"Potter, what happened out there?"

James jerked his head up at the sound of Evans's voice and swore softly. After spending the last half hour begging Professor Dumbledore not to expel Remus or Sirius, he had little patience for being berated by her. Unfortunately, Evans did not appear willing to let it go.

"Potter," she repeated, this time more forcefully, "you want to tell me why you were in the forest with Severus and a werewolf?"

"Not really, no," James ground out and perhaps for the first time ever, he wished Lily Evans would just go away.

'Too bad. I think I have a right to know why I came so close to being torn apart by a monster."

James leapt to his feet in anger and shouted, "Remus is not a monster, god damn it!"

"Remus?" Lily stammered weakly.

"Fuck, I'm an idiot!" James exclaimed and collapsed back into his chair in disgust. At this rate, the whole fucking school would know by morning. Chancing a glance at Evans, it was crystal clear to James that she was moments away from losing it and sending an already horrible situation right over the edge into a full blown catastrophe. Needing to take control of the situation, James made a snap decision to rely on Lily's strong sense of decency and just lay everything out on the table.

"Yeah, Remus," James admitted. "Every full moon, we go into the Shrieking Shack with him and try to keep him from hurting himself when he transforms."

"Poor Remus," Evans uttered softy and James felt a bit better about his choice of strategy.

Before James could continue, Evans frowned and her eyes hardened. "What does this have to do with Severus? Why was he out there?"

"Why were you out there?" James shot back.

"I saw Severus leaving the castle and I followed him. I am a Prefect after all," Lily spat. "Now what does Severus have to do with this?"

Groaning in defeat, James answered tiredly, "Snape has been trying to follow us for years, anything to get us in trouble. Sirius got sick of it and told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow – that's where the passage into the Shrieking Shack is – thinking he'd get scared away by the noise Remus makes and he'd stop trying to catch us."

Evans paled and her hands fluttered in front of her face. "But Severus didn't stop, did he?"

"No he didn't, greasy bastard."

"What happened to him?" Evans asked and there was no missing the steel in her voice.

"Nothing," James responded in kind. "I managed to get him out before Remus could touch him despite Snape's best efforts to get himself killed."

"So you saved us both?"

James shook his head and fought off the exhaustion that threatened to drag him into oblivion. "I didn't save anyone; I just wanted to keep both of you from being mauled. Nobody deserves that, and Remus would have had to live with it for the rest of his life. Which might have been very short if the Ministry had its way."

"All of this because Black is an enormous bully?"

"No," James shouted back as he jumped to his feet again and squared off against Evans. "All of this because Snape can't mind his own business. I'll have Sirius's head for telling Snape how to get past the Willow, but Snape is responsible for going down there in another of his sad little attempts to get something on us."

"Oh how rich," Lily drawled. "You and Black have been hexing him and anyone else who got in your way since you got here."

"Yeah, and you haven't ever let us forget it either," James growled. "It's odd, though, how you only care about it when it's Sirius or me. When it's anyone else you might take points from them, but you don't scream at them or call them 'arrogant toe rags,' do you?"

"That's because you two are the worst."

"No we aren't, we're the best," James insisted with a shake of his head. "There are boxes full of detention records down in Filch's office, but somehow despite the fact that the blokes in this school go around hexing each other all the time, it's some sort of crime when Sirius and I do it but harmless fun when everybody else does. You're a hypocrite, Evans."

Lily laughed bitterly. "Oh the great James Potter thinks I'm a hypocrite, does he?"

"I'm not the only one. Do you think no one notices when you defend Snape even though he's up to his neck in the Dark Arts?"

"He isn't," Evans replied weakly.

"Really?" James shot back mockingly. "Remember our little altercation last year after the O.W.L.s when he used that charming little spell on me that drew blood? Care to remind me of a time you've seen a Marauder use a spell that causes bleeding? No, save your breath. We don't use spells like that because we aren't dark. We're game for embarrassment maybe, and maybe we've taken it too far at times, but we know the difference between light and dark."

Silence reined between the two long enough for James to glance around Professor Dumbledore's office. In one corner, Fawkes had woken up and was regarding the two of them curiously. On the shelf across the room, many of the odd silver trinkets that sat on glasses shelves had begun whirling and spiraling. James was briefly tempted to get up and give the oddities a closer look, but before he could rise, Evans's voice interrupted him.

"Why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Torment Severus."

James looked at her and like always, his stomach flipped at the sight of her. James knew there were girls at Hogwarts who were better looking than Lily Evans, and yet, it was this angry redhead who made him want to touch her, to snog her senseless, and she was maybe the one girl at Hogwarts who had absolutely no interest in his doing so. Fighting back a crushing wave of bitterness, James answered as honestly as he could.

