Lily?- Just…Curious
It is murderously cold outside and of course this happens to be the night. The night where darkness is not all lost and hidden creatures come to play. The night where I go against my better judgment and venture off into the unknown. I can't believe I am going to do this and then I also can't believe it took me so long to figure it out.
Ever since first year I've noticed something a little off with Remus and now sitting here waiting I can't imagine how blind I was before. Everything, all of the signs, was placed so blatantly in front of me. Regular disappearances, odd concoctions being forced down his throat, weary glances from the Headmaster: it all makes too much sense now. Remus Lupin was and is a Werewolf.
So here I find myself curled up fully dressed in my warmest cloak pretending to be asleep. I am waiting, of course, for the last stragglers to find their way out of the common room so I can sneak off into the night. My plan is to follow, or find if I don't get out of here soon enough, Remus and his friends and see just exactly what they are up to. I am hoping that if all goes well they will never have to know about my plan. But that is not my greatest worry. I, of course, do not want to be running into any raging werewolf's tonight.
Even though I am lying in my warm bed surrounded by my warmest bed coverings I still seem to be shivering. Okay, well not shivering but shaking at the very least. I don't feel cold but rather quite hot. As much as I hate to admit this I think that all of these signs clearly point to something. I am extremely nervous. Every bone in my body is telling me to stay put and sleep my minds urges to rest. My mind of course is spinning in completely the opposite direction and overcoming my body as it's pushing me out of bed right now. I've made my decision and I'm going through with my plan. For Merlin's sake I'd better make it back here alive.
As I climb down the stairs I'm really starting to panic. My heartbeat has doubled at the very least and my stomach has shot up into my throat. What the hell am I doing? I already know that Lupin is a Werewolf; I don't need to check up on that. But as much as my reasoning makes sense I know that there's no way to stop myself now. I've made up my mind. Everyone knows that you can't stop Lily Evans once she's made up her mind.
Bloody hell, I am a Gryffindor aren't I? We are supposed to be brave and what not. Well so much for that as here I am slipping through the dark corridors, not even outside yet, and I'm already sweating through my fear. But I'm going to do this because my curiosity has gotten the best of me. One of my worst traits has me convinced that sneaking off to my doom is the best possibility right now. How I can reason with that, I have no idea.
The moon is gorgeous tonight. Its full luminosity has me stopped in my tracks. I don't believe that I've ever been out on such a night as clear as this. The moon has filled up the whole sky casting a captivating glow across the grounds. Its beauty clearly outshines the stars not by its size but rather by the sheer unnatural quality emanating from it. The eeriness is not unwelcoming but rather calming. The glow cast around me places me in an easy state of mind. Even though the light has made invisibility difficult it has given me the confidence to move on.
I've heard the boys talking about their nights plan at the Whomping Willow so I think I'll be heading over there. What else would four boys be doing at a tree in the middle of the night? But I wouldn't put anything past them; Sirius and James have some interesting ideas of fun. This could be one of those pranks they're pulling but I'm not sure Lupin would be so keen to sneak out of the castle at night. He's not exactly the rule breaking type. But then again neither am I and here I am sneaking my way out of the castle just to follow them.
"What the hell, James?" a familiar voice sounded not too far ahead of me.
"Sorry Moony. Just thought I heard something."
Oh, no. James heard something. That was probably me. If I can't even sneak around behind Potter how am I going to manage to fool a Werewolf? I decided that I'd better back off a bit. As long as I can see them now I'll be good for following. They're being loud anyway. If I loose sight of them I'll easily follow the annoying whine that just happens to be Potter's voice.
James is so… I'm not even sure what to call him. He's so many things that it's so hard to combine them into one word to make sense of it all. For starters he is arrogant. If there was an award for the biggest head he would most definitely win. For some reason he has this perception of himself that is far beyond what anyone really see's him as. I'm sure if he was able, he'd have a statue made of himself and placed in the Ministry of Magic. He'd find some reason as to why he'd deserve it. He'd probably say it was just for the simple fact that he was born. That's anther thing about him. He always seems to have some witty comment up his sleeve. If he had any bit of intelligence in him he'd be a certain candidate for a Ravenclaw. But he doesn't. James must be the best cheater because there is no way that he could manage the marks that he does without cheating. Anyone who has talked to the boy could figure that out. But by far one of his worst qualities is his judgment of others. He isn't against half-bloods or anything like that. No, he doesn't sink that low. But he does have certain people who he enjoyed to torment. Severus Snape is one of those people.
