DISCLAIMER: ALL CREDITS GO TO J.K ROWLING FOR THE INVENTION OF THIS WONDERFUL WORLD AND CHARACTERS THAT I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD IN LOVE WITH. ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE WORK OF FICTION AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL PEOPLE, REAL EVENTS OR REAL PLACES.
"Lily Evans, you slag," was what Kate greeted me with when I opened the door to our dormitory the next morning. James had insisted that I stayed in the Room of Requirement to sleep and when I tried to argue against him, he said that I was just going to get caught by Filch and then die from self loathing when I received the first detention of my life.
Which was not true.
I think.
Sirius and the rest of the boys seemed to find my vehement denial rather hilarious.
"How about you guys?" I asked in annoyance, crossing my arms over my stomach, "It's not like you guys can stay here,"
"Why not? We can have a sleepover," Sirius sat down on the bed next to me and tugged at the end of my hair, "Braid our hair,"
"Paint our nails," Remus added.
"Talk about blokes," Peter was smiling now, having broken out of his funk.
They stared expectantly at James who shrugged helplessly, "Eat?"
"You're rubbish," Sirius said, slapping him over the head with a pillow, "Such a shame to the Marauders. I put forward the motion that James Potter should be kicked out of our highly esteemed group,"
"I disagree, James is so much more pleasant than you, Padfoot," Remus said thoughtfully whilst Sirius scowled.
"Shut up," I said in exasperation when he opened his mouth to argue, "Quit it, you idiots,"
"We're not going to stay," James rolled his eyes, tossing the pillow back at me, "Don't worry, Lil,"
"You won't get caught by Filch?" I asked anxiously and then glared at him, "It's bad enough you're receiving detentions-,"
"Sh, I think I prefer you drunk," James said, clamping a hand over my mouth and I bit him, "Ow,"
"You deserved that,"
"I guess so," he said ruefully, shaking his hand, "But don't worry, you of all people should know that I know the school and its inhabitants quite well,"
I narrowed my eyes at the glee in his voice, daring me to ask.
"I'm not going to ask,"
"Because you already know the answer," James said cheerfully, "Magic,"
He and the rest of the Marauders were still laughing hysterically as they left the Room of Requirement, leaving me infuriated.
I had fallen asleep soon after that, drowsy from the alcohol I had consumed.
"Slag?" I asked doubtfully, throwing myself into my bed, "I don't think I agree with that,"
"Where were you last night?" she hopped into my bed, drawing the curtains shut after her to avoid the half curious, half disdainful look Hestia was throwing us. Hestia, for once on a Saturday, had decided to stay in bed rather than go out and do whatever social people did on the weekend.
"Where's Mary?" I asked, ignoring Kate's question.
"With Jonathan," she said, poking my ribs, "Stop evading my question, Lily. Were you with James last night?"
I spluttered, "James? Why would I be with James?"
"I don't know," Kate said cryptically, "Why wouldn't you be?"
"I was in the Charms classroom," I muttered, looking away from her, "Talking to a spider,"
"And that is where you spent the night?"
It should worry me that Kate didn't even bat an eye when I told her I had been talking to a spider, but I was too tired to care.
"No, Sirius found me," I said grudgingly, and then frowned, "How did he find me?"
Oh Merlin, please don't tell me Sirius and James both had that ridiculous ability to know the location of people in Hogwarts. It was bad enough with James lording it over me, but Sirius was a pain in the arse.
"I hope you have better taste than to fancy my barmy cousin," Kate looked disgusted.
"Ew,"
Please.
Sirius might be good looking and I supposed he was charming in a slightly off the charts way, but I was not the type to fancy blokes who belonged in an asylum, strapped to a chair. Or a bloke who, you know, had the emotional and mental capacity of a child.
"Don't you think he's rather fetching?" Kate asked innocently.
"Sirius?" I asked in disbelief, "Kate, he's your cousin,"
"No, James," she smacked me leg.
I eyeballed her from the corner of my eyes, "Do you fancy James?"
She burst into laughter at that, rolling around my bed whilst hooting like a downright idiot.
"Me? James?" she choked out through her giggles, "No way,"
"Why not?" I asked curiously, "You two get along, and like you said, James is decent bloke,"
"I don't know, it's just weird," Kate shrugged, lifting her hands to examine her nails, "It's like you fancying, I don't know, Remus,"
"I can see that," I said thoughtfully.
Remus was a nice bloke, he was smart and handsome and kind.
There really was a lack of good men around Hogwarts.
"And everyone knows there no real point in liking James," Kate said, her tone matter of fact as she rolled onto her stomach. Her dark hair tumbled down her shoulders and for the millionth time since I had first met Kate, I was jealous of her perfect, beautiful hair.
Stupid, perpetually tangled red hair.
I frowned, "Why?"
Instead of replying, Kate stared at me with a blank expression on her face, her brows creased.
"Er, Kate?"
"Sometimes I forget you're stupid," Kate sighed gustily.
"Hey-,"
"Oh be quiet, Lily. Honestly, I don't know how he does it," Kate shook her head, scrambling up, "Merlin, I want to rip my hair out in frustration,"
Was she still drunk?
What the hell was she rambling on about?
"Kate, what are you talking about?" I asked patiently.
"Just think about it, okay?" she kicked the curtains open, "And Lily, come find me, no, go find him when you finally get it,"
"Whoa, easy does it, Evans," James was laughing as he steadied me when I had crashed into him on the staircase down to the common room.
"Sorry," I said guiltily, rubbing at my nose before I added with a grin, "I'm surprised it's not Sirius,"
"Disappointed?" he teased, letting go of me and I rolled my eyes.
"Hardly," I snorted and I sighed, "I would have stayed in bed longer if it weren't for the fact that Kate seems slightly cross with me,"
"Kate?" he raised his brows, "Since when is Kate ever cross with anyone?"
"I don't know," I frowned, rubbing at my forehead tiredly.
A headache was forming and I was beginning to really, really regret last night.
"She saying I'm blind and stupid or something," I explained, hopping down the staircase, two at a time and beamed, proud that I didn't trip or fall.
And she keeps mentioning a boy," I added.
"A boy," he repeated slowly.
I scowled a little at the surprise in his voice.
Yes, even just the mention of a boy and Lily Evans, Gryffindor's resident shrew, was something of surprise.
Hardy har har.
I really, really needed to work on my social skills.
"I don't know how Kate works," I shrugged.
"Probably some poor bloke fancies you but you can't even tell," he said thoughtfully and I frowned at the pensive expression on his face.
