AN: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers: MayFairy, ShootinStar, cara, Loslote, Alpha's Opinionated Law, and I'm-amazing-deal-with-it. You all are awesome!
Sorry its been two weeks; I was gone all week last week at a University. I also might be away from my hp next week but I think I still will be able to write.
Did anyone else go to Deathly Hallows part 2 at midnight? It was BRILLIANT!
*SEE END OF CHAPTER FOR SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS*
Red
Chapter 11 (I think)
"You don't look too good," Jacob commented as he surveyed my appearance.
"Why, thanks Jacob," I sighed.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," he laughed a little. "I mean you have bags under your eyes, there are scratches all over you and you have a black eye. And you're limping. What happened to you?"
"I fell down the stairs."
"Well, that's understandable, but can the stairs really do all that?" he questioned, gesturing to my body with a dramatic wave of his hand.
I laughed weakly. "I guess so."
"Nothing else happened."
"Nope, just those nasty stairs…"
"Then a simple healing spell should do the trick," he reasoned, drawing his wand out from his back pocket.
"No, don't bother," I put in hurriedly. Since they were actually wounds from Remus in his full moon form, they wouldn't heal with a "simple healing spell". They need advanced magic. The kind provided by Madam Pomfrey, but I wasn't sure she would be too happy to hear how I got such bad wounds.
"You sure?" he asked, looking at me with concern written all over his face.
"Positive," I flashed a smile. "So, ready for the big the match this weekend?"
Jacob grinned. "I think we can win this one. Potter is going down," he sneered. "Let's just say that if all goes according to plan, he won't be able to walk for a few days, let alone score."
What scared me is that he said it perfectly seriously. "You're not going to injure him are you?"
He shrugged. "A win is a win, and we'll do whatever we can to get that win. How we get there is of no importance."
"You're kidding. Right?"
"Does it look like it?"
"No, and that is what's scaring me."
XXX
Defense Against the Dark Arts went on and on. Professor McGillicuddy had been out for a week, and our substitute could not have been more boring. We had read and then discussed the chapter every day she had been gone. It was a big change, since McGgillicuddy favored hands-on teaching, so we barely ever read our textbooks—especially since we had been going over dueling recently.
I was sure that Sirius and James were asleep, as well as two other Hufflepuff students. I was the only one participating in discussion, and was eager to pass the duty of answering questions onto someone else so I could just rest my eyes for a bit. My eyes roamed over the class to find any kind of capable candidate for the job. It was then that I noticed that Sirius and James weren't there. The professor hadn't noticed either; he was still reciting the text to us. I bit my lip to keep from grinning. Class would sure get interesting soon.
From behind the professor popped up Sirius and James. They held one pointer finger up to their mouths and motioned for us to keep quiet.
James took out his wand and twirled I around in the air; forming letters that appeared on the chalk board. Everybody start sniffing each other. Just trust me on this one. the words he wrote said. We all obeyed, and leaned over to our neighbor and sniffed expiramentaly. The outcome was hilarious, and some people let out a few giggles. The professor frowned at us all.
"What are you—"
STOP! James's wand flew frantically through the air. We all sat still and looked at the professor innocently.
"Ah, right," he said. "Where was I…"
Perfect. Poking war starting NOW!
Everyone began to jab their neighbor with their index finger while the professors eyes darted around frantically.
"Please, get it together class," he said. James nodded from behind him and we stopped.
Very good. Now scream on the count of three. He held up one finger, then two, then—
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the entire class shrieked. The professor let out a yelp at the outbreak of noise and dropped his book. Sirius stealthily caught it and crept back to his spot at the chalkboard behind the professor.
"Class, please," he said shakily. "You need to—where is my book?" he asked sharply. He searched all around him and when he turned around to look, Sirius and James ducked as Sirius tossed it deftly to the Hufflepuff catcher sitting in the back of the class who caught it expertly. While the professor searched around at his feet, Sirius popped up and motioned for the catcher to throw it out the window. The catcher turned around to look out the window that was right behind her, and seeing that the grounds were empty, dropped the book over the ledge. Sirius flashed hera grin and a wink, and he and James snuck back to their seats in the far corner of the room.
"Well, ah, it seems my book has…disappeared. Does anyone have one to lend to me?"
We all had ours stashed underneath our desks, but shook our heads 'no' anyway.
"Class dismissed early, read chapter—"
His words were cut off by the scraping of chairs on the floor as everyone flew out of their seats and out the door. Sirius and James were up at the front of the class talking to the professor in fake tones of sincerity.
"Really sorry you couldn't find your book professor—"
"Yeah, what a shame—"
"I can't imagine where I could have gone—"
"Yes, yes, well you two best get going," he replied hurriedly, ushering them out of the room. A hearty applause met them once they stepped through the doorway. They took a swooping bow, and grinned at their thankful classmates.
XX
I hurried down the steps down to dinner. I was already ten minutes late, because I thought I had lost my wand but it had all the while been tucked behind my ear. I rounded the corner, and Snape came into view.
I quickly diverted my eyes and tried to avoid confrontation. He rushed quickly towards me, his eyes locked onto me.
"Lily," he said as he neared me.
"Leave me alone," I muttered, shoving past him.
"No wait—"
'"Don't make me hex you."
"I'm not a Death Eater," he blurted.
I froze in my tracks. I wanted to believe it. But I wouldn't let my hopes up only to have them crushed. "Prove it," I demanded.
He obligingly tugged up his shirtsleeve. His pale arm was plain, free of any polluting dark mark.
"How'd you…?"
