James gulped. Remus motioned for him to go before him. He put one hand on a crevice in the tree. He gulped again, it was a large tree, he observed.

"James, hurry up." Remus said impatiently at the bottom. He was looking around him. He was in a forest, and one thing he didn't like, it was snakes. He shivered and screamed up at James again, "What are you waiting for? Christmas?"

"Shut up." James muttered as he tried to find another foothold. James shuttered as a cold breeze hit his face. And he shivered.

Sirius had already gone up after Liza had. "Is Jamesie getting cold feet?" Sirius yelled down from somewhere in the middle of the tree.

"Yes." James yelled up. "How the hell did we build this thing up here again?"

"I ask myself that every time we come here." Remus muttered from the ground, three steps bellow James.

"Ummm... you guys, I'm not feeling very well." James said, his voice quivering.

"Oh come on James, that never stopped you before." Remus tried to say reasuringly. James inwardly groaned. The Remus he knew wasn't this persistent.

James swallowed the lump in his throat and moved forward, shaking slightly, trying to find another hold, and trying not thinking of his death by falling out of the tree and landing on the hard ground bellow. He thought about it again. It was replaying in his mind. Splat. He shivered again.

Wondering why he was so all of a sudden afraid of heights, he moved forward, little at a time and Remus followed.

They were about half way when James started to get real dizzy. He reached out for the next hold, but he couldn't find one. Sirius, at the top, was making faces down at him and Remus was starting to get worried. Liza was at the top trying to send telepathic messages to him, but his nerves had shut all his mind down and the only thing going through it was, splat, splat, splat. He shook his head harder. But that only made him more dizzy.

"Oh shit." He muttered as his foot started slipping. He was at least thirty feet up in the air. Remus was under him, noticed the slip and cursed. This was not a good sign, James was starting to get unstable.

"Oh guys, he's not holding up. I think he's going to puke." Remus yelled up the tree trying to move if James fell.

"I'm not going to..." James started before nausea took over and his head immediately landed against the tree as he took a deep breath.

"Oh my god, James, maybe you should head down!" Liza yelled.

"Maybe your right." James muttered sarcastically.

"I'm coming back down." Liza said.

"So am I." Sirius started to go down again but Liza stopped him.

"Me first."

"Does it matter who goes first?"

"Yes it does when some one won't stop staring at your butt the whole entire way up." She said.

Sirius shrugged and said, "Hey, when ya get it, ya get it." Liza smacked him and started down. Muttering 'Pervert' while doing so.

Meanwhile, James wasn't so good. He started to go in a daze and he was letting go of his hold on the tree. "James! James." Remus was shaking his pant leg trying to get him snap out of it.

"Oh... oh..." James, still sort of conscious, was trying to regain his composure. But all that was running through his mind was, 'splat, splat, splat.'

Then, he slipped Remus behind him. He hit Remus, as Remus lost his balance and they came tumbling down to the bottom. James landed on the bottom with a 'thump' and not a 'splat', thankfully. But Remus landed on James's left. Neither moved.

Liza, being as quick as she could, jumped the last ten feet to the ground and knelt by the fallen peoples.

"Ow." James muttered. He felt like all his bones had been broken. And, he had landed on a small rock that was jammed in his shoulder.

"James, you could have killed your self." Liza muttered from his side. It hurt to bad to move his head so he just groaned in return. "You could have killed Remus!" Liza said worriedly.

Remus groaned. Sirius stepped off the tree with a soft thump. "Are you guys ok?" He asked.

Remus and James both groaned in unison and Sirius kind of smiled.

"That was awesome you guys... it was like slow motion." Sirius moved as Liza aimed a rock at his head.

"Water." James rasped out.

"What? Water, Sirius, go get water." Liza said trying to make them more comfortable on the ground.

"Yes sir." He said and went to go get the water from a nearby stream.

"Does that feel better?" Liza cooed at Remus as she tried sitting him up. Remus just grunted.

And James whined at her. " Liza, what about me?"

Sirius soon came back with the water and handed it to Liza. "Sirius, why didn't you use a goblet?" Liza asked as the water slipped through her fingers.

"You were being vague." He smiled triumphantly.

"Sirius." James whined. "Water."

"Ok, ok." He said, then reached in a fold in the tree and grabbed a cup from a secret hiding place that was.... well... secret. He took off to the stream.

"Ow." James said again while Liza tried to move his hand.

"Oh, your just a little sore." Liza said.