I snorted at that, "Who'll fancy me? I barely even see people these days. Unless you're the Professors or the Prefects,"
"Probably one of them then," he smiled at me slyly, his eyes twinkling, "I always thought you had some tension with Flitwick,"
"Lucky he didn't find me last night then," I laughed at the thought, "Probably would have snogged him,"
"Is that what you like? Short and grumpy?"
"Don't make fun of my bloke," I said defensively and he let out a surprised laugh.
"Careful there, Evans, I think I may get jealous,"
"You should, Filius is brilliant,"
James rolled his eyes at that and I giggled, starting down the Great Staircase.
"How's your hangover?" he asked.
"No hangover, thanks to you," I nudged his side with my elbow, "Thanks for the potion,"
"Thank Sirius for it, not me," James said as he pushed open the portrait open for me, "He's not happy because it was his last one. He has to nick more from the Hospital Wing and Merlin knows how vicious Pomfrey can get,"
"Maybe you guys should quit getting roaring drunk then," I shot back and he levelled me with a look.
"That's a bit rich coming from you, isn't it Evans?"
I refused to blush at that.
I had nothing to be ashamed of. Except maybe for wiping blood on Sirius' leg.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Potter," I sniffed and he laughed.
"You should sing more, Lily," he sniggered, "Your song about the spider was spiffing. Utterly wonderful. Sirius is bugging Remus to teach him the lyrics,"
Oh Merlin.
"You two are such prats,"
"Ingrate, aren't you?" he asked as we sat down on the Gryffindor bench, "Should have just left you to be caught by Flitwick that night. Probably would have given him a heart attack,"
"You two were cheating," I huffed, pulling the plate of mash towards me and heaped a pile onto my plate, "Because you… You have some ability to stalk every bloody person in the castle,"
"I told you, Lily," he said calmly, inspecting a plate of chicken before he loaded it onto his plate, "It's magic,"
"Shut it, Potter, or I will dump the juice on you," I threatened, picking up the pitcher.
He clucked his tongue disapprovingly, snatching it away from me before I could make true to my words "So bloody violent, Lily, does your mother know you're like this?"
James stiffened as soon as the sentence left his mouth and I bit down on my lower lip when I caught the aghast look on his face. His eyes flickered down to mine immediately.
"Merlin, Lily," he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I was being insensitive-,"
"James," I smiled at him gently, "You were just playing, I know you weren't trying to be an arse or anything,"
I wasn't angry at all, I was far from that, I was too busy feeling guilty about the fact that he knew about my mother whilst I had no clue about his parents.
"Still," he sighed gustily, stabbing at the meat with his fork gloomily, "How is she?"
"She's doing well," I said, the words falling out of my mouth easily, much to my surprise.
For some reason, talking to James about my family wasn't as difficult as it was with others. In fact, I never talked about them to anyone. I hated the pity I received, the sympathetic and awkward pats on the back and hugs were unbearable. But James' concern felt more genuine.
"I got a letter from Petunia a couple of days ago," I informed him, nibbling at the asparagus, "Exactly three lines long. She's doing well. Stay at your school for Christmas. Bye,"
James winced, "Ouch,"
"You get used to it," I shrugged lightly before I sighed, my appetite suddenly vanishing, "I'm lying. It doesn't get better at all,"
We sat in silence for a long moment, both staring at our still full plates.
I wish I could mend my relationship with Petunia, I really did. At first, I thought she was simply jealous and slightly frightened of magic, and maybe, at some point when we were younger, it was just that. But now, it was something more, something worse. She wouldn't even look at me in the eye anymore…
And she was my only family now. It was horrible to say this, but I couldn't really count on my mother anymore, she was too fragile now.
"Alright, I need a new plan," James broke the silence, grimacing, "You going to eat?"
"Nope," I shook my head.
"Come on then," he stood up, dragging me up with him firmly, "Let's go,"
"Where?" I asked in confusion as he led me down the Great Hall, completely immune to the stares we were receiving by the other students.
"James," I was laughing now, mostly in confusion than anything else, "Where are you taking me?"
"Hogsmeade,"
"Hogsmeade?" I skidded to a stop
I looked up at him in disbelief but he just nodded impatiently, taking my hand in his again.
"James," I said slowly, enunciating my words carefully in case he had forgotten, "It's not Hogsmeade weekend today,"
"I know that," he was taking me towards the direction of our dormitories again and I struggled to keep up with his brisk pace. Why was this bloke so bloody tall?
Merlin, he really was mad, wasn't he?
"James," I was laughing again at the determination in his face, "Why are we going to Hogsmeade again?"
"I mucked up our day, so I'm going to fix that. Plenty of hours left in the day and all," he said stubbornly and glanced at the waiting portrait of the Fat Lady, "Acid Pops,"
"Indeed," she said, smiling down at the two of us with bemusement as she swung back to reveal the portrait hole.
"At Hogsmeade?" I squeaked, "That means we're going to be breaking the rules! We're Head students, James,"
My hand was still in his when we entered the common room, and it unnerved me just how natural it felt to be holding hands with James. I flushed when Kate looked up from the magazine she was reading from her sprawled position on an armchair, raising her eyebrows at us.
"Something you forgot to tell me, Lily?" she nodded at our hands and my blush deepened as I shook his hand away.
"It's not my fault James is so grabby," I muttered and James just laughed.
"I'll be right back," he said, "Do you need to go get anything? You might need a cloak,"
"Where are you two going?" she narrowed her eyes at us and I shrugged helplessly.
"It's a mission, Katy," James explained as he made his way towards the staircase, "Because I have committed a great sin against Lily,"
"Did you finally snog her?" she smirked.
Honestly, as if anyone could doubt that Sirius and she were related.
Heat pooled into my cheeks immediately and James smiled ruefully but I could see that the tip of his ears were red.
"Nothing as exciting as that, unfortunately," James replied smoothly and looked over his shoulder at me, "Come to the dorm, yeah?"
"Lily Zoe Evans," Kate sprang up from her seat as soon as he left, all but tackling me, "What is going on?"
"I don't know," I said honestly, "I really don't,"
"Where are you going?" she demanded but I shook my head again.
"I don't know," I repeated, before I added, "Hogsmeade?"
"Why did he invite you to his dorm?" she asked.
"Kate, you're really over analyzing this," I said in exasperation, making my way to our dorm and she trailed after me, "He probably has something to show or tell me,"
"What, his wand? Or did he finally get the balls to tell you that he's in love with you?" Kate asked innocently and I hit her arm.
