*** Two out of three of the Tarot Cards, which are used in this chapter are made up. I'm not sure if there's such thing as the treasure chest or the joker. However, there is really a card called the Lover's card. So if you know how to read Tarot cards, I'm sorry if you find this in any way offensive (I don't know why you would). I tried to research the cards on the net but the only results I got were free reading offers from psychics like Miss Cleo. Oy! ^_^;
Chapter 8 – In The face Of A Werewolf
The following morning at breakfast the atmosphere seemed very awkward, indeed. James sat across from Lily at the Gryffindor table munching on Cornflakes, while Lily flipped through her History book (even though she had already memorized it by now). Neither of them spoke. Remus, who was very emerged in a book himself (one about creepy magical creatures), didn't seem to take notice of the unusual circumstances. Sirius, on the other hand, saw this as a real problem.
'This is pathetic,' he thought. 'They aren't even trying to talk to one another. They'll never realize just how much they love each other if this continues. Maybe if I try to start a conversation…' "Hey James!"
"Yeah…what?" responded James sleepily.
"I hear some students in school are holding a Poetry Slam tomorrow night in the Arithmancy classroom."
"So?"
"So, do you want to check it out?"
"Why would I want to do something like that?"
"I don't know. I thought it might interest you."
"I would like to go," said Lily looking up form her book. "A Poetry Slam sounds fascinating."
"I agree." Remus smiled. "We can all go together."
James yawned. "You three go. I have better things to do then to sit around listening to boring poems."
"James, but don't you..." Lily, remembering her promise to James quickly quieted herself.
'Ok,' Sirius thought. 'So that didn't work. There's got to be something else I can do.' The bell rang and all of the Gryffindors headed out of the Great Hall and towards the top of the North Tower for Divination. Even when all the sixth years were all packed together in Professor Trelawney's stuffy incense-filled attic, the situation between Lily and James only seemed to be getting worse.
"Good morning class," remarked Professor Trelawney is a misty voice. She swept through the room with her gauzy spangled shawl dragging behind her. "Today, my dears, we began our new unit. We will be learning to foresee the future through the art of Tarot Cards. Now I want you to partner up into pairs. Each pair will receive a deck of cards. Then you will work together to interpret your hand. You can find a brief list of Tarot symbols in Unfogging The Future Vol.2, pages 116 and 117. Now pair up please."
James looked at Sirius, but Sirius seemed to already have other plans in mind.
"Remus, will you be my partner?" Sirius muttered hastily before James could say anything.
"Um…sure, Sirius…I guess." Remus was rather astonished by this subtle movement. James and Sirius were always partners for things like this, not that he really minded.
"Don't worry, James. I'll be your partner." Lily remarked optimistically. "That is unless…you have someone else in mind."
"No, I'll work with you. That's fine." James muttered, though he wasn't paying attention to Lily. He saw right through Sirius' scheme and he didn't like it one bit.
'Stop glaring at me like that, James.' Sirius thought. 'You need this now. I'm only looking out for your best interests.'
"Alright, is everyone in pairs?" asked Professor Trelawney. "Good. Now take your deck of cards and shuffle them…close your eyes Miss Willows…that's right, let destiny do it's job, my dears. Has everyone shuffled? Okay, now lay your cards out in the manner I demonstrated earlier. What do they tell you?"
The Gryffindors opened up their books and attempted to translate the meaning of their cards.
James looked at their hand and frowned disapprovingly. "How are we supposed to figure out what this all means? These cards all look the same."
"Well," responded Lily "According to this book we have the treasure chest which means wealth. That' good. And we have the Jester which means…uh oh."
"What does the Jester mean?"
"It means somebody is going to get hurt."
"Hurt as in a Quidditch injury? Well, that's not too unusual."
"Maybe. But when you put it together with wealth perhaps it means that we're gonna get robbed. I don't see how else money and injuries go together."
"I guess it would hurt if somebody threw money at you." James answered sarcastically. Lily rolled her eyes and turned over their next card.
"OH MY!" Professor Trelawney squealed in delight. Lily had no idea how long she had been standing over there watching then over James' shoulder. "How wonderful! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations?" James sounded confused. "On what?"
