Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Author's Note: I have wanted desperately to write this story for too long. I finally thought to myself: It's time.
So here it is! Enjoy!
It was midnight. Lily Evans lay staring into the shadowy blackness above, partially obscured by the rusty red canopy of her four poster bed. She knew full well that she should be asleep, but her mind was awhirl with thoughts. Thoughts of homework, O.W.L.'s, and a hundred other things.
Lily sighed loudly, hoping she would wake one of her dorm mates accidentally on purpose. No such luck. She flipped over onto her side, punched her pillow into a more comfortable shape, and willed herself to sleep. Closing her eyes, Lily tried to relax her mind, and imagine soothing things. When this didn't work, she gave up altogether and kicked free of her blankets. She crept over to the moonlit window, sneaking past the dark shapes of her friends, sound asleep.
The Hogwarts grounds were stunning at night. The lake was a shimmering pool of molten ebony, the trees cast long shadows, and Hagrid's hut was dark and sleepy, and thin ribbon of smoke furling into the sky. Lily leaned her elbow on the window sill and gazed out, enjoying the tranquility of Hogwarts under the moon.
Had she not seen a flicker of movement below, she would have simply gone back to bed. But fortunately for Lily, she had spotted a figure moving swiftly along, walking with an odd, yet familiar gate. The person's robes billowed out behind them, and each step was purposeful, laden with staunch resolution. And as that person moved into a patch of moonlight, Lily started. It was Severus. There was no mistaking his angular strides, nor his curtain of black hair. The question was, why was he taking a stroll after midnight?
Lily narrowed her eyes to study Severus more carefully. He was walking steadily toward the Whomping Willow, a most dangerous species of tree.
"Oh, no you don't," Lily muttered fiercely. She recoiled from the window, snatched her dressing gown from her bed, and tiptoed from the dormitory. Feeling around in her pocket, Lily withdrew her wand, and held it gingerly in one hand. Down, down the spiraling staircase she went, into the darkness of the Gryffindor Common Room. There, the crumpled bits of parchment, candy wrappers, and broken quills littered the floor, glowing in the soft light cast by the dying embers in the fireplace. Lily glanced around, not keen on being caught out of bed. Satisfied that she was alone, she pushed the portrait aside, and stepped into the empty corridor.
"What kind of time do you call this?"
Lily whirled around, wand at the ready. The Fat Lady was glaring at her from her painting with an expression of utmost disgust
"It's you," breathed Lily, relieved.
The Fat Lady pursed her lips. "Why, may I ask, are you tramping around Hogwarts at this time of night? It's preposterous!"
Lily rolled her eyes. "None of your business."
She turned and began walking away, when the Fat Lady called out to her.
"If you're looking for Potter, he's gone."
Lily stopped in her tracks, and revolved slowly to face the Fat Lady.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," said the Fat Lady, irritated. "He left, about half an hour ago."
"He couldn't have done," murmured Lily, feeling suddenly murderous. But her mind was made up.
Striding into the impending gloom, she navigated her way down to the entrance hall without any unfortunate run-ins with Filch or Mrs. Norris. Sneaking out into the night, Lily paused and glanced all around hoping Severus was somewhere nearby. She nearly jumped out of her skin as one of the school owls swooped low over her, grazing her deep red hair with one of its talons.
"Watch it, you!" she snapped in a whisper. Wrapping her dressing gown tight, Lily marched onto the open expanse of grass, feeling a bit stupid. She had no idea what she would do now.
"I need a sign," she thought beseechingly. No sooner had she thought these words, then she spotted someone crouched behind a cluster of low-lying bushes. A boy with hair that stuck up in the back.
"James!" she growled, hastening toward him. Obviously he hadn't been expecting anyone, for when she approached he gave a great jump.
"Bloody hell, Evans! You nearly gave me heart failure!"
"That," spat Lily, "would be far more than you deserve."
James frowned. "Pardon?"
"Don't give me that rubbish! Do you really expect me to believe that you just happen to be taking a moonlight stroll?"
James rose from his kneeling position, and folded his arms defensively.
"Come off it, Evans! It's just a bit of a prank, that's all."
Lily narrowed her green eyes.
"It's Severus, isn't it?"
James' eyes flickered. "Maybe," he said very quietly.
Lily gave him a withering look. "You're a selfish, arrogant prat, you know that?"
Looking stung, James set his jaw in a grim line.
"What kind of person are you?" she barked, jabbing her wand at James' chest, singing his robes.
"Oi! Watch it!"
Scowling, Lily snatched her wand back, and stuffed it up her sleeve. James opened his mouth to speak, but it was drowned out by a spine tingling howl.
"Oh my god," breathed Lily. "What was that?"
James narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "Nothing."
A moment later, the howl came again, punctuated with crashes, as though someone was having an awful sort of seizure.
Seizing the front of James' robes, Lily thrust her face up to his. "If you do anything to hurt Severus, I kill you." She meant it.
Then, she released James, and began running toward the Whomping Willow, the place where the horrific noises were issuing from. Something black, hairy and snarling rocketed form a hole beside the tree, and raced at her.
"Lily!" bellowed James. "Stay where you are!"
Even in the terror of the moment, it wasn't lost on Lily that this was the first time James hadn't addressed her by her surname. She did stop, and James came hurtling up beside her, throwing an arm across her chest.
"No, Padfoot!" James was yelling. "Go back! Leave Evans alone!"
The dog skidded to a stop, gave Lily a suspicious look (even for a dog) and disappeared back into the hole. James was breathing heavily, and was staring at Lily with an expression of worry. "God, I almost wasn't fast enough," he puffed.
Lily pushed him away from her, furious. The howls were coming in dizzying repetition, ringing in Lily's ears, in the still night air. And James was running, running away from her.
"What are you doing?" Lily screamed.
"Sorry!" James shouted over his shoulder. "I just changed my mind about something."
All at once, he became a great creature with huge, impressive horns. He galloped to the hole and charged down into it. Lily stared with frank disbelief and shock. James Potter was an animagus. She knew the signs from third year Transfiguration. But James…she couldn't believe it.
And James was back, a boy once more, dragging Severus, dark red wounds standing out on his sallow skin.
Lily closed her eyes.
She heard distressed voices, trembling with anxiety.
"Oh my god, oh my god, I didn't mean to kill him." This was James.
And then she heard Sirius's voice (where had he come from?) speaking to Severus.
"You're okay, it's going to be okay! Just—just hang on, will you? We're getting help!"
Lily opened her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and walked toward the huddle of people.
Kneeling down, she stared down at Severus's pale face. A bubble of blood blossomed morosely at the corner of his unmoving lips. She pulled her sleeve over the palm of her hand, and began painstakingly wiping away his blood. Sirius was shaking visibly, he looked as though he'd be sick any moment. From below, they heard a howl of devastated rage permeate the air.
"What is that?" Lily asked Sirius. Sirius groaned, and refused to meet her gaze.
"That's Lupin, that is."
"Lupin?" Lily was shocked. "As in, Remus Lupin?
"The one and only."
Reeling, Lily sat back on her heels, Severus's blood staining her pink dressing gown.
"He's a werewolf?"
Sirius nodded grimly. "Got bitten when he was a little kid. No one's supposed to know."
"My god," Lily breathed. The magnitude of the ordeal was coming home to her. She looked around for James, only to see him sprinting up to the castle, seeking help. Lily looked back down at Severus, quickly shed her blood-stained dressing gown, and gently held it over him.
It was raining.
Don't hold this over me! What did you think?