"First off, trespassing is expressedly against school rules

I don't own any of these people, they're property of the great JKR, I only own the plots.

Milady's Eyes

By Adia

Chapter 3: Return to Hogwarts

As though she had been jerked from behind, Lily suddenly found herself awash in oblivion.

The last time Lily had traveled by portkey, she had been very small, leaving her somewhat unfamiliar with the experience. Her form seemed to fast-forward through cities and towns and forests, like traveling through the floo system, except with no fireplaces. She closed her eyes; suddenly sick with worry and motion sickness, and wishing perhaps she had held out for another broom ride.

Suddenly, the world resumed its normal pacing, and she hit the ground with a thud. Blinking and shaking her head free of dirt, Lily raised herself up on her elbows to find herself on the foothills of the neatly trimmed quidditch pitch, dimly lit by the orbs in the sky. Beyond the towering presence of the green and stadium, the sprawling lawns sloped through the valley, to the borders of the forest, down to the lake, and up to the gates of the castle. Although it was still night, the ground smelled of dew and summer, familiar and fresh. But school certainly wasn't in session yet; and the grounds seemed oddly lonely, as though they derived life from residents who lived there most of the year. As her mind readjusted to her new whereabouts, Lily wondered where her two cohorts had landed. Before long, however, laughter from behind grew steadily louder, and the shadows of two lanky boys could be seen on the ground.

"Need a little help?" Sirius sniggered.

She spun around to find them standing behind her, slightly disheveled, and to her dismay, stifling laughter.

Lily's face flushed as she turned it back towards the ground. So landing on my feet isn't my strong point. Ha ha ha.

She took Sirius' hand, and pulled herself up, further surveying her surroundings. She noticed that they were nearby the quidditch locker rooms, at the edge of the pitch, and a short walk from the forbidden forest. Too short for her comfort, anyway. A gust of wind gave away the immediate presence of the whomping willow, its long tentacle-like branches swishing in the breeze just beyond the stadium. Lily turned back to the two boys standing before her.

"All right," She said wryly, "What's the big fuss about? Are we turning the giant squid into some interesting shade of yellow?"

Sirius and James looked as though Christmas had come early. Lily smiled in spite of herself. From afar, they often appeared this way, to be the brothers neither of them had ever had.

"Well," James replied, his dark eyes glittering with excitement, "When we went on holiday, I figured it would…behoove me…to make sure the Slytherins didn't see the quidditch cup until I was long gone. So I've been putting in quite a bit of overtime on the field, probably a little more then what would be deemed conspicuous. Let's just say I got into a bit of trouble."

"About 4 owls worth," Sirius said, "Some business with a concealment charm that went bad…"

"Anyways, since the ministry got wind that I was flying a little too close to muggle eyes..."

"Which wouldn't have happened if the concealment charm had worked."

"And they took away my Nimbus 250."

"Ugly gits," muttered Sirius. "Nearly broke my neck on that reject piece of tree stump I had to deliver you on, Lil."

"Sirius, I didn't come out of my mother attached to a state-of-the-art racing broom. It served its purpose, didn't it? Anyways, word is that the Nimbus is being hidden right over…there." James pointed to the broom shed.

Lily became quizzical. It was not striking her what her role was to be in this project.

James read her face and quickly continued. "Now, normally we would just unlock the door, retrieve the broom, and be done with it. But there appears to be a hidden closet in the broom shed, created by the school officials for hiding things such a these."

"Objects of destruction confiscated by reckless delinquents." Sirius muttered sarcastically.

James smiled slyly. " But you see, as talented as we are-"

"And we are talented." Sirius interjected.

"…We don't quite have the power to break the lock. And since you happen to be a prefect," James moved towards her, "We realize certain…advantages…you are given above other students."

"Such as knowing how to open such a safe. Which is why, m'dear, you've been hoisted out of your bed at such an obscene hour of the night, and brought back to this great institution that granted such authority. So, on that note, we had better utilize your talents before our shadows are no longer being cast from the moon." Sirius was beside himself in his own brilliance.

Lily took everything in for a moment. Her suspicions regarding her own unsavory involvement confirmed, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. Of course, she should have seen it coming, seeing as though Sirius had spent the last 6 years of his life as her scapegoat, biding his time for a moment like this.

Ah ha, She thought disdainfully, Sirius has finally found a use for me.

I wonder what took him so long.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Lily said bitterly. Sirius' smile faded.

