A:N/ Hey Guys! Okay so that last chapter? BEST REVIEWS YET! Did you guys really cry? No offense but that makes me really happy! You know that I could write something that makes people cry! This chapters a little weird just hang in there. I got some advice to make Aragog a little more...intersting. Here's to hoping it worked!

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LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU ARE THE BEST READERS EVER!

Disclaimer- Nope. No sucky track times for J.K Rowling.

"oh." Lily gulped.

She hadn't noticed how badly her legs were shaking until now. Aragog stared calmly at her, many eyes blinking slowly. Lily coughed. Her throat was dry and scratchy. Tension filled the air.

"Were you su-su-successful" she managed after a good five minutes. Aragog didn't show any emotion. He didn't say a word or twitch a pincer.

"I do believe I was. But I prefer to play with my food." he said after painstaking minutes of silence.

Lily rose her head slightly. Was he threatening her? She looked into his many eyes.

"So do you want to tell me about Hagrid?" she asked hastily, not wanting to talk about her being likened to a snack. Aragog flinched.

"That should not be your biggest concern Lily Evans" it said quickly. Lily's eyes became slits.

"Why?" she asked shrewdly. The spider shifted uncomfortably.

He looked nervous, Lily realized. Then she thought of Remus. Everybody thought Remus was a monster, but did he really have a choice? If she could accept a werewolf, shouldn't she accept a giant spider?

"What?" Aragog asked. Lily jumped, she hadn't realized she'd said the last part out loud.

"My friend is a werewolf" she said dazedly, as though this answer explained her previous comment. Aragog blinked.

"Lily Evans, I don't know what you are talking about" he said bluntly. Lily blinked rapidly, then looked at the spider as if she hadn't noticed a large acromantula in front of her.

"If I can accept that a man eating monster isn't really a monster, then I should probably give you a chance" she said quietly, eyes flicking between the spider and the ground.

"Plus not a lot of people come in here, so you probably weren't hunting for me."

The spider just stared. Lily backed farther against the tree she was grasping.

"That, Lily Evans was either incredibly poetic or incredibly stupid." it said finally.

"well. I suppose you have a decision to make" she said, unconsciously backing herself farther against the tree. "I do however enjoy poetry" she said scratchily.

Aragog was very confused. Had it not been a human who had forced him to his exile? Hagrid was not strictly human so he didn't count. But it didn't make sense. He had thought that all humans were heartless and closed minded. But this little girl. This little seventeen year old was willing to give him a chance? If he was hearing correctly.

"I am confused" the spider admitted finally. Lily raised her eyes from their resting spot on the ground. She smiled sarcastically.

"Dr. Phil for me is over. Would you like to try Oprah?" Aragog said nothing. Lily shifted her legs under her feet in an Indian style and rested her head in her hands.

"Would you like to talk to me about Hagrid?" she asked quietly. She figured that would keep him distracted from eating her until she could get out her wand. It worked.

"He saved me." he muttered, then his eyes widened then closed as though he was surprised at his own answer and worried of Lily's reaction. Lily's expression didn't change.

"from?" she asked bluntly. The spider opened half of it's eyes.

"Humans" Lily looked up.

"I see" she said knowingly. "were they hunting or exterminating?" she asked. Aragog took a step back. How would Lily Evans take hearing the barbaric tendencies of her own kind?

"Both" he said, not blinking. To his surprise, Lily nodded.

"It seems humans have problems with both of us" she whispered. The spider raised an eyebrow…..or at least Lily thought he did.

"Forgive me if I am mistaken, you are a human are you not Lily Evans?" he asked questioningly. Lily sighed and Aragog could tell this was a subject that had caused her deep pain.

"According to them no, because I was born to erm…non magical parents" she said angrily, eyes flashing. The spider's eyes widened in acknowledgment.

"You are a mudblood" it said knowingly. Lily glared and swore to herself that when she could move, she would tear the monster to pieces. Noticing the look on her face, Aragog backtracked.

