Disclaimer: To the demise of myself and advantage of Ms. Rowling, Harry Potter (and all characters not as important) do not belong to me.
*This chapter is dedicated to my sister, for being a most excellent beta reader and helping me out a lot, especially on this chapter*
Lily stared around at all the black-robed vigilantes of Voldemort. With their hoods drawn over their heads and their faces hidden in the shadows, they more resembled wraiths, evil things not entirely real, than actually human beings. They reminded Lily of dementors. /And some of them more than likely are/.
The field in which they stood was eerily quiet, the only sounds pervading the silence that of owls and other creatures of the night. No one dared speak, lest they reveal themselves by the sound of their voice. The only person who knew all who stood there in the night was Voldemort, and most people preferred it that way. Snape was the only one she knew (besides Malfoy, who basically bragged about it to everyone), and the only reason she knew Snape was one was by coincidence.
***Flashback***
It was dinnertime one night during their second year, and Lord Voldemort was calling them. After making their excuses, the two had rushed out of the Great Hall and bumped into one another.
"Stop following me!" Lily had snapped.
"I'm not following you, you're following me!" Snape had answered.
Then, conveniently, or perhaps not, Lily had tripped and her left arm was left exposed. She moved quickly to cover it, but the damage had already been done. Snape saw it.
"I-It's just a tattoo," she managed to stammer out.
"No, it's not. You're a Death Eater!"
"How did you..."
"I'm one too, you see," he had said, and showed her his own mark.
***End Flashback***
Lily looked for Snape in the crowd, but she couldn't find him. A cold winter wind blew, and she shivered and pulled her cloak closer around her. Just as the crowd began to stir restlessly, Lord Voldemort appparated in front of them.
"I have selected our next victims," he said without preamble, his eyes panning the crowd, taking attendence. "Three specific people. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." When he finished his horrible eyes lingered on her and her alone.
/No...not James.../ But she lifted her chin proudly, allowing none of what she was thinking to be revealed on her face. She had to protect James...she couldn't reveal her feelings to Voldemort.
The crowd shifted again, and nervous murmurs could be heard for the first time. Aren't those three students? Are they actually going to attack Hogwarts? What about Dumbledore?
"Silence!" snapped Voldemort. "We will not be attacking Hogwarts you dolts! The Winter Holidays are coming soon. We will strike then. I will also choose a few select followers to head an attack on the ministry. You will be notified." And with that, he disapparated again.
Lily stood silent and shivering as the Death Eaters dispersed, lost in her own thoughts. James was going to be killed. But if she told him, her parents would be killed, because she betrayed Lord Voldemort's trust. She couldn't choose between them. What was she going to do?
Lily jumped and gave a little cry as a viselike arm wrapped around her waist.
"Shh, it's just me my dear, no reason to be afraid," the voice of Voldemort hissed in her ear.
"Indeed, but there is every reason to be afraid," she answered, tone barely above a whisper.
He laughed, a terrible and shrill sound. "You amuse me, my pet," he said, grabbing her arm and twisting her around so that her face was inches away from his own. She struggled to maintain her composure, but when your face is so close to one of the most horrible creatures on earth, it's hard not to be afraid. "What's this I hear about you having a *boyfriend*," he continued.
"There was never any agreement that I could not date," she managed to answer him, surprising even herself at the coolness in her voice.
"There is now. You are not to see any one, Lily. Dump him. Unless, of course, you would rather see your parents die?"
"If...I do agree to dump James, will you spare his life? And his friends'?"
Lord Voldemort looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered slowly "No. I have my promises, you see."
"Since when did promises ever mean anything to you!?" she cried, mentally slapping herself for back talking him.
"Since I have something to gain from them. You are forgetting your place, Lily dear."
"I'm sorry," she muttered quietly. Then, a spark of inspiration came to her. "My Lord," she began coyly, "this thing with James, it is only an infatuation. There is really no need that I see to kill the boy. Surely you know where my true love lies," she said as she brought her body closer to his. Playing a game of deception with the master deceiver is dangerous, unless you know their weakness. And his weakness was her.
"I'm not sure what you are talking about, pet."
"Then come to me the night of Christmas Eve and let me show you. Perhaps we could discuss then the fates of these silly boys?" Maybe Lord Voldemort had forgotten her earlier transgression, or perhaps he had chosen to ignore it, but either way he agreed to the rendezvous whole-heartedly. Or as whole-hearted as Lord Voldemort got.
