A/N (07/03/08): I've revamped the entire story, correcting the grammar and storyline. I've also added 5 new chapters. Feedback would be brilliant as always.
Chapter 11 – The Lion's Den.
As Saturday approached, the excitement of the first Hogsmeade weekend grew and grew. Whisper and rumour of who was going and who with echoed off every wall in every corridor and classroom.
The most persistent and seemingly truthful rumour, from what Lily could make from the tangled web, seemed to be that James Potter had caved in and broken his two year exile by taking a girl to Hogsmeade. Charlotte Maine, the talented Ravenclaw seeker, who was as pretty as she was clever too. Which being a Ravenclaw meant she was very attractive.
The most, excitement seemed to be from the fact that James Potter had seemingly given up on Lily, and decided to look elsewhere, which meant the girls of Hogwarts were exceedingly happy.
"I've told you I'm not going" said Lily stressed, "I've told you all week, I'm not going today. I've no need to go, and I want to get my potions essay done."
"Fine, I'll leave it" said Emma, "You can stay here and be little miss boring, while we go have some fun" she finished teasing.
"Whatever" replied Lily, "there's just no point in me going. I have everything I need, and I've got to do some work. I'm going to the library, so I'll see you tonight" finished Lily stepping into the bathroom.
Lily set off down the tower stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room, intent on heading for the kitchens, before setting up to do her work in the library.
"Well, well" came a voice as she walked into the Common Room, "if it isn't Evans."
She spun to her right, to see a grinning Sirius Black sat in an armchair facing her.
"Alright, darling" said Sirius.
"Call me darling one more time, Black, and you'll never speak again."
"Ooh, feisty" laughed Sirius as he jumped up out the chair and began to walk towards her.
Lily continued her walk towards the door, "What do you want, Black? I'm busy today" said Lily, hoping to avoid the inevitable face off she regularly had with Sirius Black.
"Just wondering why, on a fine day like this, you aren't currently enjoying the fruits of Hogsmeade with an attractive young fellow?" asked Sirius.
"Well for your information, Black, I do believe Potter is there entertaining a certain Ravenclaw, is he not?" said Lily.
"Aha!" said Sirius gleefully; Lily racked her brains as she replayed what she had said. Had she really said that she couldn't go with someone attractive because James wasn't available? Surely she didn't.
"So I mention an attractive, strapping young fellow, and automatically your brain jumps to a certain speccy mop head?" said Sirius cockily.
"James isn't a speccy mop head" said Lily defensively.
"One; you just called him James" said Sirius, ticking off the numbers on his fingers, "and two; he wears glasses and has a mop head, he is a speccy mop head. Three, I never meant him anyway; I was merely referring to myself. This makes your comparison to James, more interesting and yet insulting to me."
Sirius continued now smiling mischievously, "Could it be that our Head Girl harbours feelings for the Head Boy, Quidditch star and Marauder?"
"Not a chance in hell, Black" said Lily.
"It's a good job we're not in hell then isn't Evans?" quipped Sirius.
"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" asked Lily, finding it extremely odd Sirius was in the Common Room on today of all days.
"Ah" said Sirius, looking down at his shoes, "a certain Head of Gryffindor found it necessary to give me a detention in an hour because a certain, smaller Marauder wasn't paying attention mid-prank leaving me to get caught, but we aren't talking about me are we? We're talking about you and James."
"You never quit do you?" said Lily annoyed.
"Not when the girl of my best friend's dreams won't give him a chance" said Sirius, quite seriously.
"Please" said Lily sarcastically, "haven't you heard the news? James has taken Charlotte Maine to Hogsmeade. Not me. He's over me."
"Ah, so you're jealous of her now?" said Sirius smiling mischievously.
"Me, no, no bloody way" Lily spluttered entirely unconvincingly.
"Unfortunately for you Lily, when you're a Marauder like me, you get used to lies and liars" said Sirius chuckling, "and that one was as transparent as Nearly Headless Nick."
