Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not me.
by Auror5
"I think the penalties for rule-breaking should be stiffer." Snape's eyes furtively darted over in James' direction. "There are always a few who feel that the rules are beneath them. My suggestion is that the rules should be changed so that if a student breaks the same rule more than once, that student would be expelled." Snape sat down.
Many of the prefects shook their heads at Snape's proposal, with a few muttering that his idea was too harsh.
Karis Chung, a sixth year Gryffindor, stood. "Don't you think that would be a bit unfair and inflexible, Severus? Do you honestly believe that it would be fair to expel a student for, say, running in the corridors? Running in the corridors is against the rules." Chung returned to her seat.
Most of the prefects nodded their heads at Chung's counter-argument.
"If the students know the penalty for breaking a rule more than once would result in expulsion, don't you think that rule-breaking would be significantly reduced?"
Tara Yolke stood beside Snape and haughtily stated, "I agree with Severus. If the penalties for rule-breaking were much harsher, there would be less rule-breaking."
"Come, now. Both of you are talking as if Hogwarts has a serious problem with rule breaking, as though there is a mutiny going on," chimed in Donald Orb, a seventh year.
"Typical of a Hufflepuff to provide us with a shallow response," sneered Snape.
The assembled group reacted angrily to Snape's remark.
"Snape!" Margaret Barber, Head Girl, strode purposefully over to the table at which Snape was seated and stood in front of him. "I will not tolerate you belittling the members of my house! If you disagree with someone's viewpoint, then say so. But don't you dare insult any of us or you can leave this room."
"I stand by Maggie," asserted Frank Longbottom, Head Boy. "It's your choice, Snape: be civil or leave."
"Margaret, I apologise if I offended your House. I meant that the penalties should be modified for those few students who act as though the rules were not meant for them, not changed for the entire student body," Snape responded in an oily voice.
"Very well, Severus, I guess you may have a point." Margaret returned to her seat.
Sirius, underneath his breath, referred to Snape as a certain part of the anatomy closely associated with the human excretory system.
"So, how should Hogwarts deal with students who frequently break the rules?" Frank addressed the group.
"Why not deal with them on a case by case basis?" James suggested while rising from his chair. "I think it would be unfair to automatically expel a student for breaking any rule more than twice."
Lily jumped to James defence. "I agree with James. It would be awful to expel a student for being caught running in the corridors more than once, don't you think? Perhaps expelling a student should only be limited to breaking one of the major rules or many rules more than once. But, Hogwarts already expels students for this type of rule breaking, so really there is no need to change the penalties." Lily took her seat.
"Hear! Hear! Listen to the voices of reason, compassion, fairness, kindness, justice...."
"That's enough, Sirius," Margaret said, annoyed.
"All right," said Frank. "We've heard both sides of this issue. Let's vote on it. All those who agree with Severus' proposal, light your wands green. All those who believe that the penalties for rule breaking should remain unchanged, light your wands red. If the majority agrees with Severus' idea, the proposal will be forwarded to Professor McGonagall. Let's vote."
Lily glanced around and observed that, like hers, most of the prefects' wands were red.
"Well, it appears that the vast majority of us believe that the penalties for rule infractions should remain unchanged. I have nothing further to add. Unless Maggie has something to say, I guess we can call this meeting to an end." Frank looked over at Margaret, who shook her head. "All righty then. This meeting is adjourned. Bye, folks. See you at supper!"
With an ugly expression on his face, Snape leapt from his chair; strode rapidly across the room with his black robe billowing behind him; flung open the door so violently that a painting fell from the wall; and stepped into the corridor. Yolke and the rest of the Slytherin prefects quickly followed on his heels.
"Lily, d'you think that was really necessary for him to do?" said Sirius smirking in the direction of the Slytherins' receding backs.
"No," replied Lily distractedly, while stuffing notes into her bag. "Are we going to visit Hagrid today? We haven't seen him since the end of September. It's now the seventh of November. His feelings are probably hurt by now."
"Yes, you're right. Let's go see him now that we have some time," agreed James as they entered the corridor.
"Erm, I can't," Sirius said.
"Why not, Padfoot?"
"I promised Fiona I would spend more time with her. She's been a bit, er, upset with me lately."
"Oh. All right. Lily and I will go on without you. I'm sure Hagrid will understand."
They separated at the next intersection of corridors, with Sirius appearing slightly angry.
Just before they approached the castle doors leading outside, James grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her into an empty classroom.
Puzzled, Lily exclaimed, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just realised something."
"What?"
"Well, erm, we haven't, er, kissed since this summer. That was a long time ago."
"Oh." Lily blushed.
"May I?"
"Erm, all right."
James pushed her gently against the wall, and they kissed. They continued for a few minutes until interrupted.
"NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY PREFECTS SNOGGING IN THE CLASSROOM," chanted Peeves in a singsong voice.
James pulled out his wand and said, "Waddiwasi!"
A box of chalk shot into the air, straight into Peeves' wide-open mouth. Mumbling angrily, the annoying poltergeist zoomed away.
Lily laughed. "That was brilliant! How did you come up with that spell?"
"Erm, I'll show you how to do it one day, Tiger Lily. But now, we must go see Hagrid."
