A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry to all of the people who have been reading this story, and who suddenly found that it was gone. I sincerely didn't mean to delete it; on the other hand, there was another story of mine, which wasn't doing so well so I thought I should take it out and modify it and then repost it. But FanFiction.Net deleted the wrong story! So, I re-uploaded the first chapter, but it wouldn't let me add the second and third! And then their hardware crashed so I couldn't even retry to upload the next chapters… So all in all, I'm as pissed as anyone could be at this point… I really like this story, even if you guys don't… But anyway, enough of me talking, let's get to Chapter Four!
*
"James, will you please stop staring off into space? You know what's going to happen, but there's nothing you can do about it. Just let it go," Sirius begged his friend.
Ever since James had returned from the library the day he met Liliane Evans, he had been torn between worry and amusement, and his habit of sitting, staring, and thinking had become more pronounced then ever. Usually, there was schoolwork to be done and such, so the other Marauders were able to distract him. But the Christmas Holidays had begun two weeks ago, and their time was completely open to do whatever they wanted to. And strangely, all James wanted to do was sit, stare, and think.
Now, they were in the Common Room, and, being some of the only people there that winter, they were free to lounge around and use up as much furniture as they wished. Sirius was lying on his stomach on the red couch in the corner, reading the newest episode of his favorite comic, The Adventures of Marvin the Mad Muggle, whereas Peter was using up all the tables for his Divination homework, which he happened to be failing. Remus was poring through Hogwarts: A History on the floor and James was sitting in the armchair in front of the fire, his hands on his palms and his elbows on his knees, staring into the fire.
"Yeah, I know I can't do anything about it, but I can't help but feel that I still should do something. Don't you feel like that? As though something terrible is going to happen, and you're totally helpless in the situation?" James answered. Seeing the blank look on his friend's face, he continued, "Well, even if you don't, I most certainly do." Then, as if by sudden inspiration, he asked, "Hey, Sirius, do you by any chance know all of the Muggle-borns in school, at least by name?"
"Uh, I know all of 'em in our year, and a few above and below. But that's about it," Sirius answered, a look of suspicion on his face.
"Why do want to know anyway, Prongs?" Remus piped up.
"No real reason, Moony," James answered.
"So what's the fake reason then?" Sirius said, grinning at his usage of words – he was a great one for opposites.
"Will you shut up?" James asked.
"If you say so, I guess," Sirius asked. They all just sat and stared, rather like James, but in this case, it was because no one had anything to say – except for Sirius, that is, but he had been told to shut up.
"Remus, can you help me?" Peter asked in a whiny voice from the table.
"Sure thing, but first, what subject is it?" he asked.
"It's Divination – you know I suck at it. Help me?" he asked.
"I don't take Divination, bird brain," Remus snapped at him.
"Oh, then, Sirius, will you help me?" Peter whined again.
"Sorry, Pete, James needs my help – desperately," Sirius said, glancing at his friend who was sitting stock-still in the armchair. When he heard this, though, James turned around to face his friend.
With his eyebrows raised, he said, "I haven't gone insane – yet. I'm just thinking, that's all – and worrying," he admitted. At this, Sirius sighed softly and shook his head. Nevertheless, James noticed this, and for a while, he was pondering how he was to explain everything to his friends. He had told them only what he had found out – that is, they knew what was going to happen, but not about the Slytherins he had met, or about his acquaintance with Lily.
Liliane Evans – her name meant something more to him now. It was yet another thing that he could not explain. He longed to define it and give it a rigid meaning, but he found himself at a loss. He could merely wonder and not comprehend.
"James, snap out of it! You're dreaming again," Remus said, walking up to where he sat.
"What? Oh, sorry, I can't help it," he said sheepishly.
"Yeah, we can tell…" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"What are you worried about anyway? You don't expect Voldemort to just burst in and kill us all, do you? He wouldn't stand a chance! Haven't you heard? The one person Old Voldie fears more than anyone else is Dumbledore. He's not about to storm the castle while Dumbledore's headmaster," Remus informed. "Come on, cheer up old pal. Just relax."
Remus' words did allow James to breathe a little more easily, but he couldn't keep his mind off of his new Mystery Girl.
"The least you can do is to tell us exactly why you're so worried," Peter said. He had given up on his homework and had joined Remus on the floor.
