Hello, back with another chapter! Right now I'm busy multitasking, something that I was never very good at anyway—I'm trying to pack for my trip to Washington, write some more chapters for this, and still start planning out my next story. Busy busy!
This chapter is brought to you by the nervous hiccupping leprechaun that's hovering over my backyard shed. He sends his merry wishes.
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The Hog's Head Pub: A wonderful place to take the kids, so long as you're not used to cleanliness. Or civilization.
The House of Wolves
James leaned against the stone outcropping outside of the common room, with Sirius hanging by his side and Remus peering curiously at the portrait of Sir Cadogin, which had been shunted around the school in search of other paintings that could tolerate the knight's constant gibbering. Needless to say, it was quickly becoming apparent that this particular endeavor was futile. Sir Cadogin was just too hopped up.
James had adamantly refused to take the painkilling potion again, having realized the psychological effects on his mind. It was disturbing to him what the potion brought out; the inner insecurity that he'd rather not experience. It wasn't something he'd try again.
For now he was content to SUI: Suck It Up, as the older kids (usually Quidditch players) would say. Thankfully, Sucking It Up was getting easier and easier by the hour, as the pains in his arm lessened to a steady throb and he was finally able to issue commands to the long dormant nerves. Madame Pomfrey had clucked approvingly as she checked it earlier, declaring that James would be right as rain in less than two days.
Little did she know how wrong she was, James thought wryly; a sardonic, bitter smile spreading. He looked up as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, the painting's subject currently swigging a strawberry daiquiri, and Peter climbed out, carrying the Invisibility Cloak.
It had been two days since the door to Lupi was finally charmed to recognize Peter, and James had been getting impatient. His gut instinct was telling him that they shouldn't wait any longer, they had to go to McGonagall—who had returned the day before with Professor Dumbledore, and had been in a very foul mood over the excursion in which the foreign relation she was contacting spilled goulash down her front—and lead her to Lupi.
Right now they were headed to dinner in the Great Hall, but shortly afterwards they would see McGonagall, praying that her foul mood would not carry over into their conversation. Peter would throw on the Invisibility Cloak so that Magar, Vargas and Shanks wouldn't see him accompanying the rest of the Marauders—they still believed that he was ferociously on their side, and Peter was pleased at his newfound acting skills.
It was the Christmas holiday, and James had been quite perplexed to see that none of the Lupi members were going home. Not one. James had looked at them darkly, wondering what they were planning; what was taking up their agenda during the holidays that was important enough to make them stay. James' nerves were on edge and his muscles were constantly tense, coiled, prepared to spring at the slightest hint of danger.
And yet it was an exhilarating feeling. When he was younger, he had been told stories about secret warlock spys that uncovered dangerous criminals and solved complex cases. James had always wanted to be a detective. It was a bit different from what he always imagined it to be; the constant pounding on the nerves and the fight against extreme paranoia. He hadn't known—but he was nonetheless easing into his temporary role.
James and the others started off down the hallway. James tapped his fingers—a habit that he just now realized that he was getting—against his cloak to the tune of "Yankee Doodle", and decided to belt out the lyrics in Swahili. Sirius grinned and joined in: the two of them had learned several languages when they were younger for the sheer fun of making others nervous because they didn't know what the hell they were saying.
They sang the chorus again and made up new words to it, most of which involved stuffing Severus Snape in a hippogriff's mouth and merrily watching the melee. Then they briefly discussed the possible results of what might happen if all the toilets in the school were flushed at once, a topic that sparked mischievous glints in Blotter's eyes and gave Remus the unholy willies.
They were almost giddy. Soon it would be over—McGonagall would know, she'd come down and find them, and it would be all over. The washing relief gave them a sugary high that made them laugh louder and more often, giving dazzling smiles to all that looked at them, even the Slytherins—although the smiles directed at that lot were best described as confident smirks. A thousand pounds of weight was lifted off James' chest.