"Very well, then. I have business to attend to."
Lily slumped to the ground as Lord Voldemort disapperated. Her façade had saved them for now. But how long could she keep it up? And how did Voldemort found out about her involvement with James in the first place?
Lily leapt to her feet as the answer came to her in a rush. Of course. It had to have been him.
*****************
"HOW COULD YOU?" cried Lily, shoving Snape against the Hogwarts gates. She was out of breath from the long run back, but her anger gave her strength enough to yell.
"What are you talking about?" he spat back at her.
"Don't play dumb with me. You told Lord Voldemort about James. You told him! How could you?" Tears of rage were tracing down her face, but she made no move to brush them away.
"How could I? They almost had me killed the other day! I figured I might as well return the service!"
"Then this all over that stupid prank?"
"Not just the prank, but the little injustices that they've done to us all over the years! It's time they learned that they are *not* invincible."
"Did you even think about how I would feel? James is my boyfriend! And you just go and decide to have him killed! Not only that, now you've brought Lord Voldemort into it. Severus, you're playing with fire."
"Yes, but I'm not the one who's getting burned," Snape said with a cruel smile, and turned through the gates.
"Are you so sure?"
*****************
As Voldemort was conducting his gathering, after being literally ditched by Lily, James decided to occupy himself by going to visit Hagrid. Slipping out of his invisibility cloak, James banged on the huge wooden door of Hagrid's hut.
"Oh, 's you," said Hagrid as he poked his huge head out the door.
" `Oh, it's me?' Is that all the greeting I get after dragging all the way down here to visit you?" said James with a wry smile.
"Sorry James, I din' mean it like that," Hagrid apologized, waving James inside his hut. James sighed and dropped himself down into one of Hagrid's huge armchairs.
"Who else were you expecting?" he asked curiously.
"Lily was s'posed to come down here an'...nevermin'."
"Teach you magic?"
Hagrid gave him an alarmed look. "Don't worry," assured James, "she told me."
"Oh. Well, she was s'posed to be here 'bout a half hour ago. Still hasn' shown. Maybe she forgot."
"I don't think so. I was just with Lily, and she seemed in a rush to go somewhere. Maybe she got caught up doing something else."
After a few moments silence, James said "I know Hagrid, how about I teach you some magic in the meantime? I'm probably not as good at it, but at least it's something."
"Alrigh', tha's a good idea!" said Hagrid cheerfully.
A few hours passed, in which Hagrid broke several flowerpots attempting to shrink them, and still Lily hadn't shown. The two took a break over some tea.
"I don' think she's comin'" said Hagrid heavily.
"Don't worry about it Hagrid. You still learned a lot. I don't think she skipped out intentionally."
"Yer right. Thanks fer teaching me, James."
"It's no problem really," said James cheerfully. After bidding Hagrid goodbye, he began to wonder. Where *was* Lily? He hurried back to Hogwarts and decided to ask around. He bumped into Arabella in the hallway , who was hurrying away from the Library with her arms full of books. Arabella and Lily usually studied together.
"James!" she called him "Have you seen Lily? She was going to help me with divination, but I can't seem to find her."
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Apparently she's skipped out on a lot of people tonight."
"Oh. Well, if you do find her, tell her to come up to the Ravenclaw common room, would you? The password is `Nevermore'."
"Will do."
But as he asked Lily's friends in the common room, they said they hadn't seen her since she had left that morning. To James, it seemed as if Lily had dropped off the face of the earth. Did something happen to her? Or was there something she was keeping from him?
James climbed the steps to his bedroom heavily. Sirius and Peter were inside, playing a game of exploding snap, and Remus was stretched out on his bed with his nose in his books. "Hey," he greeted them half-heartedly, and collapsed onto his bed.
"Well that was the most lack-luster `hey' that I think I've ever gotten from you," joked Sirius "what's wrong?"
"You guys don't happen to know where Lily is, do you?"
"No, that's your job," answered Sirius. "Why, did something happen to her?"
"I don't know," James said vaguely, staring up at the top of his canopy.
"She's probably fine," said Peter. "She seems like the sort who can take care of herself."
"Yeah, cheer up," encouraged Sirius.