"It started on that first train ride and I guess it was just being stupid then. But now he's Dark, and I'll always fight dark wizards."

"He had nothing," Evans said unexpectedly, "and you had everything. I know he was rude to you on the train just like you were rude to him, but couldn't you and Black just have ignored it? Two weeks later, the two of you were the darlings of our year; why wasn't that enough? Why did you have keep at him?"

"It wasn't just us," James replied defensively. "He hated us just as much."

"Yes" she replied and James could make out just how weary she was in the tone of her voice, "but he wasn't as popular as you two. He didn't end up being a Quidditch star and he didn't end up with most of the girls in this school chasing after them. He wasn't handsome or popular either; he had one real friend and his anger. The two of you could have walked away from your little feud."

"We were kids, Evans,"

"At first," she acknowledged, "but what about now?"

James sighed and rubbed both hands over his face briskly in a vain attempt to drive away the exhaustion.

"I still think you're holding us to a higher standard than you hold him."

"If he's what you say he is, then shouldn't you be held to a higher standard?" Evans noted.

God, he hated it when she was right or, more importantly, that she was right about things now. She was wrong about Snape's role in their feud, but he had bigger things to worry about, like keeping Sirius from being an arse and Moony out of Azkaban, than messing about with Snape.

"Fine," James finally yielded to both her and that voice in his head that thought she had a point. "We'll leave him alone, but we'll defend ourselves if attacked."

Evans eyed him critically. "You can speak for the other Marauders?"

"I can," James insisted. "I'm sure you'll see this as another sign of my giant ego, but if I give our word, the others will back me up. Sirius will hate it but he'll do it."

When Lily had no response to that, James stretched as he noted,."This is the most we've ever talked without you storming out or hexing me."

To his amazement, Lily chuckled despite the grimness of the situation. "All it took was my being almost killed by a werewolf."

James's stomach knotted as he remembered that Evans knew Remus's secret, knowing he had to make certain she wouldn't tell.

"Listen, Evans, no one can know about Remus. I'll do anything you want, give you anything you want, just please don't tell anyone about him. He'll have to leave the school, and we won't be able to help him get through the full moons anymore."

"Of course I won't tell anyone," Evans answered furiously.. "Remus is my friend and he's a good Prefect. Whatever his 'issue' is, it's no one's business."

James's mind reeled at the idea that Evans would keep any Marauder's secret, even for Remus. Pausing briefly to come up with the words that could adequately express how thankful he was, James jumped when the Gargoyle doors opened again, and Professor Dumbledore swept into the room and swiftly sat at his desk.

"Professor, you can't…" James began only to stop when Dumbledore held up one had to stop his outburst.

"No one is being expelled, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Lupin will be remaining here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore interrupted. "But both Mr. Black and Mr. Snape will both receive significant time in detention for their actions tonight."

At this, James gave a huge sigh of relief and slumped in his chair. Dumbledore began discussing the night events with Evans, but James could not muster the energy to care. Padfoot and Moony were going to be okay and other than that, nothing else matter in the least. Belatedly, James realized that both Professor Dumbledore and Evans were staring at him, and he mustered a mumbled, "I'm sorry?"

"I was telling Miss Evans that it was lucky you were able to keep a clear head," Dumbledore repeated.

James waved one hand dismissively. "It was pure luck that nothing bad happened."

"I understand from Madame Pomfrey that you were bruised fairly severely by Mr. Lupin while you protected Mr. Snape and Miss Evans."

James snorted. "I've been hurt worse during Quidditch, especially against the Slytherins."

"Be that as it may," Dumbledore insisted, "you did many admirable things this evening, Mr. Potter, and I'm awarding fifty points to Gryffindor. Now, as I have many tasks demanding my attention, I must return you to your common room. Miss Evans, if you would see that Mr. Potter gets there safely?"

James's objections fell on deaf ears and after biding professor Dumbledore good evening, he was on his way back to the Tower with Lily Evans as his escort. Any other time, James would have relished the opportunity to spend time with the feisty redhead and perhaps ask her to accompany him to Hogsmeade. Tonight however, James wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for days.

Evans, for her part, seemed content to walk in silence so neither one of them spoke until they reached the empty Gryffindor common room. James immediately moved towards the stairs when Evans's voice stopped him.

"Thank you."

James turned to see Lily Evans looking at him, not in anger or disappointment as was her wont, or in love or desire as was his wish, but perhaps for the first time since that first ride on the train, she looked as if he was not her enemy. But not a friend either, he reminded himself before he answered.

"It was the least I could do, Evans, and you know me, I do as little as possible." And with that, he turned and wearily climbed the staircase.