***
They reached Hagrid's house, and knocked on the door.
Lily whispered, "I hope Bunny is asleep."
The door opened slightly, and Hagrid peeked out. "Oh! It's yeh two. Er, come in. Er, careful there though. Bunny isn' too keen on strangers."
Lily and James cautiously stepped into Hagrid's house, but remained near the door. Bunny immediately began growling at them, with the snake tail spitting and hissing. Lily noted that Bunny was three times larger than she had last seen it. The chimera had grown to about the size of a Saint Bernard.
"Er, Hagrid, Bunny isn't going to attack us, is she?" James said while worriedly staring at Bunny, who was stealthily approaching them from the opposite side of the room.
"Course, not! Bunny knows that yeh're my friends. Don't yeh, Bunny, my precious, baby angel?"
Lily glanced sharply at Hagrid with a flabbergasted expression on her face. Bunny was crouched like a cat preparing to pounce.
"Erm, Hagrid...." James began, and then Bunny leapt.
Without thinking, Lily whipped out her wand as the chimera sprang towards her and James, and shouted, "Obrigesco," at the same time as James yelled, "Retroago." Bunny stiffened at the same time as she was driven back against the opposite wall.
"WHAT HAVE YEH DONE TO ME BUNNY?"
Hagrid ran over to where Bunny was lying in a heap, and started sobbing stormily. "Oh, yeh poor baby. Mummy is so sorry! Mummy didn' know they were goin' to do that! My poor angel!"
Lily and James briefly gazed at each other with identical expressions of disbelief on their faces, and then cautiously walked over to Hagrid.
"Er, Hagrid, we didn't mean to hurt her, but she was about to attack us," James finally ventured.
"How could yeh, James? Bunny wouldn' have hurt yeh or Lily. Bunny wouldn' hurt a fly! She was jus' playin' with yeh. Now, look what yeh've done to my baby!"
Hagrid moved aside while pulling a small table-sized cloth from his pocket. He blew his nose into it as Lily and James edged in for a closer view.
Lily stifled a giggle. Bunny was lying on the floor, on her back, with all four legs sticking stiffly into the air. The chimera was also whimpering, with the goat and lion heads staring sorrowfully at Hagrid from awkward angles.
"Erm, she's fine, Hagrid," James responded in a strangely high voice.
"She's not!" Hagrid sobbed. "Now, put her back the way she was!"
Lily and James glanced at each other.
"Er...." began James.
"YEH CAN'T LEAVE HER LIKE THIS!"
"Well, all right, but hold her so that she doesn't try to attack us again," yielded James reluctantly.
"We'll fix her from the door," Lily quickly added.
Lily and James walked to the door.
"It's all righ', Bunny. They're goin' ter fix yeh," Hagrid sniffed.
"Er, should I do it or you?" James looked at Lily.
"You do it, while I open the door."
"Okay. Ready?"
"Ready."
James lifted his wand and said, "Reversi!"
The chimera swiftly rose to her feet and ejected flames from her lion mouth. The flames narrowly missed Hagrid's head. Bunny then spotted Lily and James, growled, and made a sprint for them. Lily and James jumped outside the door and slammed it shut. They heard a muffled thud from the inside as the chimera made contact with the solid wood.
As they headed up to the castle, Lily remarked, "Hagrid is a bit daft about Bunny, don't you think?"
***
At the end of Ancient Runes, Fiona hastily began to stuff, seemingly with difficulty, her things into her book bag.
"Fi? Are you all right?" Lily said as Fiona's Charm textbook, parchment, quills, and inkpot clattered to the floor. The inkpot shattered.
Fiona screamed in frustration as Lily bent to pick up the school items.
"Is everything all right over here?" Professor Avia said while gazing disapprovingly at the expanding puddle of ink on the floor.
"Yes, Professor," replied Lily while starting to clean up the ink.
"Very well then." Professor Avia returned to her desk.
In the corridor, on their way to drop their bags off in the common room before lunch, Lily repeated her question to Fiona.
Frowning, Fiona retorted, "Sirius."
"Huh?"
"He spends more time with James than with me! I'm supposed to be his girlfriend, but he spends more time with James than with me."
"Well, erm, Fi, James and Sirius are best friends, like us. We spend more time with each other than with them."
"But at least you spend more time with James than I spend with Sirius. All three of you are prefects; I'm not. You three spend time together at the Prefect meetings once a week, and sit together at the bloody prefects' table three times a week. Sirius spends more time with you than with me, Lily! I see you three over there at your table laughing and having a good time, and I feel left out."
"Fi, I'm sorry. It's not Sirius' fault about the meetings and sitting at the Prefect table. We have to."
"That still doesn't explain why he spends so much time with James, even when he isn't at a meeting or having to sit at the prefects' table. We're in the same house. They're in the same dormitory. Sirius and James have all of their classes together! Sirius sees James all the time. He could try to spend more time with me. Just this morning, I asked him if he would meet me at the lake after dinner, and he said that he couldn't. Why? Because he had to work on some project with James and Peter. I bet they're just going to come up with some more pranks to play on people." A tear slid down her cheek as they entered the common room.
