Disclaimer: Anything you recognise does not belong to me it belongs to JK
Rowling. I'm not making anything from this, so please don't sue me.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews – Greatly appreciated!! – Hope you like this chapter?
SURPRISE – I managed to find a spare few hours to write a chapter & get it typed up but this really will be the last one until the middle to end of June ** SORRY ** (She says again!) – Couldn't resist after all those fantastic reviews
Thanks to all the faithful reviewers that have been with me from the beginning – Very glad you are still enjoying reading this story. Hello to all those who just started reading.
SEVENTH YEAR BEGINS
As the train pulled into the station at Hogsmeades Lily stood by the door not sure how she would survive the next few hours. As this thought settled in her mind, a strong pair of arms found there way around her shoulders.
Turning her head she found herself staring directly into the eyes of Sirius Black.
Kissing her on the cheek Sirius said "Come on Lily…James would not want us to be like this" watching her close her eyes he said "As hard as it is we need to show this school what being a Gryffindor actually means!"
At this Lily smirked and she could hear James in her mind prattling on about the honour of being a Gryffindor.
"Gryffindor's never show weakness, we are brave when others are terrified, courageous when others fear, undefeated in the face of adversity"
It was how he started all their pre-game talks.
Facing Sirius she said "Your right…Lets show them what Gryffindor's are made of" and with that she straightened up, raised her chin and put her shoulders back.
Stepping onto the platform Lily moved over towards the large ground's keeper. Standing next to him she smiled up at him "Hello Hagrid…ready for another year"
Hagrid gently hugged her saying "Yeah…nice to see you too Lily" and she noticed that his voice faltered a little.
Lily smiled it never failed to amaze her that this huge beast of a man had been blessed with the softest and kindest heart.
"Best foot forward Hagrid…lets get these new first years organised" and she squose his hand.
He gave her one more smile before he bellowed "First year this way" and stood there towering above all as a beacon for the nervous first years to head towards.
Nodding at him Lily moved towards the coaches were the other seventh year prefects were attempting to win what seemed to be a loosing battle of trying to get the rest of the student body up to the castle before the welcome back feast started.
Taking the sight in Lily noticed the four seventh year Slytherin prefects stood back chatting and letting the others do all the work. As she started towards them, with the intent of chastising them she saw a tall dark haired witch getting very twitchy. Lily smiled to herself at the thought of what was to come as she arrived at the bunch of Slytherin's just behind Aggy Court.
Wand held out in front of her Aggy pointed it at a very calm looking Lucius Malfoy "Do you think you could pull your finger out of your backside long enough to sort out the scum that resides in Slytherin"
At this Lucius smirked at her and took a step towards her but Aggy stood her ground "Don't even tempt me Malfoy" she said taking a step towards him, her wand inches from his chest she hissed "Unless you want Voldermort to be one short"
Aggy knew she had hit the mark as she watched him twitch for a split second.
Taking his eyes from her for a moment Lucius nodded at his fellow house prefects and turning back to Aggy and said, "I suppose we had better do something as it seems the rest of you are incapable of controlling a group of brats"
As he pushed past her he came face to face with Lily. Smirking Malfoy moved closer to her and whispered "Good riddance to Gryffindor rubbish"
Gritting her teeth for a second Lily looked into his eyes and then smiled sweetly at him as she said "I do believe I will be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about your disregard of duty Lucius…So please do expect detention at some point this week"
Just as he was about to open his mouth Lily straightened her robes making sure he saw her head girl badge. Raising an eyebrow at him as he clamped his mouth shut Lily turned on her heal and headed over to Remus who was ushering the last of the Gryffindor's into a coach.
Finally the only students left were the seventh year Gryffindor's. As the coach made its way up the long driveway, the first sight of the castle still managed to cause a gasp of awe and wonder from the friends at the magnificent architectural structure that was known as Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Entering the castle that evening the small band of Gryffindor's climbed the steps up to the great hall in silence. None of them aware of a pair of eyes watching them but focusing specifically on the tall red head.
Severus Snape had not failed to notice the sighs of worry and anguish that were etched on her face. A stab of jealousy pierced his heart as he thought of Lily pinning for Potter. Standing their Snape battled with his conscience, should he tell her what he knew or just leave her to suffer. His resolve broke as he watched her stop in front of the doors to the great hall and turn onto the arms of Sirius Black. As she pulled away he saw Sirius wipe the tears from her face.
Moving closer to them Snape manages to catch Lily's eye and he motioned for her to come to the side of the door. Sirius turned to see what Lily was looking at she caught his arm and said, "Sirius…Just let me see what he wants?"
Using her friends as cover so that they would not be seen by anyone else, Lily moved closer to him and looked up into his eyes "Severus what do you want?"
