being directed at her by the other Gryffindors sitting nearby, “but we don’t have the time to convince anyone of that at the moment. We’re going to be late for class.” Asking herself again what in the bloody hell she was thinking by carrying on the charade with Severus—for she had decided during breakfast that she wasn’t going to back out—she tucked his letter into her robe pocket, and began the trek out of the Great Hall.


Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=9&pp=30)

Thank you all so much for your responses.

Nys: I can't claim credit for the explanation of pure-blood reasoning. That comes from Jadealinda, author of "Born of Evil" and "His Mother's Blood" on the Snitch. She's amazing. I recommend reading her writing if you ever find yourself on the Snitch.

miri: Thank you. The stare-off was a lot of fun to write. I could picture it in my head and I had a grand time choosing just the right words to describe it.

Twisted Rose: Welcome back! It's great to see your smiling face (er....happy writing) again. I like your insight about boys and girls communication styles. You're quite right that women can rage cold wars that go on forever and the boys have no clue that they're happening! As for the letter from Snape, who said it was a love letter? *smiles* I never did. I loved your little commercial thing, by the way. It cracked me up. If I have your permission, I may just add it to my signature. (I'll give you credit, of course!)

And I want to commend you all for reading carefully enough that you picked up that the letter was from Severus. I thought it was reasonably obvious by my last line, but you wouldn't believe the number of readers who posted "I can't wait to find out who sent the letter!" on the other sites I post on. I had to post a separate post explaining that it was Severus, and then pointing out where I'd told them. But you all caught it, as I knew you would! You always seem to catch things my other readers, wonderful though they are, miss.

Part 37: The Astronomy Tower (Part 1)

If the atmosphere in the halls was any indication, their Heads of House had not diffused the tension between Slytherin and Gryffindor at breakfast. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff seemed to have noticed, and were looking about warily, moving aside quickly whenever a Slytherin and a Gryffindor passed in close proximity to one another. With the exception of a few minor scuffles here and there, however, the two houses appeared to be maintaining a cold war strategy to deal with the embarrassment caused by their “rebel” members.

Whenever they had to be in the halls, however, Lily, Alice and Amelia all kept their eyes open for potential trouble, well aware that Lily, at the center of the controversy, was certain to be a target for the Slytherins. Nothing happened until that afternoon, as they were making their way to Transfiguration.

“I can’t figure out what amazes me more,” the voice of Bellatrix Black growled. Lily spun around and found her leaning casually against a statue of a wizard stepping triumphantly on the slain body of what could only be the mythical crumple-horned snorkack. Bellatrix pushed away from the wizard and took a few steps toward Lily, Avery and LeStrange flanking her. “That the mudblood Evans thinks she has a chance with Severus, or that Severus is playing along with this ridiculous charade.”

In the blink of an eye, Alice’s wand was out and trained on Bellatrix. “I haven’t forgotten that you put me in the hospital last year, Black,” she said quietly. “I’m more than happy to return the favor. Just give me a reason.”

Bellatrix’s fake laugh echoed in the hallway. “Do you hear that, boys? Ickle Alice Parker thinks she can put me in the hospital!” Avery and LeStrange laughed. Bellatrix’s eyes narrowed and she took another step toward Alice. Alice’s wand didn’t waver. “This isn’t about you and me, Parker,” she hissed. “If you want a chance to settle our score, I’d be happy to grant it, but first I have some business to take care of with the mudblood.”

“That seems like as good a reason as any,” Alice said with a smirk. Bellatrix reached for her wand but before she could get it, a wave of Alice’s wand sent her flying across the room and slamming hard into the statue against which she had been leaning moments earlier. Alice walked over to where Bellatrix was now lying, and whispered something to her before turning around, and continuing toward the Transfiguration classroom, leaving Bellatrix sputtering furiously as she tried to stand up and collect herself.

“What did you say to her?” Amelia asked, hurrying to keep up with Alice’s stride.

“I just told her that the next time she uses that word to describe Lily, I won’t be so gentle.”

“Which hex did you use?” Lily asked curiously. She briefly considered chastising Alice for cursing Bellatrix first, but since the Slytherin’s intentions to harm either Alice or herself were clear, she dismissed the notion. In truth, she found herself wishing slightly that she could hex someone like that without a second thought as to the consequences she might incur.

“It wasn’t a hex, technically speaking, Lils,” Alice said. “I’m actually surprised you didn’t recognize the wand movement. It was a simple banishing charm. I just ‘accidentally’ banished her into the statue is all.”

Lily laughed in spite of herself. “I thought it looked familiar,” she replied. “Clever.”

Alice beamed. “Thanks. My grandfather taught me that sometimes the simplest spells are the most effective. In this case, there are no residual effects from a banishing spell, so if she complains to a teacher, she’ll have no proof that I even hexed her at all,” she explained as they arrived at the Transfiguration classroom.

Once inside, they found three of the four Marauders already occupying desks near the front. Remus had not shown up for class that morning, and by the looks of things, he was still missing. Lily felt the beginnings of uneasiness begin to stir in heart as she wondered where he had disappeared to.

Apparently, Amelia was having the same thoughts. “Just look at them,” she hissed, nodding her head in the boys’ direction. “They don’t even seem concerned at all with Remus’s absence, do they? Talking and laughing like he hasn’t been missing all night last night and all day today!”

Potter, Black and Pettigrew looked up as though they knew that the girls had been talking about them. Black and Pettigrew were directing the usual disdainful glares their way, but as had been the case all day, it was Potter’s eyes that gave Lily pause. They were still completely expressionless when they met hers, and she sighed. Whatever he might think, she hadn’t meant to hurt him by all of this. Perhaps she shouldn’t have taunted Potter with her date, but at least she had told him the truth. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said that she liked Severus, and she couldn’t help the fact that Potter liked her—which was a weird subject in and of itself to think of. So, like she had every time her mind had wandered to the subject, she quickly thought about something else. And, as it had every time last night, her mind latched upon the enigmatic Slytherin for whom she had developed the most unlikely affection.

More precisely, at the moment, she was thinking of his letter, which was still tucked safely within the pockets of her robes. It had been rather short and to the point, but she’d have been surprised if correspondence from Severus had been anything but. He’d simply informed her that he did, in fact, intend to meet her tonight and that it hadn’t just been a bluff in front of Potter, but that he wanted to switch the venue from the library (since the Marauders knew about it and would most likely try to interrupt their date) to the astronomy tower. She had to hand it to Severus, he certainly knew the Marauders very well. There was no doubt in her mind that Potter would just “happen” to be in the library tonight, looking for her. He’d never suspect that they’d move the location of their meeting.

Still, she wondered why Severus wanted to meet her that night, anyway. Obviously, it wasn’t just to fool Potter. If it were, he’d want to make sure that Potter saw the two of them together. He had to want something else. But what could it be? Lily wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he returned her affections in any way. It was no doubt just to discuss the situation, and plan out their next course of action.

As Lily was mulling over Severus's motivations for meeting her that evening, the Slytherins arrived. Severus was leading the way, followed by Bellatrix, Avery and LeStrange. Their eyes met briefly for a moment before she glanced hastily back at her parchment, trying to soothe the doubts that had reawoken upon seeing him again. There was no way this was going to succeed. She was out of her depth. There was absolutely no way she was going to fool Severus; she was just going to end up ruining the only chance for friendship that she might get with him. But there was no backing out. This was too important.

Come on girl! Are you a Gryffindor, or aren't you? Be brave!

Before she could dwell on her certainty that her little foray into spying was almost certain to go horribly wrong, Professor McGonagall came striding into the classrom and her mind was occupied the rest of the class period by their assignment. McGonagall had decided that it was time for them to start transfiguring small vertebrates, and Lily had been assigned a toad, which she was supposed to be transfiguring into a handbag.

Lily’s toad kept hopping away, making the already difficult transfiguration impossible for her. She was just summoning it back to her for what was probably the tenth time when Potter’s voice cut into her thoughts.

“Since you’re having so much trouble with the Transfiguration,” Potter whispered in her ear, “why don’t you just kiss it? Maybe you’ll get lucky and it will turn into a prince.”

Lily clenched her fist tightly around her wand, only just managing to resist the urge to punch him. With forced calm Lily turned around to face Potter. “Don’t be ridiculous, Potter,” she countered, smiling sweetly, and whispering so that only he could hear her. “If that really worked, then you wouldn’t still be such an annoying little toad.”

Pushing down the feeling of guilt that was rising more quickly than the water in the lake did after a heavy spring rainstorm, Lily turned back to continue with her Transfiguration without waiting for Potter’s reaction.

“Bloody hell,” she mumbled as she realized that her toad had apparently hopped off while she’d been talking. After a quick search of the classroom yielded no sign of the absent amphibian, Lily waved her wand and said, “Accio toad.” Apparently, however, her thoughts were not specific enough, because the toads of all of her classmates, some half-transfigured, came flying toward her. Professor McGonagall hurried over.

“See here, Miss Evans! We are all familiar with your prowess with a summoning charm. You don’t need to demonstrate it for the entire class!”

Behind her, Lily heard the marauders all dissolve into laughter, and Potter’s voice whispering, “I thought you were supposed to be good at Charms.” Lily bit her lip, and did her best to help Professor McGonagall, who was trying to sort out whose toad was whose.

By the time that the mess from Lily’s misdirected summoning charm was cleaned up, the bell had rung, and class had ended. Only dinner remained before the long anticipated date that evening, and Lily didn’t know whether to be excited or sickened by the prospect. All she could think to hope for at the moment was that it would go better than the rest of her day had.


Feedback Thread (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=9&pp=30)

Hi guys! Back after my weekend hiatus.

miri: Hmmm...your observations are, as always, very interesting. I've got an answer for them, and they are contained in the next post! I'm glad you enjoyed the crumple-horned snorkack and banishing charm. That was fun to write. I just love torturing Bella. *points wand at her and makes her tap dance like Anne Margaret*

Assai: They expect you to work? The nerve! (Sidenote: I know the feeling. I hate it when that happens!) Thank you so much for your comment on the details. I do try my best to make it so vivid that it seems like you're watching it instead of reading. As for Snape...you'll have to see where this goes.

rupertlvr: I don't know what to tell you! Are you still havign issues? If so, you can read them on my Yahoo group, or the Snitch.

Twisted Rose: Everyone so suspicious of Snape! Lily doesn't seem concerned, though, does she? Just mildly curious. So you're suspicious that the note is from Snape, too, huh? Hmmm.

WildBlueFlaming: Thank you! I appreciate your comments!

And now, to the next post.

Part 37: The Astronomy Tower (Part 2)

Lily left the Great Hall before most of the school was finished eating, hoping not to attract the attention of her housemates as she left. Although he had attended classes that afternoon, Severus had once again opted out of dining in the Great Hall, apparently trying to avoid the tension that Lily encountered all day. When she arrived at the entrance to the astronomy tower, she checked behind her to make sure that no one had followed her, and, satisfied that no one was there, she pulled the door open, and ascended the final steps to the observatory area, where Severus had told her he would be waiting.

“You were actually going through with it, then?”

Lily stopped dead. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her mind reeling. James Potter was the last person in the world she’d expected to see when she’d opened the door. At that point, she surmised that even Tom Riddle’s presence would have surprised her less. “Where’s Severus?” she added belatedly.

Potter grinned. “At the library, I expect. Isn’t that where he told you to meet him?”

“As a matter of fact, it isn’t,” Lily said, crossing her arms. “He owled me this morning, and—”

The sound of Potter’s laughter cut her off. “No,” he corrected, “he didn’t.”

“Yes, he did,” Lily insisted, reaching into her robe pocket and drawing out the parchment. “I’ve got the letter right here.”

“How is it you manage to walk around all day without banging into walls, Evans? You’ve got just about that much sense in you,” Potter said by way of response. “I sent you the letter,” he added.

If Severus had been there, he surely would have commented on the fish impression that Lily was currently doing. Her anger seemed to be getting in the way of the formation of coherent sentences, but she wasn’t about to show Potter how much his stunt had upset her. Pushing aside the thought that Severus was now certain to think she’d stood him up—or worse, set him up—she inhaled deeply, willing her temper to cool down. After a moment, Lily decided to give up on formulating any kind of response to Potter’s announcement, and simply whirled toward the door, which slammed shut in front of her.

“Where are you headed to so quickly, Evans?”

“The library,” Lily answered. “I didn’t agree to meet you up here, Potter, if you hadn’t noticed, and I need to find Severus to let him know what happened.”

Potter chuckled again. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Siri and Petey are already taking care of it.”

Lily turned back around to face Potter, no longer bothering to hide the fury in her eyes. “What do you mean, ‘taking care of it’?” she asked.

“They’re just letting Snivellus know that you won’t be there,” Potter said casually.

“And what else?” Lily asked. “I warned you to leave him alone, Potter.”

Potter nodded. “And I have,” he agreed. “You’ll notice that I’m not in the library with them, difficult though it was to resist. And as for Siri and Petey, we warned Snape to stay away from you, and he didn’t listen. We couldn’t very well go back on our promise to hex him into next week if he came near you, could we? He’d never listen to us again.”

Lily found herself once again speechless, and once again, she chose to simply spin around and face the door, this time pulling her wand out as she did so. Unfortunately, Potter’s “accio wand” was faster than her “alohomora”, and her wand flew out of her hand before she got the door unlocked.

“Thanks for teaching me that one, by the way,” Potter said, grinning. “Now, we have to talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about,” Lily countered, turning to face James and crossing her arms across her chest. “We can stay here all night, and that won’t change.”

“We will sit here all night if that’s what it takes for you to listen to me.”

Lily glanced around, her eyes scanning for an alternative exit. She briefly contemplated climbing out of one of the windows before her furious mind recognized it as a bad idea. Even if she did somehow manage to make it down the side of the sheer castle wall without breaking her neck along with every other bone in her body, Potter would still have her wand, and she couldn’t very well leave without that, anyway.