"Why do you always do this?" I asked in annoyance, throwing the door open and ignored Mary's surprised look, "It's just James,"
"Oh, bloody hell, Lily!" she cried, throwing up her hands, "What is wrong with you? Where is that brain everyone keeps fucking raving about?"
I stared at her in stunned silence.
Kate and I rarely argued, we were far too playful for that. It was usually Mary, the quiet, sensible one, who got annoyed at our antics.
"What?" I finally managed.
"Just take your cloak," she said crossly, tossing it at me, "And Merlin hopes you finally manage to open your eyes,"
"You okay, Lily?" James asked carefully.
I had stormed into their dormitory, throwing myself onto his bed without a single word.
Sirius raised his eyebrows.
"Why is a girl in our dorm?" he pointed a finger at me, and then cocked his head slightly, "Well, I think she's a girl,"
"Oh, shut up, Black," I said half heartedly, watching as James picked up his knapsack from the floor, "You're really not as funny as you think you are,"
"That's a lie, I'm hilarious," he prodded me gingerly with his toe, "What's with your face?"
"He means your expression," Remus said hastily when I started to scowl.
"Kate's being an arse," I said, sitting up and looked at Sirius, "Why is she being an arse?"
"How the bloody fuck am I meant to know?" Sirius rolled his eyes, grabbing a magazine from the floor and settled down next to me, "You birds are insane,"
"What did Kate say?" Remus asked kindly.
Thank god for Remus Lupin.
"Something about me being stupid and blind," I repeated dully and sighed, "She's being saying that a lot recently,"
"Well, you are a bit stupid and- Ouch," Sirius rolled away from me when I hit him over the head with his magazine, "Prongs,"
"You sort it out, I'm not getting involved," James shrugged and Sirius looked at him in outrage.
"Well, my dear cousin is onto something," Sirius was still looking at James, a sly smirk curving his lips, "You are rather an unobservant witch, Evans. Not stupid, per say, but just too caught about in your own world,"
He turned to face me, his head propped onto his hand, "Really not your fault though. Everyone knows you're like that yet the bloke doesn't even make a move!"
"What bloke?" I asked in frustration, "There is no bloke! Unless you count Jeremy Fawkes but he's fifth year,"
The fifth year Gryffindor prefect came to our last meeting with an enormous bouquet of, yes, you guessed it, lilies. And then he proceeded to profess his undying love for me before asking me to be his girlfriend. Very loudly too. In a roomful of Prefects. I supposed it wasn't kind of me to start laughing like I did, but I couldn't help it, he was so adorably earnest with his sticking up blonde hair and baby blue eyes.
And he barely came up to my shoulders.
"Nah, Fawkes was at least outright about it," Sirius was smirking, "This fellow is a coward,"
James rolled his eyes, "Come on, Lil, let's go,"
"Wait, do you know who it is?" I asked, grabbing Sirius' arm and his smile widened.
"I think I do," he rubbed at his jaw, "Actually, I do know. And I want to punch his face in for being such a pansy,"
"Can you tell me?" I asked hopefully, "Then maybe I can talk to him and Kate would stop being so annoyed,"
"Oh no, that's cheating," he said cheerfully, "Isn't that right, Prongs?"
James, for some reason, was glaring at Sirius mutinously, "Lily, let's go,"
"Not so fast!" Sirius was up onto his feet, blocking the exit, "You're going to show her the map? Sorry, Mister Prongs, you show it to her in front of all of us,"
"Wormtail isn't here!" he argued.
"What map?" I asked blankly and Sirius smiled wolfishly.
"Lily Evans, you are in for a surprise," he said and James rolled his eyes as Sirius reached into James' bag, drawing out a tattered piece of parchment.
"A map?" I asked dubiously, holding the blanket piece of parchment in my hands.
"No, let's see if she can work it out," Remus said, stopping James from doing whatever he was going to do. He gave me an encouraging smile, "Go on, Lily,"
I took out my wand uncertainly, "Revelio,"
Sirius snickered at that, "Please, Evans, what do you take us for?"
I glared at him before biting down on my lip, trying to think. A map? A map of what?
Wait.
No… No way.
That wasn't possible.
I glanced up at the three boys who were all smiling and chuckling, clearly enjoying my confusion. Was it possible though? The Marauders, sans Peter (sorry Pete), were all brilliant and capable wizards… But this map couldn't possibly be what I am thinking of. Though it would explain a lot. I could still remember the night, now almost two months ago, with vivid clarity. James had asked me to turn around and had definitely taking something out of his pocket and said…
I cleared my throat.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," I said quietly, tapping the parchment with my wand and heard Remus and Sirius suck in a quick, shocked breath. But I was too transfixed onto the transforming parchment as furls of ink started to spread across its surface.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers are proud to present," I read quietly, "The Maurader's map,"
And then the writing faded, revealing an intricate map, filled with corridors, staircases and hallways and classrooms…
And moving, labelled dots. In the Gryffindor tower, there were four dots, L. Evans, J. Potter, S. Black and R. Lupin.
I closed my eyes.
Oh Merlin.
"You guys," I said, opening my eyes again, "Are completely, fucking brilliant,"
"How did you know?" Sirius looked put out and scowled, "James told you?"
"No," James was grinning proudly, "You forgot that Lily is also a completely, fucking brilliant witch,"
My cheeks warmed at that and I looked back down onto the parchment in amazed silence.
"You figured it out by hearing him say it once?" Remus asked, laughing a little, "Admit it, Padfoot, you're impressed,"
"Fine," Sirius peered over my shoulder, "So, what do you think, Evans?"
"The Prefect inside me is dying," I informed him, "Throwing a big old tantrum because we had no chance with you having this.., How did you make it? A Homonculous Charm? But that's really complicated and-,"
"You're such a dork, Lil," James said cheerfully, "Is that the first thing you think about? The theory behind the map? You don't look at it and see all the possibilities?"
"Of you four wrecking havoc?" I sneered, shrugging his arm away.
My eyes were fixed onto the parchment and I tapped James' arm in excitement, "I didn't know Malcolm was with Dorothy! I thought she was dating Quinton!"
The two dots were almost on top of each other in the Astronomy Tower.
The three rolled their eyes in unison.
"And it's Professor Dumbledore!" I giggled gleefully, pointing at the map, "He's in the bathroom!"
"Christ, Lily," James was laughing too, "I haven't corrupted you enough yet, eh?"
"What do you mean?" I pouted when he gently extracted the map from my hands.
"Mischief managed," James said and I watched in wonder as the map wiped clean. He folded it, placing it into the pocket of his robes.
