Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah, Harry Potter is not mine yada, yada
Chapter 8: Conversations...
Lily was sitting in her seat next to Emma waiting for their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Graham, to arrive. She was happy that things were pretty much back to normal again. Frank and Alice had made up and seemed to be just as good of friends as they ever were. Lily looked in front of her to where the two of them sat, chatting away. No one seemed to want to discuss the unspoken reason why Frank has been so bothered by the possibility that Alice might have a boyfriend. Lily smiled, she hoped they figured it out soon. Things were also back to normal between her and James, if there was a normal for the two of them. At least they were talking again, Lily thought, relieved; it had been a difficult week for the Head Girl not being able to speak to the Head Boy. Lily noticed that the class was starting to get a little impatient; it was not like Professor Graham to be late. Emma, us usual, seemed oblivious to what was going on around her, and was chattering away,
"You know, I've been thinking a lot lately," she was telling Lily, "about what we're going to do after Hogwarts. It IS only a few short months away, have you decided what you want to do?" Lily shook her head at Emma's question, this was, in fact, something that had been bothering Lily as well. Emma continued, "I was thinking about working for the ministry. Do you think I'd make a good Minister for Magic?" Emma asked, jokingly. Before Lily could reply, she heard Professor Graham walk in. She turned her attention to the front of the room as murmurs began to circulate around the room. Lily was surprised to see that the wizard at the front of the room was not Professor Graham, but Professor Dumbledore. Lily's stomach did a flip-flop, she hoped there hadn't been another attack.
Dumbledore raised his hands and the class fell silent. He began in low, pleasant tone,
"Hello, hello! I know you are all expecting to see Professor Graham here today, unfortunately he has been called away on urgent business, he is not sure whether he will be able to return this year. We are currently looking for a replacement, but until then, I'm afraid you will have to suffer with me as your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Emma looked at Lily in disbelief. Lily thought it was more than a little unusual herself, Dumbledore teaching?
"Well," began Dumbledore merrily, "The first thing you can do is forget about all those textbooks!"
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An hour later Lily was walking out of the best Defence Against the Dark Arts class she had ever been to when Sirius came bounding up to her and Emma and flung his arm around both of their shoulders.
"Great class, eh ladies" he said grinning. Lily and Emma rolled their eyes as they manoeuvred their way out of Sirius's embrace, but they did agree that Defence Against the Dark Arts had never been so fun. Sirius soon caught a glimpse of the pretty blond sixth year he'd been chasing and with a deep bow and a 'good day ladies' Sirius was off.
Emma and Lily walked in silence for a minute; Alice and Frank were absorbed in a conversation about last night's Quidditch practice and had fallen behind. Emma finally spoke up,
"Lily? Why have you been avoiding Remus lately?" she asked, somewhat nervously. Lily looked up.
"I haven't been!" she declared, surprised. Although, looking back she couldn't recall talking to him at all since she found out he was a warewolf. She began in a calmer voice. "Who said I was avoiding him?" she asked. Emma suddenly looked a little embarrassed,
"Well", she stammered, "I was talking to Remus the other day, we were... well, I mean to say, he was – um helping me with my homework and he er- happened to mention it. Emma said quickly. Lily glanced at her, there was more to that story than Emma was saying, but she didn't want to pry. It did get her thinking, though. She had to talk to Remus, she didn't want him to think she hated him or anything. She just didn't know what to do. Should she tell him she knows about him being a warewolf, or should she just pretend that nothing happened. She needed advice, but from who? James! James would know what to do. She decided she would speak to him as soon as possible.
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After her last class, Lily set off to find James. She finally discovered him in the library, of all places, working on an essay. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.
"Hey James," she began; he looked up, surprised to see her there.
"Hi Lily, what's up?" James asked, smiling, he pushed away from the table and leaned back in his chair, giving her his full attention. It was a pose that was particularly attractive, Lily had to note.
"Um...." Lily began, suddenly unable to find the words. She took a seat. " I don't really know how to say this, but..." Lily must have looked really nervous because James leaned over the table and covered her hands with his.
"It's OK," he began, "what is it?" he said soothingly.
"James," Lily finally said, "I know about Remus." James blinked, a look of panic flashed briefly across his face. Whatever he thought she was going to say, it was obviously not that, Lily thought.
"What about Remus?" James asked sharply. Lily looked down.
"I know he's a warewolf." she stated. James didn't say anything for a while. Lily was afraid to look at him, but when she finally did, she was surprised by the look of concern in James's eyes.
