This is going to be a LONG chapter—that could probably be 2 different chapters, but there's a lot of important info in this that needs to get out (also, this is the result of a 7 ½ hr car ride to and from Kentucky. The ride was hell, but Thanksgiving there was seriously funny. (My aunt lost a 20lb turkey only to find it in the back of my uncle's truck under a toolbox…in the cold…outside. He got an earful.)) But anyway, enough of me ranting, this chapter has several different flashbacks and if I get some spells wrong, please correct me. I do want to get everything accurate! (BTW—if anyone can guess who Alastair Waverly really is, I will email you the next chapter before it is put up. It's quite unexpected, and EXTREMELY AU, but it is a character that will be mentioned in this chapter— a hint is in one of the flashbacks. Good luck!)

"Today," Professor Pravat droned on, "We will be practicing our skill of Occlumency." He wrote the spell on the board, with a descriptive paragraph on its origins and whatnot, and paused to the furious scurry of quills trying to decipher his illegible handwriting. The Professor then proceeded to explain how to use it and how to block it, but I didn't bother to even attempt to pay attention—why bother when you already know it?

The students paired up, and somehow I ended up with Potter. I sighed. "Okay, Potter, go ahead and try it on me." He complied without a word and I could feel the itching in the back of my mind as his magic was trying to gain access to my thoughts. I threw up my brick wall and then backed it up with my long-harbored anger at the world which made it almost impossible to cross.

Sensing my resistance, Potter redoubled his efforts, as did I. It was a well-matched battle, neither gaining the upper hand, but I was growing tired very quickly. He noticed this and started scaling my wall, searching for any faults or cracks in its foundation. He found on right in the center and attempted to burrow in it.

I panicked. He doesn't need to see this! I thought to myself, growing desperate to block him out. Picturing a battling ram, I slammed it into his subconscious being, pitching him out of my mind but maybe a little too forceful since his chair tipped over, sending him on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" I quickly apologized, shooting out of my seat to help him up.

"Don't worry about it," he said quickly, brushing himself off, "that was really good. I'm impressed."

I gave him a small smile, "I had a friend teach me."

"He must have been very good."

"Who said it was a he?"

"Oh I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything." Potter stammered. It was cute, seeing him vulnerable and unsure of what to say for once. In fact, this was the first time on my records that we had had a civil conversation. And I was thoroughly enjoying it.

"It's fine. He was just a friend that I owed my life on multiple occasions for teaching me Occlumency. It's a trained art, really, not necessarily a skill as many people think."

Flashback

"Get with it Lily!" Waverly screeched, as I picked myself up off the floor. "You should be able to hold up your defenses for hours not just a few measly minutes! Make sure you step up, girl, before next time. I'm not a patient man." He exited the room with a flourish, leaving me cowering on the floor, wondering what would happen next time…

3 days later

"Well," Alastair Waverly said, "do you think you can finally hold out this time?"

I gulped and nodded. "Good." He sneered.

His stony gaze met mine for a second before his whispered, "Legilmens." Instead of embracing him in my mind, as I had been doing, I immediately blocked the entrance, shielding the horror of my mind from this man. He pushed harder, making my forces crumble and shake at the contact. I heard him laugh evilly, and the thought of him taking pleasure in my struggles made me seethe with fury. My anger showed on the edge of my subconscious as a silver liquid, and I used it to build a mote around my defenses, but not before filling the cracks in the wall, forcing him to either leave, or get smothered.

"Yes," Alastair hissed before pulling out. "That was what we have been trying to achieve. That will make you unbreakable. Remember that."

End Flashback

"Miss Evans! Mr. Potter!" Professor Pravat interrupted our conversation with his high, squeaky voice. "Excellent show of work! Five points to Gryffindor each! Pray tell, Miss Evans, how did you manage to hold him out for an entire thirty minutes?"

"Um, well," I paused seeing the entire class' attention focused on me. "Practice, I guess. I had a lot of practice over the summer. And, um, you have to, um, find your method that works best for you. I think of my defenses as pictures or, uh, objects, kinda like a medieval battle, you know, a brick wall and mote, and I can see how they crumble and then use reinforcements to back them up. If the person is as strong as I am, I usually use different stages and save the hardest. Everyone's different, I guess," I could feel myself blushing at the beginning but later got more comfortable as I realized that I was making a valid point.

"Excellent…pure brilliance," Pravat murmured. "Would you mind if I tried?"

I shook my head no and rotated in my chair so I faced him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Potter's look of not believing that I was letting a teacher inside my mind.

