Whispered Warnings

Moonlight bathed the trees around them in an eerie light as the five teenagers trekked deeper into the forest. The greenery seemed to go on forever, a world of shadows and trees, but Addie didn't feel alone- she could hear the crunching of leaves around her and feel the warmth emanating from the four bodies which stood close to her, pushing through the branches and making their way down the winding forest path.

In the distance, they could hear the faint babble of voices, as students feasted in the great hall, and occasionally a stomach would rumble- at first it was just James and Sirius's, but soon they were all starving. "You guys can always go back, you know." Addie told them for the umpteenth time. "It's getting late and-"

"We're not leaving you out here alone, Addie." Remus said, softly, as they traipsed along the path. He lifted back a branch for the girl to step past, and she replied with a grateful smile. Addie had ended up at the back, since she had the smallest legs, but Remus stayed close, helping her through.

"Yeah we know the forest better than anyone." Sirius stated. There was a pause.

"Are you sure she's in here, Ads?" Donna finally called to the back, her voice muffled by the thick throng of trees.

"Yeah, I'm positive." Addie said firmly. She knew the girl couldn't have gotten past her, and she wasn't sure why, but she was almost certain that she was in this forest, and that they had to find her soon.

Remus checked his watch again. "They'll still be eating. I'd say we've got plenty of time… Another half hour at least."

"Good. We'll keep looking then." Addie responded. It felt like they'd been calling out for a while, maybe an hour or so, but since they didn't know this mysterious blue-haired girls name, as Sirius had so helpfully pointed out, the task was even trickier.

They walked for a few minutes in comfortable silence, with only the sound of rustling leaves and the tread of their footsteps, when Sirius's hushed voice echoed around them.

"Did you hear that?"

The hair on Addie's neck immediately stood up, hearing the alarm in his voice, and both her and Remus stopped dead in their tracks.

"I hear it too." whispered Remus.

It was deadly silent for a heartbeat, as they all listened intently, trying to catch the sound of whatever danger was approaching- but Addie could hear nothing except from the familiar bristle of branches as the wind scattered lone leaves. She strained her ears, but obviously she didn't have as good hearing as the boys did, because moments later, James's panicked voice rang through the forest.

"Run! Left, now!"

They followed his orders without a moment's hesitation, racing through the forest at break-neck speed, shoving branches and brambles out the way. Addie's breath came in pants and she slipped on a root, but a second later a strong pair of hands had pulled her onto her feet.

"Keep on going." Sirius's voice was harsh in her ear as he egged her on, and they ran together, crashing and thrashing through the undergrowth.

They finally reached a clearing, where James stood with his hands on his knees, panting, and Darlene lay on the floor. Remus was holding onto a large sycamore, taking deep breaths.

"What was that?" Sirius asked, once they'd recovered, his eyes wide.

"I don't know." James admitted. "But I think we better…" he trailed off as something stepped took a crunchy step forward behind Addie and Sirius- something that made James's face pale and his eyes go wide in fear.

"Merlin's beard." he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "… Addie, Sirius, don't panic… Just, er, walk slowly walk towards me-"

But before they could move, there was a loud roar, and the huge creature bounded over their heads, right into the centre of the clearing.

Addie gasped.

It was a huge lion- a huge blue lion, for that matter.

"It's beautiful." Darlene whispered, her face one of shock as the creature walked round in a circle, eyeing them curiously and shaking its mane. It was big, yes, but Addie wouldn't necessarily have described it as 'beautiful'.

"It's bloody huge." James sad, his eyes wide.

"No shit, Prongs." Sirius muttered, but he too was pale.

James scowled at him. "And when was the last time you saw a lion in a forest, Padfoot?"

Addie snorted and the creature's head swung towards her sharply, immediately cutting off her laugh. She stayed completely still, not daring to breath, but the lion seemed to relax again. It carried on preening itself, seeming to enjoy the attention.

They watched it for a while, not daring to move, and after a few minutes of silence, Sirius glanced around at his friends. "So, do we just back away, or…"

Before he could finish, however, he was interrupted by a throaty growl. The creature's eyes widened and it's back arched up as if it had been electrocuted. It growled again, but the sound faded into a high-pitched squeak, as an odd tremor rippled across its body. The creature's eyes widened, and it crouched down to the floor, twitching and trembling like it was having some sort of seizure. The five friends shared a look as the lion convulsed, unsure what to do… but as it turned out, they didn't have to worry. Suddenly, the lion began to change before their eyes, its large head shrinking, as its roar's became squeaky whispers. The students could do nothing but watch as the lion transformed, and a moment later a girl was stood in front of them. She had striking blue hair.