Before he spoke he turned her so that his back was to her friends and she was shielded from their stares. Running his hand through his hair he wondered if she would always be his weakness.
"Lily…Please don't ask how I know what I am about to tell you…ok" he waited for her to nod and then continued "Potter didn't die in the attack on his parents"
As this registered in her brain Lily's eyes widened but before she could say anything he said, "Coming from a pureblood family is not all it is cracked up to be sometimes" he hoped she understood the hidden message.
Her head dropped slightly, eyes closing for a second until she felt a hand touch her cheek. Looking back up at him she tried to smile.
"Where he is I don't know but he was not killed by the death eaters and they have not been able to find him" he added and made to move away from her but was halted as she grabbed hold of his arm.
He turned back giving her a questioning look, which soon turned to surprise as Lily did the one thing he had never expected. Lily hugged him and rested her face against his chest saying "Thank you Severus…Again…You seem to be making a habit of saving me"
Stepping out of the embrace Severus smiled and said "Your welcome" and then he was gone.
Going back over to the others she shook her head and said "I'll tell you in a minute…Lets sit down first." Taking their seats Lily quickly filled them in on what Snape had told her. Relief washed over their faces, even though they still had no idea about where James was at least this gave them hope.
The rest of the welcome feast went without any problems. All the houses received some new students and as the feast came to an end Professor Dumbledore made the final announcement " I would like to announce that Miss Lily Evans will be head girl this year." He paused while he waited for the applause and shouts to die down before he continued "Unfortunately I am unable to announce this years head boy at the moment"
The great hall was filled with hushed mumbles but the only people not making any sound were the seventh year Gryffindor's and a hand full of sixth and seventh year Slytherin's.
Casting his eyes around the hall Professor Dumbledore noted the behaviour of his students before saying "Could the house prefects please escort the first years to their dormitories…I will wish you all a good night"
With that Lily stood up and waved at two sixth year prefects. As they approached her she said "I'm making you two responsible for getting the first years up to the tower and sorted out…The password is 'Courage'"
Both nodded at her and started to round up the new Gryffindor students.
Arms folded Lily stood at the bottom of the Gryffindor table and gave the password out to the students as they passed her. Feeling someone tap her on the arm Lily turned to see a tall third year and smiled at the sight of Robert Weasley.
"Hello Robert…gosh you've grown over the summer" at this point the boy blushed causing Lily to chuckle but it was short lives as she saw the worried expression on his face "Don't worry Robert everything will be fine." Smiling at him she touched his face and said "Hope you have been practising over the summer"
Robert nodded at her and said "Thanks Lily…Glad your head girl…see you later"
But before either of them could move their attention was taken up as a small figure dive-bombed Sirius Black.
"Arr…." Sirius shouted, earning him stares from all those left in the great hall. Looking down at what had hit him Sirius let out a howl of laughter because looking up at him was a very excited Tara.
Picking her up and wrapping his arms around her tightly he said "Hello beautiful…Have you had a good summer?"
Hugging him back just as fiercely she said, "Yes thanks." As Sirius put her down Tara made her way around the rest of them hugging each of the seventh year Gryffindor's in turn.
As they headed out of the great hall Tara came along side Sirius, the burly seventh year smiled as he felt the small hand slip into his, looking down he smiled at her but noticing the look on her face he stopped walking and said "What's the matter Tara?"
Noticing he had stopped Marie turned to see the little exchange smiling she waved at him and said "See you later"
Tara watched the others move away and said, "Where's James?"
Bending down so that he was at her eye level he said "Tara…There was a death eater attack over the summer and James's parent's were killed" pausing for breath Sirius squose her hand "James is missing…He wasn't part of the attack but we have no idea where he is"
Voice a little shaky Tara asked "Is James going to die?" and her lip started to wobble.
Pulling her close to him he said "I don't know" and he heard her breath catch in her throat. In a flash he picked up the upset child and carried her back to the Gryffindor tower. Stepping through the portrait hole Sirius realised that she was a sleep in his arms. In the common room he found his friends in their usual spot.
"Could one of you lovely ladies please help me?" he asked as he turned Tara around so that they could see the sleeping second year.
Marie stood up "Come on lets get her into bed"
A couple of minutes later Sirius came down the stairs having left Marie to undress the sleeping child. It wasn't long before she was back down, cuddling up to him on the sofa in front of the fire.
The only ones left up the seventh year Gryffindor's sat watching the flames flicker each lost in their own thoughts, blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding at the edge of the forbidden forest.
A/N: Well there goes another chapter- Hope you enjoyed it-Sorry still no James but that is to come in the next instalment.
Don't forget to click the button and let me know what you think – The more reviews I get the more sorry I might feel and try harder to find time to type up another chapter.
