Thank you all for the amazing reviews for the last chapter! I liked that chapter and I'm glad so many of you liked it too! Thanks to everyone who read/ favourited and put this story on alerts too!
I'm not really happy with this chapter...I was a little distracted when I wrote it...it's a little serious but I did put in everything non James/Lily that I had wanted to in this, so I'm happy with that at least...
Disclaimer : I don't own HP
Please review!
"Hi James!" said Rosalie brightly, sitting down beside him. "Hey Al. Why the murderous face?"
Albus muttered some indistinguishable words.
"Ignore him. He's just a little upset with something McGonagall told us," said James.
"Well he really should be open to the advice she gives him. It's for his own good," said Rosalie.
James stared at her till he remembered that they'd told her they were getting counseled. He had no idea why she was bringing it up when she had clearly not believed a word of their cover story. He shrugged it off, "Er, yeah."
"Um…there was a new notice up today," Rosalie started, sounding a little nervous.
James remembered seeing the notice on his way down to lunch. "Yeah, there's a Hogsmeade trip for everyone staying in the castle isn't there?" It's on the day after Christmas."
"Yeah," said Rosalie. She was hesitating, clearly plucking up the courage to say what was on her mind. A grin was spreading across Al's face as he realized what was going on.
James looked confused at first and then, it clicked. "So Rosalie," he said with a smirk that reminded Al of their grandfather. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
"If you keep smirking like that, I'll say no," warned Rosalie.
James just grinned, "Well you should know what you're getting into. So is that a yes?"
"Yes," she said, turning the same colour as her hair.
James looked absolutely delighted. "Thank you," he said softly, "for being willing to try this."
"Thank you for being so persistent," she said, still blushing.
"So does this mean you're my girlfriend now?"
"Don't push your luck Potter."
"Sorry," said James, "force of habit." He and Al stood up. "See you in the evening, then."
"It's a date," said Rosalie with a smirk.
The boys walked out of the Hall and when they were out of earshot, James let out a loud whoop, jumping into the air. "I'm going on a date! With Rosalie!" he shouted. Albus grinned at his brother's enthusiasm. Some of the portraits in the corridor applauded, being familiar with the students' history. James took a bow and was still grinning when he entered McGonagall's office.
"Either you were just hit by a cheering charm or someone froze that grin on your face," said Snap.
"Neither. I just asked Rosalie on a date and she said yes!" said James. He spun on one foot and collapsed into a chair with a contented sigh.
Albus shook his head at the theatrics but McGonagall laughed, "You really are justlike my godson," she said.
Dumbledore was beaming too, "It's always wonderful to see young love."
Snape looked nervously at Al who was determinedly avoiding his gaze. "Er, Albus," started Snape, surprising everyone. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm the reason your grandparents died. There's no excuse for what I did but I can surely tell you that if I had known what would happen back then, I would not have done it. Lily meant too much to me and…" he hesitated, as though the words were causing him pain, "I hate to admit this but Lily loved your grandfather and though I hated him, he made Lily happy and I admire him for that." He grimaced, "That was hard to say."
Albus looked at him and Snape suddenly realized that Albus also had Lily's kind eyes. "I forgive you," said Al. "I understand that love can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. And if my dad says you're the bravest man he ever knew, then, that's enough for me."
Snape's eyes looked a little teary at that. "Can we move on to the story? It's a little too emotional in here," said James, running the moment.
McGonagall rolled her eyes, "You really live up to your middle name too."
James was let out of the hospital wing the next morning. He was a little late for breakfast. When he entered the Hall, he noticed that there was a considerable decrease in the volume of the students' voices that morning. He sat down beside Sirius and noted that everyone was looking rather grave.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Voldemort," said Lily. She was shaking with anger.
Remus was beside her, his arm around Mary. Sirius was holding Alison's hand. Even Alice kept glancing and Frank. Peter looked extremely nervous, even more than usual.
"What happened?" James asked again.
"When the owls came this morning, Dumbledore received a list from the Ministry. It was a list of families that have been attacked and whose students are children here," said Remus tiredly, "He was supposed to break the news tactfully to the kids."
"But Voldemort being the vile, evil, twisted snake that he is, sent Howlers sealed with a Dark Mark to each of those students himself," said Lily bitterly.
James' eyes hardened. He looked around the Hall. Five seats were empty – none of them belonged to the Slytherin table. Dumbledore and some other teachers were missing from the staff table, no doubt doing what they could for the poor students. James felt angry. He wanted to rip Voldemort's head off and he could see similar emotions in many faces.
After a quick and quiet breakfast, he and Lily headed to their tower since they had a free period that morning. Sirius and Mary didn't join them, both needing to complete some homework. James and Lily sat on their sofa, neither of them in any mood to work.
"It was horrible," Lily said quietly. "To be told your family's dead or hurt or kidnapped is hard enough as it is but to hear it from the lunatic committing the atrocities is a thousand times worse," she said, sounding close to tears.
James put an arm around her. "We'll fight him Lily. We'll make sure he doesn't get away with any of this."