"Hello." she said sheepishly, fiddling with her robe.

They all stared.

"Bloody hell…. you're a… you're a lion?" James exclaimed, his eyes wide.

The girl nodded, though somewhat nervously. "I… I didn't mean to scare you… but I'm Brenda. Brenda Wang… I'm a metamorphmagus."

"A metamorphmagus?" Remus repeated. "That's… that's amazing."

"I didn't know they could turn into animals." Darlene admitted, frowning. "I thought metamorphmagus's could just change their normal appearance… like their hair and stuff."

"They can only change into one." Remus explained. "It's meant to be fitting to their personality… kind of like an animagus." He turned back to Brenda. "But I've never met a metamorphmagus before. It's incredible."

He was looking at her with such raw astonishment, that Brenda blushed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone." she muttered "My parents have just agreed to let me go here, after Dumbledore promised to keep my… ability a secret."

"Why would they want to do that?" James asked, frowning.

"I guess they're scared I'll be an outcast, that people will laugh at me. That's why I was upset earlier- those girls were laughing at my hair." She rushed on, avoiding their gazes. "My parents' home schooled me themselves for four years because they were afraid of that kind of thing."

Remus's eyes were soft. "I understand." he said, "but people aren't really like that here… apart from some of the Slytherins, that is."

Sirius glanced between the two of them. "Remus is right, you wouldn't be treated badly here. And you don't have to be an outcast. My cousin Andromeda, she had a baby girl over the summer, and they think she may be one… a metamorphmagus, that is. One minute her hairs red, and the next it's bright yellow." He smiled. "But the thing is, I don't reckon Roma will bring her up to be scared of who she is… and maybe you shouldn't either."

Addie smiled at him fondly. "Sirius is right." she said softly. "We're not saying you should tell the world, but don't hide part of yourself."

Brenda nodded, her eyes shining with tears. "Thank you, really- all of you. For coming after me… and for helping me out."

"Don't sweat it." James said, grinning. "But we better get back to the castle."

A quarter of an hour later, they arrived in the Great Hall just as everybody was finishing their main courses. People barely batted an eyelid except from McGonagall, whose expression was a mixture of disapproval and relief, and Jo, who was openly glaring.

"Where on earth were you?" Lily exclaimed, as Darlene and Addie sat down next to her at the table.

"And why are you so dirty?" Marlene added, gesturing to their muddy robes.

Addie grimaced. "Do you want to explain it, or should I?" she asked Darlene, who rolled her eyes.

"Basically," The brunette witch began, "we got into an argument with Jo, who accused Addie of stealing Sirius from her like the crazy bitch she is, and then we went searching the woods for a random blue-haired girl who was crying."

At that moment, Breda quietly slipped into the hall, her eyes skirting around nervously.

"Her." Darlene said, pointing at the girl.

Lily's gaze softened. "She looks frightened." The red-head said, frowning. She turned back to the others. "But that doesn't explain why you were searching for her? Who is she?"

Darlene and Addie glanced at each other. As much as they trusted their friends, they'd all promise to keep Brenda's secret a secret, and they couldn't break that trust.

"She's a transfer student." Darlene explained, "She was just worried I think, you know, about starting a new school."

"I see." Lily glanced curiously at Brenda again. "I wonder what house she's in?"

Addie frowned. She hadn't thought of that herself. She presumed that they'd sorted her beforehand, since it would be more embarrassing for the girl to have to go up with the first years. She made a note to ask her if she saw her around.

"So what exactly happened with Jo?" Alice asked, frowning. She was a small girl- the smallest of them all, with short, choppy brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and pixie like features. Lily had been friends with her since second year, and she'd quickly become closer to the other girls, who had enjoyed her sarcastic humour.

Darlene explained the whole story, and by the time she was done, they were all furious.

"How dare she?" fumed Lily. "I have half a mind to-"

Addie rolled her eyes, interrupting. "It's not as if this is new information, we all know what Jo's like."

"But still…" Lily looked like she could murder someone, so Marlene quickly changed the subject.

