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Hangovers and Voldemort, All In One Morning

"James?" I called, walking towards the shores of the lake. The figure ahead of me, standing on the shore, didn't move or turn, but I knew he had heard me. I wasn't sure what I was doing out here, in the middle of the night, standing by the Great Lake in my pajama shorts no less, but if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that James was indeed the person standing before me.

I continued forward cautiously, the fine sand getting in between the toes of my bare feet with each step I took. When I reached James, I placed a hand on his shoulder. He finally turned around and his face lit up when he saw that it was me.

"James, what in the name of Merlin's mother are you doing out here? It's the middle of the night, and it's cold. We need to get back." I said, pulling his arm, trying to get him to return to the castle with me.

"Lily, wait." James said, taking a deep breath. "I have something to tell you."

"Can't it wait until we get inside?"

"Lily, I love you. I always have."

"Well I love you too James, you're my best guy friend." I replied, confused. I was still tugging his arm, trying to get him to go back inside with me. He pulled away and grabbed my hands, holding them lightly between his.

"No, Lily, you don't understand. I'm in love with you. You're the only girl I want to be with, ever. You're it for me." he said seriously, his eye boreing into mine.

I felt my head start to pound and everything started fading to black. No...this couldn't be happening. James loved me? I didn't believe it. Marlene and Alice couldn't have been right. James and I were friends, why was he doing this to me?

"Lily?" he asked, concern melding into his features. "Lily!"

"Lily?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking my lightly, along with someone calling my name. What the hell? It was Saturday, I should be allowed to sleep in.

"Go away." I groaned, pulling the covers over my head and turning away.

"Lily, you have to wake up now." said the bodiless voice. I swatted away the hand that tried to pull the covers off of me and burrowed further down the bed.

I felt really terrible. My head was pounding so bad it felt like someone had thrown me in reach of the whomping willow and I was being beaten over the head with the vicious branches. My stomach felt like it had shrank overnight, and while I wanted to eat something, even the thought of food made me feel sick. I was never going to drink again.

"I don't want to get up. It's the weekend for crying out loud."

Whoever was trying to get me up pulled the pillow out from under my head, albeit gently, and my head bounced against the mattress, making my head pound even more. I moaned and held my hands up to my head, covering my eyes from the light shining into the room from the window. With my hands not grabbing onto the blankets, they were free to be pulled off of me, and I suddenly remembered I was only wearing my underwear, having been too lazy-and intoxicated- to put on my pajamas the night before.

I opened my eyes and sat up quickly, pulling my knees to my body and searching for something to cover myself with, wincing at the sharp pain that rang through my head at the sudden movement. James was standing there, looking rather embarrassed, and I blushed. Shit, James had now seen me in both a towel, and my underwear. What was next? Me being completely naked?

"Oh, erm, my bad Lily." James mumbled, turning away from me and handing me back my blanket. I blushed more than I had ever blushed before, remembering the dream I had just been woken up from, and at the fact that James had just seen me in my panties. Today was not starting off good.

"What are you doing in here James?" I asked, holding a hand to my head to try and get the throbbing to subside as I wrapped the blanket around myself. "You can turn around now, by the way."

James turned, his face red also, and instead of looking at me, he looked out the window, which was directly behind me. Good, he should be embarrassed too.

"Well, I brought you this," he said, pulling out a small vial of an unpleasant looking muddy brown liquid. "And I thought you might want to eat some breakfast before Quidditich tryouts."

I eyed the vial uneasily, my stomach turning uncomfortably. "What is that, exactly?"

"It's a sobering draught. Trust me, it'll make you feel loads better." James said, holding the little container out for me to take from him.

I grabbed it and uncorked the lid. Without thinking much about what was in it, I tipped the vial back and swallowed the contents in one go. I blanched as the draught went down my throat stickily. That was the most disgusting thing I had ever drank in my life.

"Ugh." I said, making a funny face and causeing James to laugh at me. "Oh hush." I said, smiling a bit. The sobering draught was actually making me feel a little bit better, and for that I was greatful. The pounding in my head was now only a dull thud, and it was slowly subsiding.

"So, you are going to watch Quidditich tryouts, aren't you?" James asked, putting his hands back into the pockets of his trousers.