"You mean you don't know?" Professor Trelawney looked stunned. "My dear boy, that card Miss Evans is holding is the Lover's Card, the most powerful symbol of true love. The relationship that you two share must be very special."
"But Professor…" Lily blushed. "James and I aren't dat…"
"What she is trying to say is that we don't have a relationship. At least not in that way."
"But Mr. Potter, you and Miss Evan are obviously made for each other. You can't escape your destiny. It's all in the cards."
"SO WHAT?" James face reddened with anger and embarrassment. "They're just a bunch of stupid cards! They can't tell us what our destiny is. It's all a load of bull! Lily is just my tutor and nothing more."
"Calm down Mr. Potter. Not all of us can handle the truths hidden in the Tarot Cards. It's okay to feel a little bit surprised when…"
"I don't care anymore! This class is a waste of time! I'm outta here!" James gathered his books up and left. All the Gryffindors looked shocked, except for Bridget Bernstein who look quite pleased to hear James deny that there was a "relationship" between him and Lily.
Lily on the other hand felt like she had just been stabbed by 1000 knives. Just his tutor? That's all she was to him? Maybe James didn't exactly feel the same way about her as she did about him, and she could live with that. As long as she knew that James considered her a friend…someone who was worth his time. But no she was just his "tutor and nothing more." Lily could feel her eyes grow watery with tears. She buried her face in her hands and waited for the bell to ring. After what seemed like an eternity Professor Trelawney dismissed the class, and Lily dashed out dodging the crowd in front of her.
"Lily, wait!" She heard Sirius call, but she only ran faster. 'Can't he see that I want to be left alone?' She didn't stop running until she was safe and sound in her sleeping quarters.
Lily collapsed on the bed sobbing. Her worst fear had been confirmed. James didn't care about her. Severus was right all along. Why didn't she listen to him? Had she been blinded by her own feelings? One thing was for sure, Lily was sick and tired of feeling sorry for herself all the time. Love? Peh! Love is for fairy tales. She could survive without James. It wouldn't be easy…but she could do it if she tired. No boy was worth this stress…this pain. That was the last thought that entered her mind, because soon her misery lulled her off to sleep.
Over the course of the next few days Lily was careful to avoid making any contact whatsoever with James. Their tutoring sessions seemed to be put to a temporary end. She no longer sat near him at meal times or in classes, and when the Gryffindors spent their evenings in the common room, Lily would sit in the corner, her face buried in a book, rather than join James and his friends for a game of exploding snap.
James, who was very well aware that Lily was giving him the cold shoulder, pretended that it didn't bother him. He went about his usual ways, fooling around with the "guys" and pulling pranks.
Sirius on the other hand felt that this ridiculous feud had gone on long enough. The relationship between Lily and James had so much potential. What went wrong? He just didn't get it. If they are both so head-over-heals in love with each other then what was the problem? Despite the constant reminders from Remus not to mettle in other people's business, Sirius found himself growing more impatient with each passing day. Something had to be done NOW! Before it was too late. All they needed was a push in the right direction. The question is how?
Sirius' eyes laid upon a tiny closet in the back of the common room that students used to hand their spare robes, as well as store extra school supplies. Then all of the sudden he had an idea. 'This just might work,' he told himself. 'James will kill me…but it just might work.' He glanced around the room. Lily was sitting by the back table as usual, reading her spell book. James was sitting on the opposite end of the room playing Wizard's Chess with Remus, and doing his best to ignore Bridget's obvious flirtatious signals. Sirius sighed. 'They are only a few feet away, and yet they are miles apart.' His attention returned back to the closet. 'I don't want to do this to you Prongs, but it's my last resort. You leave me with no other choice.'
He walked over to the table where Lily sat, and loudly cleared his throat. Lily looked up from her book. "Oh, hello Sirius."
Sirius took a seat next to her. "So how are you this evening, Lily?"
"I'm fine." Lily looked at Sirius suspiciously. "How about you?"
"I'm very well, thank you."
"Okay Sirius, you can stop being polite now. What do you want? Spit it out."
