Author's note: Trigger warning for physical assault and (technically) torture, as well as attempt of a character to make a slur against someone based on their sexuality.

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Hammer to Fall: March 1976

"And then Primrose stands up and says to Dumbledore- Dumbledore himself you know- and she says, 'I'm sorry sir, but I just thought that it was the perfect time to do a spot of midnight fishing. And I was so tired I got lost and mistook the baths for the lake and, well, when the line tugged, I knew I'd caught a whopper'." Lily finished in a half-whisper, her mouth curving upwards into a smirk as she set to work on repotting a sorry-looking Fanged Geranium, unaware of the earth spilling everywhere in her happy daze.

Severus Snape, on the other hand, merely gave a non-committal grunt. It seemed that tales of Primrose Brown's nocturnal activities, whether she had really been fishing in the prefect bathroom or doing something rather less savoury, did not particularly interest him.

Lily's face fell. "Oh come on, you could at least try to look interested. That was the highlight of my morning, you know."

Severus shrugged. "I just don't see why it's so funny. You don't even like Brown."

"I do so," Lily countered indignantly. "I just don't know her very well. And besides, it was still the best excuse I've heard in years. Mind you, I won't be using that bathroom again in a hurry." She added, wrinkling her nose. "I bet it was that Macmillan she was with, dirty sod. He always did seem a bit too good to be true."

Seeing that she had still failed to coax a smile from her friend, she sighed and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward."Go on then, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Severus said hastily but he soon gave in at the sight of Lily's disbelieving expression. "Look it's just- well, there's been some talk lately, in the Common Room. Nothing serious, just boasting mostly, but I thought…look, you should just be careful alright?"

Lily returned to wrestling the geranium into the earth as it snapped at her fingers, carefully schooling her face into a blank expression.

"Let me guess, Mulciber?" She remarked in a manner which she hoped sounded offhand.

"No," Severus snapped defensively, avoiding her gaze. "Just… some seventh years. Yeah, Rowle and Gibbon and their lot."

Lily was unconvinced but did not push the matter. She worried increasingly about her friend lately. Every day he seemed more furtive, jumpy, and ill at ease, avoiding her questions and only half-listening to her attempts at striking up a friendly conversation.

Watching his face intently, she was not surprised to find his eyes flitting frequently in the direction of James Potter and his small gang as they tackled their geraniums enthusiastically, for once focused on the lesson and not causing havoc. She put that down to Lupin's absence; the boys were always concerned whenever their friend was ill- it was one of their few redeeming features. Black looked particularly green, though that was probably just because a lacewing fly had emerged from the sack of compost he was opening and flown straight into his mouth. Pettigrew was trying very hard to stifle his laughter as Professor Sprout bustled past, but Potter was gazing at Lily, a far-away look in his eyes and seemingly unaware of the geranium chomping away contentedly at his thumb.

Lily forced her eyes back onto her geranium, her face brick-red with anger. Sometimes she thought she could live with Potter's unfortunate habit of existing, if only because he could occasionally be quite funny and his Quidditch skills were the only thing keeping Gryffindor in the running for the House Cup at the moment. But most days she rather wished he'd never been born.

Severus, though, was rather more interested in the Gryffindor boys than Lily. "Lupin's not here again." He muttered, half to himself but with a slight glance in her direction, as if trying to gauge her reaction.

Lily decided that she didn't have time for that particular conversation today and made a vague noise as she picked up her quill and began to take notes. "Mm, yes. By the way, is it true that Rowle's father is being investigated again? It was in the papers this morning. Apparently an Auror was killed."

Her friend looked a bit put-out and shrugged again, returning to his work. Even so, he continued to steal glances at the Gryffindor boys for the rest of the lesson, Potter having been brought to his senses by Black spitting a lacewing carcass into his hair and yelling in pain and horror as he realised the bloody mess his geranium had made of his thumb. Eventually, Professor Sprout hauled the vicious flower away and sent him off to the hospital wing. Pettigrew followed anxiously at his heels as if he were Potter's pet dog, who had instead been left behind to listen to Sprout berating him for spilling compost all over the greenhouse floor, hands in pockets and face surly.

Lily and Severus did not exchange another word until the bell rang for lunch and, after muttering a distracted excuse, the Slytherin boy slung his bag over his shoulder and hurried away, nearly bowling over Mary MacDonald in his haste but not bothering to apologise. Lily watched him go with a concerned frown and then, picking up her own things, tried to shrug it off. She'd tackle him about it later, right now she needed food.

.