"What James means is that you don't see the endless naughtiness you can get up to thanks to this map," Sirius said, tickling my cheek with the end of my hair, "Frankly, I'm quite disappointed too,"
"I'm Head Girl," I reminded them, "A shrill, prudish shrew, remember?"
"Yes, I remember, I'm just shocked that you knew," Sirius said and I scowled.
"Unlike you, Black, I am self aware," I said.
"I don't know what you could possibly mean, I know I'm dashingly handsome and charming,"
I snorted at that and turned to James, "So… Hogsmeade?"
"Hogsmeade," James grinned, "I'm surprised you're going along with it,"
"Well, it is the weekend and we don't have classes," I shrugged, "And I'm curious to see how you can leave the castle, undetected,"
"Oh, Evans," Sirius said happily, throwing an arm around my shoulder, "Get ready to open your eyes to a whole new, fantastic world,"
"He's being dramatic," Remus assured me but he was grinning, "Have fun, Lily. Buy me a Sugar Quill, will you?"
"Come on, let's go, it gets dark pretty quickly now," James ordered, pushing my back towards the door but Sirius didn't budge.
"No,"
"Padfoot," James said in exasperation, "Move it, you sod,"
"I need to teach a lesson to the two of you," Sirius puffed out his chest, "One, our dormitory is not Madam Puddifoot's where you can charge in whenever you want to see lover boy,"
I opened my mouth to protest against 'lover boy' but he clamped his hand over my mouth before I could speak. I considered biting him too, like I did with James before I remembered that Sirius was nowhere near as polite as James was. He would most probably bite me back.
"And two, because you both need a kick in the arse to get going, because Merlin, you're driving me nuts," Sirius finished, removing his hand from my mouth, "Alright, Lily?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you just said," I told him honestly and he chuckled indulgently.
I wasn't sure if I liked Sirius in a good mood. He seemed more dangerous, if that was even possible.
"Course you don't you daft bird," he tapped my nose playfully, "If you want to leave, Lily, you need to kiss one of the blokes here,"
I stared at him in disbelief, "What?"
"You heard me," he was clearly enjoying himself and he winked at someone behind me, "Do you feel the kick yet?"
What the fuck.
"I am not kissing any of you!" I spluttered.
"Oh, stop being a prude, Evans, it's just a kiss, surely you've done it before," he drawled, leaning lazily against the door, "And we're all fine looking men, even if Remus does transform into a wolf each month,"
Remus sighed, "Padfoot,"
"Lily, ignore him," James shook his head, "Move, Sirius,"
But Sirius just ignored him, grinning down at me challengingly. I could see it in his eyes that he didn't really expect me to go through with it, that he thought it was so bloody hilarious watching me squirm, red faced and embarrassed.
To hell with that.
I raised myself onto my toes, yanking Sirius down by the front of his uniform and kissed him quickly before I pulled away.
He stared at me, his expression frozen with complete shock and I shoved his still body out of the way, unable to keep the triumphant grin from my face.
Suck on that, Sirius Black.
"You're insane," I informed him, opening the door, "Really, really insane,"
"You didn't have to do that, you know,"
"You're speaking to me now?" I asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice.
Ever since we had left their dormitory, James had not spoken a single word, no matter how hard I tried to coax him into conversation, replying with only a few curt nods and grunts.
"You didn't have to snog him," James shook his head, "Sirius was just being a prat,"
"I know," I said slowly, fighting to keep the frustration from overflowing, "But I wanted to prove to him that I'm not just some stupid prude he can mess around with,"
"He wasn't messing with you," James said quietly, turning down the corridor and I stay rooted in my spot, staring after him in growing confusion and anger.
Really, at this rate, I was cross at all the seventh years in our entire House, save Mary and Peter.
"Why don't you guys just tell me what's going on?" I asked, running after him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to a stop when he didn't turn around. Merlin, this boy was so bloody strong.
"James," I pleaded.
Why was he being like this for?
"What?" he asked, his eyes still away from mine and I sighed.
"I don't want to go to Hogsmeade if you're going to be like this," I shook my head and looked up at him pleadingly, "Weren't we going so we could feel better?"
James was silent.
I closed my eyes in resignation and was just about to turn around and walk away when James sighed.
He finally tore his eyes from the floor, looking back at me as he nodded.
"You're right," he said, running his fingers through his dark hair, "You're right, Lily,"
"I'm always right," I said, relieved when I saw him relax, the warmth in his eyes returning, "And Merlin, Potter, you're almost as moody as Sirius,"
He smiled reluctantly at that, "I guess I am a little, aren't I?"
"No wonder you two are best mates," I shook my head at that and looped my arm with his, "Lead the way, Potter,"
"James," he corrected, starting to walk again, "I'm sick of Potter,"
"That's your name though," I said in confusion, "What is your obsession about me calling you James? Kate calls you Potter all the time,"
"After six straight years of hearing it said with such scathing loath, you really begin to dislike your own name," James smiled ruefully at that and I blushed.
"Why did you have to be such an arse then?" I asked teasingly, pinching his arm.
"Please, you wouldn't have given me the time of the day whether I was an arse or not," he rolled his eyes.
"That's not true," I argued immediately.
"Because of Snape," James shrugged carelessly, "He was your friend. You would have chosen him over me,"
I was silent at that. James was right. Severus hated James for reasons that even to this day I was unsure of. And it didn't help that the Marauders, save Remus who honestly wasn't much better than the rest, bullied the hell out of Severus. They were both unnecessarily cruel to each other, and I remembered the crushing disappointment I had felt when I saw Severus use Sectumsempra against James. It was one thing to use Levicorpus or to jinx them, but I knew what that spell could do. If James hadn't dodged in time, it could have killed him. But that disappointment disappeared when James sprang forward, ploughing his fist into Snape's face, throwing him to the ground.
James was, if nothing, a creative bloke and seemed to appreciate the fine arts of fisticuffs more than the average wizard did. In fact, I had thought with amusement as I had fixed Snape's broken nose, I hadn't ever met a wizard or a witch who resorted to actually beating someone up rather than using magic. The result of being mates with Black, that was for sure.
"Well, he's not my friend anymore," I said softly, "You are though,"
"I feel ridiculously pleased about that for some reason," James laughed, "Embarrassing really, since he's Snivellus,"
I sighed, "He was a decent bloke,"
"If you say so," James said dubiously before he tugged me towards the clock tower.
"Er, James?" I asked, "Don't tell me you're going to jump out of the clock tower,"
"Lily, your imagination never cease to amaze me," he chuckled, "Do I look like I have a death wish?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" I asked.
