Hi, everybody. I know I should be updating my other story, but I decided to do a oneshot instead while I had the time. I'll edit more thoroughly later. Happy New Year!
Are you done yet, Prongs? -Padfoot
Yes, idiot. I've been done for about five minutes. Is Transfiguration really the best class to be passing notes? -Prongs
Since when did you care? -Padfoot
You guys, stop it. What if you get caught? -Moony
We already have fourteen detentions this week. Will it matter? -Padfoot
Lily bet that I couldn't go a day without getting three detentions. I think I'm going to stop now. -Prongs
Since when have you been responsible? Or cared about detentions? -Padfoot
Since Lily. -Prongs
Oh. That. -Padfoot
Yeah. That. -Prongs
Writing this isn't helping your reputation, with Lily or McGonagle. -Moony
(Deliberately ignoring Moony) Sooner or later Lily's going to find out anyways. Isn't that enough? That you tried? You don't necessarily actually have to change. -Padfoot
Says you. -Moony
(Still deliberately ignoring Moony) Earth to Prongs. Wake up. The parchment's still on your desk, so I know you're reading this. -Padfoot
See, Padfoot? You're the only one actually passing notes now. Everyone else is growing up. -Moony
Oh, and you're not? -Padfoot
I won't be. -Moony
Then I'm going to talk some sense into Prongs. -Padfoot
Ow! Padfoot! Talking sense into people doesn't mean jinxing them. -Prongs
Glad your back -Padfoot
Really, James, this isn't going to hurt your reputation. You're not getting caught, right? -Padfoot
PRONGS! WAKE UP! LILY'S LOOKING OVER AT YOU! SHE SAW THE PARCHMENT. -Padfoot
You didn't have to make him break his teapot. Take a subtler approach next freaked us both out. -Moony
Well, it worked. And it might possibly been true. -Padfoot
Was it? -Prongs
No. -Padfoot
Do you realize Lily's a desk away from me? If she see's this I'm doomed. -Prongs
Why bother going to all this trouble to make her like you? She's already practically in love with you. -Padfoot
Lily sighed. NEWTS transfiguration was boring; she had already learned everything out of a textbook, and this year class consisted mostly of lectures. Eventually zoning out on McGonagle's talking, Lily found herself watching the Marauder's out of her peripheral vision. Especially James.
Though she would never admit it, and reluctantly so to herself even, he looked sort of...nice-ish. Barely that. And it didn't change anything. Right? But still...She shook her head, causing several people to look over at her, James included. Speaking of him, he seemed to actually be taking notes, something even Lily wasn't doing. Lily looked over, studying his paper further. She could make out the name Padfoot at this distance, and realized that they were passing notes with an enchanted parchment. Typical.
Lily muttered a quick spell, and the entire conversation appeared in her notebook. She began to read through it.
When she came to the middle, she almost gasped out loud. James was trying to change for her? She read it again. That was what it seemed like. James didn't exactly need to change, though. She already sort of liked him a little.
Aghast at her last thought, Lily actually hit herself with her big transfiguration textbook. She didn't. She hated him. Right?
But that reaction was nothing compared to what happened when she read the last line.
"SIRIUS!" she screeched. Everyone started.
"Miss Weasley? Is there a problem?"
Lily shook her head, embarrassed. "No, professor. Sorry."
McGonagle looked at her for a moment, then continued.
Lily looked over at Sirius, who met her eyes. He looked confused. She glared at him, and picked up her quill, continuing their long string of notes.
I'm not in love with Potter, Black.. You know that. So shut up. -Lily
You're reading this, Lily? -James
Evidently. It's Evans, not Lily. -Evans
Fine. Evans. -James
Come on, Lily. First names? Please? -Padfoot
No, Black. -Evans
Don't you at least call him James in your dreams? The ones where you-
Shut up, Black. I don't have any dreams involving James that aren't of me feeding him to the Giant Squid. -Evans
But do you? -Padfoot
No. Never. -Evans
You crossed out a Y there, Lily. -Padfoot
No, I didn't. It was an ink blot. And it's Evans. -Evans
You're forgetting this is enchanted parchment. So it shows up as soon as you write it. And I specifically saw a Y appear there before the inkblot covered it up. The very deliberate ink blot, I might add. -Padfoot
Shut up. -Evans
And now you're turning red. See, Prongs? -Padfoot
Shut up, Padfoot. -Prongs
Fine. I'm shutting up. Can't you tell? -Padfoot
Seriously, Padfoot. -Prongs
Seriously? But when am I not-
It's gotten old, Padfoot. Where's Moony been? -Prongs
He doesn't look to happy. I wonder why. -Padfoot
Haven't you been paying attention? Some friend you are. -Prongs
Oh. Right. Tonight? -Padfoot
Yes, idiot. -Prongs
What's tonight? -Evans
Whoops. -Padfoot
What? -Evans
Nothing. -Padfoot
Do you realize how obvious it is that you're up to something when you say nothing? James, what is it? -Evans
You called me James! -James
No, I didn't. -Evans
Of course you did. See, Prongs? -Padfoot
Never mind. -Evans
You must dream about him, because where else would you have gotten in the habit of calling him James? -Padfoot
Look, Padfoot, I don't dream about POTTER. Okay? Just drop it. -Evans
Moony, are you alright? -Prongs
Yeah, Prongs. I'm fine. -Moony
Go to the hospital wing after this and...you know...-Padfoot
What are you guys talking about? -Lily
Moony's kind of sick. -Prongs
He has been for a while now. -Padfoot.