"I've got something that'll cheer all of us up," said Remus, looking up from his homework and joining into the conversation for the first time.
"What, you've finally got a life?" teased Sirius, and had a book thrown promptly at his head. "Hey, ow! You had to throw the arithmancy book!"
Remus ignored him and continued on. "My Aunt's invited me and a few friends to her house in France for winter break. Do you guys want to come? It's really nice, right on the outskirts of Paris."
"Wow, you have relatives in Paris?" said Peter, clearly in awe.
"Yes, well, that *is* where I'm from. My family only just moved here after...well, you know. So, what do you say? After you've gotten permission and everything."
"I think it's a great idea!" cried James. Remus's announcement had put him into a better mood. "Can Lily come?"
"Of course," answered Remus with a smile.
"You can count me in," smiled Sirius.
"Yeah, me too!" chimed Peter.
James smiled to himself. There was nothing he'd like better than spending Christmas in Paris, with his best friends and his girlfriend; the people he treasured more than anything in the world. He wouldn't have to go back to the foster home! It wasn't as if the people there were mean, but it wasn't one of his favorite places, either.
James joined in with Sirius and Peter for a while, and then all four friends climbed into bed, excited and happy, chattering softly about what vacation in Paris would be like. Slowly, they started to drop off, until James was the only one left awake. He felt much better than before; he was sure Lily was fine, and soon they would be exploring Paris together. His dreams were filled with scenes of Lily and him on the Eiffel tower.
*****************
"God, I'm late!" cried James, glancing at the clock.
James grabbed his books and started running for the Great Hall. He had overslept, and his next class was in fifteen minutes. He began taking the steps two at a time, at the same time trying to straighten his tie. He was almost there, with thirteen minutes to spare.
CRASH! In his haste, he hadn't been watching where he was going and slammed straight into...
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" hissed Snape.
"I'm sorry," muttered James, bending to collect his books.
"You should be. I don't know why Lily *ever* chose to date a clumsy oaf like you."
James's eyes flashed, but he gritted his teeth and ignored the bait.
"Of course, she doesn't have much choice, does she? She has to date idiots, or they might figure her out."
"What are you talking about?" grated James, shoving Snape back against the wall. By this time, they had attracted the attention of a small crowd of people, including Sirius, Remus, and a few of Snape's cronies.
"You don't know?" said Snape, his eyes shining maliciously. He gripped James's arms, trying to push him away. "That's what I'm talking about. She's a Death Eater, Potter."
"You're lying," growled James, tightening his hold on Snape "Don't ever talk like that about her."
"Am I? Where was she last night then, Potter?" hissed Snape. "You don't know, do you? Your perfect little angel is a Death Eater. She' a slut just like the rest of them!"
This was too much for James. Not even thinking enough to pull his wand, James just punched Snape in the mouth. Snape staggered, and then brought his own fist up into James' stomach. Soon the two were on the ground, raining blows on one another.
The crowd around them stirred and gave a collective gasp. Then, smelling blood, Malfoy and Crabbe ran to help Snape out. They were about to fall onto James when Sirius and Remus tackled them. Sirius easily beat hell out of Malfoy, who was used to talking crap but too weak to fight his own battles. Remus was having a harder time with Crabbe, who was big and burly, but eventually Crabbe failed under the werewolf's strength. Soon, the Great hall was in a frenzy of violence as the Slytherins went at the Gryffindors.
"HALT!" Dumbledore's voice rang out over the foray, commanding immediate silence and stilling every fight. "Everyone please return to your seats. Now." Few from that point on could ever remember him being angrier. All the students rushed to comply.
Sirius knelt by James, who was lying next to Snape in the hallway. Malfoy was collapsed behind them, blood leaking from his mouth and nose. Remus pushed out from under Crabbe, sporting a purplish bruise on his cheek but looking much better off then Crabbe. However, Snape and James both looked pretty bad. James's glasses were broken, and his nose was bloody. Snape was bruised and bloody, and a tooth missing from his mouth.
"Who started this?" demanded Dumbledore. All the heads in the Great Hall turned toward the small group in the hallway. "Very well. All of those hurt can see Madam Pomfrey. The rest of you head to class, except for those few in the hallway. There will be fifty points taken from both Gryffindor and Slytherin."