"I don't know if I can explain it. It's just too – complex. I don't know how to interpret all that I'm feeling and thinking. I wish I could, Peter, because if I did, then I'd know what I'm feeling and thinking too. If I don't understand, how am I supposed to explain?" he said softly. He hung his head and ran his hand through his already messy black hair.
"Prongs, you've really gotten yourself into something deep this time. What exactly happened in the library? I have the feeling you're keeping something back," Sirius said.
"I have a feeling this isn't only about Voldemort anymore. Am I right?" Remus asked.
"What's wrong, James?" Peter put in.
James just looked from one to the other. They all knew of the enmity between Snape, Malfoy, and him, and Sirius was in much the same position. They all hated Slytherin as much as he did, too. They all had heard of the fifth-year tomboyish prefect that they called 'Queen', even though they had never seen her. Rumors traveled fast in Hogwarts. So how was he to tell them that he had found out about Voldemort from Liliane Evans? How was he to explain that she wasn't really the devil incarnate like she was depicted? How was he to explain that he might – just might – have slight feelings for her?
No, that's stupid. You've only just met her. Why would you have feelings for her already? Sure, she's pretty… Okay, forget pretty, she's beautiful. I've never seen anyone like her. She's a Slytherin, damn it. And like all Slytherins, pretty or not, she's bound to have their ordinary prejudice against others and all Muggle-borns… And she's probably going to end up as a Death Eater too – which was probably why she was poring through all those books in the first place. It all fits in, James. Just forget her.
"James, jeez, please stop it! You're driving me nuts!" Sirius screamed into his ear. That made him stop, all right.
"Aah, don't do that! You freaked me out!" he screeched.
"Well, tell us how to keep you from doing that, and we'll try that next time," Remus said grumpily.
"I'm sorry, Moony. I told you that. I just can't keep my mind off it all."
"Look, the next full moon is some time next week, isn't it?" Sirius said.
"It's the coming Tuesday," Remus corrected.
"Okay, how's about we go Tuesday down to Hogsmeade, grab ourselves a few Butterbeers, and go down to the Shack and sort this whole thing out?" Sirius suggested.
"Uh, how's about we don't?" James said. He didn't feel like spilling the beans so soon.
"Alright, then why not do what I say but just not sort this whole thing out? We could plan a prank on the Snakes again…," he pleaded.
"It sounds good to me. What about you, Pete?" Remus asked the squat boy sprawled on the floor next to him.
"I'm fine with it if all of you guys are. It's not as though I have a choice, is it? If I do then –" Peter began.
"Don't get your hopes up, Pete," Sirius said. Turning to James, he begged," Come on, Jamesie; we need the company. And you need the Butterbeer."
Reluctantly, James agreed. But he made it a point that he was going to take his Cloak and go straight back to their dorm if the topic of Voldemort came up at all during their expedition. His friends agreed to his request, and plans were made as to how they were to go there without attracting the attention of any of the teachers.
"Hang on a sec, we have practice now. Sirius, come on! See you later Pete, Remus!" James shouted as he ran out the room.
"Oh, guess we have to run. I told the Snakes' captain that we should have a scrimmage or something today to practice for next Tuesday's game," Sirius said – he was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. With that, he ran out of the room after James. Remus and Peter stared at the place where they had just been standing minutes ago.
"About that Divination homework you were talking about…" Remus began.
"I thought you said you didn't take Divination?" Peter asked.
"I just said that so you wouldn't bug me. But I haven't done it either, so let's get started."
"Remus…"
*
"Lily, come on! Owen's calling us for practice!" a seventh year by the name of Victoria Moore called up to Lily as she lay on her bed, feeling thoroughly bored. Victoria and Vanessa Moore were twins, and they were also Narcissa Moore's older sisters. Though Victoria played Quidditch for Slytherin – she was their Seeker – none of the other Moore sisters – there were four in all – played the sport. (The youngest Moore was a second year by the name of Charlotte.)
"Oh, I'm coming, Vicky! Tell Jon that I'm just going to get my broom and gloves and I'll be at the Pitch, okay?" Lily squealed back to her teammate as she bounded off her bed, collected her things, threw open the door to her dorm and ran across the stone floor to the Slytherin Common Room.
