CHAPTER TWELVE.

The Lion Within

"You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart." –The Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

I woke up to the sound of Hailey's deep calming breaths. I was quite used to these as she did them before each game. In, out. Always the same.

"Morning Hailey," I said, sitting up in my bed and rubbing my eyes. I yawned widely. "Ready for the game?" I asked her.

Her eyes were closed and she was concentrating very hard on her breathing. Today, she seemed a bit more tense than usual. "Mhm," she said.

I nodded and yawned again, getting out of my bed.

After my shower, I had to decide what to wear. I put on a pair of worn out jeans and a thick sweater. After that, I added another jacket, just because I was prone to getting cold. And of course, since I had to show some Gryffindor pride, I donned my red and gold scarf and a gold headband. I'm pretty sure my red hair would go along well. I know a gold headband was a little tacky, but it was a prank gift from Hailey one Christmas. She had wanted me to show a little Gryffindor spirit at her first game so she bought it for me. She got me other things as well; this was just sort of a 'Gotcha!' type thing before the actual gift.

After I was done getting ready and Hailey's continued calming exercises were over, Jennifer, Hailey and I all left the Gryffindor Common Room together and headed to breakfast. Jennifer didn't talk much and Hailey was strangely quiet as well, so we walked in silence. Usually, Hailey wasn't as nervous as she seemed to be today and it kind of tensed the atmosphere. I mean, she had nothing to worry about, did she? She said that they were going to win, right?

We walked into the Great Hall and the Gryffindor Table erupted in cheers as Jennifer and Hailey walked towards them in their vibrant red and gold uniforms. There was a strange excitement in the air for the first Quidditch match. The Slytherins were visibly sneering at us, obviously as confident as the Gryffindors about the winner in this rivalry.

We made our way to the GQT (Gryffindor Quidditch Team, for short), easily visible by their uniforms. I saw James, the same look of concentration on his face from yesterday. Today, there seemed to be some bags under his eyes. I had a feeling he didn't get much sleep.

"Eat up, eat up," said Sirius, pushing food towards Jen and Hailey. "Come on now, you all need your energy," he said. Strangely enough, he seemed to be the mother of this team. "James, stop your sulking. We're going to win this, are we not, Gryffindor?" he shouted in a mighty voice. The surrounding Gryffindors responded with an enthusiastic cheer. James gave a small smile, but otherwise didn't touch his food.

Gareth Grande and Sirius were probably the most enthusiastic out of the team. Nikki Kenneth was surrounded by her fifth year friends, a small look of anxiety on her delicate face. Jonah Freigh, the third year, looked a tab bit nervous. Okay, maybe 'tad bit' was a little off. Er, 'little off' was probably wrong too.

All the tension in the air surrounding the team was unbearable. Was it always like this? This was the first time I sat with the GQT at breakfast because I was never able to stand James and his cockiness. But now, I wanted nothing else to see some extra arrogance. It was better than this. I was afraid they were going to lose.

James stood up. "It's time," he said to the team. They all looked up at him and stood up. Loud, obnoxious cheering followed them out of the Great Hall.

Now I was feeling nervous. I had not been able to eat anything because I was catching whatever the GQT had. Millions of hippogriffs were flying around in my stomach and…

"Don't worry about it, Lily. They'll be fine," said Remus from beside me. I had just noticed he was there.

I turned around and nodded. "What about you?" I asked him. "Are you going to be fine?"

He seemed a bit taken aback at my question, but nodded. "I should last the match," he said, giving me a small smile.

"How many days?" I asked him quietly.

"Three," he responded. No eavesdropper would know what we were talking about.

Remus, Peter and I decided to head out early to get seats. I couldn't eat anyway, so there was no point in staying. There was a cold wind, but the sun was visible through grey clouds. Remus said it was acceptable weather for Quidditch. I guess if Remus said so, then it was to be trusted.

"You don't play Quidditch, Remus?" I asked him, trying to calm the nerves with conversation.

He laughed. "Nah, not while like this. Could you imagine me on a broomstick, flying around and dodging Bludgers?" he asked me, a light tone in his voice. "I'd be on the ground five minutes into the game."

I looked over at him and shivered at the thought of him hurt. As if werewolf transformations weren't enough…

"What about you, Peter?" I asked the small boy.

He squeaked. He did that a lot, I noticed. "No. I'm not very good," he said, shyly. Somehow, I believed him.

"You're not a Quidditch player, Lily?" asked Remus, grinning the trademark Marauder grin. Even though it was trademark, they all had their own way of doing it.

I rolled my eyes and smiled back. "No, I'm pretty sure James steered me off that course. I only came to the games because Hailey made me. And I have horrible coordination," I said to him.

We were sitting right in the front, the first row in the high stands. The time wasn't passing fast enough. I started to tap my fingers against the wood impatiently. But, soon my fingers were getting cold.

"Five more minutes," said Remus. My leg started to bounce up and down.

Then, Madam Hooch walked onto the Pitch carrying a box. Everyone erupted into cheers. Finally.

The SQT walked out first. Green and silver roared, or hissed if you would prefer. The rest booed.

GQT walked out and you would think the Quidditch pitch turned into a rock concert. Blue, yellow, red and gold boomed their cheers, shutting out the pathetic jeers from the green and silver. It was obvious there was some favouritism in the crowds.

