"Lily…" began James, picking at his food instead of wolfing it down as usual.
"Are you ill Potter?" teased Lily.
"What?"
"Your food… I've never seen anything remain on your plate that long since Sirius heaped sprouts on your plate last Christmas," explained Lily. "Never mind – what do you want?"
"You aren't still mad at me are you?" asked James anxiously.
"Mad about what? We've been on a truce for half a year James, I hardly think I'm still mad at you about that whole 'Game Show' thing you did," laughed Lily, "No matter how mean and spiteful it was," she added.
"No, no, I mean about that… incident… at the end of fifth year…? That thing with Snive- Snape?" asked James hesitantly.
Lily's eyes hardened for a second as she remembered the torment in her head, "It wasn't a nice thing to do Potter."
"I know Lily, it was mean," said James, earning a horrified look from Sirius as if he'd just admitted his undying love for Snape rather than admitting his prank had gone a little too far, "I'm not proud of it."
Lily relaxed her expression. "Well it wasn't all bad," she grinned.
"What?"
"Well I wasn't pleased at the time… but Snivellus has been such an arsehole to me recently – he tried to hex me after potions last week! He deserved everything you gave him."
"Snape did what to you after potions last week!?!" exploded James, jumping to his feet so fast that his plate fell off the table and broke with a crash on the floor. Snape, who had just walked in the hall, turned and abruptly left again.
"Hey you! Snape! Get back in here!!!" shouted James at the top of his lungs.
"Stop," ordered Lily, pulling him back into his seat and repairing his plate with a flick of her wand. "Stop James!" He continued to trying to chase after Snape, so Lily wrapped her arms around him and held him down. Sirius made to help pull James up, so immediately Alex and Jenni piled on top of him.
"You know ladies, I could get quite used to this," smirked Sirius, which caused Alex to leap off him again in embarrassment, but Jenni hung on.
"It'll take more than that to embarrass me Sirius Black," grinned Jenni, wrapping her legs around him, making him fall backwards off his chair and straight into the food James had dropped earlier.
"Come on James, leave it, he'll be back in his common room now, he's terrified of you really," snapped Lily.
"Fine Lily, fine," muttered James, the fire in his eyes dimming down. "But if he ever even tries to harm you again, you come to me."
"Well not if your going to murder him," smiled Lily, "But hey, it's the thought that counts right?"
"Hey Remus, if you're done with Emma, can we go or we're going to be late for potions," laughed Sirius, making Emma and Remus jump apart, for they had been reading a book together.
"Ah good we have potions," grinned James evilly, "Another chance to murder Sn-" He caught Lily's glare, "-I mean have an adult conversation… oh who am I kidding?"
"Ok class, today we're making a Cheerfulness Potion," smiled Professor Slughorn jovially, "You may be able to tell that I tested the other sixth years potions earlier today, so don't make me lose my good humour! Ah Miss Evans, I love your new hat! And Mr Black nice new robes… now set to work in pairs." He settled behind his desk and began giggling as he made bubbles with his wand.
"Looks like someone's potion was too strong," giggled Alex to Emma, as Professor Slughorn began shooting ribbons all over the room.
"What do you mean she started it!" yelled James from the back of the room. The entire class swivelled to find Snape and James arguing at the top of their voices.
"She told me to get lost! No Gryffindor orders a Slytherin to 'get lost'," snarled Snape, to the cheers of his fellow Slytherins. "Much less a filthy mudblood."
"You take that back," spat Jenni, stepping forward, her voice dangerously low.
"You shut up too, I don't listen to any mudblood," sneered Snape, "And that includes you McKenzie." With a flick of his wrist, Jenni hung upside-down from her ankle, and this time she was unlucky enough to have a skirt on.
"Let her down!" shrieked Lily, losing her temper completely. "Let her down right or I'll… I'll…"
"You'll what?" smirked Snape, "Go on mudblood, what will you do?"
"Stupefy!"
Snape crashed backwards into the desks and collapsed on the ground, stunned.
"You filthy mudblood!" screamed Narcissa Black, "How dare you stun a Slytherin!"
"I thought I told you all to not call her a mudblood!" screeched Jenni. "Stupefy! Stupefy!"
Barnaby Goyle smacked off the ground as one of the spells hit him in the chest, but the spell headed off Narcissa was diverted by Emma.
"Emma, get out the way! I'm… going… to… stun… that… stupid… Slytherin!" shouted Jenni, beginning to go very red in the face.
"Persperdectorius," snapped Emma, and suddenly Narcissa had sprouted a very handsome pair of antlers. She ran screaming out the class, as one of the smarter Slytherins revived Snape.
"You guys should totally mellow out," hummed Professor Slughorn, now floating about in his underwear, drinking more of the Cheerfulness Potion. "All this war is causing bad vibes man, bad vibes."
"Oh great, now the Professor is stoned," snarled Lily, as Snape sent another stunning spell at Sirius.
James aimed a hex at Snape, but Nott got in the way and grew strange boils all over his body.
"Enough!" roared Snape, and everyone stopped for a split second as he levelled his wand at Lily. "Sectumsempra!"
Time slowed down for James - he had heard Snape shout that spell once before, and before he even knew what he was doing, he was jumping towards Lily, shoving her out the way and taking the spell himself. Time sped up again as blood spattered his robes. Dumbledore burst through the door, and the commotion ended, except for a couple of screams.