"I kept thinking about my own family. Petunia wanted to get married soon."
"I'm sure they're fine. Dad would have told us if anything had happened. Your sister should be able to come out of hiding soon. I doubt they'll still try to target your family. You're of age now, you're the easier target. You can't use school for protection any longer," said James.
"There was a little first year girl among those who received those letters this morning. It's barely been over a month since she found out about magic and today she got that horrible letter saying her parents are dead. How is she ever going to want to do magic anymore? She's never going to get Voldemort's cruel voice out of her head now. She's never going to have a normal childhood," said Lily, crying.
James pulled her closer into his shoulder, ignoring the tears soaking his robes."I'm scared Lily," he admitted. "I'm scared that, one day, I or someone I love will receive that letter. I'm scared that my parents will receive that letter. But more than that, I'm angry that people are getting such letters at all. I want to fight. I want to make sure that my children will never have to live with the same fears."
"I'm scared too," said Lily. "I'm scared that I'll be alone. Alison, Mary and Alice all have a shoulder to cry on. They don't need me so much anymore. I'll always be their best friend but they have a special person in their lives. I'm afraid that when I need it the most, I won't have any company, I'll be alone."
"You're never alone. You're crying on my shoulder right now, aren't you?" said James.
Lily chuckled weakly. James tilted her chin up with one finger. "I'll never leave you alone, Lily Evans. I promise you that." He kissed her forehead. "Come on, we have to get to class soon."
Lily drew back, still looking at him as he got up and picked up his books. "James?" she said, "Why are you always ready to protect me and take care of me no matter what?" she asked.
He paused, but the bell rang at that moment. "I'll tell you later," he said, quickly walking out. As he made his way down to the classroom, he wished he could give Lily a different answer from the one he had in mind. He didn't know how she would react to it. He didn't know if she was ready to hear it. He knew that she was attracted to him and that she considered him to be one of her closest friends but he didn't want to scare her. He wanted her to be sure of how she felt because he knew he couldn't bare his soul to her and have her reject it. He wouldn't be able to live through it. He could see in her eyes that she was now open to the idea of a relationship but he hadn't seen yet that she felt as strongly about him as he did about her.
Lily was having similar thoughts. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer to the question she'd asked. She definitely liked him now, she was even sure she had a crush on him. But, she suspected that her feelings might run deeper too. She hoped that his answer would help her figure out exactly how she felt about him.
Classes passed in a blur. The whole school – students, teachers, ghosts – was in shock and sorrow. Everyone looked subdued. James spotted the first year girl Lily had talked about and was extremely saddened to see such grief in such a young face. He wanted to do something, anything, to undermine Voldemort's hold on the world. He wanted to make everyone smile again.
That evening, just after dessert, the lights in the Great Hall went out suddenly. Everyone looked afraid when a giant Dark Mark lit up the enchanted ceiling. Then, the Mark was destroyed by a giant sparkling phoenix made out of fireworks. A beautiful pyrotechnic display lit the ceiling. The students gazed in awe and were soon smiling at the scenes being depicted.
Each scene showed a comical defeat of Voldemort. There was a bewildered snake tied up in knots. There was Voldemort hit with a hair growth spell that made hair grow past his eyes and make him accidentally hit himself with the killing curse. There was Voldemort being attacked by a giant nose. The fireworks had everyone laughing. The lights came on after a good half hour and the Marauders were standing in front of the staff table. They bowed as everyone burst into applause.
James spoke, noting with pride that even the five student victims looked a little bit more cheerful. "There are dark and difficult times," he said, "But just like destroying a Boggart, the way to overcome these difficulties is to laugh. Hope and happiness are necessary to triumph over evil and sorrow."
Dumbledore stood up. "To keep up our spirits, every Saturday night, we will have a puppet show or other such activities all based on Muggle and magic fairy tales. Never believe that real life does not have happy endings. When you lose hope, when you forget how to smile and be brave; that is the day Voldemort defeats us all."
"Well done," said Lily, looking at the Marauders later, "you've really grown up." Even Sirius felt proud at that. She pulled James aside. "I really enjoyed that. It reminded me why I should keep fighting. Thank you. Dumbledore really did pick an excellent Head Boy." She kissed him on the cheek and ran off to her friends.
James was grinning even an hour later when he went back to the tower.
X-X-X
On his way back to Gryffindor tower, Peter stopped at a bathroom. When he came out, Snape was standing down the corridor.
"Hello Peter," said Snape.
"Go away," stuttered Peter.
"I see you've been thinking about what I said last time," Snape said.
"No I haven't!"
"You knew there's a shortcut behind that tapestry. If you didn't care about what I said or what I have to say, you would have taken that route back right now," Snape replied.
"I love my friends and I'm sure they feel the same way about me!" said Peter.
"I don't doubt that. But don't you think they'd love you more if you were just a little braver and stronger? Even today, everyone was staring at Potter, Lupin and Black. Don't you want to be the one who's admired? Don't you want to be powerful?" Snape said smoothly.
