Salt Lick
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
James heard a scream from where Remus had gone. He bounded through the brush and bursted out of the bushes to see Remus on his haunches, staring curiously at a shaking doe. He looked behind the frightened deer to the vines against the rock wall moving back and forth as if recently disturbed. A doe couldn't do that, and a doe surely couldn't scream. He started towards her. The hart plunged away into the forest. Sirius and he exchanged looks. This wasn't good.
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It was November at Hogwarts. Lily had been coming along great in her English, and didn't need Minnie's translator anymore. She could carry on a conversation in English, and her accent had gotten thinner. Lily was quite well-liked, and well-known at school, and Sirius hadn't been the only one to ask her out. She spurned them all, except for a little first year who she kissed on the head and sweetly agreed to help him with his Transfiguration sometime. The boy had stared in genuine awe as she walked off .
Mornings were Lily's one true weakness. She slept hard, and often through her alarm. She resorted to having Bella or Maria come up and wake her. Lily had come up with a sort of fashion with the Hogwarts uniform , and the next couple of weeks, almost every girl was copying it. Her new nickname at school was Elle Belle.
Her marks were a solid A average with an occasional B now and then, and she had found a spell that gave her a full, long, and dreamless sleep. Everything was smooth sailing.
The morning after the werewolf incident, Lily woke up by herself and started to get dressed slowly and thoughtfully wondering about last night's occurrences. That mark on the Stag... She had a funny feeling she'd seen something like that before and she knew where to find out. If it was there, it would all come together...
Bella and Maria burst in and snapped her out of her thoughts. The three weren't down to the Great Hall. Elle put on an extra large amount of salt on her eggs that morning. She was twirling her fork around on her plate absentmindedly when Maria spoke up. "The Marauders are awful quiet today. Do you think anything's wrong?"
Lily looked over. The boys were huddled together talking in whispers. James had a frown, Sirius looked concerned, and Remus looked pale and looked like he was going to be sick. Only Peter was eating, looking only mildly interested. Lily watched as girl came up to flirt with Sirius and he batted her away with a annoyed look. Something was definitely wrong. The girl retreated to her table looking deeply offended.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Through the day, Lily's suspicions were more deeply confirmed with the boy's suspicious actions. Potions went without a single insult or prank at the Slytherins, even when Lucius Malfoy made a rather rude signal at James. James just looked over at him with an expressionless face, and bent further over his potion, his brow furrowed.
The Marauders were not at Divination that day, and Lily suspected they had blown it off. Couldn't really blame them. Even she'd risk grades to have Trelawney-free day. Her eyes glazed as the crystal ball in front of her slid out of focus to be replaced with the events of last night. A werewolf, stag, and dog could not be friends... And that inscription on the wall... Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were what the Marauders called themselves. Could it mean that... Just then, Professor Trelawney caught Lily not paying attention and volunteered her for an extra assignment. Maria sent her a pitying glance from across the room.
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*That night*
Lily stared at herself in the mirror. It had been so for fifteen minutes. She hadn't made a move. Blue eyes... And black hair. She wondered how long they would be there. When would this whole ordeal be over. Would it ever be over? Was she doomed to lie to everyone her entire life? And what about the summer. When would she see France again?
A tear slid down her face, and she didn't try to resist the next, and the one after that. She picked up her diary, and flipped to the year before.
Dear Diary, I have made progress with the Animagus Potion and experiment came out beautifully. I have been registered by the French Ministry of Magic, and will probably have my first transformation at Beaxbatons.
Dear Diary, Elle and I went to the beach today and the most gorgeous guy came up and asked us to play volleyball...
Dear Diary, Dad's cough is growing steadily worse... I'm so worried! Will he ever get better? He had a huge coughing bought today and when I was emptying the trash from his room, there were countless tissues with blood spots on them... I'm so worried I don't know what to do...
Dear Diary, It worked! I experienced my first ever transformation into a doe today!
Dear Diary, Ever since the big day (As I'm now calling it) I've had an overwhelming fondness for salt. I can't put down the stuff! We'll I have to go down to dinner now!
Much Love, Lily
That had been her last entry...
Lily heaved a huge sigh, and picked herself up again. She flipped to the blank page after her last entry.
Dear Diary, Note that I'm writing in English now! Thanks to the strenuous effort of the Transfiguration teacher, and my two friends, and countless other peoples, I'm coming along beautifully. Now diary, about my new friends...
Professor McGonnagall- Met her the night I came. I quickly befriended her, though it's more of a mother-daughter relationship. She is extremely nice and was very lax on my homework the first two months.
Arabella (Bella as requested) - Bella is the wild one, always perky, and sometimes a bit clueless. She is open to everything and a good listener.
Maria- Maria is shy, quiet, and very thoughtful. During the first few weeks here, Maria played bail for me countless times when boys asked her where I was and if she could set them up with me. I cannot say the same thing for Bella however.
The Marauders- I group of boys (Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter)(Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs) who delight in laying pranks and living life. Sirius was a member of the boy brigade (as Bella called it) but finally gave up. Diary, I think they might be Animagus.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lily checked her watch. It was 2:15. She slid out of bed fully dressed, and flung on her invisibility cloak. She tiptoed down the hall and whispered the password to the fat lady who swung open in her sleep. Lily stepped into the deserted common room where the fire was dying, and discards of homework were littered all over the floor. She quietly snuck up to the boys dormitories and stepped in to the Mauauders bedroom. James was on his stomach, his hair messier than Lily had ever seen before. How he managed to subdue it she had no idea. Sirius's mouth was open and Lily could see some drool glistening on his cheek. Remus was snoring softly, a book still in his hand, and Peter was giggling in his sleep. Silently, she tiptoed over the floor and nearly died of heart attack when the floor squeaked loudly and Sirius muttered something and rolled over. She got on her knees by James's bed and groped under the bed for the box. She felt something clammy grab her wrist. Her breath caught and visions of her stuttering a feeble explanations to the horrified boys popped up, and then she had to suppress a laugh. It was the rotting hand that she had set up as a Halloween decoration in the boys room in October. The hand seemed feeble now, and diminished as if it had been thrown across the room one to many times. Lily whispered a silencing spell and then beat it on the floor and flung it across the room, freeing herself of the vice like grip. She pulled out the box, and fished out the album. She searched the pages until she found what she wanted. Toddler James at the beach, in his trunks, destroying a sand castle his father and uncles had made for him. It was there. Lily dropped the book and sat against the wall. It must be his birthmark. It had been on the exact same place on the stag. It had caught her attention the night before, a curious little marking.
