A/N: Welcome back!

Thank you Paia1240 for your lovely review! I'm glad you like the characters!

Anyway, on with the story. Enjoy :)

Chapter Sixteen

Since Mary refused to tell anyone but Lily the real reason Dorcas had seen her hugging a Death Eater, the dynamic of their friendship group changed very little, though Dorcas was now very frustrated with Lily, who in her opinion had blatantly decided to ignore her warning and remained friends with someone she believed to be a Death Eater. Marlene sat with Mary and Lily sometimes, the fact that Lily had returned to being friends with Mary warming her to the idea of doing the same. Lily wasn't quite sure if Marlene had truly believed Dorcas, but she generally took the side of the majority since she herself barely spoke.

Now, the three girls were sat in the library doing Professor McGonagall's latest essay. At least, Marlene and Mary were, Lily was attempting to. There was something about Transfiguration theory that left her brain a useless lump.

'Careful,' a voice said into her ear, making her start in shock. 'When the wind blows, your face'll stick like that.'

'Very funny.' Lily retorted, turning in her seat to face a smirking James Potter. Sirius stood beside him, sniggering at her scowl. She ignored him. 'Well, are you going to make fun of me all day or help me?'

'Hmm.' James mimed thinking for a moment. 'Now that's a tough question, Evans.'

'A very tough question.' Sirius agreed and Lily glared at him.

'Shut up and sit down.' she told him, pointing at the free seat beside Marlene, who had looked up from her own essay to observe the newcomers blankly. Sirius winked at Lily, who shrugged, and then directed his attention at Marlene, bowing at her before sitting down.

'And what about me?'

'I'm afraid we don't like people with glasses.' Lily told him mildly. 'You'll have to sit somewhere else.'

'Very funny.' James mocked, sweepingly taken the seat beside her. Mary, who was sat at the end of the table, had her eyes moving from Marlene to Lily as if at a tennis rally.

Lily slid her essay at him, daring him not to help her. He chuckled, starting to read Lily's attempt.

'So, Evans,' Sirius observed from beside Marlene, 'not done anything about that hair yet? It might be a rash, you never know…'

'I'll bear that in mind.' she said dryly, drumming her fingers on the table. 'What about yours? Found a lawnmower strong enough to cut it all off?'

Marlene let out a snort, a snort she quickly stifled with her hand.

'A lawnmower?' Mary asked, confused. Her expression was shared by Sirius, and even James was frowning, though that may have been due to a poorly explained part of Lily's essay.

'Honestly,' Lily sighed, shaking her head. 'My humour is wasted on you purebloods. Thank God Marlie's here or I would have had no laughs at all.'

'Hey, I'm almost not pureblood. My mum's Half-blood.'

'Still don't know what a lawnmower is, do you, Mary?' Lily leaned back in her chair as Mary stuck out her tongue at her.

'What is a lawnmower?' Sirius asked.

'Oh, shut up.' Mary threw a scrunched-up bit of parchment at him. Both Lily and Marlene snickered.

'It's just intellectual curiosity. Don't be so mean, MacDonald.' Sirius stretched lazily. 'Just because you couldn't even dream of my grades.'

'What grades?' Mary replied, laughing. 'I think I'm failing all my subjects.'

'Sure you are, Mary.' Lily agreed, rolling her eyes. 'I must have imagined the O you got in Herbology last week.'

'Yeah, but how difficult is that really?' Sirius waved off Lily's comment, smirking. 'All you have to do is throw some dirt at a plant.'

'Then I won't save you from a Snargaluff's vines next time.' James piped up, sliding Lily back her essay.

'You're a traitor, Prongs.'

'Hey, Evans,' James began, ignoring Sirius. 'Your essay's all right but you need to explain this bit better. What you said doesn't really make sense. Non-verbal spells are weaker – that's true – but you need to say why, not just because you're not saying them. Does that make sense?'

'Er – yes…' Lily nodded slowly.

James laughed.

'I'm here if you need any help.'

'Thanks.'

'I need help too, Jamsie!' Sirius cried, batting his eyelashes. 'Pleeease!'

'Oh, piss off.'

…

There was an attack on Edinburgh a few days later, in the middle of the day, so that the first that anyone heard of it was when Professor McGonagall appeared in their final lesson of the day, Potions, asking for Fiona McGregor. She had returned two minutes later to collect her things, sobbing, and it soon spread across the classroom that her parents and two-year-old twin sisters had been killed in an attack on their home town. Mr and Mrs McGregor had been prominent members of the Wizarding community; Mrs McGregor had been Millicent Bagnold's Undersecretary and her husband a high-up employee of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

'Poor Fiona.' Mary murmured in Lily's ear as the door swung shut behind Fiona's crying form. 'Merlin, that's horrific…'

'We've shared a dormitory for years, but I don't think I've said more than two words to her.' Lily confessed, stirring the potion in her cauldron as it started to boil.

