Lily woke up the morning of Halloween with a splitting headache. Groaning softly (damn, that hurt!), she sat up slowly, keeping her eyes closed to slits.

This is what having a hangover must be like, she thought, touching her head carefully. Gently easing from her bed, she put her feet carefully on the floor. As lightly as she did it, she still managed to jar her head and send a jolt of pain from one ear to the other. Finally, she just ignored the pain and hopped into the shower, turning the water as cold as it could get. It worked wonders on her headache, as it did most of the time, despite the fact that there were now goose bumps all over her skin. Stepping quickly from the stall, she warmed up as soon as she was dry.

Scowling at her reflection, she noted the unusual paleness of her skin and the dripping wet, shoulder-blade length hair.

"Damn allergies. Damn water. Damn hair."

Not one of her better days.

She left the red strands down, her tender skull still not up to a vigorous drying from a towel that would dry them up quickly. Her allergies always made her have headaches, but this was the worst she'd ever had. The fact that she would have to leave her hair down all day did not make her mood any better.

Pulling a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt on over her lean frame, the girl left the two slumbering forms in the dormitory and trotted smoothly down the stairs. It was pretty early and it was Saturday, so no one was up yet. Her cat had come with her, though, and as soon as she eased herself down to the hearth in front of the empty fireplace, he began twining himself around her. Amused, she scratched the nape of his neck and the section of spine right in front of his tail - his purring was loud enough to be heard clear across the silent Common Room.

For a long time, she lost herself in pleasing Jeeves, so when she heard a pair of bare feet pad down the stairs, the girl looked up in surprise.

"Sirius!"

His hair was all tousled and messed up from the night - not at all like the sleek ponytail she was used to him sporting. His pajamas were dark blue with small silver stars all over them - appropriate, Lily thought. He peered blearily at her and rubbed his eyes, before mumbling a half coherent sentence.

"Whashar udoyink air, Lily?"

"I'm afraid I'm not fluent in gibberish."

"Huh?"

The thief shook his head and looked around. Then, looking a bit sheepish, seemed to perk up a bit.

"Oh, I must have taken a wrong turn at James's bedpost. I meant to find the loo and take a shower."

"Well, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."

"That's for sure."

The boy looked back up to where his room was located and came down the rest of the way, throwing himself on a couch. Scorn came along presently and jumped atop of him, walking them length of his tall body until she found a suitable place for her rest.

"Remus and Peter are already up and so is James, even if he claims he's not. By the time I get back up there, the restroom will be fully occupied."

"Really? Huh. That's rather odd, considering I live in a girl's dormitory, where you would think that they hogged the bathroom, but I never have problems when I want to use it."

"That's because you always wake up at some ungodly hour, " he pointed out. "Even Peter, who lives on a farm, doesn't wake up at 4:30, dark or shine."

"Closer to four. And I can't help it, really. Horses choose ungodly hours too." She paused. "Does he really live on a farm?"

"Of course he does. You've seen him in Herbology. Even if he doesn't make plants grow any better than any of us city-breds, he still knows all of the plants and in Potions, he can name any botanical ingredient and its useful properties. It's only the non-plant ones he's hopeless with."

"Oh, I should have thought of that."

The room brightened momentarily. Lily looked sharply over at the window and grinned just as the foundations of the castle shook with the horrendous thunder that had accompanied the bolt of light. It was silent indoors, excepting the booms of thunder, so despite the fact that rain sheeted against the windows, no one could hear the splash.

"Lily? Lily? Helloooo, earth to Lily!"

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry Sirius. But it's raining!"

"So? All it means is that we're stuck inside."

"No, it means I should teach you all how to play football!"

"In the rain?"

"No better type of weather!"

"Um...except for sunshine. And snow. And clouds. And fog."

"Ah, but with rain you get mud."

"I repeat myself: So?"

"Ever play in the mud."

"Well, yes..."

"It's fun, isn't it?"