She was trapped, which meant she would have to listen to Potter. She took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. Potter would let her go much more quickly if she simply pretended to listen to whatever it was that he had to say.

“Fine,” Lily said after a moment. “Fine. You’ve got your ‘captive’ audience. Talk.” She slumped down against the door, not looking at him.

Potter looked nonplussed. “That’s it?”

“That’s what?” Lily demanded. She was in no mood for his banter at the moment.

“That’s all the fight you’re going to put up?” he elaborated.

Or is his look one of disappointment?

Lily dismissed the idea outright. Why should he be disappointed?

“What did you expect me to do?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve got my wand, Potter. There’s very little that I could do against an armed wizard without my wand.”

“Your slaps can be rather effective,” Potter said wryly, a humorous grin replacing the disappointment as he rubbed his cheek where Lily had slapped him.

Lily glowered. “Can we stay focused, Potter? WHY exactly are you holding me hostage up here?”

“I’m hoping that the other Marauders can locate your sense of humor, and we can return it to you, Evans, you know—do all of Gryffindor a favor.”

Lily exhaled loudly as she clambered to her feet and walked over to one of the windows, again contemplating her odds of successfully escaping.

“See! That’s the problem with you, Potter! Just because I don’t find you amusing doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of humor. But because I don’t find you funny, you automatically think that means that there’s something wrong with me. You never stop to consider that the truth of the matter might be that there’s something wrong with YOU!”

Lily shouted the last syllable, and then turned to face Potter. Did he look pleased?

“See!” she continued. “See! That’s what I mean. You’re enjoying this. You enjoy baiting me until I snap. Why? Why is that so amusing to you? I just don’t get—”

“Evans,” Potter interrupted. “I didn’t bring you up here just to make you angry.”

“Well you’re doing a fantastic job of showing that,” she snapped, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down.

“I’m sorry I was amused just then, too. I don’t think it’s funny to make you mad.”

Lily gave Potter a look intended to convey without words what she thought of that statement.

“Okay,” he confessed. “Maybe I do, kind of. I just think it’s great that you’re so…” Potter glanced at his feet. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious about why I sent you a letter asking you to meet me up here?”

Lily stared at Potter for a moment. “Hang on…how did you send it so that I didn’t know it was you?” she couldn’t resist asking, her curiosity about how the letter had been sent overcoming her anger at why Potter had sent it. “I’d recognize your writing. Or Remus’s, or Black’s or Pettigrew’s too, for that matter.”

“Certainly,” Potter agreed with a nod. “And we suspected that you might recognize Severus’s as well, which is why we had to transfigure my writing to look like his.”

“You transfigured your writing?” Lily queried, impressed in spite of herself. “That’s an O.W.L. level transfiguration, Potter!”

“Is it?” Potter asked, leaning against the windowsill. “We’ve known how to do it since first year. Came in handy around exam time.”

“Around ex—I knew it!!! I knew you transfigured my score,” she cried, not sure whether she should slap him for cheating like that, or thank him for having the decency to finally tell her the truth.

Potter’s smirk slipped for a moment. “And you kissed me anyway?” he asked.

“Well, I didn’t figure it out until after I paid up on our bet, Potter. I can’t believe you would do something like that! Of all of the dirty, filthy, underhanded, conniving—”

“When you’re done listing out my flaws, Evans, would you like to know why I asked you up here?”

“You mean it wasn’t to try to run my life and tell me who I can and can’t be friends with?”

“No,” Potter replied, settling into a sitting position on the floor and mussing his hair with his right hand. Lily wondered briefly if he even owned a comb with which to tame it. “Believe it or not, I’m not doing this because I think I have some sort of right to tell you who you can and can’t see, Evans,” Potter said. Lily snorted, but he held up a hand. “No, I mean it. That’s not what I’m here for. That’s not why I brought you here.”

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“Because your plan is suicide.”

“I don’t have a plan, Potter,” Lily countered, not wanting to admit that she was seeing Severus to get information out of him. This was a fact that she preferred to ignore.

“You do,” he countered. “And it’s suicide.”

“You’ve said that once already.”

“You don’t seem to get it, though. I’m going to keep repeating it until you do.”

“There isn’t any plan, Potter, and if you’re trying to trick me into saying there is by this ridiculous little setup, it’s not going to happen.”

Potter almost smiled. “Evans,” he said, as though she were acting like an absurd little child, “when are you going to realize that you can’t lie to me?”

Lily faltered for just a minute, and that, apparently, was all the opening that Potter needed.

“See?” he exclaimed. “You are lying, and you know it, and I know it. This would go a lot quicker if you’d just admit that there is a plan, and that said plan is suicide.”

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, and slid to the ground, continuing to shoot daggers in his direction.

“Fine,” she admitted, “maybe there is a plan, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any of your business what it is.”

“Why do you think it’s not my business?” Potter inquired, his calm demeanor infuriating Lily.

“Because it isn’t!” Lily cried, standing up, and pacing. “I am not your business, Potter. I know that you saved my life last year, and believe me, I actually am grateful to you for that, but the fact of the matter remains that it is my life, and I have every right to choose what to do with it. You can’t stop me. And besides that, you don’t even know what I have planned! You’re just convinced it’s suicide because it involves Severus, and when it comes to him, you can’t see past your own hatred to be reasonable.”

Potter’s smile did not waver. “Are you through, then?” Lily didn’t answer. “I’ll take that as a yes. Evans, if you can’t lie to me, how do you expect to lie to Snape? He’s never going to believe that you’re there just to get to know him better—”

“But I do want to get to know him better!” Lily protested. “I’m not lying about that!”

Potter stood up, and his fists closed tightly around the wands that he held in either hand. “But that’s not the only reason you’re going, Evans, and Snivelly will figure out that you have ulterior motives,” he said through clenched teeth. “He knows that I know that your prophecy wasn’t real.”

“How does he know that?”

“Because,” Potter answered, the smirk firmly back in place, “Siri and Petey informed him, of course.”

Lily realized with some alarm that she was once again only just resisting the urge to slap Potter, and marveled at his ability to bring out the violent side of her nature. She couldn’t even remember a time when she’d been angry enough at Petunia to hit her, and now, within the space of a few hours, Potter had somehow elicited that response from her at least twice.

“Why?” she asked slowly. “Why would they do something so incredibly stupid like that?”

“So that he would leave you alone, Evans,” Potter answered. “I couldn’t rely on your common sense to realize what an idiotic plan yours was, therefore I had to appeal to Snape’s sense of self-preservation. He’s now aware that not only will his pursuit of you not bother me, because unlike you, I’m not naïve enough to believe that a Slytherin could ever possibly like a muggleborn—”

“Do you know, Potter,” Lily said, her mouth open in awe, “I think you’re nearly as bad as all of these Slytherins that you detest! You judge all of them by the house they’re in, which is at least as incidental as blood, and—”

“The sorting hat put them into Slytherin for a reason, Evans. I’m not making that up.”

“Yes, Potter, you’re right. They’re there for a reason. But you don’t know the reason, do you? You don’t know why. It may have nothing whatsoever to do with their beliefs about pure-blood.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that a Slytherin is incapable of being loyal to anyone.”

Lily snorted again. “You’re honestly unbelievable, do you know that? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so close-minded in my entire life! What has Severus ever done to you, huh?”

“That, Evans, is not your business,” Potter responded.

“Just like my relationship with Severus is not your business, Potter! I like him and just because you’re jealous does not mean that you have any right to tell me not to see him!”

Lily clasped her hand over her mouth in horror and all of the anger seeped out of her veins as she realized what she had just said. She looked hopelessly at Potter, and somehow felt that she now knew what it would be like to be on the receiving end of the killing curse.

“Fine,” he snapped. “Fine. Don’t expect me to try to help you, then, next time you’re in over your head.”

“Potter, I—” Lily said, then stopped as she caught the wand that Potter had thrown at her.

“Don’t, Evans. Don’t even bother. You’ve made your preference clear. There’s no need to apologize for that.”

Lily continued to stare at him, trying to think of anything to say to undo the damage which her words had done. After a long moment, she turned reluctantly to the door and the lock clicked open following a wave of her wand. She pulled it open, and then paused in the doorway, still thinking.

Like it did every time she was around Potter, her temper had gotten in the way again, and she had ended up hurting him because she was so upset about his interfering in her life. Now that she was calmer, the logical part of her mind had realized that he would not willingly turn down an opportunity to find out more about Malfoy’s plans. Perhaps there was another reason that Potter had called her up here other than just to sabotage any friendship she might have been forming with Severus. She couldn’t leave without asking. This was too important.

“Why is it suicide, Potter?” she asked finally.

Potter glanced up at her in surprise, the anger flowing out of his features. “What?”

“Why are you so certain this plan will be the death of me?” Lily clarified, shutting the door again and sitting down across from him. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“Besides Snape’s true colors, you mean?” he asked.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that subject. Is that the only reason that you’re so certain this plan won’t work?”

Potter shook his head. “No,” he said. “I already told you once that my own feud with Snape has nothing to do with me not wanting you to go through with this without assistance.”

“Assistance?” Lily asked. “Are you offering to help me with this ‘suicidal’ plan?”

“That’s why I called you up here, isn’t it?”

“Is it?”

James looked at her for a long moment. She felt the heat rising on her cheeks, and tore her eyes away from his.

“I know you well enough to know that you’re not going to back out of this, Evans, so I figured that as long as you’re going to die doing it, I might as well die helping you.”

“Which is a noble gesture, I’m sure,” she said, half-mockingly, “however I can’t go through with it now, anyway. Severus isn't going to meet with me now that he knows the prophecy doesn’t bother you.”

“So that is the only reason he was meeting you, then?” Potter asked, and he wasn’t quite able to hide from Lily the relief alight in his eyes at this revelation.

“As far as I know,” she agreed reluctantly, half-wishing that Potter had not discovered that little fact.

“Then I’d say it’s a very good thing that I was only bluffing about Siri and Petey telling him the truth about the prophesy,” Potter said, flashing the arrogant smile that usually made her blood boil.

She was mildly surprised to find that it had the opposite effect on her this time. Although she knew she should be angry that he had lied to her, the relief that she would still be meeting with Severus, and more importantly, that she was not in this alone, helped her overcome the urge to yell, and she returned his smile.

“And I’d have to agree,” she said.

Potter clutched at his heart, and stumbled around the astronomy tower for a moment, before ‘catching’ himself on a nearby telescope. “What’s this? Lily Evans agreeing with me?”

“Don’t get used to it,” she quipped, laughing in spite of herself. “So, what have you got planned?”

“At the moment?” James asked. Lily nodded. “Nothing,” he answered. “But I’m fairly certain that between the two of us we’ll be able to come up with a suitable plan.”

You guys are awesome! On my other sites, nobody even questioned for a moment that the note was from Snape. In there defense, they waited about 2 months for that post, but nonetheless, it's fantastic that you all were suspicious and wondering! *grins*

And in case you haven't found it yet, my feedback thread resides here (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=9&pp=30).

Gah! Sorry for the long time between updates. Work has been hell and so has homelife. Just an FYI, I'm leaving for Florida May 21, and will be gone until June 1, so I won't be updating during that time.

miri: I actually liked the idea of Trixie and her friends awaiting Lily, but alas...I needed Potter to corner her alone. She certainly wasn't going to listen to a word he said if she wasn't literally and figuratively trapped. She's very stubborn! I'm very happy that you liked that I did not go the cheesy route in their conversation. They aren't quite ready for that conversation yet. Give them, what...5 more years. They'll be there. James is smart, and she clearly respects that. The way he can also read her, while unnerving, definitely catches her attention. I'm not surprised that she thought his input could be valuable, even if she also thinks he's an immature, obnoxious, arrogant, narrow-minded pain in the neck! You've captured them both really well! That has to be one of the best reviews I've ever received! I love your read on my characters, and I love knowing that some of what I've been trying to get to without shoving it down your throats (though I'm not sure I've succeeded completely at not shoving it down your throats!) is getting through. Thank you! Awww...you're starting to thaw to him. And Lily might be as well. Look at how she forgave him so quickly deceiving her to get her alone!

Lady Cassie: Ah yes...Snape. He's such an interesting character to me, and you're quite right to be worried about what will happen if he ever finds out about Lily's deception. I love that you find Snape as interesting as I do!

Drusilla: Yes, I think Lily is finding it difficult to resist the Potter charm as well. THat's not to say that she's starting to "like" him, just that they do have a bond formed because of what happened at the end of last year, and in a situation where she recognizes that Potter could be helpful, she's learning to set aside their differences for the greater good. The question is how long it will last. It's interesting you should point out that they're constantly at loggerheads (love that phrase!) from Lily's POV, because of course we know that from James's POV, it's something else entirely. And yes, Lily needs to tread carefully around Snape. She's now in league with his worst enemy. I'm not entirely certain she's thought that through completely.

Twisted Rose: I'm glad you're not angry at Lily for saying that to James. You'll find that she has some difficultly not using that knowledge against him in the future, but it's never intentionally. She's just got new insight into his feelings, and sometimes her mouth moves a little faster than her head. Poor girl. For someone who insists that logic is so important to them, she certainly does allow her emotions to control her quite a bit!

All right...next bit is up.

Part 38: No More Visions (Part 1)

Lily and Potter separated with the agreement to speak with their friends and determine a suitable plan to get information from Severus without peaking his suspicions. Potter assured her that he had been joking about Pettigrew and Black giving Severus a hard time, and that he had no reason to believe that Severus wouldn’t still be awaiting her arrival in the library, so Lily decided to try to find him in order to reschedule their meeting.

Her intention to betray Severus’s trust by trying to extract information about Malfoy, and perhaps Tom Riddle, from him was suddenly at the forefront of her thoughts as she made her way through the castle. Until her collusion with Potter in the astronomy tower, she had managed to successfully convince herself that she was trying to get to know Severus better, and that any information she obtained was simply a benefit. Now, she could no longer ignore the real reason she was going through with this, and most of her mind was screaming in protest at her course of action.

