OH MY GOODNESS! It's the second to last chapter! I can't believe it!

Q&A:

MyBeewing says, "So, Snape saved them, then ? It won't sit too well with James or Sirius :) Good one, by the way, for April's Fool, you really had me there. My PE teacher sent my group a false article basically saying that the end-of-the-year PE exam would be a fortnite tournament, but I wasn't as gullible with that one. Poor Sirius, having his own father not care wether he's harmed or not. And he's going to feel really guilty for some time, I expect. But he'll have his friends with him, at least. I wonder if Lily will stay friends with the Marauders still ? Well, I'll have to wait to find out ! It was a great chapter, I hope you update soon :)"

Yes, Snape did technically save them. However, as you'll see in this chapter, he probably wouldn't have cared if the others died, as long as he saved his precious Lily. And yeah, Sirius has REALLY been given the short end of the stick when it comes to parents. I don't want to reveal anything about the nature of Lily's relationship with the marauders, but I will say she'll be a little less harsh on them. Emphasis on a LITTLE.

I was so exhausted from last night that I didn't move when the boys went down to breakfast. I just closed my eyes and took in the serenity of the near-empty Hospital Wing around me. Madam Pomfrey said we could leave whenever we liked, so I took advantage of the peace.

I heard the door open, and Lily cry in happiness, "Sev!" I internally groaned, and pretended to be asleep. I vaguely wondered how Snape had found out about our plan, so this could give me information.

Lily spoke first, "Dumbledore said that you were the one who told him what was happening last night. How did you know?"

There was a pause, where Severus didn't reply.

"You were looking at my mind, weren't you?" Lily asked gently. I froze. He can read minds? I instantly tried to think of random thoughts, to try and convince him that I was dreaming, and I heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"What then?" Lily demanded, "How could you have possibly known?"

Severus sighed again, "Yesterday, at lunch, I saw you...sitting with...with them," he said. "I couldn't stand it, I just hate when you sit with them! It burns me up, I get so jealous, Lily. They don't deserve your company, they're a bunch of bullying gits! Especially Potter...the way he thinks about you...it infuriates me! And I...I can hear his brains so clearly it was like they were broadcast about for the entire world to know." I felt nauseous. Did Snape ever look into my thoughts? Into Remus' thoughts? I began to panic a bit as I feared we could never have secrets again… never have privacy again. "But it was Stratford's thoughts here that concerned me." It took everything I had to keep my mind blank, so he wouldn't suspect anything. "She was worried about you, thinking how she'd rather you didn't get involved, afraid of what would happen if you did...and then relieved because you didn't want to be. And I wondered involved in what, they're never up to any good, after all. And, well, I didn't give much of a damn if you weren't involved, so I only paid half attention to her thinking. All I got of it was that it was dangerous and involved the Forbidden Forest...I wanted to tell Dumbledore, but I didn't know how to tell him what I knew. I didn't want to tell him about my ability."

Lily asked, "Well, then, why did you tell him?"

"Because I woke up during the night feeling utter panic and I realised I was hearing Potter again, and he was afraid. For YOU. And that's when I realised that you were out there. And he was thinking about the Dark Lord and what would happen if the Dark Lord caught you and…" Severus stopped. "I told them you'd told me about it and I'd thought you were just kidding until I'd seen you go."

The thought of Severus knowing so much made me queasy. "Thanks," Lily said, "You saved all of us by doing that. We didn't know what we were getting into. It was so scary, Sev! He's awful, you should have seen him, he's just awful. You're really a hero, Sev,"

"I'll be your hero anytime. Always."

I heard the sound of a forehead kiss and I felt like I was about to die. I selfishly wished I was back in the forest about to be Crucio'd by Voldemort, than face the whirl of negative emotions that flooded my brain.

"Listen," Lily said, "You'd better go. I should wake her up and get to the Great Hall, we should eat something and then we're all supposed to go talk to Dumbledore about what happened. I'll see you, though, okay?" Lily asked.

"Okay. Bye." I heard the sound of the door close, and Lily gently put her hand on my shoulder to shake me awake.