Sirius pretended to look offended. "What do you mean? I have to want something to talk to you. I can't just come over to say hi?"
"Well judging on fact that you never have before, I'd say greeting me is not the reason you came over here."
"You know…now that you mention it I guess I could use your help."
"I thought so. What can I do for you, Sirius?"
"I'm having a lot of trouble learning the freezing charm. You know, the one we practiced in class today. I was wondering if you would mind going over it with me…"
"Sure, how about tomorrow afternoon after Herbology. Are you free then?"
"Of course I am. Tomorrow will be perfect. Meet me here in the common room."
"Sound great. Now as much as I would love to sit here and chat, I have some studying to do tonight, if you don't mind."
"Right you are. Well don't let me get in the way." Sirius walked away and Lily returned to her read. 'One down, one to go,' he said mischievously to himself.
The next morning in Herbology, Sirius checked his watch religiously. 'Why is this class going by so slowly?' He looked over at Lily from across the room. She smiled and winked. 'Good. At least she didn't forget about our little date after class today. You have a date alright Lily. A date with destiny!'
It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and Sirius was pleased to see that the Gryffindors decided to take advantage of the pleasant weather after class that day rather than lounge around their dormitory. "It will only make my task easier."
As planned, Lily met up with him in the common room. She opened her spell book. "So exactly what part of the freezing charm are you having trouble with, Sirius?"
"Um…all of it…yeah."
"The whole thing? Well, we have a lot f work to do."
"Okay let me get out my notes." Sirius poured a pile of messy notes onto the table. "Oh shoot! I forgot my quill."
"Do you want to go back to your sleeping quarters and get one?"
"Why bother? There are extra quills in that closet over there. Will you do me a favor and grab one while I organize my notes?"
"Yeah…sure." Lily got up and walked towards the closet.
'Ha!' Sirius thought. 'The extra quills are in the way back of the closet. It will take her a while to find them, so that ought to buy me some time.' Sirius ran up the staircase leading to the boy's dorm. He kicked the door of his sleeping quarters open. "James!" he shouted.
James, who was sitting on his bed reading Quidditch Through The Ages put a finger on his lip motioning for Sirius to be quiet, for Remus (who was feeling rather ill) was fast asleep.
"James!" Sirius lowered his voice to a mere whisper. "Come quick! You won't believe what I found."
"What did you find?"
"No time for questions, you have to come with me…now!"
"Okay, okay don't rush me I'll be down in a second."
Sirius nodded and dashed out.
James slowly made his way to the door. 'I shouldn't go,' he told himself. 'Sirius is up to something, and I'm sure it isn't good.' James thought about turning back but in the end his curiosity got the best of him, and so he decided to see what all this commotion was about. But when he arrived in the common room it was empty.
"Sirius?" No reply, Sirius was nowhere in sight but James did notice that the door of the Gryffindor storage closet was wide open, and there were shuffling noises coming from inside. He smiled mischievously. "So we're playing hide and seek now, are we Sirius?" he quietly crept towards the closet. "Well, I'm not gonna fall for your trick…you're fun is up!" He grabbed the person inside the closet. "GOT YA…Sirius?"
The person screamed (like a woman) "Lily?"
"James?"
SLAM! The closet door shut closed. "What the…" James tried to pull it open. "It's no use…it's locked."
"It's locked?" Lily felt herself began to panic. "So now what?"
Sirius' muffled voice could be heard from the other side of the closet door.
"Sirius!" shouted James. "Can you help us we're locked in here."
"Yeah!" added Lily.
"Maybe…"
"Maybe? What do you mean by maybe?" Shouted James furiously. "You did this, didn't you, Sirius?"
"Maybe…"
"You bastard! Let us out now!" James pounded on the door.
"No way! I hate to do this to you James, I really do, but it's for your own good. Now I'm not sure what's going on between you and Lily, but this Cold War needs to stop. You two are friends and friends don't treat each other like that. That's why I am not letting you out of this closet until you two make out…I mean make up. Oh, and don't bother trying alohamora or anything. I put two different anti-lock breaking charms on this door."