Lily had never in her life approached anyone dishonestly. She had never approached a friendship with less than forthright intentions, let alone out and out deceived someone, yet that was exactly what she was now planning. When she’d mentioned her concerns about this to Potter, he’d dismissed them, saying that she was deceiving herself if she didn’t believe that Snape had ulterior motives as well, but the truth of the matter was that she didn’t. She believed that his motive was to irritate Potter, but he’d never once pretended that it was otherwise. She might have felt okay about what she was doing if Severus had convinced her that he really liked her, and wasn’t doing it to irritate Potter, but he hadn’t. Whatever else he might be, Lily felt certain that he was being honest with her.

And that certainty made her feel absolutely dreadful about her own intentions.

She arrived at the library, and shaking off the self-recriminating thoughts, went from row to row, searching, without success, for Severus. There was also no sign of Black, Pettigrew or Remus, which reassured her on some level that Potter had been telling the truth when he’d “confessed” that his friends had left Severus alone that evening. Alice and Amelia were not there, but that was no surprise. They were most likely back in the common room, engaged in a game of wizard’s chess or gobstones. She passed through the library a second time to make sure that she hadn’t missed him, and then glanced at her watch. She didn’t have to be back to the common room for another hour.

She briefly contemplated looking for Severus around the castle, but she didn’t have any idea where to begin and in any case, there was really no reason she couldn’t wait to talk to him at breakfast the next morning. Instead, she decided to go ahead and get started on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay on boggarts. She had just finished pulling up references from the research quills when Professor McGonagall’s voice cut through the still air of the library.

“Miss Evans? I need to speak with you.”

Lily turned to face her head of house. The Transfiguration professor was standing a few feet away, looking sternly in her direction. On the surface, she had no reason to believe that anything was out of the ordinary with the exception of the fact that Professor McGonagall was standing in the library, asking to speak with her. Still, there was something in her eyes that lit a spark of anxiety within Lily.

“Professor,” Lily responded cautiously, “I was just about to start my homework.”

“I’m afraid that will have to wait,” McGonagall said, her voice no different than the one she usually used when speaking directly to students in class.

Again, it was this apparent normalcy that began fanning the flames of unease that were already threatening to overcome Lily. It was as though her teacher were trying too hard. Professor McGonagall’s next words confirmed Lily’s suspicions.

“The headmaster needs to see you immediately.”

“Me?” Lily asked, trying to figure out why Dumbledore would want to see her. The only thing she could think of was that she had been up in the Astronomy Tower, but so far as she knew, that was only off-limits after hours. “Why?”

“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say,” McGonagall replied, turning toward the door. “Come along.”

Lily nodded, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach as she followed McGonagall down the hallway. What was going on? Had something happened to her parents? Petunia? Oh, no…not Petunia! Tears pricked at her eyes even as she pushed the thought aside. Petunia was fine. She had to be. Lily refused to think otherwise. Surely she would know if something were wrong at home.

Thoughts of her family now pushed firmly to the peripheral of her consciousness, Lily’s mind traveled to Alice. Despite the fact that Bellatrix was only a second year, Lily was not willing to underestimate the power that she possessed. She had most likely been learning magic—and from what Black had said about his family, dark magic—from the day she was old enough to speak. While Alice was certainly a talented witch in her own right, last year had proven that if she were caught off guard, she was vulnerable. The image of Alice lying prone beside the lake the previous year floated into Lily’s head and opened the door to Lily’s greatest fears.

Visions of Petunia, hurt, mangled, maimed and dead washed over her in quick succession, one after the other. Lily found it suddenly difficult to breathe; her legs seemed no longer capable of supporting her weight. She leaned against the wall, trying to bring her thoughts under control, but she was unsuccessful. Far away, Professor McGonagall’s voice was asking her what was wrong, but her voice failed, the wetness on her cheeks confirming that she was now crying as images of Petunia continued to assail her consciousness. She clutched desperately at her locket, looking for comfort from the one thing she owned that was a link to her home. The images flying through her head began to slow and swirl together until they finally stopped. Lily’s breathing slowed, and the hysterical tears of moments before subsided in the emptiness of her mind.

Lily finally realized that the blackness that seemingly enveloped her was a result of her eyes being tightly closed, and she gasped at the world that was revealed to her when she finally opened them. She knew at once that she was having a vision, but it appeared that for the moment, she would have to wait to discover what the vision was. She was alone in the middle of a square room with antiseptic white walls and black chairs lining all except a small part of the three walls which she could see of the room. There was a door at one end, with a clock above it that read 3:37. A woman wearing white robes and a white witch’s hat sat behind a desk, answering what looked like—but could not possibly have been—a muggle telephone and Lily couldn’t help but marvel at the seemingly calm nature of the scene in which she had found herself.

The ticking of the clock echoed loudly in the barren room while she waited. Five minutes passed…ten minutes…an hour. Still Lily sat, waiting and unmoving until at last the door burst open and a wizard in his early twenties came rushing through the door.

“How is she?” Lily heard a voice demand.

“Is she going to make it?” a male voice interrupted.

Lily tried to turn and see from where the voice was coming, but was unable to do so. Instead, she was forced to continue looking at the wizard in front of her. He had light brown hair, streaked with gray, and although he was young, his face was lined and weary with the sorrow of a wizard four times his age. As the wizard drew closer, his eyes met Lily’s, and she realized with a jolt that she was looking into the amber eyes of an adult Remus Lupin. He quickly passed out of Lily’s line of sight, but when he spoke, she could still hear his voice.

“As you know, Petunia is a very talented witch,” Remus said, the deepness of his voice startling Lily slightly. Her heart soared at the thought that her sister would indeed be coming to Hogwarts with her next year. Her elation, however, was quickly tempered by the wizard’s next words. “She fought bravely, but there were just too many of them. We were too late. We couldn’t save her.”

“No!” a voice screamed. “Noooooooooo!!!!!!” Lily realized suddenly that it was her own 12-year-old voice screaming, and she opened her eyes, panting heavily, to find that she was on the floor in the hallway, Professor McGonagall stooping down in front of her.

“Lily! What are you screaming about, child?” Professor McGonagall’s voice chided. “What is wrong?”

Lily didn’t answer, the memory of the vision replaying in her mind. “No!” she yelled again. “Not Petunia! No! She’s okay. Nothing will happen to her. She’ll come to Hogwarts next year, and she’ll meet a nice wizard, and she’ll get married and have a fantastic job probably at the Ministry and—” Lily stared wildly at the locket in her hand, and yanked it off of her neck, the clasp magically opening when she pulled. “The vision is wrong! NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER!!!!”

She stood up and threw the locket as hard as she could down the hallway. “I DON’T WANT IT ANYMORE! DO YOU HEAR ME? I DON’T WANT ANY MORE VISIONS!”

Professor McGonagall tossed a startled glance in Lily’s direction. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, dear, but if this locket is related to your visions, you do not want to be tossing it about the hallways.” Lily watched through eyes blurred with tears as she hurried over to where the locket had landed and picked it up, before returning to Lily and holding it out for her to take.

“NO!” Lily screamed, pushing Professor McGonagall’s hands away with her own.

Professor McGonagall nodded. “All right, all right dear. You don’t have to take it. I’ll carry it.” Lily nodded, the rational part of her mind slowly returning. She was making a scene in the hall, and she needed to stop. She tried to slow her breathing down, but the panic would not recede, and she found herself getting light-headed and dizzy. Through the fog that enshrouded her, she heard Professor McGonagall’s voice telling her that she was going to perform a calming charm. After a moment, Lily felt a wave of warmth wash over her, and all emotion was cleared from her body. It was the oddest sensation she could ever remember feeling. She knew, consciously, that her sister was in danger, or at least would be in the next several years, and yet she couldn’t muster any anxiety, any dread about that fact. She supposed that she ought to feel relieved that she was no longer overcome with panic, but she found she couldn’t feel that, either. Lily did not like not being able to muster the emotions that her logic was telling her she should feel.

“There now, does that feel better?” Professor McGonagall asked.

“No,” Lily said, trying to show the anger that she wanted to feel about being deprived of her emotions. Her voice, however, came out flat and impassive. “No, it doesn’t. I may not feel panicked anymore, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know that I should feel panicked.”

McGonagall’s smile was one of understanding. “I imagine that must be frustrating for you, Lily,” she agreed, “however you’ll have to believe me that it’s more productive for you to think rationally at the moment than to be overcome by your emotions. The feelings are still there, and when the time comes, you will be able to sort through those feelings. The charm doesn’t get rid of them, it simply puts them at bay so that you can use your head.”

Lily nodded, but couldn’t help but wonder at the wisdom of using a charm that took away emotions, which were, she believed, at the center of the very ability to do magic. For a moment, she considered casting a charm to test the hypothesis that her inability to feel any emotion at the moment would impair her magic skills, but then realized that performing magic in the halls was illegal and experiment or no, she would almost certainly receive detention for it.

“Well, I don’t like it,” Lily reiterated.

Professor McGonagall laughed. “I have to confess that I find it interesting that one so grounded in logic is having such a difficult time being deprived of their emotions.” Professor McGonagall said, turning and walking down the hall. “Come along, now. Professor Dumbledore is expecting you.”

Lily’s mind told her that she ought to be annoyed at what Professor McGonagall had said, but unable to muster the sentiment, she nodded, and followed her down the hallway.

Part 38 continued...

When they arrived at the gargoyle which guarded the entrance to the headmaster’s office, Professor McGonagall said what Lily assumed was the password, and the gargoyle sprang aside as the spiral staircase began moving upwards. Lily stepped on, and tried to figure out what news Professor Dumbledore had awaiting her on the other side of the door. Once again, her head was telling her that she ought to feel nervous and anxious, but she found that she was unable to summon the emotion.

“Hello Lily,” Professor Dumbledore greeted her.

“I’ve put a calming charm on her, Professor,” McGonagall stated. “She was hysterical in the hallway. I’m not sure what happened, but I do suggest that she see Madam Pomfrey when you’re finished speaking with her. There’s a very good chance that the hysteria will return when the charm wears off.”

Professor Dumbledore nodded. “I’ll see that she does, Minerva. Thank you.”

Professor McGonagall nodded and then handed Lily her locket. “You won’t want to lose this, Miss Evans,” she said before turning and making her way down the steps. Professor Dumbledore turned toward his office, but the locket had reminded Lily of her vision in the hall, and she found herself quite unable to take another step without knowing whether or not Petunia was okay.

“My sister?” she asked, fastening the locket’s chain around her neck.

Professor Dumbledore turned. “She’s fine,” he answered. “At least, as far as I know. I’ve not received word from your parents that anything has happened.” Dumbledore fixed Lily with a piercing stare. “Do you have reason to believe otherwise?” he asked suddenly.

Lily hesitated and then shook her head. “No…no, sir. I don’t.”

Professor Dumbledore nodded, but didn’t say anything, and they continued into his office. Once inside, Lily took a seat across from him, and, realizing she should feel confused, asked, “Then why did you call me here, Professor?”

“I’ve received word from the board of governors. Governor Malfoy and his son Lucius will again be visiting with us shortly after Christmas break.” Dumbledore paused and leaned back in his chair as Lily willed herself to feel the anxiety over this information that she knew she should feel. “Given their apparent particular interest in you, I thought that I should make you aware of the situation.”

“Why are they coming?” Lily asked. She felt anger burning at the edges of her consciousness, and assumed that he calming charm was beginning to wear off.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. “Officially? It’s simply a follow-up visit from their visit with us last September. When they were here, they noted a variety of ‘concerns’ that they demanded we address, and they are visiting to ensure that we followed up on the list of action-items that they gave to us.”

“And unofficially?” she demanded.

“That calming charm must be wearing off,” he said, his eyes twinkling slightly. “In answer to your question, I suspect there are two purposes, unofficially. One of them is their continued interest in you. I don’t have to remind you of the danger these two pose to you?”

Lily shook her head. “No, sir.”

“I’m afraid that I may have to place limits on your movement when they’re here, Lily. It would be only too easy for either Lucius or Malchaiah to get you alone and portkey you away from the castle again.”

The anger tickling in the corners of her mind shifted to confusion. “Limits on my movement? That wasn’t necessary last time, professor!”

“Circumstances have changed, Lily—their intentions have changed.”

“Their intentions?” Lily queried, not understanding.

“When they were here previously, they only sought to discover whether it was you who caused the interruption of their ceremony last year. I’m afraid that they now know how you were able to tell me the ceremony location, and it seems that Tom Riddle is…no longer interested in exacting revenge on you for causing the interruption of the ceremony last year.”

“Then what does he want with me?”

Dumbledore sighed. “Surely you must be aware of how useful your gift would be to one who desires power?”

Lily’s emotions finally reached an intensity at which they acted as a countercharm to Professor McGonagall’s calming charm, and all of the emotions which had been magically suppressed came storming to the surface, literally taking her breath away with their force. Rage, fear, dread, anxiety, resentment—all washed over her one after the other until she felt that she was losing her mind.

Dumbledore didn’t say anything, just continued to watch her as she struggled to retain control of her thoughts. She gripped the desk in front of her tightly; suddenly unable to remember why it was that she had not liked the artificial calm with which Professor McGonagall had provided her. She opened her mouth to speak, to let all of the emotions come tumbling out with a tirade, or even a scream, but there was too much and her mind couldn’t sort out which emotion to release first.

Finally, the intensity of her feelings began to subside and her breathing slowed to a more normalized pace. She looked at Dumbledore, his blue eyes giving her a feeling of security that the calming charm had not, and the fear began to slowly recede. After a few more minutes in which neither spoke, Lily finally nodded.

“That’s why they’re coming back?”

