A/N: Hey y'all – and thanks for the reviews. Grr… these things are getting so boring now, I'm thinking of omitting them altogether – I'm probably just trying all of you guys' patience with these author notes anyway, so I'll stop including them unless there's something I just have to tell you guys, okay? Here's the next chapter for all of you who reviewed (though if you didn't, you can still read it…)!

*

Remus was pacing up and down their dorm. He was unsure as to whether he should inform Dumbledore as to the kidnappings or not. If he did, it was very likely that Voldemort would be informed and James and Sirius, and maybe even Peter, might be in even more danger than they already were. He didn't want to risk that.

But if he didn't tell, what was he to do? He was only a fifth-year, unlike James and Sirius, he had never indulged in sports or outdoor activities, and none of them had ever had experience in the art of dueling. He had no strength whatsoever, being only strong in mind rather than in body. If you needed translations for the oldest of Ancient Runes, Remus was your first choice. As for acts of heroism, you ended up with the wrong number. So, as you can see, he was stumped.

Everything had just happened so fast – the whole Lily affair, their prank last night, then the morning's argument, and now the kidnapping. Remus was at a loss of what to do. Even if he were to meet Voldemort in the forest, what would he do there? For all he knew, Voldemort might kill him on the spot. No, there had to be some way out of going to the forest. Remus racked his brains for some idea or other, but none came.

"Oh drat – how could Voldemort have taken them away right under my nose? Even Peter's gone – Peter!"

Remus had been suddenly struck with an incredible notion. Sirius and James had been nearby when they had been kidnapped, but Peter – he hadn't been around at all. In fact, the last time I've seen him at all was when we did that stupid pact thing, and then again last night… but he wasn't there in the morning. Could Voldemort have kidnapped him already? But how did he even get inside the castle?

Remus thoughts were swirling inside his mind. Peter had been missing for ages, but his disappearance hadn't been noticed until now. James had disappeared while Remus' back was turned, and Sirius had gone while James and Remus were still talking. Things were getting more and more confusing by the minute.

Okay, supposing they weren't kidnapped – James could have gotten his Cloak and snuck off somewhere, whereas Sirius might've gotten sick and tired of waiting for me and gone down finally for breakfast. But what about Peter – what did he do? Where are Sirius and James now? Who sent that letter? Maybe it was Snape – he could have been trying to get us back for the prank… But how would he find out so soon? And where's the rest of the House? What the hell is going on in this damn school?

*

"Rise and shine, ducks – it's time to get up," called Narcissa's chirpy voice as she pulled back the hangings around Lily's bed. "Up, Tiger Lily – you're gonna have to wake up!" She started to poke Lily in the sides.

"Ouch – Narcy, did you really have to poke me? Jeez, that hurt. Can't you find another way to wake me up?" Lily exclaimed, rubbing her side where Narcissa had poked her.

"Sorry, but it just happened to be nine fifteen and I figured you might want to wake up before you miss another class."

"What – I missed a class!" Lily shrieked.

To her surprise, Narcissa started laughing. "Oh dear, Lily, I knew you'd fall for that! Oh, Liliane, you're so daft – today's Saturday. We don't have any classes. I just said that so you'd really be awake."

"Ha – very funny, Narcy – now will you please go? I don't fancy having someone laugh at me the whole morning."

"Well, well, well – you're in a feisty mood, aren't you, Miss Evans?" Narcissa refuted.

"Yes, I am. And you're not making it any better."

"Fine then – I'll go. But just one question first, okay?"

"Alright, what is it?" Lily asked, giving in.

"Do you have any idea what's happened to Martha? Her temper is up for some reason – I know it usually is, but this time she's flaring at everyone, even Severus. She won't say a word to anyone, and if anyone asks her what's wrong, she tells us to get lost. I was wondering if you knew anything. You two had a long talk yesterday…" Narcissa trailed.

"You weren't listening, were you?" Lily asked suddenly.

"Of course, I wasn't, Liliane! Are you accusing me of eavesdropping?"

