Chapter Fourteen----The Dark Mark
There on Lily's right arm was the Dark Mark.
"LILY! You are a Death Eater?" James asked.
"Let me finish James! What they could not make undone was this. I was only one when they did it, they were still loyal then. But when they became spies, they could no longer keep me in their home, so they sent me to live with my aunt and uncle and my cousin Petunia. Petunia and I were best friends. Then, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came and killed my aunt and uncle and I feel that she will never forgive me.
"I never knew exactly what it meant, only that sometimes it was a mere shadow and other times, it turned a deep, deep black, and it hurt so bad!" James came over and put his arms gently around Lily, careful not to touch the mark. "I would never wear bathing suits without a shirt to cover my arm. I hated it. One day I even tried to cut it off, when I was ten. But then I met Dumbledore. He told me everything would be alright and I would be in a place where it wouldn't hurt anymore. And he was right; it didn't hurt for six years." She hung her head in shame as if it were her fault she had this.
"But this year, it flared up again. I was furious, and I didn't understand why, then I knew. My aunt and uncle were dead. That had made it flare up, we don't know why." She broke down. She sobbed on James's shoulder, all the while Remus sat kneeled before her. Gregory grabbed a handful of grass in sorrow.
"But, why was Mia killed?" Remus asked.
"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING? IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" Gregory yelled, Remus slightly taken aback.
"It is no one's fault," Dumbledore called.
"The trees have eyes, the walls have ears, and Voldemort has spies," Lily trailed off.
"Sir if I may," Sirius spoke up for the first time. "I think that I understand!" Dumbledore nodded his head and Sirius continued. "It is all to get to you James! Don't you see? He wants you, so he gets to us. First Lily's aunt and uncle are killed, then Remmy's girlfriend! We are too well protected, so he won't kill us, but will hit us where it hurts." Sirius was correct. Minerva put her hand to her mouth, a little shocked.
"But how did he even know that we were still in love? We broke up a long time ago!" Remus asked.
Gregory raised his head, "I have been going out with her since the beginning of the year. We went to the Yule Ball together. Then tonight, we were walking across the edge of the forest and she told me that she was still in love with you. I didn't quite understand, but then, someone jumped out of the trees and I tried to pull her away, but she was running too slowly!" His eyes filled with tears at the memory. "Then I ran to the Hall and here we are. I knew the graduation was going on, so I ran in there to get help. All I saw was the green light and then Mia fell," he couldn't go any further. James was confused. His friends lives were being torn apart and it was his fault.
"James, I know what you are thinking. It isn't your fault!" Sirius yelled through the silence that had followed Gregory's retelling of the story.
"We can't stop being friends with you!" Remus said. Lily looked at her boyfriend, shocked at what he was trying to get Remus, Sirius, and Peter to do. When James nodded his head yes, Remus's voice became angry. "NO! You were always there for us, even when it put you in danger, now, just because we are in danger, doesn't mean we stop being friends!" his voice once again returned to normal, "You will always be our friend!"
"Remmy's right, we will always be your friends, and we will do everything in our power to protect you!" Sirius said and it was true.
"There is nothing more that we can do here. Mia is gone. Not even I can revive the Avada Kedavra curse," Dumbledore's voice trailed off as he began to make his solemnly up to the castle. The others followed, the second time that the false security had been broken.
***
Hogsmeade Station was packed to bursting with students. Peter had been shocked, if not a little too shocked, that Voldemort had been behind the events the previous night. His eyes filled with some unidentifiable emotion that the others were too out of the real world to notice. Lily walked around, quietly clutching her arm as she went. Sirius and Remus were still trying to convince James that they were meant to be friends by playing numerous pranks on him.
"Come on James! Lets make the end of our innocent childhood enjoyable!" Sirius said. At this James snorted.
"You haven't been innocent since, well never!" Sirius gave him a look that said 'look who's talking' and James just laughed, his spirits lifted. James put one arm around Lily and she smiled, letting go of her arm. Peter grinned at James who smiled back, and put his arm around his friend.
"I think that I am glad that I am putting you all in danger, you know that?" James commented as they searched for an empty compartment. The soon found one and sat down. Before long Michael Longbottom and a girl named Lari walked in.
"LILY! Guess what?" Lari screamed as she ran into the compartment. "I am engaged!" and she held up her hand showing a gorgeous ring. Lily gasped and held the hand closer examining the stone.
"It's beautiful! Oh my!" she exclaimed. James looked cross-eyed at Michael as he sat down.
James glared at him, "I was going to propose to Lily on the train!"
"Oo, sorry buddy! I didn't know! Forgive me?" Michael apologized.
"That's alright; I can do it in a nice fancy restaurant now!" James said. Michael nodded.