"I believe I now grasp your point. But shouldn't we wait -"

The rain suddenly stopped, as if Dumbledore had chosen for it not to rain on Halloween Saturday, the students' day off.

" - until the rain stops," Sirius finished lamely.

Lily grinned at him.

"I guess I'd better go get the others and take a quick shower."

"I guess you'd better."

She watched the thief trudge back up the staircase and bolted back to her own dormitory. Slamming open her trunk, the girl dug through its content noisily, the bit she'd accidentally brought along clanging loudly inside her cauldron.

"Lilyyyyy......"

A tired voice crossed her mind and she snickered inwardly.

"Yes, Laura?"

"Why did you have to get up so early?" Laura's voice was muffled by her pillow.

"Early? It's nearly eight. I've been up for four hours now."

A groan was her only answer. She continued her search for her football.

"Lily-y-y-y-y...."

"What now?"

"What're you looking for?"

"A football."

Jessica sat straight up in bed and stared at her with somewhat pretty green eyes, clear but pale. At least that's one thing I've got over her, thought Lily a bit uncharitably.

"Oooooh, are the boys going to play football? I love football. My mom used to be a cheerleader at her high school in America. Is that where you saw it?"

"No, one of my mum's jockeys is an American and he taught our stableboys and me how to play it."

"You?"

"Yeah, me. Why not?"

Jessica wrinkled her nose.

"But it's such a ...... rough sport. Aren't you've afraid of getting hurt with those big guys?"

"They're not really that big. And I'd rather have some fun than worry about risk."

"Well, all right then....Would it be all right if I watched?"

"Sure, but it's really muddy out there."

"Oh....I don't like mud. I think I'll stay inside."

"You do that."

Lily grinned to herself, over the fact that not only had she found her football, but she had succeeded in keeping Jessica away for the rest of the day from her friends. She slammed the lid down, which drew another whine from Laura, and dashed down the stairs.

All of the other four were there, looking at her dubiously. Sirius saw the pigskin in her hands and his eyes widened.

"Is that an American football?"

"Yep."

"Wow. When you said football, I thought you meant our football."

"This football is more fun. And you fall down more, which, in mud, is really great."

"Sounds like more fun than I thought it would be."

"If you want, we can bewitch a picture of Snape on the side, so that when we kick it....."

Sirius eyes lit up.

"Yes, lets!"

The other three were now staring at Sirius and her with veiled astonishment. Lily looked at their clothes and nodded in satisfaction. Sirius had obviously told them to wear their oldest, because even James was wearing tattered - well, not hand-me-downs, but worn enough.

"Come on, Marauders! It's time you lot learned to play like a girl!"

* * *



A few hours later, the five were almost identical figures of brown, scrambling around happily in the muck. They kept losing the ball, because it was slick and was now the exact same color as the mud. They also kept falling down without being tackled, but that was just part of the fun. Other people had watched them with amusement, but only Art and Mud had joined in, learning as quickly as Lily's four boys had picked it up.

Mud had found the situation particularly amusing and had gone to get his wizard camera before joining in, charming it so it was impervious to mud and water and anything else that might come its way. He had taken a picture of the two red heads side by side, their crimson hair so muddied that no one would ever be able to tell the point of the picture. He'd taken a photo of himself, laughingly calling it Mud in mud. And he took many pictures of the game itself, even while playing.

As the day passed, though, the two older boys had finally called it quits, leaving the first years to duke it out amongst themselves. The feast was in half an hour and finally Lily, her sides heaving, called a time out to discuss the situation.

"Ok....we're about.....half......an hour......away from the......Halloween feast......We're also......filthy."

James nodded and spoke, his glasses the lone clear spot on his face, charmed with the impervius spell.

"How about.....one more.....play, and then........we go.....back inside."

The Marauders nodded and Lily, Remus, and Peter huddled together while James and Sirius conferred softly. Lily's team was about twelve meters from a touchdown, by everyone's reckoning, and the game was tied.

