7.

"Found mine in my school bag finally, inside my power case! It's so weird, it wasn't there this morning and I've had it with me all day! Where'd you find yours?"

"Back of my Potions textbook."

"Dorcas?"

"In my underwear drawer."

"Well that's not half disturbing."

"You're not wrong! How do they do it?"

"I don't think I want to know."

The three girls compared their invitations to Peter Pettigrew's eighteenth birthday party. It was only two weeks away, and as tradition, the invites started appearing in random places all over the school. No one knew how they did it, because Lily was sure she'd left her Potions textbook in her bag (under her bed) but upon opening it during class that morning she had found the folded bit of parchment inside the back cover. It was really odd.

"Wait a minute," Dorcas said, pausing in the corridor as the girls made their way down to dinner. "They're holding it on the seventh floor! They're not stupid enough to use a classroom, are they? We'll all get detention!"

"I didn't think there were any rooms up there," Lily added, referring to her invitation once more. "Seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

"Are you sure?" Emmeline added, checking her own. "There's got to be some sort of room up there. They're not going to hold it in the corridor."

"Oh God, I hope they're not going to try anything too stupid," Lily muttered, folding her parchment and stuffing it back into her pocket.

"Let's hope they know what they're doing," Emmeline added gravely.

The girls descended a flight of stairs and caught sight of John heading up another with Judy Webster. He didn't see them. "Where'd you suppose they're going?" Dorcas muttered darkly.

"Who cares," Lily replied nonchalantly, continuing their steady pace down the hall. "As long as she's keeping him occupied he's not bothering me."

"Don't worry, Lil," Emmeline said encouragingly. "Only two weeks left until you're shot of him for good. How's practice with Potter going?"

Lily shrugged. "It's not."

"Really?" Emmeline said, sounding concerned. "You're just going to wing it?"

"I don't see why not?" Lily replied haughtily. "Why does everything think we're a pair of prudes that can't kiss to save our lives? You never had a boyfriend until Sirius," she said accusingly to Emmeline, who looked slightly sheepish in return. "James has had tonnes of girlfriends and I'm – well I've had a few, and I've been with John for ages - I know what I'm doing!"

"Of course you do!" Dorcas added. "We're not saying anything less; but it was you that insisted on practising."

"Actually, it was Sirius who talked me into it."

"Fair enough," Dorcas conceded. "But now you know you don't need it. It's good that you're all ready – it'll come around fast."

Lily nodded and they lapsed into silence for a moment as they continued the walk to dinner, but she couldn't stop thinking about what Dorcas had just said.

Now you know you don't need it. It's good that you're all ready…

But she had needed it, hadn't she? The first time she tried to kiss James they were a mess. Sirius had helped them find a good pace and helped them choreograph a sort of routine – how to hold each other, how to initiate the kiss, when to let her hands wander, when to let him kiss her neck while she faked an expression of ecstasy... It was never something that was going to come naturally between them and they had needed that guidance.

But now, she tried to reason with herself, now they had that sorted. Right? Sirius said they needed to make noise and get a little bit more touchy feely, but that was no big deal. The hardest part was the actual kissing and they had that down pat. She'd be fine. It was all going to be fine.

"Oh my," Dorcas interrupted her thoughts, coming to a halt and forcing the other girls to stop with them. "Someone's getting frisky," she added in an amused whisper. She pointed down the hall and sure enough they could hear those tell-tale signs of some randy couple that Lily was all too familiar with from her late night rounds. It was a bit early in the day, she thought, considering the halls were still rather busy, but they had taken a short cut and not many people came down here. The couple obviously knew that too.

"Shh," Emmeline hissed, trying not laugh as they began to tiptoe down the hall. The other girls followed, their hands over their mouths as more giggles threatened to escape them. The couple were being ridiculously vocal.

"Oh yeah, baby."

The girls paused to share a disturbed glance between them.

"Do that again, mmm, don't stop."

"Is that for real?" Dorcas muttered to Lily, eyeing the slightly swaying tapestry that was keeping the couple from view. "Sounds like a bad porno."

"What would you know about porn?" Emmeline snorted.

"Hush!" Lily hissed at them, watching the tapestry with concern. "You don't suppose they're doing other things in there, do you?"