"You didn't tell anyone?" He asked finally, quietly. Lily shook her head. "How did you find out?" James asked. Lily recounted her experience with Alice's essay and the old prefect meeting records. James took it all in, listening slowing.
"The thing is," Lily said, finally getting to the point of her talk with James, "I don't know what I should do. I mean, should I tell him, or should I just act like nothing has changed?"
"Nothing HAS changed!" said James, emphatically, "He's still the same guy! He's still Remus Lupin, just the same as he ever was!"
"I know that." Lily replied, reassuringly. "I just want to know if I should tell him that he has my support." James looked at her, uncertainly.
"So you don't think he's like a monster or anything?" James asked.
"Of course not!" Lily replied. James relaxed, and actually smiled at her. Lily's insides melted briefly as they did so frequently now when he smiled at her. James sat back for a moment, thinking.
"I think you should tell him" James concluded at last. "He may not be too happy at first when he finds out that you know, and you may have a difficult time convincing him that it doesn't bother you, but I'm sure he would appreciate the support." James smiled at her again. "Tell you what," James began said after a second, "I'll switch patrol duty with Remus tonight, that'll give you two time to talk." Lily smiled and thanked James. She felt much better now that she had spoken to him.
James watched Lily leave the library until her slender form was out of view. He had hated to give up any patrols with Lily, but he knew that Remus would appreciate the fact that another of his friends had no problem with him being a warewolf. James knew how sensitive Remus was about his condition, however, and he hoped Lily would be able to convince him that it made no difference to her. James smiled, but then, he thought to himself, we are talking about Lily Evens here! What can't she do? James packed up his books and headed out to Quidditch practice. He had a new team to train, and only two weeks before the first match against Hufflepuff.
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Lily waited nervously at the bottom of the stairway leading to the guys dorms for Remus to appear. Their patrol was supposed to begin in five minutes, and Lily still wasn't sure she knew what she wanted to say. Just then Remus appeared at the top of the steps.
"Ready to go?" he asked. Lily nodded. They set out walking down the corridors, looking for anything suspicious. Fortunately, everything appeared quiet. Lily kept glancing sideways at Remus and wringing her hands together nervously. She couldn't think of how to bring up the subject of Remus's condition. It wasn't like you could just say, 'so, Remus, I heard you're a warewolf' or something like that. Lily took a deep breath, well here goes nothing, she thought to herself.
"Listen, Remus," Lily began, talking quickly, "there's something I need to talk to you about." Remus looked at her in surprise.
"What is it, Lily?" he asked sounding concerned. Lily looked over at Remus. Merlin! She thought, why is this so difficult!
"Well", she began, "the other night I was reading Alice's Muggle Studies essay, and there was a section on warewolves" Remus stiffened at the mention of warewolves, he got a panicked kind of look in his eyes. Lily continued quickly, "and I know you've been sick a lot, and I went over all the records, and, and – oh Remus!!! I'm so sorry, I had no idea! What you must have gone through keeping this a secret for so long. I just wanted to let you know that whether you are a warewolf or not makes absolutely no difference to me. You are still my friend, and if there is anything I can do to help you..." Lily trailed off as she caught Remus staring at her with misty eyes.
"You mean, you really don't care?" he asked, barely audible, like he hardly dared to believe what she had said.
"I really and truly don't," she replied, turning to face Remus and giving him a reassuring hug. Remus was too happy to say anything for a while. Remus spent the rest of their patrol talking about his adventures as a warewolf, and how much James and Sirius and Peter have meant to him for the past few years.
"They've made what used to be a time of loneliness and pain into some of the best experiences of my life," he said warmly. Lily didn't understand how they could have spent time with Remus when he was a warewolf, but she didn't want to spoil Remus's mood by asking. When Lily got back to the common room that night, she had a newfound understanding of James, Sirius, and Peter. She began to see how great and loyal of friends they had been to Remus. Maybe, Lily thought, there are some very good reasons to break the rules.
Lily said good night to Remus, and plopped herself down on the couch, with the thought of getting a head start on her transfiguration reading but she had no sooner pulled out the heavy book when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the boys rooms. She turned around to see James walking down the steps. She smiled up at him.
"How'd it go?" he asked, sitting down on the couch next to her. Lily recounted most of what happened, and thanked James for all the advice he'd given her. By the end of her story, she was yawning after every second word.