"No, I wasn't accusing you. I was merely asking if you were."

"Well, like I said, I wasn't eavesdropping. I just saw that you two were talking for a long time and that Martha stormed out rather upset…"

"So, you think I did something?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Oh, no – I wasn't accusing you of making that old girl angry, I was merely implying that –"

"Let me tell you something, Narcy. Whatever we talked about, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. If you sincerely want to know, go ask Martha. I'm sure she'd love to tell you," Lily said dangerously.

Narcissa was shocked at her sudden change of temperament, and decided that it would be better if they ended their conversation then and there. Surely, Lucius would prove to be a better listener.

"Oh, yes – well, maybe I'd better go now," Narcissa, said slowly as she backed out of their dorm.

Lily let out a long sigh. She hadn't expected Martha to be so mad that she'd round on everyone in the House. She leaned back and covered her eyes with her hand. Her head was pounding, and she decided to take some of the pills Madam Pomfrey had given her. She had been having headaches often, usually accompanied by bad dreams, but last night she hadn't even gotten to sleep until two in the morning. She reached out for the glass of water that was usually sitting on her bedside table, but in her haste, she knocked it over, and the water spilled all over the table.

"Oh drat – now look what I've done." Lily righted the overturned glass, and was about to pick up the pills when she spotted something else. She picked up the paper James had left there last night and looked at it.

"What the hell is this?" she exclaimed when she realized that it was an excerpt of a letter written in Snape's handwriting.

"Why did Snape leave this here? And how on earth did he even get it here? Oh and why does it have my name all over it?"

In a flash, all the incidents of what had happened during the night came back to her. She remembered the letter James had left. She remembered how she had heard someone enter and had felt someone standing by her bed. But did all that really happen? How was she supposed to know that it all hadn't been a dream?

Slowly, Lily reached under the covers and felt around. With a burst of happiness and nervous anticipation, she pulled out the crumpled letter. She read it again, realizing that what was written in Snape's handwriting was what was supposedly going to embarrass her. She smiled suddenly, realizing that she could easily outwit James and his group of friends. She picked up Snape's letter, and reached for her wand. She silently muttered the word,"Miniturus" and watched the paper shrink until it was smaller than her thumbnail. Happy to see that she had prevented anything bad from happening, she flicked the tiny scrap away, stuffed the letter from James into the pocket of her pajamas, and got ready for breakfast.

*

Remus walked down the marble staircase to the Great Hall. He had decided that he might as well reply affirmative to the letter he had received, and decide what to do later. He had until midnight after all. To his surprise, he saw that Peter was already sitting at the table, eating away.

"Peter!" Remus yelled gratefully as he ran down to meet him. A number of other Gryffindors eyed him as though he was nuts, but Remus ignored them.

"Peter – where've you been? Look, we really need to talk. I mean, right now. James and – uh, I'll tell you later, okay? I'm just – really hungry, that's all…" Remus lied. In truth, he didn't want anyone else to know about the disappearances. The last thing Remus wanted to do was set everyone's tongues wagging.

"I haven't gone anywhere. I just came down really early for breakfast, but I turned up too early – two hours to be precise – and decided to take a walk around the grounds until it was time. I went up to the Owlery too. It's really cool up there in the morning. You should go up there some time," he said coolly.

"You went to the Owlery? About what time was that?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. I don't have a watch anymore, don't you remember? James took it to practice his Summoning and Banishing Charms last year but he ended up making it turn into a feather, and so he said that he'd practice Levitation instead. And my mum wouldn't let me buy a new feather, I mean a new watch."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Peter, was anyone else in the Owlery, by any chance?" Remus asked again.

"N – No, no one was there except for m – me. W – Why do you ask?" Peter asked, turning slightly pink.

"I'll explain later."

Remus had a strange notion that Peter wasn't being entirely truthful, but he had no way to force the truth out of him – at least not yet. He sighed heavily and looked around. By chance, his eyes fell on the Slytherin table. His eyes scanned each of the occupants until he found someone whom he thought was most likely to be Liliane Evans.

