Overprotected

Chapter 7: Turn Around

Perhaps all too soon, Lily Evans had her chance to tell James Potter exactly what she now thought of him. He was sitting in front of the fire in the Common Room with Sirus, Remus, and Peter. Anyone would say that he was minding his own business as Lily came through the Portrait Hole. She had been trying to avoid James for as long as possible, but this time, the situation was unavoidable. Trying her hardest, Lily walked nonchalantly past James. He saw her.

"Hey, Lils!" he called in greeting.

"Traitor," she hissed back.

James stood up and grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving. He met her stare for stare, glare for glare. Neither would back down.

"What are you talking about?" he challenged, his voice a low, dangerous hiss too.

Peter stood up; somehow, he knew they shouldn't be around for what happened next. The remaining Marauders shot worried glances at the pair before following Peter to their dorm.

"I meant exactly what I said, Potter." She tried to pull away, but James only tightened his grip.

"What have I done to deserve this new title?"

"You found her." Lily was talking about the girl she had seen James with that day in Hogsmeade.

"I just did what you told me. 'Go find someone else to protect.' Your words exactly." Both teens were letting their emotions take over.

"You didn't betray me, you betrayed your friends. You haven't had any meetings, you haven't played pranks, you didn't even meet them in Hogsmeade!"

"Why does it matter to you? It's not like it was some big secret."

"Oh, yeah? Then why didn't anyone bother to tell me? Why did we spend the whole day in Hogsmeade at the Shrieking Shack – the only place they were certain you wouldn't bring you date?"

"You were in Hogsmeade?"

"That's where I saw you two. Remember?"

"But you've never been before!"

"I know! And this was supposed to be great. Amazing! I've heard countless stories of your fantastic trips, and I couldn't even experience one. My first time, and I had to avoid everything that makes a good time. All because you're all still protecting me!"

"Lily, I'm so sorry," he whispered, but it was too late. Just as he went to wipe her tears away, she wrenched her arm out of his grasp and fled out of the Common Room.

Slowly, one by one, the three Marauders crept back into the Common Room where James sat, slumped in one the scarlet arm chairs. Peter was the first, testing out the situation. When everything still seemed settled, Sirus went down, leaving only Remus in the dormitory.

The two boys gathered wordlessly around their fallen comrade, but the found they could do nothing to ease his pain.

"What have I done?" James was heard asking. "What have I done?"

In their room, Remus stayed for some reason that he didn't even fully comprehend. He just sat on his bead, listening, and that's when he thought he heard sobs. They seemed to be coming from Lily's room, but that had to be impossible; she hadn't come up. However, he went to investigate anyway. After knocking, he slid the door open and entered. The sight that greeted him would stay in his mind forever.

Lily was in there, her back facing him. She didn't seem to hear the footsteps as they moved closer for she just continued to stare out the window, her body shaking.

Quietly, Remus sat down on the bed, and Lily practically threw herself into his arms. Openly, then, she cried, soaking the front of his shirt. Remus rubbed her back and whispered soothing words of comfort.

"I can't believe I did that to him, Remus," she said quietly, her voice haggard from the stress.

Just as he was about to reply, a loud pop was heard from one corner. That one was followed by a few more successive sounds, each one growing louder than the last.

"Lily, what's that?" Remus asked, worry evident in his voice.

Lily looked up and brushed away her tears. "It's ready."

As if she had never been a wreck just a few seconds ago, Lily got to work. The potion was given one more quick stir (counter-clockwise, of course) then it was taken off the fire. Two large dollops were each ladled into the cups Lily had just transfigured for the purpose. Wordlessly, she handed one to Remus.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked peering at the murky liquid suspiciously. "It's not that important."

"If you're that worried, I'll go first."

In two gulps, Lily drained the liquid in front of her, and without hesitation, pointed her wand at herself and clearly uttered a very complex spell. Nothing seemed to happen at first as Remus watched on nervously. Then, in one sudden movement, she changed, and Remus breathed a sigh of mixed relief and awe.

"Lily, you're Prongsette; you're a deer!"

It was true. As Lily gazed into the mirror set up in her room, she saw that she was indeed a deer – a lovely auburn one, the exact same color as her hair. She had the large, characteristic eyes of a doe which were the exact same shad of green as her own, and she thought her animal form was quite pretty indeed.

"Can you turn back?" Remus asked, cutting off her thoughts.

Prongsette nodded and concentrated long and hard on her human form. As suddenly as she had turned into a doe, she was back as Lily and looking happier than ever.

"Okay, your turn," she said excitedly to Remus.

He drew in a long breath of air, took one last look into his cup, and drained the liquid, eyes tightly shut. Once he realized that everything seemed fine – he didn't feel like he was one fire – Remus opened his eye and let out the breath he had been holding.

"You have that spell around somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Lily answered and too a piece of parchment out of her robes. She handed it to Remus and said the incantation once last time. He then pointed his wand at himself and repeated what Lily had just said.

Remus' transformation took a little longer than Lily's, but just as he was about to give up, he felt himself change. Even before Lily had a chance to say anything, Remus saw that he had become a brown owl, speckled with grey. He spread out his wings and got himself air born after a few tries. Only when he was perched on her shoulder did Lily say something.

"I told you it would work."

The owl ruffled its feathers in a haughty manner and flew to the bed.

"Now to change yourself back," Lily told it, "you just have to concentrate on your human form."

The owl must have done so because in another minute, Remus was sitting on Lily's bed.

"Lils, you're amazing!" he breathed.

"So I've been told," she answered modestly, but she was blushing. "You want to try them out?"

"How?"

"Take a run around the forest, of course."

"Sneaking in there?"

"Oh, don't tell me you've never done it before. It'll be easy enough to get out of the Common Room, and you're allowed outdoors; it's not after hours or anything."

"And you? You'll never be able to get past James, Sirus, or Peter."

"Oh, I have other ways," she finished mysteriously.

Remus gave in. What harm could it do? It's not like they were running around with a werewolf. So he left her room to go down to the Common Room. Once there, he told the remaining Marauders he was gong to the library, walked carefully down the corridors, and slipped out of the castle. At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he checked to make sure no one was around then transformed into the owl, who perched itself on a branch. A few minutes later, an auburn doe arrived.

Being out in the Forest was sensational; the owl and the doe moved without thinking. Even though only one had wings, they both felt like they were flying. However, soon the sun began to sink, and on cue, the animals became human again. Neither had to say anything as they made their journey back to the Entrance Hall, and neither did. Remus and Lily stopped at the doors of the Great Hall.

"You should go in and eat," she told him. "They'll miss you."

"What about you?" Remus asked back.

"I'll be down later," she replied. He didn't completely take her word for it, but he let her go anyway. With four overprotective brothers in the castle, she was not going to starve.