"Prejudice and stupidity!" Lily almost ripped the paper from the wall outside Gryffindor's common room. "Don't know why I'm surprised," she hissed. Of those being questioned by Auror Crouch, Remus took the first spot, followed by her, Peter, James and Sirius. Their interviews were early tomorrow morning.
"Lily… let it be." Remus looked about as energetic as a frog just run over by a bus.
"You talk like you've accepted it. It's not even your fault. This isn't fair!"
"I have accepted it. It's more complicated than you think."
"No, it's not!"
"Yes, it is. Thanks for standing up for me, but don't go looking for trouble because of it. It's not worth it." Remus headed for the portrait hole.
"Why do they all say that?" she mumbled.
"Why can't anybody understand how dangerous I am? Why do you keep denying—"
"I'm not denying anything!"
"You are. Don't say anything else. We'll be standing here all night." He said the password to the common room. "See you, Lily."
The next day Lily missed Charms for her interview. Disgruntled, she waited to be called, book in her lap while Auror Crouch still grilled Remus. Only Peter waited with her, and he looked a wreck. Every sound evoked a nervous jerk, and he sweated like an ice cube in the Sahara.
"Relax," Lily said, only to have Peter start so badly he almost knocked over the next chair. "It's just an interview. It's not like they'll punish us or anything."
"I—I know that." Peter licked his lips.
"You all right?"
"Fine!" he replied too quickly.
"You can talk to me." She closed her Charms book and took the chair next to him. "If you tell me, I promise not to laugh or think less of you. And I won't tell the others." Everyone always drags him around. Though he's been more independent lately. Despite Peter's recent changes though, Lily didn't know what to make of him.
Peter wiped the sweat off his forehead before another huge drop stained his robe. He looked over his shoulder again, as if expecting an attack. "It's nothing." Obviously, a lie.
The office door squeaked as an exhausted and resigned Remus exited.
"How was it?" She said.
"First, he questioned me on behalf of the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," said Remus. "Then he talked to me about the werewolf problem in the Wizarding World and asked if I'd ever thought of joining… joining…"
"They can't expel you, can they?" said Lily, anxious.
Remus shook his head. "He seemed most interested in Severus. Kept asking about him, then jumping back to my condition like a diversion. Then he'd circle back to Severus again."
"He really believes Sev's a dark wizard?"
"Don't know. Seemed weird to me."
"Should we… tell him about his son? We all know Junior's working with Death Eaters. And that's the Head of Magical Law Enforcement in there." Lily pointed to the interview room door.
"But it's his only son. We already went through this hundreds of times. Please, don't risk it." Remus' eyes pleaded for her not to say anything.
That was when Lily noticed the door was open and a stoic Bartemius Crouch Sr. stood waiting. "Please, take your time. It's not like I have anything to do, other than wait on you."
Lily gave Remus a comforting clap on the shoulder and awarded Auror Crouch a sour once-over as she passed him on her way inside the small office. The click of the door shutting rang like a prison lock.
The tiny office housed one desk and two chairs. No books, knickknacks or plants. And a thick layer of dust graced the edges of the desk, as if the Auror forgot to wipe down the whole thing when he opened the unused office this morning.
"So, you're Miss Evans." Crouch took a seat in the big chair behind the desk.
"That's who you wanted to see, isn't it?" Lily quipped as she took the small chair.
"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I'll not tolerate cheek or avoiding the subject. Should I find a reason, I'll have you disciplined."
"Then you must have a close relationship with your son, sir."
"That's quite enough." Crouch scribbled a note on his parchment. "You, more than any other student in this school, are under suspicion of being in contact with a very powerful dark wizard and supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"I don't know any dark wizards."
Crouch seemed unimpressed. "You seem to have a strong affiliation with House Slytherin."
"Many of my friends are from that house," she said. "Slytherins, Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Houses are just questions of sleeping arrangements and Quidditch teams."