"It is what you are is it not?" he asked quickly, for some reason praying that he hadn't angered the girl.

Lily thought about it for a moment. Mudblood. She didn't believe that her blood was dirty.

"no-" she started, but stopped. Why was she so offended by that term. Mudblood. She thought again. Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood. She continued to think it until it didn't even sound like a word anymore.

"just a word" she muttered quietly. Aragog gave a slight nod. Could the huge spider actually be right?

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" she heard her mother's voice said. Lily felt tears spring to her eyes.

The Eleanor Roosevelt quote had been one of Rose Evan's favorites. She'd tell it to Lily every time she'd gone to King's Cross. And before that, to primary school. I gave them my consent, she realized. Never again. She swore to herself. She refused to be ashamed of who she was.

"I am" she said, with a determined look in her eye "and damn well proud of it" The spider nodded again.

"as you should be" it said.

"Well. Isn't that just a coinky dink?" she said, coughing again. Surely she'd lost a lung by now. The spider blinked rapidly, a look of confusion briefly passing over it's features.

"What do you mean Lily Evans?" it asked, masking it's uncertainty. Lily let out a hoarse laugh. Lily rose in what she hoped was a dramatic way. The spider took an involuntary step back. Even disheveled and broken, Lily Evans was positively terrifying.

Her fiery hair flew around her face more like fireworks than hair. Her arms were rigid at her side. Her hand were clenched around a wand that Aragog hadn't noticed and her knees, locked. Her steps were incredibly painful but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at her. Mouth, set in a hard line a gust of wind blew into her face lifting her tattered clothes and hair. This was all scary, but it was her eyes that truly made Aragog nervous well that, and the wand. Green and stone cold, they were filled with pure determination and a refusal to be afraid.

Suddenly, her eyes softened and she threw aside her wand.

"I accepted myself, now it's your turn" she said softly, grasping his leg in a friendly gesture. "You Aragog, are a creature of nature. Perhaps not gorgeous" the spider huffed and Lily gave him a 'get real' look.

"But you are kind and were able to get me to believe in myself. You should do the same for yourself" Aragog's eyes sprang tears, but Lily wiped them away carefully.

"I do believe Oprah is finished" she said.

And then all hell broke loose.

Sirius was in the corner. Which wasn't usually weird. Except for the fact that he wasn't saying anything. Now that was a first. James and Hestia were in rapid conversation about Lily and Sirius was just standing there. What did I do? He thought.

The unbearable column of guilt that had been floating above his head, fell, crashing over him in a wave.

Sweet innocent Lily. What had she done to deserve this?

She'd been the one to slap Regulus when he insulted Sirius. She'd hexed Snape when he tried to get him from behind. She'd even stayed up until five in the morning with murlap essence and healing books on every full moon. Except for this one.

It was all his fault. All of it. James was his best mate, he should have known he would say something stupid if she went down here. He should have stopped her. And then he'd yelled at James. Surely he hadn't deserved that. Now one was missing or-... and the other was heartbroken.

To be totally honest, he hadn't even believed James. Seventeen and in love? Yeah, sure. But now? Sirius could tell just by the look in James' eyes when he'd found out. And by how he could hear him crying into his pillow every night.

A few days ago he'd even caught him with a picture of Lily snuggled neatly between two pages in his transfiguration book. James had found the rumored love of his life. And now she was gone.

Thanks to him.

Peter was feeling even guiltier than Sirius. But certainly not for the same reasons.

They don't respect you 'wormy' why don't you just help us The voice of Lucius Malfoy played over and over in his head.

He'd been so afraid, was it really his fault? No of course not. He didn't actually kidnap Lily. He just helped….find her. That wasn't so bad right? He'd helped James find her many times. Albeit he wasn't going to torture her.

But he really hadn't known about the whole Marauder ransom. If he had he wouldn't have done it…would he?

