CHAPTER TWELVE

Considering it would be the last welcome party the Marauders would be able to throw, they decided to go all out. James and Sirius were obviously in charge of planning it and Lilac spread the word. Remus and Peter were in charge of dealing with any wary professors and Lily just had to turn a blind eye.

"Enjoying the party?" Lilac asked as she walked over to her sister. Lily held a glass of butterbeer and stood by the wall, watching people sing and dance. Normally she'd skip these types of events and study.

"It's interesting. Does he always act like that?" Lily asked as James jumped across the common room on it's furniture. It was as if the floor was a forbidden surface and he'd die if he touched it.

"Sometimes he decides to climb up the tapestries, it's amusing, really," said Lilac with a laugh. Lily had to admit, the boy looked like an utter fool but it was one of his more lovable traits. Sirius was standing on a large table hyping up the party and Remus was making sure no one spiked the non-alcoholic beverages.

"I really judged them too soon, didn't I?" Lily asked feeling guilty for every harsh and undeserved word she had uttered against the boys.

"Maybe, but they don't mind," said Lilac reading her sister's expression. She gasped as Sirius grabbed her wrist and whirled her onto the dance floor. There was barely any time for her to give Lily an apologetic look before a glass of firewhisky was pressed into her hand and an arm wrapped itself around her waist.

"You're looking lovely tonight," he said with a smirk.

"Don't I always?" Lilac challenged as she danced with him. Sirius chuckled and looked around the common room. The first years had looked terrified at the beginning but were now enjoying themselves. Remus, of course, made sure they didn't get access to the alcoholic drinks.

"And they call me egoistic," scoffed Sirius teasingly.

"Well they're right."

Sirius nearly choked on his drink when Lilac's hand started to trail down his torso. She laughed and pulled away, walking over to where Remus was. The poor werewolf was busy trying to keep the refreshments table under control.

"Drink?" Remus offered as he held up an empty glass.

"No, I think I'll head out for some fresh air," said Lilac setting the glass of firewhisky Sirius gave her down. Remus nodded but grabbed her arm before she could leave. He tilted his head down to talk in her ear.

"You've been acting strange last year. Just remember that we're always going to be here for you. If you want to tell us something, please do," said Remus before letting her go. Lilac nodded and she went out. The night sky was cool and it quickly woke her senses. After the battle with the basilisk and all her run ins with Death Eaters, she couldn't seem to be able to stay in a suffocated space with many people for too long.

Lilac leaned against the large window and pushed the glass open. A cool breeze blew the scent of alcohol away and left just the scent of trees and woodlands. Hearing a footstep behind her, she whirled around and pointed her wand at the intruder. Sirius didn't look surprised to find her wand at his throat.

"Feeling better?" Sirius mumbled as he swatted her wand to the side. He was used to her new reflexes. Actually, he'd be worried if she didn't have them. There was no doubt Lilac would be getting herself into danger again and he wanted to be sure that she could defend and protect herself.

"Much," she said turning back to look outside, "you don't have to come out here."

"I'd follow you into fifty Basilisk pits if I had to," he responded before taking out a cigarette and a lighter. Lilac looked at it in disgust and frowned. She had made her distaste for his new habit clear but he found it relaxing.

"You're going to destroy your lungs," she said softly as he lit it.

"I'm a wizard, I can just drink a Chelidonium Miniscula potion," he said breathing out a puff of smoke.

"That's incredibly difficult to brew! You only got an Exceeds Expectations last year because I helped you," she said shaking her head.

"I never said I'd make it love," said Sirius amused, "you're the potions prodigy Slughorn always talks about."

"Actually the prodigy is me and Severus."

Sirius hummed in response and they looked outside, staring at the calm forest and the clear night sky. It was hard to believe that in a year they would never look through this window again. It made being there feel bittersweet.

"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Sirius asked quietly. "You're going to find the rest of the horcruxes?"

"Yeah, there's no other way," she said leaning out the window.

"Careful, you look like you're going to fall out," mused Sirius placing an arm around her waist. "This year, let me join you. I don't want to let you put yourself in danger alone."

"I'm not alone. There's Severus and Reggie," she said smirking at the older Black brother's expression. He made a face at the nickname she called Regulus and started blowing smoke rings.

"They're absolute shit at spell work," he sighed, "if you were facing ten Death Eaters they'd be the first to die."