"We're getting married as soon as we get out of school! We can hardly wait!" Lari nodded. They were so happy, oblivious to what had happened. There were only rumors about, and no one was really about to believe that Voldemort had come onto the school grounds. Mia's death was blamed on many things, but no one except the ones who saw what had happened knew exactly why she had died. Suddenly, the group of friends in the compartment heard a tapping at the window. Looking in at them with beady eyes was a small, hyper owl. James snapped open the window and they realized it was carrying two letters. One was dropped into Sirius's lap and the other into James's. They both looked, puzzled, at their friends who shrugged.
Sirius was the first to open his letter. As soon as he opened it, a pair of wonderfully folded underwear burst out of the envelope. His face grew red as he realized that they were his own. Everyone in the car rolled in laughter, especially Remus. If possible, his face go even redder when he learned it was Remus.
"Oh, I will get you back for this, Remus Lupin!" Sirius threatened under his breath. Remus just laughed hysterically.
Finally he managed a few words, "Go ahead, James, open yours!"
"I don't want to!" he said through laughs. "What have you done to me?"
"Just read it!" Lily said.
"Fine!" he opened the letter and began to read. "James, "Now that school is ended and there is no homework for Lily to rip up, I can fully get you back for those seven long years! Read this story that I have provided, you will find it most amusing! Trust me!" The story that followed was long and boring. But when he had finished, everyone in the compartment, except for James and Remus, were hysterical. Remus leaned back with a smirk across his face.
Lily covered her mouth to attempt to stop laughing, "Honey, check my mirror!" And she handed him a small pink mirror from her purse. When he saw his face, his eyes grew wide. Anywhere there was room, something was drawn on his face. Around his eyes were glasses, whiskers were coming from his nose, and his eyebrows had become a uni-brow, above his lips was a beauty mark and for some insane reason, he suddenly had sideburns. All of it was drawn in a black permanent marker that he felt he would have to magic off.
"REMUS!" James laughed. "That was good, real funny! I guess I needed that." The rest of the train ride was spent laughing and telling jokes, reminiscing on the last seven years, and looking to the future. When the train reached King's Cross, Lily sighed.
"What is it, Lil?" Sirius asked. She shrugged trying to find the right words.
"It feels like we are leaving behind our life, you know? Now there is no where to go," she sighed once again.
"Why don't you and James come live with me until you get up on your feat again? You know, since I've already got my own place!" Lily nodded and looked to James who smiled and blew her a kiss.
So ends their protected life at Hogwarts.
More acomin'! I promise! Don't forget to drop a note :P!
~Lilolu
There on Lily's right arm was the Dark Mark.
"LILY! You are a Death Eater?" James asked.
"Let me finish James! What they could not make undone was this. I was only one when they did it, they were still loyal then. But when they became spies, they could no longer keep me in their home, so they sent me to live with my aunt and uncle and my cousin Petunia. Petunia and I were best friends. Then, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came and killed my aunt and uncle and I feel that she will never forgive me.
"I never knew exactly what it meant, only that sometimes it was a mere shadow and other times, it turned a deep, deep black, and it hurt so bad!" James came over and put his arms gently around Lily, careful not to touch the mark. "I would never wear bathing suits without a shirt to cover my arm. I hated it. One day I even tried to cut it off, when I was ten. But then I met Dumbledore. He told me everything would be alright and I would be in a place where it wouldn't hurt anymore. And he was right; it didn't hurt for six years." She hung her head in shame as if it were her fault she had this.
"But this year, it flared up again. I was furious, and I didn't understand why, then I knew. My aunt and uncle were dead. That had made it flare up, we don't know why." She broke down. She sobbed on James's shoulder, all the while Remus sat kneeled before her. Gregory grabbed a handful of grass in sorrow.
"But, why was Mia killed?" Remus asked.
"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING? IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" Gregory yelled, Remus slightly taken aback.
"It is no one's fault," Dumbledore called.
"The trees have eyes, the walls have ears, and Voldemort has spies," Lily trailed off.
"Sir if I may," Sirius spoke up for the first time. "I think that I understand!" Dumbledore nodded his head and Sirius continued. "It is all to get to you James! Don't you see? He wants you, so he gets to us. First Lily's aunt and uncle are killed, then Remmy's girlfriend! We are too well protected, so he won't kill us, but will hit us where it hurts." Sirius was correct. Minerva put her hand to her mouth, a little shocked.
"But how did he even know that we were still in love? We broke up a long time ago!" Remus asked.
Gregory raised his head, "I have been going out with her since the beginning of the year. We went to the Yule Ball together. Then tonight, we were walking across the edge of the forest and she told me that she was still in love with you. I didn't quite understand, but then, someone jumped out of the trees and I tried to pull her away, but she was running too slowly!" His eyes filled with tears at the memory. "Then I ran to the Hall and here we are. I knew the graduation was going on, so I ran in there to get help. All I saw was the green light and then Mia fell," he couldn't go any further. James was confused. His friends lives were being torn apart and it was his fault.