Thanks for reading
Madame Padfoot
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews – Greatly appreciated!! – Hope you like this chapter?
SURPRISE – I managed to find a spare few hours to write a chapter & get it typed up but this really will be the last one until the middle to end of June ** SORRY ** (She says again!) – Couldn't resist after all those fantastic reviews
Thanks to all the faithful reviewers that have been with me from the beginning – Very glad you are still enjoying reading this story. Hello to all those who just started reading.
SEVENTH YEAR BEGINS
As the train pulled into the station at Hogsmeades Lily stood by the door not sure how she would survive the next few hours. As this thought settled in her mind, a strong pair of arms found there way around her shoulders.
Turning her head she found herself staring directly into the eyes of Sirius Black.
Kissing her on the cheek Sirius said "Come on Lily…James would not want us to be like this" watching her close her eyes he said "As hard as it is we need to show this school what being a Gryffindor actually means!"
At this Lily smirked and she could hear James in her mind prattling on about the honour of being a Gryffindor.
"Gryffindor's never show weakness, we are brave when others are terrified, courageous when others fear, undefeated in the face of adversity"
It was how he started all their pre-game talks.
Facing Sirius she said "Your right…Lets show them what Gryffindor's are made of" and with that she straightened up, raised her chin and put her shoulders back.
Stepping onto the platform Lily moved over towards the large ground's keeper. Standing next to him she smiled up at him "Hello Hagrid…ready for another year"
Hagrid gently hugged her saying "Yeah…nice to see you too Lily" and she noticed that his voice faltered a little.
Lily smiled it never failed to amaze her that this huge beast of a man had been blessed with the softest and kindest heart.
"Best foot forward Hagrid…lets get these new first years organised" and she squose his hand.
He gave her one more smile before he bellowed "First year this way" and stood there towering above all as a beacon for the nervous first years to head towards.
Nodding at him Lily moved towards the coaches were the other seventh year prefects were attempting to win what seemed to be a loosing battle of trying to get the rest of the student body up to the castle before the welcome back feast started.
Taking the sight in Lily noticed the four seventh year Slytherin prefects stood back chatting and letting the others do all the work. As she started towards them, with the intent of chastising them she saw a tall dark haired witch getting very twitchy. Lily smiled to herself at the thought of what was to come as she arrived at the bunch of Slytherin's just behind Aggy Court.
Wand held out in front of her Aggy pointed it at a very calm looking Lucius Malfoy "Do you think you could pull your finger out of your backside long enough to sort out the scum that resides in Slytherin"
At this Lucius smirked at her and took a step towards her but Aggy stood her ground "Don't even tempt me Malfoy" she said taking a step towards him, her wand inches from his chest she hissed "Unless you want Voldermort to be one short"
Aggy knew she had hit the mark as she watched him twitch for a split second.
Taking his eyes from her for a moment Lucius nodded at his fellow house prefects and turning back to Aggy and said, "I suppose we had better do something as it seems the rest of you are incapable of controlling a group of brats"
As he pushed past her he came face to face with Lily. Smirking Malfoy moved closer to her and whispered "Good riddance to Gryffindor rubbish"
Gritting her teeth for a second Lily looked into his eyes and then smiled sweetly at him as she said "I do believe I will be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about your disregard of duty Lucius…So please do expect detention at some point this week"
Just as he was about to open his mouth Lily straightened her robes making sure he saw her head girl badge. Raising an eyebrow at him as he clamped his mouth shut Lily turned on her heal and headed over to Remus who was ushering the last of the Gryffindor's into a coach.
Finally the only students left were the seventh year Gryffindor's. As the coach made its way up the long driveway, the first sight of the castle still managed to cause a gasp of awe and wonder from the friends at the magnificent architectural structure that was known as Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Entering the castle that evening the small band of Gryffindor's climbed the steps up to the great hall in silence. None of them aware of a pair of eyes watching them but focusing specifically on the tall red head.
Severus Snape had not failed to notice the sighs of worry and anguish that were etched on her face. A stab of jealousy pierced his heart as he thought of Lily pinning for Potter. Standing their Snape battled with his conscience, should he tell her what he knew or just leave her to suffer. His resolve broke as he watched her stop in front of the doors to the great hall and turn onto the arms of Sirius Black. As she pulled away he saw Sirius wipe the tears from her face.
Moving closer to them Snape manages to catch Lily's eye and he motioned for her to come to the side of the door. Sirius turned to see what Lily was looking at she caught his arm and said, "Sirius…Just let me see what he wants?"
Using her friends as cover so that they would not be seen by anyone else, Lily moved closer to him and looked up into his eyes "Severus what do you want?"