"Hey Snivellus," James' voice rang over the loud chatter in the hall. "What? Don't you wanna stop and chat?"
On the opposite side of the corridor walked a young boy. His greasy black hair hung low onto his shoulders giving him an overall slouchy appearance. Having his head permanently tilted down didn't help the matter much. His very being screamed insecurity. With his shuffled footsteps and his quiet demeanor he tended to blend into a crowd. Not only was he rarely singled out but he was rarely noticed at all. James and Sirius were the only exception for that.
"Oh come on Snivellus," Sirius began to jump in now too. "You know you want to stop and talk."
"You know he fancies you," he added to James.
"Maybe I should use my superior magic on you instead," he retorted while punching his friend in the arm.
"But that wouldn't be any fun now. Would it?"
"No, you're right." Both of the boys were laughing now. "It wouldn't be nearly as funny to watch you hanging in the air with your pants off."
Chuckling Sirius flicked back his perfect long black hair and pretended to pose for a camera.
"But I'm sure the girls would enjoy it a hell of a lot more," he smirked and winked at a few Ravenclaw's walking past.
Of course the three girls burst into giggles and whispers. Sirius Black was one of the most sought after guys in the school. A body toned from hours of Quidditch practice with James and a face so handsome it was almost perfect, he was absolutely gorgeous. But not only did he have the looks, he also had a hilarious personality and a cunning 'I could care less' attitude. Sirius Black was the picture of perfection.
"Well, I'm sure we could put on quite the show but Snivellus is going to have to do."
Both of the boys were ecstatic in their games. It had caught the attention of quite a few students in the hall. All of them filled with the excitement of a new show. But not one of the students in the hall seemed to notice poor Severus Snape cowering up against the wall.
The poor boy. He was an outcast in the muggle world; an outcast in the wizarding world. He never seemed to find a way to fit in. That was all he wanted: just to fit in.
"Levicorpus," James bellowed.
Through the laughter ringing through the corridor Sirius' spell was barely heard. Snape's pants being dragged down to his ankles seemed to fit the scene even better.
"James Potter," a voice was singled out from the crowd. "Put him down, you git."
Up ahead I could no longer see the boys but I was right: I could still hear Potter's voice sounding through the trees. It seems like nothing can shut that boy up. That arrogant, pig headed, cheating git was really getting on my nerves lately.
Thus bringing up his worst quality of all: the boy can't get enough of me. I've known that he's fancied me since about second year but lately he's made it much too obvious. Every chance that he gets he seems to take to ask me out. You'd think a few no's would turn a guy off but not James Potter. He is relentless.
A beautiful girl sat in the common room reading a book. Her flowing red hair was unique to the castle. It picked up tinges of orange and red but when seen in the light it glowed of pure auburn. Her hair was the color of a soft fall day and shadowed the essence of her beauty.
Tonight her hair was done in big curls and shoved carelessly around her shoulders. The green in her eyes pulsed out from her face eerily in the firelight.
"Hey, Lily."
James Potter was coming down the stairs from the boy's dormitories. Once again he was sauntering with a purpose; a purpose Lily could see in his face.
"What're you doing?" James had leaned up against her arm chair and was reading over her shoulder.
"I'm just reading over our Potions. Studying for exams."
"Hmmm," James had now sat himself on the arm of the chair. "Why don't you take a break?"
His fingers had found their way to her curls and had begun playing with one. He wound the hair around his fingers and bent down towards her ear.
"I could take your mind off of the exams," his voice whispered.
"Look Potter I know where this is going and-"
"Lily, you're always so serious. Just take a break and see what you're missing."
This had sent her over the edge. His cocky little comment combined with his all knowing smirk plastered onto his face was all too much.
"Why don't you pull your arrogant head into reality and see that I don't like you."
They've finally made it to the Whomping Willow. Stopping just short of the tree so I'm still engrossed in the shadows I can't take my eyes off of the tree. I haven't been over here to really look at it in years. The windy branches ending in large clumps of bark are so odd. It holds very few leaves but somehow manages to create a feel of beauty.