Some of the stunts and pranks James and the rest of the Marauders made me really question if their lifelong ambition was to die before they reached twenty. I remembered back in third year, James had levitated Sirius off the Astronomy Tower, carefully floating him down to the Quidditch pitch. Even though he had landed quite hard on his head, Sirius had bounded up immediately, keen for another go.
Mad bunch of loons.
"Sh," he took out the map, muttering the words quickly and frowned, rubbing at his jaw as he examined it.
"Alright, looks like Filch is in the Entrance Hall, probably telling off some juniors for breathing," James muttered absently to himself, "Dammit, why are there so many people in the study area?"
"Because exams?" I peeked over his shoulder and he sighed.
"Always an answer," he said and I swatted at his hair.
"Our exit is here," he pointed to the end of the fourth floor corridor, "But a few students keep going in and out. They'll see us,"
"No other exit out?"
"There are seven, actually," James replied and smiled crookedly when my mouth fell open, "This one leads us exactly where I want to go,"
"Which is?"
"A surprise," he closed the map, shoving it in his pockets, "Alright, Lily. Since you made a leap of faith by trusting me enough to follow me out of Hogwarts, when for all you know, I might kill you and then bury you in the Forbidden Forest-,"
"What?" I laughed at the absurdity of it all, "Kill me? What makes you think you can take me on?"
"I don't know, want to find out?" he asked, spinning his wand between his fingers lazily, his smile insouciant.
"Silly James, we can't lose a Head Boy," I said condescendingly, "Dumbledore will have to go through the trouble to find a new one,"
"Cocky little thing, aren't you?" he rolled his eyes, "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, Lily Evans, I have decided that I too, can trust you,"
"Um. Okay?"
"Prepare to be blown away," James said dramatically and reached into his bag to take out a silvery cloak.
"Um, nice cloak, Potter. Really goes well with your eyes," I said uncertainly, squinting at the cloak. It was made of a strange, flowing material, seeming to ripple like water at every touch.
"Sarcasm, Lily Evans, is the lowest form of wit," James grinned widely before he swung the cloak over himself, disappearing.
I could hear him laugh when my mouth fell open, my eyes bugging out in shock, even though I couldn't see him.
"What the fuck, James," I breathed when he appeared again, his head floating in the air eerily, "Is that an Invisibility Cloak?"
"Is there anything you don't know?" James grumbled, shucking the cloak off and handed it to my eagerly outstretched hands.
The cloak felt exactly as it looked, smooth, almost slippery in my fingers and feather light.
"I read a lot," I said as an explanation, "Like, a lot,"
It was actually quite embarrassing, really, the amount of books I had stacked in my room, both at home and at my dorm room. Hestia and Kate were forever stumbling over them, stubbing their toes on the large, heavy tomes of books I had scattered around our room. I had received a fair share of threats and swears over the few years because of them.
"I believe you," James chuckled, "Now, quit gawking at it. We should make a move on,"
"Where in Merlin did you find this, James?" I asked in wonder, letting him draw me close as he threw the cloak over the two of us, "These are incredibly rare, aren't they?"
"Family heirloom," he gently guided me, "You might want to shuffle your feet a bit, Lily, rather than stomp around. There really is no point in being invisible if the whole bloody castle can hear you,"
I immediately quietened my footfalls guilty
Hm. I had forgotten momentarily how filthy rich James' family was. Honestly, what sort of families had heirlooms?
"What are we doing here?" I whispered to James.
We were standing in front of large mirror that rested inconspicuously against the wall at the end of the corridor, hanging in between several tapestries. In fact, I wouldn't have noticed it and would have dismissed it as one of Hogwarts' many decorations, if James hadn't stopped in front of it.
I watched as James glanced over his shoulder, making sure that no one was in the corridor with us, before he reached out, tapping the surface of the mirror with his wand. My lips parted when the mirror's surface disappeared, changing into a door.
"James," I breathed in wonder and he just flashed me a quick grin before twisting open the handle.
"How did you find this place?" I asked curiously, watching as the entrance disappeared, "Lumos,"
The light that we were standing in a large room with high ceilings, devoid of any windows.
"Better half of our second and first years was dedicated to exploring the castle back to front," James explained and started to walk towards the back of the room, "We spent nights just sneaking around, testing everything,"
"You guys are awful,"
"No, we're wonderful," he corrected.
"I hate you, I really do," I moaned, "All the years I spent scolding you four... I had no idea at all what you guys were really up to, didn't I?"
"Nope, not even half," he laughed when I covered my eyes with my hands.
"Don't be too harsh on yourself, Evans," James said in faux sympathy, "We're more than just looks you know,"
"Even Peter?" I asked, dropping my hands and felt immediately guilty for asking. But I couldn't help it. James, Remus and Sirius were all perfectly brilliant wizards but Peter…
"Wormy just lacks the confidence," James shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets, "He's a good wizard when he has enough conviction,"
"Really," I said uncertainly.
I had once watched Peter set fire to his own eyebrows. Unfortunately, this was not back in first year where such accidents were quite common amongst our peers.
This happened last week.
"Yes," James laughed a little, "You're making a grave mistake underestimating, Pete. Ask Sirius. I bet you never though little Wormtail could knock Padfoot out,"
"He what?" I asked in disbelief.
"His spell might have accidentally backfired, but it's the end result that matters, isn't it?" he asked cheerfully,
I hummed.
James tapped the bricks of the wall twice and I watched, fascinated as always, as the bricks folded away to form a small, passageway. I peered into the dark dubiously, glancing at James wide smile. His eyes were positively sparkling with excitement.
"Come along, Evans," he took my hand, "We have a lot to do,"
"Would you rather be born a Squib or a Muggle?"
I hesitated, thinking through the question carefully before replying.
"A Muggle,"
We had spent the last ten minutes or so, asking questions back and forth as we walked in the dark tunnels, the only light coming from the ends of our wands. James had asked quite a few ridiculous questions which really made me question his sanity, but he redeemed himself by asking a few decent ones.
James looked thoughtful, "Yeah?"
"Being a Squib must be awful," I said, shivering slightly.
We had been travelling inside the tunnel for a good ten minutes and it was deathly cold and damp inside the darkness and I had slipped on the rocks at least twenty times.
"Being part of all the magic yet being unable to take part in it," I explained to him, "No wonder Filch is so bitter,"
"I've met plenty of perfectly pleasant Squibs in my life," James snorted dismissively, "Filch just has a stick rammed high up his arse,"
I laughed, nudging his side, "You guys should cut him some slack, I think he aged twenty times over the last seven years because of you four,"
"He'll miss us when we're gone," James shrugged easily, "So you'd rather be a Muggle?"
