"Oh, God! Lily, are you alright?"
Lily had stayed up all night crying. She feared that James would be hurt, or that Sirius would get into major trouble. Hannah pulled her curtains open early that morning to talk to her.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Lily said and she sat up and wiped her face dry.
"Did it have something to do with James? The Hufflepuffs are saying that Remus and James both went inside the Shrieking Shack and they were attacked!" Hannah said.
"No. They weren't attacked - not really," Lily blurted.
"What? You know what happened? Oh, please, Lil! Tell me all the details!" Hannah squealed.
"No. I want to go and see if James and Remus are okay."
Lily went to the hospital wing alone and asked to see James and Remus.
"Well - you can see Potter, but I don't think that Remus should be up at this point," Madam Pomfrey said.
James was lying in a bed in the middle of the wing, and he looked worse then he had at night. His skin was blotchy, his right eye was starting to swell, and he looked like he hadn't slept at all.
"James! How do you feel?" Lily asked, grabbing his hand.
James looked away from her. "Fine."
"James, please talk to me!"
He looked back at her and frowned.
"I don't expect you to believe me, but do you know what happened last night?" Lily asked.
James pulled his hand away from her. "Of course I do! Sirius played a prank that got out of hand. Is there a point?"
"No! Sirius was so mad that Severus cost him his best friend, that he told him to follow Remus. He didn't care if Remus tore Snape to bits. He wanted to see him hurt!"
"And why would he do that?"
"Because - the night that Snape followed Sirius and me, he told me something. Now, Sirius told me that if I was going to break it off with you, then I'd better do it right away so I didn't do it too late. Sirius loves you, and he hates to see you get hurt. He hated seeing you be hurt over Snape's lies, that he almost killed him. Does that not mean anything to you?"
James turned to face Lily. "Then the picture. how did he get that picture?"
"Sirius hugged me. It was a sign of relief from him." Lily started.
"Relief from what?"
"I. I told Sirius he didn't have anything to worry about, because. I told him I loved you!"
James's mouth opened slightly. "Oh, God, Lil what've I done?" he said and he grabbed her and hugged her.
Lily hugged him back and kissed him.
"Now - Dumbledore is going to want explanations. What did you tell McGonagall?" Lily asked, wiping a tear off her cheek.
"McGonagall? I didn't say anything to her. I only just got up and hour ago," James said.
"Okay - so Dumbledore is going to ask you what happened. He doesn't know anything about you being an Animagus, so we can try and leave that part out. But Remus bit you. the only way to explain that you didn't also become a werewolf is you being an animal at the time. What do we do?" Lily started, but it was too late to plan. Dumbledore had entered the hospital wing with Sirius.
"James! You are awake, excellent!" he said.
Sirius did not look too happy. He seemed frightened to make eye contact with anyone.
"Now then," Dumbledore said and he sat down next to James, "I need you to tell me what happened last night."
"Well, sir, I heard that Snape was going to follow Remus from Lily, and I went and stopped him," James said plainly.
"What happened inside the Shrieking Shack?"
"Er - I pulled Snape away from Remus's reach."
"James, I know that this is not all you did. Tell the truth," Dumbledore added.
"I just went to stun him, but I didn't have my wand out in time. Lily was the one who stunned him," James said.
"Poppy!" Dumbledore called out.
"Yes, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey replied.
"I was wondering what happened to Mr. Potter's leg?"
"Well, he was bitten alright! But - I don't know what happened - there is no sign of Remus passing on the cycle. He's extremely fortunate."
Dumbledore stared at James.
"Well - I'm afraid of what we're going to have to do. Lily and Remus seem hardly involved. Severus has been indeed eavesdropping. Sirius - Sirius made a big mistake. I'm afraid you'll have to pack up your things now, Sirius -"
"No! Professor, please! It's my fault! I - I was the one who started this whole fight! Don't make Sirius leave!" James interrupted.
"James, what you have to understand is that if Remus had attacked Severus he would have been kicked out of the school with fines of every sort. Sirius is clearly responsible, so he is suspended from school for three weeks."
James sunk back into his bed panting.
"I'm - I'm not expelled?" Sirius asked Dumbledore.