Dorcas shrugged and Emmeline looked revolted. "That's disgusting!" she said in an angry whisper.

"You should say something, Lily," Dorcas added.

"Me?" She was going to ask why exactly she had been nominated for the unfortunate task, but she already knew the answer – she was Head Girl. "I don't want to poke my head round there – what if they are doing something nasty? I don't want to see that! Besides, it's not past curfew."

"So you should just leave them and let some little kid walk in on them instead?"

Lily huffed. Dorcas had a point. "Fine, I'll do it," she said moodily, creeping toward the couple. "But you two can steal the bleach for my eyeballs."

She stopped just before the tapestry with a disgusted sneer that seemed to be permanently etched across her face. There were two people – she hoped only two people – doing God only knows what within a few inches of her. And she had to tell them to stop. She'd never be able to look either of them in the face once she'd found out who they were.

"Hurry up, Lily," Emmeline hissed from behind her. "Just do it!"

She sent them both a scowl over her shoulder before approaching the tapestry side on, hoping to get a peek at the couple as it flapped with their movements. If they weren't doing anything too bad she'd just make a run for it, and if they were… Well, she needed to get a good look first. She pressed herself against the wall so as not to be spotted.

It appeared to be a small alcove behind the tapestry. She had to wonder if it was secretly a hidden doorway, being enclosed as it was, or maybe some randy teenagers had moved the tapestry there on purpose to use as a secret snogging spot. She wouldn't be surprised. Inside, it appeared very cramped and she could make out two bodies – only two – very closely entwined but thankfully also very clothed.

Their faces couldn't be made out in the darkness but they were definitely involved in a very heated snogging session. Sloppy kissing sounds, breathy gasps and desperate moans made their way to Lily's ears and she realised this was what Sirius had been talking about. She and James had been kissing in silence, and although they knew it felt good, no one else knew. It was the noises that they could make that told everyone else just what was going on inside their heads – it was the noises of these two that had made the three girls think there was something else going on behind that tapestry. The girl moaned wantonly again. Could she sound like that?

"Lily!" Dorcas hissed. "What are you doing? Just get on with it!"

Lily scowled at her again and was about to mouth to them that it was okay because the couple weren't doing anything too naughty, when a rather different sort of noise erupted from within the alcove. Lily's head flipped back immediately and she felt Emmeline and Dorcas approach out of curiosity. He sounded like he was almost in pain, but at the same time he was whispering to his girl between pants.

"Yes, yes… Merlin, yessss…."

"What the hell is she doing to him?" Dorcas whispered, trying to push Lily out the way for a better look. Emmeline looked put out at not being in visual range at all. There was no denying it. They were three healthy teenage witches with a furious curiosity about the male species. This had gone from disgusting to intriguing. Lily shoved her back roughly, trying to see better but not wanting to be seen. What was she doing to him?

She couldn't figure it out at first. They had stopped snogging but the noises the boy was making told them he was still having the time of his life. Dorcas gasped, obviously having seen something and it only took Lily a split second to find it as she dropped her gaze slightly. She was touching him….there. Now that really was very naughty.

Lily grabbed her two friends and hoisted them away from the tapestry to a safe distance. "This is the Head Girl," she announced loudly, trying to sound menacing but hearing her voice waver. "Stop what you are doing instantly."

There was a frantic scramble from behind the tapestry but Lily didn't wait to see who they were before docking points. Embarrassed beyond belief and yet completely excited about what she had seen, she felt at odds with herself and took off at a run down the hall with the girls behind her. They giggled nervously all the way to dinner.

All Lily knew was that she and James had to pick up their act.

"We need to practice."

James looked surprised to see her as he emerged from the changing rooms; his hair damp and his broom slung over one shoulder. Lily fell into step with him as he began toward the castle. "I thought you didn't want Sirius involved" he said casually.

"I don't," she agreed, finding that she had to increase her pace to keep up with his long strides. "I think we should practice. Alone. Probably somewhere really private."

He looked concerned, shifting the weight of his broom as they continued to walk. "I thought we were done."

Lily could not help the nervous giggle that escaped her with the memory of what she had seen earlier that day. "I think we're very far from done."

