The end of the year was coming up, and everyone was studying for their final exams. Well, everyone except for James and Sirius of course. They claim that because of their high intelligence, they felt no need to take the time to go over and review their lessons and notes. They expect that they would get good grades without even studying, which to Lily Evans, was absolutely outrageous. She called them 'arrogant thick prats'. Time after time, Lily would scold the two boys to study and go over their materials. "Why can't you be like Remus?" is what she would say, but they would just ignore her and tell her to sod off. James even went too far as to hex Lily's notes so that there wouldn't be any words on her parchments. He quit this technique on his first attempt, after getting slapped in the back of the head numerous times by the fiery-tempered redhead, and never did it again. Peter began to hang around the three boys more often, and because of it, his grades were improving just a tad, thanks to the help of his buddy Remus Lupin. Remus diligently studied and helped whoever asked him too, which was mainly Peter. Sometimes you would see him and Carly going over their studies, but just end up joking around or 'flirting' as the rest of the group would say. Jade and Penny studied as well, but sometimes could be seen conversing with a couple of second and third years here and there, which was appalling to Lily. She felt that there should be no room for boys at this time of age, even though she herself caught the attention of a few…. okay a lot of boys in her own right. Let's face it, the red hair, the sparkling green eyes, the dashing smile, Lily was gorgeous… and she was only eleven. A certain messy-haired boy with glasses usually pondered on how Lily would look in their later years, and when he imagined it, it was a sight to see. Then about five seconds later, he would shake that thought out of his mind mumbling to himself something about being a 'bloody crazy bat'. Anyhow, the exams were coming up, and everyone was getting prepared in their own way. Soon the year would be over, and they all would go home.
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Lucius Malfoy didn't forget the day that Carly slapped him in the face in front of all of the entire class. He was very livid about it, and vowed to get revenge on her and the rest of the Gryffindor girls. Even though it pleased him when they found out that Potter and his gang were humiliated, he, along with Severus and Rodolphus, had just about enough of hearing about those pestering girls and their 'prank of the year'. They decided that they should take them out, once and for all, and give the school something else to remember them by. One night, the day before the exams, they snuck into the Gryffindor common room, after sneaking up behind a Prefect and overhearing the password 'pawn cakes'. Severus and the other three were very smart wizards as well, and cast a silencing charm on the whole room. They then snuck into the girls' dorm and cast a powerful slumber charm on all five of the girls in the room. They then brought out a red substance and Lucius began writing on the wall, as Severus and Lestrange started trashing the place. They shattered glass, threw aside pictures, rubbed make-up all over the girls' faces, and threw their clothes in random places. When Lucius was done, they began to file out, but Severus stopped to take one last look at Lily, admiring how peaceful she was when she was sleeping. The others bonked him on the head, stopping his gazing and began to rush out of the room. While he backed away from Lily's curtains, his robe got stuck and he yanked it out, leaving a piece of it hanging on her curtain bedpost. He went to retrieve it, but Lucius and Rodolphus yanked him out of the room, saying that the spell was going to wear off soon on the entire room. He left along with the other three snickering and praising themselves for a job well done, but Severus placed the memory of a sleeping Lily Evans in his mind, and thought about it as he drifted off to sleep in his own common room.
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"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Each of the five girls shrieked as they woke up, causing everyone in the Gryffindor Tower to burst awake, including James and Sirius. They burst out the door and went into the girls' dorms to see what was wrong. They, along with Remus, Peter, and Frank following closely behind, pushed through the crowd, and gasped at what they saw. The room was a mess. Clothes were scattered here and there. Mirrors were shattered, and the girls' faces were covered up in make-up, and they looked hideous. Each of the five girls were sobbing uncontrollably, comforting each other. The make-up smeared all over their faces, making them look worse. Carly and Lily were shaking in fear, and this worried James. He had never seen Lily at her weak point, and this was astonishing. Lily was always strong and never showed any signs of weakness or fear. Now, however, Lily was crying. James couldn't believe it. He stood there speechless while Sirius and Remus, both red with anger, went to go comfort Jade and Carly. Frank went to Alice and rocked her back and forth, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. Peter, who was shivering in horror as well, managed to keep his composure and went to Penny's aid. James just stared at Lily in awe. On one side of his mind, he was still amazed to see that Lily, smeared in make-up with tears in her eyes, was still as radiant as ever. The other side, however, was blazing in a fury. How could someone do this? The girls never did anything this bad to anybody. They didn't deserve this. He walked in the room slowly, and Lily looked into his eyes. His eyes were full of concern, and Lily found comfort in his eyes. He didn't have to go and hug her and tell her that everything will be alright. His eyes said all those things to her, and she managed a small smile, before her eyes welled up and tears started to fall again as she looked to her left. He looked at the other four boys, along with everyone else in the room, and they were all looking at the same thing. Each and every one of their faces look horrified and angry at what was on the wall. James now faced the same spot where they were facing and slowly read these terrible words:
A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO LOOK AT THIS WALLTHAT MUDBLOODS DON'T BELONG IN THIS SCHOOL AT ALL
AND THOSE WHO ARE FRIENDS WITH THE DESPICABLE CREW
WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THESE MUDBLOODS HERE DO
Lily and Carly took it the hardest, with them being muggle-born. Soon every single Gryffindor was inside the room, and a quite a few people were crying when they read the message. This scene was horrendous, and Sirius couldn't take it anymore.
