Hi! I have been writing fan fic for three years now in the Thor/mcu sandbox and have recently been writing some HP fun . I have a number of long fics of far greater quality than this in the runnings but this was one of those fics you write in a day to make yourself feel better, sometimes the comfort fic you want hasn't been written yet so you have to write it yourself . as such I'm aware it isn't the best quality fic I've ever written and is full of fluff and deus ex machina and unrealisitc things, but I'm down for that.

I hope you enjoy!

(Oh and I'm just trying to remember how to post on so if the formatting goes haywire please drop me a line to let me know!)

This is a transformitive work based on the books by JK Rowling and I do not claim to own any of the characters within . I do have some ideas about food and flavours and magic but that is all

Light streamed through the windows in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on a Tuesday like any other. Breakfast was as chaotic as usual as the infamous bloody Marauders flopped down around the Gryffindor table, bed hair abounding and sleepy eyed enough for Lily Evans to know there had undoubtedly been mischief of some description wrought the night before.

Which was great really, she loved nothing more of a Tuesday than trailing around after the four most talented wizards in school cleaning up after their little games. Of course once the fun was had they never lifted a finger to help with the fallout unless they were given detention.

She huffed a sigh and rolled her eyes; all that didn't stop her from melting a little as James leaned over to kiss her on the temple, and then nuzzled in to kiss his favourite spot which was on her left eyelid for some reason. But honestly she was only a witch, and he was all soft and sleepy and still warm from his bed. He was always the most free with his affection in the morning. After he'd had his first cup of tea (white, as in super milky with two teaspoons of sugar) his affection took on the more exhibitionist quality she'd been trying to cure him of.

She knew now that his affection was always in earnest, he still felt like he had to perform it grandly for some reason she still had no clue about. The boy was romantic and adorable as all hells when she got him alone, or when he wasn't making some big plan for another public pronouncement of his feelings.

It's not like everyone in the castle, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade combined didn't all know about James Potter's Love with a capital L for Lily Evans.

But as he picked through the fruit bowl, carefully cutting each choice into pieces (she always accidentally squished the stone fruit trying to get the seed out) and sprinkled it with a special cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, cardamom, orange blossom and rose petal mixture his mum sent him via owl and placed it in front of her she knew she was in it for keeps. She gave him a slow kiss on the mouth in thanks, nibbling at his lips for a moment and causing him hum happily while Peter made gagging noises and Sirius wrapped his long arms around their heads so their heads knocked and they couldn't move apart.

So of course James pulled her tighter against him and gave her a good snog.

She moaned only loud enough for Sirius to hear and he jumped back as if he'd been burned.

Once they were released James chuckled and started preparing his own breakfast, porridge with more fruit and the cinnamon mixture with. "Morning love, sleep well?" He husked finally, and she melted a little more. Damn that sexy morning voice, how was one head girl supposed to act properly when she had to deal with this?

"I did actually, how about you?" She asked sweetly as she narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to lie to her or omit any mischief related truth at any rate.

But his reaction wasn't what she'd come to expect from conversations like this. James face lost its happy glow and his eyes flicked over to take in Sirius, who was no longer laughing and was instead staring at the Slytherin table rather miserably.

Lily's eyebrows rose in question and she opened her mouth to ask about it but James tugged on her wrist softly and shook his head. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear "Not here. Meet you in our lounge for free period?"

Lily looked from James to Sirius to his hand that seemed to be choking Remus' to death, to the Slytherin table, where one particular sixth year prefect with perfect hair and eyes that made her think about forbidden things was sporting significant bruising to his face and a badly split lip. He was gingerly trying to eat and wasn't really succeeding very well, particularly while obviously trying to ignore sneered jeers from his housemates.

She found that there was a lump in her throat she couldn't swallow and tears stung her eyes at the sight of the brutal bruising all over Regulus Black's face. He was, she noticed, only using one hand to eat, cradling the other in his lap.

He looked miserable.

Lily glanced at James' knuckles and then at Sirius' and even Remus and Peter's and none of them had any of the tell tale swelling or bruising that indicated they'd exchanged blows with anyone the night before.

She couldn't help her eyes from immediately looking for Severus, who was whole and hearty and sporting only the usual scowl as he held her gaze for a moment before sliding away, which she'd learned could mean anything really.

All she knew was that scowl was a mask. Whether it covered concern for his- not friend apparently, but 'ally' (boys were so ridiculous)- or whether it covered anger or anything else she didn't know.

The boys weren't sitting next to one another. Severus was with his fellow seventh years and Regulus was by himself, slowly making his way through his soft boiled eggs and toast.

Lily turned to James and nodded before she gave him another soft kiss and then she rose to head to the location of their class, readying herself for an ambush.