"And you seem on very friendly terms with that werewolf."
"Remus is a kind, gentle person and a good friend."
"Person?" Crouch arched an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you're misinformed on that point. Recent law states a werewolf is no longer categorized as a person. He's a creature."
What in Merlin's name?
"This law passed easily," said Crouch. "It makes exterminating these beasts' threat easier. Since every one of them so far has chosen service to You-Know-Who."
"That's nonsense!" Lily rose from her chair. "Remus is a werewolf, and he's certainly not a supporter of Voldemort!"
"Why are you so sure?" Crouch seemed only mildly curious.
"Remus is gentle! He'd never hurt anyone! And he doesn't believe in that blood purity stupidness."
"And Severus Snape?"
"Sev's more virtuous than is good for him! He's not a dark wizard!"
"So, you do know what he's up to?" said Crouch.
"What?" Lily stopped. "No. I don't even know where Sev is."
"Sev? You're close enough to call him that?"
"We—we grew up together. He's my best friend."
"I was led to understand he was… more than that." Crouch laced his fingers, looking like a stern shepherd about to break a wayward lamb's leg.
Lily blushed and looked away. "We… dated last school year."
"And even after that, he just left? Without notice? Not a hint of his whereabouts? Never attempting contact?"
Lily brushed away her discomfort at Crouch's previous question. "Yes."
"How highly unlikely."
"It's true. Sev never contacted me. Not once. I don't think he even tried."
"Really?" said Crouch.
"Yes, really," Lily snapped. "I've tried to look for him, but he's good at hiding."
"Oh, so you've actively searched for him—a known dark wizard." Crouch scribbled on his parchment again.
"I told you, Sev isn't a dark wizard," Lily hissed.
"But you know where he is?"
"No. I don't!"
"Have you any idea what he could be planning out there on his own?"
"No. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" Lily bit her tongue to keep from saying any more. Crouch asked the right questions at the right time with professional detachment—just like a master interviewer.
"Might as well tell me now, Miss Evans. Seeing as you've all but confessed you know something."
"All I know is you should keep a better eye on your son." She growled.
"Excuse me?"
"Go ahead. Interview him." Lily sat straight, chin high. "If anyone here associates with dark wizards, it's him—and also Avery, Mulciber and Jugson."
"Those three names are on my list too," said Crouch. "But even if my son were a suspect—which he isn't—it would be improper for me to deal with his case. It would be too personal an affair. Someone else will interview him."
"But—"
"And if you continue in this vein, there will be consequences."
Lily held back her fiery temper. But only barely.
"Now. Severus Snape."
"I don't know anything."
"I thought we just established you do."
"No. You assume I do. I don't know a bloody thing, all right?"
"Miss Evans." Crouch's tone turned dark. "Fact remains you have ties to a wanted criminal."
"Do I? Who?" she said sarcastically.
"Don't play smart with me, girl." Crouch leaned over the desk. "Severus Snape is wanted for performing dark magic, and you know that."
"Must've escaped my attention." Lily matched his show of force with a sneer.
"Well, he is, and if you support the Wizarding World in the fight against the dark, you'll give me all the information you have."
"Sorry, but I already did, sir. He broke up with me last January. That was over six months ago."
"You say he broke up with you. But, did you break up with him?"
"I don't know what you mean."
Crouch's steely eyes bored into her. "Well, did you?"
"That's—that's personal. It has nothing to do with this! I have nothing else to say."
"You're ready to defend this dark wizard to the end?"
"I told you. He isn't dark!" Lily shouted in the Auror's face. "And you don't have any right to question me without evidence. I'm done here. Good day, Mr. Crouch!" She stood. "And if I were you, I'd watch that son of yours."
"You're on thin ice," Crouch hissed. "At seventeen, there's no safety net for you. I could take you in for a real interrogation any day I wish."
