"--hell have you been?"
The voice belonged to Sirius Black, and he appeared to be walking along, talking to himself. Lily stopped, intrigued. Black was a lot of things, but crazy didn't happen to be one of them. Acting on an impulse she didn't fully understand, Lily darted into the shadows behind a statue, hiding herself from view as he approached.
"You were following her weren't you?"
Black stopped, staring at the empty space to his right quite intently. Potter's head appeared out of thin air, startling Lily and forcing her to clasp her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. The head was soon followed by the rest of his body, as he pulled a cloak-- an invisibility cloak--from about his shoulders and began folding it into a neat little package.
"Uh..."
Black rolled his eyes. "Dumbledore said--"
"I don't care what Dumbledore or anyone else in the Order says. There is no fucking way I'm leaving her alone with him. Not after what he did to that Muggle over the summer."
Black sighed deeply, scowling. "I really don't get it, Prongs. Why don't you just give it up and tell her to fuck off? She did tell you she'd rather spend time with Voldemort. Coming pretty damn close to it, isn't she?"
James ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh of his own. "You know why. Are you really going to make me say it again?"
Black rolled his eyes again. "You're in lovewith her. Right. Hearing you say that never gets old."
"I can't help how I feel, Padfoot." James paused, as if deep in thought. "Which is why I need a favor."
Black's eyes widened in horror. "No fucking way!"
"You haven't even heard what I'm going to ask yet." James pointed out.
"I don't have to. It's written all over your face. You want me to babysit the shrew, don't you?"
James looked down at the floor. "I want her protected. But seeing them--together--it's killing me. And he hasn't even touched her yet. I...well frankly, Pads, I can't stand it. Even the thought of it..."
Black's expression softened, he still looked annoyed but compassion mingled with it.
"Fine." He muttered darkly. "But you owe me."
James grinned and slapped Black on the back. "After all the times that I've saved your sorry arse? The way I reckon it, you still owe me."
"My arse wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't gotten it into trouble in the first fucking place." Black retorted, smiling a bit.
James smiled back. "That is beside the point." He handed Black the bundle. "Here. You'll need this." His eyes narrowed. "I'm counting on you to keep her safe."
"I said I would." Black replied, tucking the cloak away. He looked up at James. "Did you get it then?"
James grinned. "Yep." He patted his robes. "Right here."
Black's eyes grew wide. "You mean you've been lugging that thing through the castle this entire time?"
James looked a bit abashed. "Yeah..." He admitted.
"Fuck Prongs! Dumbledore's going to be seriously hocked off when he finds out!"
"Which is why we won't be telling him." James said logically.
Black grinned in comprehension. "Right." He paused. "About damn time you got the ruddy thing!"
"Hey!" James protested. "It wasn't like it was easy! No one else could nick it, and most of themare fully trained Aurors."
Black grinned again. "Excuses, excuses!" He hit James on the back. "At any rate, you'd better get to Dumbledore and report."
James sighed. "True." He started to walk away then half-turned. "I mean it, Padfoot. Make sure she stays safe. I won't have the Order using her as bait, no matter what the circumstances. If I had my way, I'd be kidnapping her and spiriting her away someplace safe until this whole thing blows over."
Black laughed. "Oh that would go over real well. I suppose you think your flower would just sit down quietly and let you?"
James grinned broadly, his eyes dancing mischeviously. "No, I don't. But I rather think that wrestling around with her would be well worth the hexes."
Black laughed again. "You are seriously fucked up, mate."
"Only when it comes to her."
Lily watched them go, pondering what she'd just heard. None of their conversation made a bit of sense. Why would she need protecting, if it was in fact her that they were talking about? Right, her mind whispered, who else would Potter fancy himself in love with? If it was some other girl, he certainly had a funny way of showing it. The way Black had been talking was even more perplexing. It almost sounded as if they were working for Dumbledore. But that was ridiculous. They were just children, mere boys! There was no way Dumbledore would put students in danger, would he? No, of course he wouldn't. So what could it mean? And what was the mysterious 'Order' James kept mentioning?
And then there was the issue of the invisibility cloak. It should have concerned her, Potter having the ability to move about undected. But somehow, the idea of James having an invisibility cloak didn't disturb her half as much as the idea of Sirius Black having access to one through James. Potter was many things, but a voyeur wasn't one of them. For some strange reason, Lily was sure that he wouldn't take anything from her she didn't give freely--and that included watching her shower or dress without her knowledge. He just wasn't that sort of bloke. Black on the other hand...Lily shuddered. Black was a pig.
She peered out into the hallway. The coast seemed clear. She could probably safely make her way to the Head's Dorm without fear of detection. It was imperative to beat Potter back. Somehow she had the feeling that having him aware of what she'd overheard would be disasterous.
