Disclaimer: Any of the characters/plot references you recognize belong to the wondrous JK Rowling.
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February 1976
"—apparently he's still in the hospital wing!"
"No!"
"Yeah! They say he's pretty beaten up!"
"All because he saved Snape?"
Lily's head swiveled at the name of her best mate. "What happened to Severus?" She asked the third year strolling next to her in the corridor. The brunette Ravenclaw, who had been gossiping eagerly with her friend, momentarily looked annoyed at the distraction until recognizing her as Lily Evans, the fifth year Gryffindor prefect.
"You haven't heard?" She sounded positively horrified that Lily was so far out of the loop.
"No, we skipped breakfast this morning," Lily explained, motioning to the blond Gryffindor beside her.
"James Potter is in the hospital wing!" The third year Ravenclaw was beaming with excitement.
"What?" Lily's fellow classmate and friend exclaimed, her attention drawn. Josephine Ollerton, or Josie as she was more commonly known, was something akin to a cousin to James Potter.
"Yeah, he was injured pulling Snape out from the Womping Willow last night."
"Injured," Josie repeated weakly, as Lily said, "Womping Willow?"
The third year girls nodded.
Sensing the distress of her friend, Lily made to discount the rumors. "How'd you two find out?"
"Oh, it was all over the Great Hall this morning," the second girl relayed self importantly. "Apparently Marlene McKinnon found out from Sirius Black. She's in Ravenclaw, too."
"I need to go to the Hospital Wing," Josie murmured faintly, but the first girl dashed her notion.
"They're not letting anyone in. Marvin Ovsak, he's a second year Ravenclaw, tried to get in this morning—some messy business with some miscast charm—and Madam Aldrin healed him in the corridor. Wouldn't even let him inside, poor chap!"
"Thanks," Lily said quickly, wrapping an arm around Josie for support.
Josie's frightened blue eyes met her green. "Lily, that sounds serious! If they're not letting—"
"Calm down," Lily comforted soothingly. "You know how the Hogwarts gossip mill is. I'm sure Potter's fine. Probably got in the way of a bad curse or something. I mean, honestly, what would Sev be doing by the Womping Willow? He's not an idiot."
But Josie was looking doubtful.
"C'mon," Lily urged. "We're going to be late for Charms."
The blond fifth year allowed herself to be pulled along.
James wasn't in Charms. For that matter, neither were Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, two of his best mates. Remus Lupin, the fourth member of the quartet, had left for St. Mungo's the afternoon before (some contagious disease they didn't want in the Hospital Wing), so his disappearance wasn't unexpected. None of the four students showed up for Transfiguration, either. By lunch, Josie was positively frightened.
"I'm going to go the Hospital Wing, Lily. This isn't… this isn't like him."
"What do you mean? Potter and his mates skive classes all the time."
"I don't know. I just have a feeling, all right? Trust me… Something's wrong."
Lily shrugged, and Josie slipped out of her seat. But she need not have moved, for at that moment, Black and Pettigrew entered the Great Hall. Both looked exhausted, as if they hadn't had any sleep the night before. Black's usually neat hair resembled James Potter's messy black mop, and both had dark bags underneath their eyes.
The two took seats at the end of the Gryffindor table, but didn't even bother to pile food onto their plates. They just sat there, staring at nothing in particular, motionless. Josie was at their side in moments.
She was saying something, making wild gestures with her hands. Black shook his head twice. Josie looked annoyed now, her hands resting on her hips. He just turned away, ignoring her. Josie grabbed one of his arms, but Black wrenched it free, his expression emotionless as he shook his head once more, mumbling.
Josie, her shoulders hunched, traveled back to her seat.
"Well?" Lily demanded, the moment she sat down.
"He won't say. He's not allowed." She mimicked his tone for the last two words. She sounded resigned.
Black and Pettigrew didn't come to any of their afternoon classes either. By evening, explanations of James illness had multiplied shockingly. So, when Professor McGonagall came to the Gryffindor common room, she was blasted with questions.
"Where's Potter?"
"Is it true he's dying?"
"Did Snape really drag James to the Willow to confess his love?"
"I heard Potter was bitten by a vampire. Will he still be allowed at the school?"
"What's under the Willow, Professor?"
"When will he come back?"