I've always loved trees. I can remember Petunia and I playing under the tree in our backyard. Those were some of the happiest memories I have of my sister.
In a small town not too far out of Surrey two little girls lay underneath the comforting branches of their oak tree. The leaves are turning colors in time for the approaching Fall. The leaves falling to the ground matched the color of one of the small girls on the ground.
"Guess what Tuney?"
"What?"
"I'm a Princess!"
"No, you're just pretending."
"So," Lily Evans smiled at the sky. "I like pretending."
"Yeah," her sister Petunia Evans conceded. "So do I."
"Are you going to be a Princess with me then?" Lily asked excitedly. "I am Princess Lily of Whales."
"And I am Princess Petunia of New Zealand. I live in a big castle on the top of a mountain. It has a mote and everything. All of the guards are there just to protect me."
"Oh, on a mountain. That's amazing. Now, I live by the ocean in a white castle with a big garden outside. There are so many lilies and petunia's you couldn't even count them all."
Giggling the two girls elaborated on their stories even further. All the while leaves continued to fall around them.
"What about a Prince? Do you have a Prince Tuney?"
"Uh huh. My Prince is tall dark and handsome. He has brown eyes and brown hair. He rides a horse too! The horse is pretty and has nice soft brown hair. His horses name is Lady."
"Well, my Prince is a knight. He rides his white horse in his shining armor. His name is Edward. Prince Edward. He wants me to marry him. I'm going to have a big wedding and then we'll be Prince Edward and Princess Lily of Whales."
"So James. How's it going with Lily?" Sirius asked a little too casually. "Made another move yet?"
"Tried too," James' response was extremely unenthusiastic.
"What do you mean you tried to?"
"I mean that she's no where near to giving in to the good old Potter charm."
Okay this was going too far. This boy must think he is the hottest thing alive to think that he has any charm. What charm? I, myself, have never seen anything close to charm coming from him. And coming from me that must be a blow considering I'm the one he's been after.
"She's playing hard to get, man," Peter jumped in trying to sound as cool as the other boys. Poor Peter he never really fits in with them.
"For almost five years? I doubt it."
"Bloody hell, has it been that long?"
"He's been after her since second year, Sirius," Lupin added matter-of-factly. "She's gotta be getting sick of you by now."
"Yeah, she's not worth the trouble mate. You could have most girls without any trouble at all. Evans is taking this hard to get thing way out of control."
Now, I can't believe it. This boy is so full of himself that he truly believes that I've been playing hard to get all of these years. Really if I wanted him I would've said something forever ago.
"I don't know. I think your problem is with how you're going about asking her," Remus started to lay out his plan.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, Evans isn't going to fall for some guy who thinks way too much of himself. As you can see by your five year process she isn't that into the arrogance. I think what you need to do is be a little more nice. You know buy her some flowers; make it look like you want her and not the other way around."
I think I love you Remus. He is my savior. Although I don't mind the whole giving up plan I do like this one as well. I may as well get some flowers out of it. I wonder if he'd buy me lilies.
"For Merlin's sake Moony, you sound like a girl."
"Yeah, have you been reading Witch Weekly again?" James joked.
"Fine, be that way. But it'll be your problem when you go back to your old way of asking out Lily by trying to get her to snog you instead of doing her homework. She's gonna say no like always and you'll go back to moping about how Lily isn't falling for the good old Potter charm."
"Oh, shut up."
Finally they start to move towards the trees. It must be close to midnight so I may finally get to see some action. Well, I hope I'm not seeing any action- more like some shape shifting. I'm dying to see how this Wolfsbane Potion really works.
As I start to follow them closer to the trees my instincts start to sink in. I don't want to be caught but more than the shame of following them I don't want to be torn to bits by Remus. Maybe I'll stand farther away. So I sink farther into the forest with no luck at finding a good hiding spot with a secluded view.
Succumbing to my curiosity I've decided to move so James is standing between me and Lupin. If I really need to I guess I can call on James for some help. There's no questioning his saving me. That thought is kind of sweet actually. James really would do anything for me; he'd save me at all costs. This boy standing a few meters from my very spot would risk his life to save mine.