When I joined the Gryffindor table, Lily actually sat with the boys and I, rather than her other friends. Remus was in the middle of talking about the shield charm Dumbledore had cast the night before, and how he'd read about it in a book he'd found on a little shelf in the Hospital Wing: Origins of Spells by Bathilda Bagshot. "There you two are," he said as we settled ourselves, and I fixed myself a bowl of cereal. "When Dumbledore cast that charm...could you feel it?"

I shook my head, "Not really. I was too scared for what You-Know-Who was about to do," I replied.

"Be glad he didn't get to use the Cruciatus Curse on you," said James darkly.

"I'm...quite glad," I replied. I eyed James a bit, interested in knowing that he had been worried enough about Lily that he'd woken Snape up out of sound sleep.

"That spell has a rather interesting background, too," said Remus, "It's a curse of course, but curses are nothing but charms, really - charms change the effects of something, transfiguration changes the properties of it, you remember…" and he set off in a long-winded explanation of what he'd read about the Unforgivable Curses in books as he'd laid awake in the Hospital Wing last night.

We'd just finished breakfast - Peter was even finished with his incredibly tall pile of sausages and toast - when Professor McGonagall came up to the table, a serious look on her face. "Come along, you lot," she said, "I'm to take you to the Headmaster." She swept us along before her. As we walked through the corridors and up the stairs on our way to Dumbledore's office, she said, "Now whatever the Headmaster has to say to you, I hope that you take it very seriously! Remember you're representing all of Gryffindor, and it is simply unacceptable to be wandering about the castle, stirring up trouble!"

"Yes, Professor," we muttered.

When we reached the stone gargoyles outside of Dumbledore's office, McGonagall said, "Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!" The gargoyles jumped out of the way and she muttered something about ridiculous passwords as we crossed through the threshold and onto the magical staircase.

"This is cool," whispered James to Sirius, as they admired the rotating stairs as we ascended through the castle. I had forgotten that Remus and I were the only ones in our group who had been to Dumbledore's office before. Even Peter and Lily were excited about the staircase, looking around in awe as we were carried to the tippy top of the tower, where the Headmaster's door loomed before us. I smiled at the old Wellingtons and umbrella at the door.

McGonagall knocked on the door, looking tartly across us, though a flicker of apology for delivering us to our punishments lingered in the edges of her irises.

"Come in, come in," called Dumbledore from within. McGonagall pushed open the door, and we walked inside, apprehensive and nervous, to find Dumbledore, standing behind his desk, a little smile playing upon his lips as he looked us over. "And here they are," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling, "The marauders themselves!"

McGonagall waved us into our seats before Dumbledore's desk. Sitting in one already was the Auror, Alastor Moody, leaning onto the elbow of his seat and rubbing his chin thoughtfully as we set ourselves down, his one eye examining us. Professor McGonagall sat as well. Moody leaned back in his seat as Dumbledore magicked a tea set onto his desk. Moody pulled a flask out of his robes and said, "You understand, Albus," as he unscrewed the cap and took a sip of whatever it was inside.

I had a feeling that it wasn't pumpkin juice.

We each took our teas - Peter's cup clattered nervously against the mismatched saucer - and we sipped, waiting for the punishments to begin. I felt sick rather suddenly. It wasn't normal for the headmaster and two professors to be present to assign detentions, I realised, and I worried that we were all about to be expelled. Had a house's entire year ever been expelled at once? I thought. What would my parents say when they found out that I had been expelled in my first year at the new school? They'd be so disappointed in me...let down when they no longer had a witch as a daughter. I didn't want to be expelled! I love Hogwarts far too much, and I'd miss my friends.

As though reading my mind, which I had had more than enough of, Dumbledore stated, "I won't be expelling you."

We sighed in relief.

"This time," Dumbledore added after a moment. He casted a glance at us through his half-moon spectacles, stern, but in a caring way. "What you did last night was very dangerous, you were far over your head and could have been killed. You are all lucky that Voldemort likes to...play with his food," he said.

Moody grumbled, "Tormenting's his favourite part of the kill."