I nodded. "Aren't I supposed to be there? As your girlfriend, I believe I am required."

"Well, it's true that my past girlfriends have been there, but you don't have to go if you don't want to Lily. It was never my goal to force you to be places that you didn't want to be."

"It's fine James, I like watching Quidditich anyways. This should be fun." I reassured him.

"Well Remus and Peter will be there too, so you'll have company."

"Brilliant. Marlene and Alice, those lucky witches, get to sleep in, so I'll need someone to sit with so I don't look like a sodding prat up there by myself." I joked. Merlin that draught worked fast, I was feeling almost back to normal.

James laughed. "Was I right? You'll want breakfast before we head out correct?"

"Definately, now that I'm feeling better." I said, pushing a stray strand of hair out of my face. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"No problem Lily. I took one right when I woke up, and I thought you might want one too, seeing how you drank even more than I did last night."

I groaned. "I didn't make a fool out of myself, did I? I'm kind of blurry on the events of the night."

James looked at me, and undefinable look in his hazel eyes. "No Lily, you didn't make a fool out of yourself." he said softly, then he shook his head. "I'll just be outside then, so you can get dressed. Then we can go down and grab a bite to eat."

"Okay. Thanks James." I said, watching as he walked out of my room. I couldn't help but wonder what had transpired last night. James was acting strangely, I had had that dream, and I, apparently, had been piss drunk. I couldn't help but feel like I had done something very unlike myself, I just wasn't sure what it was...yet.

I stood slowly after James had closed the door, throwing the blanket back over the bed and grabbing a pair of jeans and a black tanktop out of my wardrobe. I hesitated before dressing, debating on whether I wanted to take a shower or not. I knew the shower would make me feel even better than the sobering draught, but I didn't have time for it right now. I would just have to wait until tonight to shower, I thought, sighing.

I slipped into the jeans, which fit comfortably even though they rode low on my hips. I pulled the tanktop on quickly as I walked over to my small vanity in the corner of the room. I picked up my brush, running it through my hair, feeling my body relax at the familiar action. When I managed to get all the tangles out, I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and tied my red and gold colored ribbon around the hairtye.

After swiping my thick red lashes with mascara and lining my lower lids with black liner, I slipped my cute little black flats on and was ready to go.

James was waiting downstairs in the common room, looking around at the mess that had been made the night before.

"Merlin's pants, I don't recall it being this messed up in here...Maybe I really was drunk." I chuckled, grabbing for my wand, which was sticking out of the back pocket of my jeans.

"I didn't think it was this bad either. Don't worry about it though, I'll clean in up when we get back. We're going to miss breakfast if we try and do it now." James said.

I nodded. He was right, and I really didn't want to miss breakfast. It wasn't like the mess wasn't going to be there when we got back from tryouts.

"Here, this is for you, if you want to wear it that is." James said, looking a little embarrassed as he held his hand out. I took the shirt from him, and unfolded it.

It was scarlet, with gold letters on the front and back. The Gryffindor lion was stitched into the chest, right over where a person's heart would be. 'Captain' was stiched directly below that in gold letters and curling script. I looked up at James, who was looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I returned my gaze to the shirt, turning it over to look at the back. There, across the shoulders, it read 'Potter' in huge letters. I couldn't believe it, he was giving me last year's Quidditich uniform shirt to wear. I knew that he usually hung them on the walls in his dorm room, and during the summer in his bedroom at hsi house. It was a very big gesture, for James.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, clutching the shirt to my chest. I already didn't want to give it back, for some reason, but I felt the need to ask.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure Lily." James chuckled, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Thank you James." I said happily, throwing my arms around him in a hug. His arms went around me slowly, and he hugged me back. When I pulled away, he was looking away, a far off look in his eyes.

I shook my head, wondering what his problem was. He was acting pretty strangely today...I wondered, once again, if I had done something stupid last night. I shrugged and slipped the shirt over my head, trying to not mess up my hair.

The shirt was big on me, and it hung down past my butt. The sleeves were baggy, but it was really comfortable and I felt important while wearing it. James had never given any of his girlfriends his Quidditich jersey before, and I was only his fake girlfriend. Lizabeth was going to die when she saw this, I grinned.

"So how do I look?" I asked, spinning in a little circle.