I caught Hailey, James and Sirius' looks from up top. Hailey still looked slightly nervous. James' face was like a mask; no sense of nervousness or arrogance, just blank. Sirius was smiling widely, even waving around at everyone. That made me feel slightly better.

Madam Hooch ordered the Captains to shake hands. James stepped forward and grabbed Mulciber's hand. They both squeezed as hard as they could. James' face remained emotionless. Mulciber's jaw tensed slightly. I rolled my eyes. Males and their testosterone.

Madam Hooch said some words—clean game, fair playing, no body-checking, blah, blah, blah—and the players mounted their brooms. All players and Madam Hooch rose into the air. Hooch opened the box and blew her whistle.

Commentating on the match was Frederic Kipper, fourth year Ravenclaw. He started up immediately. "And Gryffindor Captain James Potter is in possession of the ball! He passes to Nikki Kenneth, to Jennifer Sampson, back to Potter—GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Three quarters of the crowd cheered. I was in too much shock of the speed of this game to even do anything. How did Kipper keep up?

"Slytherin in possession, Keeper Roger Bletchley passes to Chaser Trent Pucey—Black sends a Bludger his way, he dodges—OH! And Rodgers comes out of nowhere and sends one flying to his head—he drops the Quaffle, but dodges the Bludger—Sampson catches the Quaffle, dodges Mulciber—ouch, gets hit by a Bludger sent by Hornby, too bad—Slytherin in possession, Itheca has the Quaffle, passes to—NO! It's intercepted by Kenneth! Fast one, she is—it's passed to Potter, Potter to Sampson—she drops the Quaffle—OH! Kenneth regains it, shoots, SCORES! TWENTY-NIL TO GRYFFINDOR!" shouted Kipper over the crowds.

Now, I had time to react. I let out a loud, joyous whoop of delight. I saw James had a small smile on his face now, obviously pleased by the outcome. I smiled and watched as the game continued.

The game continued much this way, Gryffindor scoring often. Five minutes later, Slytherin started to get a bit restless and the match turned dirty. I didn't know much about Quidditch, but I knew enough to know that those moves were not allowed. And also because Remus was shouting himself hoarse from beside me.

When the score was seventy-twenty to Gryffindor, I noticed something was off with the team. Slytherin seemed to be getting dirtier (if that were possible. Small Nikki Kenneth already had a bloody nose and Grande was nursing a black eye), and the GQT was getting a bit anxious it seemed.

Despite their worries, they continued playing. Sirius lost his temper a couple of times and got a little carried away with his bat. But, we needn't discuss that.

Gryffindor scored a couple more times before I started to get worried. Mulciber and Hornby were eyeing Sirius with murderous looks. I was scared that they would gang up on him.

When I mentioned this to Remus, he laughed. "Sirius can handle himself. I'd be more worried if they were targeting Nikki Kenneth. She already got hit once," he said, frowning.

I nodded, but I couldn't help but feel anxious. Something was going to happen, I felt it in my skin.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN!" came Kipper's happy voice. "And what a great shot by Captain Potter. Excellent," he said.

I relaxed a little. Gryffindor was now leading one hundred ten-thirty. The match was basically in the hat.

Apparently, I relaxed too soon. I saw Mulciber and Hornby, a Bludger flying towards each of them. They both sent them flying and for a split second, I thought they were going towards Sirius. He seemed to think that as well as he lifted his bat. Then, all of a sudden, they were going the opposite way, right into Hailey.

At that moment, Kipper's voice boomed, "And Freigh's seen the Snitch! Look at him go! Where's Lancy?"

I didn't know where to look. I saw a Beater's bat fall out of someone's hand. Beater's never dropped their bats, did they?! Something was not right! I heard a high pitched scream and the crowd erupted into cheers. The noise was deafening. My eyes frantically searched through the air for any sign of the three beaters. Bludgers were flying through the air, but still no target.

And then I saw her, broom and body, both flying towards the ground.

Adnsdfndjvmaskda.

"HAILEY!" screamed a voice. It took me a second before I realized it was mine. She was falling, falling. I couldn't watch, yet I couldn't take my eyes away. Hailey—she was falling—my best friend—

I felt the tears in my eyes as she came closer and closer to the ground. Wasn't there anything—?

"She's slowing down!" said Remus from beside me.

And he was right. Her body was slowly, slowly but surely, losing speed. When she hit the ground, she didn't hit it as hard as she would have, well, before.

I let out a gasp and got the hell out of there. I needed to see if she was all right, if she was still breathing, if she was still in one piece.

I wasn't the first one down there, surrounding her. Madam Hooch was there, looking livid. Of course, the GQT was there, along with the Professors.

"What happened?"

"How did she fall?"

"Is she alive?"

So many question and not enough answers. I pushed my way through the crowd, trying to get as close to her as I could. Madam Hooch started briskly walking away, screeching at the SQT to land on the ground immediately.

Out of nowhere, Hailey was being pulled onto a stretcher and being brought away from the Pitch, lead by McGonagall and followed by the GQT. I kept pushing through until I reached them. Sirius was the first one I saw, he was holding her wrangled broom and Beater's bat. I ran up to him.

"Sirius!" I yelled, wiping the tears from my face.

He turned around, his face pulled down. He seemed shocked at my appearance and then walked over to me. "She's alive, Lily. Just unconscious. Come on," he said, pulling me along.