I felt my mouth go rather dry at the word kill.

"You all owe Severus Snape quite a lot for having come to me," Dumbledore added.

James hung his head.

"As such, I have awarded Slytherin house with fifty points." Dumbledore said, "For honesty and looking out for one another, among houses." McGonagall's jaw quivered slightly. "This puts Slytherin in first place for the House Cup with only a short time left in the term."

I frowned. Before, Ravenclaw had been in first and Gryffindor second - putting us impossibly behind. Now there'd be no way for Gryffindor to catch up.

Dumbledore sipped his tea, then put down the cup and saucer. "I think, however, that what bothers me the most about this entire occasion is that you didn't come to me with your worries, that you chose to act instead upon yourselves."

James and Sirius both looked up quickly, their eyes wide. Remus, Peter and I looked 'round at them, knowing what was going through their minds. "We did tell you about it, sir!" Shouted Sirius, the first to wrap his mouth around words. "We told you back at the start of the year, remember? I even gave you a bit of the mirror and you didn't do anything about it!"

"Didn't do anything about it?" Dumbledore asked, his eyebrows raised, "Why would you think I did not do anything about it?"

"Because Lucius Malfoy was strutting about the castle as though he owned it," I spoke up, "Attacking Bilius Weasley and bragging to whoever would listen how he'd got away with imperiusing Professor Tutman!" I'll admit, this was a bit of a stretch of what had actually happened, but the exaggeration seemed warranted.

Dumbledore rubbed his beard. "I must be quite mistaken in my understanding of what you believe should be categorised as having done something."

Moody leaned forward, "Do you lot think I came here on my own volition, then? Just out of the blue had the urge to become a professor of the Dark Arts to a bunch of disobedient little rugrats?" He rubbed his nose, shaking his head.

"Well I s'pose you did alright there, hiring an Auror for the Defense teacher," I admitted, having forgotten that's why Moody was there in the first place, "But...sir...why is Malfoy still here if you know he's working for the Dark Lord?"

"Ah, but we do not know," replied Dumbledore. "It is something which we have been investigating."

It was James who exploded this time. "But you do know! We told you, months ago!" He stood up, he was so impassioned, though he sat quickly with a simple glare from Dumbledore.

"Accusing someone of being a follower of Voldemort is a very serious business, Mister Potter," said Dumbledore. "It requires observation from the Ministry of Magic - hence, our visitor, the Auror - and leads to a cell in Azkaban. It is far more involved than receiving a detention from the headmaster of a school or even an expulsion. It entails a trial in the courts of the Ministry and for that trial to be won, there is need of evidence and witnesses...witnesses who are not first years at Hogwarts," he added, when he could see that we were about to speak up again. Dumbledore looked at us imploringly. "I am not ignoring your advice, nor do I doubt your claims. But these things need to be done quietly and delicately. Unfortunately, the visit you've made in the woods with Voldemort has made the job so much harder. Now, what we must do-"

Before Dumbledore could tell us what we must do, however, there came a voice from behind him, in one of the portraits. "Sir! Dumbledore, sir!" The subject of the portrait was quite out of breath and leaned against the edge of his frame, panting. "Urgent messages, from the Minister."

Dumbledore turned to look at the portrait. "Yes, Rupert?"

I vaguely recognised the portrait as Rupert Candor, who had been described in Hogwarts: A History as being Headmaster a century ago, followed by a brief time as Minister for Magic and, as a result, his portrait hung in both offices and he frequently runs messages from the Ministry to the Headmaster. He cleared his throat and recited, "Adom Tutman has been found, sir. Dead. In Egypt. The Minister requests your presence in the wake of this shocking news to gather more details about the Professor's resignation." Rupert looked about impatiently.

"Of course," said Dumbledore, though his wooly eyebrows were raised high above the half-moon of his spectacles. "Tell the Minister that I shall finish with the matter at hand and be along in just a few moments," he requested. He turned back to us.

"Dead?" gasped McGonagall, her face quite pale. She put a hand over her mouth, and her eyes welled up with tears. I've never seen the sheer rawness of her emotions like this before, and I'd give her a hug if it wasn't inappropriate.