After gobbling down some sardines in the Great Hall, she set off on a walk, wrapping her scarf over her mouth and nose to keep out the bitter cold. There would be a hard frost in the morning- that she was sure of- but for the moment the grounds were still water-logged after a fortnight's heavy rain and she squelched through the mud contentedly, the fresh air putting a smile back on her face. Circling the lake she found herself back at the greenhouses but, rather than being there to check on her geranium, she settled herself on a large flat rock by the water and, after glancing around furtively, pulled a tattered paperback from her bag. It had become almost a daily habit of hers to sit and read outside during her lunch hour and even the cold weather could not deter her once she had got her teeth into a good novel.

Though she was really too old for it, the book of the day was not, as some might have expected from the guilty way she pulled it from her bag, the shocking 'Scales and Serpents' (banned by the Ministry for indecency, but somehow everyone seemed to have read it anyway) nor a forbidden tome on dark enchantments. Instead it was simply a muggle children's book- 'Danny the Champion of the World', by Roald Dahl. Though it was rather less fantastical than the last few of Dahl's books she had been able to get her hands on, she was definitely enjoying it so far. Its far more realistic setting and focus on the little injustices of life attracted her sense of fairness and social conscience: though she was proud of her prefects' badge, Lily couldn't quite suppress the little voice in her head that yelled 'Smash the system!' whenever she spied a good person being used as a doormat. And she had also found Dahl's comparison of men to bullfrogs deeply amusing. It was a lesson which boys like Potter and Black, and maybe even Severus to some extent (though she hated to admit it) would do well to pay attention to.

After what seemed like an age, Lily finally raised her head from her book. The Giant Squid had surfaced at least twice since she had begun reading, snatching birds out of the air and dragging them down into the icy depths of the lake. She seemed to have been outside for a very long time, and wondered if the bell had gone without her noticing it. But no, there was Black, pacing angrily back and forth across the grass by the front steps, and even he wasn't stupid enough to bunk off Transfiguration, not so long as Minerva McGonagall was the teacher…

After a moment, slowly tuning herself back into the sounds of the world, Lily became aware that a small commotion was taking place somewhere nearby. For a brief moment she thought she heard someone shouting and then the voice stopped, being replaced first by a series of loud thuds and then silence. Dropping the book back into her bag, she clambered to her feet and looked around, brow furrowed in confusion. Had it just been a fox? Or maybe a Venomous Tentacula, claiming for its next victim a sparrow that had been unlucky enough to flutter through the open windows of Greenhouse Three? Or perhaps Hagrid was exercising his new boarhound puppies, Quaffle and Bludger, in the woods again?

Yes, she decided, as a loud rustling noise met her ears, rather as if something were running through the trees at the edge of the Forest. That was probably it. She should really go back inside in case she missed the start of Transfiguration… but she had been longing to meet the puppies ever since she had heard about them and, as a loud yelp seemed to confirm her suspicions, she hopped off the stone and wandered past the Greenhouses towards the tall pines.

It was only as she drew nearer that she began to realise that, rather than the source of the odd noises being two adorable yet clumsy puppies, something much stranger was going on. It was difficult to see through the dark pine trees that crowded together, their sharp branches twisting into each other to form a near impenetrable wall, but somebody was definitely moving in there- perhaps several somebodies- and occasionally an indistinguishable mutter of voices spilled through to the edge of the forest.

Lily hesitated. There was, after all, a reason that the forest was forbidden. She tried to force herself to turn back but, just as she managed to unstick her feet from the muddy ground, there was a loud stream of angry cursing and a streak of blue light ricocheted off the tree closest to her head. She ducked, panicking, but soon realised that the spell had not been aimed at her. This, it seemed, was all that her brain needed to throw all caution to the wind and let her curiosity get the better of her; before she even realised that her legs were moving, she had plunged into the forest, ignoring the knotted branches as they stung her cheeks and carefully picking her way through the undergrowth in the direction of the noise.

It was the Gryffindor scarf she saw first, flashing red and gold under the dark shadows of the trees. Then wispy blonde hair and a pale, panicked face, as another jet of light caught its owner in the stomach and two, horribly familiar voices roared with laughter.

"Didn't you listen to Sprout, MacDonald? The better the soil the faster they grow! You must have some pretty thick mud for blood!"