So – that's James' dream girl. Not a bad choice – she's got an unusual combination – red hair and green eyes. Well, James always was one for uncommon things, and a Slytherin with Quidditch talent, looks, and a temper is probably something rare enough for him. I wonder if she found the paper yet – it doesn't seem like it. But it does seem as though something's bugging her. Maybe I should talk to her – I might be able to find something out – like if the Slytherin's have anything to do with this disappearance. It's most likely that Voldemort's messenger is one of them.

Over at her table, Lily was being hounded by everyone.

"Come on, Lily. It never hurts to eat just a little."

"Have some juice at the very least."

"Really guys, I'm fine. I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat."

"Don't tell me Little Miss Lily's fasting? Why's that? Trying to get a better figure?" Martha sneered.

"Shut your mouth!" Lily snapped. Fortunately, Martha complied, but the frown was not wiped off her face.

"Lily – please eat something."

"Sev – don't force me. If I don't want to eat, I don't have to," Lily said – but in a softer tone. She got up hurriedly and began to walk out.

Remus did some quick thinking. He didn't know exactly what James had written in his note to Lily, but if he managed to catch up with her he might be able to find out. Not that he cared – he just wanted to know if he might have written anything that could give a clue as to his whereabouts. He timed his exit so that it would appear as though he was leaving the Hall because he was done – and not because he wanted to speak to Lily.

Whispering a quick, "See you later," to Peter, he jumped up and walked casually over to the marble staircase. At the top, he hesitated – not knowing which direction Lily would go. She may go left to her Common Room, or she may go right so she could get to the Quidditch Pitch. He decided to go in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room – to the right – since he could always take a secret passage to the other side if needed. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Lily run up the stairs. Fortunately, as he didn't want to be noticed, she went up the other way – to her Common Room.

Remus sprinted down till the end of the hallway. The wall at the end had a large bay window, draped with maroon curtains. He quickly grabbed at one of them and tugged with all his might. Finally, he heard a click and a trapdoor appeared under his feet. He fell down a little ways and landed on a heap of cushions. The Marauders had found this trapdoor last year – quite by accident – and James and Sirius had transfigured a number of odd items into cushions to keep at the bottom. Getting up hurriedly and brushed his robes and ran down the hallway until a small staircase appeared. Remus took the stairs two at a time until his head hit something hard.

"Ouch – oh, I'm here already."

He pushed upwards slowly – massaging his head where it was still sore – and a small part of the ceiling above him gave way. Peeking through the trap door, he saw that no one was around, and heaved himself up through the hole. Dropping the door back down, he dusted off his robes once more and slipped along the hall silently. The path along which he was walking cut off the long corridor that led to the Slytherin Common Room. Going into a run, (A/N: I feel as though I'm talking about a horse.) he slid into the middle of the corridor. He saw Lily at the far end, and jogged up to her.

"I – need – to talk to you," he said, slightly out of breath.

"Excuse me?" she asked, looking at Remus as though he was out of his mind.

"You probably don't know me – I'm Remus Lupin," he said, holding his hand out to her, feeling slightly out of place. "Uh, I'm James Potter's friend…"

"Oh – I see. Um – what's really there to talk about? I mean, what do you want from me?"

"Uh – not here – follow me. Sirius might not like me to show you – but there's no where else to talk…" Remus muttered to her.

"Sirius Black – you mean your Quidditch captain?" Lily asked.

"Yeah – that's him."

"So the three of you are the 'Marauders', huh?" she asked again.

"Yeah – no, there's Peter too – Peter Pettigrew."

"Peter who?" she squealed.

"What – do you know him by any chance?" Remus asked her, turning around, to look at her.

"Well – no – I mean, yes – but not really…"

"What are you trying to say?"

"It looks like we have a lot more to talk about than I thought. But one question – Peter's a Gryffindor?"

"Yeah – though I don't blame you for asking. He's probably one of the most cowardly gits this school has. But he's got good points too."

"Yeah, I guess."