She held no respect for the arts of divination but she could not ignore the strong sense of foreboding and a feel as the air almost thickened with the feeling that always seemed to be a precursor to the type of school-wide drama where people got severely hurt.

Lily jumped Regulus in the hall, heading to their first shared class, Ancient Runes. She grabbed his shoulder firmly and pulled him aside next to a suit of armour.

She went for a professional tone that she'd learned from Professor McGonagall herself, knowing well that they weren't friends and the kid would bolt at any insinuation that he needed help of any kind, particularly from a mudblood.

But, she was Head Girl and Regulus was a prefect, it was only natural to be concerned. "Anything going on that I need to know, Black?" She asked coolly, trying to catalogue his hurts without letting on how she felt about it personally (like she wanted to burn the Slytherin dorms to the ground and set unforgivables on the ones who did this. She was working on her temper but it was a work in progress), "You haven't been fighting in the halls have you? It's not exactly the behaviour befitting of a prefect. Will this be a problem?"

He scowled, the expression marring his beautific features, and shook his head. "It was a private matter; it won't happen again, Evans." He said quietly, not meeting her eyes. Really, for a Slytherin he was fairly unsubtle. But then she thought of who he was related to and decided this was probably extremely restrained for a member of the ultra dramatic Black family.

She nodded. "Have you been up to see Madam Pomfrey to have that cheek and…" she glanced down to see him tucking a swollen wrist away. The fine bones of his forearm were broken. She sighed "...wrist? Looked at?" She leaned in a little closer to inspect the worst part of the swelling. The bruising on his cheekbone was really quite bad. She thought it might have actually been broken. She wondered if it had been a fist at all or whether he'd been bludgeoned with an object.

Where had Slughorn been?

He stiffened, and carefully shook his head, telling her more than he wished to. "I don't-"

Lily tsked and pulled out her wand. "Regulus you're not this stupid. At least let me fix it. I can't have a prefect walking around with a broken cheekbone and looking like he's been participating in reckless behaviour."

He stilled, something like fear in his eyes as two seventh year Slytherins approached, openly staring and Lily broke a little. She wondered how long he'd been terrorised by his housemates, because that was absolutely what she was looking at.

Ignoring them, she grabbed his shoulder, holding him still and preventing him from leaving, hating herself for the intrusion on his person but knowing she couldn't let him sit through class with that injury.

She raised her wand and he stifled a flinch back. She shook her head softly, steeled herself and cleared her mind before she made a precise wand movement and said "Episkey."

They could hear the bone snap back into place and she bit back her worry, knowing it wouldn't be appreciated.

His eyes closed and his jaw stiffened, she could see his knuckles from where he held his bag were white, but within a moment he let out a breath and opened his eyes, silently willing her to get his wrist over with.

She carefully held his arm still by the elbow, once again taking a breath and letting it out before performing the spell twice more for the radius and ulna.

He rotated his wrist experimentally before whispering "Thank you." He was still as a winter lake, but when he finally met her gaze the grey eyes said a thousand things before he flicked them away again.

"No need to thank me," she said coolly, loud enough so that the Slytherins she could see watching from the corner of her eye could hear. "I can't afford you missing your shift for rounds tonight. Now get to class and no more fights, Mr Black, fifteen points from Slytherin."

She felt like such a bitch until she saw him soften minutely as they both slipped into the classroom with a minute to spare.

She refused to let herself look at him throughout the lesson, even as she found it hard to concentrate through her worry. He'd probably get enough grief for letting a mudblood touch him, and it was best to keep it at that for his own safety.

After all, they had broken his arm. They weren't exactly playing nice.

As soon as they were dismissed she hurried to the head students' lounge to see James in their break, hoping he had information.

This was how they'd gotten to know one another after all. She used to bribe the marauders for information on the going on of the school as well as the little things that only purebloods knew and muggleborns were never told; and she'd let them make their more harmless mischief and throw a few parties with only a token amount of trouble.

Mischief makers were, it happened, wells of information. They knew everything from where the kitchens and laundry were to what kind of socks Professor Flitwick preferred (alpaca wool, dyed a different colour for everyday of the week), which shortbreads were 'Minnie's' favourites (they were actually homemade by her older brother and they'd decided together to never ever fuck with them ever, but once Sirius tried to make some similar as a gift and she cried happy tears that James only saw because he was hiding under the invisibility cloak), to how often Frank Longbottom wrote to his mother, (every Sunday, sometimes on Wednesday) and why Dumbledore likes lollies so much (you don't want to know). Pranks needed a lot of research, and Lily had done so well as a prefect because she wasn't too good a person to use what was available to her.

And James was eventually rewarded for his eagerness to please because over the years she fell completely in love with him during those little information gathering sessions. It had been hard not to with his constant attention to detail and the little asides he had about how they used that information for good just as often as for mischief. She couldn't have helped falling for him after that, even though she certainly hadn't planned for it. She'd planned against it in fact.