Horrified, Lily could not tear her eyes away from her classmate as strong green vines seemed to shoot out of Mary MacDonald's shoulder blades, wrapping around her neck and squeezing until Lily thought that the other girl surely must turn blue. Meanwhile, the ends of the creepers, sharp and cruel, clawed at her face and arms, scrabbling and scratching until they drew red droplets from the skin that ran down her cheeks like tears. And all the time, her tormentors kept laughing, breathless and excited and childish, as if Mary's torture were nothing more than the bubbles conjured from a parent's wand to amuse them as infants.

"They're hungry, MacDonald! Not enough mud in there?" Fingal Avery roared heartily, grinning like a fool.

Aidan Mulciber was less overcome by delight and narrowed his eyes, as hungry as the vines his friend had conjured. "Maybe you should get some more. Go on, there's plenty around." He said softly and, strode over to his victim, grabbing Mary's hair with one hand and digging out a handful of the wet mud from the ground with the other. "Not going to eat? Thought you'd be used to it, mudblood."

With a sudden vicious movement, he tipped the hand with the mud in it over Mary's mouth, covering it with his palm as he forced the sludge down her throat. A few seconds later, however he let out a scream of pain and sprang away as the poor girl fell forward onto her hands and retched.

"Coward," She finally managed to choke out, spitting mud everywhere. "You're a bloody c-coward, you c-"

The rest of her words were lost as Avery flicked his wand casually and the vines appeared again, crawling up her neck towards her mouth. Mulciber, nursing his bitten hand furiously, turned towards her again, raising his own wand threateningly. But Mary's voice had somehow jerked Lily out of her daze and, suddenly realising that this was not just some kind of awful nightmare, she leapt into action. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

The two Slytherins whipped around, both drawing their wands and Lily checked herself, forcing her temper under control. Without turning her back to them, she strode straight past, trying to appear as calm as possible. This lack of fear or aggressiveness served, as intended, to unnerve the boys and, rather than hexing her, Avery only sneered unconvincingly. "Another mudblood? What are you going to do, Evans? Tattle to McGonagall?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" Lily snapped back, trying her best to make herself seem scary as she knelt down next to her fellow Gryffindor and drew her wand. "Diffindo."

As the vines around Mary's legs began to retract and Lily moved her wand up to deal with the tendrils attacking the girl's neck, she continued brusquely. "An illegal assault on another pupil? Do you honestly think you're going to get away with this? Diffindo. I swear, if you don't get out of here now I'll take it to the Minister for Magic him- oh!"

Free from her bonds, Mary MacDonald had shoved her way past Lily and was making for Avery with all the ferocity of an angry bull. To her amazement, the blonde girl then delivered a stunning right hook straight to his jaw, with such force that he fell backwards, dazed. This Mary followed up with a casual kick to the face, knocking the Slytherin flat on his back with such cool disdain that it ought to have made her ancestors proud, both Glaswegian and Gael alike. Then, to round off neatly, she stamped viciously on his torso, and Lily was sure that she heard something snap as Avery let out a whimper.

Mulciber gave a roar of fury as his crony gasped in pain, nose gushing blood and eyes glazed. Turning his wand back on Mary, he easily sent her flying back into a tree with a bang and then spun back to Lily, who fumbled for her own wand desperately as he began to utter a curse. "Cru-"

"Oi, Mulciber- heads up!" A second loud bang echoed through the forest as the Slytherin glanced round, only to catch a stinging jinx full in the mouth. Emmeline Vance's eyes glittered as she watched him howl in pain, standing straight-backed and motionless, her normally giggling face haughty and cold as any professional duellist's.

Lily didn't wonder at her sudden appearance and nor did she wait for Mulciber to recover the power of speech. Snatching his wand out of his hand, she instead grabbed his ear and bellowed into it. "If you ever touch a muggle-born again, I'll lamp you so hard you'll be talking Gobbledegook for the rest of your life! Got that? I said, got that?"

It seemed to cause him a extreme pain (whether because of the stinging jinx or the thought of a mudblood touching him) but eventually Mulciber nodded. Breathing a sigh of relief, Lily let go of his ear and gave him a shove. "Get out of my sight then, you little shit. I said GET OUT!"

"Oi, that means you too!" Vance gave Avery's body a light kick. "Oi! Damn- Mulciber take your little boyfriend with you too. Or I'll stick that wand of yours so far up your arse-"

Aidan Mulciber did not need telling a third time and, helping his near fainting friend up from the ground staggered away from them towards the edge of the forest. His face was swollen and bruised, and Avery looked as if he'd come off worst in a fight with a dragon, but even the sight of Lily's tight-lipped countenance and Vance's wand couldn't quite crush him, it seemed. "A pair of mudbloods and a lesbo?" He spat, struggling to drag Avery away. "Is that all you scum have got? You just wait-"

"Wait for what?" Lily barked, as Vance started forward. "Was that a threat I heard? Are you threatening me, Mulciber? Would you like me to snap this wand in half right now and save Dumbledore the job?"