Maybe he would have. But so what? They hadn't even noticed his guilty expression. Or maybe it was because they all felt guilty….no they just didn't care about him. They never had. He was just a lap dog.

"I'll-I'll-I'll send you message" His own voice replayed in his head. And he had. As soon as Sirius told him where Lily was going, he'd sent a charmed piece of paper to Lucius. And it had gotten Lily taken.

Lily was always nice to me. He thought. What about that time she stayed up late to make sure you passed that transfiguration test and didn't tell Sirius or James so you wouldn't be embarrassed. They'd been so happy with his grade. But then again was that just a front? Peter felt as though a devil and angel were on each shoulder, like in his Saturday morning cartoons. But he didn't have a devil inside himself did he? He shouldn't have done it.

Then again they didn't respect him.

It was a full moon. To Remus it seemed like it was always the full moon. He barely recovered from the last cycle before he began the next. It was exhausting. But Lily made it better.

When she'd first found out she'd been mad. But not because he was a werewolf. If he remembered correctly, her exacts words when he'd told her were

"yeah I know. Your point?" and then she'd slapped him for ever thinking she'd hate him.

He hadn't ever told her, but that reaction had really helped him. He knew she was in the same boat being muggleborn, but until Hestia had yelled at them, he hadn't truly realized how bad it was.

Lily was a good actress. She'd never shed a tear, that he could see. Hadn't complained, or gone into hiding like so many others. But she was in pain, just like the rest of them.

But he hadn't noticed.

And that was the part that was eating him alive. He'd spent rounds with her for hours and studied for even longer. They'd even started doing "wolf sessions" where Remus told her all of the things he couldn't tell his friends because of what they'd say.

She was honest with him. She knew his secrets. And he knew that she loved James. And if he was right, so did she. But now she might never tell him.

And not only because she was missing and maybe-….but also because she was about to get mauled by a werewolf. As soon as the moon rose.

Hestia knew James liked Lily. She knew Lily liked James. But she didn't know how much he loved her. The love in his eyes reminded her how much her best friend had been through and how much she really needed James. Her will power was constantly battered by racist bastards. James had always been there for her. Even so, Hestia had never seen her cry once, and only heard it the week her parents died.

Lily didn't deserve this. Actually, no one deserved this, but Lily especially. Before she moved to the Head's dorm Lily wouldn't come back to the common room for hours because of some tutoring session. She refused to hex people unless they deserved it and defended those who couldn't do it for themselves.

She was the sweetest person alive. But Hestia knew better. When she wanted to be, Lily Marie Evans could be fierce.

Fierce and kick arse as Hestia liked to say. Lily wasn't a person that you pissed off, which was why Hestia was next to certain she was still alive. Because if anyone could piss Lily off, it was a Death Eater.

And pretty as she was, Lily got ugly when it came to Death Eaters.

For the next two hours James talked to Hestia about Lily. Only about Lily. Where would she go? what would she do? would she fight back? Or was she too hurt? The constant talk of her lifted the pain in his heart briefly, but he knew it would be back as soon as they got around to talking about the lack of red heads in the room.

He knew she said not to mope. But James hadn't been doing what Lily told him to for years. Why stop now? He wanted to find her. Save her. Be her hero. Even if he had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Actually, even all the reason more to do so.

She was worth finding. He knew that. Remus knew that. Sirius knew that. The whole damn school knew that. The key was finding her. She'd been very cryptic with her message….and that scream. What in the name of Merlin had found her? Please he prayed, not Death Eaters. If she evaded them once, they wouldn't be very happy now.

He had to find her. That was the bottom line. But he had to shake Hestia first. Now way would he get another girl captured or endangered. Especially not one Sirius had been eying for the past semester. His friend thought he was being secretive, but James knew the goo goo eyes well. They were old friends. No, not secretive at all. He liked her. So James made a decision. No way would she be going with them.

He stood up in determination, and as he did he felt a piece of paper crinkle against his leg.

A piece of paper that he hadn't put there.