"So" said Lily defensively, "maybe James has changed into something I can't entirely hate now."
"You never hated him" said Sirius knowingly, "You were just waiting for him to grow up, just like he was waiting for you to see the real him."
Sirius continued, reading the situation extremely well, "and now since he's grown up, and you've seen the real him, you're both a bit confused because neither of you knew what would happen when you both did. So, as a result you're both stand offish."
Lily was wondering how on earth Sirius could actually read a situation like this so well, as far as she was aware the most he'd ever attained from a relationship was in a broom closet.
"And seeing as he thinks you don't like him," he continued "I'm guessing you think he's grown out of liking you."
"Well, maybe the prize isn't as good as the chase" said Lily defensively.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sirius.
"He only ever liked me because I said no."
"Because you said no?" asked Sirius incredulously before breaking down into laughter, "Because you said no?" he repeated still laughing.
"Honestly, considering you don't wear glasses you really are quite short sighted" said Sirius regaining his composure.
"Well, look at all the other girls that he's been out with, he never stayed with any of them for long, and -"
"Wait" said Sirius, holding his hand up for her to stop, "what other girls?"
"The other ones he's been with" explained Lily.
"What?" Sirius spluttered, "He's never been with any 'other' girls, Lily. Ever since you had a go on the first day on the train, he's been infatuated with you, and only you."
"Sirius, you and I both know there are plenty of girls who James has been with, doing, well I don't really want to know what he's been doing with them."
Sirius stood and surveyed Lily, eyeing her up, as if to see if she was worthy of something playing through his mind.
"Lily" Sirius started, "against my better judgement, Marauder's rules, and most certainly James wishes, I'm going to show you something. Follow me."
He began to walk back towards the stairs, before turning round and staring at Lily who hadn't moved.
"Lily, this is a one time only opportunity. Now come on" Sirius snapped.
Lily began to follow him, up the stairs to the boy's dormitories. She could hear muttered words, in which Sirius seemed to be lambasting himself.
"Right, wait here" Sirius said, motioning for her to stop, just outside the door he was in front of.
Sirius turned gripped the lock, opened the door and slid inside. Lily quickly tried to peek inside, but Sirius was too fast for her and the door had shut before she could see inside.
"Into the Lion's Den" said Lily quietly to herself.
"Evans!" the muffled shout came from behind the door.
"Yes?" asked Lily bewilderedly.
"Repeat after me; 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'."
Lily scoffed; trust the Marauder's to have such a password, although she had to admire the level of skill it had taken to charm the dorm.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good" repeated Lily.
The door swung open, and Sirius was stood waiting behind it, "Right, I'm not sure if this will work, you're the first one to try it, so come in"
"Comforting" said Lily sarcastically, as she walked through the door. Nothing happened, which Lily took as a good sign.
"Welcome to the Marauder's room" said Sirius, bowing graciously.
Lily laughed and surveyed the room. Considering their reputation, and the fact they were male; the room was remarkably clean. No spare or dirty clothes on the floor, like she knew to be in other rooms, including her own. No towels or linen messed up on the beds.
In fact, if it weren't for the neat piles of clothes and books on their beds, Lily would have thought the room had only just been cleaned by the house elves.
"I'm impressed" said Lily, actually being so, "You four don't actually live in a pig sty."
"Well, Lily, we Marauder's run a tight ship" replied Sirius.
"Apparently so" said Lily still surveying the room, although now almost scrutinising it looking for any blemishes.
"So what did you want to show me, Black?" asked Lily moments later, "if it's anything rude, obnoxious or something that displeases me I'll hex you."
"Lily, my dear" said Sirius grinning mischievously, "surprisingly I reckon you'll enjoy this."
Lily roller her eyes, "Somehow I don't think so."
Sirius bounced over to the wall, next to the bathroom door, and waved his hand over the large picture portrait of a muggle girl in a bikini.