"What happened?" I asked him as we trailed the floating stretcher. "All I saw were the Bludgers, but that's it," I said, trying to figure out how it all happened.

Immediately, his face turned dark. He was looking straight ahead and his hands tightened on her broom. "I thought the Bludgers were coming for me," he said.

"Me too," I responded. "How did they do that?" I asked him.

"Typical Beater move. You aim for one person, but they go a different way. It's all in the way you hit it. I should have seen it coming," he said, shaking his head and looking in the direction of Hailey's stretcher.

"It's not your fault, Sirius," I said.

He smiled at me, but didn't answer.

"But, Hailey saw them coming, didn't she?" I asked him. "Couldn't she have hit them or something?" I still didn't understand what happened.

Sirius looked scary. He was glaring and his jaw tightened. "It all happened so quickly," he said, voice very low. "I didn't see it all, but I saw the Bludgers going towards her and her bat was falling through the sky. I don't know how that happened. She's never dropped her bat before…" he said, deep in thought.

We arrived at the Hospital Wing, a crowd of red and gold surrounding Hailey. Professor Dumbledore must have owled her parents because Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers were standing anxiously inside the Hospital Wing when we arrived. Everyone gave Hailey and her parents some space. McGonagall laid Hailey on a bed as Madam Pomfrey started checking for broken bones and such.

The GQT, Remus and Peter (I had no idea they were here) and I sat anxiously on some chairs magicked by Professor McGonagall. Grande now had some ice against his eye and Nikki Kenneth was cleaning up her nose. Even though they were the only ones really hurt, the whole team looked absolutely horrible.

Besides Hailey, I worried mostly about James. He didn't move, didn't do anything except breathe. I wanted to say something, but Sirius put a hand on my arm and shook his head.

"Nice catch, Jonah," said James suddenly, bringing everybody around to look up. He smiled at Jonah who opened up his hand in his lap.

There, in the palm of his hand, sat the Golden Snitch. I was so preoccupied with Hailey's condition that I hadn't noticed that the Snitch had been caught. Gryffindor had won the game.

Jonah's small little face was wrinkled in thought. "But, where was Lancy? It's like he wasn't even behind me," he said quietly.

No one said a word. I remembered Kipper saying something about not knowing where Lancy was…

Madam Pomfrey came towards us. "She will live. There is no need to get in a fuss. She had a couple of broken ribs and a broken wrist. But she is fine; I assure you she only needs rest. Now, please, go and take your showers," she said, wrinkling her nose.

The team seemed to be relieved at the news and slowly started to get up. Nikki Kenneth left with her friends; Jonah Freigh with his; Gareth Grande's girlfriend came to pick him up, sending glances at the Captain; Jen left with Alice. Only the Marauders and I were left.

I walked over to Hailey's bed and sat down next to it. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers were sitting silently by her other side, holding her hand. They were whispering silently amongst themselves.

"Hello, Lily, dear," said Mrs. Rodgers, seeing me.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers," I said politely, smiling at them.

"How're your parents holding up?" asked Mr. Rodgers. Our parents had met one or two times when we went over to each others houses in the summer.

"They're fine," I responded.

There was no more conversation anymore, only Hailey's deep breathing.

Adnsdfndjvmaskda.

Sirius left soon after, claiming he couldn't stand his own smell. Remus and Peter left with him to go to lunch. James stayed a bit longer, but left without a word ten minutes following Sirius. I stayed because I had nothing else to do while worrying about Hailey.

There was something terribly wrong going on. Hailey should have been able to defend herself with her bat. But, she had dropped it…

Nobody of the GQT knew what had happened to her. Sirius seemed to be the one who saw most of it. Everyone, James included, was too caught up with Jonah and the Snitch that they hadn't seen how Hailey had dropped her bat.

So, we were all left in the dark about Hailey's injuries until she woke up. She was sleeping now, all her energy was gone. Mr. Rodgers had to leave because he got an urgent call from the office, leaving only Mrs. Rodgers.

"Lily, dear," said Mrs. Rodgers. "You don't know what happened, do you?" she asked me.

I shook my head sadly. "I saw the Bludgers coming towards her and then I lost sight of her. But, Sirius Black said that she dropped her bat somehow, and I don't know how that could have happened," Mrs. Rodgers looked at me, pleadingly. "I've watched every single one of Hailey's games, Mrs. Rodgers, and I know that Hailey has never dropped her bat before. She's one of the best beaters," I told her, trying to reassure.

Mrs. Rodgers nodded. "I've never approved of Quidditch," she said, looking at Hailey's face. "It's too dangerous. Makes me anxious," she said, giving me a small smile. "But Hailey was happy playing, so I agreed to let her. Now," she took a deep breath. "Look where that's gotten her."

"Mrs. Rodgers—"

"Lily? Mum?"

Mrs. Rodgers and I both looked down and saw Hailey's eyes fluttering open. Mrs. Rodgers started to cry and I smiled.

"Mum, what're you doing her?" she asked, groggily. "Oh, don't cry, Mum, I'm fine," she said, moaning.

"Oh, Honey! I thought you were dead, when Professor Dumbledore owled us—"

"Mum! I'm fine! See, I'm not dead, I'm fine. I promise," she said. "Don't worry about me," she said, rolling her eyes. "Really, why are you crying, Mum?"

