Here's a new chapter! Both happy and sad. Thank you so much Lara.X for your reviews, it means the world to me. Please everybody, tell me what you think of my story so far, all points of view and critics and encouragements are welcome!

Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor

Finally the day had come. The first match of the season was about to take place, and even a few hours before it was time for the competition to begin, the whole school was overexcited. As students were taking places in the terraces above their heads, James was about to give his team his usual speech.

"I know we can do this," he said in a strong voice. "It's the very first match of the season, and we need to start with a victory. I'm sure we can take them, we've worked hard to do so, and I know we're as ready as we can possibly be. To our new members, just remember: stay calm, don't panic, and trust your teammates, that's the key. I don't want any fouls, and I want you all to play as a team, and not as individuals. Any questions?"

They all shook their heads, and the players gathered even closer in the narrow corridor.

"Come on Lions, let's win this cup!" cried their captain.

They strode towards the pitch, their brooms upon their shoulder. At every step, Marlene was becoming a bit paler. She couldn't understand how her heart could beat so fast. Her legs were numb, she was completely terrified. She jumped when Caradoc put a reassuring hand upon her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he told her, his voice low and warm as they all stopped at some distance from the door that opened onto the pitch, "you'll be alright, I'm sure. If it makes you feel any better, you should know that I was so scared for my first match that I forgot to put my shoes on. They had to delay the beginning of the match to let me get a pair."

Despite the lump in her throat and the horrible feeling in her stomach, Marlene couldn't help but laugh.

"Relax McKinnon," he said, "we have your back."

She bit her tongue to stop herself from making a sarcastic remark. In front of her, Clara seemed incredibly calm. Her gaze was set on the narrow halo of light at the end of the corridor, determination burning in her green eyes. She was slowly biting her bottom lip, and it was the only sign of nervousness she let show. And yet, despite her apparent self-control, Sirius couldn't fail to notice her trembling fingers wrapped around her broom.

"You're alright Clara?" he asked her.

A roar broke out in the distance as the Hufflepuff team was called to enter the pitch. The girl looked him in the eyes, and nodded firmly. She would probably not be able to stop herself from throwing up if she opened her mouth, and she didn't reckon that vomiting upon her fellow Beater was a good way to start her first match. Sirius was not fooled though, but before he could try to reassure her, the crowd awoke again above their heads, and James walked quickly towards the dazzling opening in front of them. They all flew into position after the two captains had shaken hands, and so the match began.

Lily managed to avoid James's broom at the very last second. She cried encouragements at him, and she couldn't fail to notice the ghost of a smile forming upon his lips as he heard her. After more than an hour of fierce fight, Gryffindor was leading by only twenty points. The Snitch had not yet been seen by either of the Seekers, and for the moment, the fight was between the Chasers. Marlene was showing great skill, though she had been quite uncertain at the beginning of the match. But now that she had gained confidence, she could fly across the pitch with undeniable skill. Clara was proving herself a talented Beater too, and many times she stopped the Hufflepuffs from scoring. Lily gasped as a Bludger missed Marlene by only a few inches.

"Relax," Remus told her, "they're both doing fine."

"Don't tell me it wasn't close."

The boy giggled.

"It was close, but it missed."

"I saw you wincing not ten minutes ago when James almost fell off his broom."

"I plead guilty."

One of the Hufflepuff Beaters hit the Bludger right under Clara's nose, while she was aiming for the Chasers. The crowd roared, but no foul was declared by the referee, and the game went on, but as he was following James, Sirius saw Clara holding her cheek. He didn't think twice, and hurried towards her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, that idiot just hit my cheek as he was aiming."

"Let me take a look."

"I'm fine Sirius, you should go back..."

"Let me see!"

She turned her face to give him a better view of her wounded cheek. Her skin was already turning blue, and a deep cut crossed her cheekbone. Sirius tightened his grip around his bat.

"How does it look?" she asked him.

"You're bleeding, but Mrs. Pomfrey will have you healed in the blink of an eye."

Clara nodded, but before any of them could make a move, Marlene and James had joined them.

"Are you alright Clara?" the girl asked her.

"It's just a scratch."

Sirius glowered at the Hufflepuff player.

"Let's go, we must play," ordered James.