"You should get some sleep," James whispered softly. Lily nodded.
"Just as soon as I finish this chapter..." Lily mumbled. James decided to keep her company and took out his own textbook. He had finished reading about half a page when he felt Lily's head fall onto his shoulder. He looked down at her. She had fallen fast asleep. James smiled as he looked at her. Merlin, she was gorgeous! She seemed to snuggle into him in her sleep, and James leaned back, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, wishing he never had to move. He looked at her sleeping face. He reached out a hand and brushed some hair away, tucking it behind her ear. Her hair was soft and silky; he liked the feel of it. And she smelt so good, he thought, as he started to drift off to sleep as well, comforted by the warmth of Lily's body pressed against his. It took all his willpower to get himself to move from this intimate position. It's a pity I can't sleep with her here like this, he thought to himself, as he slowly eased out from underneath her. But just think much she would scream at me in the morning! He covered her with a blanket and tucked her in carefully. He gave one last look at the sleeping Lily and forced himself to walk back up the stairs to his cold, Lily-less bed.
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The next day in potions class Lily was absentmindedly stirring their potion, thinking about the dream she had last night about sleeping in James's arms, a small smile on her face, when she was jabbed hard in the ribs.
"ouch!" she exclaimed rubbing her side and giving Alice a nasty look. "What was that for?"
"Look! That cute guy over there is staring at you!" Lily looked up and sure enough, she caught the gaze of a sandy-haired Ravenclaw boy. He quickly flushed and turned away. Lily recognized him as Tyler Abbot, the Ravenclaw keeper. "See!" Emma exclaimed, "I was right! Isn't he cute?" Lily shrugged, she guessed he was pretty good looking, but nothing compared to, say, James Potter she thought.
After potions, Lily was clearing off her desk and preparing to leave when Tyler came towards her.
"Hey Lily," he said a little nervously,. "How are you?" Lily smiled.
"I'm good." She replied.
"Um... I was wondering if you'd, ah, like to meet me later, to, ah, take a walk around the lake or something..." Lily could hear Emma squeal with excitement from across the room. Lily caught James staring at the two of them.
"Um, look, Tyler, I, ah, really appreciate the offer, but I'm just really busy tonight" she said, apologetically. Tyler's face fell. Lily felt bad so she quickly added, "Maybe another time, though." Tyler smiled, he did have a nice smile, Lily had to admit.
"Sure! Well, ah, Take care Lily!" No sooner had Tyler left her side than Emma was there, glaring at her.
"What's the matter with you, Lily? Why'd you say no?"
"I'm just really busy tonight..." she said shrugging, hoping Emma would let it go. Emma threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Lily! What am I going to do with you!" But she grinned and said, "Fine then, but the next time he asks, you better say yes!" Lily laughed,
"What makes you think they'll be a next time?" Lily asked, a little alarmed.
"Because," Emma began, grinning wider, "I saw the way he was looking at you!" Lily's heart sank.
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The great hall was buzzing with chatter as James, Remus, Sirius and Peter walked in the next morning. They took a seat at the Gryffindor table, and soon owls were swooping in. A large grey owl swooped low and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet right into Peter's bowl of cereal, soaking him. As Peter left to change, James picked up the paper and began to read the front page. The headline immediately grabbed his attention: HE STRIKES AGAIN!!! James quickly read through the article, Sirius and Remus looking over his shoulder.
The dark mark blazed in the sky again last night over the house of Sam Jenkins. The young wizard, and newly appointed member of the Ministry of Magic, was home alone last night at around 10pm. Witnesses claimed they heard screams coming from inside the house. "I heard him screaming," said Betty Bolder, a particularily distraught neighbour of Mr. Jenkins, "he was saying something like 'do what you like to me, but I will never work for you!' and then all I could hear was that terrible screaming!" This is the second murder in two weeks that has been attributed to He Who Shall Not Be Named. What was unusual about this attack, however, is that Mr. Jenkins was not a muggle-born as the previous victims were, but comes from a long, distinguished line of wizards. It would appear that no one is safe from the wrath of He Who Must Not Be Named.
James stopped reading. Another attack, he thought, anger and fear rising within him. When will it stop! He wanted to be able to do something.
"I think it's time we started up that 'Study Group' we were talking about," James exclaimed quietly, getting up from the table and heading down a corridor for a walk. He wanted to try and calm himself before class. He was passing by a classroom he didn't recognize when he heard Professor Dumbledore's voice.