The two houses grumbled as they headed off to class, but there was still a buzz of excitement as the students discussed exactly what had gone on that morning.
*****************
After having their injuries looked after, the six people of the guilty party were ushered into Dumbledore's office. "Now," began Dumbledore quietly, "will someone please explain to me what happened this morning in the hallway?"
James looked down at his feet and mumbled "Snape was insulting Lily, so I hit him." In Dumbledore's presence, it now seemed like a very silly reason to start a fight.
"Ah. I see. Protecting your maiden's honor were you? And how did the rest of you get involved?"
"Malfoy and Crabbe were going to help hurt James, so Remus and I stopped them," answered Sirius, his eyes flashing defensively. Malfoy and Crabbe were giving dirty looks.
"And you see nothing wrong with that?"
"In defending my friend? No."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Dumbledore spoke again. "Clearly all of you were in the wrong. I do not want this kind of behavior from any of you again. Do you understand?"
All of them nodded slowly.
"I could have you expelled, however, today I am in a generous mood. You will all be assigned detentions with Filch. You are dismissed."
*****************
Lily was sitting on the edge of her seat as the three returned to the common room after class. As soon as she spotted them, she ran to James and threw her arms about him. "James! Oh thank God! They didn't expel you did they?"
"No," he answered, hugging her back. Remus and Sirius slipped quietly by them and up to the bedroom. "Lily?" he ventured.
"Yes?" she answered quietly.
"Where were you last night? You were supposed to show up at Hagrid's but you never did." He was cursing himself inwardly for even asking, but he couldn't get what Snape had said out of his mind.
"I was...working on a project," she said with a nervous smile.
"But I asked around, and no one said they saw you in here last night."
"James, what is this about?"
"Lily, you know you can trust me," he said, quoting her from before. "Tell me the truth, please! I told you when you asked."
Her eyes searched him, and she said "Before I tell you, will you promise not to make judgements before I finish the whole story?"
He nodded, and she took his hand and led him to the balcony. She took a deep breath, and then said "I was with Lord Voldemort. James, I'm a Death Eater."
James blanched and backed away from her. "Oh my God. It's true!"
She reached out and grabbed his wrist, her eyes burning into him. "You promised you'd let me finish!"
James closed his eyes and nodded, steadying himself.
"When I was coming home from my first year here, he was at my house." Lily's eyes filled with tears. "He was holding my parents hostage, and he threatened to unless I agreed to become his servant. So I did. I couldn't watch them die!" Lily then broke down, burying her face in her hands. "What was I supposed to do?"
James watched her compassionately. She *was* a Death Eater, but not by choice. He couldn't hate her for that, but he could hate Voldemort. "Oh Lily," he sighed, pulling her into an embrace. She stiffened at first from surprise, but then melted against his side, weeping. "I understand. I would have done the same thing."
"You would?" she said, her voice full of wonder.
"Yes. If I had had the chance to save my parents, I would have. I understand what you're going through. It's hard to be alone."
She wept harder. "James. You're such a great guy. I thought you would hate me."
James pushed her back and looked her straight in the eye. "Lily, I could never hate you. I love you. And I promise, one day I'll destroy Voldemort so that he never bothers you again, and we can live in peace. One day, we'll live in a world with no Voldemort!"
Lily smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I hope so," she sighed happily.
"Erm...I have to go," said James sheepishly.
She eyed him suspiciously "Why?"
"I have detention with Filch."
Lily laughed "Oh, alright then. Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll need it."
*****************
Lily sighed happily as she ran a brush through her hair, studying her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't recall ever being happier. She had finally told James, and he had *accepted* her. Now, it was up to her to preserve that happiness. It was up to her to save them all from Voldemort. Her happiness vanished at the thought of facing him again, but she knew that if she played it right everything would turn out fine. She hoped.
A/N: Alright, so I lied, it'll be a bit longer till I end this. But as I was listening to a remix of Lady Marmalade during Q102's 12 noon workout (which by the way I have nothing to do with Q102) I thought "wouldn't it be neat to send them to Paris?" So there you go. Hopefully I'll post again soon, but right now I'm working on two other stories (if u r a Star Wars fan check out `Faith in Old friends' which I co-wrote with Lady Pluto). Also look for my H/Hr fic "I'm Sorry". (Sorry, had to do a little shameless plugging there). PLLLEASSEE REVIEW! I have to know how I'm doing! Luvya!