Professor barely moved his lips but he hit my mind with as much force as Waverly did. I was startled for a moment, but then adjusted to the intrusion. I doubled up the wall, expanded the mote, and had my army ready. All we had to do was wait.

He didn't keep us hanging. But, unlike the other people I had faced, save for one, but he's not important, Pravat started out slow, walking his way around my mote and inspecting the wall. I was positive he would find no fault, though apparently he did, because a small prick of pain told me otherwise.

I focused my minds eye back to the task at hand. It was just like a battle between two rivaling nations; the enemy is breaking into the kingdom, what do we do? Fight back is the only option that came to mind. I set loose the chargers, bracing myself for the collision. I winced at the noise, yet the enemy retreated several places. Pravat was getting angry at having a student best him, I could tell. Slashing at my inner wall and subconscious thought I was pretty sure I let out a small moan of pain. Now he truly was the enemy.

We continued battling, his weapons causing me to cry out in actual pain, yet I did not surrender.

Flashback

I flinched as Waverly approached me. "Surrender," he growled in a soft voice, "is out of the question. Those who surrender are those who die. No pupil of mine will surrender unless they're already dead." My eyes widened in fear.

He bent down so that his mouth was level with my ear. "You wouldn't even guess that I was year younger than you, would you?" I wouldn't have, but I didn't speak. That was one of the rules; don't speak unless to speak a spell. And even then it had better be extremely quiet.

"Again," Alastair ordered, backing up so that he was several meters in front of me. "Imperio." He whispered as my body snapped to attention, but my mind kept in my state. As he gave off orders, my body would twitch, eager to obey, but I kept a firm rein on myself, determined not to fail. It took a few moments, but eventually I was able to completely overthrow the curse.

"Good," he encouraged me, even if only halfheartedly. "Again."

We kept going until it took only a moments hesitation before the curse rolled off me as naturally as water. "That's it." Waverly said after several hours of the work. I collapsed in exhaustion, my limbs sore from over exertion and a pounding headache threatening to overturn my stomach. I sank against the stone wall, welcoming the cold.

End flashback

GET OUT! I screamed inside my mind, but I was sure he was determined to not rest till he had discovered my secrets. For the first time since summer ended, I was losing. And I didn't like it.

Exhaustion was creeping in the edges of my brain, threatening to smother me like a dark blanket. I welcomed it; anything to escape the pain and pressure. As I crept closer to the darkness, my inner flame of defiance took over. For a moment, I had an out of body experience when a whoosh of air carried me up to the rafters of the school.

Inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, I was sitting in the same chair, my fingers clutching the wooden sides until my knuckles were numb. Suddenly, my eyes flashed open, but they were not my usual green color. They were an icy grey, almost boarding on white. They swiveled around the class until they came upon Professor Pravat, who was bent over me, still deep within the folds of my mind.

My mind sucked me back into my body and I saw that my defenses were in shambles. I was so close to giving up…so willing to admit defeat and just move on, but a voice echoed around my head.

"Don't do it Lily. Let go. Let me do it." It said. It was a male voice, one that was familiar, yet foreign at the same time. I felt the whoosh again, and zoomed upward, anxious to see what he was going to do. A bright light started to emit from my body, driving Paravat backwards. Suddenly, a feral scream ripped from my lips as I was forcefully slammed into my being.

The pain Pravat had caused was almost unbearable. The wall was down, completely and utterly destroyed, but he had continued on attacking, beating down my defenses until the last dust particle was gone. But, I was confused. Why wasn't he continuing to his prize: my memories? In fact, it looked as though he was backing away. I looked around and my question was answered.

A thin, silvery film was protecting me. Another one had surrounded my Professor, leaving him no room for escape. He looked panicked and quickly vanished from my mind.

I opened my eyes and blinked quickly a few times. My body was trembling uncontrollably, and beads of sweat decorated my forehead. Tears were streaming silently down my face as the after shocks of pain washed over me. I saw Professor Pravat, passed out cold on the floor, and started to stand, but ended up collapsing back in the chair, crying into my hands.

A rough hand slipped around my waist, turning me so that I was facing him before letting go.

"Dear Merlin Lily! I thought he was going to kill you!" James Potter whispered to me.

I didn't answer, but continued on sobbing. James collected me in his arms and pressed my shaking body against his, gently rubbing my back. I put head on his shoulder, and held my arms tightly around his neck.