This would be one of his good points. James in a way is extremely selfless when it comes to the ones he loves. He would do anything, and I mean absolutely anything, for his family or his friends or… me.
Lucius Malfoy stood tall and proud. His long white blond hair hung down around his shoulders framing his sullen jaw. Grey eyes of pure hate were staring out from the otherwise pale platter of his face. Intimidating and powerful he stood with his five friends all eyes on the chubby boy cowering in the corner.
Peter Pettigrew was a pathetic boy. He had a pudgy face with beady eyes that seemingly stared at nothing. His body like his face was round and unflattering. Appearance wise Peter was the epitome of insecurities.
"Awww, poor Peter. He's lost his little friends to stand behind."
"Now what's he going to do?" Lucius snarled. "When I give him a detention."
"W-what are you giving me a detention for?"
This caused all of the boys to break into a fit of laughter. His stuttering had given them all a reason to laugh at this meager boy.
"I'm giving you a detention because you're a prat. As simple as that: you're a prat."
"That's a pretty awful reason there Malfoy," James spat as he showed up behind the group. "I mean we don't give you detentions because you're a greasy Slytherin."
"You ungrateful little-"Lucius was caught from jumping at James as his friends wrestled him away.
I suppose James could be alright at times. On top of being loyal to his friends and family he was hilarious. All of the Marauders had a knack at being funny. They pulled pranks around the school all of the time. The four of them were known trouble makers.
"For all of you new students and a reminder for those of your retuning I would like to advise you to stay out of the forbidden areas. The third floor will be off limits; Mr. Filch will be making sure of that. The Forbidden Forest is also off limits and I must remind you that any offenses will be punished."
Professor Dumbledore was wrapping up his yearly speech. It was the year of 1971 and a new batch of First Years were tightly engrossed in their new Headmasters words. Towards the left of the hall sat the Gryffindor table where a few of the new students could be found talking excitedly.
"Looks like we'll have to check that out," a black haired boy commented.
"I'm with you on that one," another boy with messy brown hair agreed. "I still don't understand why adults constantly tell us to stay out of things or places. I mean it just makes us more curious about it. We are much more likely to break the rules; especially if they call it the Forbidden Forest. That's just too hard to ignore."
"But that doesn't make it right," a young and slightly smaller boy with short blond hair piped up.
"Who cares if it's right," the messy haired boy responded. "Its fun, isn't it?"
A few of the Gryffindor's laughed at that. Here was a new First Year and already he was keen on breaking the rules. Already it looked like a couple of fun years ahead of them.
James Potter. There are so many things that I hate about him. A lot of the time I just want to rip his throat out but sometimes… Sometimes I'm glad that I'm the one he puts so much effort into getting. To know that someone cares about you that much, it's unexplainable. It's like you'll always know that if something happens he'll be there. As much as I hate the way he treats me I love it just the same. Me and James, well we're confusing. But the one thing that I'll always love about him is that no matter what he loves me.
Looking down on the Hospital Wing it was almost empty. Only a single bed was occupied. A small girl in her Third Year was unconscious. Her long lashes fluttered continually but the expression on her face caused all uneasiness to be blown away. She was so peaceful, almost angelic as her auburn hair wound messily around her face.
A boy around her age was committed to sitting endlessly next to her bed combing through her untidy locks. His fingers found the millions of branches and leaves floating in her hair. He pulled them out to add to the pile growing on the bedside table. His angel was being fixed; everything would be all right.
That day this girl had fallen from the sky. Riding her broomstick she had fallen and crashed to the ground. The tree had broken her fall a bit but she still suffered form injury. Her bones in her left arm all had to be mended and the many scratches on her face and arms were being healed. Right now James Potter was working on fixing her hair. What he thought to be one of her most prized possessions; the very thing that made her unique was smoothing out to its original shape.
"Everything's gonna be all right Lils," he whispered to the girl. "You're in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey is fixing your arm and I'm fixing your hair. Soon you'll wake up and everything will be back to normal."
After the crash he had ran to her side. Already unconscious Lily appeared to be in a critical condition. And despite warnings from the other students James had swept her up into his arms. He had hurried her throughout the school and into the Hospital Wing in time for Madame Pomfrey to asses her damage. She had reassured him that Lily Evans would be alright and would be up as soon as tomorrow but James couldn't help but worry. So he had placed himself by her side vowing to be there when she woke up.