"I'm going to meet him in Hogsmeade this weekend" he was saying in a low voice, "In the backroom of Honeydukes – I just love their orange gumballs!"
"I beg your pardon?" Professor McGonagall replied.
"Orange gumballs! They sell them at Honeydukes..." Professor Dumbledore replied, merrily.
"Honestly Albus, is this really the time for jokes!" Professor McGonagall said sharply.
"Ah, my dear Minerva, one must always keep their spirits up!" James heard them begin to move towards the door so he quickly ran ahead and ducked around a corner so they wouldn't see him.
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That night, after Frank, Alice, James and Sirius returned from a particularly brutal Quidditch practice, they met Lily, Emma, Peter and Remus in the guy's room to discuss their plan.
"So," began Sirius, "We've come up with an idea to do something, now we just have to decide what that 'something' is. Any ideas?"
James spoke up, "I think we should practice more defensive spells and duelling strategies, just in case any of us are ever faced with the situation."
"I agree," Frank said, nodding.
"And we should also try to find out what's going on, so we can prepare for it." Alice suggested.
"Well," began Lily, "if we're going to practice duelling, we'll need a bigger room than this," she said as she looked around at the crowded bedroom. Sirius and James grinned.
"Why don't you just leave finding a secret room to the experts, little Lady!" Sirius replied, a sly smile on his face. Lily laughed and nodded her approval.
"There is one more thing," James began quietly. He recounted the conversation he'd overheard earlier between Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
"I think we should go, find out what's going on!" Frank said.
"But how are we supposed to do that? All Hogsmeade weekends were cancelled, remember?" Lily reminded them. James and Sirius looked at each other and grinned again.
"You forget, you are now working with the four biggest troublemakers at this school. Don't worry we'll be able to get to Hogsmeade."
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The next day, Lily, James, Emma and Sirius were walking through the secret passageway leading from Hogwarts to the back of Honeydukes. The backroom was empty when they arrived. They began to look around for places to hide when they heard voices just outside the door. Emma jumped behind a crate and Sirius slipped behind a large, broken and dusty sign. The door started to open and Lily was still looking frantically for a place to hide when she was grabbed from behind and pulled into a small closet. She gasped and tried to struggle until she realised it was James who had grabbed her. He looked at her and put a finger to his lips to indicate that she should be quiet. He closed the door quietly, leaving the two of them squished together in the small space. Lily's face was only inches away from James's, her entire body was moulded to James. Lily felt her face go red at the thought of how close they were. She could feel James's breath on her face. He still had his arms around her from when he pulled her into the closet, Lily's skin felt warm and tingly where they rested on her back. Her heart began to pound as James looked down at her.
"Are you alright?" he whispered hoarsely. Lily nodded, not trusting herself to speak. They heard voices in the adjacent room. One was Dumbledore, and the other Lily couldn't recognize. It was hard to catch their words, the closet door muffled them and the men were whispering. Lily managed to hear only a few phrases. She heard Dumbledore say,
"Hogwarts.... You're sure? Halloween?" Then some muffled words and,
"Best of luck to you" from the wizard Lily did not recognize.
"you take care of yourself John..." Profesor Dumbledore said as the first wizard left. A second later they heard Dumbledore leave as well. Neither Lily or James moved.
James wondered if Lily had any idea how crazy she was making him, how much he just wanted to lean down and kiss her right then. How he just wanted to run his fingers through that beautiful, silky hair... It was torturing him to be this close to her without being able do anything about it. Lily shifted her position slightly, she seemed to move, if it was possible, closer to him. Merlin! James thought, trying hard not to look at her. He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to help himself, he'd have to kiss her, and then he'd be in real trouble. He couldn't resist any longer; he looked down and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the look on her face. She was looking up at him with unmistakeable longing. I must be imagining this, James said to himself, he looked into Lily's eyes, they seemed to want exactly what he wanted. He could hardly believe it. He bent down lower, closer, she looked up at him and tilted her neck back, seeming to urge him on. He lowered his head slowly, their lips were mere centimetres apart, he closed his eyes and– suddenly light flooded into the dark closet, James backed away and blinked, he could see the forms of Emma and Sirius standing in front of them. Lily, also seeming to come to her senses, backed away from him. Emma, so oblivious, started right in,
"Did you guys hear that? Hogwarts! He said that something was going to happen at Hogwarts on Halloween!" she continued to talk, but Sirius was giving them both a very inquisitive glance.