“One of the reasons,” Professor Dumbledore agreed.

“Then it’s simple, isn’t it?” Lily again took off her locket, and threw it down on Professor Dumbledore’s desk. “My locket triggers my vision. If I give you the locket, I’ve got nothing they want.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Lily.”

“Yes, yes it is that simple! Don’t you understand? I don’t want it! You don’t want them to have it! What could be more simple than that?”

“I understand that you’re upset, but there is one day that you are going to be grateful that you have this sight. I can’t take your gift away from you simply because you’re upset.”

“I’ll never be grateful for my sight, Professor. NEVER! Anything that allows me to predict the death of my sister isn’t a gift, it’s a curse! Why should I have to know when the people I love are going to die? Nobody else has to know, and I don’t want to know, either!”

Professor Dumbledore had gone suddenly still. “You’ve seen the death of your sister?” he asked.

Lily nodded, unable to speak through the tears which were now falling freely.

“When?” he asked after a moment.

“Sometime after she graduates from Hogwarts,” Lily said bitterly, “and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Tell me why I should have to live with that knowledge? I don’t want to know! I don’t want to know any of it.”

Dumbledore sighed heavily. “I don’t have an easy answer for why you have to live with that knowledge, Lily, but I trust that the reason for your gift will make itself clear in time.”

“It won’t,” Lily said, brushing back her tears, “because I’m not going to let my locket trigger any more visions. I’m done with it.”

He contemplated her, his blue eyes probing hers. “You are welcome to go back to your common room now, if you would like to do so,” he said, reaching out and picking up the locket and settling it into a drawer in his desk. “I’ll keep this for the moment, and we’ll speak again after you’ve had time to think this through.”

Lily stood up and made her way to the door. “Time isn’t going to change my mind, Professor.”

Righto...Feedback here, please (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=9&pp=30)

Hi all! Sorry for the long hiatus. I was on vacation and then work...meh. But I'm back now, and here's an update.

Dru: It is a bit LotRish, isn't it? But I assure it's not because the locket would corrupt DD in his possession. He does ultimately agree in the end, after all.

miri: Oh, thank you! I'm glad I was able to touch you like that. Lily will not deal with this easily, I'm afraid. More angst for her. You know, I didn't set out to write an angst filled novel, but it seems to have morphed into that. As for her having visions before the locket, she didn't. She carried the locket with her first year, just in her pocket. All visions she's had, the locket was connected in some way or another. She and Praevidi figured that out some time ago. When I wrote Year 1, I didn't mention the locket explicitly...just in passing. Actually, perhaps I hadnt' yet edited that in. When I wrote Year 1, I didn't know Year 2's plot, so I didn't know it would become so important. Hmmm...but I was sure when I started posting here I had added very fleeting references to the locket. Maybe I didn't. But if I didn't, then I have now, and Lily is meant to have had the locket involved in every vision. You've got some very interesting thoughts on the future of the story!

rupertlvr: I'm so glad you were able to see the post! If you have issues again, you can always click the link in my sig and find the posts on the Yahoo site. As for all of her predictions not coming true, I will just say that Lily is a different type of seer than Trelawney. She doesn't make prophecies; she has visions. And that's all I can say.

Part 39: Searching for Severus

“We were too late, we couldn’t save her.”

Lily sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily, barely able to resist succumbing to the panic that was threatening to overtake her as the words of Remus Lupin echoed in her mind. The fog of the nightmare slowly receded, and she realized that she was still in Gryffindor Tower, still 12-years-old, and still very much terrified about her sister’s future. She reached through the curtains and grabbed the quartz sitting beside her bed.

5:30 am.

Although she was planning on getting to the Great Hall for breakfast early that day to try to catch Severus and set up another meeting with him, it was still far too early to be awake. She couldn’t leave for the Great Hall for at least another hour.

Lily sighed, and lay back down. Since the vision of Petunia the week prior, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. Every time her eyes closed, it seemed, she relived the vision. In her dreams, the contrast between the anti-septic whiteness of the walls and the blackness of the chairs seemed magnified, the ticking of the clock, the swishing of the door as it opened and closed, Remus’s footsteps as he crossed the room, all amplified in her subconscious.

She shifted around, trying to get comfortable. Her schoolwork had started to suffer as a result of the sleepless nights, and she knew that she ought to go to Madam Pomfrey for a sleeping draught but she didn’t fancy telling Alice and Amelia the reason that she needed the potion.

The decision not to tell her friends about the vision had been an easy one. They couldn’t make her feel better about it, and she saw no reason to worry the two of them about something that she couldn’t control. Her sister was going to die, and that was something that she had to find a way to deal with, by herself. She didn’t want or need the sympathy of her friends.

She felt the familiar nagging of her conscience as she thought through the list of things about which she either hadn’t told Alice and Amelia, or which she had out and out lied about, the latter being her lessons with Professor Praevidi. She had planned on telling them that she had given up her sight before she realized that there was no way to do that without telling them about Petunia’s death. Instead, she decided to simply pretend that she was still taking Divination lessons, and began studying up in the astronomy tower until it was time to return to the common room. When they had asked where her locket was, she’d simply told them that the chain had broken and she didn’t want to lose it.

She knew Alice would be furious when she discovered the truth about Lily’s deceit, and she wasn’t sure that she would ever regain Amelia’s trust, but she hoped that her friends cared about her enough that they would understand her reasons, and forgive her this betrayal of their friendship. The thought of telling anyone about Petunia—even her two best friends—was more than she could bear. At the moment, she was making a valiant effort to convince herself that her vision had been faulty—that Petunia was not going to die—and if she told them, she would no longer be able to deny the reality. Although she knew, logically, that one day she would no longer be able to refute the truth, she was not ready for that just yet. Her dreams might betray her at night, but during the day, she lived firmly in the land of denial and she was happy there. It was the only way she knew of to cope.

Lily yawned, and tugged open the curtains around her bed, allowing the pink and orange hues of the sunrise to penetrate the darkest corners of her four-poster. There was no point in going back to sleep again; she’d only dream of Petunia, anyway, and she saw no reason to put herself through that particular heartache again that day.

Forty-five minutes later, Lily trudged down the stairs to the common room to wait for Alice and Amelia, showered and dressed but no more ready to face the day than she had been when she had first awoken

“Good morning, Lily,” Remus greeted her when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

“Remus,” Lily responded, yawning again.

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?” Remus asked, looking more refreshed and rested than Lily could remember seeing him in a long time.

“Not as well as you, it would seem,” she responded with a smile.

Remus grinned. “I have to admit that I got a full night of sleep last night for the first time in weeks,” he agreed. “Sirius and I finally talked everything out,” he added by way of explanation.

“Did you?” Lily asked, fighting off another yawn. “I’m happy to hear you two worked everything out. The common room just isn’t the same when the two of you are at odds.”

Remus nodded. “It’s much more peaceful,” he agreed. “Sirius was too busy brooding over my betrayal to cause too much mischief.”

“Was that the reason?” Lily asked, smiling as she remembered Remus’s excitement before the prank on Professor Amos the previous year. “And here I was certain that while everyone thinks it’s Potter and Black that are the masterminds, you’re just as involved behind the scenes, and they can’t do it without you.”

Lupin flushed. “I think it’s accurate to say we need one another,” he agreed, his smile revealing that Lily’s impression of the inner-workings of the Marauder friendship wasn’t entirely off the mark. “What about you? What’s been keeping you up at night?”

Lily looked quickly at her backpack. “Nothing, just...” She searched desperately for a good excuse for her exhaustion but was unable to come up with anything. “I don’t want to talk about it, Remus.”

“Fair enough,” he answered with a nod. “I can certainly understand that.”

Lily cast around for a change of subject. “How’s your grandmother?” she asked. Remus’s absence a few weeks prior had been because his grandmother had suddenly taken ill, and he had had to leave immediately to visit her.

Remus’s eyes clouded in confusion. “My grandmother?” Remus asked.

“Yes,” Lily responded. “Wasn’t she sick a few weeks back?”

“Oh,” Remus exclaimed, nodding. “Of course. Yes, she’s fine. Just fine. Back at home now, and recovering, thank goodness.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that,” Lily said, standing as Amelia and Alice plodded into the room, looking no more awake for their full eight hours of sleep than Lily looked for her roughly three. “Good morning,” she greeted them. “Ready for breakfast?”

“I might be,” Alice answered grumpily, “if breakfast wasn’t at 6:30 in the morning. Tell me again why you’re making us eat so early today? Oh, morning Remus.”

“Alice,” Remus answered with a smile.

“I’m hoping to catch Severus,” Lily responded, standing up and flipping her backpack on to her back. “He’s never there during the normal time, so all that I can figure is that he eats by himself before the rest of his house can get downstairs.”

“And you can’t just owl him why?” Amelia asked through a yawn. “Morning, Remus,” she added, pink tingeing her cheeks as she noticed him sitting beside Lily.

“Amelia,” Remus responded, fumbling to open the book on his lap.

“It never occurred to me,” Lily said, grabbing Amelia’s arm to tug her after Alice, who was already making her way through the portrait hole. “Bye Remus.”

“Bye Remus,” Amelia echoed.

“Bye Lily, Amelia,” Remus called out.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, they were surprised to find it empty, save for a house-elf, who scurried quickly out of sight as soon as it spotted the girls.

“Well…so much for that plan,” Lily sighed, walking toward Gryffindor table. “I won’t be able to talk to him today, then. The rest of Slytherin won’t let me get near him.”

“Nor will Gryffindor let him get near you,” Alice agreed, buttering a muffin. “It’s odd, isn’t it? The only thing the two houses have agreed on in centuries, and it’s to keep you and Severus as far away from one another as possible.”

Lily nodded. She hadn’t been able to talk to Severus since when they’d originally agreed to meet at the library. Every time she got within speaking distance of him, it seemed, she was suddenly surrounded by a group of Gryffindors who refused to disperse until Severus had disappeared, or else she found her way blocked by Slytherins all holding their wands at their sides until she moved along. She had also noticed that Severus met the same sort of human blockade whenever he made any move in her direction.

Lily’s patience with the ongoing interference of the houses was waning as the weeks wore on, and she was contemplating asking Potter to call off Gryffindor if it didn’t end soon. There was very little she could do about Slytherin, but she figured that getting Gryffindor off of her case would be a start. Christmas break began in a month, and when she returned, the Malfoys would be at the castle for an “indeterminate” period of time. She would feel better about that if she had an idea about what their plans were, or, at the very least, exactly how much they knew about her gift.

Lily popped a piece of fruit into her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. “You know, you’d think one of the houses would realize how much it would annoy the other house if Severus and I were together, and sit back and watch it happen.”

“Maybe Potter can make that happen,” Alice suggested.

“Potter can make what happen?” Potter’s voice interrupted.

Lily looked up to find the four Marauders standing beside her, Black sprouting antlers. Alice nearly choked on her pumpkin juice as she burst out laughing.

“What happened to you, Black?” she asked, wiping her mouth with her napkin and laughing again as Pettigrew’s laughter echoed loudly throughout the hall, drawing the attention of the other students, who were starting to file steadily into the hall.

Black grinned. “I bet Jamesy that I wouldn’t flinch if he hexed me,” he said, sliding into a seat beside Amelia and reaching for the platter of pancakes.

“And who won?” Amelia asked.

Potter scowled. “Siri,” he said, sitting down beside Lily.

“What was the bet?” Lily asked, scooting over so that Potter wasn’t sitting quite so close to her.

“You’ll…find…out…soon…enough,” Pettigrew gasped through the laughter that he seemed incapable of controlling.

Amelia raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure I even want to know,” she said finally, looking back and forth between Potter and Black. Black was now jauntily shoving forkfuls of scrambled eggs into his mouth while Potter was taking his hostilities about losing the bet out on a piece of toast.

“Oh, trust me, you won’t want to miss it,” Remus said mildly, sitting down beside Amelia. “I tried to tell James not to take the bet, but you know James.”

Black snorted as Pettigrew collapsed into giggles again. “Yep,” he agreed. “Too bloody proud to listen to anyone.”

“Look,” Potter said, setting the knife down and waving the piece of toast at Remus, “I’ve known him for 8 years, and he always flinches when I hex him! It was a safe bet!”

Black gulped down some pumpkin juice. “Should have picked a more intimidating hex, Jamesy. I recognized the incantation right off.”

“I thought it was a good one,” Potter’s sullen voice returned.

“Like I’m going to be scared of sprouting antlers,” Black retorted, his laughter telling Potter exactly what he thought of his hex.

James tore off a piece of his toast. “I certainly wouldn’t be happy about sprouting antlers,” he said, shoving the toast into his mouth as the three other Marauders again collapsed into laughter.

“The first Quidditch match is coming up, Jamesy,” interrupted Evan Miller, a fourth-year, easily drawing the boys into a discussion of the match against Hufflepuff.

Lily shook her head, and then glanced around the Great Hall, wondering once again where Severus could be this time of morning. There was still no trace of him, in spite of the fact that the hall was now almost completely full.

The good news is that there's another update. The bad news is that there's only one more currently written. When I post part 41, you will be caught up to my other sites, who haven't gotten an update since April because I have been distracted by other things--including my original novel. I will do my best to get part 42 written soon, but I am very, very, very blocked on this fic. I know what I want to write, but it takes me several hours to get one paragraph down. Seeing as how I'm used to writing an update in an hour or two, you can imagine why this is a major issue! I just don't have twelve hours to write an entire update. I'm working on it, though. I'm sitting at a page and a half at the moment.

Vivid Scribbler: Welcome to my story! I'm so happy you took the time to read through my stories, and that you're enjoying them!