Professor McGonagall lifted a hand, and the room fell silent. "As you have all ascertained, Mr. Potter is currently in the Hospital Wing due to injuries received last night. I am not allowed to tell you what happened—it is confidential Hogwarts business that involves the private affairs of more than one student." Groans filled the room. "However, as it does not seem prudent to allow these rumors to continue, I will provide some information.
"Last night, Mr. Snape was given false information about what lies underneath the Womping Willow. Fortunately, Mr. Potter discovered that Mr. Snape planned to investigate and managed to stop him. Had he not done so, it is very likely Mr. Snape could have suffered fatal injuries. As it happens, Mr. Potter did not come out unscathed. Your classmate risked his life to rescue a fellow student." Here she surveyed them with a heavy glance.
"Now, I know all of you would love to follow his lead, but I must urge you not to. What lies under the Willow is extremely dangerous. Mr. Potter barely made it out with his own life, I trust that all of you will not risk yours.
"Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew will return to the common room shortly. I ask that you leave them alone; they have been forbidden from discussing the event with anyone. Mr. Potter should be healthy enough to return tomorrow with no side affects from last night's misfortunate event. Despite Madam Aldrin's disapproval, he has asked me to inform the quidditch team that there will still be practice in two nights."
The last statement was met by appreciative chuckles. Even Lily let out a grin. If Potter was able to concentrate on quidditch, he must be all right.
"Professor?" Josie asked, sounding relieved at the good news. "Could I go visit him?"
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Ollerton," Professor McGonagall said sharply, turning to exit. "His wounds are still healing, and he is in sore need of rest."
Josie nodded, disappointed.
Lily, meanwhile, made to leave as well.
"Lily, where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Sev. I need to see if he's all right…"
"Don't waste your time, Evans," A cool voice interrupted. Sirius Black had entered the room, followed closely by Peter Pettigrew. "Snivelus is absolutely fine. Barely got a scratch, the tosser."
"James?" Josie was quick to ask.
Pettigrew responded hastily, drawing the attention away from the dark haired pureblood whose face had suddenly closed. "We're not allowed to say." His voice fell to a whisper. "He's awake, though. Madam Aldrin reckons the blood flow will stop within the hour."
Black didn't stay to hear the end. As he strolled past, Lily saw his face had turned chalk white at the description.
"He's still bleeding?" Josie gagged.
The dirty blond didn't answer, jogging after his mate hurriedly, a worried look on his round face.
"Dark magic," Lily answered Josie's silent question. "Madam Aldrin should have been able to heal anything else in seconds."
Silence. "Lily, I know you think he's… good… but do you reckon Snape did it?"
"No! Professor McGonagall said it was whatever lives underneath the Willow." But Lily was biting her lip, nervously. She met Josie's gaze, correcting herself, "I don't know."
Remus Lupin returned the next morning, looking exhausted.
"Hello, Lily!" He greeted cheerfully.
"Wotcher, Remus. How are you feeling?"
"The Healers say I'm back to normal, thanks," Remus beamed. "Have you seen Sirius, James, or Peter? The room's empty."
"Oh!" Lily hadn't imagined that Remus wouldn't have heard the news yet. "Er, Remus, they're in the hospital wing."
A look of exasperation crossed his face. "Who'd they get into a fight with this time?"
"They didn't… Potter got injured pulling Sev out of the Womping Willow. I reckon Black and Pettigrew are visiting with him. But Remus—" Lily called, as the sandy haired prefect rose to leave. "They're not letting anyone else in."
"They'll let me in." He said simply.
A minute later, Lily felt Josie slip into the seat beside her. "Was that Remus? Where's he going?"
"Hospital Wing."
"Why is it that the rules never seem to apply for them?" Josie complained, sighing.
Lily just shrugged.
The three boys did come to classes that day, but were restrained. In fact, they refused to speak, only talking when Pettigrew would shyly pose a question. By lunch, even the mousy haired fifth year looked distinctly uncomfortable sitting between his stiff roommates.
Double Potions that afternoon was the worst. Lily, craving an opportunity to question her best mate about the previous night's events, was dismayed to discover that cauldron arrangements were assigned. Even more unusual was the glare Black received when Remus was partnered with him. The male prefect generally relished the chance to work with the gray eyed pureblood, as Sirius was quite skilled in the subject.
"Sorry, Lily," Josie apologized, setting her bag beside Lily's cauldron. "I know you prefer working with Snape."
"S'all right. I don't think I could have gotten much done, anyway. Look at him!"