End of Chapter 8
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Chapter 8: Conversations...
Lily was sitting in her seat next to Emma waiting for their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Graham, to arrive. She was happy that things were pretty much back to normal again. Frank and Alice had made up and seemed to be just as good of friends as they ever were. Lily looked in front of her to where the two of them sat, chatting away. No one seemed to want to discuss the unspoken reason why Frank has been so bothered by the possibility that Alice might have a boyfriend. Lily smiled, she hoped they figured it out soon. Things were also back to normal between her and James, if there was a normal for the two of them. At least they were talking again, Lily thought, relieved; it had been a difficult week for the Head Girl not being able to speak to the Head Boy. Lily noticed that the class was starting to get a little impatient; it was not like Professor Graham to be late. Emma, us usual, seemed oblivious to what was going on around her, and was chattering away,
"You know, I've been thinking a lot lately," she was telling Lily, "about what we're going to do after Hogwarts. It IS only a few short months away, have you decided what you want to do?" Lily shook her head at Emma's question, this was, in fact, something that had been bothering Lily as well. Emma continued, "I was thinking about working for the ministry. Do you think I'd make a good Minister for Magic?" Emma asked, jokingly. Before Lily could reply, she heard Professor Graham walk in. She turned her attention to the front of the room as murmurs began to circulate around the room. Lily was surprised to see that the wizard at the front of the room was not Professor Graham, but Professor Dumbledore. Lily's stomach did a flip-flop, she hoped there hadn't been another attack.
Dumbledore raised his hands and the class fell silent. He began in low, pleasant tone,
"Hello, hello! I know you are all expecting to see Professor Graham here today, unfortunately he has been called away on urgent business, he is not sure whether he will be able to return this year. We are currently looking for a replacement, but until then, I'm afraid you will have to suffer with me as your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Emma looked at Lily in disbelief. Lily thought it was more than a little unusual herself, Dumbledore teaching?
"Well," began Dumbledore merrily, "The first thing you can do is forget about all those textbooks!"
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An hour later Lily was walking out of the best Defence Against the Dark Arts class she had ever been to when Sirius came bounding up to her and Emma and flung his arm around both of their shoulders.
"Great class, eh ladies" he said grinning. Lily and Emma rolled their eyes as they manoeuvred their way out of Sirius's embrace, but they did agree that Defence Against the Dark Arts had never been so fun. Sirius soon caught a glimpse of the pretty blond sixth year he'd been chasing and with a deep bow and a 'good day ladies' Sirius was off.
Emma and Lily walked in silence for a minute; Alice and Frank were absorbed in a conversation about last night's Quidditch practice and had fallen behind. Emma finally spoke up,
"Lily? Why have you been avoiding Remus lately?" she asked, somewhat nervously. Lily looked up.
"I haven't been!" she declared, surprised. Although, looking back she couldn't recall talking to him at all since she found out he was a warewolf. She began in a calmer voice. "Who said I was avoiding him?" she asked. Emma suddenly looked a little embarrassed,
"Well", she stammered, "I was talking to Remus the other day, we were... well, I mean to say, he was – um helping me with my homework and he er- happened to mention it. Emma said quickly. Lily glanced at her, there was more to that story than Emma was saying, but she didn't want to pry. It did get her thinking, though. She had to talk to Remus, she didn't want him to think she hated him or anything. She just didn't know what to do. Should she tell him she knows about him being a warewolf, or should she just pretend that nothing happened. She needed advice, but from who? James! James would know what to do. She decided she would speak to him as soon as possible.
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After her last class, Lily set off to find James. She finally discovered him in the library, of all places, working on an essay. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.
"Hey James," she began; he looked up, surprised to see her there.
"Hi Lily, what's up?" James asked, smiling, he pushed away from the table and leaned back in his chair, giving her his full attention. It was a pose that was particularly attractive, Lily had to note.
"Um...." Lily began, suddenly unable to find the words. She took a seat. " I don't really know how to say this, but..." Lily must have looked really nervous because James leaned over the table and covered her hands with his.
"It's OK," he began, "what is it?" he said soothingly.
"James," Lily finally said, "I know about Remus." James blinked, a look of panic flashed briefly across his face. Whatever he thought she was going to say, it was obviously not that, Lily thought.
"What about Remus?" James asked sharply. Lily looked down.
"I know he's a warewolf." she stated. James didn't say anything for a while. Lily was afraid to look at him, but when she finally did, she was surprised by the look of concern in James's eyes.