"Oh, Fi, I don't think he's deliberately trying to avoid you. Perhaps he does have an important project to work on."
"I asked him if I could help and he said no, like it was some kind of secret," Fiona sniffed as they entered their room.
"James is nicer than Sirius. At least he tries to spend time with you. You're lucky to have him, Lily."
Lily, feeling uncomfortable, was at a loss for words.
***
The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws' eyes were on tiny Professor Flitwick standing on the platform in the Duelling room.
"In a moment, Professor McGonagall and I will go around and randomly divide you into quads. Each pair will duel against the other. We will also assign seconds. Everyone understand?"
The students nodded their heads.
"All right." Professor Flitwick jumped off the platform.
"I hope all of us end up together," commented James.
"D'you mean you, Lily, Sirius, and Peter or Remus?" Fiona replied, scathingly.
James glanced at Fiona with a baffled expression on his face. "No."
"Ohhhh. So, you hope that you, Sirius, Peter, and Remus will end up together?"
James gazed at Fiona with an annoyed expression on his face. "Have I done something wrong?"
"Fiona, will you stop it?" Sirius stared angrily at Fiona.
"Stop what, Sirius?"
At that moment, Professor Flitwick approached the group. "All right. Let's see. Lupin, Tooksbit, Pettigrew, and Indigo are a quad. Pettigrew, you're Tooksbit's second. Indigo, you're Lupin's second.
"Zephyr, Evans, Black, and McKinnon, you're a quad. Evans, you're Black's second. McKinnon, you're Zephyr's second.
"Potter, Arbuckle, Green, and Wittleston, you're a quad. Potter, you're Arbuckle's second. Wittleston, you're Green's second...."
Professor Flitwick continued down the line of students.
After all of the students had been grouped, Professor McGonagall announced the rules.
"The rule of this duel is as follows: no spells involving bodily harm or injuries are allowed. This means that all spells must be reversible, meaning that they can be reversed in this room, not in the hospital wing. The goals are for you to learn how to effectively block spells and to disarm your opponent. Is everyone clear about the rule and purpose of this duel?"
The students murmured their understanding.
"All right. Prepare to duel. On the count of three, cast your spells."
Sirius and Anthony bowed to each other.
"ONE!
"TWO!
"THREE!"
"Sternuo," Anthony shouted, nearly at the same time as Sirius yelled, "Expelliarmus."
Anthony was thrown backwards onto the floor as his wand left his hand. Sirius caught it while sneezing uncontrollably. Fiona extended her hand to help Anthony up.
Giggling, Lily said, "Do you want a tissue, Sirius?"
Unable to speak, Sirius nodded his head vigorously.
"FINITE INCANTATEM!"
Sirius abruptly stopped sneezing.
"Very good, very good!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "A number of you were able to successfully disarm your opponent or block your opponent's spell. We will take a minute or two to regroup, then we will continue. If you were disarmed, your second will take your place. After all, you no longer have a weapon, eh?"
Sirius handed Lily Anthony's wand while intently watching their opponents.
"We must prepare you for the final duel," Anthony said to Fiona while playfully massaging her shoulders. He then gathered her long hair and stuffed it inside the collar of her robe.
Lily quickly glanced up at Sirius, whose face had gone rigid with fury.
"Ready, Miss Fiona, my second and only hope for redemption?"
"ONE!"
Fiona giggled. "Ready, Mr. Anthony, my brave knight."
"TWO!"
Uh oh, this isn't good, Lily thought while snatching a glimpse of Sirius, who had a murderous expression on his face.
"THREE!"
"Feles," Sirius roared at the same time as Fiona screamed, "Ulcera."
"FINITE INCANTATEM!"
Fiona, the cat, leaped onto Sirius, whose skin had erupted with raw, oozing lesions.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed while striding rapidly towards Lily and Anthony, who were stunned; Sirius; and Fiona, the cat.
Fiona, hissing in Sirius' face, had her claws anchored in his robe.
Professor McGonagall reached them. "I specifically stated that no one is to use any spells that would cause harm! Forty points from Gryffindor! Evans and Zephyr please escort these abysmally foolish students to the hospital wing."
Lily attempted to pry Fiona off Sirius while trying to ignore the snickering emanating from many of the students.
"Come on, Fi. Please let go," Lily pleaded in desperation.
With a swipe of her paw at Sirius' ulcerated face, Fiona let go and allowed Lily to carry her.
Sirius appeared as though he were in much pain. It was difficult to look at him for his face had become repulsive to the sight.
"Er, you look positively awful, Sirius," Anthony remarked as they briskly walked toward the hospital wing.
"Shut up, you bloody prat," Sirius snarled.
Fiona hissed and spat at Sirius while struggling to escape from Lily's arms.
Sirius glared balefully at Fiona and then growled, "You and I are going to have a little chat when this is over, witch."
Lily shook her head, and thought that she could not wait to dump the both of them off on Madam Pomfrey.
Later that day, in the common room before they retired, Fiona quietly told Lily that she and Sirius had made up; that Sirius had kissed her, and had promised to spend more time with her. Lily listened attentively, and wondered how long Fiona and Sirius' relationship would last.