James stopped pounding on the door and for a moment stood still thinking about what Sirius had just said to him. Why had things gotten so awkward between him and Lily? A week ago they were best friends…now they don't even bother to say hi. What happened?
"It's so dark in here," complained Lily. "I can't see anything."
"Lumos!" The tip of James' wand began to grow. Now there was enough light for him to make out the features on Lily's face. He took a seat on an empty box. "Lily…I think Sirius kind of had a point. I mean we hardly ever talk." Lily didn't say anything. She just turned her head towards the opposite wall. "Sometimes…" continued James "I can't help but feel like you're trying to ignore me."
"So?" Lily still refused to make eye contact.
"So I would like to know why."
"Does it really matter, James? After all I'm just your tutor…and nothing more."
"That's it! That's what's bothering you?" James threw his hands up in frustration.
"Yes, that's exactly what's bothering me. Since when are you embarrassed to call me your friend? Am I not good enough for you? Not popular enough?"
"Lily, you are being ridiculous."
"Ridiculous? Is that because I have discovered the truth? Because I have realized who you really are?"
"Oh…who am I then?" remarked James with a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"A fraud…and a liar! You fooled me into thinking we had a special relationship. We told stories…shared secrets…we even had our own special garden!" Lily eyes grew watery with tears. "But it didn't mean anything to you. All this time you saw me as nothing more than your brainiac tutor!"
"That's not true! I…look if I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean…"
"I don't know what you mean anymore, James."
"Would you let me finish?"
"No! An apology won't do this time. You need to understand what you have done wrong…you just don't play with people's emotions like that."
James felt himself growing angrier by the second. "I said I'm sorry, Lily. What do you want me to do, lick the soles of your shoes? Maybe if you weren't such a drama queen we could have put this whole ordeal behind us by now!"
"OH, SO NOW ALL THE SUDDEN IT'S MY FAULT! You have some nerve James Potter!"
James banged on the door again. "Let me out, Sirius."
Lily whipped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. "There's something different about you, James. You've changed…and I don't like it one bit."
"I did not change, Lily. I'm still the same person I was last week, and the week prior to that."
"Then maybe it's our friendship that has grown stale."
James looked at Lily sadly. "Perhaps we should re-think the definition of this relationship then."
"Perhaps."
Sirius unlocked the closet door. "I think you two have been in there long enough."
"That's for sure," James remarked gloomily. Lily didn't wait around to hear anymore. She stepped out of the closet and dashed up the girl's staircase.
"Lily…wait. Where is she going? What happened in there?" Sirius looked confused.
James didn't respond to Sirius. What could he say? Lily was gone…she was lost forever…and it was all because of him and his stupid pride. He turned away. He couldn't let Sirius see how much he hurt…see the tears that were rolling down his cheeks.
Lily sat in the common room that evening staring at the crackling fire. It had been a rough day, but for some reason she was no longer crying. Strangely she didn't even feel sad…she just felt…numb. Lily didn't know exactly how long she sat there but it must have been a long time because as the evening took its course the common room slowly emptied out of students…until she was the only one left. She looked at her watch. '12:45 a.m. I didn't realize how late it had become.' The fire was steadily dying now, and just as Lily was preparing to retire to bed herself, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Lily panicked and climbed under the recliner chair to hide herself from sight (she could get in a lot of trouble of someone found her out of bed during this hour of the night.) The footsteps continued to grow closer and Lily now heard voices, too. Familiar voices…it almost sounded like Sirius…and James. But why would they be out and about in the middle of the night?
Lily peaked out from under the chair. It was Sirius and James alright, and they appeared to be arguing about something, but what?
"I reminded you several times today that there would be a full moon tonight. How could you forget?"
"Sirius, for the last time I'm sorry. I let it slip my mind…I've been kind of distracted lately…"
"And you think that makes poor Moony's transformation any easier for him? He need us, James."
"You know, Sirius, I really don't think you're in any position to lecture me right now. After that closet incident today you're lucky I'm still talking to you at all."
"Okay, so things didn't go the way I intended them to. I know it was wrong to meddle with things I have no control over…But if we could just put our problems aside just for tonight….The James Potter I know would never put his own needs in front of his best friend's. Especially at a time like this."