"James, I know what you are thinking. It isn't your fault!" Sirius yelled through the silence that had followed Gregory's retelling of the story.
"We can't stop being friends with you!" Remus said. Lily looked at her boyfriend, shocked at what he was trying to get Remus, Sirius, and Peter to do. When James nodded his head yes, Remus's voice became angry. "NO! You were always there for us, even when it put you in danger, now, just because we are in danger, doesn't mean we stop being friends!" his voice once again returned to normal, "You will always be our friend!"
"Remmy's right, we will always be your friends, and we will do everything in our power to protect you!" Sirius said and it was true.
"There is nothing more that we can do here. Mia is gone. Not even I can revive the Avada Kedavra curse," Dumbledore's voice trailed off as he began to make his solemnly up to the castle. The others followed, the second time that the false security had been broken.
***
Hogsmeade Station was packed to bursting with students. Peter had been shocked, if not a little too shocked, that Voldemort had been behind the events the previous night. His eyes filled with some unidentifiable emotion that the others were too out of the real world to notice. Lily walked around, quietly clutching her arm as she went. Sirius and Remus were still trying to convince James that they were meant to be friends by playing numerous pranks on him.
"Come on James! Lets make the end of our innocent childhood enjoyable!" Sirius said. At this James snorted.
"You haven't been innocent since, well never!" Sirius gave him a look that said 'look who's talking' and James just laughed, his spirits lifted. James put one arm around Lily and she smiled, letting go of her arm. Peter grinned at James who smiled back, and put his arm around his friend.
"I think that I am glad that I am putting you all in danger, you know that?" James commented as they searched for an empty compartment. The soon found one and sat down. Before long Michael Longbottom and a girl named Lari walked in.
"LILY! Guess what?" Lari screamed as she ran into the compartment. "I am engaged!" and she held up her hand showing a gorgeous ring. Lily gasped and held the hand closer examining the stone.
"It's beautiful! Oh my!" she exclaimed. James looked cross-eyed at Michael as he sat down.
James glared at him, "I was going to propose to Lily on the train!"
"Oo, sorry buddy! I didn't know! Forgive me?" Michael apologized.
"That's alright; I can do it in a nice fancy restaurant now!" James said. Michael nodded.
"We're getting married as soon as we get out of school! We can hardly wait!" Lari nodded. They were so happy, oblivious to what had happened. There were only rumors about, and no one was really about to believe that Voldemort had come onto the school grounds. Mia's death was blamed on many things, but no one except the ones who saw what had happened knew exactly why she had died. Suddenly, the group of friends in the compartment heard a tapping at the window. Looking in at them with beady eyes was a small, hyper owl. James snapped open the window and they realized it was carrying two letters. One was dropped into Sirius's lap and the other into James's. They both looked, puzzled, at their friends who shrugged.
Sirius was the first to open his letter. As soon as he opened it, a pair of wonderfully folded underwear burst out of the envelope. His face grew red as he realized that they were his own. Everyone in the car rolled in laughter, especially Remus. If possible, his face go even redder when he learned it was Remus.
"Oh, I will get you back for this, Remus Lupin!" Sirius threatened under his breath. Remus just laughed hysterically.
Finally he managed a few words, "Go ahead, James, open yours!"
"I don't want to!" he said through laughs. "What have you done to me?"
"Just read it!" Lily said.
"Fine!" he opened the letter and began to read. "James, "Now that school is ended and there is no homework for Lily to rip up, I can fully get you back for those seven long years! Read this story that I have provided, you will find it most amusing! Trust me!" The story that followed was long and boring. But when he had finished, everyone in the compartment, except for James and Remus, were hysterical. Remus leaned back with a smirk across his face.
Lily covered her mouth to attempt to stop laughing, "Honey, check my mirror!" And she handed him a small pink mirror from her purse. When he saw his face, his eyes grew wide. Anywhere there was room, something was drawn on his face. Around his eyes were glasses, whiskers were coming from his nose, and his eyebrows had become a uni-brow, above his lips was a beauty mark and for some insane reason, he suddenly had sideburns. All of it was drawn in a black permanent marker that he felt he would have to magic off.
"REMUS!" James laughed. "That was good, real funny! I guess I needed that." The rest of the train ride was spent laughing and telling jokes, reminiscing on the last seven years, and looking to the future. When the train reached King's Cross, Lily sighed.
"What is it, Lil?" Sirius asked. She shrugged trying to find the right words.
"It feels like we are leaving behind our life, you know? Now there is no where to go," she sighed once again.
"Why don't you and James come live with me until you get up on your feat again? You know, since I've already got my own place!" Lily nodded and looked to James who smiled and blew her a kiss.
So ends their protected life at Hogwarts.
More acomin'! I promise! Don't forget to drop a note :P!
~Lilolu