"I…Sirius did say he wishes I were a little smarter and braver sometimes…"
"You see? You could change that if you join us. You could learn far more powerful spells. You could show everyone just how strong you are. You could prove to everyone that you are talented enough to belong in Gryffindor." Snape could see the longing, the desire in Peter's eyes now.
"You don't want to receive a letter like those in the morning do you? The Dark Lord can teach you so much and he can protect you and your family and your friends. He could teach you to be Peter Pettigrew and not the pitied fourth Marauder. All you need to do is tell him some things in return, things that only you can find out. He knows all about your impressive persuasive skills," Snape whispered, his voice entrancing Peter, making him feel wanted and important – all the things he'd wanted to be.
"I – I need time to think about it," stammered Peter.
Snape smiled, satisfied, "Of course. You know where to find me. Think about it. You have the chance to take care of your friends and not the other way around. Take your time." He swept away, leaving a confused Peter behind.
"Did you have to start with this part, Professor? I was feeling happy about Rosalie and now I feel terrible," complained James.
"I put in a Lily-James part there, didn't I? It's not my fault this was how things happened. There was a war going on, there was no escaping that," said McGonagall.
"They should just tell each other how they feel," said Albus.
"Hey it's not easy telling someone you like them, you know," said James.
"It can't be that hard," said Al.
McGonagall stopped the argument, "Do you want to know what happens next or not?"
"Yes!" the boys said.
"-and when mum found us both in the apple tree, she yelled herself hoarse!" laughed James. "And an apple fell right into her mouth!"
Lily wiped away tears of laughter. James was telling her some childhood stories to make patrols less dreary.
"Dad jumped down, went on one knee," said James, "he took her hand and said, 'Love, you look wonderful with that apple.'" They both laughed. "For some reason, mum wasn't impressed."
"I can't imagine why," said Lily, rolling her eyes.
"Ah come on Lily, wouldn't you have forgiven your husband and son if they were as dashing as I am?" he said, flashing her a grin.
"Only if they begged."
He laughed, "You'll keep your husband on his toes for sure."
"I'd better find someone as athletic as you then," she said, not really thinking.
James grinned, "Comparing your future husband to me? I'm touched."
She pushed him (secretly admiring the way his arm felt so strong and hard under her hand), "Don't get a big head." She looked up at him laughing; his hair fell onto his forehead adorably. His eyes lit up so well behind his glasses and his lips had a beautiful curve to them when he laughed.
He looked at her, catching her staring at him, "Something wrong?" he asked, smiling slightly.
She blushed and looked away, shaking her head. He linked his fingers through hers, both of them marveling at the way their hands fit together so well. He ran the other hand through his hair.
"Er…I know I've asked you this a hundred times before, Lily…but do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend? It doesn't have to be a date! The other guys are going with their girlfriends who are all your friends so I just thought we could spend the day together. As friends," he said.
"441."
"What?"
"You've asked me to Hogsmeade 441 times," said Lily.
"You've counted each time?"
"Alice and Mary had a bet going on. Alice believed that I'd say yes the 500th time and Mary believed I'd say it after 445."
He stopped and looked at her. "Are they right?"
"No."
He looked away, "Oh. That's okay. I should've known you'd never say it. I just-"
"I'm saying yes right now, the 442nd time."
James' eyes lit up again, "Really?"
"Yeah. I'd love to spend the day with you. As friends."
James beamed. "I'm so happy even if it's not a date! I could kiss you right now!"
Lily took a step closer. "Well, why don't you?"
He bent down, close enough to almost touch her lips with his. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent of roses. "Because you wouldn't like it," he said softly, his breath tickling her. He drew back, eyes full of longing and amusement at her red face. He ran down the corridor, "Race you to the tower!"
If he had waited a minute more, he would have heard her mutter, "I would like it."
Lily walked back to their tower, a little disgruntled to find James on the sofa, smiling like a Cheshire cat. "What took you so long?"
She glared at him. He patted the sofa. "Come here."
She walked over grudgingly."What?"
"I never gave you a birthday present, so I'm giving you one now," he said, producing a neatly wrapped box. Curious, Lily opened it to find a gold watch with planets and stars running along the edges. Her name was engraved on the back and a lily on the front.
"It's traditional to give a witch or wizard a watch when they come of age. I didn't think your friends knew about the custom since they weren't seventeen at the time. It kind of makes you a fully qualified witch," he said.
Lily flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you! It's beautiful!"
She followed him up the stairs to her own room. She stopped outside her room, on hand on the doorknob fingering the chain of her new watch as he opened his door. "James," she said. "Will you answer me now? Will you tell me why you protect me?"
He smiled slightly, half inside his room already, "Because I love you."
"He…he just told her?" asked Albus, stunned.
"Don't interrupt Al! What happened next?" asked James eagerly.
Both of them protested loudly when McGonagall threw them out of her office saying it was too late and she would continue only the next day.
Please let me know what you thought and leave me a review! I do accept constructive criticism so anything you'd like me to improve, please let me know...
Help me hit 250 reviews :)