The Great Hall was decorated beautifully—an enormous Christmas tree stood near the teacher's table, lavishly embellished with all manners of crystals, tinsel and ornaments that sparkled cheerily and invited all's attention. Everything seemed brighter, now; cleaner, even, now that the stain of Lupi would soon be erased. Students had swapped their customary hats for ones like Santa Claus', and a few had charmed snowy white beards to sprout from their faces.
The Marauders sat themselves at their usual spots, laughing and joking. It was going to be okay. James nearly collapsed from relief. It was so strange to feel so liberated, once again connected to a sense of peace that his fellow students never knew had been emancipated from him.
So involved were they in their reveling that they didn't notice the girl's presence until she came up. James looked up, halfway expecting and halfway dreading that it was Lily, but was instead greeted with wide, frightened brown eyes and many freckles.
James blinked at the tiny girl. He'd seen her before, but couldn't put name to face. He knew only that she was timid, bordering on paranoid, and positively hid under the table whenever any attention was ever drawn to the little second-year.
"Er—yes?" Remus asked kindly, also noting the girl's absolute terror in coming up to them. She sputtered a bit in response. Sirius stifled a laugh by stuffing some knuckles in his mouth. "It's Wossy Lemue, isn't it?" Remus continued.
Wossy looked absolutely shocked at the mention of her name. "Y—Yes," she whispered in astonishment. Sirius' shoulders were shaking. "I—I don't think th—that I've ev—ever talked to you…" She looked even more surprised at how many words she'd spoken.
"I asked you for a quill once," said Remus. Wossy boggled at him. Sirius let out a snort and choked on his roll. James thumped him on the back, holding back his own laughter. Peter looked mildly interested—he remembered her as well, but didn't think he'd ever spoken to her. He noticed Wossy's hands trembling. She really was a nervous little wreck; and was one of the few underclassmen left out of the traditional annual seventh-year prank simply because her nerves were completely shot. Any more and she would go psycho.
"Um," Wossy said, aghast. "S—Sarky…Sarky Niller wants to s—see you." She was paralyzed with nervousness, and her face was quickly turning into a shade of previously unknown lurid red. "L—Later. Not now," she said hurriedly. "Eight o'clock at th—the statue of—of—" She frantically wracked her memory. "George the Smarmy."
Remus frowned. "That's pretty late," he said. "Nine is curfew." Wossy positively squeaked in panic at the negative tone. Sirius man-giggled into his roll.
Remus wasn't too surprised about the time. Coming from Sarky Niller, a particularly aggressive seventh-year Gryffindor female with a strong disdain for rules (thus making her the most controversial Beater in Hogwarts Quidditch history), it seemed perfectly reasonable.
His problem with the timing was that it was when the Marauders planned to see McGonagall, when there wasn't too much worry that they would be spied upon. Wossy, however, had no knowledge of this and cowered in fright, positive that Remus was furious at her. He noticed her shaking and quickly dropped the frown.
"Did she say why?" He asked as nicely as he could. Wossy shook her head. Remus nodded, and the girl took this as a sign of dismissal and scooted away faster than Remus thought such little legs could run. As soon as the poor second-year was out of sight, Sirius spat out the roll and roared with unsuppressed laughter.
"I don't know which is funnier—Sarky wanting to snog a pathetic guy like you, Remus; you pull a Wossy on any girl that flirts with you; it's shameful—or that girl." Sirius stared at her hunched back at the far end of the table, right next to the doors, still chortling.
"You don't know that's what Sarky wants," said Remus, nettled.
Sirius gave him a pitying look. "Of course not," he mocked. "What was I thinking? She probably wants to go over Arithmancy equations with you." James laughed.
Peter, however, frowned. "Er—isn't Sarky Niller on vacation in Majorca with her parents? I thought she left yesterday."
"Probably stayed for our Moonshine here," Sirius said, slapping Remus on the shoulder, who was bright red.
Remus stared bashfully down at his food. "What about Professor McGonagall?" he asked.