He forced a laugh. "I know it's not exactly the holiday you were expecting, but we'll make do. Right?" Sirius' face was riddled with anxiety.

But Lily had noticed the small, glittering badge near a pocket on James's robes. In the middle was a large "P". Lily silently laughed at herself for not remembering sooner.

Well, that's odd, she thought. I don't recall being able to do anything he can't. Unless, of course, he's been pulled from the position, and has decided to keep the badge for show. Lily tried to push the bitter thoughts out of her head.

"Why can't James unlock it? He's a prefect." Lily replied evenly.

James replied as though he had anticipated the question. "When they took the broom, I was obviously a little…perturbed…needless to say, they figured it would be best if they stripped a bit of my power…at least, until school got back into session, and I was allowed the Nimbus back legally. So, on that note, why don't we cut the chatter and give us a shot at the cup this year, hmm?"

She stared at them for a moment. "We," Lily said stonily, "will not be doing anything. I don't think the two of you understand the implications of what you're suggesting. First of all, this isn't fun, it's dangerous! The risk to our standing at this school aside, we are standing directly in harm's way. If either of you had done your homework, you would have realized that we in very close proximity to the forbidden forest, whose inhabitants have no qualms about coming out in the middle of the night, mind you. Especially if they start to see wand light coming from our direction. Furthermore, if anything should happen to us, no one will know we are here!"

But Sirius waved away any further attempts at reason with an impatient hand. "One complaint at a time," he said soberly, "Alright, seeing as though your personal track record doesn't exactly outline you as the queen of discipline, as succinctly as you can, why are you suddenly so unwilling to go on a little adventure?

He had a point. This was most in definitely not what either she or he had expected, seeing as though the mastermind had suddenly become the stick in the mud. Lily faintly realized that she was burning a bridge with Sirius by refusing, but something told her that she needed to stand her ground for once.

"First off, trespassing into a safe like that is expressedly against school rules!"

Sirius sighed as though the answer was obvious. "And what do we do when you break school rules?"

"Blame it on him." James replied, grinning.

"Exactly," said Sirius, rolling his eyes, "So you have nothing to fear, besides the fact that I may be horse-whipped by Filch. C'mon."

He and Sirius broke into a run towards the broom shed. Startled, lily clambered after them.

"Wait!" Lily gasped, trying to keep up, "Secondly, I don't know how adventurous you're going to feel once you've been bitten by a werewolf."

Both James and Sirius suddenly stopped short, turning back towards her. Lily felt her cheeks flush as their eyes bore into her head. Although both their faces were lined with urgency, the color had drained out of James, and Lily could detect a bit of shakiness of Sirius' voice even as he spoke to her:

"You needn't worry about that." He said with a sudden seriousness. "We'll be able to handle it."

For a moment, Lily wondered if she should question how that was possible, but then her mind returned as she glanced back at the face that still intently staring her down. So they're willing to give up their careers and their safety for a broomstick, Lily thought soberly. Regardless of whether or not the broom was actually James's…they were stealing. And she was running out of excuses to stop them. Furthermore, a small part of her wished she hadn't the sense to stop herself. Although blessed (and somewhat cursed) with the advantage of foresight, Lily had always been mischievous at heart, and it was this spirit that drew Sirius to her. This was not, however, a run of the mill adventure.

It was her firm roots in the ground that were finally pulling his head out of the sky, and it was secretly killing her to do it.

She looked back at his pleading face, knowing within those eyes full of abandon there was a heart that always wanted to keep her safe. Sirius was, for all intents and purposes, her truest friend. She knew his Achilles heel lay in this desire, and although he was somewhat using her protected state to his advantage at the moment, he never would intentionally harm her. Perhaps she could use this. Lily considered it for a moment. There wasn't much more she could do.

"Thirdly," she said slowly, "Using my powers as a prefect for any reasons other then those benefiting the school is grounds for stripping me of my position."

But it was now James who answered this plea.

"Oh, what, so a little fun isn't worth as much to her stodginess as that prefect badge, is that it?"

You know that's not true, Lily thought bitterly, you know it isn't. Tell him. Tell him it isn't.

James took a step forward, watching her intently. Lily felt her mind turn to mush as the words she wanted to say leapt back into her throat. Although her focus was

locked on his eyes, she could faintly see the beginnings of a smile play on his lips.

He's testing you, a voice said, He's trying to see what you're made of.

He wants to know if Sirius was right about you.