"WHO DID THIS!!!!!!!!!!"
Remus tried to calm his buddy down, but he was as angry as he was too. Sirius was waving his hands frantically in the air, screaming the same three words. His temper was lost, and there was no holding back. He turned and searched everywhere for any suspicious faces. When he turned back around, he came across James' face and looked at him, as he looked back. They looked at each other for about another minute, and this act alone calmed Sirius down. James nodded his head, and Sirius went back to comforting Jade. James walked around Lily's curtains, and found a piece of black cloth caught in one of the ringlets of her bedpost. He ripped it off, and put it in his robes, thinking that it might be something important. The prefects led everyone back into their respectable dorms, and then took the five girls to see Dumbledore. The five boys went as well, upon the girls' request, and this would be their first encounter with the headmaster. All ten Gryffindors were nervous, but the five girls were still shivering from the incident, while the boys tried their best to comfort them. James walked next to Lily, but dared not make a move to touch or comfort her. They walked up to a gargoyle statue, and as the prefects said the password, they walked up the stairs and entered an office that made their eyes widen. The room was magnificent, with many pictures, books, and even a baby phoenix that looked like he had just been born quietly screeching on a perch. Professor Dumbledore turned to face the students.
"May I help you?"
James took this opportunity to speak. He didn't trust Sirius with his temper, Remus and Frank were too busy holding Carly and Alice, and Peter, along with the girls, was shivering.
"Yes, Professor. See there's been an attack."
"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore said standing up from his chair.
"Well not really an attack. More of some sort of… scandal."
Dumbledore sat back on his chair. "Please explain, Mr. Potter."
James then began describing the room in perfect detail… and recited the inscription that was written on the wall, and mentioned that it almost looked as if it were written in blood. Dumbledore's face was calm and collective, yet James could see a slight hint of anger in his eyes. James cowered a little, but never faltered in his words. Dumbledore looked at James and listened intently. He stared deep into James' eyes as he told his story. This was the first time a student did not stutter or act nervous around him, and he admired the boy in front of him. By stepping up to tell what happened, James proved to Dumbledore and his true leadership and bravery, qualities that made Dumbledore say to himself…. Ah yes, this boy will bring wonders to this world. After James finished his story, he understood why this boy in front of him was chosen to be in Gryffindor and reminded himself to research something later on when he had spare time. He then looked all around the room at the rest of the faces. He stared at the remaining four boys, and smiled a little at them for being there to comfort the girls. He then looked at each of the girls with sad eyes, but noticed how they tried to fight back tears with all their might. When he finally set his eyes on Lily, he took a deep breath at what he saw. Lily was standing with a serious face. She was the only one that stopped crying and was looking straight into Dumbledore's eyes. She showed strength in her expression… that she could overcome anything. This also caused Dumbledore to believe that she too would be a mighty asset to the world in the future along with James. Imagine if the two were to be together… who knows what amazing things they could do. He then stood back up and began to speak to James.
"Do you have any idea who did this?"
"No, Professor, not a clue."
"And the rest of you??" Each of them shook their heads slightly, knowing that they didn't know as well.
"We'll act on this right away. I will send your Head Professor and your prefects to investigate right away on this situation. For now, girls, you will have to reside in the common room. When you return from dinner tonight, all of your things will be located by the fireplace along with five mattresses. You will remain there until your room has been confiscated and cleaned up. Prefects, please escort these first years back to the dormitories. I assume you five won't be coming down for breakfast today? Dumbledore addressed to the five girls. They all smiled up at him gratefully and nodded their heads.
"Very well. Prefects, as soon as breakfast is over, you will go straight to the Tower. I will send excuse notices to each of your professors explaining your absence in class, and I am sure they will accommodate with you with the necessary time to make up your work. Exams are coming up, after all, and I don't want this to distract you from your studies."
He then looked at Lily.
"Miss Evans, at any time from now until the end of the term, you and your fellow house mates are more than welcome to drop by my office and talk about anything you desire. My office will always be open unto you all, and I will be more than happy to discuss your private matters and give advice when needed. You may leave, now."
