A/N: For my dear Sanchie. I love you girl! Round 13 entry for Quidditch League Competition.
Lily came storming into the Great Hall, her face written with thunder.
"Watch out Lily's in a bad mood," muttered Sanchie to Marlene.
"I wonder what James has done now," muttered Marlene back.
Lily sat heavily down on the bench at the Gryffindor table opposite Sanchie and Marlene. She picked up the coffee pot and promptly slammed it down again, sloping coffee everywhere.
"Okay, what's the prat done this time?" asked Marlene through a mouthful of toast.
"He's standing me up! That's what!" said Lily furiously.
Sanchie and Marlene looked at each other, both mystified by the fact James of all people would stand Lily up.
"Did he say why?" questioned Sanchie.
"He said he couldn't tell me," fumed Lily.
"Ah! Oh dear," muttered Sanchie.
When the four marauders joined the stormed off as soon as she saw James. But not before James had tried to speak to Lily, but all he received was a face full of red hair as she turned her back on him and left.
"Oh Prongs, what have you done this time?" asked Sirius with a grin.
James gave Sirius a significant look which quelled him. James knew full well that Sanchie and Marlene were listening in.
"So, James why have you stood Lily up?" asked Sanchie innocently.
"That Sanch, is none of your business!" exclaimed James.
"It is when you've pissed my best mate off!" snapped Sanchie, her brown eyes sparking dangerously.
"I can't tell you it's Marauder business," hissed James.
"Sod Marauder business," piped up Marlene. "You're breaking your date with Lily this Saturday, now give."
"Marley," said Sirius warningly.
"Sirius," mimicked Marlene.
"You know we can't tell you, so don't push the subject," said Sirius with a shrug.
Remus looked at his friends, a worried light in his eyes. James noticed this, he gave his pal a smile and a wink, unseen by Lily's two best friends.
The truth of the matter was it was full moon on Saturday. James having been so caught up with Lily, Quidditch training, Head Boy duties, and school work had completely forgot what period of the month they were in. Once reminded James had groaned and fumed. He knew that meant he had to break his date and the fact he couldn't tell her why, well that would make it all the harder.
"Come on Marley we better go and look for Lily, classes will be starting soon," said Sanchie icily as she rose.
Both girls threw scathing looks in the direction of the Marauders, linked arms and left at top speed to find their friend.
"Damn it James, look don't worry about Saturday night, okay?" said Remus worriedly.
"No way, you're just as important to me as Lily is," said James smoothly.
Sirius coughed back a laugh and grinned.
"Care to repeat that mate?" asked Sirius eyeing James.
"What? What did I say?" asked James non-plussed.
"That Moony here is as important to you as Lily. Something you care to tell us Prongs?" said Sirius waggling his eyebrows.
"Fuck you Sirius, I'm not gay! All I meant was..." but he was cut off by Amos Diggory.
"Good morning lads, by chance have any of you see Mary this morning?" he asked the Marauders jovially.
The answer was a firm no. Amos wandered off muttering to himself.
"Now what were you saying?" asked Sirius.
"I forgot the question Pads, come on we have to get to class or McGonagall will have us lot in detention again," said James.
Sanchie and Marlene found Lily in the library among the Transfiguration books. She was just sat staring into space, her eyes not focused on the big book in front of her.
"Hey Lils, you okay?" asked Sanchie kindly.
"Huh? What? Oh hey guys," Lily was startled but replied glumly.
"We're sorry James has deserted you on Saturday night, so I was thinking maybe we can have a girls night instead," said Marlene hopefully.
"You know Marley, that sounds like a bloody good idea! Doesn't it Lily?" asked Sanchie enthusiastically.
"I guess," said Lily quietly.
Sanchie and Marlene looked at each other worriedly. They'd never in seven years known Lily to sound so dejected and down. 'She really does love him!' thought Sanchie grimly. 'Potter you're not getting away with this one!' thought Marlene morosely.
"Come on we better get to Transfiguration or McGonagall will likely put us in detention if we're late," said Marlene quietly as Madam Pince was hovering around.
But Lily just sat there.
"Lils we have to go," said Sanchie a little louder this time.
But still Lily didn't move or speak.
"Lils?" Marlene gave Lily a nudge.
