Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. All unfamiliar characters, concepts, or designs are mine. This story is also mine.

A/N: This chapter initiates SECTION TWO of The Changing Tide, sixth year, or "A Tolerant Friendship."

Sixth Year

11

Lily

Come summer, I'm too busy spending time with Alice, Mary, and Marie to take heed of anything but the headlines advertising Lord Voldemort's victims. Mr. Snowe closes Snowe's Sweets after enduring a stream of vandalisms and takes a job as a Ministry desk clerk. Mary starts talking to her parents more often and I write home once a week. Alice relocates her parents to a Muggle safe house via the Ministry. By the time September rolls around, I'm jumpy about leaving my family alone for the school year. Petunia swears she'll be careful and demands I stop nagging. She comes with my parents to see me off to Hogwarts on September first, even grudgingly introduces herself to my friends. I give Petunia a swift hug. "Be careful, Tuney," I whisper.

She reluctantly hugs me back and flicks my nose when we pull apart. "Don't tell me to be careful, have you seen Vernon? He'll protect me. Don't worry; I'll look after Mum and Dad for you."

I smile. "You're a good sister."

"Someone has to be; you're the weird one, after all," she heckles. I narrow my eyes and jaunt off with my friends to platform 9 3/4.

"Your sister is weird," Marie decides once we're past the barrier.

Mary nods. "Yeah, really strange."

"She doesn't like me much, but I love her. She's the only sister I have," I remind my friends.

"Enough of this sob-stuff, let's go pick out a compartment," Marie orders.

"I have Prefect patrol."

Marie rolls her eyes. "Fine-"

"Take my trunk, I'll see you guys later," I call, trotting off to the Prefect compartment. I take my time, making sure to pin my golden badge to my robe.

When I get to the compartment, Prefects from each house are struggling to breathe in the cramped space. I slip in next to Remus, who flashes me a welcoming smile. "Wonder who got Head Girl and Boy this year," he greets.

"Sarah Richmond and William Davies," I affirm.

"Yeah," Remus says with a sad sigh.

"What's got you bothered?"

"Nothing," Remus lies. He notices my persistent expression and laughs a bit dryly. "I fancied Richmond is all."

"It isn't a rule that the Head Boy and Girl date, you know," I deadpan.

Remus' expression turns somber. "Lily, everyone knows that the Head Boy and Girl are together. They have a special dorm and everything."

"Not true, remember Bertha Hammond? She had a girlfriend. Similarly, there was Walter King, who never dated a soul and he got Head Boy with his twin sister being Head Girl."

Remus shakes his head. "Davies isn't gay and I've seen Richmond talking to him. I mean, blushing, touching each other's arms, and talking. It's a doomed cause, but thanks for the encouragement." I offer a timid smile and pat his shoulder, poor fellow.

Silence falls over us as the door swings open and in enters tall, lean, blonde Sarah with brunette William on her elbow. His muscular frame and white smile make the girls squirm in their seats. Sarah rests her head on his shoulder, Remus' expression tightens. "Welcome Prefects! You have a long year ahead of you. I am your Head Girl, Sarah Richmond," Sarah beams, smiling like a goddess. She's captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and her marks are the top of the charts come exams.

"I'm your Head Boy, William Davies. You can call me Will if you'd like."

William and Sarah rehash the Prefect duties: check-in with the Head Boy and Head Girl after each patrol; patrol the train cars once per ride; take away points whenever you witness a rule violation; patrol thirty minutes before and after curfew; and the sixth and seventh year Prefects check the grounds for any after-hours pranks. There's a quick round of questions and answers afterwards, then we're dismissed. Sixth and seventh year Prefects get an easy ride on the train because fifth years need that patrol for experience.

Remus and I finish without a hitch, working our usual system of pacing the aisles. I'll be doing most of our patrols solo at Hogwarts; his sickness won't let him patrol with me each night. When we finish, we lope back to our compartments. Marie has bought a huge pile of sweets and is haggling for a Merlin chocolate frog card with Mary. Alice is nibbling on a pumpkin pasty, her nose wrinkling at the chocolate scent hanging over the compartment. I sit next to her and watch Marie pluck cards from the candy wrappers.

"Hey, nice of you to show up," Marie drones.

"Yeah, it didn't take real long."

"No, it never seems to," Marie agrees with mock seriousness.

Our peace is broken by the arrival of a disheveled Ravenclaw Prefect, her blue eyes wide with alarm beneath her askew pink glasses. "There's been an attack!"

Marie and I dash after the girl to the Marauders' compartment. James is clutching a gash in his arm, while Sirius lies with hands pressed against his torso. Blood is seeping through his fingers, marring his uniform dark red.

James casts a pleading look at me. "So, Evans, you're here with the medic, right?"