Nys: What Potter has to do...right. Still working on that! I took that particular episode from my husband, who made a similar bet with his friends, however their bet did not actually involve any pay out. I'm still trying to think of something for this that does justice to the Marauders reputation.

miri: Ah, yes. Praevidi has told her that, and Lily does remember that, however she's upset that the vision gave her no information that would help her change Petunia's fate. I'm afraid it hasn't yet occurred to her that she doesn't always have to be the one to save people. She's got a bit of a hero-complex, Lils does (I'm afraid that might be where dear Harry gets his from!) and she thinks if the events leading up to the vision are going to change, she has to be the one to change them. Your comments regarding most likely scenario will be addressed eventually. As usual, you seem to pick up on the little clues I'm including as I write. Ah! I love that you can see my Remus growing into the book Remus. I've tried very hard to make it seem logical that my Remus would grow into Professor Lupin (whom I adore!).

rupertlvr: I hope not to keep you waiting too long for the next update after this one, but I'm making no promises. It's been difficult for me to find time to write lately.

Next post, then! Sorry for the wait!

Part 40: The Problem with Potter

Halfway through breakfast, the owls arrived with the morning mail, and Lily once again found an unfamiliar owl landing on her shoulder. She removed the letter from his leg and unrolled the parchment, on which a neat slanted handwriting asked her to meet Severus in the library after class. Lily quickly rolled the parchment back up, and tapped Potter on the shoulder.

“So we’re trying a new chaser maneuver that—Yes, Evans? What is it?” Potter asked, turning to look at her.

“I need to talk to you—outside,” she stated quietly, doing her best not to attract the attention of any of the other students in the Great Hall.

“Why do you need to talk to me?” Potter asked loudly. Lily glared at him as every Gryffindor within earshot turned to look in their direction.

Lily glanced surreptitiously at the students around her, who were trying and failing to appear not to be eavesdropping. “I didn’t quite get our Transfiguration essay finished,” she said, trying to convey with her eyes the true reason she wanted to speak with him. “I was hoping you could help me with it.”

Potter’s eyes lit up in understanding, and he sighed dramatically. “You know, you really ought to prepare better for class, Evans. I would think you’d realize by now that you’re hopeless at Transfiguration and start studying harder. I won’t always be around to help, you know.” He shook his head in mock disappointment as Pettigrew laughed and the rest of the table snickered.

Lily glared at him. “With any luck,” she replied through gritted teeth, “you won’t be. But at the moment, I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this.”

“Fine,” Potter said, setting his napkin down and clambering noisily to his feet. “But you owe me for this. At least three Charms assignments.”

“Whatever,” Lily snapped. “Let’s go, already. Class will be starting soon.”

They left the Great Hall, the curious stares of classmates and the glowers of the Slytherins following them. When they reached the entrance hall, Lily pulled Potter into a room just off to the right of the huge doors that led to the grounds.

“I received an owl this morning that claims to be from Severus,” she said, pulling out the parchment. “It isn’t from you, is it?”

“Relax, Evans.” Potter grinned and held up his hands in surrender. “That one’s the real deal. I have no reason to be sending you an owl, now that we’ve come to our understanding.”

“Okay, then,” she said, “it looks like I’ll be meeting him in the library this afternoon.”

Potter’s eyes lit up in alarm. “This afternoon? No! You can’t, Evans. We haven’t even started learning occlumency yet. You’ll never be able to lie to him.”

“I can’t blow him off again, Potter. He’s likely still upset about last time. If you’ll remember, I was detained and missed that meeting. I have to go.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Tell him you have homework to do. Or that you’re going with Alice to Quidditch practice.”

Lily shook her head. “No. Look, I’ll just meet him tonight to appease him, and we’ll set up another meeting. By then, I’ll have had time to work on occlumency with you. It’s fine. It’ll be fine,” she responded, trying to calm her nerves. “But just in case, you’d better not show up tonight. I’ll be able to pretend you don’t know a lot easier if you’re not there.”

A sound that reminded Lily forcefully of a growl came from behind her, and Lily turned around in surprise to find Black standing behind her, Pettigrew and Remus flanking him, Alice and Amelia just beyond.

“You’re not seriously asking Jamesy to let you be alone with that git, are you Evans?”

“When did you lot get here?” she asked. She hadn’t heard them arrive.

“We followed you out of the Great Hall,” Remus answered.

“You didn’t actually expect us to believe that you were asking Potter for help on Transfiguration, did you?” Alice added.

Lily shrugged. “It was the best I could come up with.”

“Which is exactly why you’re not ready to meet with him yet, Lily!” Potter exclaimed, and Lily once again turned so that she was facing him. “You can’t even come up with a decent story to get me out of the Great Hall without attracting everyone’s attention.”

“I don’t have a choice, Potter! Just stay away from the library tonight. I’ll make it quick; tell him there’s no use meeting because you’re at Quidditch practice or something.”

“Why can’t you just send him an owl with that message?” Amelia asked. “That way you aren’t putting yourself in danger by meeting him.”

Lily exhaled in frustration. “Would you listen to yourselves? In danger! Honestly. From Severus? If he was so dangerous, why weren’t you all worried about the time I was spending with him alone in the library all term?”

Potter’s reaction to this statement would have been predictable if Lily had given it any consideration at all. “You what?” he exploded. “You’ve already been spending time alone with him?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “I already told you that, Potter.”

“Yes, but I thought that was all part of the prank. I didn’t think there was any way you’d actually be that thick.”

“Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough. Yes, Potter, I’ve been spending time with him all year in the library. So what? It hasn’t hurt anything, has it?”

“Well, that all depends, really,” Black answered. “You told us that Malfoy knows about your sight.”

“Yes,” Lily responded angrily. “He does. What does that have to do with anything?”

“How do you know it wasn’t Snape who told him?” Remus’s gentle voice cut in.

“Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough. I really have. How would Severus know that I was a seer? That’s absurd! It’s not as though the topic ever came up.”

“What about your journal?” Amelia asked.

“Snape saw your journal?” Black asked, alarm edging his voice. Potter’s eyes were now completely furious and Pettigrew yelped.

“She left it in the library with him when the Malfoys were here last time,” Alice responded.

“Why would you do that?” Potter demanded. “Are you trying to make yourself a target for Tom Riddle?”

“Yes, Potter,” Lily retorted. “I'm trying to get Tom Riddle after me. I figure that life is entirely too boring without a Dark Lord dogging my every move.”

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head. Alice and Amelia grinned while Black, Pettigrew and Remus all did their best to hide their laughter.

“Of course I didn't want Tom Riddle to find out! I left my journal there on accident,” Lily explained, “and besides, he said he didn’t look at it.”

Lily looked to Alice and Amelia for support, who both nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” Potter snapped. “He didn’t look at it. And we’ll assume for just a moment that Snape was telling the truth (though I doubt it) when he told you that. He didn’t have to look at it in order for Malfoy to see it, did he?”

Lily glared at Potter. “He didn’t show it to Malfoy, either,” she answered defensively, but the reality of it was that she had absolutely no proof of that; it was simply something she believed to be true.

“You don’t know that, Evans. And that still doesn’t change the fact that you aren’t ready to meet with him tonight.”

“Maybe it’s not me that isn’t ready,” she countered suddenly.

Potter blinked. “What do you mean, not you that isn’t ready? You’re the only one who has to prepare for this.”

“Am I?” she asked. “Because it seems to me that you’re the one who needs to prepare, Potter. Maybe you’re just afraid of letting me be alone with him because he might like me, and you can’t stand that thought!”

Potter’s cheeks reddened almost imperceptibly. “That’s not fair, Evans.”

“Oh, and accusing Severus is fair, when you’ve got no proof? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going tonight, and you lot are going to stay away. If you come around, I’m certain to blow it. There’s no way I’ll be able to pretend you’re not in on this if you’re there.” She stormed out the door toward Transfiguration without waiting for affirmation that they would honor her request.

Right. You know the drill. Feedback is loved and appreciated (and might re-spark my creativity). Please post it here (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=9&pp=30). Thank you!!!

Well, here it is the last post. I'm at about 3 pages with the next one, though, so it's progressing. And I made a tiny bit of progress on the Sirius-Severus fic. Tiny, tiny.

Rupertlvr: No worries about being confused. I hadn't mentioned it. L/J have decided that the best way to keep Snape from discovering the fact that she is lying (given she can't lie) is to study occlumency. Neither knows it at the moment, but that's the only solution they've come up with to make the charade work. Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the 'love triangle'. I was afraid I might lose some readers with it.

miri: I don't suppose Potter is quite able to resist himself whenever the chance to tease Lily arises, particularly when he can tell that she needs to talk to him and isn't going to retort. He's got that mischievous streak in him I can't quite tame. Your read on Snape is interesting. Of course, Potter and the Marauders aren't going to see him as principaled. In their mind, his principals automatically make him a sneaky, highly suspicious git. I have to say you're right about it being a good thing that Snape did not witness that exchange at breakfast, but then again, his friends did, so there's not telling whether or not he'll find out about it. And thank you for the well wishes on the novel. It is going to have it's own original world in a manner of speaking. It's set back in ancient times, in a sort of undisclosed location. In other words, it won't be set in England, it won't be set in the U.S., it won't be set in Germany...it will be set in a makebelieve country in a random part of the world. Therefore, I've got to create the city names, the geography, the laws, etc. etc. It will also be in the fantasy genre, so there will be sorcerers and magical beasts and things, in addition to your normal, every day humans. Your faith in me is appreciated, and I do hope I don't disappoint!

navy_blue: It will be in a "magical world" setting in a manner of speaking. It will take place in a time when people didn't doubt the existence of magical creatures, and sorcerers, when these were a fact of every day life. Think...Ella Enchanted, or The Sword in the Stone. Unlike in JKRs world, where there's a split, the two worlds will still have knowledge of one another in my world.

VividScribbler: Lily, infuriating? I'm shocked you would think so! /sarcasm. Yes, she can be, but I find that only those who really identify with James seem to think so. Although some might find themselves a bit frustrated with Lily, those who don't particularly like James just yet often find themselves more irritated by him. It's really an interesting dichotomy, and my readers are almost to a man split evenly down the middle, though there are some fence sitters who adore both, regardless. I've tried to make Lils more sympathetic this year, but I've given up. She is who she is, and she is quite the strong willed character. I cannot write her how she doesn't want to be written, and she's quite adamant that she dislikes James, and he needs to stop being so protective, and let her make her own decisions. Thank you so much for the advice on breaking through the writer's block. I like your idea to just take the story, and write random things. I wrote an April Fool's day post in which I killed off Praevidi, and that actually led to me getting over some minor writer's block there, so perhaps I will have to try that!

Right, so...here's the next post. I hope you all like the Snape date! Has there been enough of a build up yet?

Part 41: Politics and Praevidi

“Evans,” Severus’s voice greeted her. Lily whirled around to find that he was sitting at the table that she had just passed.

“Severus,” Lily replied, smiling and making her way toward the chair sitting opposite him. “I didn’t see you there!”

There was a definite expression of pride in Severus’s eyes when they met hers. “It worked, then!” he exclaimed, clearly trying—and failing—to hide his excitement.

Lily’s smiling expression changed to one of confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“When people are looking for someone, they don’t use just their sight,” he elaborated.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Lily replied, furrowing her brow slightly.

“Yes, I did,” Severus corrected her. “You rely on your intuition far more than you’re aware, Lily, and when I cut off your ability to ‘sense’ me, your eyes didn’t pick up on me sitting here.”

Lily stared at Severus. “I wasn’t aware when I received your owl that this was going to be a psychology lesson, Severus.”

It was now Severus’s turn to look confused. “Sick-ol-o-what?”

“A muggle term,” she answered dismissively. “Psychology is the study of human emotions and behavior.”

“Sounds fascinating,” Snape said dryly.

Lily’s eyes lit up. “It is, actually! The underlying concept of psychology is that people are—”

“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear, Evans. When I said it sounds fascinating, I meant painfully boring. I’m not that interested in Muggle studies.”

“Wizarding society is defined by Muggles,” Lily couldn’t help saying. “And ignoring that is ignoring our entire history, Severus.”

“Yes, that’s a great point. Thank you for the lecture.”

Severus’s voice, as ever, held a note of sarcasm, and Lily cocked her head to the side slightly, wondering what views Severus did hold about muggles and muggleborns. His reaction to this conversation hadn’t given her any idea if Potter’s impressions about the Slytherin were correct. She couldn’t think of any way to ask politely, however, so she decided to direct the conversation back to their meeting.

“Why did you ask me here?”

“To hear your fascinating discourse on the impact of Muggles on wizarding society,” he deadpanned.

Lily couldn’t resist smiling. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I think I’ve been spending too much time with Amelia lately. She tends to launch into these long, detailed lectures about Muggles and politics, and I seem to have picked up that habit.”

Severus looked suddenly uncomfortable. “If we’re going to successfully fool Potter, I think we’d better avoid the topic of politics, Lily. I suspect that my family does not see eye to eye with you on that particular topic.”

Lily stared at Severus for a moment. He had still not given her any indication of his own thoughts on the topic, just those of his family, which she already knew well from Alice’s experience with Snape’s father.

“Then it’s probably wise to stick to the topic at hand,” she agreed, deciding not to press the issue when it was so obvious that he didn’t want to discuss it. “Do you have any particular plans for driving Potter mad that do not include kissing me in public and igniting a war between Gryffindor and Slytherin?”

Snape’s eyes widened a bit, and then he chuckled appreciatively. “All right, I’ll admit that I hadn’t thought through the consequences of that particular action. I had no idea that our houses would react like they have,” he said, then as an afterthought added, “though the expression on Potter’s face was worth the hell I’ve had to pay in the common room.”

“For you, maybe. My two best friends have nearly shunned me.”

“I don’t believe that for an instant,” Severus countered. “Your friendship with Parker and Bones does not seem the type to break under the strain of you being interested in someone from another house.”

“No,” Lily agreed, her eyes shining as she thought of her two best friends. “Not to mention, they know what we’re doing, so any horror that I might have evoked by my behavior has been negated by the truth.”