I heard the doors of the classroom swing open and murmurs about what had happened surrounded me. I had stopped the flow of tears and was listening only partly, still clutched in Potter's arms.

James was explaining to Dumbledore about Professor Pravat's 'invitation' and what I had done when he entered. Apparently, the body of my enemy was removed, and they were now worried about me.

I felt James stand up and carry me out of the classroom. The gentle rocking of his body as he walked was enough to lull me to sleep.

I awoke to a throbbing headache and a blinding white light. I was warm and comfortable, but tired of staying still. I had the feeling I had been here for a while, and one more moment of it was enough to make me go insane. Slowly, my body protesting with every movement, I inched back the covers and let my feet slip onto the cold linoleum floors. Locating a spare set of clothes I carefully slipped out of the hospital wing and onto the stone corridors.

I walked silently, ignoring my body's protests, until I reached my destination; the Astronomy Tower. Its view of the entire Forest and grounds, not to mention the stars, was enough to make anyone exclaim on its beauty.

I was out here for a long time before the opening and closing of a door woke me out of my reverie. "Hey Lils," a soft voice greeted me.

The man came to stand next to me where I was braced against the railings surrounding the Tower. "I've often thought of just jumping." I said suddenly.

I could feel his surprise. "Why on Earth would you think something like that?"

"Oh, I don't know," I gave a dry chuckle, "drunk, abusive father, dead mother, a teenage prostitute of a sister, oh yeah, great things to live for!"

"But they're not you, Lily! You don't have to turn out like them!"

"Too late. I drink and do drugs. I'm downtown London's champion in gang fights. Hell, I've even killed, but that's a different story for another day. Thorn and Alastair were the only ones keeping me going." I sighed and sank down onto the floor. "My life is such a fucking mess, James."

He was silent for a moment, "What are you doing over Christmas break?"

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, startled by his question.

"You need somewhere to go during the break don't you? I mean you don't want to be the only one in the castle. I propose you come home with me."

"Thanks for the offer, James, but I couldn't impose on you like that. And besides, I'm sure that after you've learned of sixty percent of my habits, you'll be ready to dump me out on the streets." I stood to leave, but James grabbed my arm, pushing me back down with him.

"I don't think that's physically possible. You're perfect in every aspect of the word. You know, after dropping you off in the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore and I had a chat with dear old Professor Paravat."

"Why? I asked, confused.

"Because it was discovered that he was actually a Death Eater who had taken poor Professor Paravat hostage so that they could impersonate them and learn more about you. They didn't succeed, obviously, but would you have any reason as to why they would want you?"

I nodded, and said faintly, "Yes. But it's not just me they want, per say, they just want information that I have."

James laughed. "Dear sweet Merlin! You had an adventurous summer! Pissing off Death Eaters, becoming the fucking Occlumency queen…is there anything youdidn't learn how to do?"

I smiled wirily. "You have too much faith in me, Potter."

"En contraire, I have every reason to have the utmost faith in you, Evans."

"What about next time a Death Eater attacks and I die. You're faith would have been lost, wouldn't it?"

James lost his joking demeanor. "That's not going to happen."

"How do you kn—?"

"Because," he interrupted, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Ever."

Following the next weeks, I stayed latched onto James' arm, determined to keep him to his word. This meant hanging out with the Marauders too, something that wasn't nearly as bad as I had predicted. In fact, I thought everything perfect, until one day at the lake.

"Sirius," Regulus Black barked as he stalked over to where we were lounging under the beach tree. "Mum wants to know if you're coming home for break."

Sirius snorted. "'Course not. Do I ever?"

"But this time, she insists."

Sirius looked up startled. "Why. Mum hates me, and she doesn't bother hiding it."

"Just make sure you're home for the holidays, alright?" He walked off toward the rest of his Slytherin friends.

"James," Sirius said his voice shaky, "I'm worried."

James started to answer, but I cut him off. "I know why they want you home, Sirius."

He looked at me, startled. "Really? Why then?"

"Your brother, Regulus, is a Death Eater, correct?"

Sirius, along with the rest of the Marauders gave me a strange look, but he nodded to confirm my facts. "He wants to know information about me. They are convinced that you should know everything about me since we're hanging out now. And they're not going go stop at any means to get it. Just…" I took a deep breath. "Just be ready to run."

How was it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Have you figured out who Waverly is yet? IF you have, drop it in a review with your email address and I can tell you if you're right or not. If you are, I can give you the next chapter which I will post next week, just to give people time to digest this.

Thanks for reading and make sure to review!!!
Topaz