Clara went back to her position, but Sirius remained behind for a few seconds. His blood was boiling in his veins, and he could feel rage burning his in heart. He couldn't clearly understand at first why he was so upset about it, after all perhaps it was really unintentional, and anyway Clara was right, it was a scratch compared to the usual wounds that could be inflicted during Quidditch. And yet the only thought that could take form in his mind at this very moment was his desire to hit this bloody Hufflepuff as hard as he could with his bat. His head would make an incredibly good Bludger... He turned his gaze towards the Gryffindor girl, and the answer to his behaviour appeared quite naturally to him. It was nothing surprising in fact, he had a crush on her, and was being protective of the girl he liked. It was probably a typical stupid reaction that came along the crazy flip-flops that his stomach was doing as he watched her fly across the pitch right now. He shook himself, and followed James as he was carrying the Quaffle now. He exchanged a look with Clara, and with silent understanding, he let the Bludger fly past him and let her get a precise aim towards a Hufflepuff chaser. Sirius went on to protect their captain as he was quickly crossing the pitch, and he left Clara to take care of their followers. But a cry of fright rose suddenly from the crowd. Sirius turned back on his broom, and hurried back towards Clara. She was holding onto her broomstick with one hand, suspended above the void. Before he could reach her, she swung herself back upon her broom, glowering at the Hufflepuff Beater. But again, Mrs. Hooch didn't consider the move as a foul.

"Are you alright Clara?" Sirius asked her.

"I'm fine, I slipped as I was trying to avoid him, that's all."

She saw the look he was throwing at the player, and she recognised it instantly. It was the same look he had given his brother before jumping at his throat. She put a hand on his shoulder, and as he looked back at her, his heart skipped a beat.

"I'm fine, he probably didn't mean it. He said he was sorry as he was flying by."

"Even you can't hope I'm going to believe that bullshit, Clara."

"Sirius, please, don't get mad. He's not worth it."

He sighed heavily.

"I'm not letting him go near you anymore," he warned her.

She smiled.

"You're such a guard dog sometimes!"

And away she flew, laughing. When ten minutes later Sirius saw the Beater flying towards the Gryffindor girl, he aimed a Bludger towards him. The Beater threw him a nasty look, but seemed to understand Sirius's warning, as he seemed to keep his distance for a while. Finally, after more than two hours of game, the Snitch showed itself. A mere glimpse of its golden wings had been seen near the Gryffindor goal post, and the two Seekers bent over their brooms, flying as fast as they could to catch the precious ball. But the Hufflepuff had seen the Snitch before Mike Craig, and now he had a comfortable advance over the Gryffindor flyer. Clara didn't hesitate, flew across the pitch to catch a Bludger, and quickly aimed her strike towards the Hufflepuff. The vicious ball flew right in front of him, making him plunge towards the ground to avoid an impact. Mike used this little distraction to get closer to the Snitch, and a second later, he was tightly squeezing the golden ball in his fist. Lily literally jumped into Remus's arms.

"And I thought you didn't like Quidditch!" laughed the boy.

Alice and Frank merely laughed at their friend's behaviour, still holding each other close.

"Well, it's incredibly more fun when your friends are playing in it, and I have four friends on the team this year!" she answered.

"Four?" asked Peter mischievously. "Since when are Sirius and James your friends too?"

The witch couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Since they are not behaving like two immature idiots all the time."

"Well, let's go celebrate! Everybody in the common room!" Frank bellowed.

The Gryffindors' cheers doubled as they all followed Frank's example, and hurried back to the Castle. In the air, James shook the Hufflepuff captain's hand, before cheering with his teammates. Clara flew right into Sirius's arms.

"WE WON!" she cried.

"Yes, we won. But now I can't breathe Clara," he laughed as she was pressing him against her.

She let go instantly, blushing slightly. Marlene grabbed her arm before the girl could add anything, and, still cheering and laughing, the whole team went back to the changing rooms.

"Caradoc, give Sirius and me a hand with the drinks, would you?" asked James, clapping his Keeper's shoulder.

"Drinks?" asked Marlene.

"Of course, how do you think all the butterbeers arrive in the common room?" asked Mike, laughing at the girl's ignorance.

"I have to say, I had never asked myself the question before," she laughed.

"Do you need help?" Clara asked the boy.

"No thanks, we'll handle it," answered Sirius, shaking his head. "You'd better go to the Hospital Wing though."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm alright Mum, thanks."

"I'm not kidding," Sirius replied. "You were hurt, now go to the Hospital Wing, come on."

"Okay, but don't you dare drink all the butterbeers without me! I believe I've earned my share of the prize today."