Jonathon Owen was the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. Another seventh year, he also happened to be Head Boy. In fact, he was the first Slytherin ever to become one. At the same time, however, he was the most 'patriotic' of his house. If it weren't for his excellent Chaser qualities and hatred for non-Slytherins, Slytherin would never have had a chance at the House or Quidditch Cups. Jack was their 'leading Chaser'. He would score most of their goals. Jon, Lily, and Vicky were Slytherin's Quidditch stars. They worked as a seamless team, and the only house that had ever beaten them since Lily joined their team was Gryffindor. This was mainly due to Lily's inability to block James when he was scoring.
"Hurry up, Lily! Anyone would think you're bringing the Cannons with you to the practice!" Vicky screamed. Just then, Lily ran into the room, and grabbing her teammate by the arm, she ran out of the trapdoor behind the statue that guarded the entrance to their Common Room.
As they reached the Pitch, Lily smiled as she looked into the sky. Seven people, clothed in red, were zooming through the air. She recalled with both sweet and bitter thoughts that Gryffindors played in red. The bitter memories were that the Gryffindors had constantly beaten the Slytherins, and the sweet thoughts were that it was none other than James Potter who played on the red-clad team.
She scanned the field for signs of her team. She couldn't spot them anywhere. But a tug on her arm from Victoria told her that she had sighted them. Following Vicky's line of sight, she saw that they were grouped together on the stands, apparently going over moves or something of the sort. They ran over… Perhaps a more accurate description would be that Vicky was almost dragging Lily over to the rest of the team; Lily was pre-occupied with watching the Gryffindors play.
"Evans, Moore, what took you?" Owen shouted from the center of the circle.
"Lily took forever to get her stuff. And then there's the fact that you called this practice together without informing us…" Victoria explained.
"By joining the team you state that you will attend any Quidditch practice at any time unless you are physically unable to do so," he growled back.
"Oh, take a chill pill, Owen," Lily said coolly – without thinking.
"Excuse me?" he said, shocked. No one ever talked to him like that.
"I said cool off. I understand that you have NEWTs to take and everything, but just chill for a while," she persisted, evidently not realizing her mistake.
"Evans, do you have any idea who we're playing against on Sunday?" he asked her in disbelief.
"Gryffindor, I know," she answered simply.
"Yeah, and in case you haven't yet realized we have never one a game against them ever since you joined the team! We need to practice! Or should I say, you need to practice?" he said, narrowing her eyes at her.
"Is that a threat to remove me from the team?" she asked just as dangerously, looking him straight in the eye. They stared at one another for a moment, before Jonathon looked away. No one could stare Lily down, and she was determined to keep it that way.
"Lily, listen. Please stay in focus. I understand you've been busy doing some stuff to help out the rest of the house, but Quidditch is something that can help us if we just practice. Look up there," he directed. Lily followed his line of sight, and with a leap of her heart, she saw that he was pointing at James Potter.
"Just watch Potter for a while, Evans."
"I'm watching," she breathed. She had never seen anyone fly like him. It was as though he was a bird, gliding through the air unsupported. He might have been a ghost, floating through the air chasing the Quaffle, trying to steal it away from the other players. To Lily, he was a dream.
"Okay, now, I called this practice at the last minute because we really need to practice. I understand that the job of defending the goals can also be shared by the Chasers as well, at least until Evans can save some of Potter's scores. Until then, we're all going to have to work hard. Moore, you work on some laps to pick up on your speed. I'll ask Professor Morris if she'll give us some extra money to buy you a better broom. A Silver Arrow should work well enough. I'll let out the Snitch once the reddies are done. Okay, Matthews and Callaway, I reckon you two can practice on some Gryffindors, can't you?" he addressed the team. He always would start their practices with a small talk, followed by instructions to each player – in the order Seeker, Beaters, Chasers, and Keeper – before getting to the main practice.
"Well, hurry up, folks. Okay, Chasers, I talked to the Gryffie Captain – what's his name, Black? I think so… Anyway, I talked to him and he asked for a scrimmage later today. Seven on seven – Chasers, Beaters, Seekers, and Keepers – all of us are playing. First team to a score fifteen times wins. The Snitch is worth five goals, but the game doesn't stop when it's caught. How does that sound?"