Indeed, Severus Snape's small black eyes were watching Remus and Black carefully, burning with unmasked loathing.
Josie grinned. "That's not so different, is it?"
Lily's lips twitched. "No, I suppose not. I just wish they'd leave each other alone. Especially now! I mean, Sev owes Potter his life. I thought that might ease the tension a bit."
"He's going to be unbearable," Lily moaned softly from her comfy chair in the common room. A second year had just rushed in announcing that James Potter had been released from the hospital wing. "Think about the bragging rights this will afford him. Two nights in the hospital wing, savior of another student…" she groaned.
Josie grinned. "It'll be nice having him back, though. Hogwarts has been too peaceful without him."
"Yeah, Gryffindor hasn't lost a point in two days. Shame, that."
"Oh, stop it," Josie admonished, bouncing in her chair a little. "He'll be—James!"
Lily looked up at the proclamation, but Josie had already crossed the room and was squeezing her cousin around the middle. The adolescent in question winced, unwrapping Josie's arms, but gave a small smile. Besides looking a little pale, there was no evidence suggesting that Potter had spent the previous two nights in critical condition. Josie pulled him toward Lily's table, glaring at anyone who attempted to approach.
"Ouch, Jo! Carefully, yeah? Don't want to rip the bandages…" Potter cautioned his hazel eyes strangely blank beneath the thin frames.
"Bandages?" Josie demanded, seating him in the chair across from the redhead.
"Evans," Potter greeted with a nod, turning his attention back to his cousin. "I'm fine."
"James!" Remus was hurrying down the steps from the boys' dormitories. "I just saw you'd returned. Why didn't anyone tell us? You shouldn't have walked that far by yourself."
James sent a heavy look towards his sandy haired mate. "I'm fine, Remus."
"Do you want to come up?"
"Is Sirius—?"
"No."
Had Lily been concerned, she would have taken more notice of the relief that crossed the messy haired quidditch captain.
Lily checked her watch once more. It wasn't like Remus to miss an appointment. Perhaps he forgot? Between Potters' mishap, his own illness, and his mates' strangely taciturn behavior, she didn't blame him.
She headed towards the fourth year boy's dormitory. As she reached the landing, she could hear clear voices from inside.
"Ow! Gently!"
"Sorry!" Josie sounded apologetic. "I'm trying!"
"I know…" Potter reassured.
Lily pushed open the door just as Josie said, frustrated, "I don't see why you won't let Remus or Sirius do this."
"I can't. It's not fair to—"
The tall blond was standing by the far bed, a tube of ointment in her hand. Sitting on the bed, shirtless, was James Potter. But it wasn't his nakedness that caused Lily to gasp.
"What happened to you?"
Both the fifth years turned toward the door.
"Evans. Of course… Didn't your mother ever teach you to knock?"
Lily ignored him, her gaze focusing on Potter's injuries. Visible, along both his chest and back, were two pairs of three long, thin newly created scabs. It was as if some creature had taken claws and run them down his abdominal region.
"Lily," Josie said, stepping in front of her cousin protectively. "Were you looking for me?"
"Remus," Lily responded vaguely. "We have a Prefect's meeting in twenty minutes."
"It's impolite to stare, Evans," Potter smirked, his hazel eyes powerfully searching her expression. Lily's green eyes snapped away, her face turning red. "Remus isn't here."
"Yeah, thanks…" She murmured, still embarrassed. She turned to leave, but was prevented.
"Hold up," Potter said, standing up against Josie's hiss of protest. "We'll help you find him. We were just about to leave, anyway." His last statement was met with a grumble from the Gryffindor keeper.
Potter gave a cursory examination of the wounds before waving his wand, commanding, "Ferula!" Immediately, the scabs were covered in thick bandages. He stretched once, as if to make sure they were properly applied, before pulling over his quidditch robes.
"Wait, you're going to the pitch?" Lily was shocked.
"We have practice tonight."
"You can't play like that!"
"That's what I told him," Josie murmured. "But the stubborn prat won't listen."
"Madam Aldrin cleared me for tonight," The chaser said coolly. "Don't presume you can tell me what's best. Come on."
The two fifth year girls followed the captain out of the room, past the common room, and almost into Black and Remus, as they stumbled in, supporting a faint Mary MacDonald between them.
"Mary!" The two girls exclaimed, rushing to help her into a chair.
"What happened?" Potter asked flatly, looking to Black who wore a bloody cut above his left eyebrow.