'She's nice enough.' Mary haphazardly threw some ingredients into her own cauldron and then looked at Marlene. 'Do you know her, Marlie?'

Marlene shook her head.

'Even Marlie doesn't know her.' Mary bit her lip. 'Has she got any friends? I don't think any of the others speak to her either.'

'She hangs out with the Ravenclaws mainly – I think Alice knows her quite well.' Lily said, glancing at the instructions of her potions. 'But she's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, isn't she?'

'Is she?'

'I think so… Maybe Seeker?' Lily turned to Marlene. 'Marlie, is Fiona Gryffindor's Seeker?'

Marlene nodded.

'Shows how much attention I pay to Quidditch.' Mary mumbled, and Lily chuckled slightly.

'Well, you should start paying a bit more attention in future.' she advised, smirking widely. Even Marlene looked a little smug, sensing where Lily was headed.

'And why's that?'

'Because Ravenclaw's Captain keeps looking your way.'

'No, he doesn't!' Mary replied indignantly, slapping Lily's arm. She laughed.

'Yes, he does.' she sang smugly. 'And he's going to look again in three… two… one!'

Ollie Harris was indeed glancing over his shoulder at Mary and grinned when she caught him at it. She flushed a bright red and hastily busied herself with her potion.

'Ten Galleons he'll ask you to Hogsmeade after class.' Lily whispered in Mary's direction.

'Marlie, pass me your scales, will you?' Mary said, ignoring Lily's jibe. Lily just laughed.

…

Ollie Harris did ask Mary to Hogsmeade and, after Dorcas glared at her as she entered the Great Hall, felt inspired to accept. Not wanting to have a part in their conversation, Lily and Marlene had lagged a little behind; witnessing someone be asked to Hogsmeade could be sweet on occasion but generally it was uncomfortable for anyone not being asked. Acting as a third-wheel was never fun.

'So, any plans for Valentine's Day?' Lily asked Marlene, nudging her lightly. She grinned as she felt Marlene's glower upon her. 'What? I wasn't even going to bring up Black's name – oh… Whoops.'

Marlene did not appreciate Lily's tomfoolery, scowling deeper. Sensing her friend would not change her mood, Lily relented.

'Sorry, Marlie.' Lily linked arms with her friend. 'Looks like you're stuck with me in Hogsmeade. We'll be single together. No boys, no drama I always say. I –' she broke off as Marlene thrust a scrunched-up bit of parchment into her hand.

Straightening the parchment, Lily realised it was a letter. Her eyes flicked down to the bottom to see who the sender was.

'Ah, Roland, my favourite human being…' she muttered under her breath, scanning the letter quickly. He had asked to meet Marlene in The Three Broomsticks on her next Hogsmeade weekend, which, incidentally, fell on Valentine's Day.

Lily handed the letter back and searched Marlene's face carefully.

'I'll go with you if that's what you're asking.' Lily smiled. 'I promised at Christmas, and I meant it.'

Marlene watched her silently. Her face was blank. Sometimes, Lily really did wish her friend spoke more often. She couldn't read her at all.

'Have you thought of what you're going to say to him?' Lily tried tentatively. 'Or some questions you want him to answer – I'll ask them for you if you want…'

Marlene bowed her head.

'Any time, Marlie.'

…

She was sat in the common room when she felt a jolt of pain rush up her right-hand side. The source, she realised, her stomach lurching, seeming to be her right leg where her injury had once been. Rubbing it, the pain subsided but her heart rate increased nervously. Her leg was healed, so why had it hurt again? And so violently at that. Glancing worriedly down at her leg, she saw it was shaking of its own accord. Lily bit her lip.

She was distracted, however, by the sight of the Gryffindor team trampling into the common room. All of them looked very muddy and windswept, the February weather plainly having made its mark. Dorcas collapsed into one of the armchairs by the fire, shooting a disgusted look at Mary, who was sat with Lily and Marlene, before pulling a copy of the Evening Prophet towards her and disappearing behind it.

'All right, you lot?' James greeted cheerfully, though his face was tired.

'How was practice?' Lily asked, smiling at him.

'Shit.' Sirius answered for him, appearing behind him with Remus and Peter. 'If it rains like this for our match we'll all be blown off.'

'Well, your next match is practically years away.' Lily dismissed. 'If it's like this tomorrow, Valentine's Day will be ruined.'

'Of course that's what you care about.' Sirius retorted and she laughed.

'I'm thinking of Mary. She's got a date tomorrow.'

'Oooh, Miss MacDonald's got herself a date.' Sirius winked at Mary, who raised an eyebrow. 'Looks like you're out the running, Pete.'

'Shut up, Sirius!' everyone but Sirius said, and they all laughed.