"You didn't tell anyone?" He asked finally, quietly. Lily shook her head. "How did you find out?" James asked. Lily recounted her experience with Alice's essay and the old prefect meeting records. James took it all in, listening slowing.
"The thing is," Lily said, finally getting to the point of her talk with James, "I don't know what I should do. I mean, should I tell him, or should I just act like nothing has changed?"
"Nothing HAS changed!" said James, emphatically, "He's still the same guy! He's still Remus Lupin, just the same as he ever was!"
"I know that." Lily replied, reassuringly. "I just want to know if I should tell him that he has my support." James looked at her, uncertainly.
"So you don't think he's like a monster or anything?" James asked.
"Of course not!" Lily replied. James relaxed, and actually smiled at her. Lily's insides melted briefly as they did so frequently now when he smiled at her. James sat back for a moment, thinking.
"I think you should tell him" James concluded at last. "He may not be too happy at first when he finds out that you know, and you may have a difficult time convincing him that it doesn't bother you, but I'm sure he would appreciate the support." James smiled at her again. "Tell you what," James began said after a second, "I'll switch patrol duty with Remus tonight, that'll give you two time to talk." Lily smiled and thanked James. She felt much better now that she had spoken to him.
James watched Lily leave the library until her slender form was out of view. He had hated to give up any patrols with Lily, but he knew that Remus would appreciate the fact that another of his friends had no problem with him being a warewolf. James knew how sensitive Remus was about his condition, however, and he hoped Lily would be able to convince him that it made no difference to her. James smiled, but then, he thought to himself, we are talking about Lily Evens here! What can't she do? James packed up his books and headed out to Quidditch practice. He had a new team to train, and only two weeks before the first match against Hufflepuff.
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Lily waited nervously at the bottom of the stairway leading to the guys dorms for Remus to appear. Their patrol was supposed to begin in five minutes, and Lily still wasn't sure she knew what she wanted to say. Just then Remus appeared at the top of the steps.
"Ready to go?" he asked. Lily nodded. They set out walking down the corridors, looking for anything suspicious. Fortunately, everything appeared quiet. Lily kept glancing sideways at Remus and wringing her hands together nervously. She couldn't think of how to bring up the subject of Remus's condition. It wasn't like you could just say, 'so, Remus, I heard you're a warewolf' or something like that. Lily took a deep breath, well here goes nothing, she thought to herself.
"Listen, Remus," Lily began, talking quickly, "there's something I need to talk to you about." Remus looked at her in surprise.
"What is it, Lily?" he asked sounding concerned. Lily looked over at Remus. Merlin! She thought, why is this so difficult!
"Well", she began, "the other night I was reading Alice's Muggle Studies essay, and there was a section on warewolves" Remus stiffened at the mention of warewolves, he got a panicked kind of look in his eyes. Lily continued quickly, "and I know you've been sick a lot, and I went over all the records, and, and – oh Remus!!! I'm so sorry, I had no idea! What you must have gone through keeping this a secret for so long. I just wanted to let you know that whether you are a warewolf or not makes absolutely no difference to me. You are still my friend, and if there is anything I can do to help you..." Lily trailed off as she caught Remus staring at her with misty eyes.
"You mean, you really don't care?" he asked, barely audible, like he hardly dared to believe what she had said.
"I really and truly don't," she replied, turning to face Remus and giving him a reassuring hug. Remus was too happy to say anything for a while. Remus spent the rest of their patrol talking about his adventures as a warewolf, and how much James and Sirius and Peter have meant to him for the past few years.
"They've made what used to be a time of loneliness and pain into some of the best experiences of my life," he said warmly. Lily didn't understand how they could have spent time with Remus when he was a warewolf, but she didn't want to spoil Remus's mood by asking. When Lily got back to the common room that night, she had a newfound understanding of James, Sirius, and Peter. She began to see how great and loyal of friends they had been to Remus. Maybe, Lily thought, there are some very good reasons to break the rules.
Lily said good night to Remus, and plopped herself down on the couch, with the thought of getting a head start on her transfiguration reading but she had no sooner pulled out the heavy book when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the boys rooms. She turned around to see James walking down the steps. She smiled up at him.
"How'd it go?" he asked, sitting down on the couch next to her. Lily recounted most of what happened, and thanked James for all the advice he'd given her. By the end of her story, she was yawning after every second word.
"You should get some sleep," James whispered softly. Lily nodded.