James looked back at me and smirked. "Like my very beautiful girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "Well thank you, my very cocky boyfriend." I laughed. It was still strange, hearing James calling me his girlfriend, but not in the same way it had been before. Now, I felt a weird pang in my stomach because I knew that it was all fake.

"You ready to go then?" he asked, his eyes shining in his usual, mischevious way once again.

"Absolutely. I'm starving!" I said, heading towards the portrait hole.

James followed me out and we made our way through the mostly deserted corridors in comfortable silence. We were holding hands, like we always did when we walked around the castle together, not wanting to run into Lizabeth and not seem couple-like.

Only a few corridors off from the Great Hall, we heard voices in one of the empty classrooms. It sounded like there was an arguement going on, and I paused, the Head girl in me coming out in full. James stopped as well and held his finger to his lips as we crept closer to the door that was slightly ajar.

We both looked inside the room, where three seventh year Slytherins were argueing, one of them-a girl-gesturing wildly. I tried to make out the faces of the three students, but I could only see one of them-Severus. He was standing nearest to the door, stiff as a board and looking as though he wanted nothing more than to just leave the room and the other two students behind.

"I don't see why you're so concerned about the little Mudblood Severus. You know how the Dark Lord feels about those scum. Besides, her and that idiot Potter are dating. You obviously don't matter to her." hissed a female voice that was vaugely familiar to me, though I couldn't seem to place a name with a face.

"You wouldn't understand Bellatrix. You are incapable of feelings, therefore you wouldn't be able to understand them. I know the Dark Lord's word, maybe even better than you, so don't try and use that against me." Snape said, crossing his arms over his skinny chest.

"Watch the way you talk to her!" bellowed another male voice angrily. "You act like you're the Dark Lord's favorite Severus, but who is the one with the Dark Mark? Oh, right, me. I'm the one he chose. I'm in charge here."

I looked at James, who looked furious. I was scared. This was really serious stuff they were talking about. Voldemort, the mass muggle and muggle-born killer. The one who had been terrorizing any wizard who wasn't pureblood. He was trying to take over the wizarding world, and he was serious about it. There had been numerous attacks in both the wizarding world and the muggle world.

"Don't start with me Lestrange." Snape snapped.

"You better watch it Severus," laughed Bellatrix evily. "You can be killed just as easily as all those Mudbloods, don't forget that."

Snape stayed quiet this time, seemingly thinking over what Bellatrix had just said to him.

"We better get going anyways. Breakfast should be over soon, and I don't want to be caught coming out of an empty classroom by some idiotic prefect or some suspicious teacher." said the male who had claimed to have the Dark Mark.

My eyes widened. They were coming out, and they would surely spot James and me. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out that we had been listening to their conversation. James grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the door with amazing speed. We crouched down behind one of the enormous statues that decorated the hallway, waiting for the group of corrupt students to leave the classroom and vacate the corridor.

I placed my hand over my mouth, not wanting my rapid breathing to give us away, and James pulled me into his side, rubbing circles into my back. I watched as Severus exited the room first. Next came the female, Bellatrix. I recognized her as Sirius's cousin, whom he despised. She had wild, curly black hair that seemed electrified, and wide eyes that made her look crazy and dangerous. She paused by the door, waiting for the last person, the one with the Dark Mark. Rodolpho Lestrange strode out of the room and Bellatrix fell into step with him, looking up at him with what was probably supposed to be adoration, but it really just looked like psychoticness. Lestrange was a big bloke, with huge squared shoulders and a thick torso. He would tower over James if they stood face to face, and he could probably break him in half. I shuddered. I couldn't help but wonder if he was half giant or something.

James and I stayed there, crouched behind the statue, barely breathing, until we couldn't hear footsteps anymore.

"Let me check if they're gone, you stay down." he said, standing up and peeking around the statue. He glanced up and down the hall, then turned back to me. "C'mon Lily, let's get out of here."

I grabbed the hand he held out for me with my own shaking hand and stood up, dusting off my bottom.

"James, we have to report that to Professor Dumbledore or someone." I said quietly, not trusting my voice.

"Lily, what we just heard," James said, keeping his voice low so we wouldn't be overheard, "that's dark stuff. But Dumbledore won't be able to do anything about it until we can get proof that they're up to something."