***
The following week, on the last day of November, Snape asked Lily to the Yule Ball.
"I'm already going with someone else."
"Potter?" Snape said with venom.
"Er, yes."
He swiftly turned on his heels and strode rapidly up the corridor. Before he reached the end of it, he slammed his fist against the wall.
***
"Why don't we check on Hagrid?" suggested Sirius after their first prefects' meeting in December. "To see if he has been eaten alive by that horrid Bunny of his."
"Erm, all right, but I'm not going inside," James replied.
"Me either," said Lily.
They reached Hagrid's house, and heard thuds coming from the inside. The three of them looked at each other with apprehensive expressions on their faces. James hesitated and then rapped on the door. Immediately, they heard a roar and the sounds of large objects breaking or toppling inside. Lily, James, and Sirius backed away as one.
Hagrid peeked outside one of the curtained windows and then opened the door wide enough to allow his big, shaggy head through.
"Hullo! Er, nice day isn' it, eh?"
The snake tail managed to poke itself outside the door to hiss and spit at Lily, James, and Sirius. Venom dripped from its sharp fangs. Then it quickly retreated into the house.
"Erm, Hagrid, is everything all right?" Lily ventured as they heard several more large objects breaking and another roar from Bunny.
"Hagrid, what happened to your hand?" said James.
Lily noticed that Hagrid's right hand was completely bandaged.
"It's all righ'...just a minor burn. Bunny is at a tricky stage right now; else, I would let the three of yeh in."
Lily strongly suspected that Bunny was in a perpetual tricky stage.
"Blimey, Hagrid! Look how big she is!" exclaimed Sirius while staring over at one of the front windows.
Bunny had managed to peer out the window at them. Her lioness head had grown to that of the size of a truck tire. Apparently, Bunny did not like to be stared at, for at that moment, she opened her jaws wide and roared. She then bashed her head into the glass, cracking it.
"NO, BUNNY! BAD GIRL!" Hagrid rapidly disappeared from the door.
Bunny, still at the window, sent forth a jet of flames from her mouth. The curtains caught on fire. She then vanished from view.
"Oh my God! What a perfectly horrid creature!" James said with a stunned expression on his face.
"I think Hagrid should get rid of it before it destroys his house." Lily glanced worriedly at the cabin while listening to the thrashing noises coming from within.
"Er, don't you think we should close the door before that monster leaps out?" said Sirius.
Just then, Hagrid reappeared at the door.
"Hagrid, you've got to get rid of her," stated James.
"Yes, Hagrid, you have to! She's way too big. She needs more space. If you don't get rid of her, she's going to destroy your house," Lily pled.
"And have you for supper," added Sirius.
"I can't get rid of her! She doesn' know anything or anyone 'sides me. I'm her mummy!" exclaimed Hagrid teary eyed.
"Hagrid, you can't keep her!" James firmly responded.
"What am I gonna do, James? I can't jus' dump her! She wouldn' survive all alone."
Lily seriously doubted that.
"What if we find a nice place for her?" said James backing away, for Bunny had just leapt up behind Hagrid.
Sirius muttered, "Yeah, like in a coffin."
Hagrid hollered as the goat head rammed his leg with its horns.
"Er, get rid of it before it kills you, Hagrid," James stated grimly at the same time as Bunny let out another tremendous roar.
"Oh, all righ'. Lemme know if yeh can find a nice place for Bunny. Send me an owl. Not really safe fer yeh ter come here." He then slammed the door shut as Bunny let out a thunderous bellow.
As they walked briskly up to the castle, Sirius said, "Why in hell would Hagrid want to keep such a dreadfully, frightening creature? How does he sleep at night knowing that it is in the room with him?"
"I'll ask my dad if he has any ideas about what to do with Bunny," replied James thoughtfully.
***
A week later, after the Prefect meeting, James informed Lily that his father and several wizards would pick up Bunny on Saturday night. The only catch was that James, Lily, and Sirius must meet them in the Forbidden Forest...with Bunny.
"Er, sounds very dangerous," Lily remarked.
"I can use my Invisibility Cloak to cover the three of us while we sneak out of the castle."
"First, we must figure out how to get Bunny without being killed," stated Sirius.
"How about placing a powerful Sleeping Charm on her?" suggested Lily.
"Excellent idea!" James grinned at Lily. "Then we could simply place a Levitation Charm on Bunny to carry her into the forest."
"Of course, Prongs, we don't want Bunny to be seen, so we will need your cloak to hide her."
"Aye, that's right. All right. I think we have a plan. This Saturday, let's meet in the common room at exactly 1:30 a.m. Er, actually that would be early Sunday. Okay?"
"All right," Lily and Sirius agreed.
"1:30. Don't forget."
"We won't," replied Sirius.
***
At 1:29 a.m., Sunday, Lily silently slipped out of the girls' room. She did not see James or Sirius when she entered the common room.
"Lily," whispered James while raising his Invisibility Cloak.
Lily quickly went underneath it. Slowly and silently, they exited the Gryffindor Tower and walked through the castle. Eventually, the three reached Hogwarts' main entrance. Glancing around, James opened the door. The hinges made a creaky noise.