"Ta da!" said Sirius still smiling wildly.
"Sirius, if this is your idea of a joke, bringing me up here to show me some scantily clad girl, then my idea of a joke back will be to hex your bits off."
"Patience, flower" said Sirius. "All will be revealed with the gentlest touch. 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'."
The poster shimmered, before fading revealing a simple white piece of parchment containing three names at the top. Underneath Sirius', Remus' and Peter's names were initials, coupled with dates and various coloured dots. Sirius' had many dates initials and dots; at least a hundred, whilst Remus' had less than half of what Sirius' had, and Peter only had 4
"What's this?" asked Lily baffled.
"This is the Marauder's List" said Sirius, looking especially pleased.
It took a few seconds of putting the information on the board together for Lily to realise what it all meant. "Is this?" said Lily disgusted. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Depends on what you think it is, doesn't it" said Sirius cockily.
"Sirius, this is disgusting. I can't believe you made a list of your conquests" said Lily somewhere between being angry and being sick.
"We made it in first year, but in second year we charmed the doorway to read us when we walked in, but we can't remember which charm we used, which is slightly unfortunate."
"I still don't see how this has anything to do with me, Black" said Lily.
"Well, what do you not see on that list?" asked Sirius.
"James" said Lily, "Why isn't James up there?"
"Glad you asked old chap" said Sirius in an over the top pompous voice, before noticing Lily's glare, "Sorry" he said, adopting his normal voice.
"Well, James is actually up there" said Sirius flashing a smile, "well kind of."
"What do you mean 'kind of'?" asked Lily warily.
Sirius took a deep breath and seemed to weight his options before continuing, "James is up there, but he's never kissed anyone. All the rumours are untrue, so there's nothing to show for him on the list" said Sirius almost too fast to understand.
"What?" shouted Lily, disbelievingly.
"Well, it's not as if I didn't try to get him to, but he'd always say the same thing 'I don't need to kiss anyone else, Lily's the one for me'" said Sirius, imitating James in a whining voice, "quite pathetic really, when you think about it. Even Peter's got more than him" continued Sirius pointing back at the list.
"It's quite sweet actually" said Lily without thinking, causing her to blush.
"So?" said Sirius, arching his eyebrow questioningly, "you gonna tell him or am I going to have to do it?"
"Tell him what exactly?" asked Lily.
"That you like him, obviously" said Sirius matter-of-factly.
"Sirius, I…" said Lily stalling, "don't you dare say a thing to anyone about anything," before turning on her heels and marching out of the dormitory.
Hours later, Lily was sat in the library, scanning pages from three different books, and furiously scribbling on the piece of parchment in front of her.
Only a few first and second years were in the library also, the rest would be dotted about the school or out on the grounds, whilst the majority of the years above, would be in Hogsmeade.
"Six stirs clockwise, and one anti-clockwise, before adding…" Lily muttered to herself, flipping over the pages looking for the next ingredient for her potion.
Her concentration was broken, as the library doors were flung open, and a handsome fellow seventh year came running through, grinning wildly towards her.
"Lily, Lily" Sirius cried, "Great news!"
Lily took once glance over to Madam Pince to find her rushing towards the advancing Sirius with a furious look on her face.
"Out!" she shouted at Sirius, pointing towards the doorway behind him, "Now, Mr. Black."
Sirius didn't break his smile and turned to Lily, "Lily, I need to talk to you, it's really, really important", before turning back to the librarian and bowing courteously, "Madam Pince, a pleasure, as always."
Madam Pince's fury grew as Sirius spun round and bounced out the doors. Lily got up immediately and followed Sirius out the door, being careful to avoid any eye contact with the incensed librarian.
"Sirius, what do you want" asked Lily lethargically. Doing her essay for the last four hours or so, had left her in need of a good rest.
"Guess what?" asked Sirius, his eyes lighting up in a mischievous way that she had only seen in a Marauder's eyes.