He looked at her oddly again. "Alright, if you say so. But we can't use the dorm anymore if you're not going to include Sirius."

"That's okay," she nodded, relieved that he was willing to continue. "I have somewhere in mind." Surely she could find somewhere to practice in this enormous castle. Maybe one of the girls knew a good spot. She already knew the bad ones from catching teenagers after hours during patrol.

"Right," he said, shifting his broom again and looking straight ahead. "We're not on rounds for another hour. Give me ten minutes to put my gear away. Where's this place? I'll meet you there."

"Now?" She hadn't meant the surprise to continue into her voice.

He gave her what could almost be described as a tired look. "I have other things going on in my life besides this, Lily. If you want my time then you're just going to have to take what you can get."

He was blunt, but she would take what she could get because she was desperate. The problem lay in where exactly she was going to take him for practice. She told him the only place she could think of with such short notice. "There's an alcove on the fourth floor, do you know it?"

He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. "The one behind the tapestry?"

She nodded. It seemed dirty going there after what she had witnessed, and she would be no better than that scandalous couple, but they were unlikely to be caught so late, and the area was rarely patrolled.

"Aw, come on Lily," he said, sounding disappointed. "You're better than that. I'm not kissing you in some dingy hole; don't you have access to the potions room? Slughorn practically fancies you."

"Not enough."

He stopped walking as they approached the steps of the castle, looking thoughtful. Lily waited for him to speak with baited breath. "I know somewhere," he finally admitted, looking torn about revealing the information to her. "But you can't tell anyone, it's supposed to be a surprise for the-"

"Seventh floor," she said knowingly. "Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

He nodded, looking pleased with her sharpness.

She cocked her head in interest. "What's up there, anyway?"

"You tell me," he said, starting up the steps. There was something cheeky about the way he said it, a playful glint in his eye. "Go on ahead," he said, allowing her to pass through the doors before her. "I'll be there in a tick."

He was still acting playful and Lily was intrigued; what was so special about this room? Eager to find out, she ran ahead as he had told her, slowing to a walk as she finally lost her breath after jogging up the many flights of stairs.

The corridors were quiet with most students finishing up at dinner or having returned to their common rooms. She wasn't supposed to be wandering around at this time; her rounds didn't start for a while, but no one was going to question the head girl – she made up the patrol schedule after all. And so she felt quiet confident arriving on the deserted seventh floor and casually making her way along to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She took a moment to inspect the area and sure enough, there was no room to be found. She wondered about the tapestry itself and peeked behind it in hope of some hidden doorway, but it was just a wall. She should have known better - the invitation had said opposite the tapestry.

She turned again and stared at the opposite wall with her hands on her hips. Surely she wasn't that stupid, was she? It was definitely a blank wall. She stepped closer and allowed her fingers to touch the bricks, wondering if there was some sort of illusion in place, but it really felt like a plain brick wall too. Perhaps there was a trick to it, she thought, pulling out her wand and tapping random bricks – like in Diagon Alley. But if there was, she certainly couldn't figure out the sequence. She lowered her wand, smirking to herself; was Potter really clever enough to make an entire room appear out of thin air?

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Lily whipped around quickly, startled by the appearance of three boys slowly making their way down the corridor toward her. She recognised them easily; Wilkes, Rosier and Snape – all Slytherins. Snape lagged behind looking bored while the other two leered at her.

"What's a little Mudblood like you doing wandering the halls alone?"

"Hello, boys," she said, allowing the insult to wash over her and refusing to be put off by their lame attempts at scaring her. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock points of you don't have a good excuse for being out of your common room."

"Oh we're terrified," Rosier mocked her. "Shaking in our boots, aren't we lads?"

"Please, don't take our precious points," Wilkes added, putting on a shaky voice. The two chuckled at their own clever jokes. Lily sneered. She had no reason to worry; these boys were all talk.

"Come on," Snape finally drawled, coming to a halt. "Let's leave the head girl to her wall inspection before she reports us."

"No!" Wilkes protested, stepping closer. Lily refused to be intimidated and kept her feet planted firmly where they were, staring back at him. "I think we'll have some fun first."

"Must we? These Griffindors never use real hexes, it's so dull."