"You're right. Let's go find Moony, quick. We know what kind of havoc he's capable of wreaking when left alone for too long." Sirius nodded and together they exited the common room.
From under the chair Lily tried to make sense of the conversation that she just overheard. Just where were those two off to? And who was this Moony they spoke of? She could have sworn she heard James say something about wreaking havoc. Was this another one of his pranks? No, it couldn't be, it sounded much more serious then that. One thing was certain though, Lily was growing sick and tired of all this guesswork. There was only one way to find out what this all meant…she would have to follow them. Follow them and seek the truth for herself.
Lily climbed out from under the chair and dashed to the storage closet. She knew that the only way she had a chance of catching up with James and Sirius was to fly. She grabbed one of the school brooms, mounted it, and flew out of a nearby open window.
Lily shivered in the chilly night air as she circled the Hogwarts grounds looking for any trace of the boys. Then she spotted them. Two figures running across the front lawn towards the Forbidden Forest. Were they going to the Forbidden Forrest? Apparently not, because soon they stopped in front of a large tree and then they disappeared…right before Lily's eyes. But how? Did they apparate? No that's impossible, nobody can apparate on the Hogwarts grounds. Did James use his invisibility cloak?
Lily flew closer to the tree and beside it she saw what appeared to be a gap in the roots. 'That must have been what James and Sirius disappeared through…that gap,' Lily thought as she flew a little bit lower to get a closer look. WHACK! All of a sudden, something hit her hard across the back. Lily screamed in pain, soaring once again up into the sky. That tree…hit her. It must have been…it was a Whomping Willow. How could she have not noticed it before, after spending so much time studying Whomping Willows in Herbology, after all that background research she did? And why was there a Whomping Willow on the ground to even begin with?
Lily watched as the Whomping Willow violently thrashed its branches into the air, its twigs clenched like knuckles. Should she give up now? No, she couldn't…not after coming so close to discovering the truth. There had to be a way to get past the willow. James and Sirius were able to manage it. How else could they get into that gap? Then it came to her. She remembered reading somewhere that the only way to stop a Whomping Willow from attacking is to press the knot, which is located somewhere on the tree. Now all she had to do was find it. Lily flew around the perimeter of the tree, while being careful to stay a safe distance away from its vicious branches. The knot had to be somewhere, all Whomping Willows had one, that was certain. She just had to keep searching…and AHA! Lily spotted the knot on the lower part of the tree's trunk. She swooped down and landed a couple feet away (and yet still a safe distance) from the tree, and picked up a large stone. She threw it at the trunk and missed. The Whomping Willow was not happy about this, and began to thrash about even more violently than before. Lily picked up another stone and tried again. This time she hit her target. The tree immediately froze as if it had been turned into marble.
Success, finally! But there was no time to celebrate. Lily seized the moment to hop off her broom and run towards the gap that James and Sirius disappeared into only a few moments ago. She carefully climbed through and earthy slope which lead to the bottom of a very low tunnel. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Lumos!" she shouted. The tip of her wand began to glow casting an eerie shadow over the narrow tunnel that lay ahead of her. Lily had to bend her back just to keep her head from bumping the ceiling, as she made her way through the dark passage, her wand being her only source of light.
The tunnel seemed endless. Lily now ran at a crouch. She began to wonder if she would ever find her way out of there. She stopped to catch her breath. She could just turn back…it wasn't too late. 'NO!' she told herself. 'I have come this far, this tunnel has got to end somewhere. It can't go on forever.' Soon enough, to Lily's relief the tunnel began to rise, and then it twisted. Lily could see a patch of dim light shining through a small opening. She did it. She had found the end of the tunnel. Her heart pounded with excitement as she climbed through the opening.
Lily surveyed the room around her. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Dust was everywhere, the paper was peeling from the walls. There were stains all over the floor, most of the furniture in the room was broken, as though somebody…or something had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up. What would James and Sirius want with a place like this? As she continued to survey the room Lily remembered the urban legend she heard during her last visit to Hogsmeade Village. It was something about a house that was so haunted that even the Hogwarts ghosts were afraid to venture near it. A house that they called the Shrieking Shack. Could she be in the Shrieking Shack? Lily could feel her fear rising.