*This chapter is dedicated to my sister, for being a most excellent beta reader and helping me out a lot, especially on this chapter*
Lily stared around at all the black-robed vigilantes of Voldemort. With their hoods drawn over their heads and their faces hidden in the shadows, they more resembled wraiths, evil things not entirely real, than actually human beings. They reminded Lily of dementors. /And some of them more than likely are/.
The field in which they stood was eerily quiet, the only sounds pervading the silence that of owls and other creatures of the night. No one dared speak, lest they reveal themselves by the sound of their voice. The only person who knew all who stood there in the night was Voldemort, and most people preferred it that way. Snape was the only one she knew (besides Malfoy, who basically bragged about it to everyone), and the only reason she knew Snape was one was by coincidence.
***Flashback***
It was dinnertime one night during their second year, and Lord Voldemort was calling them. After making their excuses, the two had rushed out of the Great Hall and bumped into one another.
"Stop following me!" Lily had snapped.
"I'm not following you, you're following me!" Snape had answered.
Then, conveniently, or perhaps not, Lily had tripped and her left arm was left exposed. She moved quickly to cover it, but the damage had already been done. Snape saw it.
"I-It's just a tattoo," she managed to stammer out.
"No, it's not. You're a Death Eater!"
"How did you..."
"I'm one too, you see," he had said, and showed her his own mark.
***End Flashback***
Lily looked for Snape in the crowd, but she couldn't find him. A cold winter wind blew, and she shivered and pulled her cloak closer around her. Just as the crowd began to stir restlessly, Lord Voldemort appparated in front of them.
"I have selected our next victims," he said without preamble, his eyes panning the crowd, taking attendence. "Three specific people. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." When he finished his horrible eyes lingered on her and her alone.
/No...not James.../ But she lifted her chin proudly, allowing none of what she was thinking to be revealed on her face. She had to protect James...she couldn't reveal her feelings to Voldemort.
The crowd shifted again, and nervous murmurs could be heard for the first time. Aren't those three students? Are they actually going to attack Hogwarts? What about Dumbledore?
"Silence!" snapped Voldemort. "We will not be attacking Hogwarts you dolts! The Winter Holidays are coming soon. We will strike then. I will also choose a few select followers to head an attack on the ministry. You will be notified." And with that, he disapparated again.
Lily stood silent and shivering as the Death Eaters dispersed, lost in her own thoughts. James was going to be killed. But if she told him, her parents would be killed, because she betrayed Lord Voldemort's trust. She couldn't choose between them. What was she going to do?
Lily jumped and gave a little cry as a viselike arm wrapped around her waist.
"Shh, it's just me my dear, no reason to be afraid," the voice of Voldemort hissed in her ear.
"Indeed, but there is every reason to be afraid," she answered, tone barely above a whisper.
He laughed, a terrible and shrill sound. "You amuse me, my pet," he said, grabbing her arm and twisting her around so that her face was inches away from his own. She struggled to maintain her composure, but when your face is so close to one of the most horrible creatures on earth, it's hard not to be afraid. "What's this I hear about you having a *boyfriend*," he continued.
"There was never any agreement that I could not date," she managed to answer him, surprising even herself at the coolness in her voice.
"There is now. You are not to see any one, Lily. Dump him. Unless, of course, you would rather see your parents die?"
"If...I do agree to dump James, will you spare his life? And his friends'?"
Lord Voldemort looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered slowly "No. I have my promises, you see."
"Since when did promises ever mean anything to you!?" she cried, mentally slapping herself for back talking him.
"Since I have something to gain from them. You are forgetting your place, Lily dear."
"I'm sorry," she muttered quietly. Then, a spark of inspiration came to her. "My Lord," she began coyly, "this thing with James, it is only an infatuation. There is really no need that I see to kill the boy. Surely you know where my true love lies," she said as she brought her body closer to his. Playing a game of deception with the master deceiver is dangerous, unless you know their weakness. And his weakness was her.
"I'm not sure what you are talking about, pet."
"Then come to me the night of Christmas Eve and let me show you. Perhaps we could discuss then the fates of these silly boys?" Maybe Lord Voldemort had forgotten her earlier transgression, or perhaps he had chosen to ignore it, but either way he agreed to the rendezvous whole-heartedly. Or as whole-hearted as Lord Voldemort got.