Before he spoke he turned her so that his back was to her friends and she was shielded from their stares. Running his hand through his hair he wondered if she would always be his weakness.
"Lily…Please don't ask how I know what I am about to tell you…ok" he waited for her to nod and then continued "Potter didn't die in the attack on his parents"
As this registered in her brain Lily's eyes widened but before she could say anything he said, "Coming from a pureblood family is not all it is cracked up to be sometimes" he hoped she understood the hidden message.
Her head dropped slightly, eyes closing for a second until she felt a hand touch her cheek. Looking back up at him she tried to smile.
"Where he is I don't know but he was not killed by the death eaters and they have not been able to find him" he added and made to move away from her but was halted as she grabbed hold of his arm.
He turned back giving her a questioning look, which soon turned to surprise as Lily did the one thing he had never expected. Lily hugged him and rested her face against his chest saying "Thank you Severus…Again…You seem to be making a habit of saving me"
Stepping out of the embrace Severus smiled and said "Your welcome" and then he was gone.
Going back over to the others she shook her head and said "I'll tell you in a minute…Lets sit down first." Taking their seats Lily quickly filled them in on what Snape had told her. Relief washed over their faces, even though they still had no idea about where James was at least this gave them hope.
The rest of the welcome feast went without any problems. All the houses received some new students and as the feast came to an end Professor Dumbledore made the final announcement " I would like to announce that Miss Lily Evans will be head girl this year." He paused while he waited for the applause and shouts to die down before he continued "Unfortunately I am unable to announce this years head boy at the moment"
The great hall was filled with hushed mumbles but the only people not making any sound were the seventh year Gryffindor's and a hand full of sixth and seventh year Slytherin's.
Casting his eyes around the hall Professor Dumbledore noted the behaviour of his students before saying "Could the house prefects please escort the first years to their dormitories…I will wish you all a good night"
With that Lily stood up and waved at two sixth year prefects. As they approached her she said "I'm making you two responsible for getting the first years up to the tower and sorted out…The password is 'Courage'"
Both nodded at her and started to round up the new Gryffindor students.
Arms folded Lily stood at the bottom of the Gryffindor table and gave the password out to the students as they passed her. Feeling someone tap her on the arm Lily turned to see a tall third year and smiled at the sight of Robert Weasley.
"Hello Robert…gosh you've grown over the summer" at this point the boy blushed causing Lily to chuckle but it was short lives as she saw the worried expression on his face "Don't worry Robert everything will be fine." Smiling at him she touched his face and said "Hope you have been practising over the summer"
Robert nodded at her and said "Thanks Lily…Glad your head girl…see you later"
But before either of them could move their attention was taken up as a small figure dive-bombed Sirius Black.
"Arr…." Sirius shouted, earning him stares from all those left in the great hall. Looking down at what had hit him Sirius let out a howl of laughter because looking up at him was a very excited Tara.
Picking her up and wrapping his arms around her tightly he said "Hello beautiful…Have you had a good summer?"
Hugging him back just as fiercely she said, "Yes thanks." As Sirius put her down Tara made her way around the rest of them hugging each of the seventh year Gryffindor's in turn.
As they headed out of the great hall Tara came along side Sirius, the burly seventh year smiled as he felt the small hand slip into his, looking down he smiled at her but noticing the look on her face he stopped walking and said "What's the matter Tara?"
Noticing he had stopped Marie turned to see the little exchange smiling she waved at him and said "See you later"
Tara watched the others move away and said, "Where's James?"
Bending down so that he was at her eye level he said "Tara…There was a death eater attack over the summer and James's parent's were killed" pausing for breath Sirius squose her hand "James is missing…He wasn't part of the attack but we have no idea where he is"
Voice a little shaky Tara asked "Is James going to die?" and her lip started to wobble.
Pulling her close to him he said "I don't know" and he heard her breath catch in her throat. In a flash he picked up the upset child and carried her back to the Gryffindor tower. Stepping through the portrait hole Sirius realised that she was a sleep in his arms. In the common room he found his friends in their usual spot.
"Could one of you lovely ladies please help me?" he asked as he turned Tara around so that they could see the sleeping second year.
Marie stood up "Come on lets get her into bed"
A couple of minutes later Sirius came down the stairs having left Marie to undress the sleeping child. It wasn't long before she was back down, cuddling up to him on the sofa in front of the fire.
The only ones left up the seventh year Gryffindor's sat watching the flames flicker each lost in their own thoughts, blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding at the edge of the forbidden forest.
A/N: Well there goes another chapter- Hope you enjoyed it-Sorry still no James but that is to come in the next instalment.
Don't forget to click the button and let me know what you think – The more reviews I get the more sorry I might feel and try harder to find time to type up another chapter.
Thanks for reading
Madame Padfoot