The two were quiet for a while, walking along silently. Within another minute or two, Remus and Lily had come up to a suit of white armor. Unlike most of the other suits of armor, this one wasn't bewitched like the others to move and talk. Remus told Lily this.

"It's a good thing, too. Otherwise he probably would never let us in."

"Let you in wh –" Lily began, but she was hushed up by Remus immediately.

He started to work around the knight's feet. Lily watched in amazement as he slid the knight's toe slightly out of place and slipped his hand down the hole that had appeared. She heard something spring into place and almost immediately, a small hole appeared behind it.

"Come on," Remus hissed to Lily. To her surprise, he slipped through the knight's legs and disappeared.

"Hey – where'd you go?"

"There's a hole back here. Now hurry up and don't let anyone see you."

Lily bent down and looked through the gap.

"Whoa – I have got to tell Sev about this – this is amazing."

"You'll do no such thing! Now hurry up!"

"Oh, alright – I'm coming." She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. Worried that someone might find her crouching under a suit of armor, she slipped through as fast as she could – accidentally knocking Remus over with her force.

"Oh – I'm sorry – I didn't mean to."

As Remus took her extended hand and got up, he said, "You know, you aren't really all that mean and all. I kind of see what James was getting at after all."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, as she sat down on one of the stools in the dimly lit room.

"He's spent the last couple of weeks trying to convince me and Sirius that you aren't a Slytherin at heart – no matter how much you hang out with gits like Snape and Malfoy." Remus sat down across from her.

"Severus and Lucius are not as bad as you make them out to be! Okay, maybe Malfoy is a little strange sometimes, but Sev definitely isn't. All right – I admit that he has a bit of a temper and he's always had this slight – well – hatred for those outside Slytherin, but that's as far as it goes."

"You're standing up for him quite a bit. Maybe James was wrong about you liking him back…"

"What do you mean by me liking him back?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like," Remus replied, realizing he had spilled the beans.

"You mean –", Lily began, her eyes widening.

"Let's not go into details."

To that, Lily couldn't help laughing. "Okay – I won't bore the pants off of you."

"Now – can we get to the point? James gave you a letter last night – correct?"

"So it was his? I knew it – well, yeah – he did."

"Okay – and did it say anything about him going anywhere or anything? He didn't say anything personal, did he?"

"No – he didn't say anything, besides the fact that he was sorry if the whole prank with Sev's letter on my bedside that's all."

"So you found that too, huh?"

"Yeah – and I threw it away."

"What!" Remus said, jumping up.

Lily laughed again. "Yeah – I thought it would be interesting to see if I could foil the plans of the famous Marauders."

"Right – but you're sure James' letter didn't say anything?"

"No – why do you want to know, anyway?"

"Here – look at this," Remus said, handing her the letter he had gotten from Voldemort. "Wait a sec!" he said, as soon as she grabbed it – but it was too late.

"Werewolf – what do you mean by that?"

"Uh – it's from You-Know-Who – and well, he wants me to join the Dark Side because I'm –"

"You're a werewolf," finished Lily. "Does James know?"

"They've known since third year. They've been becoming Animagi illegally the past two years just because of it."

"Wow – you guys aren't as harmless as I thought. I barely knew anything of what happened in school, except for the fact that there were some Gryffies that kept messing things up for Sev and Lucius and others. Later, I found out that it was Potter and his friends – James, you, Sirius, and Peter. And now you're telling me that pulling pranks isn't all you do. You find a bunch of secret passages and rooms all over the castle and you make illegal potions too?"

"You're making it sound as though we're criminals," Remus said, grinning.

"Technically, you four are since you're breaking the Wizarding Law. But don't worry – your secrets are safe with me – unless Sev makes one of his truth potions…"

"Snape's one for potions, is he? Well, the subject certainly suits him. Dungeons are just where he belongs… or not," Remus added when he saw the look on Lily's face. "But read the letter – fast."

Lily zipped through the letter. When she had reached the end, she was in such a state of shock that she couldn't even answer Remus when he asked her if she was through. She tried to read it again, to see if she had read it correctly, but the words blurred before her and everything started to spin.