"Just as soon as I finish this chapter..." Lily mumbled. James decided to keep her company and took out his own textbook. He had finished reading about half a page when he felt Lily's head fall onto his shoulder. He looked down at her. She had fallen fast asleep. James smiled as he looked at her. Merlin, she was gorgeous! She seemed to snuggle into him in her sleep, and James leaned back, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, wishing he never had to move. He looked at her sleeping face. He reached out a hand and brushed some hair away, tucking it behind her ear. Her hair was soft and silky; he liked the feel of it. And she smelt so good, he thought, as he started to drift off to sleep as well, comforted by the warmth of Lily's body pressed against his. It took all his willpower to get himself to move from this intimate position. It's a pity I can't sleep with her here like this, he thought to himself, as he slowly eased out from underneath her. But just think much she would scream at me in the morning! He covered her with a blanket and tucked her in carefully. He gave one last look at the sleeping Lily and forced himself to walk back up the stairs to his cold, Lily-less bed.
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The next day in potions class Lily was absentmindedly stirring their potion, thinking about the dream she had last night about sleeping in James's arms, a small smile on her face, when she was jabbed hard in the ribs.
"ouch!" she exclaimed rubbing her side and giving Alice a nasty look. "What was that for?"
"Look! That cute guy over there is staring at you!" Lily looked up and sure enough, she caught the gaze of a sandy-haired Ravenclaw boy. He quickly flushed and turned away. Lily recognized him as Tyler Abbot, the Ravenclaw keeper. "See!" Emma exclaimed, "I was right! Isn't he cute?" Lily shrugged, she guessed he was pretty good looking, but nothing compared to, say, James Potter she thought.
After potions, Lily was clearing off her desk and preparing to leave when Tyler came towards her.
"Hey Lily," he said a little nervously,. "How are you?" Lily smiled.
"I'm good." She replied.
"Um... I was wondering if you'd, ah, like to meet me later, to, ah, take a walk around the lake or something..." Lily could hear Emma squeal with excitement from across the room. Lily caught James staring at the two of them.
"Um, look, Tyler, I, ah, really appreciate the offer, but I'm just really busy tonight" she said, apologetically. Tyler's face fell. Lily felt bad so she quickly added, "Maybe another time, though." Tyler smiled, he did have a nice smile, Lily had to admit.
"Sure! Well, ah, Take care Lily!" No sooner had Tyler left her side than Emma was there, glaring at her.
"What's the matter with you, Lily? Why'd you say no?"
"I'm just really busy tonight..." she said shrugging, hoping Emma would let it go. Emma threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Lily! What am I going to do with you!" But she grinned and said, "Fine then, but the next time he asks, you better say yes!" Lily laughed,
"What makes you think they'll be a next time?" Lily asked, a little alarmed.
"Because," Emma began, grinning wider, "I saw the way he was looking at you!" Lily's heart sank.
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The great hall was buzzing with chatter as James, Remus, Sirius and Peter walked in the next morning. They took a seat at the Gryffindor table, and soon owls were swooping in. A large grey owl swooped low and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet right into Peter's bowl of cereal, soaking him. As Peter left to change, James picked up the paper and began to read the front page. The headline immediately grabbed his attention: HE STRIKES AGAIN!!! James quickly read through the article, Sirius and Remus looking over his shoulder.
The dark mark blazed in the sky again last night over the house of Sam Jenkins. The young wizard, and newly appointed member of the Ministry of Magic, was home alone last night at around 10pm. Witnesses claimed they heard screams coming from inside the house. "I heard him screaming," said Betty Bolder, a particularily distraught neighbour of Mr. Jenkins, "he was saying something like 'do what you like to me, but I will never work for you!' and then all I could hear was that terrible screaming!" This is the second murder in two weeks that has been attributed to He Who Shall Not Be Named. What was unusual about this attack, however, is that Mr. Jenkins was not a muggle-born as the previous victims were, but comes from a long, distinguished line of wizards. It would appear that no one is safe from the wrath of He Who Must Not Be Named.
James stopped reading. Another attack, he thought, anger and fear rising within him. When will it stop! He wanted to be able to do something.
"I think it's time we started up that 'Study Group' we were talking about," James exclaimed quietly, getting up from the table and heading down a corridor for a walk. He wanted to try and calm himself before class. He was passing by a classroom he didn't recognize when he heard Professor Dumbledore's voice.