"Lily? Is Lily ok?" gasped James, before his vision went black.
James opened his eyes, and could see the blurred outline of Lily standing over him. She slid his glasses on her face and he saw there were tears on her face.
"Are… are you ok?" she asked – she was still shaking. "You've only been unconscious a few minutes… they got you up here really soon… Dumbledore is really mad though… you've to come up to his office as soon as you're awake…" She gestured to a stretcher that was hovering in midair.
James hauled himself off the bed and sat on the stretcher, and gestured for Lily to do the same.
"You don't think they'll expel us will they?" asked Lily, turning pale. The stretcher slid smoothly out of the hospital wing, and Lily leaned on her head on James's shoulder. "Dumbledore was so angry at us."
James knew what he could do next – he could put his arm around her shoulder and tell her that everything would be fine. He could tell her that he was ok as well, and she'd had a terrible shock and it was ok to cry. Lily would lean onto his shoulder and thank him and he would kiss her – she'd be his. Lily Evans would be his after so long!
But no – that was like taking advantage of her.
"Don't worry Lily, they could never expel you, the school would collapse without you," joked James, patting her lightly on the shoulder.
"You know James?" said Lily, with a bit more of a smile, "I think this is the longest you've ever gone without asking me out…"
"I'm… so very disappointed with all of you," sighed Dumbledore, "Do you not remember what I told you at the Start of Term feast this year? Did you not hear the Sorting Hat's song? Have you all lost your minds?"
"No Sir," mumbled the assorted Sixth Years.
"House Unity!" insisted Dumbledore, "That is the key here! Do you not realise that this is just what Voldemort wants for you to do? Severus, listen to me."
Snape looked up at once.
"Now I shall hand you over to your house captains for punishment," frowned Dumbledore, "Well actually I believe that Professor Slughorn is still… in a separate state of mind… so I shall hand you all over to Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall stepped out from behind Dumbledore's desk, "Disgraceful behaviour! The minute your teacher takes unwell, instead of seeking help, you start brawling and duelling! I'm simply shocked! Now Slytherins, I shall give you a month of detention on top of whatever punishment Professor Slughorn chooses to give you! Now get out!"
The Slytherins departed rather dejectedly, disappointed on missing the Gryffindors getting into trouble.
"Now you boys, I'm disappointed, but it is not unexpected," her eyes lingered on James and Sirius as she said this, "Potter and Black, three months detention! And don't give me that face either, you know what you did and you got Potter seriously injured."
"But Professor, shouldn't that mean Snape should get just as much punishment!" interrupted Sirius in shock.
"Mr Black, I am recommending that Snape gets a particularly harsh punishment as well don't you worry! Now Lupin and Pettigrew while I am told that while you did nothing against the Slytherins, you neither broke up the fight or sought help form a member of staff, so you shall both serve three nights detention. You are now dismissed."
The boys left in low spirits – they would be missing a lot of Quidditch practice and they were furious because the Slytherins probably would be let off with a stern telling off.
Professor McGonagall turned her attention to the girls, "Ms Smith, Ms Martin you will both serve one week of detention for the same reason as Remus and Peter. Ms McKenzie, I believe you were one of the antagonists and you stunned Goyle – you shall be serving three months detention with Black and Potter."
"But Miss! The first match of the Quidditch season is only four months away and I'm the seeker!" protested Jenni, "Please Miss why do you want to disable your own Quidditch team!"
"Because, Ms McKenzie, it seems it's the only way you'll learn! Now if you do not want me to make it four months, you will take your friends and get out!"
Jenni hurried to the door, followed swiftly by Alex and Emma, but Lily stayed standing in the office as she had not been addressed yet.
"Dumbledore," nodded Professor McGonagall, and left. Dumbledore looked at Lily patiently.
"Please Sir… what about me?"
"Ms Evans, you will serve one month of detention for stunning Severus Snape," said Dumbledore sadly, "However I would like to let you know I have looked on your situation kindly. You are an excellent student, with no record for troublemaking. Snape tormented you by calling you a filthy name, one which I have expressed clearly to him that I will not tolerate in these grounds, and I believe this is not the first time that he has antagonised you. And not only this, but he almost used a terrible spell on you. You may think that we healed Mr Potter swiftly, but Ms Evans I have researched this spell briefly before you brought Mr Potter from the hospital wing, and I've found that this spell can have a much worse effect on females than males."
Lily nodded humbly, she still wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it – James had dived in front of her, possibly saved her life, for she didn't know the spell.
"Ms Evans, by your daydreaming I suppose you are deep in thought rather than being rude?" asked Dumbledore, a small smile twitching on the sides of his mouth.
"Sorry Sir, if you pardon me Sir, what did you say?"
"I was giving you a little advice Lily. James Potter saved you today at great personal risk – it's not a thing every man would do. I am sure you are aware that almost everyone in the school knows about his apparent undying love for you… I would just like to advise you that maybe you should hear him out for once?"
Lily blushed at having the headmaster talk to her about such a thing, but could see the sense in his words. "Ok Sir, maybe… maybe I will."
"Very well, you may go Ms Evans," Dumbledore resumed the previous conversation, "I know that you've never had detention before, but I'm sure that Ms McKenzie can show you the way."
