Lily sidled into the common room, hoping to make it up to the dorm without
bumping into anyone. Luckily, she hadn't had any more classes that day, so
her absence hadn't been noted. She made it as far as the door, before a
familiar voice said,
'Hello, Lily.'
Stifling a groan, she turned to Remus, who was leaning on the doorframe of the seventh-year boy's dorm. She smiled at him, wincing slightly at the headache. Madame Pomfrey had said the pain would be gone after a good night's sleep, and that was what she really wanted right now.
'I heard about your encounter with the wall,' he said, nodding at the lump on the side of her head.
Lily grimaced comically.
'I should've known he'd beat me,' she admitted. 'I just never thought it would be so . . . spectacular.'
Remus grinned at her martyred expression.
'James really is sorry, you know,' he told her. 'He's been down at the Quidditch field since lunch, and he won't talk to any of us, not even Sirius.'
Lily's brow furrowed in concern. It was unheard of for James to be anywhere without at least Sirius at his side. And it was pouring outside. She winced at the sharp pain in her head. Remus looked worried for a moment, as she staggered slightly. Lily gave him an apologetic smile.
'I'm really sorry, Remus, but I need to get some sleep,' she said, adding mentally, 'preferably for the next millennia.'
Remus nodded, and began to turn away.
'Oh, Lily?'
'Yes?'
'Do you know when the next full moon is?'
'Three weeks, I think, why?'
He grinned sheepishly.
'Kinda homeworky,' he explained.
Lily laughed, ignoring the flash of pain in her head.
'Who set it?'
'Dumbledore.'
'Well, let me know if I can help,' she said, turning back into her dorm.
He smiled at her, and returned to his dorm, letting her sink onto her bed, and feel unconsciousness sweep over her.
*
James stumbled into the dorm late that evening, his dark hair plastered to his head. Sirius looked up from his homework.
'Where've you been, Prongs?'
James shivered, and pulled some nightclothes out of his trunk.
'Practicing,' he said quietly, stripping his soggy clothes off.
'In this weather?' Sirius looked appalled.
His friend nodded, drying himself quickly before pulling his pyjamas on. James hopped into bed, thanking whatever was watching over him for warming pans. He turned to Sirius who had returned to his books.
'How's Lily?' he asked softly, his face a mask of guilt.
'She's fine,' his friend told him. 'Remus saw her when she got back. A bad bump, but she'll sleep it off. She'll be back to normal tomorrow.'
James heaved a sigh of relief. Sirius looked carefully at him, and decided his question was worth the risk.
'Why did you do it in the first place?'
James gave him a shifty look.
'I forgot who I was fighting,' he said, continuing at his friend's skeptical expression, 'Sirius, do you remember when we used to play-fight? Before we knew what to do?'
Sirius nodded, remembering the game with a smile.
'We always had to have something to be You-Know-Who, so we could beat the hell out of it,' he said.
'Yes, that's it,' James went on. 'I always got carried away, remember?'
Sirius snorted with laughter, clearly remembering the time James had blasted Dumbledore's hat onto the roof of the North Tower.
'Well, I got really carried away this time.'
Sirius held James' stare for a lot longer that he would've liked to, but he sensed that his friend wanted to be understood. He coughed quietly, hearing Frank stirring nearby.
'Don't worry about it, Prongs,' he said, packing up his books. 'Just apologise profusely to her, and get on with life. Put it behind you.'
James smiled at Sirius' advice, drawing the curtains around his bed. Lying back in the warm darkness, he reflected that his friend could probably set the world straight if he wanted to.
*
Lily settled back in the armchair to read the essay she'd just finished. Letting the warmth from the fire caress her cheeks, she sighed, and nestled further into the comfy chair. She was the only one up, having been set two huge essays for the next day. At least now, she'd finished. She fancied she could hear voices from the stairs up to the dorms.
'Is the moon out yet?'
'Don't worry, Mooney, we'll get you there in time.'
'Where's Wormtail?'
'I'm here.'
Lily frowned in amusement. What were the boys up to? Out of the corner of her eye, she could see four figures fumbling with what looked like a map.
'Oh, damn,' one voice, Sirius, said quietly.
'What's wrong?' That must be Remus. He sounded awfully scared.
'Darin's patrolling our corridor tonight.'
Remus whimpered. Lily felt an over powering urge to help them. She heard them move over to one of the tables and sit down, obviously trying to find a way around the prowling professor. In the semi-darkness, she stole over to them. They looked up in shock.
'Need any help?' she asked, smiling at Remus, who looked pale.
Peter stood up and tried to shoo her away.