"I am afraid you would have been if it weren't for James and Lily. Only a short suspension is necessary, though. Although, I would think twice about your pranks now, Sirius."
"Yes, sir!" Sirius said.
***
"Here," Sirius said to James and he placed the golden ring back in his hand.
James stared at the ring. "Oh, I am so sorry! I did all of this, it should be me getting suspended!"
"James, I was the one who nearly ruined Remus's life! Let's call it even?" Sirius asked and held out his hand.
James grinned. "Deal!"
So, James and Sirius were again best friends, and James got back with Lily.
The gossip around the school went haywire when classes started again and Sirius was nowhere in sight. Remus was still in the hospital wing, and when James was allowed to attend classes, people became very suspicious. James had a black eye and was limping a little, so people started to assume that the three boys had gotten into a major fight.
Hannah continued to ambush Lily with questions, she was always a gossip, but Lily refused because she promised not to tell.
Every day, Lily and James begged Madam Pomfrey to see Remus, but she only let them a week into the second term.
"Prongs?" Remus asked with his eyes shut when James sat down.
"You okay, Moony?" James said.
"Moony? Prongs?" Lily questioned.
"Nicknames," James muttered.
"Oh, God! What happened? Why am I in here?" Remus asked, sitting up quickly.
"It's okay, you were just - er - stunned for a little while. Listen for a second, okay?" James said.
Remus nodded.
"Sirius has been suspended. He kind of - erm - told Snape how to follow you because he wanted you to. hurt him."
Remus leaned back and smacked his head on the wall repeatedly.
"Remus! Stop!" Lily cried, and she stopped him and pulled him down to his pillow.
"It's okay, bud. Lily told me and I stopped him in time. I had to wrestle you. but I stopped you," James said and he patted Remus on the shoulder.
"Who stunned me?" Remus asked.
"Er. You kind of bit me, and I sort of. collapsed - Lily stunned you just in time before you got her."
Remus pulled his pillow off his bed and put it on his head.
"Was Dumbledore pissed?" Remus said with a muffled voice.
"Yes - he suspended Sirius. You had nothing to do with it. we all got off," James said as he pulled the pillow off Remus's face.
Lily had stayed up all night crying. She feared that James would be hurt, or that Sirius would get into major trouble. Hannah pulled her curtains open early that morning to talk to her.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Lily said and she sat up and wiped her face dry.
"Did it have something to do with James? The Hufflepuffs are saying that Remus and James both went inside the Shrieking Shack and they were attacked!" Hannah said.
"No. They weren't attacked - not really," Lily blurted.
"What? You know what happened? Oh, please, Lil! Tell me all the details!" Hannah squealed.
"No. I want to go and see if James and Remus are okay."
Lily went to the hospital wing alone and asked to see James and Remus.
"Well - you can see Potter, but I don't think that Remus should be up at this point," Madam Pomfrey said.
James was lying in a bed in the middle of the wing, and he looked worse then he had at night. His skin was blotchy, his right eye was starting to swell, and he looked like he hadn't slept at all.
"James! How do you feel?" Lily asked, grabbing his hand.
James looked away from her. "Fine."
"James, please talk to me!"
He looked back at her and frowned.
"I don't expect you to believe me, but do you know what happened last night?" Lily asked.
James pulled his hand away from her. "Of course I do! Sirius played a prank that got out of hand. Is there a point?"
"No! Sirius was so mad that Severus cost him his best friend, that he told him to follow Remus. He didn't care if Remus tore Snape to bits. He wanted to see him hurt!"
"And why would he do that?"
"Because - the night that Snape followed Sirius and me, he told me something. Now, Sirius told me that if I was going to break it off with you, then I'd better do it right away so I didn't do it too late. Sirius loves you, and he hates to see you get hurt. He hated seeing you be hurt over Snape's lies, that he almost killed him. Does that not mean anything to you?"
James turned to face Lily. "Then the picture. how did he get that picture?"
"Sirius hugged me. It was a sign of relief from him." Lily started.
"Relief from what?"
"I. I told Sirius he didn't have anything to worry about, because. I told him I loved you!"
James's mouth opened slightly. "Oh, God, Lil what've I done?" he said and he grabbed her and hugged her.
Lily hugged him back and kissed him.