Hailey caught sight of me. "Lily! What happened?! Did we win? What was the score?" she asked, getting all excited. Then she winced. I bet she regretted getting all worked up.

I grimaced. "Gryffindor won. Two hundred sixty to thirty. Jonah caught the Snitch, right when you—"

"Really, Hailey. Is Quidditch all you can think about?" asked her mother, disapprovingly. "You could've died and all you want to talk about is that wretched sport!" she said.

I was taken aback. Mrs. Rodgers was such a kind woman; I've never heard her raise her voice. Not at anyone.

"Mum! What're you talking about? I'm fine. If it wasn't for that stupid Slytherin fifth year—"

"Hailey! You're up!" came Sirius' relieved voice from the entrance. "You had us worried there!" he said smiling at her. James followed, smiling too.

Mrs. Rodgers was frowning deeply and she got up. "I'm going to go tell your father you're awake," she said, walking away.

"Hailey, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her, watching her mother walk out of the Hospital Wing.

"I'm fine, Lily. Just a little sore," she said, smiling at me.

"What happened?" I asked her as Sirius and James sat down where Mrs. Rodgers had been sitting.

"You mean you didn't see?" she asked, shocked. We all shook our heads, wincing. "Well, it was all Tyler Lancy's fault, you know, Slytherin seeker. I saw the Bludgers going towards you, Sirius," she said, pointing. "But then, I realized it was a false trail, heading to me," Sirius nodded glumly. "So, I got ready to hit them, but Lancy came out of nowhere and knocked my bat out of my hands!" she exclaimed.

Sirius and James were furious. "HE DID WHAT?!" Sirius yelled getting out of his seat and pacing the floor in front of her bed. "WHAT A FUC—"

"Sirius!" Hailey yelled. "We'll just get him disqualified or something. Calm down. Let me finished my story," she said.

He sat down, still fuming. James was gripping the side of the bed, knuckles white.

"Since I didn't have my bat, so I figured I'd try to dodge them. But, Lancy had taken me by surprise, so by the time I turned to look for them, one hit me in my gut, hence the broken ribs and the other hit my wrist. I lost my balance and fell," she said, shrugging. "I thought I was a goner," she said.

We all winced at her words. "Someone slowed down your fall. Otherwise, you would have been," said James.

To our surprise, she smiled. "Well, I'm fine. Really, Madam Pomfrey can work wonders. It's only sore," she said, laughing at our shocked faces. "And we won didn't we? I bet Lancy feels really stupid now. He lost the Quidditch match trying to do me in."

We all laughed hesitantly. She was taking this way too lightly. But, that was Hailey, for you.

"What about my broom?" she asked suddenly. "It didn't get ruined did it?" she asked, wincing.

James grimaced. "It's not in horrible shape, but Flitwick and Hooch are trying to do some repairs," he said.

"Well, that's a relief," she said.

Mrs. Rodgers came back into the room. "Sorry, dears. But could I have a word with Hailey for a moment?" she asked us, tight-lipped.

James, Sirius and I nodded and stood up. We said goodbye to Hailey and promised to visit later on.

"So, what d'you reckon will happen to Lancy, Mulciber and Hornby once we tell Madam Hooch what happened?" I asked the boys. There had to be some kind of justice here.

Sirius was angry again. "Mulciber and Hornby will get away with it. Lancy will maybe get a three game suspension, maybe less," he said, hands clenched into fists.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed, mouth falling open. "That's it?!"

James nodded sadly. "Technically, Mulciber and Hornby didn't break any rules. They used a beating technique and Sirius and Hailey fell for it. It's perfectly legal," he said. I couldn't believe this. "But Lancy, I think Sirius is right about that, too. You aren't allowed to knock a Beater's bat out of their hands, but since nobody saw it happen besides Hailey herself and the match is over, there's a possibility he might not even get a punishment," replied James.

I couldn't believe my ears. A Quidditch player was laying in the Hospital Wing, recovering from a broken wrist, a couple of broken ribs and falling through the sky because some arse knocked away her only sense of defence and he gets away without a punishment? Where was the JUSTICE?!

James seemed to sense my mood. "It's the rules of Quidditch, Lily. There's nothing we can do about it," he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Since when do the rules apply to you two? Why do they suddenly mean so much now?" I said, angry at them for accepting this.

"We have our limits, too, Lily. If we didn't follow any of the rules, there would be no difference between us and a couple of mountain trolls on brooms," said James. They weren't offended by my accusation. Sirius was even laughing.

I didn't have anything to say, so I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. This didn't seem fair.

"Cheer up, Lily. Madam Hooch has a heart. She won't let him get away with it," said James, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry about. Sirius and I will put up a fight."

I was comforted by his words, but still didn't change my expression. What kind of pouter was I if it only lasted a couple of seconds? Not a very good one.

James laughed at me. "Even if he didn't get a punishment, Sirius and I will get our way with him. If his team doesn't first, that is," he said. Sirius started barking out laughs.

"What? What d'you mean?" I asked him. Aw, damn. He made me not pout.

"Well, it's because of him they didn't win the game, isn't it? If he wasn't so busy trying to knock Hailey's bat out of her hand, he would have seen Jonah flying towards the Snitch. And when he did, it was too late. We'd won the game," he said, triumphant.