"But it's not every day you find the Mudblood wandering around with out her boyfriend."

She scoffed. "Potter's not my boyfriend."

"Funny," Rosier smirked. "I thought we were talking about Johnny Willis." She felt herself blush and tried to remain calm. "Careful Evans, wouldn't want to spread any rumours. Or maybe we should; might be nice to see Potter get his face smashed in."

"I'm not so sure Willis would care," Snape added lazily from his position at the back of the group. "Seems he's been spending an awful lot of time with Miss Webster of late." He smirked at Lily. "Shocked, Mudblood?"

"Twenty points from Slytherin," Lily announced as steadily as she could, with Wilkes in her face. "For the use of foul language toward a Muggle born student. Go back down to the dungeons or it will be another twenty."

"You don't get it, do you?" Rosier added darkly, coming in closer until she had both boys standing over her. "We don't care about points, Mudblood. Someday you'll realise the world isn't run by house points and prefects. Take a look at the big picture, Evans. You're nothing – you're less than nothing. When we all get out of here your sort will be the first to go."

"Twenty points," Lily announced loudly, making herself as tall as possible and refusing to be intimidated, keeping her wand hanging by her side. "Twenty points from Slytherin for making threats against another-"

She stopped with a gasp as Rosier grabbed her wrist tightly. "You really don't get it."

He squeezed so tightly that Lily was forced to drop her wand. Wilkes made a grab for it but she kicked Rosier hard in the shin, snatching it up again as he released her. He cried out in pain and swore violently. Lily brandished her wand, daring any of them to come closer.

"I told you," Snape interrupted, making no effort to join the party. "She won't duel properly. Just leave her; she's not even worth it."

Wilkes tried to send a hex at her while she was distracted but she was too fast and deflected it easily. "Says who?" she spat. "You two never even made it to NEWT level defence," she added meanly, looking between Rosier and Wilkes. "Get out of here before I do you serious damage."

But they just smirked at her. "We have a much better teacher now," Rosier said darkly.

Lily had heard the rumours of course; that Voldemort was recruiting students from within the school. She hadn't believed it though; why would Dumbledore let them into the school? He trusted people far too much.

"What should we do to her?" Wilkes added, as the two boys began circling her, looking her up and down. Snape watched on from across the corridor, his arms folded and leaning lazily against the wall. "Shall we take off her knickers and perform a levicorpus for everyone to see? I might enjoy that."

She saw Rosier roll his eyes before turning to his friend. "You have the best looking Mudblood in the school at your mercy and you want to take her underpants and give everyone else a peek? Really, is that the best you can come up with?"

Lily was getting impatient. "You don't have me at your mercy," she scoffed. "Honestly, this is just ridiculous. I'm going to give you three seconds to bugger off and them I'm going to hex you into the next millennium. Some attackers, you are. You haven't even tried to retrain me; I could kick you in the nuts right now and put you all out of action for a month. Get out of my sight."

She heard Snape chuckle but Rosier and Wilkes looked livid. "What are you laughing at?" Rosier barked at Snape. "Maybe if you'd try helping instead of hanging back there like a coward."

Something seemed to come over Snape at these words and he stepped forward angrily. "Perhaps if you weren't so incompetent you wouldn't need my help." He turned sharply to Lily, and before she had time to even react her wand flew out of her hand and straight into Snape's. "You didn't even think to disarm her," Snape snapped at his friends. "She's not incompetent; she could have blown your brains out if she'd had the guts."

Lily made to grab for Rosier's wand as he held it midair while glaring at Snape, but again Snape witnessed her movement and a split second later she found herself frozen in a full body bind. She fell to the floor, feeling pain shoot through her body and for the first time she started to panic. What would they do to her?

But then there was a flash and the next moment Wilkes landed on the floor beside her with a grunt of pain. Someone was shouting and she recognised James' voice.

It was frustrating not being able to see anything from her vantage point. Wilkes shakily got to his feet again and there was some more shouting and flashes of hexes flying about the corridor. She smiled, or at least she would have, as she realised that it was the Slytherins who were the ones crying out in pain, and she silently cheered for her hero. But the next moment he too landed beside her in a body bind. His eyes crinkled apologetically behind his cracked glasses.

Nice work Potter.