The Slytherin snarled and looked very much as if he wanted to tear her throat out with his bare hands. But it was clear even to him that he was outmatched and, with one last hateful glance in her direction, he backed away from her flashing eyes and stumbled away through the trees.

.

"Well," Vance grinned nastily after the retreating Slytherin. "That was easier than I expected. Cowards."

Lily was about to add some choice expletives to this comment but, just as she opened her mouth, a faint whimper from behind the two girls drew their attention back to Mary, who was struggling under the weight of a huge mass of green cords. Alarmed, both girls sprinted towards her, and Lily knelt down to attempt to stem the flow of blood on her face as Vance set about severing the tendrils again.

"How on earth did this happen?" She couldn't stop herself from asking as she handed the bruised and battered girl a handkerchief with which to wipe off the worst of the mud and blood from her face.

"Yeah, I heard that bitch Wilkes laughing about it in the Great Hall," Vance added, frowning in concern. "You're lucky Evans was here. But I don't understand- how'd they get you?"

Shaking her wrists loose, it took Mary a moment to answer as she scrubbed at her cheeks furiously, screwing up her face in an obvious effort not to cry.

Eventually, she spat out a mouthful of dirt. "Avery. Bastard said he'd found something new about the 'Twelve near the Forest. He asked for help the other week, you know when that essay on goblin rebellions was due," She added, seeing the confusion on their faces. "I didn't think anything of it. I mean, 1612 was such an important year and-"

She stopped short, scowling. "Don't look at me like that."

"We're not-" Lily began lamely. "I just meant- oh, Mary-"

"What Evans means to say is we're not blaming you," Vance tried, tentatively. "It's just- you've always been so trusting…"

"Aye, well I can see it was bloody daft now," There had never been such venom in Mary's voice before. "But… look, I ken I'm nae good at magic. I suppose I just thought it was nice to be able to help someone for a change. And the Slytherins have never paid much attention to me before so I didn't think. That's all. Sorry about getting you both into this mess."

Lily suddenly felt immensely guilty and immediately tried to rectify her mistake. "No, it's not your fault. You weren't stupid at all- you're one of the nicest people I know. If Mulciber and Avery think they can take advantage of that-"

"-they're evil bastards, like you said." Vance finished earnestly, cutting swiftly through a new vine as it sprouted from Mary's left wrist. Then she grinned wickedly. "Mind you, Avery's face when you hit him-"

Here she did a rather comical impression of a dying troll.

"Don't," Mary reproached her, but she was clearly trying very hard not to laugh. "I shouldn't have gone for him. Now I'll be the one who gets in trouble. And oh jings, you hexed Mulciber-"

Vance's face fell at that and the two sat in glum silence, contemplating their fates.

Lily frowned and folded her arms.

"Now both of you listen to me," She began sternly, in her best prefect voice. "Neither of you are going to get in trouble for what happened here, not if I have anything to do with it. Mary, it was self-defence, and Vance was quite right to help, seeing as I was too stupid to get to my wand in time. McGonagall will see that, she's got to. And if she doesn't, I'll take it to Dumbledore himself. Who are they going to believe? Two miniature Death Eaters or a prefect? And besides, you're quite trustworthy yourself Mary- I'm sure they'll take you seriously. If you decide to tell them, that is." She finished, anxious to make sure that the other girl knew that she was under no obligation.

But she needn't have worried.

"Course I'm going to tell them," The blonde said matter-of-factly, gritting her teeth. She struggled to her feet, only to topple backwards as a vine suddenly shot out from her ankle and tripped her. "Actually, maybe I'd better go see Pomfrey first."

Then, after a moment's thought, she added quietly. "Maybe I'll leave telling them a bit too." She shook her head. "No- if they attack someone else-"

"It won't be your fault," Lily said firmly as Vance threw Mary's arm around her shoulders and helped her to her feet. Lily followed as they set off out of the Forest, casting severing charms whenever a root seemed likely to sprout. "And with the mess you made of Avery's face, he won't be going anywhere soon. Anyway, you could spread it around a bit, couldn't you Vance? You don't have to mention Mary's name, but just warn people not to trust Mulciber or any of that lot? Then Mary can tell them whenever she's ready."