"Ok, Peter. Give the ball to me and block James. Remus, you run into the end zone and try and get clear of Sirius. He'll tail you, you know he will. I'll toss to you when you're open. Got it? Break!"

They took their positions opposite Sirius and James. James snarled at her.

"The Hogwarts Robbers are going to take you down, girl."

"You can't touch us Gryffindor Heroes. Peter!"

"Hut hut hut!"

The brunette tossed the ball back to her and rushed James, tacking him by surprise. Remus took off into the makeshift end zone between the Whomping Willow (they hadn't been going near that) and the castle wall. Sirius shot after him, but her teammate stopped and whirled around him, taking him by surprise. Lily aimed and threw, Remus saw the delivery into his hands, wrapped his arms tightly around it - and Sirius knocked them both to the ground just out of bounds.

James, Lily, and Peter all laughed, but Sirius did not. Instead he got off Remus very quickly indeed and knelt down next to him, his face full of concern. The other three looked at another and raced the short distance over.

Remus was sitting up now, though Sirius had put his hand on the other boy's shoulder as if to support him. His face was pale and he was biting his lip and cradling his left arm, though at the same time assuring Sirius.

"Sirius, it wasn't your fault. Lily warned us, and I've broken bones before. Madam Pomfrey will fix me up in a jiffy, it's nothing to worry about."

"But Remus, if I hadn't tackled you so hard -"

"Then you would have lost the game. It wasn't something you were thinking about, Sirius. It wasn't something I was thinking about either."

"If you're sure...."

"Of course I'm sure. Now, help me up."

The other four were silent until he got to his feet, then immediately all offered to take him up to the Hospital Wing. Remus chuckled carefully.

"I only need one of you to make sure I don't trip over my two left feet and fall down a flight of stairs. The rest of your go back to the dorms and then go to the feast."

"I'll go-," began Sirius.

Remus suddenly jerked his head toward the thief, his eyes unfocusing and refocusing so fast that Lily wasn't sure if it had been real.

"No. No, you go to the feast. How about Lily comes with me? She can take a shower faster than all you blockheads." He grinned wolfishly, a muddy lock falling in front of his eyes. Lily agreed immediately, though the others took a bit more convincing. In the end, though, they agreed to meet back at the feast.

They all trudged up together to the castle, until the way to the Wing split from the way to get to Gryffindor. Lily and Remus parted ways from the others there, Remus still carefully holding his arm. They walked a ways in silence before Lily finally said something.

"Why me?"

Other people might have been confused at her question, but he seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. His mouth set in a grim line and his blue-green eyes grew dark. It was a while before he spoke, but when he did, his tone was full of certainty.

"Something's going to happen tonight at the feast. I don't know what. I do know that Sirius needs to be there. James and Peter too, but Sirius most of all. If he's not there..."

"Are we not going to be there?"

"I don't know."

"Hmmm..."

She wasn't sure if she believed this.

"How do you know?"

"Just one of those ins -... hunches, I suppose."

"Ah."

They got to the Hospital Wing and the nurse tutted over Remus's broken bones.

"How did you get this?"

He looked mischievously at her after a meaningful glance at Lily.

"I fell down."

She almost gave him away laughing but managed to contain it. That was their excuse for everything and Madam Pomfrey never believed a word of it, but never questioned it either. It was funny, though, because this time it was true. The nurse just fixed it up and was no doubt about to admonish him to be more careful when it was muddy outside when the door of the infirmary bursted open and all of the professors came flooding in.

Lily and Remus stared, open mouthed as every single teacher in Hogwarts came in behind the headmaster, each and every one of them with a grim look on their face. Hagrid was carrying someone though, and laid him down carefully on a hospital bed, with Pomfrey immediately working on the form as soon as it was laid down. Lily managed a glance at the person and froze with astonishment.

"It's Art, Remus. It's Art!"

Remus swallowed audibly. Lily knew why, and was horrified herself. Art was covered in mud (predicably) and blood. It seemed to be freely flowing from his scalp and shoulder. He didn't look very good.