CREEK! Lily froze in her tracks. That creaking noise was coming from behind her. She gulped and slowly turned around…nothing there. 'Okay, clam down,' she told herself. 'Don't let your imagination get out of control. This place can't really be haunted.' Lily's eyes set on a couch, which looked like it had survived a world war. "Ghosts don't do…that."
Her heart was pounding fast now. Lily no longer cared what James and his friends were up to. She just wanted to get out of this horrible place. She slowly began to make her way back over to the opening. Just as she was about to leave, another creaking noise from behind made her freeze with fear. There was no denying it this time…there was definitely someone or something behind her. Then she heard a soft snarl. Lily didn't want to wait around to find out what was growling. She tried to make a run for it but it was too late. It didn't take to much longer before she found herself face to face with a full-sized werewolf.
Lily felt her stomach drop down to her knees. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. It was as though her fear had swallowed her voice. She stared wide-eyed at the werewolf. It was a terrible looking thing. It stood tall on two legs but its back was hunched over, covered in ridged needle-like hairs. The werewolf took a step closer to Lily, now snapping its long jaw, bearing its razor sharp teeth, and swiping its knife-like claws in the air. Lily continued to back away from the beast until she was up against the wall. The werewolf had her trapped in a corner and there was no chance for escape. 'Well,' Lily thought. 'I guess this is it. I always wondered how I would die…or in this case at least turn into a werewolf.' She closed her eyes and waited for the monstrous creature to sink its teeth into her skin…and waited…and waited… When she opened her eyes again to see what was causing the delay, she found to her surprise another large creature had jumped between her and the werewolf.
Lily's jaw dropped when she got a clearer look at her savior. It was a…stag? Yes indeed, a tall handsome one with strong legs and long antlers. It certainly was the most beautiful stag Lily had ever seen. Now the werewolf on the other hand was not happy about this invader coming between him and his human victim. It snarled and thrashed about furiously but the stag held him back with his powerful antlers. It didn't take long for a third creature to appear at the scene, this time it was a large black bear-like dog, which Lily recognized at once. "Snuffles!" She shouted happily as the dog leapt into the battle. The werewolf, sensing that he was overpowered, soon backed down. The stag took this opportunity to approach Lily. Lily nervously took a few steps away. She didn't know why, but something inside of her was telling her to trust this magnificent animal. She glanced over at Snuffles who was struggling to distract the werewolf. If there was any good time to escape it was now. She slowly climbed onto the back of the stag, and held on tight as it galloped away out of the Shrieking Shack. It took her through the tunnel, out of the gap in the Whomping Willow's roots (the stag was so fast that the Whomping Willow didn't even sense their presence), and onto the Hogwarts grounds. The stag didn't stop galloping until they had reached a thickly forested area.
When it finally stopped Lily climbed off its back. Her mind was swirling with the evening's events. Feeling weak in the knees, Lily plopped herself onto the ground. She lay there for a few minutes, exhausted and covered in sweat. When she sat up again she noticed that something was seriously wrong with the stag that had just rescued her. It was changing, morphing into a human-like figure. It was… "JAMES!"
"So you're awake after all." James crossed his arms. He was not looking to happy with Lily. "What the HELL were you doing in there? Did you follow me?"
"I…um"
"Don't you know how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!"
"I did…but I thought…you… when since…are you…"
"An animagus…yes I am. I knew you would figure it out sooner or later."
"But how? I did a report on animagi last year in Transfiguration. I checked the most recent list which has been approved by the Ministry of Magic. I don't remember seeing your name…"
"Of course you didn't. I'm illegal, and so is Sirius."
"Sirius is an animagus too?"
"He sure is."
"Don't tell me that big black dog, the one with the white spot on his tail…is that…"
"That's Sirius alright."
"So Snuffles isn't a dog after all. I was wondering why he understood English so well. That little sneak…"
"Snuffles?"