"Gladly," Vance said cheerfully, as a tendril smacked her across the face. She hesitated for a moment and then asked quietly. "What about- does that mean- but er, your friend Snape-"

Lily's jaw clenched. "Don't worry," She muttered grimly. "I'll speak to Severus."

.

But that evening Severus Snape was nowhere to be found and by the next morning Gryffindor Tower had been thrown into such a tizzy that it was impossible to focus on anything without being distracted by the whispered conversations over breakfast. By lunchtime, the talk had spread to the rest of the school and it was only then that Lily began to form some kind of vague idea of what was going on. There had been more Death Eater attacks the previous day- even one on a family with a small child, though thankfully the family dog had been the only fatality- and for some this was the important news. But Hogwarts had never been good at prioritising gossip, and in actuality the main headline of the day was the strange fact that Sirius Black appeared, quite decisively, to have been sent to Coventry by his friends. Nobody seemed entirely sure as to why and the fact that whatever he had done had landed him in detention for the rest of the year was nothing new. Normally, though, Potter would have been in there with him, and theories abounded as to the cause of the rift between the two, formerly inseparable, friends. Was it politics? Girl trouble? Had Black broken Potter's beloved Comet 260?

Some of the more enlightened (those who had bothered to glance out of a window at some point the previous night) were making noises about the Whomping Willow. Apparently, Bertha Jorkins had seen James Potter arguing (and, some said, wrestling) with Severus Snape near the volatile tree, and of course once Bertha Jorkins knew, then so did Rita Skeeter and, by teatime, the whole school. This new information threw more questions into the mix: what could possibly have passed between Potter and Snape that would turn the former against his best friend? Were the two events even connected? The school gossips turned detective with alarming speed, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to dredge up any more clues.

Lily, having been made aware of Severus' possible involvement by a loud-mouthed first year, was now finding it twice as difficult to track her friend down. Wednesday passed without a sighting, as Severus did not turn up for Herbology in first period, their only class together that day. But they had Potions on Thursday, and surely he wouldn't miss that? If he did, she would simply have to find a way of breaking into the Slytherin Common Room and dragging him out, Lily thought wryly, as she trudged up the stairs at the end of the day. They had to talk, and he couldn't avoid her forever.

In between all this rumour-mongering and fruitless searching, Lily had also to find the time to visit the unfortunate Mary MacDonald, currently a hostage in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey fussed over her anxiously. As she opened the door quietly and slipped inside, Lily noticed with relief that the invalid was sitting up in bed, fit enough again to look mildly disgruntled at her incapacitation as she struggled to complete her Charms homework. Emmeline Vance was also present, lounging in the bedside chair with her feet propped up on Mary's covers and flipping lazily through a copy of 'Witch Weekly' that claimed, amongst other things, to hold the secret of "What he's really thinking". This was unlikely, Lily thought, given that the answer seemed to be some drivel about deep conversations among the roses and public displays of affection, and Vance seemed to agree with her, for upon her entrance, she gladly discarded the rag and gave her a disarmingly friendly smile. "Thank Merlin it's you. You're clever, can you help Mary with her Charms work? I think she's about to implode."

"Sorry." Mary muttered, biting her lip, but Lily shrugged. "Don't worry, I can give it a go, though I can't promise I'll be any good at it either."

She was rewarded by the look of relief that broke across the injured girl's face. "Can you? It would help loads, Flitwick's always giving you points in Charms. I just can't seem to focus."

Lily settled herself on the end of the bed and took up the sorry-looking essay the other girl handed to her. "How are you anyroad?" She asked, as she placed neat dots next to the mistakes with her quill. "How long does Pomfrey think you'll be in here?"

"Well, she fixed the cuts pretty quickly," Mary rolled up the right sleeve of her jumper to reveal her lower arm, no longer bruised, but marked by faint white criss-crossing scars. "And she's got me on a course of some kind of pickled Murtlap solution for those weird vines, which tastes minging- oh." She broke off as, right on cue, a pair of weak-looking green tendrils snaked out of her hands and wrapped themselves together.

Lily reached for her wand, ready to perform another severing charm, but Vance put out a hand. "Pomfrey said that using magic only made them stronger. Pass us a scissors."

"A pair of scissors." Lily muttered quietly, unable to stop herself.

Vance looked more than a little irritated. "It's a dual number, Miss 'I speak English like I've just come up a coal mine on my way to the Queen's garden party'." She snapped, snatching the scissors from the bed and setting to work on the vines.