I glance at Marie, who's rolling up her sleeves. "Don't worry about a thing, I'll take care of it while you explain this to Lily," she says to James. She withdraws her wand, tapping it lightly against her skirt before kneeling next to Sirius. While she starts healing, I take a quick survey of the boys: Peter is blubbering in a corner and Remus, sporting a large bruise on his cheek, is attempting to console the boy. Looks like James is the only competent one.

"What exactly happened?" I ask.

"Usual, Snivellus and his Prefect buddies were terrorizing first years, so I asked them to stop. There was some name-calling, some insults were thrown around and then Sirius told Snivellus to stop being an ass and Snivellus sliced Sirius's stomach open. Mulciber attacked me with a huge knife and I tried to fend him off while getting my wand out. Remus tried to help me and was given that bruise. By then I'd had my wand out, so I hexed Mulciber's nose purple while Remus recovered. Somehow we got them out of here, thanks to Remus' hexing capabilities and my brilliance," James rambles.

I roll my eyes; leave it to James to puff up a good story. However, Mulciber does have a peculiar fascination with knives and Snape is excellent with cutting hexes. "What type of things were Snape and the others doing to the first years?" I press.

"Just blackmailing students using point deductions and handing out the 'Lord Voldemort and YOU: How to be a Death Eater' pamphlets," James answers. He gives me a scathing look. "Are you saying you don't believe me, Evans?"

I blink. "Of course she does!" Marie snaps. "Don't be so stupid!"

"Then why are you treating me like a criminal?" James asks.

"I just want the whole story."

"Quit fighting, you two," Marie snarls. She raises her wand and stands, helping Sirius to his feet. "Alright, you're a lucky bloke. I patched you up, but there are no guarantees on how deep the cut went."

"Thanks, Marie," Sirius says. "You saved my life."

Marie narrows her eyes. "Don't go risking it again and I won't have to save it. 'Tis nothing, Black, but remember-"

"Sirius!" a dark-haired boy not much younger than Sirius darts in. Regulus Black. Save for his black eyes and round face, he could almost be his brother's double. "I heard there was an attack," the boy amends, lowering his gaze.

"Regulus, I'm fine," Sirius says. Regulus furrows his brow and Sirius, grinning slightly, ruffles the boy's hair. "Go back to your friends."

"Will you come back for Christmas?" Regulus ventures.

"Regulus," Sirius answers, looking around at all of us, "I meant what I said. I made a decision and I'm not going back on it."

Regulus shakes his head. "Some brother you are." He trudges back to his compartment, leaving a mess of awkward silence and stares behind.

James and Marie shatter the quiet by smacking Sirius in the back of his head. He rounds on them with a furious, "What!"

Marie levels him with a look. "You're an idiot. He's just a kid, you know."

"He's two years younger than me, that's hardly a kid!"

"Mate, he's your brother; he deserves an explanation James says.

Sirius looks between the two, turning to Peter and Remus for support. Remus shrugs, "It's better to clear these things up."

"You could lose him to the Death Eaters, Sirius," Marie says.

"Think about it, mate," James insists. He glances at me, his hand clapped over his injured arm. "So, Evans, does Marie charge a fee or something now?"

Marie gasps, catching the reference. She waves her wand over the wound, sealing it in a haze of green light. "There, now no more fighting," she commands, "or I'll be forced to hex the lot of you!"

James watches me with a mixture of hurt and yearning as I follow Marie back to our compartment. What is with that boy? He always manages to get under my skin somehow; it's incredibly unnerving.

Author's Note: :D This is the year Lily becomes friends with the Marauders and starts seeing James' softer side. They're not together yet, but they become friends. Sev drama is gonna be tossed around in these chapters too. This section is longer than the fifth year one, but way shorter than 7th year. 7th year is my fave section, probably because James and Lily get together! But, this one is good too. It gives you background!

Character Cast Information: In addition to the usual 'Author's Note' you get a new bit of what's up with the leading gals and guys here. I said it earlier, and I say it again (I think I said it earlier, if not, sorry!): there are going to be random folks from the books popping up in here. If you haven't read the books, you will be lost. So, who you will see and have seen and the people they are going to be/are based upon:

Marie Snowe- Mrs. King (mentioned in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Harold King- Mr. King (mentioned in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Anna Hamilton- Ravenclaw girl Harry saw Sirius staring at during Snape's Worst Memory (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Mary McDonald- Mary McDonald (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

Mulciber- Mulciber (I remember him from other books, but he struck me as important in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

Professor Kettleburn- Professor Kettleburn (okay, she is actually a HE, but I wanted a chick teaching DADA, so that's why HE is a SHE here. She's mentioned briefly in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; Quirrel replaces her)

Alice- Alice Longbottom (mentioned first in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Frank Longbottom- Frank Longbottom (mentioned first in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Marlene McKinnon- Marlene McKinnon (mentioned in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)