"I don't care." Lily stormed from the office, almost bowling over Remus, Peter and James. "What're you staring at?" she barked.
"Nothing," the three chorused, eyes on anything but her.
"Remember the library. We're going tonight. Even if it kills me, we'll find that spell so that once we're out of this stinking castle, we can fight off Dementors."
"Yes, Lily," they said in unison as she walked away, footsteps clomping like a mad mother bear's.
All three boys stared after Lily as she stormed off like a wild inferno, so unlike the girl they knew.
"Gotta be her time of the month." James shook his head.
Remus and Peter nodded. "Yeah."
"Merlin! Not even Moony's that bad with his monthly problems," said James.
Remus looked disgusted. "Oh, thanks."
"Come on. It was funny. Right, Wormy?"
"That was too low," said Peter.
"Guess Sirius is right," James muttered. "We are all grown up and boring. Even you, Pete!"
"I don't have all day, Mr. Pettigrew." Crouch stood impatiently.
Peter yelped like a beaten dog and shook as if a hundred tons of ice just rolled over him.
"It's all right." Remus clapped Peter's shoulder. "You have the right not to say anything."
Peter gulped and headed for the office. The moment he stepped in, the door slammed shut.
"Youch." James covered his ringing ears. "That was loud enough to wake the whole castle. Think it's that time of the month for Crouch too?"
Remus glared.
"And I think I'll shut up now."
"That's a good idea, Prongs," said Remus. "See you in class."
"Okay."
"Prongs?" Remus stopped.
"What?"
"You're not very good at this. I thought you decided to stop talking." Remus smirked. "How long did that last? Three seconds? But I suppose three seconds without doing something stupid is a new record for you."
"Go to class." James threw a crumpled piece of parchment at him. It bounced off Remus's shoulder and rolled under a chair. Remus chuckled and left.
Over the next week Lily and the rest of the Marauders spent their free time in the library, searching for the elusive Dementor-banishing spell.
On day eight of their search, Lily sat in the library and paged through yet another Defence book she could've sworn she'd already read. Books scattered the table. Her only solace was that the other Marauders suffered with her.
I'll find that spell! I'll do whatever it takes to prepare for the battle raging outside Hogwarts.
Sirius stared at another book, looking like he'd been at this so long he'd lost the ability to think. James had three books open at once, as if he thought it would be quicker that way. Reg patiently traced through each line of his book, and Peter, who'd shown up only in the last day or two, sat with one book, looking bored. Lily suspected he'd read the same sentence the whole time he'd been there. Lucy's eyes tracked the page. Shame her book was titled, Old Myths of Ancient Wales.
Every book the library had on defensive spells lined the table and the company of seven had scoured them all at least twice.
Remus flagged, probably due to the upcoming full moon.
"Sev would know this!" Lily wrung her hands.
"He's pretty powerful and all, but don't you put him on a pedestal sometimes?" said James.
"You'd be surprised what that guy knows." Remus looked up from his book.
"Sev does know," Lily insisted.
"Please." James tried to take her book. "Stop—"
"No. He really does know. He told me about it." Lily concentrated, trying to recall the conversation. "He only mentioned it briefly. If I could just remember." She rubbed her aching head. "When was it? When did we talk about Dementors?"
Everyone's attention shifted to her, even Lucy, who set down her book about Wales.
Sev, you were so vague when you told me. It was something about—about that day you fended off fifty of them by yourself. That was all well and good, but how? Come to think of it, he wasn't keen on that story. Skipped over it to talk about something more important. You tried to tell me everything you could, answer all my questions. But I still didn't really know what you went through. You kept a lot to yourself. I felt like I was invading—even though you'd have told me anything I asked about. But you said it might do more harm than good, so I trusted your judgment. She sighed and plopped her head onto the open book.
"Feelin' okay?" said Sirius.
Lily uttered indistinct grumbling noises.
"Probably not," James said. "I think she realized who she's with, and that it's not good for her."