James was sulking as he swirled his spoon around the bowl of chocolate pudding, his expression dejected. It seemed as though his good mood from their adventure had evaporated, as he was left to his thoughts. Sirius had given up trying to cheer him up and was now trying to turn an unsuspecting slytherin's hair pink from across the room, but Remus watched him worriedly.

"It's only the first day back Prongs, surely you can't be miserable already?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood. James didn't reply, and Sirius, drawing his eyes from the task at hand, frowned at his friend.

"What is the matter with you, Prongs? You're acting a bit put out to say the least." James sighed.

"Lily seemed upset on the train, and I couldn't work out why." he mumbled. There was a pause. Then-

"That's it?'' Sirius exclaimed. ''That's actually it? You can't be serious. The reason you're moping around and looking like somebody died, is just because little Lily-kins was upset?" He looked at him incredibly and James shot him a glare.

"I just couldn't work out what was wrong- I was thinking."

"Well you're not doing a very good job of it." remarked Sirius, going back to his earlier assignment. "Take it from me, girls get upset a lot. It could be over boys, over school, over- darn it, stay still Rodgers- arguments, loads of stupid stuff." James still looked sulky.

"I've never seen Lily really upset though, apart from after Snivellus called her, you know...'' He paused. "...that." Remus nodded, whilst he watched Sirius with a frown.

"Me either James... You know, Padfoot, I am a prefect. I could put you in detention for that." he commented, taking a bite of his apple pie. Sirius flashed him a smile, not taking his eyes off of his targets head, which was slowly turning a salmon colour.

"But you wouldn't Moony; you love me far too much." Remus rolled his eyes and took another bite, turning his attention back to James.

"Lily seemed perfectly fine in the prefect meeting- I'm sure it was just a moment of weakness… and she's perfectly alright now. Look at her." He gestured to where she was laughing with her friends, her eyes bright, but James only scowled harder.

"That's only because she had Mr I'm-A-Perfect-Ravenclaw-Prefect to cheer her up." he grumbled, stabbing his fork a little too viscously into a macaroon.

"So that's what this is all about." grinned Sirius, who was now watching with enjoyment as the pink haired boy grabbed at his hair frantically and glared around the room as Peter snorted into his pudding. Normally, James too would have laughed at the sight, but he was too mournful. "Jamesie's got the jealousy bug."

"I have not." scowled James. "I just figured nothing was going on there- Addie told me she hadn't said anything."

"Maybe she lied?" offered Peter. The boy had been happily eating his way through a stack of sausages when they found him, and had seemed rather relieved that he hadn't joined their expedition into the forest once they'd finished telling him the story, so there was no harm done. "To make you feel better. I told you I saw them together this morning."

"Nah, Reid wouldn't lie." Sirius muttered, still distracted.

"But he was in their carriage."

"You're ten times the man Colin Dawkins is anyway." said Remus, with a knowing smile. "Just because they beat you last year at the Quidditch cup, doesn't mean he's a better chaser."

"Though he is rather good." declared Peter, who was now sat quietly next to Remus, gorging on Victoria sponge.

"No, he's rubbish, and they won on a fluke last year. We'll murder them this time." said James, passionately.

"Yeah." agreed Sirius, finally giving them his full attention. The Slytherin boy had fled from the hall, his face an angry shade of red that clashed horribly with his hair. "The Ravenclaw's win was based purely on luck, and it was the dirtiest game I've ever seen."

"Not as bad as that Slytherin one in third year." replied James. "Blimey, I thought I'd never see the light of day after that." He grinned, perking up considerably at the mention of quidditch.

They talked tactics for the rest of the meal, and James forgot all about Lily and a certain pompous Ravenclaw. That was, until he set eyes on her leading first years out of the hall, her flaming red hair making her hard to miss, and a smile set on her lips. His stomach erupted every time be saw her- not that he'd tell the other Marauders that, since they'd surely mock him into his grave- and he wished that someday she'd smile at him, but her face seemed set on making that familiar disapproving, exasperated expression whenever she laid eyes on him, no matter what he'd tried to do to change that.

They shared a glance and her face did just that- her mouth becoming tight-lipped and her eyes slightly more fiery than usual, as though she blamed him for dragging her friends out into the forest, and then she turned on her heel, the Gryffindor's following her to the common room.