Well, when you put it that way…

"So, really, Lily. You should feel sorry for the bloke. And by the look on Madam Hooch's face after Hailey fell, I'm sure they got it pretty bad. Look on the bright side, Hailey's fine. She was laughing even. If anyone should be upset about this, it should be Hailey. Don't worry about it," he said, arm still on my shoulder.

I turned and smiled at him. He smiled back as we walked towards the Gryffindor Tower.

Suddenly, I heard a loud growling. I turned around, startled. "What was that?" I asked.

James laughed as he turned around and faced Sirius. "Hungry, Sirius?" he asked, still laughing. He took his arm away. I almost grabbed it and put it back, but I didn't.

"Damn straight," said Sirius. "It's dinner. Come on, let's go," he said, rubbing his stomach. He pulled me and James in the opposite direction.

As I thought about it, I realized I was quite hungry myself. I hadn't eaten all day.

"Sirius is like a food clock. His stomach always knows when it's time to eat," James told me. "Very reliable, his stomach."

I raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "It's true. By the time we get to the Great Hall, there will be hoards of people walking in for dinner," he said.

I wasn't so surprised to see that he was right. I mean, he had done it before; that day after he discovered my letter, he said it was lunch, but he didn't have a watch. Anyway, I guess you could say that you could always trust Sirius on food.

"See, what did I tell you, Lily," he said, walking into the Great Hall. Indeed, there were people sitting down for dinner. I looked over at the Slytherin table and saw everyone's sulking faces. I smirked. Lancy was sitting with his fifth year cronies, being glared at by the older members of the SQT. They looked murderous.

Sirius, James and I saw Remus and Peter in out usual seats. We went over to them and sat down. "Hey! How's Hailey doing?" Remus asked as James and I sat across from them.

"She woke up and was laughing. So, I'd say she's fine, just a little sore," I said, grabbing food and putting it on my plate. My hunger was really catching up with me.

"Wow. That's great," said Remus. He was still looking pale and a bit tired.

"I think I'm going to go visit her again after dinner," I said. I wondered how long she'd be in the Hospital Wing for. With Madam Pomfrey, she'd be lucky enough to be out by next month.

"I'll come with you," said James from beside me.

I smiled at him and went back to my food. I had just realized how close he was sitting next to me. Not that I minded, of course, it was just unexpected. Our legs were touching. If I moved my arm a little, I would bump his.

We were silent as we ate until Sirius said, "Oi! Wormtail, you know that's disgusting," he said, giving Peter a look.

I looked over at Peter, curious about what he was doing this time. He had a piece of cheese in his hands, in front of his mouth, slowly nibbling. I was shocked. If he could look anymore like a rat, he would have fur, rat ears, a worm-tail and he would be thirty times smaller.

My mouth hung open at his image, a pure rat. I couldn't deny it any longer. No matter how rude it was, Peter somehow had something to do with a rat. There was no other explanation. And his nickname fit, so really, it was the only plausible explanation for it.

I turned away, trying not to be rude. Well, ruder than calling someone a rat, but you know. I didn't know how he was a rat, but that was something I could think about later. RatPeterWormtail. That's all I had to worry about for now.

Two down, two to go.

Adnsdfndjvmaskda.

"I have to stay here for another FIVE days?!" I heard Hailey shouting even before I entered the Hospital Wing with James.

"Hun, it's to make sure you get a full recovery. Please don't argue with Madam Pomfrey. She's only doing her job," came Mr. Rodgers' stern voice.

"Lily!" she said when I came into view. "James! Please, please tell these mad old people that I will not—cannot—stay in here for FIVE days! FIVE!" she said, almost hysterical.

Her parents were looking at her sternly and Madam Pomfrey was fusing over her. I wasn't quite sure what to say. I didn't want to get in middle of this.

"Er—Well, Hailey. It's better than a whole week, isn't it?" I said, hesitantly. Her parents seemed to approve.

"Lily! You can't do this to me!" she turned to her parents. "What about class?" she said. "Do you know how much school work I'm missing? And it's N.E.W.Ts this year, Mum!" I knew she was using this as an excuse. She would pass N.E.W.Ts regardless.

Her mother gave her a stern look. "I'm sure the Professors would not object, Hailey."

James spoke up. "Besides, Lily and I will be your personal tutors. I'm pretty sure Remus and Sirius wouldn't object either," he said.

I caught Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers' looks at James' proposition. They seemed impressed. I hoped he wasn't trying to impress them because of Hailey…I gulped.

Hailey looked betrayed. "No! Five days?" she moaned.

"We'll visit you at breakfast, lunch and dinner and any other time in between," I promised her. Class would be dull without her. I wasn't looking forward to it.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Five days?" she moaned again.

"Really, Hailey. You're acting like a baby," her mother said. "It's embarrassing," she said, giving Hailey a stern look.

Hailey glared. "Well, you're treating me like a baby, so I'm going to act like one. We need to have some sort of a compromise, here! I'm seventeen years old!" she said.

Then, Madam Pomfrey looked up at us. "No more visitors! Your time is up. Please leave," she said to James and I.

I gave Hailey a sympathetic look and she glared at me. I guess I deserved that. I mean, I did kind of defend her parents. But, there was no need to cause a scene.

James and I walked slowly back to Gryffindor Tower. I usually hated walking slowly, but with James, I walked as slow as I could. Time always seemed so short with him.