"Yes, so be careful." James said.



Somehow, they got out of the forest and into town. James and Remus were rushed to the doctor's house and layed down in a nice comfy bed and given a little special medicine, one that James was skeptical of at first. And he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he thought he was back in his dorm room. Or in the hospital wing, but he wasn't and it took him a couple of seconds to remember where he was.

He groaned. A lady came by with a bucket of water. "Oh, how are you feeling dear?" He groaned in response. "I'm afraid your friend hasn't woken up yet." She said. James opened his eyes.

Light flooded into them and he shut them quickly. He opened them again and looked around. He was in a small room, it looked like a guestroom of some sort. There was a bed next to him and sitting in it was Remus, and he was glaring at James.

"Hello." James said uneasily.

Remus grunted. "Do you know what happened?" He said, almost sarcastically.

"I slipped." James said curiously staring at him.

"And then?" Remus persisted.

"Didn't I fall on you?" James said, then got a guilty face, "Sorry." He murmered.

"'Sorry' isn't gonna save me when I have to go into the tournement next week and get myself murdered." He said hotly.

"Oh, that was next week? I'm so sorry Remus." James said, concerned now.

"Not to mention, I could hardly ever get on horse anyway, I'm sore all over." He was pouting now.

"I've got an idea! Let Sirius take your place!" James said and Remus gave him a look. "All he needs is a little training... and I'm sure he'd love to do it."

"It doesn't matter, he's at least a good few inches taller then me, it would never work." Remus said, defeated.

"So?" James said.

"He could get himself killed, then we'd both be presumed dead."

"At least you have an option." James said. "I am sorry."

That was the end of their conversation, James just turned and looked out the window. It was about just over dawn. Most of the town was asleep. People were passing by with carts and people were taking walks around. James sighed, he was getting really home sick.

Something on the other end of the street caught his eye. It happened to be a girl, not just any girl, it was royalty. James was sure of it, nobody had red hair like that. It was Lily.

The only problem was, she was walking with some one. Not that James was jealous, but the person she was walking by was someone he didn't expect to see, let alone want to see.

It was Snape.

"Remus, whose that Princess Lily is walking beside?" He asked pointing to them. He knew who he was, but didn't know his statis.

Remus got up with a groan and walked to the window to peer out. He gasped. "I think that's the prince of Spain," he said.

James groaned and his head hit the window. Snape got to be a PRINCE?!? Not right.

"What's the king thinking?" Remus muttered to himself. "He knows better then to makes deals with Spain."

"Why?" James asked.

"They've had some sneaky business treaties." Remus explained. "They've also been trying to expand their territory." Remus went on. "Now, I think their countries at war, probably wanting to get England involved."He sighed.

By that time, the Princess and the prince had walked almost to their window, a couple of guards around them.

They could hear their conversation a little now.

"I think it's wonderful that father decided to join our countries." Said Snape said silkily.

Lily looked as if she wanted to run away, her green eyes searching for some escape.

"I can't wait till the ball, where we're going to announce the engagement." Snape went on.

James saw Lily shudder violently. Snape hadn't noticed. They stopped near the window.James was a little angry cause at school, Snape was always picking on Lily, calling her mudblood and bullying her.

"Engagement?" Remus muttered from beside him.

Lily was still looking for some kind of escape. As if expecting someone to come and help. That help came, unexpectedly, but it came. A figure, riding a horse. With long black, slightly curled hair, whom can only be identified as James's sister.

She saw the princess and prince and figured out the dilemma in her head. She hopped off the horse and almost skipped over to them, the guards seeing no threat of course, she didn't look the part of a commoner. In fact, she had what looked like a courtier's dress on. Her hair was undone, but it still looked elegant.

She smiled knowingly. "Hello princess, how are you?" She asked sweatly and trying to get lily to take the hint without Snape seeing.

"Erm... Fine." Lily said, taking the hint.

"That's great, I've heard about the engagement." She said. James had just told her secretly.

"Where'd you hear that?"Snape said narrowing his eyes at her.

"I have my ways." She responded icily.

"What's she up to?" Remus whispered.

James shrugged.

"I hope I'm invited to the ball?" She said turning to Lily.

"Of course." Lily said, of course, it was for saving her, kind of. She gave Liza a half-smile and mouthed, 'Thank you.'

A chime of a bell somewhere was sounded and Lily gave Liza a final nod before walking off with Snape at her side.

Liza grinned and turned to the healing house to see how James and Remus were.