"Very well, then. I have business to attend to."
Lily slumped to the ground as Lord Voldemort disapperated. Her façade had saved them for now. But how long could she keep it up? And how did Voldemort found out about her involvement with James in the first place?
Lily leapt to her feet as the answer came to her in a rush. Of course. It had to have been him.
*****************
"HOW COULD YOU?" cried Lily, shoving Snape against the Hogwarts gates. She was out of breath from the long run back, but her anger gave her strength enough to yell.
"What are you talking about?" he spat back at her.
"Don't play dumb with me. You told Lord Voldemort about James. You told him! How could you?" Tears of rage were tracing down her face, but she made no move to brush them away.
"How could I? They almost had me killed the other day! I figured I might as well return the service!"
"Then this all over that stupid prank?"
"Not just the prank, but the little injustices that they've done to us all over the years! It's time they learned that they are *not* invincible."
"Did you even think about how I would feel? James is my boyfriend! And you just go and decide to have him killed! Not only that, now you've brought Lord Voldemort into it. Severus, you're playing with fire."
"Yes, but I'm not the one who's getting burned," Snape said with a cruel smile, and turned through the gates.
"Are you so sure?"
*****************
As Voldemort was conducting his gathering, after being literally ditched by Lily, James decided to occupy himself by going to visit Hagrid. Slipping out of his invisibility cloak, James banged on the huge wooden door of Hagrid's hut.
"Oh, 's you," said Hagrid as he poked his huge head out the door.
" `Oh, it's me?' Is that all the greeting I get after dragging all the way down here to visit you?" said James with a wry smile.
"Sorry James, I din' mean it like that," Hagrid apologized, waving James inside his hut. James sighed and dropped himself down into one of Hagrid's huge armchairs.
"Who else were you expecting?" he asked curiously.
"Lily was s'posed to come down here an'...nevermin'."
"Teach you magic?"
Hagrid gave him an alarmed look. "Don't worry," assured James, "she told me."
"Oh. Well, she was s'posed to be here 'bout a half hour ago. Still hasn' shown. Maybe she forgot."
"I don't think so. I was just with Lily, and she seemed in a rush to go somewhere. Maybe she got caught up doing something else."
After a few moments silence, James said "I know Hagrid, how about I teach you some magic in the meantime? I'm probably not as good at it, but at least it's something."
"Alrigh', tha's a good idea!" said Hagrid cheerfully.
A few hours passed, in which Hagrid broke several flowerpots attempting to shrink them, and still Lily hadn't shown. The two took a break over some tea.
"I don' think she's comin'" said Hagrid heavily.
"Don't worry about it Hagrid. You still learned a lot. I don't think she skipped out intentionally."
"Yer right. Thanks fer teaching me, James."
"It's no problem really," said James cheerfully. After bidding Hagrid goodbye, he began to wonder. Where *was* Lily? He hurried back to Hogwarts and decided to ask around. He bumped into Arabella in the hallway , who was hurrying away from the Library with her arms full of books. Arabella and Lily usually studied together.
"James!" she called him "Have you seen Lily? She was going to help me with divination, but I can't seem to find her."
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Apparently she's skipped out on a lot of people tonight."
"Oh. Well, if you do find her, tell her to come up to the Ravenclaw common room, would you? The password is `Nevermore'."
"Will do."
But as he asked Lily's friends in the common room, they said they hadn't seen her since she had left that morning. To James, it seemed as if Lily had dropped off the face of the earth. Did something happen to her? Or was there something she was keeping from him?
James climbed the steps to his bedroom heavily. Sirius and Peter were inside, playing a game of exploding snap, and Remus was stretched out on his bed with his nose in his books. "Hey," he greeted them half-heartedly, and collapsed onto his bed.
"Well that was the most lack-luster `hey' that I think I've ever gotten from you," joked Sirius "what's wrong?"
"You guys don't happen to know where Lily is, do you?"
"No, that's your job," answered Sirius. "Why, did something happen to her?"
"I don't know," James said vaguely, staring up at the top of his canopy.
"She's probably fine," said Peter. "She seems like the sort who can take care of herself."
"Yeah, cheer up," encouraged Sirius.
"I've got something that'll cheer all of us up," said Remus, looking up from his homework and joining into the conversation for the first time.