"I have a question for you," I said.

He looked at me curiously. "What is it?" he asked.

"About your nicknames, again," I responded.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Lily. Not this again," he said, sighing. "I should never have told you in the first place. It's better you don't know," he whispered, because of the other students around.

I ignored him. "Does it have to do with animals?" I asked him quietly.

He glanced at me but didn't answer. "What's it to you?" he asked me.

"Just answer the question, please?" I asked him.

He sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you," he said, hesitantly.

If I played my cards right, I knew I could get him to tell me. "But, technically, you're only answering questions. What if I guessed it?" I asked him, smiling my I-know-you-want-to smile.

He hesitated again. "Technically, I guess I'm not telling you…"

Almost there, come on, Lily. "So, you'll answer my questions?" I asked him hopefully.

He glanced at me again. "I don't know…" he said. "I've already said too much," he said. "Moony would kill me," he said.

"Okay, how about you don't confirm anything. You just tell me if I'm wrong," I offered, smiling widely.

"What's the difference?" he asked me, laughing.

"Well, if I'm right, you won't have to say anything, therefore you are technically not saying anything. But, if I'm wrong, you could just simply steer me on the right course just by saying no," I said, satisfied with my logic.

He considered it. "Well, if we're getting technical, I guess that works," he said, sighing. "If you figure this out, you know I'm a dead man," he said to me.

I smiled. "You trust me, don't you?" I asked him.

"Of course I do," he said automatically.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," I said, confidently.

"So, all I have to do is answer 'No,' or not at all," he said.

"Yup."

We arrived at the Fat Lady Portrait. James gave the password and we entered the Gryffindor Common Room. Sirius and Peter were playing a game of Wizard's chess and Remus was reading a book.

"We'll do this later," he whispered in my ear. "I'm pretty sure they won't be pleased," he said, motioning to the Marauders. "Common Room at two?" he said.

I nodded, not able to say any identifiable words at the moment. Blush was rising in my cheeks, goose-bumps were rising on my neck and arms and my legs were giving way. I sat down in the armchair quickly before people started asking questions.

"Oi! What were you two whispering about?" asked Sirius, momentarily taking his eyes away from the chessboard.

"I was just telling Lily how bad Peter was going to beat your arse," said James, easily, throwing me a grin. "Wasn't I, Lily?" he winked.

I wasn't sure how much of this I could take. I nodded hastily, smiling slightly. Oh, man. This was getting out of hand. I couldn't even talk, I couldn't—AH! Stop oogling him, Lily!

Remus looked at us over his book. His eyebrows made a funny shape at us, but then he looked away. I blushed again. I bet he knew. I bet they all knew. How embarrassing. UGH.

Sirius said some sort of angry response and chucked a discarded chess piece at James' head. He caught it easily and laughed. Damn him and his fast reflexes.

I excused myself from the Common Room once I was sure my legs were sturdy enough to support my weight. James winked at me again and mouthed 'Two' as I left. I almost had to sit down again, but I forced myself to get a grip. Really.

Once I got to the seventh year girl's dormitory, I went to my bed and started to breathe really deeply.

"Lily? Are you all right?" said a voice from the direction of Jennifer's bed.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I didn't know you were here," I said, blushing again.

"That's all right. How's Hailey?" she asked, coming out of the shadows.

"Oh, she's fine. She woke up just a little sore. She has to stay for five days though," I responded, smiling.

"I'm sure she didn't like that much," she said, laughing.

"No, not really," I said, agreeing. "Where's Alice?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "With Frank Longbottom. They're basically inseparable," she said.

"Aww," I said, smiling. Frank Longbottom was a clumsy seventh year Gryffindor. He mostly hung out with the other blokes our age; excluding the Marauders. "Leaving you a bit lonely?" I asked.

She sighed. "A little. But as long as she's happy, I guess. They're going to get married, I know it," she said, laughing.

I laughed with her. "Well, whenever they're together, you could always track me or Hailey down," I offered. Jennifer and I never really hung out that much. I'm pretty sure we'd be good friends.

"Thanks!" she said, smiling widely. "That's a good idea. And I'm sure Hailey would get lonely once you and James hit it off," she said, winking roguishly at me.

I blushed. My heart rate increased. "W-what? What are you talking about?" I asked her, trying to deny my blush.

She rolled her eyes. "We might not talk much, Lily, but everyone knows you two are going to get together sometime. It's just taking a bit longer than everyone expected. Plus, I've seen you two. It's cute," she said, laughing.

I blushed again and mumbled something in my defence. She merely laughed and brushed it aside. "It's okay, Lily. You don't have to say anything," she said.

Jennifer never was the snoopy one, or the gossipy one. Truthfully, I think she could care less about girly things. She obviously cared to some extent, but I think she preferred Quidditch. I wouldn't be surprised if that was what she chose as her profession.

I waited impatiently for the time to pass. It was only eight o'clock. How was I going to wait until two?

I got out my homework and decided to finish it for the weekend. I had a lot, but the more the better, I say. At least it could occupy me until two in the morning.

Adnsdfndjvmaskda.

I watched the clock in the darkness. It read one-fifty eight. Two more minutes. Two more minutes until I saw him again. These were probably the longest two minutes of my life.

