We have reached chapter 50! My God, this is so amazing! I can't thank you enough for reading this story!

Anyway, I hope you like this new chapter!

Thank you all for your reviews, it means the world to me.

Next update on Saturday.

Please, tell me what you think about this chapter. Don't forget to review :)


Different Ways to Use a Cake

James risked a glimpse beyond the corner of the corridor. Filch was right there, shouting at a third year Gryffindor who had apparently destroyed a table as he was trying to levitate it during class. Filch had his back to the Head Boy and his friends. It was perfect...

"Right, guys," James told his friends as he was hiding behind the corner again. "Filch is in position, waiting for his little gift."

Sirius smiled mischievously.

"Moony, in position!" he ordered his friend.

The werewolf merely sighed.

"We'll get caught, it's a bad idea..."

"We won't get caught," James replied.

"There's no way this plan can work."

"It will work."

"It won't."

"Moony, stop being so pessimistic, you'll bring us bad luck," Sirius ordered.

"Peter will be mad at us for doing this without him," Remus tried to argue.

"'Not our fault if he's snoring in the Hospital Wing with a severe flu," James answered with a shrug.

"Lily will kill you," Remus tried to reason his friend one last time.

James narrowed his eyes.

"Oh... so you bring her in this now, really? You're bringing my girlfriend into our arguments about pranks?"

"I'm bringing the Head Girl into it, which is perfectly relevant."

"That's bullshit, and you know it. Now stop bringing my girlfriend into this, and focus on your part of the plan."

"Right..."

Remus prepared his wand.

"Padfoot?" he asked over his shoulder.

"'Ready, Moony."

The two boys looked carefully beyond the corner of the corridor, and aimed their wands.

A huge cake magically appeared above Filch's head.

The Gryffindor who was being shouted at froze, staring at the cake above the man's head.

"Three..." James counted down. "Two... One... Now!"

And Remus and Sirius let the cake fall right upon the caretaker's head. Filch froze, whilst the Marauders were exploding in laughter.

In the blink of an eye, they were hiding under James's invisibility cloak, choking as they were suppressing their urge to laugh at the sight of the infuriated Filch that was storming their way, shouting at them all the kinds of tortures he would use upon them.

They silenced each other quickly (as there was absolutely no way they were managing to stop laughing like mad at the sight of Filch covered with cream and pink icing) and remained hidden against the corner, whilst Filch was hurrying down the corridor.

They didn't remove the cloak before he was out of sight. They struggled to stand up again, as they were still silently laughing furiously...

...Until they turned around and found a ginger Head Girl glaring at them, her clenched fists on her hips. The three boys froze, and James struggled to swallow.

"You three are in BIG trouble!" she fumed, speaking through her gritted teeth.

James opened his mouth to reply, but finally remembered that he couldn't speak.

"I hope you have a good explanation," she said, crossing her arms before her chest.

The Head Boy pointed at his throat, and mimed the word 'Silencio', trying to make his girlfriend understand that he couldn't speak.

Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Have you silenced each other?" she asked.

The three boys nodded.

"Why?" she asked.

James pointed at his invisibility cloak that was still lying on the floor next to them.

"To hide from Filch?" Lily proposed.

James smiled, nodding enthusiastically, silently congratulating himself for how easy it was for his girlfriend to understand him... Though Lily was far from being in a comprehensive mood right now.

"You three are so childish!" she screamed.

Sirius and Remus took a step back, whilst James was rolling his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!" Lily ordered him with her firmest prefect tone.

James pointed at his throat, and then at her, before pointing at his throat again.

"No, James. No, I'm not giving you your voice back," the ginger girl snapped. "Use it as a lesson!"

James narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, you can give me that look as much as you want," Lily replied. "I'm not giving you back your voice."

She turned towards Sirius and Remus.

"I guess you'll have to go beg your girlfriends if you want to speak again. Concerning you, James, don't count on me."

She turned on her heels, and disappeared in the stairs. The three boys sighed, and exchanged a desperate glance.

Now, they were in big trouble...


Sally was at the Library. As Peter was sick, she was probably the only person able to help him. He could have asked to Alice and Frank, but as they had appeared on the Map in a broom cupboard, it may not have been the best idea. So Remus merely took a deep breath, before walking towards Sally and her Hufflepuff friends.

Maybe she won't get mad at you, Remus. Maybe she will merely glare at you for a minute, and then laugh at it...