"Yes Professor." they all chorused.
The girls walked back and were still somewhat in shock. They stayed in the common room and soon their crying died down. James and the other boys brought up food from the Great Hall so that they wouldn't miss breakfast entirely. James sat next to Lily, but she snapped at him.
"What the hell do you want, Potter."
"Nothing, I'm just seeing if you wanted to talk about things."
"No, if I wanted to talk to you, I would've asked you to, now go away."
James reluctantly left her side, while the other boys were busy cheering up the girls again with their goofy antics and lame jokes.
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Days past, and there was no evidence revealing who terrorized the girls' dorm. James still had the piece of cloth with him, but decided that maybe it was just part of the mess. Jade and Penny returned back to their normal selves, but Carly and Lily were still a little moody. Carly seemed to be shaken up a little at the event, but Remus helped her to slowly change back to her regular self again, with their late talks at night, and conversations whenever they had spare time. Lily took Dumbledore's request and went to go visit the headmaster one day.
"Ah, yes, Miss Evans, how may I be of your service?"
"Hello professor, I just came by well… because…"
"Because you need someone to talk to about the incident?"
"Y-yes Profesor." Lily was astonished that he managed to take the words right out of her mouth, as if he was reading her mind.
"Well, Miss Evans, sit down and feel free to talk to me about whatever is on your mind."
Lily talked about being muggle-born, and how much it hurt when she read the inscription. She told him that she didn't know if she could take the pain and pressure anymore, and that she doubted herself and her skills as a witch. She poured out her heart to the professor, who listened intently to the amazing student who sat in front of him. When she finished, he finally spoke to her.
"Miss Evans, I have been told by your professors that you have managed to remain at the top of your classes for the entire year, am I correct?" Lily blushed and nodded faintly.
"Well, to me, Miss Evans, it's as if you yourself is the very thing that's holding you back. You have the abilities and the work ethic to become a great witch indeed. Your intelligence is far superior from the rest, and I feel that with that same intelligence you'll be able to find… other ways to… fight your fears and doubts."
Lily looked at Professor Dumbledore with complete admiration in her eyes. He made her feel a lot better, and with all those flattering comments, she felt more confident.
"Thank you, Professor."
"You're welcome, Miss Evans. Oh, it's almost time for dinner. I believe that our conversation ends here, am I correct?"
Once again, reading her mind. "Yes, Professor."
"Very well, you may go." Dumbledore said. He looked at her as she left and smiled to himself. He watched the student that just sat before him in great admiration. There was something about her that was so unique. It sent shivers down his spine when he thought about what she could do when she learned to harness her abilities. Reminds me a lot of Mr. Potter. he thought and once again chuckled as he went to go tend to the phoenix on the perch.
Lily came back out feeling much better, but still confused. His words were comforting, yet she couldn't quite grab the whole concept. She spent the rest of the day pondering the words of advice she got from her headmaster.
"… I feel that with that same intelligence you'll be able to find…other ways to… fight your fears and doubts."
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Dinner past, and Lily was still thinking about her meeting with Dumbledore as she entered the common room. The entire group gathered for a study session they planned in the morning, but Lily couldn't concentrate. She was still trying to understand Dumbledore's words. James noticed the look of confusion on Lily's face. He sat next to her, and before she could lash out at him again, he said,
"Is it okay for me to sit here?"
Lily glared at him, but saw the look of unsureness in his face. She then gave a slight nod to him and he smiled.
"So, what's on your mind, Evans?"
"Well, it's really none of your business."
"Sorry, I was just asking." James hung his head down.
"No, I apologize, I haven't been very civil lately."
"Exactly, that's why I know something's been on your mind."
"Well, yeah s-s-something has."
Everyone looked up at Lily and stopped to listen to what she was about to say. She became nervous when everyone decided to join in on the discussion but she went on anyway. Lily told them everything that she talked to with Dumbledore, and they graciously listened, never bothering to interrupt. She poured her heart out again, for the second time, this time to her friends. Lily also mentioned the advice that Dumbledore gave to her hoping that maybe one of them could understand it, but when she looked up, most of them had the same bewildered face that Lily had when she walked out of Dumbledore's office. She looked around the room and finally at the boy next to her, who had his hand slightly raised, as if he wanted to say something.
"Ummm… would you like to say anything, Potter?" she asked.
James smiled. "Yeah, uhh… I think I know what Dumbledore is trying to say."
Everyone then turned to him and leaned in closer. James felt uncomfortable with this and leaned back. He didn't know what to do so he just said anything. "Easy, guys, I broke a dungbomb on my shirt earlier and it wreaks." This caused them to jump back, and James laughed at them. Lily glared and slapped him on the shoulder. "You were saying??" shot Lily.