I thought about it. James was right. What would Dumbledore be able to do about what we heard when we didn't have any proof? Nothing.

"We have to keep an eye on them then." I said, determined. Now that the fear was wearing off, I was furious. Those kids, they were following man who was so purely evil that he was killing large groups of people for the simple fact that he didn't like their blood. It was sickening, and it needed to stop.

James stopped and looked at me, his hazel eyes full of unreadable emotion. "Don't worry about that Lily. They were talking about you, for some reason, and I plan on finding out exactly why."

I stood there, looking up into James's eyes. He looked so serious, and so angry, just because they had been talking about me. I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears and tried to blink them away unsuccessfully. James pulled me into him, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"It's okay Lily, they won't hurt you. I won't let them. You can cry, love, go ahead." he murmured soothingly.

I buried my head in his chest, but I fought the tears. I would not be weak, not now. I couldn't. I pulled back and looked up at James. He still had his arms around me, and that gave me a little more courage. I took a deep breath.

"James, we're going to find out what they are up to together. I'm not going to just sit around and do nothing. I can't. Not anymore. Ever since Voldemort started rising to power, I've been sitting around doing nothing. I don't care about the fact that we're only seventeen. There must be something we can do." I said fiercely.

James looked at me, shock and pride coloring his features simultaneously.

"Merlin Lily, I've never seen you so determined. But you're right. Who gives a damn that we're only seventeen. We aren't children, and Voldemort, he needs to be stopped. Lestrange...he's our age and he has the Mark. If seventeen year olds are joining the Dark side, who in the hell says they can't join the good too?"

I gazed up at him, my heart pounding. James was...incredible. He made me feel safe, and he gave me courage. He made me feel special, and important. I was so lucky to have him in my life. He looked at me, and I watched as his eyes darkened. I bit my lip and felt his chest rise and fall with each breath he took.

"James," I whispered.

"Yeah Lils?" he asked quietly.

"Will you just kiss me already?"

He blinked, startled at my abruptness. Honestly, I was too. I don't know what overcame me, but I really wanted James to kiss me, this time without an audience. I wanted it to mean something, to be real.

James leaned towards me slowly and I let my eyes flutter closed. My heart started to race in anticipation of his kiss. I felt his warm, sweet smelling breath on my face and smiled a little. James was...different. Things between us were different, though I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

His lips were almost on mine and I felt his chest shake silently. He was teasing me and he knew it.

"Jaaamess..." I groaned. His lips brushed across mine lightly in an almost kiss. Oh Merlin this was torture.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouted, out of nowhere. "There you are mate!"

My eyes sprung open and I backed away from James quickly, my face instantly going fire engine red. There was Sirius, sauntering down the corridor toward up, a huge smirk on his face.

"I didn't interrupt anything now did I?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes. I was going to bloody kill him, bloody stupid prat.

"What do you want Padfoot?" James asked, soundly seriously peeved himself.

"Well we sort of need our Captain at tryouts now don't we?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow, that smirk of his still plastered on his smug face.

"Oh, right." James said, glancing at me.

I sighed. "Let's go then. Wouldn't want to keep the wanna-bes waiting, would we?"

James looked at me apologetically but I waved it away. Sirius's interruption was for the best anyway. It saved me a lot of regret and prevented a lot of awkwardness between James and I.

Now I was just pissed that I hadn't gotten any breakfast, I thought as we walked outside in the direction of the Quidditich pitch. It was going to be a very long morning with an empty stomach, I knew that for a fact.

A/N: So what did you think? I thought I would throw in some Slytherin action, and I really wanted to show that Lily is a strong young woman who eventually will be able to sacrifice herself to save her son. Please let me know what you thought about that :)

Also, this is where the relationship with James and Lily begins to change...drastically. There will be some drama in the upcoming chapters! But it won't be too much, and it won't be the kind of drama that isn't fun to read about...or at least I hope it won't be! Guess you'll just have to check back and read the upcoming chapters won't you? ;)

So please, update and let me know what you think. Inspire me with your reviews and I will upload more chapters quickly! :)

Oh, and I just have to say, I love you all! All of you reading this and reviewing...you are fantastic. Please keep it up! :D 3