Remus smiled at his girlfriend as he was approaching her table.

"Hey Remus!" she greeted him, making room on the table for him to put down his schoolbag. "How are you?"

Remus picked up a piece of parchment and a quill. Sally narrowed her eyes.

"Remus, why aren't answering?"

He lifted a finger to make her wait a second, before handing her his short note. Sally read it (and so did her friend on her left, thanks for the privacy...), and her eyes grew wide as she was reading Remus's words. She looked up at him, and quickly flicked her wand, giving the werewolf his voice back.

"Thanks," he told her, clearing his throat.

"Why were you silenced?" she asked him.

"Well... That's a rather long story, actually..." he mumbled, his voice still hoarse because of the spell.

"I'm all ears," she replied.

Remus heaved a sigh.

"The guys and I may have played a little joke on Filch... And maybe we couldn't stop laughing, so we may have silenced each other to hide from him..."

"You played a joke on Filch?" the girl repeated, clearly not convinced.

Remus heaved a sigh.

"Nothing harmful, we just let a cake fall on his head..."

"You WHAT?"

Everyone in the Library glared at her, and Sally blushed fiercely. But she wasn't ready to give up on this conversation yet.

"It was just a prank," Remus tried to calm her down.

"You let a cake fall on the caretaker's head ?" she asked again, aghast, not believing her ears.

"Yes, but..."

"That's mean Remus!"

Okay, forget it, she is mad at you. Her glare is almost as scary as Lily's...

"We didn't hurt him," Remus argued. "And no one saw it but us... and the poor Gryffindor boy he had been shouting at, but he won't say anything. We saved his life, after all. Or at the very least, we saved his ears..."

"I didn't know you were childish," Sally snapped.

The sound of this tone in her voice whilst talking to him was making Remus' heart ache.

Remus Lupin, you're in VERY BIG TROUBLE!

"Sally, it wasn't meant to be mean. He gave a hard time to Peter last week during a detention, that's all..."

"It's still childish. And since when do you think about revenge?"

"Since always," Remus answered, getting annoyed by her aggressive tone.

"I didn't know you were like that."

Remus heaved a deep sigh, trying to remain calm.

Now Remus, things won't get better if you start shouting at her. So stay calm... or at least, try to.

"Okay, you're right," Remus went on. "It was childish. But we didn't hurt him. We didn't humiliate him, as only the three of us saw him, and sure we made him angry, but..."

"But it was stupid, end of story."

Remus winced.

"That's exactly what I told the boys."

Sally heaved a sigh.

"I don't want us to fight," she told him, her voice softer.

"Me neither," he sighed.

"But I don't approve."

"I thought it was a bad idea as well, if it can reassure you concerning my sanity."

"Why did you do it then?"

"Because Sirius and James asked me to."

"So... If James and Sirius asked you to jump from the Astronomy Tower..."

"I would jump, without a doubt."

She shook her head.

"They're my best friends," he tried to argue.

"It doesn't mean you should do something so stupid for them."

"I know it sounds stupid. But the truth is, I'd do anything for them. And I know they'd do anything for me as well."

Sally nodded, giving him a sad smile.

"I guess there's nothing I could say to make you change your mind anyway."

"Nope."

She took his hand in hers.

"Would you give me a hand with my potions essay?" she asked softly.

Remus smiled.

"Sure."


Sirius walked silently towards Clara. She was sitting on the shore of the Lake, drawing. The boy approached silently, and she started as he was touching her shoulder.

"Merlin, Sirius! You scared me."

He sat down next to her, taking a look at her drawing, before pointing at his throat.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, frowning.

He pointed at his throat again.

"You can't speak?" she asked.

Sirius nodded.

"Why can't you speak?"

Sirius sighed, before pointing at his throat once more.

"You want me to give you your voice back, right?

He nodded again.

"Hmm... And what would you do to convince me?" she asked in a seductive voice.

Sirius smiled, cupping her neck in his palm, and pulling her towards him. He kissed her tenderly.

"Okay, sounds fair," she whispered, resting her brow against his.

She gave him back his voice.

"What happened?" she asked again.

Sirius cleared his throat several times. He thought for a while about how to tell her what he and his friends had done, but finally decided that the best way to confess everything was to speak bluntly.