"Who's there?" The Bloody Baron, Slytherin's ghost, floated into view.
They silently stepped outside.
"Is that you, Peeves? I warned you that I would not tolerate any more of your shenanigans. Come out! Show your stupid, sheep face or you will regret it."
Lily, James, and Sirius swiftly walked down the steps to the lawn. Finally, they reached Hagrid's house.
"Who wants the honours of putting Bunny to sleep?" said Sirius.
"Let Lily do it. She's the best when it comes to Charms. Are you ready?" James glanced over at Lily.
Lily nodded her head.
"All right. Here goes." James knocked on the door.
Hagrid, in a muffled voice, answered, "Who's there?"
"It's us," replied Sirius.
Hagrid opened the door. "Where are yeh? I don' see yeh!"
"We're under my Invisibility Cloak. Step aside so that we can come in."
"All right." Hagrid stepped aside.
Massive Bunny leapt onto all fours. Unable to see them, she deeply inhaled in their direction. Low rumbles emanated from her throat.
Lily raised her wand and said, "Consupio."
The chimera's lion and goat heads' eyes drooped, and Bunny toppled over.
James removed the cloak from them.
"Good work, Lily!" Sirius exclaimed
Hagrid began sobbing. "My poor baby! Mummy is goin' ter miss her."
"Are you two ready?"
"Yes," Lily and Sirius replied in unison.
"Say your last goodbye to Bunny, Hagrid," Sirius said.
Hagrid embraced Bunny and began wailing. "Mummy is goin' ter miss you!"
"Er, I think we better go now," said Lily.
"C'mon, Hagrid, we have to go." James attempted to lift Hagrid's small tree trunk-sized arms.
Sirius rushed over to assist James. "C'mon, chum. She'll be all right."
Hagrid walked over to the table, collapsed in a chair, and bawled stormily into his hands.
"Erm, let's go," James ordered.
The three of them pointed their wands at Bunny and said, "Ascendo." The chimera gently rose from the floor. Once the chimera became nearly level with Lily, James, and Sirius, James threw the Invisibility Cloak over Bunny. They stepped out the door and quietly walked toward the Forbidden Forest.
"I hope we don't meet any creatures worse than Bunny," Lily said, nervously.
They entered the forest, with ears attuned to the slightest noise.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" said Lily quietly, while trying to look everywhere at once.
"Lumos," James whispered. "Yes. My dad said that to just keep walking and they'll send us a signal."
"All right." Lily lit her wand, and Sirius followed suit.
They continued walking deeper into the forest while hearing stealthy crunching and sighing sounds. Something large fluttered over their heads and they gasped.
"It was an owl. Just an owl...I think," James said in a shaky voice.
A moment later, they saw flashes of red and gold directly ahead of them.
"That's my dad!"
They walked faster, and, within a very short period, approached a group of four wizards.
"Hello," exclaimed Edward Potter. "I'm impressed with the three of you. Good thinking to use the cloak to cover the chimera. Let's see it."
James removed the cloak from Bunny.
Edward and the other three wizards marvelled at the creature.
"Rare indeed. I would like to know where Hagrid obtained this creature. They are nearly extinct, and can only be found on the island of Crete," said Edward.
"He said that he won her, Mr. Potter," piped up Lily.
"Is that so? The person who gave it to him engaged in illegal transport of an endangered magical creature, worth six months in Azkaban. Very well. We will take the chimera and return it to the mountains of Crete."
Edward and the wizards, with their wands, directed Bunny into a large crate punctured with several air holes. The crate was then attached to two brooms.
"All right. We're off," said Edward.
He and the three wizards hopped onto their brooms and lifted off, with the crate holding Bunny dangling between two of them.
"James, I don't want any more owls from Dumbledore about some foolish pranks, do you hear?" Edward yelled down.
"Erm, all right, Dad," James shouted while waving up at him.
***
A week before the Yule Ball, during breakfast, it suddenly dawned on Lily that there were only a few boys present.
"That's odd," said Lily frowning.
"What's odd?" replied Fiona.
"Look around, Fi. D'you notice anything weird, out of the ordinary?"
Fiona glanced around the Great Hall. "It appears that most of the boys have either slept in or ate earlier."
Lily shook her head. "Strange."
When they returned to the common room, they learned the reason that many of the boys had not shown up for breakfast. They stepped into the common room and were greeted with angry voices. The Gryffindor males stood around in their pyjamas or with towels wrapped around their waists. Fiona giggled. Lily elbowed her in the ribs.
Lily asked Remus, draped only in a towel, what happened.
"Someone stole our bloody clothes, all of them!"
"You're joking!"
"I wouldn't be standing around wearing this bloody towel if I were joking, would I, Lily?"
"I think it must have been a witch, desperate to see us men wearing hardly a stitch," yelled Oliver in a blue bathrobe wrapped tightly around him.
"Oh, please!" exclaimed Fiona. "Like you really have something we want to see."
Oliver narrowed his eyes and hissed, "And what do you know, Miss Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum?"
Fiona glared at Oliver.
"We don't mind anyone seeing us without our clothes," chimed in Elijah Craven, with a devilish expression on his face and a piece of toast in his hand.