'No, we don't,' he said, waving his hands at her, 'go back to bed.'
'Leave her alone, Wormtail,' Sirius told him, grabbing the flapping hands and pulling them onto the table.
'We haven't got much time,' Peter protested.
'What's going on here?' Lily asked, certain now that this wasn't just one of their pranks.
They all looked at Remus, and he nodded.
'I trust her,' he said simply. 'Besides, she said to let her know if I needed any help.'
James pulled Lily down to the seat beside him and placed a hand over her mouth.
'Remus is a werewolf.'
Lily's eyes widened in fear, but she didn't struggle, and she didn't try to scream. They took that as a good sign. James let go of her.
'You know the haunted shack in Hogsmeade? Well, that's where he goes, each full moon.'
Sirius took up the tale.
'There's a passage beneath the Whoomping Willow. You can only get to it by pressing a certain knot on the base of the Willow's trunk.'
'And that's where we come in,' James said, drawing Lily's attention back to him. 'We're all Animagi.'
'But that's impossible! You can't have taken the test, and you're all underage!'
They looked at her.
'Promise you won't tell?'
Lily swallowed in the face of their fierce expressions.
'Promise.'
'When Remus has to go down to the Willow, we go with him,' James explained. 'Peter is a rat so he can open the passage. Sirius and I are there to keep Remus under control.'
'As what?'
Sirius grinned.
'He's a stag, and I'm a dog. Imaginative, huh?'
He pointed to each of them in turn.
'Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.'
'So if you don't get down to the Willow before the moon rises, Remus'll change?'
They nodded.
'So you need a diversion?'
James frowned.
'Yes, what are you thinking?'
'Right,' Lily said, standing up. 'Give me five minutes. I don't know how you know who's where, but as soon as Darin is out of the way, run for it, okay?'
'What are you going to do?'
She grinned at them.
'Sleepwalk.'
She ran upstairs, waking the other girls in her dorm, and telling them not to be worried by what she was going to do. She changed hurriedly, and spoke quietly for a moment with Katie. Maria was already by the window. Lily stepped up to the window, took a firm hold on Maria's hand, and jumped out.
The girls screamed on cue. Katie ran out of the dorm, through the common room, shouting for a professor, any professor. She winked at the boys as they hid in the shadows. The next moment she was running back up the stairs with Darin and McGonagall in tow, still screaming. The boys slipped out, exchanging terrified glances. What had Lily done?
'Hello, Lily.'
Stifling a groan, she turned to Remus, who was leaning on the doorframe of the seventh-year boy's dorm. She smiled at him, wincing slightly at the headache. Madame Pomfrey had said the pain would be gone after a good night's sleep, and that was what she really wanted right now.
'I heard about your encounter with the wall,' he said, nodding at the lump on the side of her head.
Lily grimaced comically.
'I should've known he'd beat me,' she admitted. 'I just never thought it would be so . . . spectacular.'
Remus grinned at her martyred expression.
'James really is sorry, you know,' he told her. 'He's been down at the Quidditch field since lunch, and he won't talk to any of us, not even Sirius.'
Lily's brow furrowed in concern. It was unheard of for James to be anywhere without at least Sirius at his side. And it was pouring outside. She winced at the sharp pain in her head. Remus looked worried for a moment, as she staggered slightly. Lily gave him an apologetic smile.
'I'm really sorry, Remus, but I need to get some sleep,' she said, adding mentally, 'preferably for the next millennia.'
Remus nodded, and began to turn away.
'Oh, Lily?'
'Yes?'
'Do you know when the next full moon is?'
'Three weeks, I think, why?'
He grinned sheepishly.
'Kinda homeworky,' he explained.
Lily laughed, ignoring the flash of pain in her head.
'Who set it?'
'Dumbledore.'
'Well, let me know if I can help,' she said, turning back into her dorm.
He smiled at her, and returned to his dorm, letting her sink onto her bed, and feel unconsciousness sweep over her.
*
James stumbled into the dorm late that evening, his dark hair plastered to his head. Sirius looked up from his homework.
'Where've you been, Prongs?'
James shivered, and pulled some nightclothes out of his trunk.
'Practicing,' he said quietly, stripping his soggy clothes off.
'In this weather?' Sirius looked appalled.
His friend nodded, drying himself quickly before pulling his pyjamas on. James hopped into bed, thanking whatever was watching over him for warming pans. He turned to Sirius who had returned to his books.
'How's Lily?' he asked softly, his face a mask of guilt.
'She's fine,' his friend told him. 'Remus saw her when she got back. A bad bump, but she'll sleep it off. She'll be back to normal tomorrow.'