"Who do you think?" Remus said tiredly. "I'll be back with the medicine."
"What's wrong with her?" Lily demanded, worriedly checking over the limp brunette.
"Mulciber was having some fun," Black said, a sardonic twist in his tone.
Potter looked up sharply, from his position at Mary's side. Black fell silent, refusing to meet his best mate's gaze.
The messy haired Gryffindor moved his hands along her sides probingly. "You healed her?"
"As much as I could. We were able to stop him before he got too creative, I think."
Potter's hands stopped at Mary's stomach. Black had stepped forward, hand outstretched, as if to halt his friend. "I wouldn't…" He balked at Potter's severe glare. "He was practicing dark magic. It would be better not to expose anything until Remus" there was a wince at the name "brings the potion."
"Well," Potter said, sneering. "Since you seem to be such an expert at saving people" Black winced again "you won't need me, will you?" He pushed past the gray eyed pureblood and vanished out of the Portrait Hole.
Black followed his exit wistfully, before silently taking the quidditch captain's place by the chair.
"Where's James?" Remus had returned, both lads carrying an armful of flasks and tubes.
"He left."
"What?" Remus exclaimed, looking dismayed. His amber eyes turned critically to Sirius. "I don't suppose you could take his job?"
Lily's head snapped up; she had never heard Remus sound that nasty.
Sirius' reply was monotone. "I'm not as good as James, but I should be able to manage."
"It'll be fun, Lily. We could try that new store by Zonko's! I've heard they've got the best—"
"I don't want to, Sev. Besides, I promised Mary and Josie that I would go with them." Severus had been trying to persuade the young red head to accompany him on their next Hogsmead weekend.
"At least spend lunch with me at the Three Broomsticks. The fifth-year Slytherins have a table reserved for the entire day!" The normally pale boy was practically glowing with excitement.
"I'd rather spend my free weekend with my friends." Lily sounded almost weary.
Severus looked taken aback. Hurt. "Your friends? I thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends?"
"We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! Don't you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?" Lily leaned back against a pillar, searching his face. She had been too frightened to ask Remus or Black whether Sev had been there while Mulciber was hexing Mary, but she had her suspicions.
Sev became defensive. "That was nothing. It was a laugh, that's all—"
Lily's temper rose, "It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny—"
"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" Severus' thin, sallow face was reddening.
"What's Potter got to do with anything?"
"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"
"He's ill. They say he's ill—"
"Every month at the full moon?" The Slytherin's black eyes glowed.
"I know your theory," Lily snapped. Even if it were true, which Lily was fairly sure it wasn't, Remus was still the same, harmless boy she'd befriended. "Why are you so obsessed with them, anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"
"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."
Lily blushed. Even she had been full of praise for the fifth years' timely action in saving Mary.
"They don't use Dark Magic, though." She dropped her voice. "And you're being really ungrateful! I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there—" A picture of James' wounded stomach flashed quickly.
Sev was furious, his face contorting. "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to—I won't let you—"
Lily's bright eyes narrowed to slits. "Let me? Let me?"
Snape backtracked immediately. "I didn't mean—I just don't want to see you made a fool of—He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" Lily's eyebrows shot up at that piece of information. "And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero—"
Lily stopped her friend before his bitterness made him anymore incoherent. "I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag. I don't need you to tell me that." The memory of him stomping out of the Common Room replayed in her mind. Black had done a fair job of repairing whatever Mulciber had damaged, but even the overconfident Gryffindor admitted that Potter could have cleaned it up better. "But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."
Lily moved away from the pillar. Sev's face had brightened, and it was clear he wasn't taking in a word of her admonishments. "Let's go," she sighed. Discussing the Willow incident with Sev was out of the question.
"Oi, Evans!" Potter shouted, his long strides easily catching up to her in the hallway. "A moment?"
Lily paused, "Sure."
"You're not busy?"
"Not really… I was planning on going to the library, that's all."
The handsome lad beamed. "I wanted to apologize for being so rude two nights ago."
"Sorry?" She asked in surprise.
He sighed, clarifying, "I was… annoyed that you saw me that way. I didn't want anyone to know how bad the wounds were."
"Yeah, of course," Lily agreed, still flabbergasted that Hogwarts' most popular boy was apologizing to her for being rude.
"Anyway, I shouldn't have been so angry. Apologize to MacDonald for me too, will you? I know she's fine, but I shouldn't have left her… I am a better healer than" his voice cut off. He began, again, uncomfortably, "Regardless, it wasn't right for me to abandon her."