"We set up a prank against Filch, but we were laughing too loudly," he answered, his voice hoarse.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You silenced each other?"

"Well... It was that or a month of detention."

"What did you do?"

"We let a cake fall on his head."

Clara propped up an eyebrow, before bursting into laughter.

"How much I would pay to see that!" she laughed.

Sirius smiled tenderly at her.

"What?" she asked, noticing his dreamy expression.

"Nothing, it's just..."

He caressed tenderly her cheek.

"You're perfect."

She propped up an eyebrow, smiling nonetheless, blushing.

"Lily is mad at James," he explained. "She caught us red-handed, and she refused to give him back his voice as a punishment. And I'm pretty sure Sally will not like it either. But you're just laughing..."

He pulled her close to him, pressing her against his muscular chest. He breathed deeply her scent of jasmine, feeling electricity running up his spine.

"You're the best girlfriend in the world," he whispered against her skin, kissing her neck.

She grinned.

"Are you going to go help James with his voice problem?" she asked him.

He shook his head, still kissing her skin.

"He's a big boy, he'll find something," he replied.

She cuddled in his arms, picking up her pencils again.

"Want to stay with me for a while?" she asked.

Sirius grinned.

"I'll make sure you won't be able to draw anything," he smirked.

Clara merely laughed.

"I'm sure you'll be very good at distracting me."

"My pleasure, sweetheart. Though I've got to say it's freezing out here."

"'Guess you'll have to keep me against you then, to keep me warm."

He kissed her hair.

"What I wouldn't do for you, really..."


Lily was starting to be worried. Alright, actually she was starting to be completely panicked. James had disappeared after their row, and now he was nowhere to be found. Merlin knew how easily this idiot could get himself in the worst kind of trouble. And now that she had calmed down, Lily was starting to feel guilty for her punishment. And finally, she hated to be mad at James, and she hated the fact that James was probably mad at her as well. She had to find him... but the boys had refused to let her use the Marauders Map, and she was starting to lose her mind. She had looked throughout the school for more than hour, before joining her friends in the Great Hall for dinner, hoping he would be there. But he wasn't there.

"Lils, why are you so upset anyway?" Marlene asked her. "We're in Hogwarts, nothing can happen to him."

"It's James we're talking about. He's such a moron that he could have taken a walk in the Forbidden Forest to get rid of his frustration against me..."

She froze. She hadn't searched in the Forbidden Forest obviously, but now that she was speaking out loud this theory...

"Merlin, do you think he could do that?" she asked the boys, her eyes wide opened.

"Even if he had gone there, Lils," Remus reassured him. "He wouldn't be in danger."

Lily nodded, remembering his Animagus abilities.

"Right... "

Sirius ad Remus exchanged a glance. Sirius sighed.

"Actually, Lils... We know where he is."

Lily looked up at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"He's waiting for you at the kitchens," Remus answered.

The ginger girl jumped out of her seat and hurried out the Great Hall, leaving her laughing friends behind.

And indeed, when she arrived before the kitchens, James seemed to be waiting patiently for her. He smiled as he was catching sight of her coming his way, and he didn't flinch when he saw the expression of anger on her face.

"Where the hell were you?" she yelled, still hurrying towards him.

He shrugged, before pointing at the ground under his feet.

"You bloody moron!" she went on in her rage, finally reaching him. "You're such an arse, Potter!"

She started to slap his chest and shoulders, though she knew perfectly that she wasn't hitting him hard enough for him to be hurt.

"You're such a prat!"

He propped up an eyebrow, letting her pass her nerves on his chest.

"I really do hate you, Potter!"

James caught her wrists, holding them firmly and yet tenderly, before pressing her hands against his heart.

"Where were you?" she asked him. "You disappeared for hours. Hours, James. Do you have any idea of how scared I was?"

James merely smirked.

"Oh, don't you dare smirk now! I'm mad at you!"

He cupped her cheek in response, caressing soothingly her cheekbone with his thumb.

"I hate you, James Potter," she repeated, though this time her voice didn't sound convincing at all.

James smirked again, before kissing her lips tenderly. His hands roamed throughout her body, making her moan against his mouth, whilst she was wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself to his chest.

Merlin, how could she remain angry against him when he kissed her like that...?

"You're a prick," she whispered, as he was resting his brow against hers. "And you'll need more than one of your wonderful kisses to make me forgive you."