"Actually," corrected Lilac, "I would. You-Know-Who wouldn't let any pureblood go to waste, would he?"

Sirius stared at her intently and pulled the cigarette away from his mouth before giving her a shotgun kiss, letting the smoke travel from his mouth to her's. It was a strange feeling and Lilac wound her hands through his curls. When they broke apart, wisps of smoke faded into the night air.

"Still feel the same about smoking?" Sirius asked smirking at her dumbfounded expression.

"Shut up," she said before walking back into the common room. Sirius laughed and followed after her. They quickly walked through the party and made their way up to the dorm. Both were shocked when they saw James snogging a sixth year Hufflepuff.

"What the fuck?" Sirius asked flicking his wand so that the boy's curtains were closed.

"Shit," cursed Lilac rushing out of the boys' dorm and running up to the girls'. There, Lily was crying into her pillow. Lilac sighed and sat down on her bed next to the girl. Lily rolled over and hugged her younger sister. "Oh Lily."

"I don't even know why I'm crying. I hate him! I don't even like him!" Lily exclaimed. "But when he… when he…"

"Lily, you've liked him since our fifth year. I know you've been trying to tell yourself you don't like him but because of that you've lost him," said Lilac grabbing a tissue, "maybe it's just a one-night stand. You might still have a chance Lily. He's in love with you, no matter what he says, he's still in love with you."

"Thank you," she said as she stopped crying. At first, the hug was awkward because Lilac wasn't used to hugging Lily. It was just like hugging Petunia however, so she slowly relaxed. "What do I do now?"

"Well, first you have to admit that you like him," said Lilac smirking, "James's charm finally grew on you."

"I'm not telling him that I like him!" Lily exclaimed, bewildered at the idea of it.

"I'm not telling you to tell him, I'm telling you, to tell yourself. You've hated James for so long that it's drilled into your mind," said Lilac rolling her eyes, "even if you had a crush on him you'd act like you didn't."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"You don't mind breaking the rules a little bit, do you?"

Lily gave her a stern look and Lilac rolled her eyes. She opened up her trunk and ruffled through before she found James's Quidditch jumper and threw it at Lily. Lilac took out Sirius's and put it on.

"Where did you get these from? You're not on the Quidditch team," said Lily as she put the one Lilac gave her on.

"That's James's. I'm wearing Sirius's," said Lilac with a sly smile. Lily's cheeks dusted pink and Lilac snuck into the boys' dorm without anyone seeing her and got James's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's map. It didn't take a lot of stealth as James was still snogging the Hufflepuff. Lilac knew that if she stayed any longer she'd hex somebody. She wasn't sure if it would be the Hufflepuff or James.

"An invisibility cloak?!" Lily practically screeched. "Is that how you five get around the school without getting caught? Does the teachers know? That's not illegal is it? Merlin's beard, where did you get that from?!"

"It's a Potter heirloom, James lets me use it," said Lilac with a shrug. She pulled the fabric over her and Lily before they slowly made their way through the party. Sirius was walking around with a frown, obviously trying to find her. Once outside, Lilac unfolded the map and tapped it with her wand. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Lily's awed gasps filled Lilac with pride as years of hard work appeared on the parchment like ink spreading through water. As expected crowds of names were found in the Gryffindor common room. There were more names in the other common rooms but their main focus was the professors walking around.

"Did you make this?" Lily asked. "Your nickname, Vixen, was on the front."

"Yeah. It took so long but we did it," she said with a nod.

"You five are bloody insane. You guys are such arrogant idiots that have way too big egos but at the same time… you bunch are brilliant," said Lily, the end of her sentence being spoken in a soft whisper. Lilac smiled to herself and brought her to the passageway into Honeydukes.

"You can't tell anyone about this, alright?" Lilac asked seriously.

"I won't," promised Lily. Normally she wouldn't make such reckless promises but she had vowed to try and be a better sister. Right now, her little sister was sharing a secret with her and she wanted to keep it.

"Right, this goes to Hogsmeade," said Lilac opening the passageway.

"You found one of the secret passageways?" Lily asked in shock. The five certainly did a whole lot more in their six years of school than Lily had initially thought. Then again, all Lily thought they did was make trouble and get detention.