"Not a problem," Lily managed.
Potter had already made to leave when Lily remember to ask what had been bothering her since Josie had implanted the suggestion.
"Potter?" He turned. "Did—did Sev do that to you?"
The bespectacled boy looked troubled. "No," he finally said. "But I wish he had."
Despite Potter's return, Hogwarts had fallen into a lull.
Gone were the days where Hogwarts' Great Hall was filled with laughter at the Marauders' latest scheme. Gone were the times when Gryffindors would awake to find that they'd lost fifty some house points the night before. Gone were the occasions when students could expect their boring lessons to be interrupted by their cheeky, yet brilliant, housemates.
Lily hadn't ever seen the caretaker look so happy.
"Remus," Lily turned to her fellow prefect beside her.
As had been the case for the past week and a half, the amber eyed Gryffindor was staring aimlessly at one of the stone walls.
"Sorry? Did you say something?" He replied, seeing her expectant gaze.
"Not yet."
"Yeah. Sorry… I was… preoccupied."
Lily was silent for a moment. "What… What happened under the Willow?"
"Ah… Lily…" Remus was looking uncomfortable.
"I know you know. They would have told you." Lily was speaking fast. "I've seen Potter's injuries. They're awful, Remus."
"You've seen his wounds?" Remus' voice sounded troubled. "When?"
"I was looking for you, and I walked in on Josie rubbing something on them—what does it matter?"
Remus avoided her question, asking hesitantly, "How—how bad were they?"
Lily paused, her brow furrowed. "Haven't you—haven't you seen them?"
The male prefect abruptly changed the line of questioning. "Why do you care, Lily?"
"Sev is acting funny. You all are. And it began with this incident. And then Potter—"
"What did James tell you?" Remus asked sharply, a flash of fear crossing his face.
"Nothing," Lily said quickly, stunned at Remus' sudden transformation. "Well, that's not entirely true, I suppose. He said that he wished Sev had caused his injuries. What did he mean by that?"
Remus calmed, his eyes widening in understanding. "Ah. Idiotic prat…"
"Remus?"
"I know you don't think much of him, Lily… But James is one of the truest friends a person could ever have. Some day, you'll see that."
"That's not a serious answer, Remus."
The fifth year prefect smiled slightly. "Suffice to say that if Snape had hurt him, his friends would be much happier with the situation. And James would move the world to keep us happy."
"Evans," Potter greeted warmly. "Have you seen Peter or Josie?"
"Not Pettigrew. Josie's doing some make up work with Slughorn."
The fifth year boy nodded, slightly downcast.
"Why?" She set down her quill. "Did you need help with something?"
"No, not really," he said slowly. It was a lie.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Merlin, Potter, stop being an arrogant toe-rag."
Potter ducked his head guiltily and murmured, "I need someone to get the medicine on my back. I can't reach."
"Oh," Lily's cheeks reddened. "Er, Remus is in the third year dormitory, tutoring. You could ask him."
Potter waved a hand, speaking quickly, "No. I can wait. It's not urgent or anything."
"Really, it's no trouble. I'll fetch him for you," Lily moved the books out of her lap and made to stand.
"No!" Potter exclaimed, a little loudly. Lily dropped her Charms text. Potter was blushing now, as he bent to pick it up. "There's no need to disturb Remus. It can wait."
"I know enough about medicinal potions, Potter. They're on tight schedules. You might think that your back can wait, but I can tell you that you will aggravate the wound if you don't apply the doses exactly as prescribed."
"I told you, I'm not getting Remus," Potter's expression was unyielding.
"Don't," Lily said briskly, getting to her feet. "I'm perfectly capable of rubbing in ointments. Now come on."
"No, Evans, it's fine. I'll just go to Madam Ald—" Potter protested, not moving.
"Don't make me hex you, Potter."
Lily pulled the shocked fifth year up to the boy's dormitories and sat him on his bed.
"Tell me what to do."
Potter looked mortified. "Er, the tube's in, er, there—top shelf."
Lily opened the cabinet he had pointed to, exclaiming at the contents. "Merlin's Beard!" The entire thing was filled with flasks and tubes of potions. "Where did you get all this?"
"Brewed them, mostly," Potter replied absently. At Lily's questioning eyebrow, he elaborated, "None of us enjoy going to the Hospital Wing after… er… incidents. Madam Aldrin's a little too curious for our taste. So, we've stocked up."