"Someone talked me out of it."
"So you aren't a Death Eater?" I let the blooming hope seep into my voice.
His lips tugged upward as he sensed my happiness. "No."
"Sev, I knew you were smarter than that!" I cried, and enveloped his thin form in a hug. He tensed, but then loosely wrapped his arms around me as well. "I just can't believe it took you this long."
"Me neither."
"Are you in danger now that you quit?"
"No; got it all cleared with Dumbledore and he offered full protection."
I smiled. "I'm just…after all these years, I've been wanting for you to change ways and at the most critical time you pulled through."
XX
Everyone was down at breakfast late, taking advantage of the fact that it was Saturday and we didn't have any classes. Some people were still clad in pajamas, like Brittani. Everyone was relaxing, exhausted by their professor's load of homework. Even the professors seemed to be taking their time with the meal.
Brittani was on my left and James on my right, and the remaining marauders were sitting across from us, all in a row. James was trying to throw pieces of a biscuit into Sirius's mouth while Remus and Brittani tried to block his lobs and Peter and I watched in amusement. James threw a particularly high throw, and Sirius fell off his chair as he tried to get it. Everyone went into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Taking advantage of the distraction, James turned to me and opened his mouth hesitantly to speak. He ran his hand through his already messy hair.
"I, ah was wondering if you wanted to—"
"Hey Lils," Jacob interrupted abruptly. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" He shot one smug look at James, and looked back at me expectantly for an answer. I hesitated for a moment. James's head was hung low, and I could see the tips of his ears growing red. His brows were knitted together, and his eyes seemed to be lit with fire. All the others had stopped laughing by now, and were rapidly looking back and forth from James to Jacob with astonished expressions.
"So?" he asked impatiently.
"Erm," My brain stalled. Did I? Of course I did. I had already decided that I liked him. So why was it so hard to answer? "Yes. I'd like that," I said faintly. I was still in a daze.
He grinned, and shot a look at James. "Great. I'll meet you at ten, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"It's a date."
It was. And for some reason, I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I would be. I mean of course, I still wanted to go—
Wait. Did I really want to?
Of course I did. Why not? Jacob was seemingly perfect. Nice, easy to talk to, handsome, smart, athletic; perfect boyfriend material. But then again, there was no such thing as perfection. Maybe there was something that I hadn't found out about him yet, some thing that didn't meet the eye, or that I was blind to, or—
I mentally slapped myself. Why did I just have to assume something was wrong? Couldn't I just be happy with such a great guy? Why did I have to be so suspicious when there was really no reason for me to be afraid?
I decided the best thing to do was just to not think about it. I smiled, came back to earth, and took up a conversation with Peter. I couldn't happen but notice how quiet James was being. He was stabbing his eggs murderously, and his sharp calculating eyes darted back and forth. His mouth started to form words, and he started talking to himself. I gave him a look, which he ignored. I then decided it would be best to leave him be.
When he had devoured his plate, he stood up with the same lethal expression. "Excuse me," he said in a deathly quiet voice. We watched him leave silently. He stalked through the doors shaking his head and running his hand through his hair while he punctuated the air with hand gestures. I supposed he was talking to himself again, and I voiced my suspicions.
"Yeah, all the geniuses do that," Sirius said with a wry smile. "He usually does it when he's really, well, worked up about something," he finished.
"Worked up about what?"
Sirius opened his mouth again but Remus cut him off with a sharp look. "Things," he quipped tersely.
Brittani and I exchanged looks. We were both lost in this conversation.
"So," Sirius began. "Excited for the match this weekend?"
Brittani readily answered. I smiled; Sirius had been talking to her more recently, and it was obvious to me that he fancied her too. It wouldn't be long until Brittani had a Hogsmeade date as well.
XX
Previously…Lily Evans is back for her seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and has been appointed Head Girl. With just her luck, the person who irks her the most, James Potter, is Head Boy. He isn't as bad as she thought; fairly tolerable at best. They go to their first day of classes and she is his partner in Potions class. After Potter takes away her Transfiguration book, telling her that she doesn't know how to have fun and only studies, he forces Lily to go outside with him. He has her prove that she really can have fun by jumping in the lake. Later that day he proves that he really can't handle responsibility by skipping out on rounds. Lily goes to study with Jacob Dawson, the handsome, smart, quidditch captain from Ravenclaw, and quite enjoys his company. James is very irritated at something, and Lily picks up on this right away. He doesn't specify why he is so angry, though. He later admits that he is still irritated but decided he better just back out of the situation and let it be. Lily finds that Jacob can be quite possessive, but she decides that as long as he doesn't go too overboard, that she can deal with that. During rounds, Lily and Remus discuss the ever-growing threat of Voldemort, and the chapter ends with "Severus, finally you've arrived. Any news from the Dark Lord?" Lily cant believe it, and feels horrible that she couldn't have prevented it. James manages to talk her out of believing it's her fault. Brittani admits that she fancies Sirius, and Lily is expecting Jacob to make a move on her soon. Out on rounds by herself, Lily is cornered by a vicious werewolf and has nowhere to go and seemingly no means of escape. Her knight in shining armor comes in the form of a shaggy dog, who later turns out to be Sirius in his animagus form. All things are explained. Remus is a werewolf. The remaining three marauders are all animagi; James the stag, Sirius the dog, and Peter the rat. During the full moon they go out to be with Remus and distract him from the pain of transformations (the tranformations themselves are painful and he had also taken to harming himself because there was simply nothing else he could do.) Lily is impressed at their devotion and loyalty to their friend.