There was a positive murmur from the other two chasers. Lily, on the other hand, groaned.
"Yes, Evans, you groaned?" he asked her.
"What happened to practicing?" she said stiffly.
"You will practice. This is the perfect chance. You'll get a chance to face those bloody Gryffindors. Now hurry up and start your workout, all three of you. Come on, hop to it!" he said. The three of them mounted their brooms and kicked off into the air simultaneously. By habit, Lily soared off towards the goalposts.
"Move it!" someone behind her screeched. Lily turned in the direction of the cry, and saw a Gryffindor with black hair carrying a Beaters' club. Putting two and two together, she leaned into her broom, making it dive down at speed. Turning back, she saw a Bludger soar through the air right where she had been flying seconds ago. Turning back around, she saw that she was losing height rapidly. She pulled up as abruptly as she could. Once more, someone called out to her.
"Nice stop there, Evans," a familiar voice said to her. Lily didn't need to turn around to recognize that voice. Nevertheless, she turned around to face James. He was hovering in midair a few feet away from her, a lopsided grin on his face that made him more attractive than she already found him. She smiled back at him, hoping for a conversation. But the Beater who had warned her of the Bludger was calling the Gryffindors together, and James flew away.
So that's Black, is it? The Gryffindor Captain, Expert Beater, what else is he? It looks like he's James' friend… It was awfully good of him to warn me about that Bludger like that. After all, he is a Gryffindor, and all Gryffindors hate Slytherins and vice versa – except for me that is…
"Lily, what is with you and daydreaming? Owen's calling us over! He says we're scrimmaging or something. Hurry up!" Victoria called Lily, making her snap back to her senses.
"Oh, yeah, he said something like that. Well, let's go, shall we?" Lily said awkwardly. Vicky shot her a quizzical look, but flew with her back to their team all the same.
"Okay, guys, let's go kick some Gryffie asses!" Owen shouted to the team. He beckoned Lily to him.
"Listen, Evans, one wrong move, and I'm warning you, I can kick you off the team faster than Vixen over there can catch the Snitch," he said, gesturing towards Vicky.
"Jeez, get over it! I'm doing all I can out there! Maybe if you actually let us train rather than just lecturing twenty-four seven maybe I'll get better!" Lily screamed, before taking off.
"What was that all about?" Victoria asked their captain. He just shook his head and motioned to her to get in position.
On the count of three, the game started. The six Chasers weaved in and out, dodging the Bludgers and, in a few cases, the Snitch. Victoria and the Gryffindor Seeker, a third year by the name of Celina Davies, were circling the game fifty feet above the others, like hawks seeking out their prey. Lily patrolled the goals constantly. But while her body was maneuvering her broom, her eyes were focused on something else.
She knew the kind of moves that Chasers normally used. Such moves came naturally to a Chaser. Even the Gryffindors often followed the pattern. The only time they didn't was when Potter was scoring. For this reason, Lily was watching him. It was as though he was independent of everyone. Every time he approached the Quaffle, he did something different. Some times, he would fly right past it. At other times, he would pass it to someone who was at the opposite side of the pitch to get the Slytherin Chasers off of his tail. Lily watched him closely, trying to find some sort of pattern in his movements. Her father had always told her that if she could find a pattern, then solving problems would be a piece of cake. So she watched James play. She watched his movements. She located his weaknesses. She found the things he did habitually rather than through skill and awareness of his surroundings. But while she was doing all this, she pulled off some amazing saves. But the Gryffindor Keeper, Jeremy Willis, was doing the same thing. After half an hour, the score for both teams remained nil.
But up until now, James hadn't even come within five meters of the goalposts. Was it because he felt guilty that she could never save his shots? She had no idea. But after another fifteen minutes of a scoreless tie, it seemed as though James gave up on his pacifism. He soared, he dived, he dodged, and he passed. Surprisingly, while James got more energy, the rest of his team started to tire out. Willis even let a few goals through. Slytherin was leading by nine goals to zero. Finally, James tried to score.
Lily watched him carefully. She watched how he leaned into his broom to acquire speed, and then veered slightly to one side – the left… no, the right – and suddenly stopped as he sent the ball flying. But Lily had been watching him a bit too carefully. She realized at the last moment that while she had been watching him, she had stopped moving. He had scored. Lily cursed mentally. How could she have done that? She had to be more focused.