"Oh, yeah, right," said Lily gathering her stuff and made to move.
"Are you alright?" asked Sanchie worry evident in her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess, I just feel so let down and disappointed and by James of all people," said Lily suddenly. "The fact he can't even give me a good reason as to why either, all he keeps saying is it's Marauder business, that is really beginning to piss me off!"
"You don't think he's messing about behind your back do you?" asked Marlene crossly.
"To be honest Mar, I have no idea what to think!" exclaimed Lily loudly.
A loud 'SSHH' came from round the next set of shelves.
"Sorry Madam," said Lily politely.
The three girls scrambled out of the library to start their days lessons.
That Saturday night, Lily hadn't spoken to James since Thursday when he'd broken off their date.
Remus had gone to the hospital wing on the pretext of having received upsetting news that his mother was ill. The other three Marauders sat in a corner of the common room quietly. This in itself made Lily acutely uneasy. The only time the Marauders were this quiet was when they were planning to prank someone.
"They're up to something," muttered Lily to Sanchie.
"Who?" asked Sanchie her face was buried in the latest edition of Witch Weekly.
"The Marauders," said Lily quietly. "They're sat in that corner quietly conversing, they're planning something I just know it."
"Hmm, maybe," said Sanchie distantly.
Lily sat quietly and watched them. Gradually the common room started to thin out as people drifted off to bed. Covertly James had been watching Lily. He was aching for her. All he wanted was for Lily to wrap her arms around him and kiss him. He wanted the scent of her vanilla perfume to linger on his clothes and on his skin.
James, Sirius, and Peter also drifted off towards their dormitory. James had called a cheery goodnight to the two girls, but both of them had ignored him. James mentally and physically winced. Once inside James pulled out the map and found that Lily and Sanchie were still sat in the common room.
"Geez, are those two ever going to go to bed?" muttered Peter quietly as he watched the map intently.
Finally they appeared to be moving towards the girls dormitory.
"Right time to go or we'll be late," said Sirius with a spark of excitement.
James threw the cloak over the three them and they set out of Gryffindor tower to go and meet Remus at the Shrieking shack.
A little later Lily, Sanchie, and Marlene were sat on Lily's bed drinking a bottle of Firewhiskey between them. Lily suddenly felt a chill go down her spine and realised that she'd left her window open. She got up to shut it. She froze. Below her she saw three large shapes roaming the grounds. From her high position she could see them heading towards the Forbidden forest.
"Lily are you okay?" asked Sanchie curiously.
"Yes, I'm fine."
She quickly pulled the window shut and sat back down and took a very large gulp from the bottle that made her cough.
They were drunk. All three of the girls. They'd had a huge pillow fight and got feathers everywhere. But now Marlene and Sanchie had passed out. Lily however was still awake. Forgetting she'd seen three rather large animals roaming around the grounds, Lily decided she needed to go for a walk and get some fresh air.
The March night was cool and a slight breeze danced about. But Lily clad in a thigh length skirt and jumper was warm enough. Soon she was out of the castle and heading towards Hagrid's hut on the edge of the forest. Lily breathed in the cool night air, that had a sweet tang to it. Spring was on the way. Lost in her own musing she didn't see the large animal that came running at her till it was too late.
Lily fell to the ground with a thud as a large black dog pounced on her and knocked the wind out of her.
"Get off of me you great brute!" commanded Lily as she tried to pull the dog off of herself.
But the animal just growled at her. She looked up into the animal's grey eyes. Lily found herself thinking, 'I know those eyes'. Then it came to her this dog wasn't really a dog! It was an Animagi, it was Sirius Black.
"Sirius?" asked Lily quietly.
Then they both heard it. A high pitched howl that rent the night apart. Padfoot made a run for the forest leaving Lily startled and grounded.
Next to emerge from the trees was a grand stag. It had a huge set of antlers and ran quietly and gracefully towards Lily. It lowered its head and used its antlers to get Lily to her feet and started pushing her towards the castle. Lily looked back over her shoulder at the stag, it's eyes a vivid hazel colour. Again Lily found herself thinking 'I know those eyes too'. Then it all clicked into place, if Sirius was out here then that would mean that James and Peter must be out here too. They were all illegal Animagi. But what about Remus? Was her theory correct? Was Remus Lupin actually a werewolf? Another howl, this time it sounded a lot closer.