James shrugged. "We can wait. Half an hour late makes no difference." He grinned suddenly. "Then again—if it only takes half an hour, then I'll be sorely disappointed in you." Sirius broke out laughing. Peter did not join in. He was discreetly glancing at Darby Magar, who had been watching the exchange with Wossy, his eyes narrowed. A faint smile tugged at his lips. Peter looked away and instead searched for Sarky at the table. And—there she was. Peter's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He was sure that she'd gone on vacation.
He shrugged and stabbed some beans with his fork. James and Sirius were contemplating having a food fight, and Remus was desperately trying to fling flimsy excuses as to why they shouldn't, all of which Blotter promptly shot down. Usually this was the point where Lily would interject with annoyance, trying to dispel any mischief in the making with some insults. But she wasn't there at the table. Instead, Jamet Gollier had seized her seat, which was all the closer to the Marauders (which Lily claimed was strictly so she could keep them out of trouble).
Later, the Marauders' heads were bowed down low over pieces of parchment. It was not homework, as they had whizzed through that hours before, but rather a complicated prank that was going to take some pretty complex spells to pull off. Each of the four had a bag in which they stowed away their incriminating papers. The bags were charmed so that only the Marauders could open them and see the parchments. Anyone else nosing around would only find a few mothballs and maybe a schoolbook.
Lily Evans was sitting in a large, squashy armchair by the fire. Sarky Niller was nowhere to be found, and Remus was slightly glad as he was sure that he would go red if he saw her. He'd protested meeting her that evening, but James, Sirius, and Peter had won out and persuaded him to go, all the while teasing him mercilessly.
Sirius glanced at Lily. Something was weird…she was sitting stiff and straight, hands clasped in her lap. Strange. Usually she curled up in her chair reading a book, but now she was just staring dully at the flames, not heeding the animated conversation her friends were having—or else ignoring it. After a moment Lily stood up, politely excused herself, and walked over to where the Marauders sat plotting. They hastily covered up their papers as she approached, James looking somewhat apprehensive.
"Hi," said Lily. James looked at her strangely.
"Um, hi," he said.
Lily gave him a cool look. "I wasn't talking to you," she said. James' eyebrows lifted in surprise, and even Sirius, who was rarely caught off guard, dropped his quill. Lily ignored them and turned back to Remus with a smile that looked somewhat forced.
"You're going to see Sarky?" she asked, apparently wanting confirmation.
Remus groaned. "Has it gotten around that fast?"
Lily shrugged, although her eyes did not lose that steely lining. "The walls have ears," she said. Sirius frowned at her choice of words.
"And what's it to you?" he demanded.
Lily shrugged again, unbothered by the hostility in Sirius' tone. She didn't see how Sirius put his elbow on the table in front of James in a protective gesture, his eyes guarded and appraising. "Nothing, really," she said. "Just surprised." A strange grin popped up. "Didn't think he'd meet her."
"Nothing's going to happen," Remus said defensively. "Why does everybody think that?"
Lily laughed. "I have the feeling that she's going to knock you off your feet."
Again, Sirius frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Lily's smile disappeared and her mouth thinned in annoyance. "What's your problem?" she asked irritably.
"What's yours?" James said suddenly. "You're acting like a zombie. We talked loudly about our idea to fill the Slytherin common room with boysenberry syrup earlier and you didn't say a thing."
"That's because I'm tired of babysitting you," Lily snapped. "I can't even walk over here and ask Remus a stupid question without getting interrogated?"
"Just tell me Lily," James said. "Just tell me what really happened."
Lily paled. "I tripped and fell," she said angrily. "I don't need a court case to decide that. Next time I say anything to you I'll make sure that it's not when you're trying to hide stuff for your next stupid prank and snap at anyone who even looks at you wrong."
"As if we're the wronged party," Sirius retorted. "I thought you were with us."
"Did I ever say that?"
Sirius stared at her incredulously.
"Should we have any reason to believe that you're not?" Remus said carefully, wary of where this was going.
"Of course not," said Lily. "Don't you trust me?"