"Lily, are you okay?"

"I – I'm fine. Just – do you have some water or something?" she asked, steadying herself against the wall.

"No – but we have Butterbeer. Want some?"

"Sure – anything will do," she said softly, her mind still spinning.

"Here – don't ask how I got it," Remus ordered, thrusting a bottle into her hand.

"How did you get it?" Lily asked after taking several sips, grinning widely.

"I'll show you another time."

"Okay – back to this letter – are you absolutely sure that it's from Voldemort? Someone could be trying to get you back for some of your pranks, you know."

"Yeah, I thought of that too. The funny thing is – Sirius and James really have disappeared."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. Surely, he was joking. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"I do. But what I don't understand is that the letter says that all three of them are gone, but Peter's still here. He was there at breakfast this morning, and the only reason he wasn't in bed at six in the morning was because he had woken up before then and taken a walk around the grounds. It's rather strange actually – he says he thought it was time for breakfast, but obviously, it wasn't, so he decided to take a walk. But Peter's never been the type who walks for pleasure. He said he went to the Owlery too, but no one else was there."

"Really – well – that's – uh – I don't know. You wouldn't expect it."

"You seem as though you know something. Are you keeping something back?"

"No – well – maybe I am – but it can't be important, can it?"

"Spit it out."

"Well, about Peter… I was surprised to hear that he was a Gryffie, since, well, he…"

"Just say it. James and Sirius' lives are on the line here."

Lily took a deep breath and said in a rush, "Sev tells him a lot of stuff about Voldemort and about his plans and things like that."

"What – Peter and Snape – talking – together – about Voldemort?"

"Yes, and they, well Severus at least, he wants to be a Death Eater. And Peter – well, he always seems rather clueless, but I think Sev's making him help You-Know-Who too."

"Peter – I thought he'd be too imbecilic to do anything like that."

"He is – no offense – but I think with Sev's help he's able to do a lot, especially since no one would suspect someone like him of anything."

"Of course – no one would suspect him… the little devil…"

"It's not entirely his fault. Lucius is in it too – more than the others are in fact. Lucius is the one who interacts with Voldemort the most. Sev's job is to make sure that Peter gets his instructions right and to make sure that he does his job."

"So Malfoy has the upper hand here, huh? And Snape's like the supervisor. And Peter has to do all the dirty work. You knew this but kept quiet all along? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Who would I have told – Professor McGowan? Even if I did tell him, he'd probably just tell me to get stuffed and to mind my own business. He's as affiliated with You-Know-Who as Lucius, Sev, and Peter are." Lily said. Professor McGowan was the Potions professor, and was also the Head of Slytherin House.

"So a teacher and three students are one the Dark Side. Who else knows – your two girlfriends?"

"Do you mean Martha and Narcissa? They know about Lucius but not the other three. The whole House knows about Lucius."

"And no one's said a bloody word? Then why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you because you asked me too. And because – I don't know why – but in a way, well, I guess I trust you for some reason. I don't know if it's because Voldemort's asking you to join him and you're actually refusing him, or if it's just because you're James' friend, and his life's at stake," she said smiling.

"I'm honored," Remus said sarcastically. "Do you plan on telling anyone else, now?"

"I could. It would always make it harder for McGowan to modify everyone's memories."

"What do you mean?" asked Remus. He was getting slightly annoyed with the fact that Lily spoke in a way that made him feel as though he was behind the times. She would say half of what she meant, and assume that he understood the other half too.

"That's what he's going to do if he finds out that I've told you all of this. He'll wipe your memory and mine too, so that I won't tattle to anyone."

"This is great – just great. And I've got just fifteen hours left."

"Fifteen hours, left – well, supposing we tell Dumbledore…"

"Voldemort's bound to find out."

"I know but Dumbledore's bound to find away around Voldemort's finding out."