But after he scored, the Gryffindors seemed to have gained more heart, and Slytherin was back to not getting any more goals. When Lily was just about to catch the Quaffle to make another save, she saw another Bludger being shot at her. She ducked violently, trying to take the Quaffle down with her. But the Bludger was too fast. It knocked the Quaffle away before she could get a firm grip on it. She saw the Bludger knock the Quaffle through the goalpost. Gryffindor had scored again. She sighed, and shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Black do a high-five with James. They caught her looking at them and they smiled at her. Lily looked away.
She was now more focused than she had ever been before in a game. She didn't bother watching the players. She just kept her eyes on the Quaffle. But suddenly, everything stopped. Vicky and Celina were diving downwards. Unfortunately, Celina's broom was a lot faster than Vicky's was. Lily saw Owen smack himself in the head, cursing. Without thinking, she dived down, directing her broom at Celina. Celina saw her, and zoomed away, too scared of getting hit to worry about the Snitch. But Lily couldn't pull up in time, and so Vicky also had to change direction to avoid behind hit. Lily was still losing height. When she was only a foot above the ground, she managed to straighten her broom.
Looking up, she saw that the Chasers were playing again. To her horror, James was zooming towards the goalposts at top speed with the Quaffle held tightly under his arm. Lily had no time to think at all. She leaned into her broom to pick up speed quickly. Her hair was flying out behind her, and her robes were whipping around her feet. She reached the goalposts just as James unleashed the ball. Letting go of her broom completely she reached forward, trying to get a hold of the Quaffle, but it was just too far for her to hold. Instead, she leaned forward, reached out with both hands again, and hit the ball downwards with all her might. This time, she was successful.
Her team cheered. Owen went up to her and slapped her on the back. Vicky went and gave her a hug. Lily smiled – she had finally done it. Looking over to James, she saw that he was grinning too.
"Hey, Evans, you finally did it. Nice one there, I don't think anyone else would have come up that fast," he said, winking at her again. Sirius flew up behind him and gave her a thumbs-up. But Lily didn't notice him. She didn't notice anything except for James and his grin. But the game had to go on, and so Owen finally made her snap back into action by pinching her arm.
"Evans, we have to keep playing! The game isn't over just because he didn't score!" he yelled at her. Lily nod in response, still feeling a little ditzy. James stopped scoring again. But the other two Chasers were scoring as much as they could. They even started to play dirty – just like Owen and the other two Slytherin Chasers normally played. Within fifteen more minutes, each time was tied at thirteen. The four Beaters were going crazy. They waved their clubs around, not caring whether the Bludgers were shot at teammates or opponents. The Seekers were constantly tailing one another and feinting – occasionally diving through the Chasers to scatter them.
In another five minutes, both teams had scored, and the game was getting dirtier. If there had been a referee to call fouls, the game would never end for sure. Once in a while, a Gryffindor got whacked in the head by a Quaffle thrown by an opponent or by a Slytherin's club. The Slytherins were constantly hissed at, and the Bludgers were surrounding them as though they too were making fun of the green clad fliers.
A few minutes later, one of the Beaters shot a Bludger flying towards the Gryffindor Keeper. But for some reason, it changed course and went zooming off towards Lily from behind her. Lily was too focused on the Quaffle to notice that the Bludger was steadily gaining speed as it sped towards her. Sirius Black noticed a few seconds later and tried to warn her – but it was too late. The Bludger hit her hard on the shoulder, knocking her off her broom. Lily felt the pain sear through her arm as she hit the ground. She felt dizzy, and the voices of her teammates were swirling around her. Through the group, she faintly saw someone with a red uniform approach her. Even though she couldn't recognize him, she knew that it was James. Slowly, he lifted his hand and brushed the hair out of her face. She could sense the surprise that her teammates were sensing. But they said nothing.
"Hang in there, Evans. You'll be okay. Just hold on."
That was all she heard before the world dissolved around her.
*
A/N: I think Author Notes at the end of chapters ruins the story… Tell me if you think so too. If you do, then I'll only put 'em in the beginning. Anyway, please review this chapter! It was a little too much about Lily, I know… I'll try to get more Marauder stuff in the next chapter. But please review all the same!