"I'm going to meet him in Hogsmeade this weekend" he was saying in a low voice, "In the backroom of Honeydukes – I just love their orange gumballs!"
"I beg your pardon?" Professor McGonagall replied.
"Orange gumballs! They sell them at Honeydukes..." Professor Dumbledore replied, merrily.
"Honestly Albus, is this really the time for jokes!" Professor McGonagall said sharply.
"Ah, my dear Minerva, one must always keep their spirits up!" James heard them begin to move towards the door so he quickly ran ahead and ducked around a corner so they wouldn't see him.
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That night, after Frank, Alice, James and Sirius returned from a particularly brutal Quidditch practice, they met Lily, Emma, Peter and Remus in the guy's room to discuss their plan.
"So," began Sirius, "We've come up with an idea to do something, now we just have to decide what that 'something' is. Any ideas?"
James spoke up, "I think we should practice more defensive spells and duelling strategies, just in case any of us are ever faced with the situation."
"I agree," Frank said, nodding.
"And we should also try to find out what's going on, so we can prepare for it." Alice suggested.
"Well," began Lily, "if we're going to practice duelling, we'll need a bigger room than this," she said as she looked around at the crowded bedroom. Sirius and James grinned.
"Why don't you just leave finding a secret room to the experts, little Lady!" Sirius replied, a sly smile on his face. Lily laughed and nodded her approval.
"There is one more thing," James began quietly. He recounted the conversation he'd overheard earlier between Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
"I think we should go, find out what's going on!" Frank said.
"But how are we supposed to do that? All Hogsmeade weekends were cancelled, remember?" Lily reminded them. James and Sirius looked at each other and grinned again.
"You forget, you are now working with the four biggest troublemakers at this school. Don't worry we'll be able to get to Hogsmeade."
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The next day, Lily, James, Emma and Sirius were walking through the secret passageway leading from Hogwarts to the back of Honeydukes. The backroom was empty when they arrived. They began to look around for places to hide when they heard voices just outside the door. Emma jumped behind a crate and Sirius slipped behind a large, broken and dusty sign. The door started to open and Lily was still looking frantically for a place to hide when she was grabbed from behind and pulled into a small closet. She gasped and tried to struggle until she realised it was James who had grabbed her. He looked at her and put a finger to his lips to indicate that she should be quiet. He closed the door quietly, leaving the two of them squished together in the small space. Lily's face was only inches away from James's, her entire body was moulded to James. Lily felt her face go red at the thought of how close they were. She could feel James's breath on her face. He still had his arms around her from when he pulled her into the closet, Lily's skin felt warm and tingly where they rested on her back. Her heart began to pound as James looked down at her.
"Are you alright?" he whispered hoarsely. Lily nodded, not trusting herself to speak. They heard voices in the adjacent room. One was Dumbledore, and the other Lily couldn't recognize. It was hard to catch their words, the closet door muffled them and the men were whispering. Lily managed to hear only a few phrases. She heard Dumbledore say,
"Hogwarts.... You're sure? Halloween?" Then some muffled words and,
"Best of luck to you" from the wizard Lily did not recognize.
"you take care of yourself John..." Profesor Dumbledore said as the first wizard left. A second later they heard Dumbledore leave as well. Neither Lily or James moved.
James wondered if Lily had any idea how crazy she was making him, how much he just wanted to lean down and kiss her right then. How he just wanted to run his fingers through that beautiful, silky hair... It was torturing him to be this close to her without being able do anything about it. Lily shifted her position slightly, she seemed to move, if it was possible, closer to him. Merlin! James thought, trying hard not to look at her. He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to help himself, he'd have to kiss her, and then he'd be in real trouble. He couldn't resist any longer; he looked down and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the look on her face. She was looking up at him with unmistakeable longing. I must be imagining this, James said to himself, he looked into Lily's eyes, they seemed to want exactly what he wanted. He could hardly believe it. He bent down lower, closer, she looked up at him and tilted her neck back, seeming to urge him on. He lowered his head slowly, their lips were mere centimetres apart, he closed his eyes and– suddenly light flooded into the dark closet, James backed away and blinked, he could see the forms of Emma and Sirius standing in front of them. Lily, also seeming to come to her senses, backed away from him. Emma, so oblivious, started right in,
"Did you guys hear that? Hogwarts! He said that something was going to happen at Hogwarts on Halloween!" she continued to talk, but Sirius was giving them both a very inquisitive glance.
End of Chapter 8
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