Eyes full of curiosity and intent, James took one of her hands in his and started to examine it, running a finger along the soft joints above her palm, tracing the lines and the tiny bones. Lily's gaze suddenly shifted as she wondered what was running through his mind.

"Such nice structure," he said softly, intertwining his fingers in hers, "most excellent for charm work."

Lily tensed, squinting her eyes shut, trying desperately to regroup every source of resolve she had. But this time, however, Lily was not dissuaded from her thoughts. She pulled away from his grasp and took a few steps backward.

"For your information," Lily said flatly, "This prefect badge allows me to be in farther nicer places then a expulsion notice."

James and Sirius looked flabbergasted. Sirius' eyes were anxious, hoping blindly that the uncharacteristic actions of his friend were negotiable.

"Oh, Lily, do be reasonable." He stammered, "We've already gone to a great deal of trouble to get to where we are, and it would be very unfair for you to ruin it now-"

"I AM being reasonable!" Lily hissed, "In fact, it appears that I am the only reasonable person present! Perhaps when that portkey delivers your minds, you'll understand this…this…idiocy!"

But even as she said it, Lily knew she had gone too far. Though certainly devilish, neither James nor Sirius thought this to be a stupid idea, but the knowledge that Lily would think so wounded them deeply. The hurt in James' eyes was too much to bear, and tears stung in her eyes as she looked down at her feet, uncomfortable in her own skin. Not knowing what to do, Lily turned and started to run, face still cast towards the ground.

You didn't mean to hurt them; Lily silently tried to reason with herself, blindly rushing through the half-light. They must know that. They must. You just wanted to keep them safe, show them that they might have gone a little too far, that's all…

But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a large crack. By the time Lily had looked up from where she had run to, it was too late. She had ventured straight into the path of the whomping willow's thrashing branches. Before she could move, they had enveloped and lifted her off the ground in a great lurch.

Arms and legs flailing, Lily twisted and turned in a desperate attempt to free herself. The branches tossed her around like a plaything, flinging her into the air and throwing her back to earth alternately, making her sick and dizzy from the height and effort. She shut her eyes.

O, God please, help. Help me. Help me. PLEASE.

Suddenly, the sounds of running grew nearer, and she could hear their voices from behind.

"For God's sake, prod the knot!"

"I CAN'T! It's too far away."

"I can't find any sticks! Try harder!"

"Any harder and I'm as good as airborne, James."

Knot? She thought faintly. What knot…?

Then, without warning, the branches that were wrapped around her legs tightened, and Lily felt a sickening crack.

She let out a gasp of pain. Her mind was screaming, but she could scarcely breath. Lily felt the world tumbling around her as her body surged with pain.

Let it end…please…let it end…James…Sirius…hello?

Hello?

But the voices had disappeared. Beyond the air being whipped by the branches, the only thing Lily could hear was rustling…No, it was running…and the sounds seemed to be growing smaller…and smaller.

And then they were gone. It all became nothing. Nothing but the shapes illuminated vaguely beneath her eyelids and the fire in her legs.

They've left me, she wailed silently, they've left me, and now I'm going to die.

No, you're not.

Yes, I am! It hurts, I can't feel, I can't see, I can't hear anything at all…no one knows where I am…no one knows where I am…

No one…

Lily's stomach gave a lurch. Her whole body suddenly felt completely abandoned, and her mind was fading in and out of focus as the burning began to spread into her hips and feet and chest…

And then…without warning…the willow gave a particularly violent snap and Lily felt herself being whipped from its grasp and into the air. Senseless and terrified, Lily flailed her limp arms and legs, trying desperately to somehow grasp the air and break her fall.

Then she felt the glass.

Shattering into a million pieces, shards of the window trailed after her as Lily slammed through it and onto the floor, sprawling in every direction, and fading in and out of consciousness. She lay there, silent and unmoving, unable to feel anything but the air around her face. Her eyes remained closed, and the only thing she could hear was the faint ringing in her ears.

Oh, she thought vaguely, so this is what it feels like to be dead.

She felt the last of her body become numb, and then her mind wiped itself of thought…

A/N: Right on time as promised. ;) Thank you muchly to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you'll continue to do so, I will always consider ideas and suggestions. Like I said before, tell your friends! Higher morale keeps chapter quality up. Thanks much to my wonderful (and sick :( ) beta reader Lauren, who fixes my words better then I can. :) ETA on chapter 4 is Friday, September 28th.