"What, you've finally got a life?" teased Sirius, and had a book thrown promptly at his head. "Hey, ow! You had to throw the arithmancy book!"
Remus ignored him and continued on. "My Aunt's invited me and a few friends to her house in France for winter break. Do you guys want to come? It's really nice, right on the outskirts of Paris."
"Wow, you have relatives in Paris?" said Peter, clearly in awe.
"Yes, well, that *is* where I'm from. My family only just moved here after...well, you know. So, what do you say? After you've gotten permission and everything."
"I think it's a great idea!" cried James. Remus's announcement had put him into a better mood. "Can Lily come?"
"Of course," answered Remus with a smile.
"You can count me in," smiled Sirius.
"Yeah, me too!" chimed Peter.
James smiled to himself. There was nothing he'd like better than spending Christmas in Paris, with his best friends and his girlfriend; the people he treasured more than anything in the world. He wouldn't have to go back to the foster home! It wasn't as if the people there were mean, but it wasn't one of his favorite places, either.
James joined in with Sirius and Peter for a while, and then all four friends climbed into bed, excited and happy, chattering softly about what vacation in Paris would be like. Slowly, they started to drop off, until James was the only one left awake. He felt much better than before; he was sure Lily was fine, and soon they would be exploring Paris together. His dreams were filled with scenes of Lily and him on the Eiffel tower.
*****************
"God, I'm late!" cried James, glancing at the clock.
James grabbed his books and started running for the Great Hall. He had overslept, and his next class was in fifteen minutes. He began taking the steps two at a time, at the same time trying to straighten his tie. He was almost there, with thirteen minutes to spare.
CRASH! In his haste, he hadn't been watching where he was going and slammed straight into...
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" hissed Snape.
"I'm sorry," muttered James, bending to collect his books.
"You should be. I don't know why Lily *ever* chose to date a clumsy oaf like you."
James's eyes flashed, but he gritted his teeth and ignored the bait.
"Of course, she doesn't have much choice, does she? She has to date idiots, or they might figure her out."
"What are you talking about?" grated James, shoving Snape back against the wall. By this time, they had attracted the attention of a small crowd of people, including Sirius, Remus, and a few of Snape's cronies.
"You don't know?" said Snape, his eyes shining maliciously. He gripped James's arms, trying to push him away. "That's what I'm talking about. She's a Death Eater, Potter."
"You're lying," growled James, tightening his hold on Snape "Don't ever talk like that about her."
"Am I? Where was she last night then, Potter?" hissed Snape. "You don't know, do you? Your perfect little angel is a Death Eater. She' a slut just like the rest of them!"
This was too much for James. Not even thinking enough to pull his wand, James just punched Snape in the mouth. Snape staggered, and then brought his own fist up into James' stomach. Soon the two were on the ground, raining blows on one another.
The crowd around them stirred and gave a collective gasp. Then, smelling blood, Malfoy and Crabbe ran to help Snape out. They were about to fall onto James when Sirius and Remus tackled them. Sirius easily beat hell out of Malfoy, who was used to talking crap but too weak to fight his own battles. Remus was having a harder time with Crabbe, who was big and burly, but eventually Crabbe failed under the werewolf's strength. Soon, the Great hall was in a frenzy of violence as the Slytherins went at the Gryffindors.
"HALT!" Dumbledore's voice rang out over the foray, commanding immediate silence and stilling every fight. "Everyone please return to your seats. Now." Few from that point on could ever remember him being angrier. All the students rushed to comply.
Sirius knelt by James, who was lying next to Snape in the hallway. Malfoy was collapsed behind them, blood leaking from his mouth and nose. Remus pushed out from under Crabbe, sporting a purplish bruise on his cheek but looking much better off then Crabbe. However, Snape and James both looked pretty bad. James's glasses were broken, and his nose was bloody. Snape was bruised and bloody, and a tooth missing from his mouth.
"Who started this?" demanded Dumbledore. All the heads in the Great Hall turned toward the small group in the hallway. "Very well. All of those hurt can see Madam Pomfrey. The rest of you head to class, except for those few in the hallway. There will be fifty points taken from both Gryffindor and Slytherin."
The two houses grumbled as they headed off to class, but there was still a buzz of excitement as the students discussed exactly what had gone on that morning.