"And here I thought she was clever," said Sirius. "What will Snape say when he realizes what we've done to her? Look. She's a mess."
Lily's unruly hair ringed her head like a half-doused campfire, and her makeup—probably smeared in places—was nowhere near her usual standards. Shadows lurked under her eyes, so heavy they made her look like a walking zombie. Even so, she glared at the boys.
"If she doesn't kill you for saying that, Severus probably will." Remus chuckled.
Lily shut her book and whacked Remus over the head.
"Ow!" he howled.
"Lily…" Lucy bit her lip. "This… is what girls tell other girls, right? Ya… don't look so good. Your hair's a bit…" She tried to indicate part of Lily's untidy mop, but soon gave up.
James and Sirius made a wordless exchange.
"If you boys have something to say, out with it," Lily growled.
"Nope." James threw up his hands. "I'd like to stay alive and in one piece."
"Glad to hear it," Lily snorted. "Well, it's not a Defence spell we're looking for. It's got to be a charm. Let's move on."
Several groaned.
"Come on! You'd think you don't want to be able to fight off Dementors at all!" said Lily as she headed back to the library stacks.
Regulus pushed his book back into the table's central pile. Lucy, Peter and me. We're most effected by the Dementors—well, the most obviously effected, anyway. Judging by Lily's behavior, she's either exhausted, or losing her sanity. Peter's probably just a coward—no surprise there. And Lucy? She tries to hide her feelings, but she's horrid at it. How does no one else notice how hard she tries to bottle it all up? And me…? Never thought I'd say it, but… I'm sullen, short-tempered and… afraid—of myself, of what I could have become if it weren't for… Guilt rose in waves. For Pen.
When the Dementors neared, voices seeped into his head. Familiar voices.
"If you really think that, I was wrong about you."
Then another voice, a horrible one, came far more often.
"But Regulus knows where his loyalties lie. He knows what he's destined to be."
"Kill the mudblood!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Then the scream would pierce him. Pen's scream. Every time the Dementors neared, he relived that shattering moment. He'd do almost anything to avoid it.
Reg left the table to help Lily search for more books, but when he pulled out several volumes, he discovered Avery, Mulciber and Jugson surrounding a group of much younger Slytherin Life Defenders. "Not again…" he groaned and started toward the exchange, but before he took two steps, someone tapped his shoulder. Lucy. She pointed to another table at the back of the library. At it sat Barty Crouch Jr. and several other Slytherins watching their three comrades in glee. "Thanks," Reg whispered, "I hadn't seen them."
"I'll cover ya." Lucy clandestinely showed him her wand, tucked into her sleeve.
Regulus approached Avery, Mulciber, Jugson and their victims. "We don't threaten people of our own house. And all of you seventh-year students? What kind of petty bullying is that?"
"If it isn't the blood traitor?" Avery grinned, turning his attention from the cowering kids.
"What's the matter with you?" said Regulus. "No brains and only enough confidence left to challenge third-years? No wonder Severus despised you. He's got more brains than the rest of his class combined."
"A blood traitor defending blood traitors," Jugson mocked. "How nice."
"There's no such thing as a blood traitor," said Regulus. "All that talk about blood purity? It's pointless."
"A mudblood-lover should come up with a better defense," Jugson snorted.
Reg's anger boiled. "Shut your stupid mouth! She was worth more than you could ever hope to be!" he snarled in Jugson's face.
Mulciber grinned like a demented monkey. "Oh no. I think we're upsetting him."
How was Severus ever friends with these idiots? And I followed them around too. How much of a fool was I?
Katherine, one of the threatened Life Defenders, seemed to know exactly how this exchange would end. With Regulus losing his temper. Again.
"Just shut up," he hissed at Jugson.
"Pesky mudblood-lover," Jugson simpered. "And she was such a dirty mudblood too, dangling from the skirts of people she knew were more powerful than her. Sleazy, wasn't she? Dirtying everything she touched."