If she would have been left alone she could have woken up. Her confusion would have scared her and she may have ended up hurting herself more. With himself placed gently there for comfort she would be well off when her conscious came to. Right now he was there for her because he had promised he would be.
"I'm here Lily," he whispered again. "You'll always be alright because I'll always be here."
Remus was changing I could tell. First his face and arms started getting hairy. Thick spouts of fur grew unnaturally from his limbs. His already shaggy haircut was growing longer still as his ears melted into points. The transformation was slow but it was noticeable still. Suddenly his nose and mouth seemed to form together as a snout was grown on the boys face. At this point he was half man half wolf and the result was quite hilarious. His awkward sizing created a juxtaposition that framed the hilarity even more. Slowly his height started to increase. He passed six feet and continued on still. Towering over Potter and Pettigrew's heads his arms and legs began changing as well. Bulging muscles erupted from beneath his skin adding to the bulk of them. In doing so his clothes ripped apart at the seams. Scraps of fabric blew over the ground and one rested at my feet. The denim was spliced of any recognition and appeared to have seen quite a bit of damage.
Looking up I found not Lupin but rather a scary looking monster. Somehow I couldn't place Lupin into a body like that. The Wolfsbane Potion was supposed to keep his head when he turned into this wolf form but the idea of it just seemed impossible to me. How could sweet Remus manage to be his usual self when he looked capable of tearing a whole village to shreds?
His form I'm assuming still changed his instincts slightly because once the transformation was complete he crouched into his hind legs and let out a howl. His nose rose to the moon and his eyes closed in pleasure as the howl rang out across the grounds. I'm almost certain that the Slytherins deep down in their dungeons would have even been able to hear that.
I must admit that the sight was quite wonderful. I'd never thought in my life that I'd be witnessing such an act. Here I was watching a sane Werewolf howling to its moon. The very reason of its existence was bathing in its praise.
As the moonlight shone down on the scene I couldn't help but turn to James. His messy black hair was lying perfectly messy on his head. The light brought out the hazel flecks in his brown eyes and even managed to let me look past his awful glasses. The moon could do wonders. It could even make James Potter look good. I wonder if he'd say the same about me.
"Here comes the big bad wolf," Potter had now started to sing. "The big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf."
Peter started to join in and I now noticed that Sirius was missing. But of course he wouldn't have gone too far. I could now see him standing not too far off from Remus' left. He was in his dog form though. Not only did I know one of their secrets but I knew a few more as well. I knew that he was an unregistered Animagus.
These boys thought that they held so many secrets. They thought that only they knew the truths about their group they loved to call the Marauders. But they thought wrong; they thought wrong because I know just about as much about them as James knows about me. I am an expert on these four boys and they don't even have a clue.
"He's big and he's scary," James and Peter started up again clearly trying to annoy Remus. "His teeth are sharp and his claws are too. He's the big, he's the bad, and he's the big bad wolf."
Sirius had lunged himself at the Werewolf and the two started to wrestle. Fur was flying everywhere and it was nearly impossible to tell the two animals apart.
"Here comes the big bad wolf," Potter continued to sing though he laughed at the show as well. "The big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf."
It almost had me laughing. These two accompanied by James' song was too much to bear. The thought of it was just too ironic. It was absolutely hilarious.
But as I tried to stifle my laughter I manage to trip over a stick. This is just my luck. Everything had gone so well and now here I am tripping over a tiny little branch.
"What the hell?" James' head spun around at my loud landing.
Scrambling I attempted to hide behind a tree. I am ready to run at a moments notice but I think it may be too late for that now.
Walking closer to me I can tell that he's noticed someone but I'm not too sure he knows that it's me yet. Maybe not, it is dark…
"Lily?"
A/N: So, this is my short little one-shot on Lily following the boys on a Full Moon. I really love Lily's character and wanted to write about her love/ hate relationship with James. So, I'd love to know what you thought. Especially about how I captured everyone's characters. And about my "flashbacks". I wanted to write them in a different point of view, I'm not sure why but… Anyways let me know what you thought!! I'd love some comments or criticism.