I didn't even know why I was so anxious. He was a bloke for Merlin's sake. I was getting all worked up over a bloke. Really, really pathetic. But, somehow, this was different. I know I said that about Edward too, but really, this was different. First reason was because, well the obvious, he wasn't blond, nor did he have blue eyes. He had black hair with hazel eyes. Nice.

Second reason was because, obvious again, he was James Potter. And you could never expect normal with James Potter.

Third reason was because I never really felt like this with all my other crushes. I don't know how to explain it. Whenever I knew I was going to see him, my nerves went all funny. It's like I'm nervous to see him, yet I can't wait until I do. It's the strangest thing.

One-fifty nine.

Okay, I needed to focus myself. I couldn't forget the real reason we were meeting so late (or early, depended on which way you looked at it), not because I wanted to see him. Well, that was part of the reason, but he didn't know that. It was because I was going to find something out about the Marauders. Something incredibly secretive and incredibly big and possibly even illegal…

Two o'clock.

I got out of my bed as quietly as possible. Everyone was softly snoring, even Emily, to my relief. I thought she would be the hard one to defy, but apparently not. I took my wand with me and did a silencing charm on the door because it had that annoying creaking problem.

I quietly stepped down the stairs and into the Common Room. The fire was small, but I could feel its warmth from the foot of the stairs. I saw James on a couch quietly staring into the fire. I walked towards him and sat down.

"Okay, time to talk," I said, ignoring the fact that he looked absolutely wonderful in the firelight.

"Er, aren't you supposed to do the talking and I simply say no?" he asked, smiling wryly at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Okay then, should I start?"

He didn't answer. I took that as a yes.

"I just have to clear things up. This is illegal, right?" I asked quietly.

There was no answer. I was prepared for that, so I moved on.

"Illegal for Hogwarts?"

No response.

"Illegal for Ministry of Magic?"

Again, silence. He gave me a look like he was monitoring my expression. I didn't allow my face to change. I was going to make sure I wasn't shocked tonight. I had to expect everything. You had to when you were friends with the Marauders.

I stared at him. "And it all has to do with your nicknames and Remus?"

I felt like I was talking to myself. This was extremely annoying. But, it was part of the deal and I was getting what I wanted, so, I guess I had to deal with it.

"Do your nicknames somehow have something to do with animals?" I asked him.

He gulped and remained silent.

I wasn't sure how I was going to phrase my next question. If I was wrong, I'd seem like a complete lunatic. "And Peter's animal is a rat?" I asked, quietly and slowly.

I saw his Adam's apple bob. Silence.

Hmm. Okay, so now we were going somewhere. So, then Peter was a rat. I couldn't help it if that was rude, because it was the truth. Nothing I could do about it, sorry Wormtail.

But, Padfoot and Prongs. I still had no idea what those two were about.

"And Padfoot and Prongs, they're animals, too?" I asked.

Silence.

"What are they?" I knew he couldn't answer that, but I couldn't help it. I really had no idea.

He grinned. "Can't tell you that, Lily. Not part of the deal," he said.

I pouted. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea in the first place.

Something from before started coming back. "Are you these animals?" I asked quietly.

He gulped and looked at me nervously. No answer.

Whoa, how was that possible? Peter was a rat. Sirius was a Padfoot, James was a Prong. Whatever those were. I felt like I was missing something vitally important, but I couldn't figure it out. Something was tugging at me, and I knew it was incredibly close. I could feel it! What was it?!

"Lily?" said James.

His voice startled me. It hadn't been long since he talked, but I still wasn't expecting it.

"Yes?"

"Anymore questions?" he asked me, crooked grin on his face.

"Yes," I said, even though it wasn't true. I didn't have anymore questions, but I didn't want him to leave. I've been looking too forward to this for it to end this shortly. I had to think of something, quick. "What about last night? That parchment," I said, suddenly remembering. He said he would answer my questions, right?

"That's not a question," he said, grinning.

Well, it worked, didn't it? He wasn't refusing to answer. "Did that parchment have something to do with how you knew where Filch was?" I asked.

No answer. Hmm.

"Do you have some sort of tracking charm on people?" I asked him, my curiosity getting the better of me.

No answer again. Interesting.

"Does this have to do with your nicknames as well?"

James thought about it for a moment. When he decided whatever he was thinking about, he didn't answer.

Hmm. How many mysteries did the Marauders have? I mean, I felt like I was unravelling some part of the mystery only to find that I had to unravel a different part to finish unravelling the first. If that made any sense. UGH.

James laughed. It was a pleasant distraction. "You thought all this out, didn't you, Lily?" he said. "You haven't had any wrong answers yet."

That part was true. "I've been losing sleep because of you," I said. "You Marauders," I quickly corrected before he starting thinking I was dreaming of him and specifically him.

"Why are you so interested, Lily?" he asked me.

I hadn't really thought about that. Maybe it was because I couldn't resist not knowing something. I know, I sounded like an incredible nerd, but it couldn't be helped. If I didn't know something, it would tug and tug at my mind until I figured it out. Just part of who I am. Or, the more obvious reason, was because I fancied James and I wanted to know him. But, I couldn't go around telling him that, could I?

"I'm trying to figure you blokes out," I said. "You're far too mysterious for your own good."

James grinned. "Isn't that part of the appeal? What attracts the ladies?" he asked me, clearly teasing.