"Stupefy!" Regulus roared, but Jugson deflected it. "Oh. You wanna play?"
"Impedimenta!" Orange light shot toward Reg, but he threw up a shielding charm.
Lucy whipped out her wand, enraged, her accent ten times thicker. "Ye' grinchy pea-brains, ye'! If ye' dinnae take tha' back, I sweat, I'll kill ye'!"
Crouch and his group at the table guffawed.
Lucy faced Crouch's band. "And ye' too, ye' scum!"
"Why threaten me?" said Crouch. "I didn't do anything. I'm just admiring your temper. You're beautiful when you're angry."
Lucy almost dropped her wand.
Crouch and company roared again.
"He's messing with you," Regulus hissed.
"Yeah," Jugson snorted. "He'd never like a half-breed, anyway. Is this what blood traitors are resorting to now? Needing mudbloods and half-breeds to defend them?"
"Shut up! I don't need them. I don't need any of them!"
"Really?' Lily rounded the stack, wand in hand, followed by the rest of the Marauders. She glared at the enemy Slytherins. "Need or not, we're here for each other. I'd leave if I were you."
"Fine," said Jugson. "It's not worth losing breath over mudblood-lovers."
"Get out," Lily sneered, "and don't let us catch you bullying younger kids again. Cowards."
"Says the mudblood with her friends at her back," said Avery. "How do you mudbloods corrupt so many?"
"She told you to shut it!" James said. "I'm taking this to the teachers as it is, so don't make it worse for yourselves."
Lily pointed to the exit and everyone, even Crouch, left, grumbling under their breath. Once the Slytherins were gone, she lowered her wand. "Reg, you've got to stop losing your temper. Imagine the trouble we'd be in if a teacher walked up."
"You're telling me that?" said Regulus.
"I've got the bravest little brother in the world." Sirius beamed.
"Yep. Which was braver? Shooting Voldemort with a stunner? Or telling Lily to stop losing her temper?" said James.
Sirius frowned. "I don't know."
"Quit!" Lily glared at them, but a heartbeat later trumpeted, "A Patronus!"
Everyone jumped.
"The charm to fend off Dementors," Lily said. "It's a Patronus. How could I have forgotten?" That beautiful silver doe I saw in Sev's memories… She'd never forgotten seeing it, but that it was a protection against Dementors slipped her mind until now. "Come on!" She grabbed the nearest person, which happened to be Regulus. "We know the name. I know what it's supposed to look like. Now, we've just got to find the incantation." She dragged Reg to the reception desk where Madam Pince, the librarian, usually lurked. She wasn't there but would probably return shortly.
"I don't care what you've said before," Sirius whispered to James as Lily dragged Regulus away. "She's barking mad!"
"I agree," James replied, "And admitting that to you tells me something."
Peter looked like a cat cornered by a Doberman as he hid behind James and Sirius. "What… happened?"
"Don't really know, Pete," said James and led him back to their study table, Sirius at their heels "But if you want my advice, don't think about it, because I'm not going to."
Remus, now alone with Lucy, sidled closer to her. "You don't have to be angry to be beautiful…"
Lucy was lightning struck.
"Just so you know…" Remus fumbled. "Sometimes it seems like you don't know, and you should. I mean—" He flushed and looked away. "And… there's nothing to be ashamed of. With your grandmother's heritage. Merlin, I'm rubbish at this. Sounds like I don't mean it."
Lucy nodded slowly.
"Well, I do. You're very beautiful." He nearly ran back to the table, leaving Lucy with a smile teasing her lips and a blush on her cheeks. She was just about to say something smart to Remus but decided not to as she went back to the table and took a seat beside Sirius.
"Aw, you're so cute, Carrot," Sirius teased.
"Hush."
"Go tease him." Sirius gave her a little push toward Remus.