Elijah and his best friend, Chris McDonald, were brazenly walking around in just their pants.
Lily's mouth dropped open.
"Yeah, that McGonagall screamed at us for showing up at breakfast like this. We tried to tell her that we had no clothes, but she refused to listen," said Chris.
"Then the sour-faced prude had the nerve to subtract twenty points from our house!" added Elijah.
"ELIJAH!" Face beet red, Daisy ran toward Elijah.
"Uh oh!" Elijah took off running, with Daisy and Chris in hot pursuit.
"I just want to get my hands on the witch or wizard responsible for this prank," said Peter in disgust. He only wore striped pyjama bottoms.
Ivy and Samantha entered the common room and noted the boys in various stages of undress. They began to giggle.
"Lily! There you are!" Karis Chung approached her. "You must come. We have an urgent meeting."
Lily followed Karis outside into the corridor. Shortly afterwards, they reached the room where an urgent Prefect meeting was being held.
"Er, everyone sit down, please!" Frank, wearing a fluffy red and white bathrobe, said.
The prefects sat, with much grumbling heard throughout the room.
"Quiet, please!" Margaret exclaimed with a smile on her face.
Frank cleared his throat. "This morning, most of us men discovered that all of our clothing had disappeared, minus the ones we happened to be wearing or draped across our beds." He frowned, and then resumed.
"The question is: who is responsible? We do know from speaking with others in our houses that we all had our clothing when we went to bed. However, when we awoke this morning, our clothes were gone. Any theories?"
"Perhaps it was a witch?" offered Toby Brentwood wearing garish, plaid pyjamas.
"That seems to be the most popular and plausible theory," Margaret replied, looking as though she were trying not to laugh.
Snape, wearing a yellow and green striped nightshirt, stood.
Lily stared down at the table while attempting not to giggle.
"I would like to know why Potter and Black seem to be the only ones here who do have their clothes," said Snape quietly while looking at James and Sirius.
Lily sat up with a jolt. It was true; James and Sirius were the only boys dressed.
James leapt up. "I have no idea why we have our clothes and the rest of you don't."
"Oh, really?" snarled Snape. "Couldn't this be one of your elaborate pranks, Potter?"
"What are you saying, Snape?" Sirius retorted. "That we're behind this?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying! We all know about your reputation for pulling idiotic pranks on the students. I'm sure you two had a great laugh devising this one, eh?" Snape glared at James with an expression full of hostility and resentment on his face.
Lily did not believe that James and Sirius would do such a thing. She slowly rose from her chair.
"It doesn't sound right, Severus. I know James and Sirius play pranks, but this doesn't seem like something they would do."
"And who told you to say that, Lily? Potter? He seems to have an unhealthy influence on you," Snape snapped, acidly.
"That's not fair and you know it," yelled Lily.
"I would like to know why we pulled this prank," snarled Sirius, eyes flashing dangerously. "Why don't you enlighten us, Snape, seeing that you have it all figured out."
Professor McGonagall stormed into the room at the same moment as Snape opened his mouth to speak.
"We have found the culprits," Professor McGonagall stated, tersely. "Potter and Black, come with me. This meeting is adjourned. Boys, you will find your clothes in your rooms."
Bewildered, James and Sirius followed Professor McGonagall outside the room.
"I knew it," Snape said with an expression full of smug satisfaction.
Lily returned to the common room feeling awful. She could not shake the feeling that James and Sirius would not have done such a thing. They always admitted to their pranks.
***
For the next several days, the school was abuzz with the case of the "Boys' Missing Clothing." Bertha Jorkins announced to everyone she came into contact with that the Gryffindors had lost four hundred points, and both James and Sirius received detentions. James and Sirius were also banned from the following three Prefect meetings and were not allowed to sit at the prefects' table during that period.
***
Two days before the Yule Ball, James asked Lily to meet him outside the library.
"Let's find an empty classroom," James said, after he and Lily met.
They found a room down the corridor; James closed the door.
"Look, Lily, I didn't do it. I didn't take anyone's clothes! Someone framed me."
"I believe you, Jamie." She embraced him tight and kissed him on the cheek.
"They found a note, addressed to Sirius, discussing a plan to hide all of the boys' clothes. But I didn't write it! Even though it was in my handwriting. McGonagall showed it to me, said that it was found in the kitchens. It's true I sometimes sneak into the kitchens, but I didn't write that note!"
"James, how could the note be in your writing?"
"I don't know! McGonagall showed it to me, and it was my writing. Even the signature was mine! I tried to tell McGonagall that someone framed me, using Dark Arts or something, but she wouldn't listen. She kept asking me if it were my handwriting, and what could I say?"
Lily slowly and quietly said, "But there is only one person who knows much about the Dark Arts besides Konrad."
"Snape."
"But why, James? Why would he do such a thing?"
"Because he's rotten!" James growled. "He hates me! He's hated me for a long time."
"Why does he hate you so much? It makes no sense!"
"I don't know. He just does. Perhaps he's envious of me. That's what my dad said."
"I'm so sorry about what happened to you and Sirius," Lily said, sadly. "Is there any way to prove that it wasn't you two?"