"What could we possibly do? I suppose we could use a Time-Turner, but those are illegal, and I'm guessing Little Miss Liliane Evans doesn't want to break the law…"

"Try me. But no – you're right. We can't use a Time-Turner, though it would be really helpful…"

"Maybe Dumbledore has one. It's possible, you know."

"I suppose so. But we can't go and ask him now."

"Why can't we?"

"Do you have any idea what people are going to say if we go up to Dumbledore's office together?"

"You've got a point there. People will think you're ditching your House. And people will think I've gone nuts. So should I go, then? No wait, aren't you a prefect?"

"Aren't you a prefect?"

"No, I can't be because I'm a werewolf – or else I would've been one. But are you?"

"Yes – though I don't do much because I'm a Slytherin."

"So can't you get in to Dumbledore's office? I mean, you have his password, don't you?"

"Yeah – but I've never been up there in my life. You go. I'll tell you the password."

"Okay, so what is it?"

"Fizzing Whizbees – and it's the third gargoyle from the far end of the long corridor on the left side of the marble staircase."

"I know where it is and all; I just didn't know his password."

"Personally, I think the headmaster has a good taste in candy," Lily said, grinning.

"Whatever – you probably wouldn't if you took Care of Magical Creatures."

"Really – why wouldn't I?" Lily inquired.

"They use the stingers of some magical insect or other in them. That's why, Miss Evans."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Check the book and you'll see that I'm not."

"That's the last time I eat them then," she said, pulling out a couple from her pocket and chucking them into the fire at the far side of the room.

"Should I go now, then?"

"I guess you could, but I don't know how to get out of here. It would look just as weird if both of us came out from the same place."

"Oh, don't worry about that. The Marauders aren't idiots, you know. We've improved this little place quite a bit," Remus said, sounding rather as though he was a real estate agent trying to rent out the room to her.

"So how do I get out?"

"Come over here, and put your hand right there – no – there," Remus said, pointing to a couple of stones on the wall.

"Now, take your wand out – you do have it, don't you? Good – now, tap the brick three times – kind of like Diagon Alley, this – and drag your wand down the gap until it gets kind of stuck. Have you got it? Okay then, whisper where you want to go. And you're there."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It's up to you. It all depends on how gullible you are."

"Remus Lupin, are you trying to make an ass out of me?" Lily asked him, glaring.

"Not exactly…"

"Will you please tell me how to get out of this place? I don't fancy being shut up here for the rest of my life."

"You don't? That's a pity. Okay, so you really want to get out of here?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Okay, follow me." Remus walked over to the opposite side of the room.

"Another trapdoor, is it?" Lily asked, interested.

"Sort of - now watch and learn." Remus ran his hand over the wall until he found a small groove. He dug his fingernails in and wrenched open – a door."

"It's not a trapdoor. It's a normal door."

"That's what I said."

"Not quite – but never mind. So where do we go from here?"

"Wherever you want – you're back outside."

"What – jeez, you're right. This is weird… But thanks anyway. And remember the password. Just another question – how come no one else can see this door?"

"Take a good look, and anyone can find it. It's just that it's hidden behind a painting of a knight kneeling before a princess."

"It is?" Lily asked, looking around at the other side.

"Good evening – 'tis not often I see a lady coming through this door," called the voice of the knight. The princess waved a handkerchief at her.

"Lancelot's shield…" she muttered.

"Aye – so you know my name, is it?"

"Uh – yeah, I guess. Um – I have to go…"

"Farewell, then, my Lady, until next time."

Lily turned around and ran to her dorm, and didn't look back once. Remus shut the door, chuckling, and went back into the room. He opened the trapdoor behind the suit of armor again and, remembering to take his letter with him, went out slowly to take the letter with him in his pocket. He walked along the corridor, the conversation with Lily running through his mind. It certainly looked as though James and Sirius had a chance, now.

Even though his mind was plagued with bitter thoughts, he couldn't help but smile. James had been right about Lily – she wasn't like others. He didn't suppose he could have a crush on her, but she was different. She's unique – just like James. And James was right – in a way. She needs him to get known. But right now, it's the other way around. He needs her if he's going to have another chance to live.

*