Especially after he had stopped bringing her lilies and started bringing lilacs and violets.

When she came through the door he was sitting on the side of the couch, watching for her, a worried look on his face which changed to relief as she entered and flicked the lock.

He stood up and pulled her into a fierce kiss and she relaxed once she was in his arms, surrounded by his comforting scent. "Mmmmm. Hey." She said softly, licking her lips. His hazel eyes traced the movement before he leaned in to kiss her again as if he couldn't help it.

She wove her hand in his curls at the back of his head and held him there for a moment, taking comfort in his closeness and his comforting scent surrounding her. He always smelled like coconut and it was very pleasant, if a little unexpected in the middle of Scotland.

"Hi love." He said, adjusting his glasses and leading her around to sit down and offered her a biscuit from a plate he must have pilfered from the kitchens. He also handed her a cup of tea he had ready for her. Pranksters were nothing if not thorough. "I heard you fixed up the little Black, Is he alright?"

Lily stilled. Things between the Marauders and Regulus hadn't ever been particularly friendly. Considering the strength of the Gryffindor boys' loyalty in general, Lily had always found Sirius' emphatic dislike for his own brother rather troubling.

She'd never had one problem with Regulus, and he'd been a prefect for four years. She knew he was a Black, and she knew who his friends were; she had no delusions that he would ever be anything other than distantly polite to her, but she'd seen enough evidence to believe that he genuinely disagreed with the opinions of his bigoted friends and family, and if given half a chance could grow into a truly good person.

When she looked at him (after marvelling at how jaw dropping beautiful he was and then scolding herself for the thought) she did not see the hateful pureblood brat that Sirius professed him to be. Instead she saw a scared kid who had learned Sirius' lessons better than Sirius ever had.

She'd heard about what his family had done to the elder brother. He'd almost died. Ended up comatose and in hospital for about two weeks over the summer. Sirius' mother and cousins had tortured him with the cruciatus curse and then almost killed him. Sirius liked to brush it off and act like it was no big deal but they all knew. Everybody knew. And after that everybody knew what happened to purebloods who defended muggles. They used it as a warning, "You wouldn't want to end up like that Black kid would you?" He had defended muggles and muggleborns too loudly and obnoxiously, and actually practiced what he preached, wearing muggle clothes and ridiculous hair clips that were meant for little girls, leather bomber jackets and glittering glomesh earrings and bell bottom jeans and baseball caps on the weekends.

He even found some roller skates once and sailed through the halls with Professor McGonagall running after him (though she was undoubtedly amused, Lily sure as hell had been). He drank Coca-Cola at parties when he wasn't drinking fire whiskey and made sure they had a crate of it when the marauders were hosting ('for the younguns'). He wrote his essays with pencils and biros and talked loud and often about the motorbike he was fixing up; everyone knew his enthusiasm for those without magic or new to it and now everyone knew what had been done to him because of it.

He still had the scars on his face and neck and chest to prove it, and because he was who he was most of the student body had seen them.

And Regulus, shy little bookish Regulus Black hadn't just heard of it, he'd been there. He'd been forced to watch as Sirius was tortured and beaten and had then snuck back after his family left his brother bleeding out on the rug and he'd applied as much first aid as he could get away with before he gave careful instructions to his house elf to teleport Sirius to St Mungos and then he'd lied and said that it was because he didn't want his beloved parents to go to Azkaban for such a worthless sod.

And then he'd spent an entire summer stuck in the house where his brother had almost died and he pretended he wasn't terrified out of his mind.

James had said that Sirius had been surprised to hear of his brother's help and had decided after the fact that he'd done it for selfish reasons, but when Lily had heard the story she hadn't been surprised at all. He'd done similar for her (though not as drastic, thank Merlin) more than once when she'd been caught out alone and in the wrong place and the wrong time.

Twice he'd snuck up to her once the coast was clear and applied a counter curse to levicorpus (somehow without looking at her knickers) and fetched her wand and quietly walked her back to Gryffindor tower. And once he'd applied first aid when she'd … that had been a bad day.

Lily had a target on her back as a muggleborn who consistently showed up purebloods. She knew she had to be the best as her employment options after graduation would already be poorer due to her lineage, or lack thereof. She adored potions as much as Severus did and Severus had always been terrified of not succeeding because of his half-blood status. How much worse would it be when her parents were catholic?

And so she worked. She worked hard and she got results. And then there was the little fact that she was loudly advertised as someone that the blood traitor James Potter cared about, and so she was a target a few times over.

She could mostly handle herself, but there had been times she'd been jumped in the halls and in those moments Regulus Black had helped her out at risk to himself.

She'd heard a few stories over the years of it happening to other muggleborns as well. She'd always sworn them to secrecy, telling them he wouldn't be able to help anyone else if word got out, that the best way to protect him wasn't to publicly defend him when he was derided, nor to thank him where they could be seen or heard but to leave him alone and play it cool, so he wasn't found out for the good person he was.