"Don't worry Clara, I won't let this idiot get drunk before you're there to see the show," laughed James.

Merrily, they all walked back towards the Castle. But suddenly, they were stopped by a huge crowd waiting in front of the Great Hall. In the sea of faces, James quickly spotted the red hair of Lily's, and they made their way quickly towards their friends.

"What's going on?" asked Marlene.

But no answer came from Lily, and when he took a close look at her, James saw she was crying.

"Muggle families have been attacked this morning. They don't know how many casualties yet, nor who was aimed at exactly. We're waiting for more information," answered Remus.

"Who attacked them?" asked Thomson.

Without looking at him, Lily answered in a cold voice, that none around her had yet heard coming from her lips.

"Voldemort."

No news came from the Ministry for Magic, nor from the Aurors, who seemed overwhelmed by the attack. Clara tried to contact her father, but she knew it would take some time. She was pale, as worry for her mother seemed to devour her heart a bit more at every beat. But she didn't cry, only bit her lip fiercely. Sirius saw her hand shaking, and he spontaneously wrapped his fingers around hers. She could feel his warmth flowing through her cold hand. His hand was large and strong, made callous by too much Quidditch practice. She calmed down instantly. She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her, for neither of them needed any words to express their gratitude or their support.

An hour passed.

As no information was coming to them, the teachers decided that they would personally get to the information. Owls were sent across the country, some of the teachers used the Floo Network to try to discover if the families of their students (or their own friends and families in some cases) were all safe and sound. For those who lived in big cities, their children didn't have to wait too long to have an answer, good or evil. One by one, the Muggleborns went back to their common rooms with their friends, either relieved or in tears. After an hour, four students had already received evil news, and each time, Lily's silent tears doubled. Alice at first tried to console her, but she gave up after Lily had shrugged her away for the third time.

"Lily, I'm sure they're alright," her friend tried again. "You protected your house with Clara's father, they are safe."

But Lily silently shook her head and merely cried more intensely. James was torn apart between heartbreak at the sight of Lily's cries, and immense rage at the thought of those who were responsible for hurting the girl he loved.

"Lily, can we get you anything? Chocolate? Pumpkin juice?" asked Marlene.

But the redhead shook her head again. A sob shook her entire body, and James could take no more. He wrapped his arms firmly around her, and cradled her silently. She froze at first, but after a few seconds she relaxed and buried her face in James's shoulder. They remained still, Lily wrapped protectively in James's arms for long minutes, before running footsteps came suddenly to break the deafening silence. They all turned their attention towards the noise, except for Lily who remained still against James's shoulder. Soon, Liam was kneeling next to his girlfriend.

"Merlin Lils, I'm so sorry! I was in my dorm, I just learned what happened five minutes ago. Are you alright?"

She shook her head no, her face still buried in James's shirt. Liam looked at the Gryffindor boy.

"It's okay, I can take care of her now."

James couldn't fail to notice the cold nuances in his voice, and he silently cursed the Ravenclaw for coming down here. Lily had finally started to calm down, and no sobs were shaking her anymore, but this bloody Super-Tan had to come and play the hero when really, nobody needed him. But James had no legitimate right to tell him his thoughts, Lily being the Ravenclaw's girlfriend, whilst James was barely a friend. He let go reluctantly. As she felt his grip loosening around her, Lily looked up at him. Her wet eyes were greener than ever, and a look of incomprehension was making her frown. She had stopped crying, but as James stopped holding her, the tears came back instantly into her eyes, and the look she gave him seemed to pierce his heart. She didn't know why, but she felt safe in his arms, they seemed to create some kind of invincible barriers that could hold back all the evil things of the world. Every stroke of his upon her hair seemed to be a silent promise that everything was going to be alright, and she believed him. But now, cold air had replaced the warmth of James's strong arms, and she felt like her world was crumbling down for the second time in the same day. She was looking at him like a betrayed child who was being abandoned and left behind in the dark, alone, and James couldn't support this look in her eyes. She had given him a lot of unpleasant looks, where disappointment, loathing, anger could be seen in her usually so gentle gaze, but none of them ever hurt him as much as this expression. Liam put a hand upon hers, reassuring her, getting closer to her. But she didn't move, and her eyes remained fixed on James's hazel gaze. Before he could find back his voice, Lily whispered to him in a shaky voice, made hoarse by tears.

"Please don't leave me."