"Because being a Muggle can be fun, I mean if you don't know about the magic world," I said and grabbed onto his arm as I tripped over a loose rock, "Sorry. Anyway, I suppose it might be horrible because I'm going to be missing out on the incredible things about magic… But I'll also not know about Voldemort. Ignorance is bliss, you know?"
"I know what you mean," James sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up further and I fought the urge to smooth it down.
"How about you?"
"I'd rather be a Squib," James grinned, "Maybe I'll still have my Quidditch skills. That has nothing to do with magical ability,"
"Quidditch," I scoffed, "Is that all you care about?"
"Quidditch, good food, good mates," he threw an arm around my shoulder, bringing me close, "What more do I need?"
"I need to get out of this tunnel," I told him, "How much longer?"
"Don't worry, just a little longer," he assured me.
"You said that ten minutes ago," I whined and he laughed.
"Merlin, Lily, I had no idea you would be so impatient," he shook his head, "I had this whole image built up of you in the last seven years and you broke it down in all but a day,"
"I'm sorry I'm not perfect," I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be Lily, this is so much better than I ever imagined," he was still chuckling, "But I had no idea you would be so damn clumsy or so loony,"
"Hey," I started but he just shook his head before I could complain.
"It's a good thing," he insisted, "Perfect is boring,"
"So you thought I was boring?" I teased and he rolled his eyes.
"I thought you would be different," he smiled down at me, his eyes warm, "But I should have known. You're Lily Evans,"
"What's the supposed to mean?"
"That you're pretty damn special," he said.
Heat flooded immediately to my cheeks at that, and even in the cold, the back of my neck was hot.
Did he really think that?
I always thought I was fairly ordinary, in fact, I was pretty plain, inside out. I mean, come on, the most excitement I got this week was when I found an extra quill at the bottom of my bag. But the way James looked at me, his eyes bright, a crooked smile quirking his lips, made me wonder if maybe there was more to myself than I had realised.
"Okay, Lils," James said, apparently not noticing my embarrassment, "We're here,"
"Where's here?" I asked suspiciously and he grinned, taking my hand before leading me to a small trapdoor.
"Patience is a virtue, Lily Evans," James chided, pushing open the trapdoor, "Should b more virtuous, don't you reckon?"
"Sod off, Potter," I said and he laughed, hauling me up through the door.
I looked around, my lips parting in surprise as I took in our surroundings. We were on top of a hill, the view of Hogsmeade village sprawled beneath us, a beautiful patchwork of cobbled stones and cottages.
The trapdoor was all but invisible against the pile of rocks around it, camouflaging it from an unknowing eye.
"Wow," I breathed, and I turned to face him, a smile breaking through my features, "This place is brilliant,"
"I know," James threw himself down on the grass, grinning up at me, "Thought we could use a breather,"
I took a deep breath, the sharp scent of pine leaves and grass filling my nose, almost unbelievably fresh in the cold air.
"I love it here," I said happily, settling down on the grass next to him, "It's peaceful,"
"Isn't it?" James asked, he was lying down, his eyes closed, "The lads don't like it here. Thinks it's boring,"
"I suppose it does lack the explosions that Black is so partial to," I said drily and poked his stomach, "Hand it over,"
"What?" he asked in surprise.
"Whatever food is in your bag," I said, reaching over him to grab at the knapsack, "I know you brought food,'
"Nothing ever slips by you, does it Evans?" he laughed, cracking open an eyelid as he watched me dig through his bag.
"Nope," I said cheerfully, "Merlin, where did you get all this?"
The bag was crammed with sweets, flasks of pumpkin juice, a few fruits and pies. He hadn't even left to the kitchens, so when did he get these?
"We have a lot of food in our dorm," he admitted, propping himself onto an elbow, his glasses sliding down his nose, "Remus has an appetite like you wouldn't believe,"
"Really?" I unwrapped the chocolate, popping a piece into his waiting mouth, "How is he?"
"Moony?" James frowned a little, pursing his lips, "He's starting to feel a little shitty. Time of the month, you know,"
"He hates himself because of it, doesn't he?" I asked quietly and James sighed, nodding broodingly.
"Yeah," he said, straightening his glasses, "Thinks it makes him less than human. Rubbish really, but I don't blame him with how awful other wizards get about it,"
"The wizarding population are a bigoted lot, aren't they?" I mused as I took the apple out of his bag and spliced it with my wand, "Werewolves, squibs, house elves, half bloods, centaurs, giants Muggles, goblins. They view anything other than purebloods as something less than them, don't they?"
"Not all of us," James said firmly, "The idiots do. Hell knows we all would be a dead race without them. And pureblood doesn't mean shit to me, Lily, you know that, don't you?"
"Of course," I smiled at him, handing him a piece of the apple, "You might have been an annoying prat, but you were never a bigoted prat,"
"As long as you know that," James said, and he sighed, looking up at the clouds again, "That's the problem though. There are people who believe in him, believe that they are genuinely superior to the others which is the only reason why he's even got as far as he did. Which honestly baffles me because just how all the greatest wizards and witches are rarely ever pureblooded. Voldemort himself is half blood,"
Wait, what?
"What?" I gaped at him, the apple slipping from my hands and he snagged it before it could fall to the ground, "That filthy hypocrite,"
I had always assumed Voldemort was from an old pureblood family, because otherwise, his entire propaganda made no sense at all.
"I know," James said grimly, "But you have to admit, despite what a crazy bastard he is, Voldemort is an incredible wizard,"
I nodded, taking a bite of the apple and savoured the tangy sweetness that exploded in my mouth. Autumn apples always tasted the best.
"I don't think anyone except Dumbledore is equal to him in terms of power," he continued, "And we both know Dumbledore is too good to do anything that Voldemort does,"
"Do you think it'll ever end?" I asked softly, lying down with my head resting on his stomach.
"Yes," James said with complete conviction, no room for doubt in his voice, "Of course,"
"But he's supporters are growing," I said, sighing as I closed my eyes, "I think half of the Slytherins from last year are Death Eaters now,"
"Lucius and Bellatrix are for sure," he said, his lips curling with distaste, "Remember what Dumbledore said about people who are weak? That's them. They want that sort of power, they want to believe they're better,"
"Snape," I said softly, my fingers curling into fists and I hated the tears that sprung to my eyes at that, "I know for sure he's going to be there. I'm going to be fighting him,"
James stroked my hair gently, "I'm sorry,"
"He was my best friend, James," I said, biting down on my lower lip, "He was the one that… He was the one that introduced me to magic and he helped learn who I am. He told me about Hogwarts. And when my sister, when Petunia began to hate me, it was him who was with me. It was always us against her, against everyone and now it's gone. He's gone. What am I supposed to do, James?"