"Stop," she said. "I know ya are always trying ta—ta get us together, but we tried. It didn't work. I'm just happy he's still my friend."
"Come on. He just said you're beautiful. That's something, isn't it?"
"He'd say that to any girl to make them feel better. He's… really nice like that." She moved to another seat at the other end of the table, away from Sirius and Remus.
That Thursday Lily stood at the front of the Life Defenders' meeting. "We figured people would like to try their hand at fending off Dementors."
Excited murmurs filled the room.
"We found the incantation and its instructions," said Lily, remembering the three evenings it took to locate the information once she remembered its name.
"It's called the Patronus Charm," said Regulus. "It uses happiness as a shield against the Dementors. They draw out our worst memories to use against us—which is why the counter consists of good memories."
"There are various stages of the Patronus," Lily continued. "The first is a silver mist, the second, a shield, but the true Patronus takes the physical form of an animal unique to the caster. Unfortunately, that's about all we found. We know the wand movements, words and technicalities, but none of us have any idea of how to do it. We've tried, but the most we could produce was a bit of mist. We'll teach you what we can, then you try it. If someone gets further, please come tell us how you did it." She took out her wand. "Expecto Patronum." She said the words perfectly and used correct movements while holding on to a good memory—a warm summer day by the lake, the smell of green grass. But all she could conjure was a cough of silver mist.
"That's not a lot, is it?" said Diane.
"No," said Lily.
"Well, it's worth a try." Diane took out her own wand. "Who said fighting Dementors would be easy? It's like Quidditch—only gets spectacular with sweat and tears. Come on, people!"
Lily smiled. "Everyone stand up. We'll practice the wand movements. While we do, think of a happy memory, the happiest you can come up with, though the memory itself doesn't matter as much as the emotion behind it. That must be genuine."
Soon silver clouds of smoke floated everywhere, but not much else.
Reg seemed resigned as he whispered to Lily, "Perhaps we're failing because we can't feel genuine happiness anymore. It's not like we have much to be happy about."
"I thought the same thing," she admitted. "Though I can't help but feel it's just a matter of getting the hang of it. At least, I hope so… You hear… her… when they're close, don't you?"
Reg nodded. "I'm always back there."
"I hear her too… And Sev. He sounds so desperate—and broken."
"Doesn't it annoy you?" Regulus said. "That he's out there and we're cooped up in here? This place or James'—doesn't make any difference. We're sitting around when we should be fighting."
"Yes. I hate it. I want to fight, to find Sev, but even if we weren't at school, it wouldn't be that simple. Where would we look? Besides," she took in the host of students practicing, "I think we are fighting here, just in a different way. We're dissuading people from becoming Death Eaters and regretting it later. Preventing that is important too, and we spend our time ensuring we're of use when the time comes. That's what I like to think, anyway. I'd go mad if I didn't believe in that, even a little."
"It's all falling apart," Reg said as he watched the few students who smiled as they practiced. "Maybe it's time to face that she's dead, that he's gone, that they were what kept up going."
Lily shook her head. "Ironic, isn't it? All that talk about when the student is ready, the mentor will appear." Faint traces of silver smoke floated toward the ceiling. "They always forget to say that when the mentor is done, he has to leave so the students can stand on their own two feet."
"You're talking like that's how it's supposed to be," Reg huffed. "Is that what you really believe?"
"No. I'm just saying—I don't know. This sounds crazy, but… What if you thought of… her while trying to conjure a Patronus?"
Regulus looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. The memory of Penelope was painful. It made no sense. "Why ever would I do that?"
"Just a thought," said Lily. "Sev… told me he thought of me when he did it."
Reg arched a brow.
Lily blushed. "Don't ever tell, or I'll have your head."
He smirked and nodded. "But you're different. You're fine."
"Let's just say… Sev's been through a lot."
Both turned their attention back to the students. None produced a decent Patronus, no matter how hard they tried.
Edited by Dtill359