The whole world seemed to disappear around them. To James, there was nobody in the world but Lily at this moment.

"Please, don't abandon me too."

A sob shook her body again. James slowly shook his head, before quickly wrapping his arms around her again.

"I'm not leaving you Lily," he said, fighting against his own tears. "I'll never leave you."

She squeezed him tightly against her, almost hindering his breath, but he didn't care. The second she was back in his arms, she stopped crying. Liam took a few steps back, staring blankly at the teachers on the other side of the Hall.

Two more hours passed

It had now been four hours since the Gryffindors had walked proudly and merrily into the Hall, and now no trace of the merry events of the afternoon were left in their minds. Remus had had news from his Muggle mother, just like Clara, and none of them had been hurt that morning, and so some relief came to the group. But Lily was still unable to move from James's embrace. All of a sudden, the Headmaster entered the Hall. Everyone's gaze turned towards him, and all waited for him to speak.

"My dear children," he said in his low and warm voice that now sounded hoarse with sorrow and grief, "I finally have the list of the families who have been attacked this morning. It comes directly from some of my friends at the Auror's department, and you can be sure that my information is correct."

He made a pause, and everyone in the Hall seemed to have stopped breathing.

"The following children will follow me to my office. I will personally see that they all go home to the closest members of their family they have, and they shall remain with them as long as it takes for them to bury their loved ones and to grieve them."

He took a piece of parchment from his robes, and started to read.

"Basil Greenfield."

A Ravenclaw stood up, shaking heavily, and was helped by one of his friends to the Headmaster.

"Emilia Clarkson."

A third year Gryffindor was almost carried to Dumbledore by McGonagall.

"Eddy Summers."

A Hufflepuff rose.

"Carrie Helena."

A Gryffindor let out a cry.

"Samantha Hopkins."

A Ravenclaw fell on her knees.

"And finally..."

Lily tightly held James's arms.

"Miss Linda Fresno."

The Headmaster slowly put the list back in his robes and turned towards the desperate children around him, guiding them towards his office.

Lily let her head fall back upon James's chest.

"It's alright Lily, they're safe. He didn't call your name, they're alright," he whispered in her hair.

She smiled, and finally looked up at him. She was crying again, but by now her tears were full of relief and joy.

"Let's go back to the Tower," she said in a whisper.

He nodded, and they all stood up and walked back to the Gryffindor Tower together, James still holding Lily close. Though he was also relieved, Remus was quite shaken too, and Sirius now put a supporting arm around his shoulders. Clara was still tightly holding his other hand. At the portrait hole, Clara, Marlene and Alice took care of Lily, accompanying her to the dormitories, while Peter, Frank and Sirius were already helping Remus to climb up the boys' staircase. Liam and James found themselves alone in front of the open hole.

"Look Timmins..." James started.

He struggled to find the right words, but gave up and just said what he needed to say as the words formed on his tongue.

"Lily was upset, and you weren't here, so we tried to take care of her as we could. I just tried to help. But then I guess she must have felt it reassuring to be in somebody's arms, not especially in my arms but just in somebody's. I think she just held on the first person who tried to reassure her that way, that's all. Do you understand what I mean?"

Liam nodded slowly, but didn't answer.

"I know I've been kind of a prat with her these past few years," James continued. "But I've understood now, I've grown up a bit I guess. And I want you to know that I'm not going to try anything with her anymore. You have my word. If I'm here for her, it will be as a friend, and nothing more."

"It's good to know," answered the Ravenclaw.

"So, not enemies?" asked James, offering the boy his open hand. He couldn't make himself say 'friends' despite all his efforts to make the word come out of his mouth.

"Not enemies," smiled the Ravenclaw, shaking James's hand.

"Good. Now," added James, "that being said..."

He tightened his grip on Liam's hand and took a step towards him, threat burning in his eyes.

"...If you hurt her, in any way, if you cheat on her, or say something bad to her, and treat her in any disrespectful way, I'll break your neck. Am I clear?"

Despite his best efforts, the Ravenclaw couldn't help but shiver.

"Very clear, though I don't reckon it's any of your business Potter."

"Oh trust me, if you hurt her, you'll find out soon enough how much of my business it is indeed."

James let go of Liam's hand and turned towards the hole in the wall, entering the Gryffindor common room, and leaving the Ravenclaw boy behind. James knew nothing would ever happen between him and Lily, but if one thing had transpired that day, it was that she needed someone to look after her. And James felt quite fit for the job.