They arrived at Gryffindor tower and Lily proclaimed the password to the Fat Lady loudly, so everyone could hear. When the door swung open, she showed the first years their dorms and then let the crowds disperse, some people opting to go up to their dorms, and some making themselves comfortable in the common room. The marauders lounged in their usual spot by the fire and Lily went to join her friends, who were sat around in the comfy armchairs. Marlene greeted her as she settled down.

"You lead them well." she remarked with a smile. "Did you see how nervous those little ones were?"

Lily nodded. "They were adorable. God, I can't imagine us lot being that small."

"Neither can I. I'm sure we were never that cute either." laughed Marlene. She paused and then smiled at Lily. "I hate to tell you this, Lils, but a certain someone won't stop staring at you." Lily whirled around in her seat and groaned when she spotted Potter looking her way. His expression brightened as she caught his eye and she flung back around with a growl.

"He is the most annoying person I have ever met." she grumbled, making Alice and Marlene laugh. Addie raised her eyebrows.

"He's not that bad.'' she defended. "I'd say Colin's more annoying.''

"No, Potter's definitely the worst. He can't just smile, he's got to shoot you that stupid, crooked grin of his. It makes me sick." Addie sighed, knowing she wasn't getting anywhere, and Lily glanced at her, a question on her lips.

"That was Susan's little sister I saw at the front, right?" asked Frank, before the red-head could speak, sitting down. He was a tall, gangly boy, with a round face and gentle smile, and Lily had never seemed Alice happier than when she was with him- she was positively glowing, even now.

"Yeah." Alice replied. "She was the one with the huge hair and the startled expression." She sounded distasteful, and Lily poked her playfully, gently reminding her to be nice. Grace couldn't be blamed for Susan's unwavering loyalty to her horrible friend.

"Where is Susan?" frowned Frank.

"Don't ask." Alice warned him, and he raised his eyebrows, but stayed quiet. Frank had a way knowing when to comment and when to leave things, and it was one of the things that Lily liked most about him.

"So, where did-" he started, but stopped suddenly as a new figure joined the group. Grace stood next to Frank's seat, looking almost as frightened as she had in the hall. They looked at her and she faltered.

"I... I was wondering if you'd seen my sister." Her voice was a whisper and Lily barely made out her words, but she smiled at the girl.

"Sorry." she replied. "I think she might have already gone upstairs."

"Right." Grace said, but she didn't move.

"Did you want something?" Alice asked kindly, after a pause.

"Well…" The girl fiddled with her hands, nervously. "It's nothing really. It's just…" Her words came out in a rush. "I heard some students as I was coming out of the hall. They were laughing, and they weren't saying very nice things."

Frank frowned. "What did they look like?"

"The girl had brown hair, and the boy's was black... he had scary eyes. I think they were in Slytherin- well, they were wearing green robes."

"Mulciber." Addie muttered, disgust apparent in her voice as she thought of the seventh year.

"What did they say?" Frank insisted.

She gulped, her voice barely audible. "They said… 'This will be the year that they pay. All of them.'"

Grace would reveal no more, and she soon scarpered off to bed.

Once they had watched her disappear, Marlene was the first to speak. "Well… what do you think it means?" she muttered, twisting a piece of her hair anxiously.

"I don't know." Alice's eyes were guarded. "But it can't be good."

Marlene hesitated. "… do you think we should we tell someone?"

"No." frowned Lily. "It's just the Slytherins. Haven't they been saying this stuff for years? And anyway, it could mean anything- they might not even be talking about muggleborns."

Alice looked at her sceptically, but Lily lowered her voice, sounding serious.

"We can't go to Dumbledore or McGonagall with something like this." Seeing the others faces, she persisted. "We can't. They'd laugh in our faces. What's the proof? Something that a first year girl thought she heard?"

Addie nodded. "She's right. We'd look stupid."

"Fine." Marlene sighed, leaning back in her seat. "But, we have to be careful- especially you two." She gestured to Lily and Addie. "If it is muggleborns they're after…"

Addie rolled her eyes. "What, they're going to attack us right under Dumbledore's nose? Hogwarts is the safest place in the country. We're fine."

Alice nodded, but still looked worried.

They spoke for a while about the feast and the train ride, avoiding all mentions of their dorm mates and Slytherins, before retiring to bed. Alice and Frank went up first, shortly followed by Addie and Marlene. Lily stayed downstairs, promising she'd follow them up soon.