Lily spun around so she could face the stag pushing her.
"James?" questioned Lily.
The stag stopped for a moment and just stared at Lily. Then slowly it nodded its head. Lily's eyes went wide. A moment later and Lily was screaming...
Lily could feel softness under her back and behind her head. She could also hear words being uttered, but couldn't make them out. Slowly her head began to clear and she lifted groggy lids and found herself in the hospital wing with a haggard looking James looking on nervously, Sanchie sat anxiously waiting for Lily to stir. Suddenly it all came back to Lily. She'd been in the grounds. She'd seen a fully grown werewolf come running out of the forest right at her. She'd watched the stag quickly turn around and run full pelt at the werewolf and had sent it flying in the air with its antlers, before she fainted and knocked herself out on a rock.
"Oh thank Merlin!" cried a female voice.
"Sanch?" questioned Lily groggily.
"Yes it's me Lily," said a very relieved Sanchie.
"What happened?" asked Lily.
"You knocked yourself out as you fainted sweetie," said Sanchie with a small smile.
"I feel like I've been smack in the head with a Bludger's bat," groaned Lily.
"What was you..." Sanchie was cut off.
"Sanchie can you give us a few minutes?" asked a male voice.
Sanchie threw James a scathing look, stood and bent forward to kiss Lily on the forehead and stalked out. James' face swam into view.
"James!" Lily gasped and sat up, her head going thump as she did so.
"Lily, thank Merlin!" exclaimed James.
He embraced her for a moment before letting her go.
"What in the name of Merlin were you doing out Lils?" asked James quietly.
"We'd been drinking and I was hot and needed some air," replied Lily softly.
"I'm just glad you're safe," said James with relief in his voice.
"Was that Remus I saw? The werewolf I mean?" asked Lily suddenly.
James looked wary, but all he could do was nod.
"I thought so. So the dog was Sirius? You're a stag?" pressed Lily gently.
"Yes, and Peter is a rat," said James so quietly Lily nearly missed it.
"How long?" asked Lily.
"Two years," replied James looking at his shoes.
"Two years? How did you pull it off?" asked Lily incredulously.
James looked up and saw awe in his girlfriend's eyes.
"I'll tell you sometime," muttered James as Madam Pomfrey was on her way over.
"Awake are you?" she said stating the obvious. "Here drink this, it'll help with the headache I should imagine you're suffering."
She handed Lily a goblet full of purple potion and Lily drank it down in one, not before wrinkling her nose in disgust. James found the look on Lily's face highly amusing.
Lily of course had been reprimanded for being out of the castle after hours and was serving a detention and had lost Gryffindor thirty points. Dumbledore had also been to visit Lily in the hospital wing and had forbade her to speak of what she'd seen. (Meaning Remus as Lily didn't mention that James, Sirius and Peter had been roaming the grounds as Animagi). Dumbledore declared her a very lucky young lady and left it at that.
For a week or more after getting out of the hospital wing Lily suffered the same recurring nightmare. That werewolf Remus had jumped her and sunk his teeth into her flesh. She'd wake up screaming and crying. But after the third week she settled back to her normal sleep pattern.
Remus had been distraught to find out Lily had been out in the grounds that night. He went on a ranting rampage, not that, that was an unusual thing for Remus. But this time there was something different about the way he said his words, as if this time he really meant it, that this time he would have to leave Hogwarts for good. But James was able to talk him round and calm him down. Remus refused to speak to Lily for a week after the incident happened. He just couldn't face her. What if she hated him? What if she thought he was an animal? He didn't think he could bear to lose Lily.
Finally Lily was able to corner Remus on rounds and had dragged him into an empty classroom and had reassured him that she still cared about him and still loved like a brother. They hugged and they both cried for their relief was enormous.
"Just do me a favour Lily?" said Remus as he pulled away.
"Name it," smiled Lily.
"Just don't be out on the grounds in a full moon ever again."
Lily laughed and flung her arms around Remus again.
"I promise love," said Lily faithfully.
James had also explained all to Lily about how they became Animagi for Remus. Lily was in awe. She'd never known anyone to do what these three had done for their brother and fellow Marauder.
Lily finally got her date with James, much to the relief of Sanchie and Marlene.