James shrugged. "If there is a way, I'm having a hard time figuring it out.
"Lily, there's more I have to tell you."
"What?"
"I can't go to the Yule Ball."
"WHAT? Why, James?"
"It's one of my punishments. Sirius can go because he wasn't the prank's mastermind, according to McGonagall."
Lily began to cry. "That is so unfair! Doesn't McGonagall know that she is also punishing me?"
James held her close. "I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't hear me. Listen. Go with Peter, all right? He wasn't able to find a date."
Lily pulled away from him while wiping her eyes. "That is so not fair."
"Promise me, Lily, that you will go with Peter. He has no one to go to the Ball with. I was trying to find someone to go with him when all of this happened. Go with him. For me, okay?"
"All right. For you, James."
"Have a nice time at the Yule Ball," he said, quietly, and then kissed her on the forehead.
***
At the Yule Ball, Lily wore a frilly black dress robe and sat with Peter, Sirius, Fiona, Remus, and Ivy. Sirius spent much of the time throwing murderous looks in Snape's direction, and calling Snape every known obscene and vulgar term he could possibly think of.
"Lily, would you like to dance to this number?" said Peter.
"All right."
Lily and Peter danced to the slow song. Peter was a head shorter than Lily, but she was thankful that he danced well. They danced to the next several numbers before vacating the floor.
"I'm thirsty. How about you?" Peter said.
"As I matter of fact, I am. Let's go get a butterbeer."
"Good idea."
Peter took her by the hand and led her to the refreshment area. When they reached it, they noted several Slytherins, including Snape, standing around the food and drink like sentinels.
"Er, excuse me," said Peter as he attempted to get around a large, muscular Slytherin.
The large Slytherin, blocking the butterbeers, refused to budge. "What's the password, plump fairy?"
Peter glared at the Slytherin. "Get out of my way, stinking troll."
The large Slytherin slowly advanced on Peter, who stood his ground.
"Let him be, Altair," Snape drawled.
"Here, you want a butterbeer, Pettigrew? Catch!" Snape threw a bottle of butterbeer at Peter, who deftly caught it.
Snape scowled at Peter. "Here, Lily." He handed her a butterbeer.
With a slight hesitation, she took it from him, and she and Peter returned to the table.
Lily opened her bottle and took a sip. The butterbeer seemed slightly sweeter than normal.
"It's sweet, isn't it?" Lily exclaimed to Peter.
"Erm, it tastes regular to me."
"Oh."
Lily continued to drink her butterbeer. Soon, she began to feel a little odd and slightly sick to her stomach.
"Lily, are you all right?" Peter gazed at her with a concerned expression on his face.
"I'm fine, I think...Peter, I'll be back...I'm going to the girls' toilet. I think I'm going to be ill."
Peter stared at her in alarm. "Do you want me to send Fiona when she's done dancing with Sirius?"
"No. It's all right."
Lily quickly left the hall, and ran into a girls' toilet. Locking herself in a stall, she doubled up with stomach cramps and moaned. Besides the painful cramps, she felt very strange. Suddenly, everything had a pink tinge to it. The cramps passed, but it still seemed as though she were viewing things through a pair of pink lenses. A few minutes later, her vision returned to normal. She exited the stall and gazed around in delight. The world seemed remarkably beautiful. Lily was overwhelmed with intense feelings of love, which she desperately wanted to share. She wanted to give her love to someone. So, she stepped out of the girls' toilet into the corridor.
Snape, wearing a black dress robe with a green serpent insignia on the left shoulder, leaned against the wall opposite the girls' toilet. He held a long-stemmed, red rose. He smiled crookedly when he spotted Lily.
"Hullo, Lily."
"Hi. Do you love me?"
Smiling more broadly, he handed her the rose. "The question, my Lily, is do you love me?"
"Yes."
"Come on."
He took her by the hand. Snape led her rapidly through the corridors and up many flights of stairs. Eventually, they reached a door in a deserted, unused corridor. Snape opened it and ushered Lily inside. The room was dark, save for the light from a dozen lit candles. Also, the room was crowded with old furniture, mainly bookcases and desks.
"I set this up just for you and me, Lily. Here, have a seat." He directed her to an old, mouldy couch.
Lily sat.
"You're mine, aren't you? You love me, right, Lily?"
"Yes."
"Then kiss me."
She leaned forward and kissed him, which he returned.
"Potter always takes what's mine. I loved you first. He saw that I did, so he tries to take you away from me. But you're mine, Lily. You belong to me. You and I were meant to be together. Potter is too arrogant, greedy, and spoiled for his own good. He thinks he's entitled to everything, but I'm not going to let him have you."
Snape, with his hands on her shoulders, pushed Lily back so that she was lying on the couch. He then began kissing her on the face and neck as though he had finally found water in the midst of a prolonged trek across the Sahara Desert.
"It was I who sent you those gifts, Lily. It was I, not Potter, who sent you Merlin's Enchanted Glass, the Pacifera Painting, and the Erato Music Box," he said in a low breathy voice.
"I love you," Lily said, softly.
He continued kissing her, with increasing fervour, while surreptitiously unbuttoning her dress robe.