Fortunately, Susan was asleep, so there were no awkward interactions as the girls changed into their pyjamas, and said goodnight.

Addie lay back, wearing her favourite unicorn bottoms and grey t-shirt, (she'd thought the whole unicorn thing had been funny when she saw them in the muggle shop, though she'd never seen the creature in real life), and sighed as a certain dark-haired Gryffindor came to mind.

Sirius Black had been one of her best friends for years. How could Jo possibly think that she'd like him? That he'd like her? He was a marauder, for God sake, and dated girls that were far better looking than her- Dorcas Meadows, for one. Everybody knew that the beautiful seventh year had had an on-off thing with Sirius for the past year, and it would be crazy for Addie to think about him that way; she didn't have a clue what Jo was thinking. She knew he'd always seen her as just a friend, and that was how they'd always been. She laughed softly, thinking of the things he'd said to Jo, and soon, she fell into a slumber.

That was when the nightmare came.

Lily was still downstairs. The red-head had curled up in a ball on the little burgundy couch once her friends left, pulling the tattered blanket onto her lap. She had a lot on her mind, which was buzzing with faces- Jo, Susan, Snape, Colin, Grace... the day hadn't been at all as peaceful as she would have hoped, but, then again, it never was at Hogwarts. Especially with everything going on; the war brewing outside the castle walls had felt millions of miles away in their first few years at Hogwarts, but last year things had started to change- stories had started to spread; talks of muggles being murdered in cold blood; witches and wizards disappearing off the street… and it had truly started to feel as though they were at war.

She looked about the warm common room around her. A couple of students milled about, talking quietly, but most had gone to bed. Lily sighed. She knew she should go up too, but she felt pretty peaceful- that was, until James Potter appeared.

Why did he always show up at the worst possible times?

Surprisingly, he was twisting his hands in front of him, and didn't look like his usual cocky self as he approached her. He hovered by Lily's armchair as she scowled up at him.

"What do you want, Potter?" She asked, crossing her arms defensively. He sunk onto the leather chair closest to her, running a hand through his hair. The gesture irritated her.

"I just wanted to talk to you... about today." She stared at him, confused, until it hit her. Her crying fit. Ah. She'd forgotten about it in amongst all the drama with Jo.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Potter. Especially not with you. Now, if you don't mind, I-" she made to stand up, but he held out a hand to stop her.

"Please." She was startled by the pleading note in his voice. Potter had never said please in his life, she was certain. Slowly, reluctantly, Lily sat back down, her eyebrows raised. He ran his hands through his hair once again, this time seeming more agitated. She knew this was all part of his little game- the pretence that he fancied her which he had kept up for so long. But, she decided to go against her instinct and play along, for now.

"You didn't tell your friends." He was frowning, as though trying to figure out a hard puzzle, and it was a statement, not a question. For a moment she faltered, but then, remembering herself, she scowled.

"It's none of your business what I did and didn't do." she huffed, and a flicker of a smile passed across his face. But just as quickly it was gone.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Evans." The kind words sounded foreign in his mouth.

At least he's trying, she countered silently, but as soon as the thought slipped into her mind, she was disgusted at herself.

This was Potter. James Potter. The boy who had spent the whole of his fourth year (and most of fifth year), hexing people in the corridors; who had bullied Severus and teased Lily mercilessly; who had always been so incredibly irritating; who was forever getting into trouble, missing detention after detention; who she had spotted smoking several times for all the wrong reasons, (not that there were any right reasons, but she knew James simply did it out of vanity), and who played on her heartstrings and played on her mind; who always made her angry, sometimes made her laugh, but who most of all, confused her until she was driven insane.

And that boy didn't have one compassionate bone in his body.

She sighed. "Why do you care Potter?" Though she knew he didn't.

He started. "Well, I..."

"I knew it." she sighed. "You're making fun of me." She stood up once more, and he did too. But his expression was now angry, his hazel eyes burning.

"For Merlin's sake, I'm not making fun of you, Evans! I'm trying to help. Stop acting like I'm a bloody jerk and actually talk to me for once. Can't you be civil?"

She glared back at him. "Of course I can be civil!"

"Then start acting like it, instead of talking down to me like a… a stuck-up Cinderella!"

"Just because you've decided to play Prince charming, doesn't mean you can start throwing fairy tale names at me!" She paused. "How do you even know who Cinderella is?"

"I know more than you give me credit for, Evans."