James heaved a sigh of relief. Sirius looked carefully at him, and decided his question was worth the risk.
'Why did you do it in the first place?'
James gave him a shifty look.
'I forgot who I was fighting,' he said, continuing at his friend's skeptical expression, 'Sirius, do you remember when we used to play-fight? Before we knew what to do?'
Sirius nodded, remembering the game with a smile.
'We always had to have something to be You-Know-Who, so we could beat the hell out of it,' he said.
'Yes, that's it,' James went on. 'I always got carried away, remember?'
Sirius snorted with laughter, clearly remembering the time James had blasted Dumbledore's hat onto the roof of the North Tower.
'Well, I got really carried away this time.'
Sirius held James' stare for a lot longer that he would've liked to, but he sensed that his friend wanted to be understood. He coughed quietly, hearing Frank stirring nearby.
'Don't worry about it, Prongs,' he said, packing up his books. 'Just apologise profusely to her, and get on with life. Put it behind you.'
James smiled at Sirius' advice, drawing the curtains around his bed. Lying back in the warm darkness, he reflected that his friend could probably set the world straight if he wanted to.
*
Lily settled back in the armchair to read the essay she'd just finished. Letting the warmth from the fire caress her cheeks, she sighed, and nestled further into the comfy chair. She was the only one up, having been set two huge essays for the next day. At least now, she'd finished. She fancied she could hear voices from the stairs up to the dorms.
'Is the moon out yet?'
'Don't worry, Mooney, we'll get you there in time.'
'Where's Wormtail?'
'I'm here.'
Lily frowned in amusement. What were the boys up to? Out of the corner of her eye, she could see four figures fumbling with what looked like a map.
'Oh, damn,' one voice, Sirius, said quietly.
'What's wrong?' That must be Remus. He sounded awfully scared.
'Darin's patrolling our corridor tonight.'
Remus whimpered. Lily felt an over powering urge to help them. She heard them move over to one of the tables and sit down, obviously trying to find a way around the prowling professor. In the semi-darkness, she stole over to them. They looked up in shock.
'Need any help?' she asked, smiling at Remus, who looked pale.
Peter stood up and tried to shoo her away.
'No, we don't,' he said, waving his hands at her, 'go back to bed.'
'Leave her alone, Wormtail,' Sirius told him, grabbing the flapping hands and pulling them onto the table.
'We haven't got much time,' Peter protested.
'What's going on here?' Lily asked, certain now that this wasn't just one of their pranks.
They all looked at Remus, and he nodded.
'I trust her,' he said simply. 'Besides, she said to let her know if I needed any help.'
James pulled Lily down to the seat beside him and placed a hand over her mouth.
'Remus is a werewolf.'
Lily's eyes widened in fear, but she didn't struggle, and she didn't try to scream. They took that as a good sign. James let go of her.
'You know the haunted shack in Hogsmeade? Well, that's where he goes, each full moon.'
Sirius took up the tale.
'There's a passage beneath the Whoomping Willow. You can only get to it by pressing a certain knot on the base of the Willow's trunk.'
'And that's where we come in,' James said, drawing Lily's attention back to him. 'We're all Animagi.'
'But that's impossible! You can't have taken the test, and you're all underage!'
They looked at her.
'Promise you won't tell?'
Lily swallowed in the face of their fierce expressions.
'Promise.'
'When Remus has to go down to the Willow, we go with him,' James explained. 'Peter is a rat so he can open the passage. Sirius and I are there to keep Remus under control.'
'As what?'
Sirius grinned.
'He's a stag, and I'm a dog. Imaginative, huh?'
He pointed to each of them in turn.
'Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.'
'So if you don't get down to the Willow before the moon rises, Remus'll change?'
They nodded.
'So you need a diversion?'
James frowned.
'Yes, what are you thinking?'
'Right,' Lily said, standing up. 'Give me five minutes. I don't know how you know who's where, but as soon as Darin is out of the way, run for it, okay?'
'What are you going to do?'
She grinned at them.
'Sleepwalk.'
She ran upstairs, waking the other girls in her dorm, and telling them not to be worried by what she was going to do. She changed hurriedly, and spoke quietly for a moment with Katie. Maria was already by the window. Lily stepped up to the window, took a firm hold on Maria's hand, and jumped out.
The girls screamed on cue. Katie ran out of the dorm, through the common room, shouting for a professor, any professor. She winked at the boys as they hid in the shadows. The next moment she was running back up the stairs with Darin and McGonagall in tow, still screaming. The boys slipped out, exchanging terrified glances. What had Lily done?