Lily nodded and motioned for the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain to remove his robe. The giant scratches had healed immensely since the last time she had seen them, but the sight of the puffy, bothered skin next to them made her shake her head as she set to work. "How long ago was this dose supposed to go on?"
Potter flinched as her soft hands kneaded against his muscular back. "Not long. An hour or two at most."
"You're a prat."
Her insult was met with a grin.
"That feels so much better," Potter sighed contentedly, when she had finished.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Lily said hesitantly.
"Anything," was the grateful reply.
"Why won't you let Remus see your injuries?"
Potter, who had been putting his uniform back on, froze.
"I'm sorry if that was too personal—"
"No," Potter interrupted slowly. "No, I did say anything. Remus—well, he's being a bit of an idiot, to be honest. He seems to think that this," the bespectacled boy needlessly gestured toward his abdomen, "was his fault. Which is absolutely ridiculous, of course… I mean, he wasn't even there! But, obviously, I don't want to add to his misplaced guilt by letting him see how badly I was injured… so, I've been avoiding him. Does that make sense?"
"More sense than you usually make, Potter," Lily said lightly, to cover up how stunned she was underneath. Potter rarely showed a sensitive, considerate side.
Potter laughed. "Probably true... Evans," Lily had been about to exit, "thanks."
"Anytime."
"Black?"
The handsome fifth year froze in his tracks. In the dying light of the flames, his face looked gaunt and dull.
"What are you doing up, Evans?" Black's voice was a little hoarse
"I could ask the same of you," Lily replied. Nevertheless, she held up the Transfiguration textbook she had been studying.
He nodded.
"You were sneaking out, weren't you?"
"What does it matter to you?" Black retorted, his arms crossing in front of him.
"I'm a prefect," Lily said, fingering her badge.
Black let out a chilling laugh. "Do you think I care about House points or detentions, Evans?" He made toward the Portrait Hole.
"You should. We all put in a lot of hard work to contend for the Cup. Not to mention how disregarding school rules will affect your future life—"
Black swiveled till he was inches away from her. Lily's eye widened. Black looked defeated. Dead. Empty.
"Do you think," he repeated, "I care about my life."
Lily said nothing.
"What's going on?" Potter had appeared at the bottom of the steps. The light that had sparked into Sirius' gray eyes at the sound of his best mate's voice disappeared almost immediately.
"Nothing," Lily said hastily, stepping away from the tall pureblood.
Potter's hazel eyes surveyed Black dispassionately. He jerked his head toward the exit. Black swallowed and turned, walking briskly out of the common room. And before Lily could interject, Potter had vanished up the steps.
"Is something wrong with Black and Potter?" Lily asked, hesitantly, after the Prefect meeting.
Remus looked mildly surprised, "Why would you ask that?"
"No reason… they've just been a bit quieter than usual."
"What makes you think that?" Remus was guarded.
"Last night, Black seemed, er, depressed."
"He, er, got a letter from home. Always puts him in a bad mood."
Lily became indignant, "Potter could have been a little more sympathetic, then. He practically forced Black out of the common room!"
Remus stopped walking and turned to face the redhead, his eyes flashing. "Don't, Lily. You have no idea what happened between them. Don't you dare cast judgments upon James' behavior." His tone was serious, cool. He softened, "Please leave it… it's complicated enough without you getting involved."
Lily didn't.
She couldn't.
Potter and Black were the epitome of best mates. They were even more in sync than she and Sev, a feat that she had thought impossible before she had entered Hogwarts. Lily hadn't believed it possible that something could get in the way of their perfect relationship.
So she watched them. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The four boys continued to sit next to each other in class, and during meals, they could be seen chatting underneath their breaths and laughing.
However, upon closer examination, Lily realized something important. The natural friendship that she had been jealous of, ever aspect of their interactions, now looked completely forced. They barely touched their food. And when outside of the public eye, the formerly inseparable Gryffindors rarely spent any time with one another.
Potter was on the Quidditch pitch even more than usual. Remus was nearly always found in the Prefect's lounge. Lily didn't know where Peter spent his time, but it wasn't with the other three. And Black, the lad who hadn't stepped foot inside the Hogwarts library for years, practically lived there, leaving only for lessons that he ignored and meals that he didn't eat.