Lily looked into Severus’s eyes, trying to gauge his reaction to her statement. Was he disappointed that she’d insinuated that the only reason she was there was to get revenge on Potter, and nothing else? Was that all it was for him? But there was no indication of emotion whatsoever reflected in their depths.

“You’ve told them about our plan, then?” he asked. “And you trust them not to tell Potter?” Severus’s lip curled slightly.

“Of course I trust them!” Lily exclaimed. “They wouldn’t be my best friends if I didn’t. What—you haven’t told your friends?”

“Heavens, no, girl! The only way to make this believable to Potter is if my house believes it, too. He’d get suspicious if they weren’t acting like I was betraying Salazar Slytherin himself by seeing you.”

“But you are betraying him,” Lily said softly. “Aren’t you?”

Severus glanced at his book, and then back up at Lily. “Salazar Slytherin held many different ideals. I don’t imagine that there’s one member of my house who agrees with everything the man, brilliant as he was, stood for.”

“So you don’t agree with his politics about Muggleborns?” Lily pressed.

“I thought we agreed not to discuss politics, Evans,” Snape rebuffed her. “It doesn’t look like the Marauders are gracing the library with their presence this evening, so we should probably figure out another time for a date. Maybe this time, you could let Potter know when it will be. Just sort of ‘let it slip’. Then beg him not to ruin it—so that it looks authentic.”

Lily nodded, trying to repress the feeling of disappointment washing over her like a landslide devouring an unfortunate house in its path. Severus’s non-answer seemed to confirm that his house founder’s beliefs about muggleborns were his own. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have made it clear that he was not in Slytherin for that reason? Lily swallowed hard, and tried to smile.

“All right, then. When should we meet again?”

“Next week, I think. My house has been doing everything they can to keep me away from you, so I don’t think I’ll be able to slip away from them again this week.”

“Next week it is, then,” she said, standing up and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Just send me an owl about which night works best for you.”

Lily hurried away from Severus, willing herself to get out of the library before he noticed the tears in her eyes. There was absolutely no reason for her to be upset. Severus’s views on muggleborns shouldn’t be a surprise to her. Hadn’t Potter been telling her all along that Snape was a bigot who didn’t think she deserved to be at Hogwarts?

That doesn’t mean that I didn’t want Potter to be wrong about Severus, though.

Lily continued fighting her tears as she walked away from the library, not paying attention to where she was going.

I wanted Severus to reassure me, and insist that just because his family holds those beliefs doesn’t mean he does; that he hates what his friends believe.

Lily slumped against a wall, admitting how foolish that particular hope had been as Potter’s taunting words echoed in her mind.

“I’m sure that who a person chooses for friends says nothing at all about the type of person he is.”

“Oh, shut up!” she snapped out loud, annoyed that she couldn’t even escape Potter’s teasing when she was alone with her thoughts.

“My apologies, Lily,” she heard a voice saying through the fog of her thoughts. “I wasn’t aware that I had said anything.”

Part 41, cont...

Lily’s startled glance met the concerned face of Professor Praevidi, and she stood up quickly. The blood rushed to her head, and she had to hold onto the wall for a moment to keep from falling down.

“I’m sorry, Professor,” she said, meeting his eyes again once the dizziness had subsided. “I thought I was alone.”

“I see. So you were hearing voices in your head and responding to those,” Professor Praevidi teased.

“Yes, well, that’s probably an accurate representation of what was going on,” Lily admitted. “I didn’t particularly care to hear what the voice was saying to me, that’s all.”

Professor Praevidi nodded. “Then it’s completely understandable that you would tell it to shut up. You have to be firm with voices, otherwise they’ll run all amok in your mind.” His tone was completely serious, but a glance at his eyes revealed the laughter dancing within.

Lily tried to glare at him but found it was completely impossible not to smile when looking into Professor Praevidi’s eyes, and she felt some of her disappointment about Severus begin to seep away.

“I’m glad you understand,” Lily said dryly. She stood up and looked around, realizing for the first time that she had been sitting on the landing below the Divination classroom.

Professor Praevidi’s gaze followed hers and took in the look of surprise on her face before his expression softened in understanding. “I thought you’d come up to see me,” he said slowly, “but I see now that isn’t the case.”

“No,” Lily agreed. “I was just walking; not really paying attention to where I was going. I guess my feet brought me here.”

“Then if you’ll forgive me for saying so, I’d say your feet are a lot smarter than your head,” Praevidi answered, all trace of laughter now gone from his eyes, “since it appears as though your head has been telling you to stay away. As long as you’re here, why don’t you come upstairs? There’s something we need to talk about.”

Lily’s smile disappeared. “No,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “We don’t have anything to talk about, Professor.”

Professor Praevidi contemplated Lily, his black eyes piercing the shell that she had thrown up around herself at the turn of the subject. “Lily, I know that this gift may seem more like a burden to you at the moment. You’re having visions, and you don’t know why. You don’t even know how the visions come to you, other than that you hold onto your locket and sometimes you have them. It makes sense that you’re frustrated. Frankly I’ve been surprised by the patience that you’ve shown thus far.”

“I’m not frustrated at our slow progress, Professor,” Lily declared sullenly.

“Of course you are,” Professor Praevidi contradicted. “But that’s not what you’re most upset about at the moment. What’s upsetting you most is something you need to talk about.”

Lily couldn’t even summon the desire to argue with Professor Praevidi. What good would it do? None. Nothing that she did would help. Not now. Not in the future. Not on the day Petunia dies. Because her vision hadn’t told her when that day would be; hadn’t told her how Petunia dies—only that she’d ‘fought bravely’. The vision had been completely useless.

Just like arguing with Professor Praevidi right now was useless. It wasn’t going to change anything. She wasn’t going to study Divination anymore, and there was no point in trying to defend that choice, or trying to convince Professor Praevidi that she was right. A simple “I’m sorry, Professor,” would suffice, and that was what she was going to say. No scene. She couldn’t take any more scenes. Her emotions were too raw already.

“I’m sorry, Professor,” she said. “I truly am. You’re an amazing teacher, but I don’t want this curse anymore.”

Lily turned and began walking down the hall toward the staircase, but Professor Praevidi’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“I appreciate more than you could know what you’re going through, Lily. Believe me, you aren’t the only one to have been through this, and you’ll kill yourself trying to carry this burden alone. You need to talk to someone about what you’ve seen.”

Lily turned around to face him, but was unprepared for the flood of emotions that came over her when she looked into his eyes, and realized that if anyone could understand what she was going through, it was this man. He’d been cursed with sight since childhood as well. Who knew what horrors he had foreseen? What deaths he had predicted? And as he continued to watch her, concern etched in every facet of his face, Lily found that she suddenly needed to talk about her vision; needed to talk about Petunia. She couldn’t carry this burden by herself anymore.

“Okay, Professor,” she said finally. “We’ll talk. But I’m not studying Divination anymore. I won’t change my mind about that.”

Professor Praevidi smiled slightly. “Fair enough,” he agreed. “I promise to allow you to define the boundaries of our discussion.”

“I’m leaving if you don’t honor that promise,” Lily warned him.

Praevidi laughed. “I expect that you will,” he agreed, motioning for her to make her way up the ladder and into his classroom.

Feedback welcome and appreciated (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=10)

rupertlvr: It certainly didn't take much to convince you that Severus's motives were less than altruistic. Severus never did, however, actually say that he didn't like muggleborns, simply that he wanted to avoid discussing politics. Still, he didn't say that he did like muggleborns, either. Lily drew the conclusion that his lack of opinion on the subject incriminated him.

navy_blue: Thank you! And since you asked, from fictionalley: When you write a story, you don't automatically send it off to a list/forum to be read. You want to run it by someone first. The writer is the 'alpha' (first person to see the material) and the 'beta' is the second person. You send your story to your beta, and they'll edit it for syntax/punctuation/grammar/spelling errors you may have missed. Additionally, a good beta will try to suggest changes to your story that will make it a better read. This could be anything from a character acting in...well, character, to making sure the story achieves your goal (is it dark enough? does the shipper develop well? etc...), make the story more consistent with the canon (in this case, Rowlings' texts) if that's what your after, or any of a dozen other things that might make the difference between a good story or a great one (or a terrible one and a so-so one, depending on how optimistic you are).

miri: I love your analysis. I know Severus's true feelings and motives, of course. I've spent some time with him lately to figure out where the story is going, but I can't tell you any of that. Still, I think you're right not to just follow Lily as she jumps to conclusions. She can be a bit, er...reactionary, for lack of a better word. Don't worry about me killing off Praevidi for the moment. I still need him. Lily's lockets still has many secrets she has yet to discover. Regarding what Severus is doing, yes. You're on the right track.

Here's the next update! There, the wait wasn't that bad, was it?

Part 42: Girl Talk

The light shown brightly through the window of the Gryffindor tower dorm room. In the distance, the crowd cheered and booed with their team out at the Quidditch Pitch, and occasionally, the shrill screech of the whistle cut through the air as Madam Alipes signaled a foul or a goal. Lily sat at her desk, oblivious to the goings on at the pitch and staring at the rainbows cast by the crystal hanging in the window as they skipped across the desk in front of her.

Much like the light refracted by the crystal, Lily’s thoughts were fractured, fragmenting off unexpectedly in odd directions as she tried to focus on the details in her vision. These details, which seemed to become so effortlessly clear at night when she was sleeping, danced in and out of the shadows of her mind like the rainbows of light the crystal was sending onto the open journal in front of her, refusing to become one whole, coherent thought.

"Oh for goodness sake!" she exclaimed finally. "Just write it down already! Write it down. You know the words. ‘We were too late. We couldn’t save her.’"

Lily gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth as she stood up and backed away from the desk. The sound of metal hitting wood reverberated in the room as the chair she had been sitting in fell to the ground, momentarily drowning out the sound of the cheers from the Quidditch Pitch off in the distance. She slumped down onto her bed, trying to get herself to listen to logic, to tell herself that neither saying it out loud, nor writing it down would make the vision any more or less likely to come true.

Yet logic was failing Lily.

She wanted to cleave to it, bury her face in its familiarity like the long forgotten security blanket she’d clung to as a child, using it to ward off the completely illogical reality in which was living, but she couldn’t. The room was spinning, the bed threatened to tip over and throw her off; the air in the room thickened until she felt as though she might never take another breath of the flower-perfumed air that permeated the dorm room. The panic inside was swelling, spiraling out of control and threatening to take her with it. Reason once again deserted her leaving her vulnerable to the terror of raw emotion, which would not allow her to think rationally.

And that is exactly why you’re writing it down.

The voice in Lily’s head was so clear, and sounded so exactly like Professor Praevidi that she looked up abruptly, expecting to see him standing in front of her.

When she told Professor Praevidi her fear that somehow, in some way, she would be condemning Petunia to death by speaking about her vision, he had nodded, not sympathy in his eyes, but empathy. Although he refused to talk about his own experiences, the sorrow in his eyes as she told him her fears was the sorrow she saw reflected in her own eyes whenever she looked into a mirror. He hadn’t interrupted the entire time she was explaining to him her theory that as long as no one knew the exact contents of her vision, then Petunia would be safe. He hadn’t told her that she was insane. He hadn’t told her that it wasn’t true. He had simply listened, and then when she was finished talking, he had looked at her for a moment, contemplating.

"So you’re saying that you can’t tell me what happened in the vision because if you do, you’ll kill Petunia?"

Lily nodded slowly, her own words sounding ridiculous when spoken by the professor. "Yes, sir. I know it sounds mad, but—"

He held up a hand and she stopped. "I don’t think it sounds insane at all, Lily, though I don’t think you’re being honest with me or with yourself when you say that’s the reason you don’t want to speak about it. I think it’s not so much that it will kill Petunia if you tell me as it is that it will kill you to speak the words out loud."

Lily had stared at him for a long moment, completely dumbstruck at his statement, but before she could speak, he was talking again—telling her to write everything down in her journal if she couldn’t tell him, because she needed to get it out of her brain. In her mind the memory of the vision was just sitting there, swirling around, clouding every thought she had and every action she made. In the journal, it would be less intimidating; just one of many visions she’d had, and like the others, completely apt to change should any person involved in the outcome make a decision different than the choice the vision had assumed.

"It will seem less terrifying," he assured her. "Less real. Because it’s not real, Lily; it’s simply a picture of what might be. You know that. Logically, you know that, and when you write it down, and get it out of your head, you’ll be able to use your logic again and see that this vision is nothing of which you need to be terrified."

As Professor Praevidi’s words came back to her, the room gradually stopped spinning, her bed righted itself, and her lungs took in deep, wonderful breaths of the magical air at Hogwarts. She had spoken the words, and Petunia was still alive. More to the point, she had spoken the words, and broken the spell under which her silence had kept her bound.

Although she was still terrified for Petunia’s safety, she was now able to remember the fact that her vision was only one among any number of possible future realities. She still had no idea what she might do to change the future, for she had no intention of sitting idly by and allowing Petunia’s death to happen if there was something she might do to stop it. But perhaps writing it down would help her to uncover details that might help her in the endeavor.

Taking a shaky breath, Lily sat back down at her desk and began writing, forcing herself to continue even as her heart exhorted her to stop. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, straining her memory for every small detail of the vision so that she might make sense of it at a later time, but when at last her quill stopped its dance across the pages of her journal, the light which had been pouring through the window had faded and the pink hue of sunset was painting the walls of the room a soft dusky mauve. In the distance, she could still hear the faint roar of the crowd at the pitch, and she wondered vaguely if it were still for the match that had been going on when she’d first sat down to write out her vision.

Standing up and stretching, Lily marveled at the peace that seemed to encircle her now that the vision was out of her mind, at least for the moment. No longer did she hear Remus’ words, or the echoing cries of her future self when she had been told the news about her sister. Instead, her mind was blissfully empty, and she became aware suddenly of the sheer exhaustion that enveloped her.