"Forget it. It's a long story. But I'm sure he told you all about the things I said to him…I guess you know how I feel now…"
"Lily, what are you talking about?" James looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Oh…uh never mind…I'm just babbling," remarked Lily feeling a little bit relieved. "But I still don't understand what you and Sirius were doing in the room with that terrible werewolf."
James sat down next to Lily, and let out a long sigh. "I guess you deserve an explanation. That werewolf you saw back there…well that's Remus."
"LUPIN?"
"Shhh…keep your voice down. Yes, Remus Lupin is a werewolf. Nobody knows about it besides us and Dumbledore. He received his bite as a young child, and was forced to live a rather isolated lifestyle. Dumbledore allowed him to come to Hogwarts as long as he took certain precautions. That's why he disappears during the full moon, that's why he goes to the Shrieking Shack, that's why the Whomping Willow was planted to guard the entrance to the passage he travels through…um how did you get past the Whomping Willow in the first place?"
Lily waved her hand impatiently. "All Whomping Willows have a knot located somewhere on their bark. When pressure is applied to the knot it will cause the willow to temporarily freeze. Everyone knows that."
"Not everyone pays such close attention in Herbology."
"Well I do." Lily took a deep breath. "So Remus is a werewolf. That makes sense. The concept I'm having trouble grasping is why you and Sirius would risk your lives every month to follow him to the Shrieking Shack."
"Because he needs us. Remus is the reason why Sirius and I became animagi in the first place. You see a werewolf is only a potential danger to humans, but if we aren't in human form then he poses no threat to us. Remus' transformations used to be a painful experience for him. With no humans around to bite he resorted to self-mutilation. But last year when Sirius and I finally learned to transform properly we were able to keep him company during his 'time of the month,' and that makes things a lot easier for him. So no matter what form he's in…human…wolf…whatever, he knows he has friends who care about him and will be there in times of need."
"That's so sweet." Lily sobbed. "Oh James I was so wrong to mistrust you. I shouldn't have followed you tonight. You risked everything to save my life. How can I repay you?"
"At least you're okay know. That's all I need to know."
"And what about the way I treated you earlier. All those nasty things I said…I wish I could take them all back! I'm a horrible person…I deserved to be bitten!"
"Don't you ever say that again!" James remarked in a stern tone. "You are one of the kindest people I know. You're interesting, and clever, and your heart is in the right place. You're the last person on Earth who deserves to suffer any kind of tragic fate, even if you make a stupid mistake every once in a while. Following me tonight was not one of your brighter ideas, but don't beat yourself up for it. You are, after all, only human, Lily."
Lily was glad it was dark out because she was sure by now her face matched the color of her hair. James wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his head on her shoulder.
"If you had gotten hurt tonight…I don't know what I would have done. How could I cope without you?"
Tears of joy began to stream down Lily's face. He did care about her after all! All this time that she had doubted him…she had been so wrong! Just because he didn't always show it, didn't mean he didn't care.
Lily closed her eyes, letting the warmth from James' body heat spread throughout her. She silently wished she could stay like this forever, in the security of his arms. He looked up at her now. She could see her reflection in his glasses…in those beautiful aqua blue eyes. Their faces were so close the she felt his hot breath against her cheek. 'Well, here's my chance,' she thought. 'There's only one way to find out if James shares my feelings for him, and this is as good a time as ever.' Then slowly, Lily pressed her lips against his. His soft pink lips were as sweet as sugar. Lily did not know how long they stayed this way, what could have been a few seconds seemed like an eternity for her.
James pulled away, staring at her, wide-eyed with shock. "I…um…g…go…gotta…I gotta go," he finally managed to spit out.
"James, wait…" Lily called, but it was too late. He dashed away without even looking back, leaving Lily all alone, lost in her thoughts and her tears.
Author's Note: Hello Friends! Long time no see…or rather hear. Isn't it wonderful that fanfiction.net is up and working again? After all the waiting, after all the frustration it finally pulled through for us. I never lost faith. *wipes tear from her eye* Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 8, I personally believe that this is my best chapter yet, but now I want to know what you think. Review! Review! Review! Oh and please no flames (hear that Mr.P!) Because flames are mean and they make me wanna cry (I cry very easily). If for some reason you have issues with my story mail your complaints to me at Hermione0327@hotmail.com. I promise you that I will try to consider your opinion…I would like to meet the needs of my readers, as long as they are in bounds.