'I'm being bullied!' he wailed, collapsing onto Marlene's lap. 'Comfort me, Marlie!'

Marlene just appeared bemused, glancing at Sirius as if surprised to see him there. Lily giggled. Taking a seat beside Lily, Remus sent her an apologetic smile.

'Sorry about Sirius.' he murmured to her as they watched Sirius wriggle about in Marlene's lap, much to everyone else's amusement. 'Peter and I were watching their practice. This is just pent up frustration. I don't think anyone flew more than five feet.'

'A frustrated Sirius Black,' Lily said, smirking, 'certainly never seen one of those before.'

The two grinned at each other.

'You should join us in Hogsmeade.' Lily told Remus conversationally. 'Marlie and I are meeting someone for lunch but apart from that we should walk around together. Bring the boys too. I'm sure Black won't pass up the opportunity to be with Marlie.'

'No, he wouldn't…' Remus agreed quietly, not looking at her. She frowned slightly.

'He's a strange one.' Lily mused, shaking her head at the sight of Sirius flicking Marlene's nose. Marlene barely even blinked in response, making James laugh loudly at the reception to Sirius' action. 'Are you all right, Remus?'

'Oh, yes.' He seemed to shake himself slightly. 'I'm fine.'

'If you say so.' Lily lowered her voice. 'When's the next full moon?'

'I said I'm fine, Lily. You don't need to fuss.'

Remus sighed and got to his feet, muttering that he was going to bed. Lily watched him go, concern etched on her face. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that reaction. While she was not as close with Remus as the rest of the Marauders were with him, she liked to think he trusted her enough to confide in her. Not that he was obliged to; she was just worried about him.

'Okay, Evans?' James asked, dropping down into the seat Remus had vacated.

'I'm fine.' Lily was still frowning. 'Is something wrong with Remus?'

'So you've noticed it too.' James leaned towards her. 'He's been really distant with us all day – for a while actually – no idea why.'

'Black hasn't done anything has he?'

'Probably.' James shrugged unconcernedly. 'But I doubt that's it. I mean, when he told Snivellus where Remus, you know, transforms, he was only cross for a bit. By the end of the summer we were all mates again, what with Sirius moving in with me and all. I don't reckon Sirius's done anything bad. Remus can't stay pissed at us too long anyway.'

'You're right…'

'Of course I am, Evans!' James grinned at her. 'I'm offended you'd even doubt me for a second.'

Lily laughed.

'Just because I call you Mrs Evans doesn't mean you share my mum's wisdom.' she replied, nudging him.

'You're actually really rude, Evans.'

'It's all part of my charm.'

She smiled at him for a moment. It struck her that her younger self really hadn't known what she was talking about when she complained about James' personality. He really wasn't a toerag like she had previously thought. He was funny and he was kind. She was glad they got along now.

'Well,' Lily stood up, clapping her hands. 'I'm going to love you and leave you. My bed's calling me.'

'Love you too, Evans!' James called after her.

Lily waved her hand in recognition, trying to ignore the sudden racing of her heart. She wasn't exactly sure why, but her cheeks were burning a bright, very obvious, red.

…

There was smoke everywhere. Smoke and fire. The orange light cast by the flames burned into her eyes as she stood, frozen. Her lungs were filled with thick, black smoke. Her brain was deprived of oxygen. The scene before her was growing blurry.

She heard his laugh from somewhere near her. Her addled, suffocating brain couldn't locate him, but she knew he was there. He was waiting for her, somewhere behind all the smoke.

She wanted to run but her feet wouldn't move. Her body ached, anticipating what was about to happen. Her fate. Her doom.

His filthy claw-like hands found her easily, gripping onto her arms, pulling her to him. Her whole body was paralysed. She could not even bring herself to fight him. Her torture was inevitable, it was best he start sooner rather than later. She wouldn't last long anyone.

'Maybe I'll cook you first.' he crooned in her ear. She choked on her breath, soot still clogging her lungs. 'What d'you think? Grilled Mudblood?'

Lily whimpered. His grip tightened on her arms, the dirt encrusted nails on his hands digging into her flesh.

'Yeah, I like the sound of that too.'

He nibbled at a bit of her ear. Her stomach lurched violently, her back arching to try and move away from him, but he held on easily, letting one of her arms go to taunt her. He ran his free hand along the side of her face, his mouth moving from her opposite ear to her neck.

'You know,' he purred against her skin, licking some of it experimentally before continuing. 'They say blood sucking's just for Vampires, but I think that's a bit selfish. Who are they to deny me the pleasure?'

She was crying now. She knew what was coming. And no one could save her.

Yay! It's time to go to Hogsmeade next chapter!

Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter. I kind of wanted this chapter to be a bit more chatty. Well, apart from the last scene...