"Actually, Remus found this one. Shocking, I know. We were messing around and Remus was practicing charms. He said the password right when we were in front of the statue, opening the passageway."

"That's… incredibly good timing."

Lilac laughed and soon they found themselves in Hogsmeade. She quickly brought Lily to a large cliff which stood in the middle of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. You could see both the village and the castle.

"No one can hear you up here," informed Lilac, "feel free to yell out whatever you'd like. Get it out of your system."

"Are you sure no one can hear?" Lily asked unsure.

"Don't doubt me, Lily," said Lilac with a smile. She walked up to the edge of the cliff and cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting, "everything Sirius Black does makes him a fucking prat but he's still extremely lovable!"

Lily laughed stared at her sister with newfound admiration. The two were definitely different. Lilac was shorter by an inch or so, her frame small but lean. Sirius's Quidditch jumper hung on her as it was far too big. Their personalities were different too. Lily grew up thinking Lilac was an arrogant bully because she was friends with James and Sirius. Now that she was actually getting to know her, Lily realized that Lilac would go out of her way to make people laugh if they were feeling down.

"I hate cheese!" Lily yelled randomly, just to test it out. It feel strange and she looked back at Lilac to see her smiling at her encouragingly. "I like to read! And… and I like James Potter!"

"But he's a fucking idiot!" Lilac added in her own yell. "So us Evans twins are going to teach him a lesson!"

"We are?" Lily asked confused.

"James may have told me he was going to move on but he needs to learn that I'm not the only vixen," said Lilac with a wink. Lily had a bad feeling about what her younger twin was planning. It could end well however, as there was no one who knew James Potter better than Lilac.


"This has got to be another one of your pranks," said Lily as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands were pulling her skirt down as much as she could and it took all her self control to not pull up the low neckline of her shirt.

"Relax, Lily. The skirt's mid-thigh and the neckline isn't even low enough to show anything," said Lilac rolling her eyes, "you dress like McGonagall."

"She's right," chimed Marlene from her bed, "although Lilac does have a good sense of style."

"I've practically grown up around boys. I know what they like," said Lilac with a shrug. Marlene smirked and she could see an idea forming in her head. It was probably Marlene trying to catch the attention of a cute Ravenclaw.

"And this isn't against the dress code?" Lily asked unsure.

"There's nothing on what you decide to wear under your robes. Trust me, Remus and I've read the rules quite thoroughly," said Lilac painting her nails white and gold. "You don't even need to wear robes today. It's Sunday."

"How can you be sure he'll even notice us in the stands?" Lily asked nervously playing with the hem of her skirt.

Marlene and Lily shared a glance when Lilac's lips tugged into a smirk. When a Marauder smirks, it means they have a plan. Whether or not it would be a good plan, no one would know. Lily didn't normally go watch the Quidditch try-outs but if she was going to get James's attention again… she'd have to sit through it.

"The boys are going to fight over who's jersey you're going to wear again," informed Remus when they arrived in the stands. He pointed at the two figures who were glaring at each other on their brooms. "They're supposed to arm wrestle but I don't think they'll settle for something that passive."

"Lily can wear James's jersey this year," suggested Lilac with a shrug. She saw Sirius glance at the stands and grin when he spotted her. The argument with James was cut short as he flew over to her.

"Isn't that my shirt, Vix?" Sirius questioned smugly as he eyed the large white dress shirt. His initials were embroidered onto the cuff of the sleeves, marking exactly who the shirt belonged to.

"I don't know anyone else who's initials are SOB," teased Lilac grinning. Just being in his presence made her overly happy and giddy. Their friends gave them looks as they thought that they were just friends with feelings for each other.

"Ah, only if you think of it that way," said Srius shrugging, "it could very well also mean Superb Outstanding Beater."

"Or it could mean Son Of a Bitch."

"Walburga is a bit of a bitch," agreed Sirius nodding. Lilac laughed and Sirius's lips curved upwards in a satisfied grin. James flew over, noticing how his best friend had lost interest in the tryouts.

"You're supposed to be helping me as co-captain," complained James as he nudged Sirius. His eyes scanned over Lilac and Remus before landing on Lily. Following what Lilac instructed, Lily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and smiled at him. For a moment James forgot how to breath and his hand slipped off his broom.