I blushed. "You're such a pig sometimes. I don't know why I'm friends with you," I said, attempting to punch his arm.

He caught my fist in his hand and held it, laughing. "Only joking, Lils," he said. Damn that cursed nickname. "But, how would the school react if they knew Remus was a werewolf and there were three un-registered—" James froze.

My ears perked up. "Un-registered?" I pushed.

"Never mind. Forget you heard that," he said, panicked. "Moony's going to kill me," he muttered under his breath.

"Un-registered what?" I whispered. So close, so close. That one word was on the tip of his tongue…!

He didn't look at me and groaned. "Don't make me tell you, Lily," he pleaded with me.

I was shocked. It sounded like I was torturing him. Like he was torn between telling me and staying loyal to his friends. I wouldn't make him choose. Even though I could, I wouldn't. After all, they were my friends, too.

I nodded. "But, if I guessed, it's not you're fault, right?" I said, quietly. "All you would have to do was not say anything."

He glanced at me, the firelight reflecting momentarily from his glasses. He didn't say anything. I took that as a yes.

I smiled at him. I think after this, I fell a little deeper in the puddle that was this crush. He was loyal to his friend and I respected that. It also made me weak in the knees to think about how this loyalty would be transferred in a more-than-platonic relationship—Stop! I couldn't think about this now, he was right here.

"Thinking?" he asked me.

I nodded, trying to hide the blush that was suddenly there.

"I'm kind of surprised you haven't figured it out yet," he said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "You're so close," he said, quietly.

"I know!" I muttered. "I'm not thinking clear enough right now."

"Maybe you just need sleep. If I know you right, I know you know this. You just can't remember. But, it's not something unheard of for you," he said.

"And the parchment? Have I seen that before?" I asked him.

"Probably not. But one thing at a time, Lils," he said, smiling.

I rolled my eyes at the nickname. "Why must you call me that?" I asked him.

"What, 'Lils?'" he asked, grinning.

I nodded, wincing.

"Because I like it," he said, shrugging. "It suits you," he said.

I blushed. He liked it? How could he possibly like it? I mean, it was hideous, really.

He laughed again. "What's so wrong with it, Lily?" he asked me.

"Bad memories," I said, sighing. "My sister Petunia used to call me that when we were younger, when she liked me," I wrinkled my nose. "And now, she doesn't like to talk to me because I go to a 'freak' school and she's scared she's going to catch 'freak' or something," I said, shrugging. "It just reminds me of her."

He seemed shocked by my story, but didn't say anything about it. "I won't call you that if you don't want me to," he said, after a while.

I considered it. Surprisingly, I didn't accept right away like I thought I would.

I shook my head and smiled. "No, it's all right. Besides, I need new memories anyway. The old ones are getting dull," I said, shrugging. I could get used to the nickname. It wasn't so bad.

Well, it was. But the thought of James saying made it a tab bit better.

James a bit confused, but agreed. "Okay. 'Lils' it is," he said.

I was tired, but I held back a yawn. I didn't want to sleep yet.

"Sorry, Lils," he grinned at the name. "The Quidditch match drained all my energy," he said, yawning. "I think I'm going to have to go to bed."

I tried to not let the disappointment show on my face. It seemed so short. It was always too short with James. I sighed. "Yeah, me too," I said.

He smiled. "Don't go too overboard thinking about this. It'll do you no good," he said.

I shook my head. "I'll figure it out," I promised him.

He sighed, getting up from the couch. "I know you will. I'm just worried about your reaction when you do," he said, quietly.

"It's that bad?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Well, I'm not sure."

"How're you not sure?" I asked him.

"Um, I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, Lily," he said, hesitantly. "But, you seemed to be more, forgiving, I guess you could say, this year. I don't know. But, maybe it is bad. I can't be sure until you find out," he said, ruffling his hair.

I stood up and put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, James. I won't freak out or anything. As long as you're not hurting others or yourselves, I'll try and keep my head," I said.

He smiled. "Can you guarantee that, Lily?" he asked.

I hesitated slightly. Could I? "Yes. I promise that I will try my hardest not to freak out," I said, holding my right hand in the air. He laughed.

"And you won't tell anyone, right?" he asked.

"James! How could you!" I said, mock-offended.

"Just checking," he said, smiling. "Goodnight, Lils," he said.

"'Night, James," I responded. Then, the Gryffindor Lion inside of me pushed me to do something very courageous. I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. But, that seemed to be the limit of my inner Gryffindor courage as I ran up the girls' staircase.


A/N: I must say, I'm quite impressed with myself. I got this chapter out pretty quickly, didn't I? Two days:D

Okay, so I decided we needed a little drama...LOL. Uhmm, so Lily's gaining some confidence with James, I know it's not much L/J action, but it's a little. One step at a time XD

I hope you all liked this chapter because I liked it a lot, a lot better than the last chapter.

When this fanfiction is over, I'm thinking of doing a complementary fanfic that is told in James' point of view. I think it'd be interesting to see James' perspective of this :D Tell me what you think. But, before that, I'm going to renovate, I guess you could say, this fanfic. I'm going to delete it and then repost with some changes along with a new title. Don't worry, most of it will be the same, but feel free to re-read if you want :D

So, that's all I have to say for now. Next update, Lily wil figure out their secret... :O

You know what to do...REVIEW! XD Love to all