"You tried, Lily," he said softly, "I know you did. There are just some things you can't control Lily and you can't blame yourself for that,"
"I hate that I lost him," I confessed, "And it's just the beginning. I don't want to admit this, I hate to admit this, James, but half of us are going to be dead by the end of the war. I know it,"
"Yeah," he sighed, "That's why I want to this bloody war to end. I don't want my children to live like we had to. Being afraid to leave the house, unable to trust your friends and reading about the deaths of people you knew and cared for in the papers. I want them to be able to run around and make friends with everyone and not have to live with this… This damn hate,"
"Do you think that's possible?"
"One day, don't you think?" he asked and I turned my head around to look at him, "Isn't that what you said, Lils? We need a lot of love and patience and such?"
"I'm not sure if I'm just an optimistic or an idiot, or worse, both," I rolled my eyes, sitting up.
"You're not an idiot, Lily, that's the amazing thing about you," he sat up with me, dusting the grass from his hair, "That you are able to see the best in people,"
"That's not true,"
"It's true, some people might think it's stupidity that you give people as much chances as they need," James shrugged, "But I think that's bloody perfect. And that trust you have, Lily? It's going to help someone,"
It was possibly the nicest thing someone had ever said to me and I felt my insides warm in pleasure at hearing his words. I knew that I was naïve in a way, Kate and even Mary made endless fun of the fact that I was too trusting. My friendship with Elizabeth put both of them on edge, despite my assurances that she wasn't going to harm me they scoffed and reminded me about Severus. But Elizabeth wasn't Severus. She was a Slytherin, through and through, in the way she was proud and regal, but she was kinder than anyone realised. I could see it in the way she treated others with courteous respect, regardless of their House. And she didn't share that twisted obsession of the Dark Arts as many in her House did. She just wanted to learn, which something we both had in common.
"Thank you," I said, pulling at the grass with my fingers, "That's really nice of you,"
"I call it as I see it,"
We sat in peaceful silence, staring out at the village.
"James?" I asked, breaking the silence.
I had made up my mind.
"Yeah?" he asked absently.
"I'm sorry about your parents," I said quietly, "I didn't know,"
The words were incredibly hard to get out, but I needed to say it.
"I know," James said simply, "Sirius told me. But I always knew that, Lily. I realised you didn't because you were the only person last year who didn't tip toe around me. You know what you said to me last year?"
Uh oh.
"No?"
"I just came back from the funeral and I was furious," James chuckled, "I didn't want to talk to anyone because I hated how everyone just kept staring and the stilted apologies. So I was going to my room to get some privacy when I bumped into you in the staircase. Didn't know back then how pathetically clumsy you were, of course. I expected you to say the bull everyone else was saying, but instead, you said shove off, Potter,"
I closed my eyes in mortification, "I'm so sorry,"
"No, don't be, it's what woke me up," he was laughing, "And I was so desperate to talk to you. I thought you might understand, you know? But you didn't even spare me a glance,"
"I was busy last year," I babbled, my embarrassment and guilt growing exponentially each growing second, "I was going through a lot,"
"I know," he nodded and grinned as he bounded up to his feet, "Come on, let's go back to the village. I'm starved,"
"Hot butterbeer or cold?" James asked over his shoulder and I shrugged.
"I don't know, what do you think, James?" I asked and he frowned, thinking.
"Cold?" he guessed and I wrinkled my nose.
"On a weather like this, blasphemy!" I pushed past him, smiling at the always pretty Rosmerta, "Two hot butterbeers, please,"
"Damn, I thought you were meant to be an odd bird," James grumbled, ignoring my protests as he handed over the coins.
"I'm not that weird," I told him, picking up the two mugs filled with frothy butterbeer and took it to a table by the windows.
Because it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, the village was not teeming to the top with students. I sat down, watching the empty streets in fascination. I forgot people actually lived in Hogsmeade, and it was just a quiet, small town without the students, clogging up the students. In fact, it reminded me of my home back in Surry.
"What are your plans for this hols?"
"Probably going back to the house with Sirius," he shrugged, taking a long drink from his mug, "The house elves will be upset if we leave them alone too long,"
"You have house elves?"
James paused, an embarrassed look coming over his expression as he scratched his cheek self consciously, "Yeah… Old family, you know,"
"Does Sirius still live with you?"
"Yeah," he seemed relieved that I had changed the subject, "He's been with us since fifth year,"
"Tough at home?" I guessed, raising my brows and he nodded, looking exhausted.
"You have no idea," he grimaced.
"Are his parents… You know, Death Eaters?" I asked carefully and he shook his head at that,
"No, but they believe in blood purity as much as Voldemort does," James sighed, "They're a sick bunch, really. Chops off the head of old house elves and tack it on the wall. Gave me a bloody heart attack when I first saw them,"
Oh Merlin.
Even the mere thought of it made me sick.
"Poor Sirius," I murmured, looking back down at the table, "He's my kindred soul, isn't he?"
"Padfoot?" he asked blankly.
"Yeah, we both have siblings who shun us," I said, tracing the dark patterns on the wooden tabletop, "And someone close to us who is on the other side. We both want to mend the relationship, we want to save them but we can't and the guilt kills us a little bit more each day,"
"You noticed?" James sounded surprised.
"How Sirius looks at Regulus?" I asked, laughing bitterly, "Yes. I noticed it was exactly the same way I look at Severus,"
"They're wrong," James was shaking his head, "You're shockingly observant, Evans,"
"Black and Kate beg to differ," I rolled my eyes, "I don't know what's wrong with them. Do you?"
"I think I do," he was smiling, an odd look in his eyes, "But I don't think I can tell you,"
"Why not?"
"Because it's cheating,"
Bloody hell.
"I hate you all,"
"You are such a liar, Lily," he hummed and I scowled across the table at him, "Are you really going to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas?"
"What else can I do?" I shrugged awkwardly, "Not like I can go home,"
"Why don't you visit your mother?"
"Oh, I'm going to visit her, of course I will," I blinked rapidly, "I just meant… Well, I don't really have a home to go to anymore. Petunia and her husband live at our house now, and I have a feeling they don't want me there,"
If the icy silences and visible shudders from Vernon were any indication.