"Frankly, right now I trust you about as far as I can spit," Sirius said nastily. "You're acting like a loon. One day you're bright and cheerful and sunny and wanting to help, and the next you won't have anything to do with us."
"It's not my fault if I don't want my reputation soiled by your company," Lily said acidly, and turned curtly on her heel and stormed away to where her friends sat. So absorbed were they in their conversation, they didn't notice her previous absence or her current foul temper.
Sirius stared after her, confusion masking his handsome features. "Something funky is definitely up with her," he decided. "I just thought she was still a bit dazed from the doozy of a fall she claimed to take, but that just wasn't her."
And the clock struck five forty-five.
Remus chewed his lip as he hurried down the hall to meet Sarky. He wasn't worried about looking overeager. Hopefully he would look overeager and Sarky would send him right back. But since the girl rarely changed her mind about anything, that wasn't likely. Remus sighed. What the heck could she possibly want? They'd chatted before, and Remus found her to be a surprisingly good source of Shakespearean quotes, but he couldn't remember her saying anything that indicated that she liked him…
Remus thought nervously. What if she tried to kiss him? What if he was a bad kisser?
He almost turned back as he saw the statue of George the Smarmy appear entirely too soon, with Sarky Niller standing right next to it. She was looking impatiently at her watch, tapping her toe, looking every bit like the Sarky he knew. Remus took a deep breath and strode forwards.
"Er—hey," he said. "You, um, wanted to see me?"
Sarky's head snapped up, annoyance disappearing from her dark skinned face. "Yes," she said briskly, as though it were a business meeting. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away," Remus said, twisting a hunk of his cloak in his hands.
"What do you think about us?" Sarky asked. Remus choked on his own saliva.
"W—What?" he sputtered.
"Us," Sarky repeated firmly, looking again at her watch. After what seemed a moment of deliberation, while Remus was busy trying to babble his way out of that particular topic, she took several steps forward and Remus instinctively took several steps back. His eyes grew wide and round, and his mouth issued a few incoherent squeaks as he tried to process what was happening.
And all the while, Sarky was completely calm—this wasn't like her, not at all; even though she was a bit aggressive…
Remus found his back pressed up against the stone wall, a stone gargoyle leering at him from above. The girl's hand snaked inside Remus' robes and he choked as fingers rummaged.
After a moment, Sarky withdrew her hand. In it was clenched Remus' wand. He stared at it for a moment before comprehension dawned on his face. Before he could do anything, reach for his wand, call for help; attack, even, his own wand , directed by Not-Sarky, shot a red beam of light that hit the teenager squarely between the eyes.
Remus crumpled to the floor. Sarky watched him for a moment, and her features shifted.
The long nose shortened, the fierce black eyes faded and swirled before turning a lighter shade; dark skin lightened as though a milky wash of pale white had been poured streaming down, and tightly curled black hair lengthened into waves, the ebony strands turning a deep shade of red.
Lily Evans knelt on the floor beside Remus. Her face bore no expression. She looked quickly at the clock, and thought briefly about how angry the Leader would be if he knew how close Lily had cut the time. No matter. She had done her job.
The mannequin pulled a cloak from her side bag. She conjured a stretcher and silently heaved Remus up on to it, spreading the Invisibility Cloak on the boy's prone form, head rolling listlessly to one side. The stretcher followed Lily as she emotionlessly turned to walk.
She walked down the hallway, shadows laughing at her heels.
No, Lily has not turned evil, so don't flame me please. :) If you've been reading closely, you'll know what's up with her. And again, I've left you on another cliffhanger.
Next chapter! Guess why she got Remus—I left a clue in a previous chapter; it's obscure, but it's there and you might guess it. Plus, the Marauders get wind of what's happening…Although I must warn you that the last bit of the next chapter might be a little disturbing. I won't say any more, but I know that it would make me a little uneasy if it were somebody else's work and I read it. Not necessarily violent, just…disturbing.
Anyway, I'll do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can. Ciao!