Lily couldn't stop herself from turning red; she'd forgotten, in their mutual concern for their classmate, that she and Vance had never quite seen eye to eye and wondered whether or not to apologise. Still, it's not my fault if we don't get along, a voice in her head pointed out indignantly. If her friend Skeeter hadn't started those rumours in second year… Lily simply scowled and returned to marking the parchment.

But Mary seemed to find the situation a little tiring.

"Don't squabble," She grumbled, though without much real anger. "Or I'll have the baith of youse thrown out. And I'd hate to do that, seeing as you're my only contact with the outside world for as long as Pomfrey wants to keep me locked up here. Tell me, what's all this I heard about Black? Potter and Pettigrew were in here last night- and that Snape kid as well- but Pomfrey had a silencing charm round them. What did the gowks do now?"

Mary MacDonald had never been one to dither around the point; she was unfailingly blunt and truthful, something which did not often endear her to people (Aidan Mulciber being a prime example). This was basically the only thing Lily knew about the girl, other than the fact that she was the only person capable of staying awake in History of Magic, and was able to give a thirty second run-down of every episode of the muggle television programme 'Z-Cars' that had ever aired. Ordinarily, Lily would not have given a flying Flobberworm about Sirius Black's private life, but Mary was ill and should be obliged, something which Emmeline Vance seemed only too happy to do.

"He's in the doghouse- Black that is," She volunteered, looking much more cheerful as she exchanged the copy of Witch Weekly for the day's issue of the Daily Prophet, which Madam Pomfrey had left at the end of the bed. "Nobody knows what he's done but it must have been something pretty bad- nothing gets between Potter and his mates, you know. I heard that Black's been having an affair with Severus Snape or something, but that sounds like complete bollocks-"

Lily wasn't sure whether to laugh or vomit, so settled for a derisive snort. "Yes, well that's just Rita Skeeter being a featherhead as usual. I can assure you, Sev is not having an affair with Black."

"Ah well, she always was a complete eejit," Vance shrugged, grinning. "Still, I don't know why they'd be up here. Maybe they came to see Remus? He's ill at the moment isn't he?"

"Well that's just it, he can't be- he wasn't here last night," Mary said, frowning thoughtfully. "Not until about six in the morning, at least. I know. I was awake the whole time."

Lily suddenly felt very uncomfortable and Vance was wearing an odd expression on her face. The two girls each caught the other's eye and Lily had a sneaking suspicion that she was not the only one with a theory as to Lupin's absence.

After a moment, Vance coughed. "Well, I'm not surprised you were awake," She said to Mary, jerking her head at the bed in the corner, which currently housed a comatose Avery. "I wouldn't sleep if he was in with me."

"I still can't believe Madam Pomfrey put him anywhere near you," Lily hissed forcefully, grateful for the distraction. "I thought you said you told her a bit about what happened?"

"I did, but we've only got one hospital wing," Mary smiled wistfully and let out a strange giggle. "Apparently I broke a couple of ribs and they're worried something might have been punctured. Can you believe it? All that magic and it was a boot-" But seeing their worried faces, she cleared her throat and continued in a more sober voice. "Still, don't worry, Pomfrey's been keeping him pretty quiet on sleeping draughts. I don't know if there's actually anything wrong with him, but I'm quite glad she's not letting him out yet. She thinks they'll both be in detention until they rot- that is, if they're not expelled, but that takes hearings and witnesses and not to mention the school board, who probably owe Avery's father everything. I'd have to be questioned and I don't know how much help McGonagall would be-"

Mary broke off, suddenly looking very overwhelmed and distressed, and buried herself in her book again. Vance pulled the crossword out of the Daily Prophet and tossed the rest of the paper back onto the bed. Lily, having finished annotating Mary's homework, picked it up. Neither girl was willing to tackle Mary about the incident any further, and so, instead, she turned her attention to the news of the day, trying to ignore the sickening jolt in her stomach as she read the list of names printed in small dark ink. Some were muggles, others squibs or half-bloods, most were muggleborns involved in some way with the Ministry of Magic. Cresswell, Rycote, Boyd, Fenwick, Tonks… She wondered if, one day, 'Evans' would be there too. Perhaps if they hadn't found Mary in time it would have been 'MacDonald' as well.

Eventually, Madam Pomfrey appeared, flapping her hands in such a violent manner that Lily and Emmeline both leapt to their feet without delay.

Tipping a dozen or so chocolate frogs out of her robe pockets, Vance grinned reassuringly at Mary. "Don't worry, you'll be out of here soon. And we'll visit again tomorrow, won't we Evans?"