He smirked once more, propping an eyebrow, and James didn't need his voice for Lily to understand perfectly what he meant...

"Don't be cocky," she admonished him, though her voice was no longer angry, and she was rubbing her nose against his. "Do you really think I would be with you if I didn't like your kisses."

He shook his head no, grinning.

"You're so annoying," she said, whilst he was kissing her neck.

He nipped at her skin, and she knew that it meant a cocky I know.

"I said that you would need more than kisses to make me forgive you, Potter. And I meant it."

He took a step back, and knocked at the kitchens door. Ollie quickly opened.

"Everything is ready, Mr. Potter," she grinned. "I hope you will like it."

James smiled, before entering the kitchen, closely followed by Lily. Ollie guided them through the kitchens, until they had reached an adjacent room, that was usually used to store different kind of goods. But for the night, it had become a very romantic room...

Lily gasped at the sight of the table set for two in the middle of the room, candles shedding a delicate and warm light throughout the room, some red roses set on the table. She took James's hand in hers.

"You did this?" she asked him, though she obviously already knew the answer.

Because who else than this prat of James Potter could have organized a romantic diner in the middle of Hogwarts just for her?

James nodded, smirking at her expression. She took his face in her hands, and gave him a slow, tender kiss, that made him feel numb and euphoric at the same time. And she was the only one who could make him feel this way...

He helped her to sit down, before sitting right opposite her, taking her hand in his. Ollie disappeared back in the kitchens.

"Would you like me to give you your voice back?" she asked him shyly, playing with his fingers.

James propped an eyebrow.

"Well... I reckon you've earned it. I forgive you."

She made a gesture to pick up her wand, but James stopped her, starting her.

"See! I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for long, Ginger Sweet," he told her.

His low voice made her jump on her chair.

"You can talk!" she squealed.

James merely laughed.

"House elves are very good at magic, you know that, right?" he answered.

"But you made me thought...?"

The boy shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face.

"You're not the only one who loves teasing people."

"You're such a prat!" she cried, taking her hands away from James's.

But he caught her fingers at the very last second, capturing her hand in his again.

"And I know that's why you love me so much," he replied in a cocky smirk.

"Here, I hate you again."

"You know you don't."

"I do."

"You're just mad."

"I thought this diner was meant to make me forgive you for acting like a childish arse."

"It is."

"Well, it's not working very well, for the moment."

"What? Three seconds ago, I was forgiven..."

"That was before you made me come close to a heart-attack."

"Ginger Sweet?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Lily couldn't help but grin.

"Forgive me," James went on. "Forgive me for being a childish arse. Forgive me for being so unbearably annoying all the time. Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," she whispered, her heart racing in her chest as he was caressing the inside of her wrist, tickling her skin.

He grinned, and she was pretty sure that by caressing her pulse softly, he had noticed that her heart had quickened.

"I love you too," she said.

His grin widened.

"I have one last weapon against your anger though, if there are still some traces left in your wonderful little head."

"What is it?"

James reached behind him for what looked like a box, and offered it to Lily. She grinned, chasing away a lock of her red hair behind her ear, her cheeks reddening.

"What is it?" she asked in a small voice.

"Open it," James merely answered.

She opened the golden box, and burst into laughter. She picked up her favourite chocolate cake.

"That's my favourite," she smiled.

"I know it is," James answered, smiling as well.

"Not bad Potter. Although, you know you're supposed to eat this at the end of the meal, and not at the beginning, right?"

James laughed.

"I know. But clearly I couldn't wait till dessert to bring out my last argument to reach forgiveness."

"No, clearly you couldn't."

"So... forgiven?" he asked.

"Yes, you are forgiven."

"Good."

Ollie reappeared, bringing their food. And as time flew by, their laughs echoed throughout the kitchens, and soon none of them could remember why they had fought in the first place, and they just spent a lovely evening together.

When they came out of the kitchens, the night had already covered the heavens with darkness, and the stars were shedding their trembling lights on the two teenagers through the windows. Their fingers intertwined, they walked silently through a corridor or two, before Lily's lips would find James's. And soon he had wrapped his arms around her, and she had lost her hands in his messy dark hair, and he had pinned her against a wall, and he was carrying her off the ground, her legs wrapped around his waist, his hands travelling up and down her thighs.

"Merlin, Lils... you're gorgeous," he moaned against her neck.