Without even pausing to put her journal away, Lily laid down in her bed, closed her curtains around her with a flick of her wand, and the next second, was lost in a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

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


"Can you believe that move? I was certain Potter would fall off his broom!"

"I just hope that Elliot is going to be okay."

"That has to be one of the longest matches in Gryffindor history! My bum is numb from being in the stands so long."

"You think your bum is sore? Try sitting on a broomstick for eight hours straight."

The babble of voices woke Lily from her deep slumber, and she groggily reached for her quartz clock.

"It wasn’t eight hours straight. You had time outs."

1 a.m.

"I can’t wait to tell Lily that I finally got to—" Alice’s voice said, growing louder as the door opened, "Oh! Shhh. It looks like she’s asleep already."

"It’s a bit late to worry about waking me up, isn’t it?" Lily asked, smiling as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, happily surprised to find the exhaustion from earlier completely erased by a sleep unbroken by thoughts of Petunia. "Did the match just end?"

She opened her curtains to find her four roommates standing in the doorway, the light from the hall behind them spilling in, and casting their forms in shadow.

"Not just," Alice answered, walking forward into the room, Amelia, Kaylie and Desdamona following her. The door shut behind them, once again throwing the room into darkness. "We’ve been celebrating on the pitch for an hour now, but McGonagall made us move back here after Hagrid complained that the noise from our party was keeping the hippogriffs awake."

"Ooof. Ouch. Stupid trunk," Kaylie’s voice exclaimed. "Lily, do you mind if we turn on the lights? It’s hard to see anything in here with the door closed."

"You might as well. I’m already awake, aren’t I?"

"We’re sorry about that, Lils," Amelia apologized. A second later, the ornate brass torchiers lining the wall blazed to life. "We didn’t realize how late it was."

Lily closed her eyes against the sudden brightness of the room, and when she was able to open them again, she saw immediately that the red of Alice’s Quidditch robes was almost completely obscured by a thick layer of dirt and her hair was damp with perspiration.

"Tell me you didn’t get into a fight with the Slytherin reserves?" Lily asked, grinning in spite of herself.

Alice looked as though she were an over inflated balloon that might burst at any moment. She stood there for a second, quivering, before a grin broke out across her face and she let out a squeal that Lily was quite certain would reawaken Hagrid’s beloved Hippogriffs.

"I played! I got to play. I’m on the team!"

"Alice! That’s fantastic!" Lily exclaimed, relieved that her excitement for her friend was genuine, and not tainted by the sadness that had surrounded her since she’d first had the vision about Petunia.

Alice grabbed Lily’s hands, pulling her up off the bed, and drawing her into a jig. Amelia soon joined her hands with Lily and Alice, and the three girls spun around in circles until, dizzy and laughing, they collapsed into a heap on the floor, still laughing.

"You should have seen her," Desdamona said, laughing at the three girls. "She was amazing!"

"Too right she was. She scored the goal that allowed Potter to grab the Snitch so that Gryffindor could win. I’ve never seen a game like it before. Slytherin led the whole way—they have some amazing Chasers this year, and our seeker got injured early. It looked like they were a certain victory."

"Wait, wait. Potter caught the Snitch?" Lily interrupted. "But I thought he was a chaser."

"He was," Amelia agreed.

"But Potter had to take over for Elliot when he got injured," Desdamona explained.

"He struggled at first," Alice interrupted. "He’s as natural at flying as anyone, but it took him awhile to get out of his Chaser mindset and remember the seeker techniques he knows."

"We nearly lost the game early. The Snitch was just inches in front of the Slytherin seeker when one of our beaters knocked a well-placed bludger into him!" Kaylie added.

"It didn’t take long for Potter to start confusing the Slytherin seeker, though," Desdamona said in admiration.


"After he remembered that’s what he had to do, that is—" Alice said with a grin.

"He couldn’t actually catch the Snitch until Gryffindor could get within 140 points, otherwise we would have had lost," Amelia explained in response to Lily’s confused frown.

"So he had to do some diversion techniques so that the Slytherin seeker wouldn’t see the Snitch," Desdamona elaborated.

"I’ve never seen anyone fly like that! Remus said he could play for the England national team one day," Amelia gushed.

"Anyway, Potter gave the chasers time to get within 140 of Slytherin," Alice continued.

"And that’s where Alice came in. You could tell how hard she’s been practicing!" Amelia smiled proudly at Alice.

"Too right!" Kaylie agreed. "The chaser corps looked like they didn’t even miss Potter; Alice fit in so easily."

Alice blushed. "Potter’s been working with me," she said. "The rest of the team doesn’t like to practice with the reserves, but he’s always insisted that I need to be trained."


Kaylie giggled. "Sounds like someone has a crush on Potter!" she said.

Alice laughed out loud at this. "Yes, that’s it. I’ve got a crush on Potter. Too bad I know he’s hopelessly in love with Lily!"

Lily’s laughter died in her throat as Alice’s announcement echoed througout the room. The four girls, apparently noticing the look on Lily’s face, quieted almost immediately, but couldn’t quite conceal the grins from her discerning gaze.

"You KNOW that?" Lily exploded, her good mood evaporating. The four girls burst into laughter. "How? How long?"

"What, you mean YOU already knew?" Amelia asked. She and Alice exchanged an incredulous look, while Kaylie and Desdamona fidgeted slightly uncomfortably.

"When did you figure it out?"


"When did you figure it out?" Lily countered. "How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"Since Kaylie told us that she and Potter were going out to make you jealous," Alice answered, "though we suspected it long before that."

Kaylie and Desdamona suddenly seemed to find the rug fascinating, both refusing to make eye contact with her as she turned her ire on them. "YOU knew that? And you didn’t tell me? All last year? And all this year? I’m curious, just when were you planning on sharing this knowledge with me?"

"Butterbeer and treats in the common room," Andromeda announced, popping her head in the doorway, "in celebration of Gryffindor’s win!" She disappeared, shutting the door again behind her.

Kaylie and Desdamona leapt up from their spots on Kaylie’s bed and hurried toward the door.

"Are you coming down, then?" Kaylie asked, still flushed slightly and looking nervously at Lily.

"In a bit," Lily snapped. "I need to talk to Alice and Amelia."

Alice and Amelia tried their best to look thoroughly chastened, but their eyes still danced merrily with amusement; a fact that made Lily even more upset.

"We’ll see you down there, then," Desdamona said, and both girls disappeared out the doorway. Lily used her wand to sound proof the door, and then rounded on her friends.

"I can’t believe you knew all this time and you didn’t tell me! What were you thinking, keeping that from me? And to think I spent the year being miserable because I thought he hated me. It wasn’t that at all!"

"Potter will be very pleased to find out that you were miserable about the fact that he hated you," Alice said, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Don’t you dare say a word to Potter about my feelings for him!" Lily snapped.

"You have feelings for Potter?" Amelia asked, the laughter disappearing as she stared at Lily, perplexed.

"Yes," Lily spat. "Loathing. And that’s all I’ve ever felt for him. I was just miserable that he hated me because I couldn’t figure out why! It would have been nice to know that he was behaving so horribly toward me because he liked me."

"You’d never have believed us," Alice said quietly, serious now. "We did try to tell you before, Lily. Every time we brought him up, you insisted on changing the subject."

"That’s not true!" Lily exclaimed.

"It is true," Amelia insisted. "And anyway, why is it a big deal that we never told you? You figured it out by yourself anyway, didn’t you?"

"Yes, but I’d never have agreed to Andromeda’s plan if I’d have known the truth. Do you know how much it hurt him when he saw me with Severus?"

"What do you care how much it hurt him, if you don’t like him, Lils?"

"Just because I don’t like him doesn’t mean I want to hurt him, Alice!" Lily exclaimed. "And besides, if I’d have known why he had such a fit every time I was alone with Snape, at least I could have been more tactful about it."


"Well, it’s over and done now, Lily," Alice said, standing up and walking over to her closet to change out of her Quidditch robes. She stopped at Lily’s desk, and glanced at the still-open journal lying on top of it. "What were you working on all day, anyway?"

Lily jumped up to run over and shut the journal so that Alice didn’t see what was written in it, but it was too late.

"You had another vision?" she asked, turning to face Lily. "You never mentioned that to us! What was this one?"

"You had another vision?" Amelia echoed. "When?"

Lily reached the desk, and put her hand out to shut the journal, but Alice stopped her. "So that’s why you’ve been acting so oddly," she said quietly.

Lily, panicking now that Alice had seen the journal, glanced back and forth between the two of them, searching her mind wildly for an explanation that they would believe that would not require her to admit that she’d been lying to them. No explanation came to her, and she took a deep breath, a relief of sorts washing over her as she realized that she had no choice but to tell them truth.

"Yes," she agreed, "that’s why I’ve been acting so oddly."

Alice closed the journal and walked over to sit on her bed, patting the spot next to her in invitation for Lily to sit down, which she did. Amelia sat down on Lily’s other side. "What was the vision?"

Lily took several deep breaths, resisted the urge to simply ask them to read it in her journal if they were interested, and prepared herself to finally speak the whole vision out loud. Alice and Amelia held her hands in theirs, and squeezed them tightly as she began to recount what led up to the vision, the vision itself, and more importantly, the deceit in which she had engaged subsequently. When she was finished, both girls sat silently on either side of her, their arms around her waist, hugging her.

"Oh, Lily," Amelia said finally. "You’ve been dealing with this for over a month now? Why in the name of Merlin’s Wand didn’t you tell us? We could have helped you."

"No," Lily said firmly. "You couldn’t have. I wasn’t ready for help yet."

"What are you going to do?" Alice asked.

Lily shrugged. "I dunno. I have to stop it somehow, don’t I? I can’t just let my sister die."

"But the vision had so very few details! The only thing you know for certain is that Petunia is coming to Hogwarts."

"And it’s not exactly like I could stop her from coming to Hogwarts, even if I wanted to," Lily agreed.

"Couldn’t you?" Alice queried.

"Stop her from coming to Hogwarts?" Lily asked, "No, I don’t think so. It’s not as though I’m my mum and dad, is it?"

"No," Amelia agreed, "and it wouldn’t be fair to her, anyway. Nobody stopped you from coming to Hogwarts, even after they knew your life was in danger here, did they?"

"Still," Alice said, "maybe there’s a way to convince your parents not to send her?"

Lily shook her head. "I thought of that. The trouble is, everything I might say to my parents to convince them that Petunia shouldn’t come to Hogwarts will convince them not to send me back, either. I can hardly say ‘I’ve had a vision of her death’. They’d freak out. And if I tried to scare them into not sending her because of the dangers, they most certainly would pull me out, as well."

"And it’s not fair to Petunia," Amelia reiterated. "It’s not fair to her, Lily. You can’t do that, even if there were a way."

"Even to save her life?" Alice asked, disbelief etched over her face as she turned to face Amelia. "You wouldn’t stop your little brother from coming to school here if you knew he was going to die if he did?"

"I wouldn’t," Amelia insisted. "It would be his decision to make."

"So you’re saying I should tell Petunia?"

"Tell Petunia?" Alice exclaimed. "Have you gone mad? You thought this was hard for you to deal with, imagine what it would do to her!"

"She has a right to know, Lily," Amelia countered, glaring at Alice before turning to look at Lily. "She should be told, and then she can make the decision for herself."

"You don’t understand how little muggles know about magic, Amelia! They don’t understand divination, and how it’s not a science. They think predictions are set in stone. For Godric’s sake, most witches and wizards believe that. I didn’t know any different until Lily told me. If Lily tells her that she’s foreseen her death, she’s going to believe she’s going to die. Imagine what that would do to her!"

"She deserves to know the truth," Amelia said, flushing slightly. "It’s wrong to lie to her, and to go behind her back to keep her from coming. Imagine how you’d feel if it were you."

Lily stared back and forth between her friends. She didn’t know what reaction she had expected when she’d told them about the vision, but this certainly wasn’t it. Since the last thing she needed was a war to erupt between her two closest friends, she held up a hand, and both fell silent. "Since I’ve no way of stopping her from coming to Hogwarts without losing my own education here, and since Alice is quite right that Petunia would never understand that my vision isn’t a prophecy and therefore would freak out if I told her about it, I can’t do either of the two things you two are suggesting, so there’s no use arguing about it. So can you two stop now? Please?"

"Fine," Alice said, still looking sore at Amelia for disagreeing with her. "But I still think there’s got to be another way to stop her coming without causing your parents to pull you out of Hogwarts, too."

"Yes, by telling her and convincing her to make the decision not to come," Amelia grouched. "You’d want to know, if it were you."

"I said stop," Lily said, rubbing her temples. The relaxation she’d felt after she’d first awoken had given way to a small headache. "I don’t want to talk about this anymore, for the moment."

"Fine," Alice agreed, squeezing Lily’s hand and standing up. "But the next time you have a vision like that, you’d better not keep it from us! Imagine you all alone up in the Astronomy tower while we thought you were safe with Professor Praevidi. If one of the Slytherins had found you," Alice’s eyes hardened as she spoke, "we wouldn’t have had any idea that you needed our help!"

"Alice finally has a good point," Amelia agreed. "You should know better than to lie about where you’re going. What if Lucius had found a way to sneak into the castle? Or put someone else up to kidnapping you?"

"Yes," Lily said irritably, "I am well aware of the danger that my sight poses to me, thank you very much. That’s why I’ve given it up and would appreciate it if you two would help spread the word so that they leave me alone!"

Alice turned around from where she had been standing in front of the mirror, attempting to remove all of the mud from her curls. "You weren’t serious about that, were you? I thought you would start studying again, now that you’ve talked to Professor Praevidi about that!"

"I am serious about it," Lily said. "I don’t want it anymore. It’s a curse, not a gift, and I intend to forget that I ever had it. Are you two ready to go, then?"

Alice and Amelia exchanged nervous glances before nodding, and following Lily out the door and down to the common room to join the celebration party.