"You alright mate?" Sirius asked amused as James composed himself.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm good," stuttered James, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. He flew away faster than the seeker spotting a snitch. Lilac laughed and Lily also flushed red, noticing the boy's reaction.

"Damn, can you get Michael Quinte to react like that around me?" Marlene asked squeezing herself in between Remus and Lilac. "The boy's obviously head over heels for you, Lily."

"Prongs loves it when Lily smiles," said Remus casually, "he said that he'd buy an entire island to make her smile."

"I-I don't want an island," stammered Lily both flattered and alarmed.

"That's the thing about James," sighed Lilac leaning backwards, "he's swimming in money and hasn't had much experience finding happiness without spending money. I'd teach him a thing or two but I've already got one rich pureblood to deal with."

"Sirius is worse than Potter. He bought diamonds for me in our fourth year," said Marlene with a scoff. Lilac tried not to act like the topic of Sirius and Marlene's relationship didn't hurt. After all, Sirius had made it clear that they would never be together again. The fear that he would leave her was still there however.

Quidditch tryouts went well and it was obvious that the Gryffindor team would be hard to beat this year. Within a few minutes, the Marauders were all united. Sirius and James both babbled about Quidditch while the others had a conversation over school work.

"Has Slughorn attempted to recruit you into the Slug Club yet?" Marlene asked when they got closer to the school.

"Many, many, times," sighed Lilac shaking her head, "it's not that I don't want to join, I just don't have the time."

"The Slug Club is a waste of time," scoffed Sirius.

"That's because you didn't get invited," said Remus smirking, "apparently you aren't a bright enough student and haven't shown any potential in life."

"I'm smart," said Sirius defensively, "over the summer I studied charms with Vix."

"You read one page," deadpanned Lilac. James and Peter laughed at the face Sirius made. He looked utterly betrayed that she had revealed to everyone how little he had actually studied.

"That's because the new Charms professor Flitwick is teaching us absolute bullshit! Like it's such a useless class!" Sirius whined. "Only prunes like that class!"

"I like that class, you arse!" Lilac exclaimed as she hit him on the back of his head. Sirius winced and pouted.

"Prune."

The others watched amused as Lilac and Sirius bickered all the way into the Great Hall. A couple students were surprised to see Lily and Marlene sitting with the Marauders as the two had always complained about them before.

"Do people always stare?" Lily mumbled, tugging her skirt down a bit lower. Unlike the others, Lily prefered to stay out of the limelight. It was obvious that the Marauders held extremely good looks and they knew it too. Remus and Peter chose not to flaunt it but the other three used their looks to their advantage. The student body of Hogwarts either hated or loved them. Either way, they all knew who they were and some basic facts, as in who's in love with who, favorite colors, and favorite foods.

Gossip around the school traveled faster than the snitch on the pitch. If a Marauder started dating someone, the entire school would buzz with excitement and false rumors. Lily found it horrifying and pathetic. She couldn't understand why people followed them everywhere and why people couldn't just live their own lives and leave them alone. It was obvious that Remus, Peter, and even the other three didn't appreciate people snooping into their lives. Although Sirius and James seemed to enjoy the attention at times.

"If the way you dress makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to wear it," said James quietly, "don't force yourself to become someone you're not."

Lily blinked, letting the words process in her head. For a moment, she truly thought that she had just imagined James talking to her. After all, a few seconds later he was joking around with Sirius. It was the grin Lilac shot her that told her she hadn't imagined it. James had been observant enough to notice her discomfort and it made Lily feel warm inside.

"The new DADA teacher seems more jittery than usual, doesn't he?" Lilac asked as she glanced at the professors' table. The old white haired man shifted uncomfortably in his seat and his eyes darted around nervously.

"Can't blame him," said James shrugging, "no DADA professor has lasted more than a year."

"I doubt he'll last another month if he keeps this up," sighed Peter glancing at the man. Professor Burbell was a paranoid man and any mention of the dark side made him flip. Why Dumbledore hired this man, no one knew.


"Severus," she greeted as she sat down next to the Slytherin during potions. They had mutually agreed to remain potions again as they had worked well together the year before. That, and because of their horcrux quest.

"Lilac," he said as he cleared half of the workspace for her.

"How has Reggie been?" Lilac asked as she took out her book. Technically it belonged to Herpo the Foul but since he was dead, it was rightfully hers. She had found out pretty quickly that she could never run out of pages as more appeared everytime she used one up.