He's supposed to go to the hospital wing every time he get's symptoms. -Prongs
They haven't figured out what it is yet, so they don't know how to cure it. -Padfoot
Lily raised her eyebrows at this unlikely explanation. By the way James and Sirius were fidgeting she could tell it was an obvious lie. She scanned the paper again looking for clues as to what it was.
Something was happening tonight that seemed fairly common since they all knew about it.
Remus was sick.
They didn't want to tell anyone.
Come to think of it, a lot of things happened that the marauder's didn't want to tell anyone about. Maybe it had something to do with their strange nicknames. Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail. Kind of like animals, it seemed like.
It obviously had something to do with Remus being sick.
But he was always sick. He got sick like once a month, so it wasn't a very big deal. She had noticed that whenever Remus was sick, James, Sirius, and Peter would come to breakfast the next day covered in scars and with bags under their eyes. But that happened all the time, like once a-wait. Once a month. And he was nicknamed Moony. Like the moon. Once a month. The moon...
"MERLIN!" This time, Lily actually jumped out of her chair.
"Miss Evans, is there something wrong?"
"No, sorry Professor, I thought I..."
"Try to refrain from disrupting the class, Evans. If you do that again I am going to have to dock points."
"Yes, Professor." Lily sat down, blushing.
"What was that about, Evans?" James whispered.
"Potter, no talking in class." McGonagle looked over sternly.
"Sorry Professor."
As soon as McGonagle's eyes left them, new words appeared in Lily's notebook.
Evans, what was that about? -James
Remus. -Evans
What about Remus? -Padfoot
He's...Don't get mad at me for figuring this out. -Evans
Wait. You know? -James
If it's Moony you're talking about, than yes. -Lily
What about them? -Moony
They're animagus. -Lily
How did you figure it out? -Padfoot
You were pretty obvious. -Lily
We were? -Prongs
Reading what you said in front of me, plus what I've noticed before. -Lily
You won't tell, will you? -Moony
Of course not! Though it was incredibly of irresponsible of you to become animagus. Why did you do that anyways? -Lily
So we could control Moony when he...you know, transformed. -Prongs
Speechless, Lily? -Padfoot
Lily? -Prongs
Shut your mouth; McGonagle's going to see you. -Prongs
Now you tell her? -Moony
I just never thought...never mind. -Lily
Now would be a good time, Prongs. -Padfoot
Lily, Hogsmead with me this weekend? -James
Sure... -Li-
"MERLIN! DID I JUST AGREE TO THAT?" Lily clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as she said that. McGonagle glared at her.
"Evans, detention tomorrow at seven in my office. This is the third time you have interrupted my class. I assume James is indirectly involved?"
"Well...y-no, professor."
McGonagle walked over to James's desk. "What's this?"
"It's..." James fidgeted uncomfortably, glancing at Sirius. Lily began to panic as the professor peered at his parchment, the one with their entire conversation on it. If she found out that they were unregistered animagus, and Lily was involved, they'd be expelled for sure. She did the only thing she could think of.
"Wingardium Leviosa," she muttered as quietly as possible, timing it so that it looked like a movement of James's elbow had knocked over his ink, flooding the paper.
"Oh, sorry professor, I'll clean it up," James said, winking at Lily as the professor turned away.
Lily walked into the Great Hall the next morning. She searched down the Gryffindoor table for the Marauders. They were sitting at the far end in a tight clump, talking quietly to each other. She went over to join them.
"How did it go?" she asked.
They all turned, surprised. She saw panicked looks on all of their faces.
"What?" James asked.
"How did it go? Last night?"
"That? It went great, actually," Remus told her. "Hardly any serious injuries."
"And no Sirius injuries, for once," Sirius said.
"It get's old, Padfoot," James grinned.
"So what are you all so concerned about?" Lily asked, sitting down next to James.
"Actually, we were talking about you," Peter piped up. "James was-"
"Shut it, Wormtail." James clamped his hand over Peter's mouth, flushing slightly.
"James was wondering if you were still going to Hogsmeade with him," Sirius said.
"I said, shut it!" James chucked a waffle at his friend. "But, really, Lily, I wanted to know if you still wanted to come, because you, you know, agreed to it in class yesterday."
He's changed a lot, Lily thought. And then she remembered; he was trying to change. For her. He deserved it. "Yes, I'll come," she agreed, surprising herself as well as James, who could barely contain himself. Actually, he was totally incapable of containing himself.
"YES!" he shouted, looking happier than Lily had ever seen him.
He definitely deserved it.
Alright, it's done. Written in an hour, edited in less than ten minutes. Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated.