Feedback goes here (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22735&page=10&pp=30)

Rupertlvr: I think "certain regard" is more accurate. Her romantic feelings are more toward Severus at the moment, but she doesn't hate James, as she professes! I hope you enjoy the next post. Lots of Marauder-y goodness, I think.

navy_blue: The way they get together is much more long and drawn out than Severus! If you'd like at least one version of events, my six-parter in James's perspective tells one story of their romance. It's called "Why Don't You and I". There are some events from Lily Year 1, and Year 2 in there, but after that it may (or may not) diverge from the series. It's posted on this site.

miri: Yes, Lily didn't exactly need their squabbling, did she? But I think it was something of a relief to her for their reactions to be so...calm. They didn't freak out (a la Ron when he learned Harry had seen the Grim!), so that makes it seem less frightening to her, as well. I'm happy you like my characterization. And speaking of Potter, we'll see him in the next update. I hope you like it!

Part 43: Celebration in the Common Room

The scene in the common room when she arrived was not what she expected. Potter sat on an elevated chair in the center of the room, plastic wrapped around him covering his Quidditch robes. Behind him stood Damien Lockenburn, Keeper, and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The remainder of the team, Black, Pettigrew and Remus flanked him. The rest of Gryffindor formed a wider circle beyond them. The common room smelt of Muggle shaving cream, which Lily guessed must be the white stuff covering his hair.

“Are you sure you want me to do this, Potter?” Damien asked, looking uncomfortable. “I could use my wand and be done with it already.”

“He said he’d do it the Muggle way,” Sirius interrupted. “No using magic!”

“What’s going on?” Lily whispered to Alice and Amelia, who had come in behind her, and were standing on either side, also taking in the scene in front of them.

Alice laughed. “That was the bet,” she explained.

Lily furrowed her brow. “The bet?”

“James bet Sirius that he could make him flinch, remember?” Amelia said. “It looks like this is the payoff.”

“Might you choose a Muggle-born to do it, then?” Damien queried. “I haven’t any experience using Muggle razors.”

“I picked you,” Potter explained, “because you’ve got the most incentive to keep me safe and healthy. You don’t want a second Seeker on the injured list, Lockenburn.”

An appreciative laugh rippled through the crowd.

“Just get on with it already!” Black demanded.

“Shave his head!” Pettigrew shouted, looking surprised at his own audacity.

The crowd took up the chant. “Shave his head! Shave his head!”

“I’m trying to imagine James Potter without hair sticking up all over the place,” Andromeda’s voice observed somewhere to the left of Lily. Lily turned her head, and saw Andromeda smiling at her. “I’m not sure he’ll be the same person without it. That hair has at least as much personality as he does.”

“Good. Then maybe he won’t be so insufferable after it’s gone,” Lily quipped, drawing a hoot of laughter from the older girl.

The chanting of the crowd died as a cheer erupted near the front, swelling like a wave through the room toward the back where Lily stood with her friends. A glance to the front confirmed that the demise of Potter’s signature hairstyle had begun.

“I’ll never understand him,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Ever. WHY would you bet someone a shaved head that you can make them flinch?”

Alice and Amelia laughed at her bewilderment, but offered no explanation. Andromeda, on the other hand, showed no such reluctance.

“To catch your attention, perhaps?” she asked.

“Don’t be ridic—” she began out of habit, before stopping. Hadn’t she discovered tonight that it was common knowledge that Potter liked her? Why bother to deny it? “Well, it didn’t work then, did it?”

“I don’t know,” Alice observed. “You’re talking about him, aren’t you?”

Lily glared at Alice, and then turned to refocus her attention on the spectacle in front of her, trying to picture Potter without his hair. She couldn’t do it. Her eyes met his, and he sprung to his feet, forcing the razor out of Damien’s hand, but somehow managing to avoid injury. Half of his head was now shaved bare; the other half was shorn, and covered in shaving cream.

“And where have you been all night, Evans?” he asked, leading his entourage of Black, Remus and Pettigrew toward her.

“What’s he upset about, now?” Lily hissed.

“Potter’s on the warpath because you missed his match,” Amelia explained.

“Oi, Potter! Are we finishing this, or what?” Damien asked, perplexed.

“In a minute! I have to deal with Evans, first.”

The crowd around them muttered in disappointment and began turning their attention to their previous endeavors. Most seemed to be making their way toward the tables lining the walls that were piled with the food, or onto the dance floor that had been erected in front of the fireplace. Music from sources unknown muted the babble of voices that filled the common room at Potter’s announcement that he was halting the shaving of his head to talk to Lily.

“Try to stay calm. I’d hate to have to give you both detention tonight,” Andromeda advised, and with that bit of wisdom walked off to join Joshua McKinnon and a group of older students on the dance floor.

Lily sighed, and braced herself to face the young seeker, certain to be more arrogant and disagreeable than ever fresh off of a Quidditch victory like the one about which she’d just heard. At that moment, she regretted leaving her dorm room at all. Behind her, she heard Alice and Amelia giggling.

“I guess we should have warned you,” Alice whispered.

“Do you think?” Lily quipped.

“Now that you know he likes you, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out wh—Potter!” Alice exclaimed as the Marauders arrived in front of them. “That’s a good look for you. I especially like the choice of shaving cream for gel. Some would consider it a bit too risqué, but it works for you.”

“Thanks, Parker,” Potter laughed. Lily could tell that the amusement in his voice at Alice’s words was genuine. “I was going for a look that would impress the new star chaser.” The smile left his face, however, when he turned his gaze to Lily. “Where have you been?”

“I hardly think I need to explain myself to you, Potter! If I want to stay in Gryffindor studying, I—”

“Studying during Quidditch?” Potter’s expression told her that he found the mere suggestion as blasphemous as if she’d said that Salazar Slytherin had had the right idea when it came to Muggleborns. “Who studies during Quidditch?”

“A nutter,” Pettigrew supplied. Lily glared at him, and he took a step behind Sirius, who gave him an irritated look.

“Me,” she answered, turning her gaze back to Potter. “I had a lot to do, and I didn’t feel like wasting the day—”

A loud snort from Black interrupted her this time, along with a squeak of disbelief from Pettigrew. Remus’s expression was the only one of the four that showed sympathy for her position, but he remained silent.

“Wasting the—wasting the day? Are you hearing this Siri? Watching Quidditch is a waste of the day,” Potter exclaimed, turning to look at Black with an expression of torture on his face.

“I’m hearing it Jamesy,” Black lamented, “though I’m not quite believing it.”

“Me either,” Pettigrew agreed from behind Black’s robes. “What did I say? Nutter.”

“Who wants to go get some food?” Alice interrupted, shooting a withering look at Black. Black shrugged and returned Alice’s look with a “he asked, what was I supposed to say?” look of his own. Alice shook her head, but her eyes were sparkling. “Come on, Black, you must be starving.”

Black turned to glare at Pettigrew, who took another step backwards. “Could you quit yanking on my robes? Honestly! How did someone afraid of Evans ever get sorted into Gryffindor?”

Amelia elbowed Remus, who jumped a bit. He looked at her in confusion for a moment, and she nodded toward Pettigrew. A look of understanding lit up his features.

“Want to ease up on Petey a bit, Siri?” Remus asked with a slight smile. “I daresay he’s not the only Gryffindor afraid of Lily.”

Pettigrew shot Remus a look of thanks.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Black snapped, glowering at Remus. His annoyance at Remus’s defense of Pettigrew was obvious, and Remus didn’t hold his stare.

“Sounds good to me,” Remus agreed. Amelia had her arms crossed and was still frowning, but Remus seemed to find the tapestry hanging on the opposite wall fascinating, and was refusing to look at her.

“Fine,” Amelia sulked. “Let’s go get some food, then. Come on, Peter.”

“I just ate,” Pettigrew said, waving them off. “Jamesy, shouldn’t you finish getting your head sha—”

“You want some more,” Black said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away, Remus, Alice and Amelia following him.

Lily’s stomach growled in envy as she watched her friends saunter to the food trays and pile their plates full of assorted goodies. She hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch that day, and the last of her patience disappeared when she realized that Potter was the reason she was not eating right now. When she turned back to face him, she was scowling.

“I had work to do, Potter. I’m not really in the mood for you questioning my decisions.”

“I’m not questioning your decisions, Evans…just your sanity,” Potter returned. “How could you miss the match?”

“I didn’t know my presence was required,” she countered.

“Required? I’d have thought you’d want to come see your house team play! Merlin, Evans. No wonder everybody in Gryffindor thinks you’re a house traitor.”

Lily’s back stiffened. “And what’s that supposed to mean? I’ve got as much loyalty to Gryffindor as anyone!”

“Yeah, and you’ve certainly showed that, haven’t you? You don’t show up for Quidditch matches, you go running around with Snape all the time, you—”

“Oh, so we’re back on that, are we? I’m not loyal to Gryffindor because I have a friend from another house?”

“Not just any other house!”

Lily’s annoyance abated as she noticed in amusement that Potter had pulled his wand out of his robes at the mention of his Slytherin rival. Now that she was aware of his feelings for her, his behavior was so transparent that she couldn’t believe it had taken her over a year to figure out that he liked her.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Lily said, her tone grave, her expression somber, but her eyes laughing. “Slytherin house. Godric Gryffindor himself will be rising from his tomb any moment to smite me, I’m sure.”

“Clever, Evans,” Potter said, gritting his teeth.

Lily laughed, releasing the tension that Potter’s words conjured within her. “I should think you of all people would not have a problem with my seeing Severus, Potter. You’re helping me with it, for crying out loud.”

“I’m trying to help you,” he corrected. “But you insisted on seeing him before you were ready.”

“Oh, for goodness sake! I can’t wait to see him until you think I’m ready to be alone with him.”

“And why not?” he demanded as Lily tried very hard to maintain her façade of collected cool.

“Well, to start with, he would get suspicious. And secondly, the Malfoy’s are coming back to the school after Christmas, so I—”

“They’re what?” a collection of voices asked in unison. Lily looked around and realized that Alice, Amelia, Black, Remus and Pettigrew had all returned to within earshot of where she and Potter were standing. A glance into the irate expressions of Alice and Amelia reminded her that she had forgotten to convey to them this particular piece of information, as well.

“You failed to mention that,” Amelia stated.

“Failed to—FAILED to mention that?” Alice exploded. “I hardly think ‘failed to mention’ is adequate here. How long have you known this, Lily?”

“Do you want to keep your voice down, Alice? I’d rather not have to explain to the entire common room why it makes one ounce of difference to me whether or not Malfoy comes to visit the school.”

A light pink tinged Alice’s cheeks as she glanced around at the Gryffindor students standing within earshot. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “But honestly, Lily, I—”

“We can’t talk about this here,” Remus interrupted. “Someone might overhear, and we need Gryffindor to believe that you’re seeing Snape—”

“Severus,” Lily corrected.

“Snape,” Potter snarled.

“Snape,” Pettigrew agreed, nodding his head so hard up and down that Lily was afraid it might fall off and go rolling across the floor of the common room.

“Calm down, both of you,” Amelia reproved.

“He’s being ridiculous!”

“So are you.”

“I said calm down!” Amelia reiterated at the same time that Remus admonished, “She said calm down!” They looked at one another and blushed.

“Now is not the time or place to discuss it,” he continued.

“Besides, Jamesy has a bet to finish paying up on,” Black said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “I hate to admit it, but Remmy is right. We can finish discussing this another time, when there aren’t so many people around.”

“Sirius is right, Lils,” Alice said as Lily opened her mouth to object. “Another time. We have to exercise prudence right now.”

“Fine,” said Lily. She turned to glare at Potter. He was standing in front of her, smirking and taking no apparent notice of the fact that his head was covered in shaving cream; half of his hair gone and the other half stuck out in odd angles. She found herself overcome with giggles at the sight.

“I don’t suppose you’ll let me finish shaving the rest of it?” she asked when she had stopped laughing long enough to speak, her voice the epitome of innocence. Potter scowled at her, as did Black and Pettigrew, but Remus was smiling.

“Not in a million years,” answered Alice. “Gryffindor needs a Seeker to finish out the season. There’s no chance I’d let you anywhere near Potter with a sharp blade!”

Black grabbed Potter’s arm, and pulled him back toward where the “barber chair” sat vacant. “Oi, Lockenburn!” he shouted. “Ready to finish?”

“I don’t know what you were implying, Alice,” Lily said, her voice scandalized. “I had no intention of hurting him.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Amelia placated her.

“I just would have liked to have been the one responsible for getting rid of that irritating mop of his. You don’t suppose he’ll decide to go with the shaved look permanently?”

“And what do you care if he does?” Alice asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“I couldn’t care less,” she dismissed. “It’s just that he presents such an untidy image for Gryffindor.”

“Right, Lils,” Amelia agreed. “It’s all about Gryffindor’s image. Are you ready to eat, then?”

“It is!” Lily insisted. “Potter’s hair style is of no concern to me.”

“Of course. Do you want a cauldron cake, then?”

Lily bristled at the tone of disbelief in Alice’s voice, but decided to drop the argument for the moment. Even after her disagreement with Potter, she was feeling more relaxed than she had felt in a long, long time, and she decided to just enjoy it. “I’d love one,” she agreed, taking the pastry from Alice.

A cheer from the crowd told her that Potter’s haircut had resumed, and she bit into her cauldron cake, glancing up just in time to see the last lock of hair falling from his head. Lockenburn used the towel draped over his shoulder to wipe the final bit of shaving cream away, and Lily nearly choked on the bite she had taken as she looked at him. Andromeda had been right. He just didn’t look like Potter without the hair on top of his head standing up in every direction, announcing to all those who cared to wonder that the boy on whose head it sat was at least as mischievous as it was. Shaking the thought out of her mind, Lily took another bite of cauldron cake, applause breaking out around her as Potter stood up, modeling his new hairstyle for the house.

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