"Now - Dumbledore is going to want explanations. What did you tell McGonagall?" Lily asked, wiping a tear off her cheek.
"McGonagall? I didn't say anything to her. I only just got up and hour ago," James said.
"Okay - so Dumbledore is going to ask you what happened. He doesn't know anything about you being an Animagus, so we can try and leave that part out. But Remus bit you. the only way to explain that you didn't also become a werewolf is you being an animal at the time. What do we do?" Lily started, but it was too late to plan. Dumbledore had entered the hospital wing with Sirius.
"James! You are awake, excellent!" he said.
Sirius did not look too happy. He seemed frightened to make eye contact with anyone.
"Now then," Dumbledore said and he sat down next to James, "I need you to tell me what happened last night."
"Well, sir, I heard that Snape was going to follow Remus from Lily, and I went and stopped him," James said plainly.
"What happened inside the Shrieking Shack?"
"Er - I pulled Snape away from Remus's reach."
"James, I know that this is not all you did. Tell the truth," Dumbledore added.
"I just went to stun him, but I didn't have my wand out in time. Lily was the one who stunned him," James said.
"Poppy!" Dumbledore called out.
"Yes, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey replied.
"I was wondering what happened to Mr. Potter's leg?"
"Well, he was bitten alright! But - I don't know what happened - there is no sign of Remus passing on the cycle. He's extremely fortunate."
Dumbledore stared at James.
"Well - I'm afraid of what we're going to have to do. Lily and Remus seem hardly involved. Severus has been indeed eavesdropping. Sirius - Sirius made a big mistake. I'm afraid you'll have to pack up your things now, Sirius -"
"No! Professor, please! It's my fault! I - I was the one who started this whole fight! Don't make Sirius leave!" James interrupted.
"James, what you have to understand is that if Remus had attacked Severus he would have been kicked out of the school with fines of every sort. Sirius is clearly responsible, so he is suspended from school for three weeks."
James sunk back into his bed panting.
"I'm - I'm not expelled?" Sirius asked Dumbledore.
"I am afraid you would have been if it weren't for James and Lily. Only a short suspension is necessary, though. Although, I would think twice about your pranks now, Sirius."
"Yes, sir!" Sirius said.
***
"Here," Sirius said to James and he placed the golden ring back in his hand.
James stared at the ring. "Oh, I am so sorry! I did all of this, it should be me getting suspended!"
"James, I was the one who nearly ruined Remus's life! Let's call it even?" Sirius asked and held out his hand.
James grinned. "Deal!"
So, James and Sirius were again best friends, and James got back with Lily.
The gossip around the school went haywire when classes started again and Sirius was nowhere in sight. Remus was still in the hospital wing, and when James was allowed to attend classes, people became very suspicious. James had a black eye and was limping a little, so people started to assume that the three boys had gotten into a major fight.
Hannah continued to ambush Lily with questions, she was always a gossip, but Lily refused because she promised not to tell.
Every day, Lily and James begged Madam Pomfrey to see Remus, but she only let them a week into the second term.
"Prongs?" Remus asked with his eyes shut when James sat down.
"You okay, Moony?" James said.
"Moony? Prongs?" Lily questioned.
"Nicknames," James muttered.
"Oh, God! What happened? Why am I in here?" Remus asked, sitting up quickly.
"It's okay, you were just - er - stunned for a little while. Listen for a second, okay?" James said.
Remus nodded.
"Sirius has been suspended. He kind of - erm - told Snape how to follow you because he wanted you to. hurt him."
Remus leaned back and smacked his head on the wall repeatedly.
"Remus! Stop!" Lily cried, and she stopped him and pulled him down to his pillow.
"It's okay, bud. Lily told me and I stopped him in time. I had to wrestle you. but I stopped you," James said and he patted Remus on the shoulder.
"Who stunned me?" Remus asked.
"Er. You kind of bit me, and I sort of. collapsed - Lily stunned you just in time before you got her."
Remus pulled his pillow off his bed and put it on his head.
"Was Dumbledore pissed?" Remus said with a muffled voice.
"Yes - he suspended Sirius. You had nothing to do with it. we all got off," James said as he pulled the pillow off Remus's face.