"Is he...Is he dead?" Lily was astonished to find herself whispering.

"No, thank god. He was very close to it, though, but we managed to get him here in time."

The two started and turned to the headmaster, who was behind them. Lily looked up into his eyes while Remus studied his toes. It was he who asked the question they were both wondering though, not she.

"Why are all of you here?"

"We cannot get into the Great Hall. The students are being held hostage."

This was the wrong thing to say to her, and obviously Remus knew it. Her face must have turned white, because he reached out for her shoulder, but she was already gone, dashing through the corridors as fast as she could go. The girl hear footsteps pounding behind her and knew her friend was right behind her.

She ran until her lungs burned, but kept up the breakneck speed, dashing past the doors to the Great Hall, accidentally. Skidding to a halt, she raced back to where Remus had already halted, tugging at the handles in vain. The red head whipped out her wand, screaming alohomora, but neither of the two companions could get to their friends. Furious, they banged and yelled at the door, but it remained obstinately shut.

Remus finally slumped to the floor in defeat, his shoulder shaking, his face in his hands. Lily kept screaming at the door, tears of rage slipping down her face.

"OPEN UP YOU GODDAMN FUCKING DOOR! I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T, I'LL (here she described an interesting, but nonetheless anatomically impossible feat) AND THEN I'LL...I'LL....I'll....I'll....Oh, God."

She stared hopelessly at the door for a long time, hot tears trickling down her cheeks unnoticed before she finally remembered the friend that was with her. One glance down, and she too collapsed downwards, flinging her arms around his neck, both for support and to be his support. He did the same, and they cried into one another's shoulders for a long time.

"It's my fault, all mine, I should have told someone!"

"Remus, you didn't have a chance, no time! It's not your fault!"

"But if I'd told someone, then-"

"If you told someone, they probably wouldn't have believed you."

"Oh, Lily."

His voice was cracking with pain, but then, so was hers.

"I know Remus, I know. Oh God, I know."



Disclaimer: If you take my stuff I swear to God I will throw you into a vat of tapioca pudding. Yes, I know, it is both cruel and unusual. Too bad. If you steal JK Rowling's stuff, have fun with your lawsuit.



Ok, school started. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Less updates. Well, guess what!?!? You're right. But I think I can still manage at least every weekend. And I'm sorry for the cliff hanger, but I love cliffhangers. Unless there is no chapter after them. Which means this story. Right now, anyways. But don't worry, because I want to know what happens too, so I will push the magic fingers to obey, and hopefully have another chapter out tomorrow (*knock on wood*). One last thing - Voldemort's forces begin their reign of terror here (I won't bother to deny it, mainly because who else could it be?), but he doesn't become known (or not known) as You-Know-Who/He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named until the Marauder's 4th year. Here is my logic:



1) Snape is 35 when Harry come to Hogwarts. (Rowling said so in an interview)

Harry is 11. (Duh)

Therefore Snape is 24 when Harry is born.

2) Snape and Harry's parents are the same age. (In my story)

Snape is 24 when Harry is born. (See #1)

Therefore, James and Lily are 24 when Harry is born.



3) James and Lily die when Harry is one. (In SS)

James and Lily are 24 when Harry is born. (See #2)

Therefore, James and Lily die at the age of 25.



4) On the night James and Lily die/Harry goes to the Dursleys, Dumbledore tells McGonagall that he has been trying to get people to say You-Know-Who's name for eleven years. (In SS)

James and Lily die at the age of 25. (See #3)

Therefore, the usage of You-Know-Who/He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named begins when James and Lily are 14.



5) Harry is 14 in fourth year. (Duh, again.)

James and Lily are 14 when the name thing begins.

James and Lily are in fourth year when the name thing begins.



Ok, there's my wonderful logic-o-gram. My final bit is that it probably takes a while to get so scary that people are afraid to use your name, so why not start now, at Hogwarts? There you go.