"Ha. Don't make me laugh."

He sighed, realising they were getting nowhere. "Just tell me what the matter was. I want to know how I can help."

"Don't you see? No one can help." He tried to argue, but she cut him off. "Well… you especially can't. I'm sure you can work out what I mean." His anger disapparated as confusion took its place, and then it hit him. She watched him closely, biting her lip.

"Snape." he said, quietly.

She nodded. "Do you see why I don't want to talk about it now?"

"I... I guess so, Evans."

She turned to leave, and this time he let her, watching her walk to the staircase. When she reached the bottom, he called to her once more.

"Wait."

She turned around, sighing. "What?"

He faltered for a moment. In the dying light of the common room, she looked so beautiful- her glowing green eyes glittering, her hair a messy halo around her head.

"I..." As he hesitated, the words slipped from his tongue and he clamped his lips shut, sighing. "It's nothing." There was a pause. "Sleep well, Evans."

She looked at him, uncertainly, knowing he wanted to say more. But, finally, nodded.

"You too Potter."

James crept into his dorm, which was dark, avoiding various objects on the floor. He was just congratulating himself on his ninja worthy skills, when he slipped on something that felt curiously like a chocolate wrapper, making a loud thump as his bum hit the floor. A light flickered on.

"Where have you been, young man?" came Sirius's stern voice, as he sat, arms crossed, on his bed. James was speechless. "Well?" Sirius persisted. He burst out laughing at James's startled expression.

"I'm kidding, mate. But where have you been?" He paused and then pouted. "You didn't go exploring the castle without me, did you?"

"No." James ran a hand through his hair. "I was talking to Evans."

"I see." Sirius raised his eyebrows, and James desperately wanted to wipe the smug expression off his face, but refrained from doing so.

James clambered into bed, and the marauders were quiet. He picked up a cigarette from the packet on his bedside table and placed it between his teeth.

Remus glared at him. "You are not lighting one of those things in here, Prongs." he said sternly, and James rolled his eyes.

"Fine, mum."

"I don't know why you started. You were perfectly fine without them last year."

"Maybe I'm a different person this year." James countered, but he knew very well why he'd started. A certain red-head had been on his mind time and time again over summer. Too often.

Remus sighed. "Maybe you need to just try talking to Lily like a friend. Distance yourself a bit, you know?"

James frowned. "Distance myself? But she'll never know I like her then."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Trust me mate, if she doesn't know you like her by now mate, then she never will."

James flipped him off and then paused, thoughtfully, thinking about the argument they'd broken up today. "You don't… you don't like Addie, do you Pads?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Addie?" Sirius frowned. "No. Addie's… Addie's like my sister."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Relief flooded James. If Addie got her heart broken by Sirius… it would be awkward, to say the least, and James would be stuck in the middle.

"Do you reckon she likes you, then?" Peter asked.

"No." he said flatly. "She said so, didn't she? And anyway, it doesn't matter- I don't like her, not in that way… it'd be weird."

"Weird, how?" Remus asked.

"Because it's Addie. Anyway, I don't go out with girls, I go on dates with girls. Addie wouldn't want that."

James wriggled his eyebrows, grinning. "Maybe you'll become a changed man."

Sirius groaned, turning off the lights with a wave of his wand. "I'm going to bed, you gits."

Remus chuckled in the dark.

Lily was still stuffed from the feast and she should have fallen asleep quickly in her cosy bed, but, lying in the quiet dorm with nothing to distract her from her thoughts, Severus was on her mind, and now Potter was too. Why did he enjoy annoying the hell out of her? Why did he continue this stupid game? She knew as soon as she showed the slightest bit of interest in him, he would drop her- he would have won. She frowned. Even though Snape was nastier than Potter, at least he was easier to understand, in a way. Potter confused her. He muddled with her head.

She sighed and curled up, trying not to think of the person Severus was turning into, and only of the innocent boy he once was. But, she couldn't help but doubt herself. Had he ever been innocent? Or was she just kidding herself all these years? Had he always thought these horrible things about her, without realising it himself? No. She couldn't believe that. He was a good person, a kind person, once. It was those other people that had changed him- the ones that aspired to be Death Eaters, the ones who had dark humours and dark minds. It was their fault.

Finally, Lily slept, but she didn't realise that whilst she blamed people for turning Severus dark, they blamed her just as much for turning him soft.