"Get your slimy, filthy hands off of her."
Snape leapt up off of Lily, and then Sirius slammed his fist into his face.
Lily sat up abruptly. Her dress robe nearly falling from her shoulders, she screamed, "What are you doing? Why are you hurting him?"
"It's okay, Lily," said Fiona reassuringly while attempting to block Lily from Sirius and Snape's views.
"Get away from the couch before I kill you." Sirius had disarmed Snape.
His nose bleeding profusely, Snape malevolently watched Sirius while moving away from the couch.
"What is he doing to my love?" Lily said in a plaintive voice.
"He's not your love," replied Fiona while trying to button Lily's nearly completely opened dress robe.
"But, I love him."
"No, you don't," Fiona exclaimed, trying to quickly fasten Lily's dress robe. "Lily, please help me with your robe."
"Oh. All right."
"Are you two done?" said Sirius gazing unwaveringly at Snape with his wand levelled at him.
"Almost," Fiona replied.
"You're pathetic scum, Snape! Do you know that? First, you frame James and me, and then you try to steal James' girl. What did you use? A Love Potion? You're sick! I ought to kill you for what you have done."
"Sirius, we're ready."
"All right. Let me teach this vile, filthy git a lesson.
"Petrificus Totalus."
Snape fell heavily onto the floor. Then Sirius immediately began kicking him in his most vulnerable spots. Fury and pain could be seen in Snape's eyes.
"I'm finished." Sirius threw Snape's wand onto the floor. "Sweet dreams, Snape."
Sirius escorted Fiona and Lily to the common room.
"Er, put her to sleep or something. Then come back down so that we can brew an antidote," said Sirius.
"All right. It will only be a few minutes," Fiona replied. "C'mon, Lily."
Fiona marched Lily up the stairs to their room.
"Erm, Lily why don't you lay down?"
"I'm not tired. I'm so much in love!" Lily twirled around the room.
"Er, okay." Fiona grabbed Lily and pushed her onto the bed. Snowball jumped off with a meow.
Fiona pointed her wand at Lily and said, "Sopio."
Lily promptly fell asleep.
***
"Lily! Lily, wake up. You must drink this."
"Mmmf, what? What's going on, Fi?" Lily said, groggily. "Where's my love?"
"Drink this, and you'll find out."
Lily took the goblet and peered into it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"It's good. You'll like it."
"It isn't going to make me sick, is it?"
"No. Just drink it, Lily."
Lily swallowed the contents of the goblet. The drink had a bitter taste. Immediately, she felt as though her insides were in revolt. Lily started moaning.
"What have you done to me, Fi?"
"It's all right. You'll feel better in a few minutes."
To Lily, everything suddenly appeared to have a green glow to it, and the room seemed to be spinning. Just as soon as it all began, it ended. Lily shook her head vigorously to clear it. She owlishly blinked a few times, and started to feel her normal self.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story; I'll tell you later. Let's get some sleep. I'm tired. Ivy, Sam, and Daisy should be here in a few."
Lily and Fiona put on their pyjamas and climbed into bed.
"'Night, Lily."
"'Night, Fi," Lily responded while cuddling Snowball close.
***
A few hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, Lily suddenly sprang up in bed.
"OH MY GOD! FIONA! FIONA! WHAT HAVE I DONE? OH MY GOD!"
Fiona, Samantha, Ivy, and Daisy woke up in alarm.
"What's wrong?" Ivy mumbled.
"Fi! I'm so ashamed," Lily cried.
"Come on, Lily. Let's go downstairs."
"Is everything all right?" said Samantha.
"Yes. Go back to sleep," ordered Fiona.
Downstairs in the common room, Lily sobbed. "Fi, I can't believe what I have done."
"It wasn't your fault."
"I kissed him. Told him that I loved him. I let him put his hands on me, kiss me! What if James finds out?"
"Lily, it wasn't your fault! James will understand. He knows how Snape is."
"Oh God, I'm so ashamed, Fi."
"For the hundredth time, it wasn't your fault!" Fiona said in exasperation. "Snape slipped a Love Potion in your butterbeer. He must have planned the whole thing."
"How did you and Sirius find me?"
"Peter told me that you were feeling sick and went to the toilets. After awhile, I noticed that you still hadn't come back, so I went to the girls' toilet and looked around but you weren't there. I became worried, and told Sirius. Sirius then realised that Snape wasn't anywhere to be seen either. So, we went looking for you. We told Peter to stay, in case you returned.
"If it weren't for the Fat Friar, we wouldn't have found you. He happened to see you and Snape enter that room we found you in. We figured he must have given you something for you to willingly follow him. It became clear when you stated that you loved him." Fiona grimaced. "What a disgusting, putrid, slimy worm he is."
Lily sniffled. "Fi, it was him who sent the mysterious gifts."
"No! You're joking. Tell me you're joking."
"I'm not."
"Where did he get the money?"
"I don't know and I don't care!"
***
Filch discovered Snape the following day, just before lunch. Snape did not reveal who had placed the curse on him for fear that everyone would learn what he had done.
Lily was anxious to return home in two days. She begged Fiona and Sirius not to mention the incident between Snape and her to anyone.