She gasped as he was slipping his fingers under her shirt, and finally capturing her right breast in his calloused hand. She closed her eyes.

"We should get mad at each other more often," she moaned.

He chuckled in her hair.

"'Can't deny we're good at makeup sex," he breathed, his lips millimetres from hers.

"Your room, or mine?" she asked as he was carrying her down the corridor, heading for the Gryffindor Tower.

"Last night we were in mine," James answered. "Let's go mess your sheets up this time."

She giggled, breathing in his shampoo.

"Sounds fair."

"I think so too."

"I love you, James."

They both grinned.

"I love you too, Lily."


Snape remained frozen on the spot. He remained hidden there, behind the corner, staring at the two teenagers. He didn't know if what he wanted to do the most right now was to throw up or to cry. It was definitely something between the two though. He just couldn't believe what was happening before him, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing was real.

Lily was pinned against the wall, running her hands through James's hair, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist. His hands were stroking tenderly her thighs, before his left hand would slip upwards, under her shirt and... upon her breast.

But instead of pushing him away, or slapping him, or yelling at him she... she moaned, closing her eyes, clearly in bliss.

Merlin, this was not happening, it couldn't be happening...

"We should get mad at each other more often."

Snape's heart broke at the sound of how husky her voice was for... Potter...

The Gryffindor boy chuckled, his face disappearing in her bright ginger hair. He moved his face so his and Lily's lips were almost touching.

"'Can't deny we're good at makeup sex," the boy breathed in a husky voice.

Lily smiled. She merely smiled... when James's remark meant that... that...

Oh Merlin, no, it wasn't possible... She couldn't have slept with this toerag...

James pressed her a bit closer to him, though Snape couldn't imagine how they could closer to each other in the first place, and carried her down the corridor, aiming for the stairs.

"Your room, or mine?" she asked rubbing her nose against his.

Snape leaned against the wall of stone for support. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't supposed to give herself to him. Snape looked down at the phial in his hand, a green liquid glimmering by the light of the torches. He had thought this as the solution to all his problems, at last...

"Last night we were in mine," James answered the girl's question. "Let's go mess your sheets up this time."

Snape closed his eyes, nausea rising inside him.

Lily giggled, pressing her face in her boyfriend's messy dark hair.

Snape looked at the potion again. He had tested a less powerful version on Sirius Black at the ball. And the effects had been more than promising. The boy had blacked out, been terribly ill all night long... And this version of the potion was much stronger. The rat he had tested it on had died in a matter of seconds.

But tonight he had intended to use it on a much bigger rat...

He had headed to the kitchen, looking for some kind of food upon which he could have laid his lethal poison. A cake would have been perfect.

But then, he had found them together...

"Sounds fair," Lily whispered in James's ear.

"I think so too," the Gryffindor boy answered.

The two teenagers stared at each other for a moment, before Lily would speak again. Snape had never heard her speak in such a loving, tender voice in his entire life.

"I love you, James."

The two Gryffindors grinned.

And Snape's heart was shattered in a million pieces. Again...

"I love you too, Lily," James answered, in that tender and loving tone the ginger girl had used only seconds ago.

And they disappeared up the stairs.

Snape was motionless. Again, Lily had said out loud what she felt for the Gryffindor boy.

She loved him.

And once more, James had confessed how he felt for her.

He loved her.

They had obviously slept together, there was no doubt to have. Potter hadn't lied to him when he had threatened him the other night. Lily had slept with him. And Potter was still there, with her...

Maybe they really were happy together in the end. Maybe Lily really wanted to be with him. And perhaps Potter was being good for her, maybe he really cared about her after all, and didn't intend to hurt her in any way, looking for much more than mere sex. Perhaps... Perhaps Lily knew what she was doing, and Snape should try to leave them alone... for her...

He clenched his fingers tightly around the phial. No, Lily was losing her mind, and she just couldn't notice it. She wasn't realizing what she was doing. It was for her own good that he had to make a move against Potter. How could he let her be with someone like him.

But then, why would he be more worthy of her than Potter?

After all, in the end, it was her choice. She had chosen Potter, over him.

Snape couldn't believe this was real...

And long after the sound of James and Lily walking up the stairs and laughing together had disappeared, Snape was still standing there, motionless, leaning against the stone wall for support, holding tightly in his clenched fist the little phial. And he didn't have a clue at what he was supposed to do now...