*****************
After having their injuries looked after, the six people of the guilty party were ushered into Dumbledore's office. "Now," began Dumbledore quietly, "will someone please explain to me what happened this morning in the hallway?"
James looked down at his feet and mumbled "Snape was insulting Lily, so I hit him." In Dumbledore's presence, it now seemed like a very silly reason to start a fight.
"Ah. I see. Protecting your maiden's honor were you? And how did the rest of you get involved?"
"Malfoy and Crabbe were going to help hurt James, so Remus and I stopped them," answered Sirius, his eyes flashing defensively. Malfoy and Crabbe were giving dirty looks.
"And you see nothing wrong with that?"
"In defending my friend? No."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Dumbledore spoke again. "Clearly all of you were in the wrong. I do not want this kind of behavior from any of you again. Do you understand?"
All of them nodded slowly.
"I could have you expelled, however, today I am in a generous mood. You will all be assigned detentions with Filch. You are dismissed."
*****************
Lily was sitting on the edge of her seat as the three returned to the common room after class. As soon as she spotted them, she ran to James and threw her arms about him. "James! Oh thank God! They didn't expel you did they?"
"No," he answered, hugging her back. Remus and Sirius slipped quietly by them and up to the bedroom. "Lily?" he ventured.
"Yes?" she answered quietly.
"Where were you last night? You were supposed to show up at Hagrid's but you never did." He was cursing himself inwardly for even asking, but he couldn't get what Snape had said out of his mind.
"I was...working on a project," she said with a nervous smile.
"But I asked around, and no one said they saw you in here last night."
"James, what is this about?"
"Lily, you know you can trust me," he said, quoting her from before. "Tell me the truth, please! I told you when you asked."
Her eyes searched him, and she said "Before I tell you, will you promise not to make judgements before I finish the whole story?"
He nodded, and she took his hand and led him to the balcony. She took a deep breath, and then said "I was with Lord Voldemort. James, I'm a Death Eater."
James blanched and backed away from her. "Oh my God. It's true!"
She reached out and grabbed his wrist, her eyes burning into him. "You promised you'd let me finish!"
James closed his eyes and nodded, steadying himself.
"When I was coming home from my first year here, he was at my house." Lily's eyes filled with tears. "He was holding my parents hostage, and he threatened to unless I agreed to become his servant. So I did. I couldn't watch them die!" Lily then broke down, burying her face in her hands. "What was I supposed to do?"
James watched her compassionately. She *was* a Death Eater, but not by choice. He couldn't hate her for that, but he could hate Voldemort. "Oh Lily," he sighed, pulling her into an embrace. She stiffened at first from surprise, but then melted against his side, weeping. "I understand. I would have done the same thing."
"You would?" she said, her voice full of wonder.
"Yes. If I had had the chance to save my parents, I would have. I understand what you're going through. It's hard to be alone."
She wept harder. "James. You're such a great guy. I thought you would hate me."
James pushed her back and looked her straight in the eye. "Lily, I could never hate you. I love you. And I promise, one day I'll destroy Voldemort so that he never bothers you again, and we can live in peace. One day, we'll live in a world with no Voldemort!"
Lily smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I hope so," she sighed happily.
"Erm...I have to go," said James sheepishly.
She eyed him suspiciously "Why?"
"I have detention with Filch."
Lily laughed "Oh, alright then. Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll need it."
*****************
Lily sighed happily as she ran a brush through her hair, studying her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't recall ever being happier. She had finally told James, and he had *accepted* her. Now, it was up to her to preserve that happiness. It was up to her to save them all from Voldemort. Her happiness vanished at the thought of facing him again, but she knew that if she played it right everything would turn out fine. She hoped.
A/N: Alright, so I lied, it'll be a bit longer till I end this. But as I was listening to a remix of Lady Marmalade during Q102's 12 noon workout (which by the way I have nothing to do with Q102) I thought "wouldn't it be neat to send them to Paris?" So there you go. Hopefully I'll post again soon, but right now I'm working on two other stories (if u r a Star Wars fan check out `Faith in Old friends' which I co-wrote with Lady Pluto). Also look for my H/Hr fic "I'm Sorry". (Sorry, had to do a little shameless plugging there). PLLLEASSEE REVIEW! I have to know how I'm doing! Luvya!
