***DISCLAIMER:  What, you think any of this is mine?  Ha, sorry to disappoint…?

Dinner never seemed so short after Sirius and James were found in spots at the house table.  Remus took his usual chair, fidgeting nervously.  His eyes darted over all the food in sight, but he ate nothing.  Finally, when Lily became nervous enough to leave herself, Remus nudged Sirius, "I'm going; I'll see you in an hour."  Sirius nodded without turning to him, and James matched Sirius' stare with all its weight.  Peter seemed to slump unusually deep into his seat as he noted Remus' announcement.

The mood fell rapidly after Remus left.  James pleaded a meeting with his quidditch team and Peter a last minute trip to the library, so Sirius was headed for the tower with Lily.  He smiled and offered his arm with an elaborate bow, "Ah, Mistress Potter, I suppose we're off?"

"Shh!"  She missed the taunt, clapped a hand over his mouth, and mouthed, "Listen!"

From farther down the corridor came an unwelcome familiar voice, "I actually saw him this time, Lucius."  Sirius' expression darkened at the voice, and Lily could feel his lips make out 'Severus Snape' under her fingers.  Snape continued with a sinister laugh, "Out by that homicidal willow with the nurse Pomfrey."

Sirius, it seemed, had heard enough; he grabbed Lily's arm and stomped through the hallways to the common room.  "Wait here," he demanded upon entrance, dropping her off in a convenient chair.  Giving the empty room a quick survey, he gave her a nod and dashed back into the hall.

Thoroughly confused, Lily tried to regain composure and picked up her Potions book only to drop it as Sirius re-entered in an angry whirl of robes.  "Severus Snape has put his hands in the wrong wizard's business now.  He'll wish he never went after Remus Lupin's story," his malicious smirk was enough to make Lily flinch as he glanced at his watch.  He shook his head as if to chide himself, "I'm running late.  Tell James we're not going far tonight.  He'll find us."  His face softened as he waved good-bye to the girl and disappeared through the painting.  Lily stared after him, worry creasing her forehead, and didn't move for fear of the thoughts she could have.

Quite some time later, the portrait swung open to admit a broom-toting quidditch team, James tiredly bringing up the rear.  He slumped into Lily's chair beside her, leaned into her shoulder as she slid her legs over his lap and pushed herself against him, "It's been a very long night."  She pushed his bangs from his face, smiled as he took her hand and kissed its heel.  Then she frowned, remembering Sirius' words, and leaned her forehead against his with a sigh.

"Sirius says they're not going far; you'll be able to find them."

"Oh!"  James grimaced, recalling his prior plans and groaned.  She grinned at him and pulled his head to her shoulder, holding him close.  "You know, you really don't have to go if you really don't want to."  Combing his unruly hair with her fingers, Lily touched her lips to the spot just behind the bottom of his ear and pushed a hand down his chest.  James gave a quiet sigh as her lips moved down his jaw and the hand down his stomach, finally finding his mouth and the button on his jeans.  He ran a hand up her thigh to her hip, his other hand behind her neck, and kissed her.  Pulling away for an instant, Lily lightly brushed her lips over his bottom lip, "He mentioned something about Snape though."  She moved her focus just above his eyebrow for hardly an instant.

"What about Snape?"  James dropped the Romeo facade, eyes  bright and alert; Lily gasped and pulled away at his sudden jump.  She scowled crossly at him but replied, "Something about him wishing he never went after Remus, put his hands in the wrong business."  James looked away into the fire, the orange light glinting spiritedly in his eyes, and swore.  Hearing this, Lily did the same.

"I have to go, Lily."  She glanced at her hands in his lap, not feeling the submissive she looked at all.  James sighed and raised her face to look at him, "Oh Lily, I've got to; a life may depend on it."  She pleaded wordlessly, searched his face for some hint of the story, but he refused any revelation.  "Good night, angel."  He leaned forward and kissed her lips, ran up the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitories.  Scrambling down the steps with wand in hand, he paused long enough to throw an apologetic kiss before racing out of the room.

He didn't need to glance up to know the moon was full; why else would he be here?  James shook his head under the Invisibility cloak and picked up his pace, the Whomping Willow in his view.  As he neared it at a run, he could make out two figures, the two boys he was trailing this clear fall night.  "Sirius, no!"  But one had already poked at a knot in the vicious tree with a long branch and was following the other toward its trunk.  "Sirius!"

Sirius turned around, saw James throw off the cloak, but he pushed Severus through the gap in the roots to the passageway.  James tore after them, dreading the tree's branches.  And sure enough, they came.  The Willow swung its boughs violently, narrowly missing James as he dove for the opening, tumbling down into a tunnel.  Raising his wand, he spoke louder than he'd intended, "Lumos."

The light spilled through the darkness and revealed Sirius and Snape.  James' jaw dropped, and his voice rose to a furious roar, "By Padfoot and Prongs, Sirius Black!  How could you think of this!"  Seething, he rounded on Snape, "Severus, you've got to leave!  C'mon, please!"  Shaking his head in the frenzy of the moment, James moaned a berating at his best friend, "Sirius, you know how Remus is!  Transform and go after him!"  Snape had frozen in place, immobile due to some unreadable emotion.  James refused to waste any more time, barking, "Snape, come with me!  Sirius, after Remus!  Now!"

A low growl echoed from behind Sirius and Snape in the dim burrow, and all three whirled to greet a strange creature shifting shape before their very eyes.  "Snape!"  The boy didn't need to be told again, scrambling up the broad slope with James on his heels.  The smaller boy turned around long enough to shout, "Sirius, transform!  Now!"  And within seconds, he was out, out of the tunnel, past the angry tree branches, panting on the cold emerald grass.  Severus stared at him, terror in his eyes, hair in his face, "Remus Lupin a werewolf?"