"Oh, yes," Lily smiled at the girl as well, though she didn't feel quite as at ease as she looked. "If you need that Charms stuff checked again, just ask. And if there's any bother," She added in a lower tone, glancing pointedly at Avery. "We'll sort him for you."

"Yeah, we make a good team, don't we? Evans' lungs, my hexing skills, and your right hook, Mary- we're pretty formidable, I reckon. See you!"

.

As soon as they were out of the hospital wing, Vance turned to face her. "You know too, don't you? About Lupin?" She said abruptly.

"Well, Severus had his suspicions," Lily admitted, not feeling particularly charitable towards the Irish girl. "But if you and Rita Skeeter think-"

"If you paid attention to the world sometimes, Evans," Vance broke in coolly. "You'd know we haven't spoken in two years. And besides, she's not going to say anything about Lupin, I made sure of that."

Lily must have looked guilty at her mistake, because Vance softened. "Oh don't get all apologetic, I suppose I deserved that. But right now there are bigger problems. I tried spreading that stuff about Mulciber, like you said, but nobody cares while Black's the centre of attention. Did you manage to speak to Snape?"

Lily shook her head, her lips pursed. Vance lowered her voice, and leaned in conspiratorially. "You know what happened with him and Black and Potter though, right?"

"I'm starting to work it out." She replied, curtly. It wasn't difficult to deduce what Black must have done, and why Severus had been seen arguing with Potter. And she had a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that there was something more that she wasn't picking up on…

For the next few minutes, neither said a word. Slowly, they wandered back towards Gryffindor Tower, and tried not to stare when they passed Sirius Black, who seemed to be engaged in the act of shaking off a hopeful looking Dinah Hopkirk and Paul Sloper. Had it been Pettigrew or Lupin thus ostracised, the more socially concerned of Hogwarts' student body would have had no qualms about ignoring them, but a rift between the equally popular Potter and Black had, to use a favourite expression of Lily's father's, 'bowled them a googly'. Nobody was quite sure how to treat Black, though some had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to become his new best friends, regardless of the possibility of incurring Potter's wrath. Lily saw Vance roll her eyes at the sight and, for once, she quite agreed.

Eventually, as they reached the portrait hole, the dark-haired girl spoke up. "Look, I know you don't like me much Evans, and with good reason, but as much as she wants to think she's coping with it, Mary's going to need a hand."

"Well of course I'll help," Lily said indignantly. "I care too! But if you make one crack about me fancying Potter…"

"Alright, I get it. The subject will never be mentioned again, I swear." Vance paused. "But just one thing, why do you hate him so much?"

Lily hesitated. She hadn't had to think of a reason for her dislike of Potter in a long time- it was just something that was, and she avoided him whenever possible.

"I don't hate him…" She began slowly. "But I do find him very annoying when he keeps trying to ask me out- that's just really stupid and immature. Otherwise, well, it's because he's got everything going for him. He's clever, he's funny, he's got money, his parents love him and so do his friends, but he wastes it by picking on people who don't deserve it."

"Like Snape?" Vance said slyly and then backtracked, noticing her scowl. "Alright, sorry. But you don't give Black half as much grief."

"Black doesn't stare. Also, to be honest I'm not really sure that Black even knows there's a line, but Potter does and he could stop Black crossing it if he really wanted to, and that's even more annoying. But maybe now they've learnt their lesson, Black looked like he had a real cob on back there…" Lily realised that she had been led into saying more than she had wanted to on the subject and clammed up, reddening. "That's enough of that. We never discuss this again or I will personally eviscerate you- got it?"

"Got it," Vance gave her a cheery thumbs up, but there was a small glint in her eyes that made Lily slightly uneasy. "Pax?"

Lily surveyed the hand the other girl stuck out and hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she took the plunge. "Pax."

.

Severus, thankfully, turned up for Potions on Thursday as usual, which saved Lily from having to blow up the door t the Slytherin Common Room. Somehow, though, he managed to dodge having to speak to her until after the lesson ended, when Lily, despite, having a class in the other direction, pelted after him. "We need to have a talk, Sev."

Her friend seemed distracted again and answered vaguely. "Yeah?"

Lily folded her arms and stared at him until he realised that she wasn't saying anything and turned to face her curiously. "Good, now I've got your attention, where on earth have you been?"

"Oh," She had never seen Severus look so uncomfortable. "Studying. Evan Rosier's been helping with some of those new spells for Defence Against the Dark Arts-"

"Oh I bet he has! So you're friends with Rosier too now? Mulciber and Avery not cool enough for you?"

