The Worst Prank.
Lily Evans yawned widely as she made her way into the great hall for breakfast. She had been on patrol the previous night. Remus Lupin, her usual partner, had been ill, and glancing at the Gryffindor table, he still hadn't returned from the hospital wing.
Remus was not very healthy. He seemed to be sick quite often. But Lily didn't investigate further, she wished to give Remus some privacy on the matter.
Lily sat herself down in a vacant seat. Far too late, she realised that James Potter was in very close proximity. In fact, he was right next to her.
Instead of loudly acknowledging her presence – or having his obnoxious best friend Sirius Black do similarly, James seemed to be either ignoring her or he hadn't noticed her at all.
Lily turned away, hoping to avoid garnering his attention, and began to spread marmalade on her toast.
The sound of the bench scraping perked Lily's ears up. Glancing past James, she saw that Peter Pettigrew had joined him. For some strange reason, Sirius Black was absent from the abnormal gang.
Lily drew her gaze away from the boys, determined not to dwell on their seating arrangements.
But something in James Potter's eyes caught her gaze.
They were filled with fury. Deep and intense, and Lily was taken aback.
This was worse than when he tried to force Severus Snape into apologising to her for calling her a mudblood, which effectively ended her friendship with the Slytherin boy.
Peter's small voice came up. "I'm sure he didn't mean it James."
James seemed to be visibly trying to ignore the words coming from his friend. He viciously ripped at his toast. Crumbs flew and coated Lily and the table. Normally, Lily would have reprimanded him for his lack of table manners, but Lily wasn't going to risk setting him off right now.
"He didn't mean any harm." Peter continued, obviously trying to assure his friend.
James's right hand held his knife, and his knuckles were dangerously white.
James turned away from his plate and looked at Peter.
"He just wasn't thinking." Peter said, then continued. "Besides, you do things like that all the time."
This, obviously, was the wrong thing to say.
"NOT MURDER!" James roared. A few students nearby were taken aback, but thought James was joking, so returned to their breakfast. James rose from his seat.
"I'm going to see Remus." He told Peter. When James left, Lily looked at Peter questioningly, but he avoided her gaze and started buttering his toast.
Lily swung her head around to see where James had gotten to. Normally, she wouldn't be concerned about the arrogant prat's actions, but as school Prefect, she was partly responsible for her classmates, and she doubted James's mental condition at the moment.
And the only words James had uttered when in Lily's earshot had chilled her. Normally, she would have thought it was James being obnoxious as usual, but seeing his demeanour, she began to suspect something serious was or had happened.
So she quietly rose from her chair, wanting to quietly tail James from a distance, and see that he didn't raise more ruckus and create a disproportionate amount of carnage in his wake.
Quietly slipping out of the entrance hall doors, she noticed another boy coming down the grand staircase.
Sirius Black was gingerly descending the marble steps. James, who had begun to walk up them, froze. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, and James's hand flew for his wand and he had in drawn in a flash, pointing it at Sirius's forehead. Sirius zipped his mouth shut, and James stared at him for a second, seemingly challenging him into drawing his own wand.
Sirius didn't rise to the challenge, and to Lily's relief, James pocketed his wand, and walked past Sirius without a backwards glance. Sirius nodded at Lily and turned back to watch James's distancing back before proceeding to enter the great hall.
Lily silently followed James to the hospital wing. She was going to wait outside the door to the wing and then resume her following when he left. But James turned around and spotted her.
He seemed surprised at seeing her, but insteading of making some remark about her following him, he simply held open the door for her while she blushed, ashamed of being caught.
"I'm – going to see – Remus." Lily tried to explain, forgetting that James never questioned her in the first place.
James appraised her for a moment, but to her relief, did not interrogate her. "Remus will be glad to see you, Lily." James said softly.
Lily nodded and walked in. James quietly closed the door behind her with a click, and pointed Remus out to Lily. She moved closer – though she had used Remus as an excuse, she now geniunely wanted to see him. He was the only member of Potter's gang whom she could tolerate, and Lily honestly didn't understand why he hung out with Potter, Black and Pettigrew.
Remus had his eyes closed, lying peacefully when Lily approached him. His eyes fluttered open when she approached.
"Hello Lily." Remus greeted her, smiling slightly.
"Hi Remus. Are you feeling okay?"
"Better." Remus said.
"That's good."
Lily heard James's voice speaking to the matron. "…How is Snape?"
"Physically fine." The matron replied.
The question James asked surprised Lily – why would James be concerned for Snape's welfare?
James left the Matron's side to join Remus and Lily, then pulled Remus into a backslapping hug.
"Got something for you mate." James said as he pulled away. Waving his wand, a large box of Honeydukes Finest Chocolates appeared on the desk. Remus smiled at James then opened the boxes, unwrapping a bar and taking a bite.
"Thanks James, exactly what I needed." Remus said, his voice brighter than before. Remus offered Lily the box.
"Thank you." Lily said, taking a bar.
"Have you seen Sirius?" James asked seriously.
The smile dropped off of Remus's face. "Yes. He came here before and apologised."
James clenched his hands. "And you forgave him?"
Remus averted his eyes for a moment, before looking James in the face again. "Yes, I did."
Lily thought that she should get up and leave the private moment.
"I've forgiven him, James. I haven't forgotten." Remus finished.
"I don't think I can forgive him so easily, Remus." James said. "Snape could have been killed – or worse, you know."
Lily perked up. "That is rather hypocritcal of you to say Potter, when you make it your second biggest obession to ruin Severus's life with physical pain and mental anguish."
James and Remus turned to look at her. James turned back to Remus. "She's right. Damn, I've been such an idiot. I let myself go too far. I should have seen this coming, one day, one of us would go over the line."
"It's equally my fault James. I never tried to stop you."
"You shouldn't have had to Remus. Stupid, arrogant, overbearing idiot that I am."
Lily was shocked to hear James's self assessment.
"You saved him, James."
"And if I hadn't got there in time?" James asked. "My bullying nearly caused a fellow classmate's death, and worse, I nearly hurt a friend."
James stood up his fury replaced with sadness. "I just need some time alone, Remus." James said, standing up to leave. "Nice to see you, Lily."
James left, and Remus spoke to Lily.
"Last night changed James, Lily."
And it had.