It wasn't the Gryffindor way, but as she had told them, he wasn't Gryffindor.

It was so backwards and she'd hated it, because he was always so alone. Alone except for Severus, and she knew all about how limited that particular friendship could be. She knew that there were reasons, but it didn't change the fact that Severus would only defend you so far. He was in too tenuous a position to put his neck out very far at all.

But that was an entirely different subject. Today when she saw him broken and bloody and undoubtedly hexed and cursed to all hell, her blood had run cold because she knew that Regulus Black's cover had been blown.

So when James asked how he was, she couldn't help it, she burst into tears. Her favourite closet defender had been beaten, and she felt like it was for her, that somehow it was her fault, even though that was irrational and it was so much more complicated than that.

"Lily? Love?" James asked; wringing his hands before he gently took her into his arms.

The duffer never knew what to do when she cried, even though he was a crier too.

She got a hold of herself quickly, and gave him a squeeze before taking the offered hanky and blowing her nose and asked what had actually happened.

Apparently the night before James and the marauders had been too late to intervene when a crowd of 'Death Eaters' as they were calling themselves, had been having a little… fun at the expense of a talented muggleborn Ravenclaw fifth year. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had still been at the other end of the hall as Regulus stepped in front of the cruciatus curse, not willing to let the kid suffer a moment more.

The marauders had intervened, thinking that that would be that but apparently the fun had continued once the Slytherins reached the privacy of their common room, only this time it wasn't a Ravenclaw at the end of their wands.

James looked completely confused by Regulus' apparently out of character behaviour and Lily sighed and told him what she hadn't when they had talked about Sirius' story. "He is a very good person in a very bad place and they'll kill him James! They'll either kill him now or they'll force him to be one of them and he'll die compromising his own morals and it's just… I'm so worried for him! He's just a kid!"

James looked serious. "So's Mulciber and everyone else. They don't care if he's a kid because they are too."

She started crying again.

When she visited the ladies bathroom before their next class she realised why she had been quite so emotional, swearing and having to rush back to her room to get supplies to deal with Aunt Flo, but the sentiment still stood, unfortunately. Regulus Black was in trouble, and no one could think of anything they could do to help, not in any serious way. Not in any way that would matter.

They were almost too far to the light. Each one in their group was either a muggleborn or had pronounced their support for muggles so loudly and often that if any of them were seen talking to the sixth year everyone would notice.

They were all sitting at breakfast the next day when Sirius threw down his fork. "It would be better if he just… said it, you know?"

James finished his mouthful before asking "Better if who said what?"

Sirius shrugged and said "Reggie. It's not like no one knows, everyone saw him take that curse for that kid. Now he can't go anywhere without being watched and threatened. Why can't he just admit he's a blood traitor and tell them to fuck off? Why does he care what they think?"

Lily placed her knife and fork on the table. "He probably doesn't think that's an option." She said carefully.

Sirius looked at her and she could see the dismissal before he said "Of course it's an option! It's what I did. He's just too weak to do it."

Lily stood. She knew that Sirius cared but he was honestly such an asshole sometimes.

She grabbed her bag to leave, and Sirius sighed "Lily-"

She ignored him and left for her classes. She didn't have the time to sit and spell out all of the things it would take for Sirius to get it, and she certainly was not going to sit and listen to their victim blaming shit again.

Not after Severus.

Severus turned up at their door of the Student Heads' common room after midnight that night, knocking almost too quietly to be heard.

James actually growled when he opened the door and Lily pretty much agreed with him, but Severus begged them to let him in "This- isn't about me! Please. Potter you-" his face turned sour and a little pained but he continued. "You helped me that night. I don't like you, actually I hate you-"

"Aw, I hate you too!" James gushed and Severus sighed painfully like he was dying.

"Yes. Nevertheless, you're the only one I could come to with this." They all stared at each other before James eventually stepped back and let Lily's ex-best friend into their space.

Severus sighed again, "Regulus needs out. He needs an exit or he's just going keep pretending it's fine and good and get in too deep and slip up and get himself killed...and we know it's not me that can help him."

Lily and James both stared.

Sure they'd just been saying the same thing the day before but this was Severus. "Sev, Regulus isn't a Gryffindor. He's a Slytherin, he's not just going to go and out himself as a blood traitor, and they're not just going to let the Black heir leave."

Severus gave a nod. "True. This is why his hand must be forced."

Lily and James both stared.

The silence stretched, and the boys just stared at one another as if having a silent argument, and Lily took a moment to wonder at the lack of insults and hexes being thrown. Even so she was the one to break the silence. "How?"

Severus sighed, and hunched over, looking guilty. "I've got a plan, but you're not going to like it."