Lily tried to talk to Remus, but the fifth year Prefect quickly ended any conversation that brought up Black's name.
So, she did what any reasonable Gryffindor would do when given a problem, confront it.
"You're going to be sick if you don't leave this place," Lily commented, sitting at the table in the corner that Black had been monopolizing the past couple weeks.
Black glared, "I don't recall inviting you to sit, Evans."
"And I don't see your name anywhere on this table."
Black's jaw clenched, and he gave a sharp flick with his wand. Carved into the center of the wooden table was his name. "Now leave."
"Impressive, Black. We aren't set to learn furniture transfiguration till next year."
Black slammed the book he'd been reading shut. "What do you want?"
"I'm not sure," Lily admitted. "But whatever's going on with you four isn't healthy."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Black denied, stuffing the book in his bag.
"No? I've been watching you four. I know—"
"Listen, Evans… whatever important truth you think you've discovered, I'm not interested." Black stood up sharply. The movement was too much for his weak body. Seconds later, he was on the ground unconscious.
Lily was kneeling by his side in seconds. "Enervate!" Black's light eyes opened, but the fifth year was clearly disoriented. "Get up. We're going to visit Madam Aldrin."
"But—"
"Shut up, Black. I don't want to hear it. Let's go."
Halfway to the Wing, they ran into a fourth year Ravenclaw in quidditch robes. The brunette, seeing who Lily was supporting, shrieked. "Sirius? What happened to you?"
"Nothing, Mar. I'm fine. Just a small accident."
The girl ignored him. "What happened?"
"He fainted in the library."
"I told him… I told him he wasn't eating enough. Or sleeping enough! Tosser…" Marlene was frustrated. "Is there anything I should do?"
Lily glanced sideways at her charge. Black was shaking his head firmly. "I don't think he'd let you."
The fourth year was bemused. "They're all the same… too bloody arrogant to ask for help. James was like that as a kid too." She turned her attention to the black haired fifth year again, "I'm just going to shower. I'll be at the Hospital Wing in half an hour. If you're not following Madam Aldrin's orders exactly, you will be sorry. Do we have an understanding?"
Black nodded submissively. Lily eyebrows were at her hairline; besides Josie, she'd never seen anybody get away with talking off to one of the Marauders like that.
"Marlene!" Black called after her. "Don't, er, don't tell James, yeah?"
Madam Aldrin met them at the door to the Hospital Wing. "Sir William's portrait informed me. What did he do this time?"
"Nothing. He fainted in the library. I thought you might want to look at him."
"To be honest, I expected it," the school nurse admitted. Black was under a light sleeping potion. "I knew he wouldn't listen to me… even after I told him that if he didn't get some nourishment his body was going to shut down."
"What?"
The nurse was surprised. "Don't you know? He came in two days ago because he was feeling light-headed. All right," the nurse moved away. "I'm going to run down to the dungeons to pick up some pepper-up potion. That should give his body some quick energy. Would you mind watching him until I get back?"
"Not at all. I'll put these away, too, shall I?" Lily gestured to the medley of potions by Black's bed.
"You're a dear, Lily. Leave the reviving potion, though. I'll want to wake him up when I return."
Lily was in the stock room when she heard the Hospital Wing door slam shut. Moments later there was spluttering followed immediately by shouting.
"You stupid tosser!"
Abandoning her task, she peered through the half-open door into the ward.
"You have no idea how lucky you are that I can't punch you," Potter was growling. "How could you be such a bloody idiot?
"You can go on, pretending that you don't bloody care that Remus and I are ignoring you, that you're so damn cool and independent that you don't need us, but damn it, Sirius, I can bloody see through your act and it's killing me!" Potter's yelling echoed around the empty room. "Watching you… you're killing me, Sirius."
Black, who had naturally leaned back while Potter was screaming at him, looked dumb-founded. "I'm what?" His voice sounded odd.
"Do you really think I could have been happy with you so miserable?" Potter asked softly. "Did our friendship really mean that little to you? Damn it, Sirius, you were my brother!"
The co-leader of the Marauders was staring intently at the ceiling, his face pained.
"You go off on your suicide mission… stop eating, drinking, sleeping, doing anything… do you really think I could ignore that, even if I wanted to. That I could not worry about you watching you wither away? That I could eat watching you starve? Sleep knowing you weren't?"
For the first time, Lily saw how loosely the young Potter heir fit into his perfectly tailored robes.