I will try to post up my next chapter as soon as I get back from my big family vacation. I'm leaving this Friday July 19th for a Caribbean Cruise. I will be back by July 31th…just in time for Harry's Birthday ^_^. Please don't tell me I'm the only dork out there who plans on celebrating it, too. LOL!
With that in mind I would like to take a moment to thank all those who sent me kind reviews, I'm so glad you enjoyed chapter 7.
libertygrl413- Thanks for the review-my computer has been behaving lately but I don't relay on it too much. It's old and stupid (I still have Windows 95) I am getting a brand new Dell though for college in about a month- then hopefully I won't experience any more problems.
lily potter- Yes, James and Lily do have major crushes on one another. I don't want to spoil too much…but there just might be a love connection in chapter 9 *hint hint*
singer- I'm glad you liked my story. Yes, Bridget will be playing a very important role in this story from chapters 11-13 (As you can tell I have done a lot of planning) After all she is my main antagonist…
KoolKabby- Snape will also be playing a very important role in some of my future chapters. In fact a good part of chapter 11 will be about him (though he's mentioned a bit in chapter 10)
Eleana23- Thanks for your kind review. I have been reading your fics, and I will review when I get a chance. They are both good, you are a very talented writer.
TigerLily- That has to be one of the sweetest reviews I have ever received. Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the way I fit "Snuffles" into the plot. I was trying to be clever. It makes me so happy when my readers notice these things (and tell me when they do so) Oh and don't worry Sirius won't mess up things….too much.
Phoebe Goose- Another lovely review, and for that I thank you with all my heart. Is this really one of your top 3 favorite fics? *blushes* I'm flattered.
Quinn- Your not an emotional freak, trust me I do the same thing. Though L/J fics are often comical I also read many which a very touching…and every once and a while I fall upon a good tear-jerker. No wonder I have fallen in love with this star-crossed couple. And there nothing wrong with a good cry at 2:30am. Believe me, sister you're not alone.
Rinoa- Thank you so much…your review was so sweet. I'm glad you really liked chapter 7. Chapter 8 will play a lot off of all the things Lily "accidentally" told Sirius. See if you can catch them.
phoenix6545- Thanks for the reviews. "Oh shit…It's shit!" That one of my favorite lines, too. Was your name really gonna be Bridget? That's so funny. Actually Bridget is one of my favorite names. It's the name of the main character in Bridget Jones' Diary (obviously) which happens to be one of my favorite movies, and books of all time. So why did I give my bitchy antagonist such a cool name…I don't know. But Bridgid is a really pretty name, too.
I would also like to thank Bella Black, marzoog, Kar, Chibi-Chingo, Vanillastar, ANGELA, LadyLillianu388, Kendra, and Sierra*Sitruc I love you guys!!!
Unfortunately, not all my latest reviews were kind and thoughtful. In fact, some were down right nasty and rude…that is, those belonging to a reader who goes by the name of Mr.P. Mr. P is a very mean, selfish person who continually flamed me for no good reason. That is why, Mr.P, if you are reading this, I would like to set a few things straight.
Lily happens to be short for Lillian. I researched it in a book parents use to find ideas to name their children. I don't know why this bothered you so much, but it's no excuse to be so rude! Another thing, the point of a Wizard's Duel is not to kill your opponent, it's to humiliate them. If you don't believe me, read the dueling scene in Chamber of Secrets That's where my duel is fashioned from. The suggestions you gave me are quite…disgusting. I don't believe in such violence for starters…and NO, I WILL NOT KILL SNAPE! If you had any common sense you would realize that it is not smart to kill off characters who exists in the future.
Aside from being rude and nasty, Mr.P, I think that you have some major issues and you should seek professional help IMMEADETLY! If you ever flame me like that again I'll have you know that I will be in contact with the fanficiton.net staff.
~Marissa~