A hundred strange emotions passed over Severus' face as he stared at her, lost for words. Eventually he seemed to settle on a surly expression and said through gritted teeth. "I thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends?"

Lily clicked her tongue exasperatedly, deciding to cut to the chase. "We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev? He's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"

Her friend shifted his shoulders self-consciously and avoided her eyes. "That was nothing. It was a laugh, that's all-"

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny-" Lily began hotly but Severus cut her off, suddenly hostile.

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?"

"What's Potter got to do with anything?"

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

This was not the conversation Lily had wanted to have in the slightest. "He's ill," She began weakly. "They say he's ill-"

"Every month at the full moon?"

He was staring at her very hard now, and, though she couldn't quite explain why, Lily suddenly felt very flustered. Red-faced and determined not to be drawn into the subject, she snapped. "I know your theory. Why are you so obsessed with them, anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"

'I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are.'

Lily fidgeted, knowing that her cheeks were burning. She hated herself for what she was about to say, but it was the truth and he needed to hear it. "They don't use Dark Magic, though. And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there-'"

The fury in her friend's eyes was enough evidence that she had hit a nerve. "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to- I won't let you-"

"Let me? Let me?" Lily could be angry too.

'I didn't mean- I just don't want to see you made a fool of- he fancies you, James Potter fancies you!'

Wow, well I never noticed that, a voice in Lily's head said sarcastically. I must have missed all the awful chat-up lines and the way the idiot's been strutting around like a peacock these past two years. Clearly, I'm just falling at his feet, lovestruck girl that I am.

And yet, she could feel pieces of her heart tearing away in strips as her friend continued to rant. In a way she understood his frustration, might have felt it herself if it were the other way around. She could feel her resolve ebbing away as Severus continued, rage and sadness and bitterness all pouring from him in disjointed phrases.

"And he's not… Everyone thinks… Big Quidditch hero-"

Her last piece of resolve snapped and she broke in desperately. "I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag, I don't need you to tell me that! But Mulciber and Avery's idea of humour is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."

She gazed keenly at her friend, hoping that she'd somehow gotten through to him. And sure enough, Severus was looking happier, nodding along with her. But had he really listened? Perhaps she should repeat her warnings anyway.

But Severus was smiling slightly, and seemed a lot more talkative now. "So, what do you think of that Draught of Peace essay Slughorn set? I can't see what he's on about with the excess of Hellebore- surely a bit of powedered moonstone would be a far more efficient catalyst…"

It was too late, the moment was gone. Lily twisted her hands and stammered. "Yeah…listen, I really need to get to Ancient Runes. Talk later?"

Severus nodded, looking slightly crestfallen, but Lily barely noticed as she stalked off, cursing inwardly. How could she have been so weak? She should have been firmer, more demanding. She didn't think he'd even really listened to her about Mulciber and Avery! She was useless, a terrible friend and too soft to boot. And she'd been hypocritical enough to complain about Potter's leniency towards his friends! Well, at least Black might have had a reason-

She stopped dead in the corridor, her eyes wide. Her fingers fumbled with the strap of her satchel and she dug a hand into the clutter of her bag, drawing out the now tattered copy of the day before's 'Prophet. Could it be?

Maybe the day wouldn't be such a loss after all, she thought, as, rather than heading towards Ancient Runes, she found herself turning and rushing in the direction of the library. Maybe there was still one friendship she could keep from being ruined, even if it were against her better judgement.

And though, as she darted amongst the bookshelves for the rest of the afternoon, she did not quite realise it, March 1976 was also destined to bring a new set of friends. Friends who, only a brief three months later, as she sobbed into her pillow, neither judged nor blamed, but simply understood and were there for her, regardless of personal feelings.

.

Well, that was a bit of a mammoth chapter and I apologise for the length, I really do. I tried to keep it short but somehow it just kept winding on and this was the best I could do for now. Hopefully at some point I'll come back and make amendments that will help to make it snappier- and if you have any ideas please let me know! There was just an awful lot of change to cover here and it seems like this story has changed drastically from when I started it.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed it- I felt it was time Lily got a fight of her own. Obviously the conversation at the end of the chapter largely comes from the memory in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', but I thought I needed to work it in somehow.

Please feel free to review. And thank you so much to the Guest Reviewer who was so kind about the last two chapters, you never fail to make my day :)

Title of chapter from Queen's 1984 song of the same name (I know, it's out of Lily's time period, but it seemed to work somehow).