Moody scowled, "Destroying evidence," He looked over at us students. "Any of you mention Tutman to You-Know-Who last night?" he demanded.

Sirius' face turned red as he stared down at his lap.

Moody looked up at Dumbledore. "There you have it," he said without saying a word to Sirius.

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "This is why these things need to be done quietly. Innocent lives could be in danger of destruction if we point fingers too soon." He looked over each of us carefully. "I fear most for you six, and for the life of Lucius Malfoy."

Sirius' words were cold, "Malfoy deserves whatever comes to him."

"Until very recently, Mister Black, your family had just as strong a hold on you as Malfoy's has on him," Dumbledore said quietly, "I see you have forgotten how powerful a parent's influence can be upon their children." Dumbledore said, "I will be taking measures of protection for each of you over the summer break, to be sure that you are all safe and-"

"The Dark Lord could be trying to kill us?" squeaked Peter, eyes wide.

Dumbledore frowned. "It is precautionary,"
Peter put down his teacup, his hands shaking, and wrapped his arms very tightly around his pudgy little body.

"Now, I must go - the Minister is expecting me, as you know. Alastor, I'll request that you come along with me to the Ministry," Dumbledore began collecting his things.

I blinked in surprise. Dumbledore was leaving? He wasn't punishing us? I looked 'round at Remus and Lily, who seemed just as shocked as I was at this revelation. But then Dumbledore said, "Professor McGonagall shall assign your detentions as she sees fit."

"Yes, headmaster," McGonagall replied sharply, though her cheeks were still damp from the news of Professor Tutman's death.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "Let us part."

McGonagall quickly shooed us out of the office. In the end, she assigned us detention each day after dinner for the entire week, which we would serve in her Transfiguration classroom. She sent us off to our dormitory: "You are not to be wandering about the castle, you've done enough of that to last a lifetime," she scolded.

On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, we were rather quiet until Sirius said, "I recognised some of his followers. My cousin Bella and my father."

Peter, James, Remus and Lily looked 'round at Sirius in surprise. He hadn't yet told the four of them about seeing his father beneath the hood...only me. Lily looked quite heartbroken. "Blimey, mate, your father?" whispered James.

Sirius nodded, "He was the one holding me in the clearing."

"Your father?" said Remus, astonished.

Sirius nodded. "Doubt Dumbledore's protections will do much good for me." He stopped walking and turned to us. "Listen. If I don't come back at the end of the summer...if I'm not on the Hogwarts Express...you lot have to make sure that Dumbledore and Moody know why. It'll be because of my father and mother." His eyes were desperate.

"You need to tell Dumbledore," Lily said.

But Sirius shook his head.

"Oh, please!" Lily cried, "Haven't you learned your lesson about not telling things to Dumbledore? Look what's happened - us, almost killed - Tutman, dead - Bilius Weasley's been cursed and hurt, and Malfoy's gotten off for everything!"

Sirius flared up, "I'm aware it's all my fault, Evans, you needn't remind me of all that. But if it's information Dumbledore wants...in a quiet and delicate manner...then what better way for it to be gotten if now from me simply being at home? I'm sure I'll hear loads and loads about the Dark Lord all summer."

"At what cost?" Lily snapped.

"If I have to be cruciatused, then so be it!" Said Sirius, "This is more important than-"

"Than your safety?" Lily cried, "Than your sanity? You heard the Dark Lord...they say you can go insane from the curse!"

Trying and failing to lighten the mood, James said, "He already is insane, Evans." A smirk crawled across his face.

"Fine!" Lily said, "Make it a joke, then! Don't tell Dumbledore. Do whatever you want." She turned on her heel and sped up, off through the portrait hole looming ahead of us down the corridor without so much as a glance back.

"Seems like that's always how she leaves us," Remus said with a sigh, "Angry and annoyed." He looked over at James and Sirius, "Must you two get her worked up every time we see her?"

"She works herself up," James answered.

"She has a point, though," I pointed out, "You should tell Dumbledore."

But Sirius merely shrugged.