"I don't understand why you insist on using that nickname," said Severus with a scowl.

"Reggie? It sounds friendlier than Regulus," she said with a shrug, "did you want one? How about Sevvie?"

"Salazar Slytherin, if you call me that," growled Severus, "I will poison you."

"I was joking," laughed Lilac, "we both know that I call you either by your full name or Sev."

"He and Dumbledore have found the Gaunt ring," said Severus after a moment of silence. "Dumbledore's holding onto the ring for safekeeping."

"Which leaves the locket, the diary, and the unknown artifact."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they fell into their familiar work patterns. Lilac was in charge of collecting the ingredients and preparing them while Severus worked on putting it together. Sometimes they would switch off.

"They've started teaching me the dark arts," said Severus quietly while they waited for their potion to brew. "However I haven't used any of the unforgivables. I'm not of age and I still have the trace."

"Hopefully we can defeat the Dark Lord before you turn eighteen then," mumbled Lilac biting her lip. The prospect of Severus being forced to kill someone was terrifying. He was a spy and he had no choice but to join the Death Eaters.

"Have you done any research on the unknown artifact?"

"I've been busy in the muggle world."

"Have you now," he drawled before giving her a pointed look, "just remember, if you don't save the Wizarding World we won't have a muggle world."

"I'm working on it," she sighed as she rubbed her eyes from the stain of stress, "but I have a family and friends. I get that we're all going to have to give something up but if I don't have them, I have nothing to be fighting for."

Severus stayed quiet as he listened to her speak. He wondered if she also had trouble falling asleep and was always in fight or flight mode. During the first day of summer, his mother dropped a glass on the ground. The mere sound of glass breaking had Severus whip out his wand and anxiously prepare himself for battle. His mother was shocked by the wand being pointed at her.

"What about you?" Lilac asked, leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. "Whats keeping the Half-blood Prince from joining the Death Eaters for good?"

"Not much at all," he mumbled, remembering how his father would treat his mother at home. Lilac's eyebrows furrowed and he scowled, realizing that he had shared too much about himself. Now she'd pry into his life.

"And here I thought Reggie was why you haven't left," she mused jokingly, "I guess he isn't as good of an influence as I thought he was."

"Do you ever stop joking around?" Severus asked coldly. Lilac's amused expression didn't even waver as she checked on their potion. Her red hair fell like a curtain in front of his face and he scowled.

Severus absolutely could not let himself grow fond of the girl. After all, he was a Death Eater. Death Eaters served You-Know-Who and killed people who weren't pure of blood. Lilac was a muggleborn. The only thing that would result from their friendship was the death of one of them. It terrified him to acknowledge the fact that he'd make sure the person who'd end up dying would never be her.

Regulus had warned him not to get attached but Severus could tell the younger boy already looked up to the girl. Lilac had this charisma that pulled people in and locked them into place. She could see right through him even when he yelled at her and shout awful slurs. Unlike her twin sister, the slurs didn't have any affect on her. She even embraced them warmly and flaunted it proudly.

"Sorry, but I'm not Sirius," she said with a grin. Her puns made him want to drink a draught of living death. The fact that he found the pun a bit amusing made him want to crucio himself back to sanity.

"If you were Black I wouldn't be here," grit out Severus, "I'd rather gouge my eyes out with my knife than sit next to that dog."

Lilac blinked and stared at him. He wondered if he had said something wrong. When a flash of panic surged through himself, Severus mentally hit himself. He shouldn't care what her opinion about him was. Even as he told himself that he didn't care, he couldn't stop the relief he felt when she started laughing uncontrollably. That only made Severus even more confused however, what the hell was she laughing about?

"You're hilarious sometimes," she said as her laughter simmered down, "but Severus, even if you don't have anything to fight for, just know we'll be fighting for you."


AN: Hello! Thank you for the review that were left for the last chapter, that one was my personal favorite too. I'm glad people like reading about Lily since she's going to start becoming a big part of the story. I've gotten started on working through my writer's block and it's going very well. I've written so much that Google docs is starting to lag! At the moment I've written 138 pages of Plus One and each chapter is roughly 8-11 pages long. I'm really proud that I've been able to write and get feedback but I also appreciate criticism, thank you for reading my story and I hope you stick around to read the end.