"And then Madam Aldrin—" Potter gave a hollow, haunting laugh "runs into me in the corridor and tells me that you're slowly starving yourself, as if she thought that I hadn't seen. As if she thought that I didn't bloody give a damn to what happened to you. As if she thought that she could possibly know you better than I do."
Lily was in rapture, seeing, for the first time, the deeper side to Hogwarts' infamous troublemaking duo.
"I was this close to coming to you anyway, you know that? I've already talked with Moony. Told him that can't watch you wither away like this… Then you go ahead and land yourself in the hospital wing because of this rubbish." Potter's frustration was clearly evident in his pacing. "Damn it, Sirius. Say something!"
But the handsome pureblood's gaunt face remained closed and empty. Apparently that was the limit for the bespectacled Gryffindor, because seconds later, Potter's fist was retreating from Black's head, and there was blood pouring down the infirmed fifth year's face. Even more surprising, was Black's lack of response. His hand had reached up to feel his nose, and even though it came away with sticky blood, Black did nothing to heal it. It was as if he thought the physical aggression was deserved.
Potter expression was inscrutable as he efficiently and skillfully cleared all the damage of his violent action. And then, suddenly, he was on his knees, his head bowed at Sirius' bedside. "I can't do this. I've tried to be angry with you. I've tried to hate you for betraying Remus. Doing this to me!" He motioned toward his scars. "But I can't force myself to watch you kill yourself, Sirius. I'm not strong enough for that.
Black looked down, his voice cracking vulnerably. "James, can we be friends again?"
"Come on, Sirius. We're more than friends. We're brothers."
"James—"
"Shut up, Black. You're ruining the moment," Potter was laughing through his tears.
"What about Remus? He won't… he hasn't… I don't think he'll ever..."
"He will," The bespectacled boy said confidently. "Family forgives each other. Always. He'll take some time, but you know him. He's the most bleeding heart prat in the school."
Black wore a small smile, before turning serious again. "I'm sorry I told Snivellus how to get past the Willow."
Lily's audible gasp caused Potter to spin around. He spotted her quickly, and his hazel eyes narrowed. "Evans," he demanded. "I really should have known."
"You're the one who sent Sev down to the Womping Willow?" Lily was furious. "You–"
"You really shouldn't evesdrop, Evans," Potter said coolly, silencing her with a spell. "Not polite at all. No," he cut through her wordless protests, "I understand that you're upset. None of us were particularly pleased about the situation, were we? But Snape wasn't harmed, so just forget about it."
The spell released Lily. She was shaking with anger. "You are horrid people, you know that. Sev never did anything to you… I can't believe… he could have…"
"But he didn't!" the chaser interjected impatiently. "Evans, I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone about this, all right?" Potter was watching her carefully, his tone absolutely grave.
"Trust me," Lily said through clenched teeth. "I have no desire to think about how stupid and arrogant you are. You make me sick!" She spun, her red hair flying out behind her, and stalked off.
Things went back to normal—Potter and Black were hexing the Slytherins once more, people were laughing again in the corridors, pranks began anew.
Lily's animosity towards the four lads reached a new level of loathing, much to the annoyance of Josie and delight of Sev.
Of course, Lily had no way of knowing how greatly February of 1976 was going to impact her life.
But it would.
And it did.
...
...
...
Finite
A/N: I don't like the ending. But, it was the best I could come up with at the time, so it's here until I think of something else. Besides that, I've been meaning to write a story about the infamous Snape Prank for ages. But each time I started, it seemed… incomplete? Cliché? Boring? I mean, it's been done so many times. So, I decided to put a little twist into it by showing it from Lily's perspective.
I don't know how well people will like it. Obviously, since it's from Lily's POW, I can't talk about anything that occurred underneath the Willow, because she didn't know. But, I figure, most people know that story anyway, so they can fill in the blanks. I have no clue how difficult it is to heal a wound made by a werewolf. In my version, James receives the wound while in animal form (which is why he wasn't bitten), but transforms into human form before it could be healed. It is my thoughts that wounds inflicted by magical creatures are resistant to magical healing methods (think about Mr. Weasley's incident with Nagini), hence James' slow recovery.
Anyway, as per usual, this belongs to my Amicitia universe. I've tried to make it as canon as possible, given what we know of the circumstances. Please, if you have any complaints, comments corrections, or anything at all, review. I hope you enjoyed my take on the event.
Thanks,
The Third Marauder