"Oh yeah, well, umm… my Mum told me this when I was around seven years old. See my friend died a couple months back and I was moping around for a week." The others had sad looks on their faces…. except for Sirius, who started snickering.
"Oh you mean your invisible friend, Sheriff Bob?" interrupted Sirus.
James shot him a look as his nostrils flared. "Shut up, you idiot!!" But it was too late. Everyone started rolling around in laughter while James blushed in embarrassent. After about a minute or so, everyone stopped laughing and listened to him again.
"Anyway, back to what I was saying before I was rudely interrupted!!" he looked at Sirius again who gave him a grin. "Sher… Sherriff Bob… died after I've known him for three years. He was very special to me at the time, because he was always there for me as a friend, kinda how like you all are right now. Whenever I turned around, he would always be there, and it made me feel better to know that he was always there. When he died, my mum hugged me close, and she said something that I swore to myself I would never forget. "Don't let your past be who you are, but let it be a part of what you become." I didn't get it at first, but then she slowly told me what she meant. She meant that I shouldn't live off of the past. Instead of crying over him, I should take what I learned from him and use it for my life. That no matter what…. I would always be there when my friends needed someone. That whenever they turn around, they would always see me, and be happy that I'm there. You understand??"
Everyone was now silent, and looking at James with intense eyes. The humor of the story was gone. Each nodded their heads distinctly, confirming the answer to his question. James turned to Lily.
"Right, anyway, what Dumbledore is trying to say, Evans, is that you shouldn't let the incident affect your abilities. He says that you should use what you learn from before, and make you strong instead of weak. Your intelligence is what's going to fight back, not your anger. Use your intelligence….. to prove that whoever wrote that message is wrong. Muggle-borns DO have a right to attend Hogwarts, just like everybody else. This goes for all of you too. Prove them wrong. Show how strong your friendship is with each other, instead of letting it fall apart. Evans, you know by now that I myself am a pure-blood, right?"
"Right." said Lily.
"Well, you always seem to find it a pleasure competing with me for top grades and the exams are coming up."
"Umm.. yeah."
"You want to beat me, don't you." James was persuading Lily to challenge him.
"It would be a pleasure." she said with a low tone.
"You want to see if you, a muggle-born, could possibly beat a pureblood like me, correct?"
"Yes… Potter what are you getting at!" She shouted now in frustration.
"Prove it."
With these two words, the look on Lily's face changed from anger to understanding. James searched the others for their faces, and it looked as if they too, understood the point that he was trying to make. He continued.
"Show those prats what a muggle-born and their friends can do. Let them forever remember… who Lily Evans, Jade Chapman, Carly Atwater, and Penelope Hunsworth are. THAT'S what Dumbledore wanted you to understand, Evans. THAT'S EXACTLY…. what true Gryffindors would do."
With a nervous voice, he then asked, "So… did I make any sense to you guys? Does it relate to what you were saying, Evans?"
Lily looked up at James with her sparkling eyes. "Yes. Couldn't have put it better myself."
James smiled and the others then began thinking of what James' speech meant for themselves. A moment later, everyone was smiling at each other, and nodded at James, who let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, that's good then. You may now return to your regular scheduled study group."
They all laughed at James and went back to studying. Suddenly, Lily spoke up.
"Potter."
James looked up at Lily, dreading what she was going to say next. She was probably going to say she was joking that she understood, or give him hell about his imaginary friend, Sheriff Bob. He didn't know what to do as Lily breathed in to begin……..
"Thanks." she said.
James beamed at her and went back to reading his notes, while Lily did the same.
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That night, Lily couldn't sleep, thought it wasn't because she was thinking about the incident. No, not anymore…. that will never force her to stay awake again. She was thinking about James. She now had a newfound respect for him. Yes, she still hated him with a passion, but not as much as before. She didn't think of him as some sort of daft idiot anymore. She now thought of James as someone who was smart.. and with a good head on his shoulders. Once again, he found the right words to say to her when she needed it…. and he made it look like he wasn't even remotely trying. Before the boys left for their room, James pulled her aside and told her to never forget Dumbledore's words, just as he never forgot his mum's words. She agreed to this, and he was right. Moments before she went to sleep, she promised to never forget the words of her headmaster. However, she also made ANOTHER promise…. to never forget the words of James Potter. Sure…. it was Dumbledore who comforted her… made her think.. made her feel better…….
but it was James Potter….. who made her understand.
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Truly a deep chapter…. I hope that you all understood what I wrote, because if not, then I have failed miserably in a successful plot. This was very hard to write in the beginning, due to all the sadness… but as I let James' words speak for itself, it became more sensible… more comforting. I enjoyed writing this chapter… Now I'm hoping you enjoy it as well. Peace.