"Then we'll stay at Hogwarts too,"
"We?"
"Padfoot and I," James elaborated, and cocked his head, "I think I can get Moony to stay too. And of course Peter will if we all do,"
That was incredibly sweet of him to offer that, and I was tempted to take it. I was worried about how I was going to spend Christmas this year because it would be my first year ever staying at Hogwarts. Mary was going home to meet Jonathan's family, and Kate had to go because of her mother's annual Christmas party. As much as I loved Hogwarts, I wasn't sure how I felt about spending Christmas and the New Years alone in the Castle. I supposed I could study… But even I didn't want to study during the break. Well, fine, I did at times, but a whole month? No thank you.
"You don't have to do that," I said quickly.
"Nah, we do," he grinned, his hazel eyes glowing wickedly, "It'll be fun. We'll pull our very last Marauder's Christmas prank, don't look at me like that Lily, it's practically Hogwarts tradition,"
"I'm just letting you know, I will be very unhappy if you guys explode glitter balloons in the hall again," I warned him, "I don't want glitter in my turkey,"
"What's your opinion on paint?" he asked innocently and I tossed a wadded napkin at his face, "I'm joking,"
"You might be joking but Sirius probably isn't," I muttered, shaking my head in disgust.
"You're right," he laughed and I joined him, feeling the warmth from the butterbeer spread through my body.
"Thanks, James," I told him as we walked back to the castle, the sky darkening rapidly. Our robes bulged with sweets from Honeydukes and bottles of butterbeer.
"For what?" he asked in surprise and I smiled, linking my arm with his.
"Just everything,"
"I'm sorry,"
I looked up at Kate in surprise, the towel hanging limply in my hand. I had returned from Hogsmeade half an hour ago and had entered the shower to clean up. The dorm had been empty when I first entered the room as it was dinner time, but now, Mary and Kate were waiting for me.
"For what?" I asked warily, tossing the towel into the hamper.
Kate sighed gustily, "For being an impatient cow with you. Mary told me that I shouldn't get mad at you for you know, being you. But sometimes you're infuriating as hell, you know that Lily?"
"Kate," Mary said in exasperation, "Didn't I tell you to leave that part out?"
"Oh, oops,"
I fought the urge to smile.
Kate, as confusing as she got, was too difficult to stay mad at.
"Okay?" I said, raising my eyebrows.
"But I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you,"
"Yeah, you shouldn't have," I said, sitting on my bed and stared at her evenly, "If you're that damn frustrated about it, why don't you just tell me instead of going around in bloody circles about it?"
"Because it's not my place to," Kate said simply and then sat down next to me, snuggling against my side, "I'm sorry Lily Evans, please find it in your very generous heart to forgive me,"
I laughed at that, "Fine, now get off me. I want to sleep,"
"How was Hogsmeade?" Mary asked, "How on earth did you get out of the Castle?"
"The Marauders are a bunch of geniuses, that's why," I sighed a little, stretching out onto my warm bed, "We prefects had no hope going against them,"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked curiously but I shrugged.
The Marauders map and the Invisibility cloak wasn't my story to share.
"They just know Hogwarts really, really well," I said, shoving Kate away so I could go underneath my sheets, "Is your dad still mad about the engagement?"
Mary's father was not happy to hear that his only daughter was engaged at seventeen. In fact, he had sent a Howler to scream his displeasure at the couple very loudly during breakfast, much to the embarrassment of Jonathan and Mary.
I didn't blame him, really. If my dad had been alive, I knew he wouldn't be pleased at all that Petunia had gotten married so early. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.
I missed my dad. If he was alive, I wouldn't have to spend Christmas here, I would be able to go home with my family.
And maybe I would have someone I could snigger about Vernon behind his back.
"Daddy's… You know, getting used to the idea," Mary shrugged hopelessly, her fair hair slipping out if its braid, "I'm sure he'll remember how much he liked John when I bring him over again,"
"I'll hide his wand if I were you," I joked, "Might blast Jonathan to pieces,"
"Don't say that, I'm worried enough," Mary moaned, collapsing into her pillows, "It's not like I'm getting married to him now. We promised we won't until graduation,"
"Because six months is a world of difference?" Kate asked.
"Well, yes, because in six months, we won't be in Hogwarts anymore," Mary said softly, "We'll… We'll actually have to work,"
"Don't remind me," Kate sighed, "I started to send letters to the newspapers and so far, I haven't received a single reply back,"
Kate aspired to be a journalist, something, I thought, suit her very well. I sincerely hoped she didn't become one of those rubbish, attention hungry journalist like Rita Skeeter, or whatever that hag's name was. Just last week she had published an article in the Daily Prophet about how Hogwarts was 'falling apart' under the weak jurisdiction of 'barmy' Dumbledore. I mean, called Dumbledore loony in my head all the time, but I didn't like hearing her say it. The difference was, I meant it as a joke, because I knew that he was a powerful wizard and I respected him for his many contribution to the wizarding world. But the derisive way Skeeter had written it… It worried me, because I knew full well how gullible so many of the wizarding population were.
"Mary, you promise you won't forget about us when you're juggling two kids next year?" Kate joked.
"Of course not," Mary said, blushing furiously but she looked happy at the thought, "You two are my best friends,"
"You too, Lily Evans," Kate pointed her finger at me, "Don't you dare forget to write to us, even if you're busy saving the world,"
"I'm not going to be saving the world," I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smile off my face, "I'll write a letter a month if you're good,"
"Rubbish, you'll miss me so much you'll write to me every day," Kate retorted and I laughed.
She was right.
I was going to miss her, I was going to miss Mary, and I was going to miss Hogwarts. But I was growing older, the war was growing fiercer and the resistance needed more soldiers to fight the seemingly never ending terror Voldemort had brought.
I hated how he so effectively managed to cut through ties and bonds, how he aroused suspicious and distrust between old friends and destroyed families. It was an uphill battle, just as Peter had said, and it wasn't getting any easier as time passed.
But what other choice did I have?
James was right. This war had to end with our generation. I couldn't bear the thought of passing a ruined, ravaged world to my children, where hate and bigotry ran thick and there was no tolerance for the different.
No, they will have better than what we did.
I was going to make sure of it.
Here it is, in all it's 10,500 words of unedited glory.
I uploaded it at 3 am with just quick skim so forgive me for any typos and mistakes, I'll go edit it later on. I just wanted to upload up to Chapter 12 before the week's out.
Anyway, once again, thanks for reading!
-G.