His nickname Prongs. Of course. It was all coming together. Padfoot- the dog. Peter must be something. as well, But Moony? An owl? Then it dawned upon her. The werewolf she had seen She put her hand to her mouth. No wonder they were so worried today. They know that the doe they saw in the forest wasn't an animal because they heard me scream. But it's illegal in Britain, they must have known that. She looked over at Remus sleeping peacefully across the room. his face looked pale and drawn, but peaceful none the less.
They wanted to help their friend, I see. Lily pushed the box back under the bed and left. She stopped at the door and snorted as the rotting hand inched it's way back under the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What?" said Remus, his eyes growing wide with shock. "I almost attacked someone last night?"
"A doe can't scream."
"It might have been a banshee. Who knows what lives in the forest."
"That wasn't a banshee. Remember Defense Again the Dark Arts class on banshees. We heard their scream.
Sirius winced. "How could I forget."
"Well I didn't forget either, and that was a female human scream.
"How do you know it was female?"
"The only guy I know who screams that high-pitched is Peter."
"Hey!" said Peter, offended.
"Also, the vines behind it were moving."
"So what are you saying?"
"That doe was an animagus. Probably the moody chick at the salt lick I saw a couple months ago."
Sirius looked over at Remus concerned. "Moony, are you okay?"
Remus indeed looked nauseous. " I need to go to the Hospital Wing I think."
After Potions James felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around. It was Elle.
"Is Remus all right? He wasn't in class."
"Oh, he's fine. He thinks he caught the flu."
"Oh." Elle gave him a weak smile. "All right then. Bye."
"Bye," James whispered as she walked down the hall with Bella and Maria. The look in her eyes said that she knew he was lying.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Okay this chapter is done. (I know it sucked) Chapter 6 is Yuletide season and the L/J you've been waiting so patiently for will start. I had a MAJOR writer's block for this chapter. Uggg. Next chapter will be up soon, as I already know what I'm going to write.
I want reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!!!!
Watching the Super Bowl as I write- Go Buccaneers! Arr!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
James heard a scream from where Remus had gone. He bounded through the brush and bursted out of the bushes to see Remus on his haunches, staring curiously at a shaking doe. He looked behind the frightened deer to the vines against the rock wall moving back and forth as if recently disturbed. A doe couldn't do that, and a doe surely couldn't scream. He started towards her. The hart plunged away into the forest. Sirius and he exchanged looks. This wasn't good.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was November at Hogwarts. Lily had been coming along great in her English, and didn't need Minnie's translator anymore. She could carry on a conversation in English, and her accent had gotten thinner. Lily was quite well-liked, and well-known at school, and Sirius hadn't been the only one to ask her out. She spurned them all, except for a little first year who she kissed on the head and sweetly agreed to help him with his Transfiguration sometime. The boy had stared in genuine awe as she walked off .
Mornings were Lily's one true weakness. She slept hard, and often through her alarm. She resorted to having Bella or Maria come up and wake her. Lily had come up with a sort of fashion with the Hogwarts uniform , and the next couple of weeks, almost every girl was copying it. Her new nickname at school was Elle Belle.
Her marks were a solid A average with an occasional B now and then, and she had found a spell that gave her a full, long, and dreamless sleep. Everything was smooth sailing.
The morning after the werewolf incident, Lily woke up by herself and started to get dressed slowly and thoughtfully wondering about last night's occurrences. That mark on the Stag... She had a funny feeling she'd seen something like that before and she knew where to find out. If it was there, it would all come together...
Bella and Maria burst in and snapped her out of her thoughts. The three weren't down to the Great Hall. Elle put on an extra large amount of salt on her eggs that morning. She was twirling her fork around on her plate absentmindedly when Maria spoke up. "The Marauders are awful quiet today. Do you think anything's wrong?"
Lily looked over. The boys were huddled together talking in whispers. James had a frown, Sirius looked concerned, and Remus looked pale and looked like he was going to be sick. Only Peter was eating, looking only mildly interested. Lily watched as girl came up to flirt with Sirius and he batted her away with a annoyed look. Something was definitely wrong. The girl retreated to her table looking deeply offended.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Through the day, Lily's suspicions were more deeply confirmed with the boy's suspicious actions. Potions went without a single insult or prank at the Slytherins, even when Lucius Malfoy made a rather rude signal at James. James just looked over at him with an expressionless face, and bent further over his potion, his brow furrowed.
The Marauders were not at Divination that day, and Lily suspected they had blown it off. Couldn't really blame them. Even she'd risk grades to have Trelawney-free day. Her eyes glazed as the crystal ball in front of her slid out of focus to be replaced with the events of last night. A werewolf, stag, and dog could not be friends... And that inscription on the wall... Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were what the Marauders called themselves. Could it mean that... Just then, Professor Trelawney caught Lily not paying attention and volunteered her for an extra assignment. Maria sent her a pitying glance from across the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*That night*
Lily stared at herself in the mirror. It had been so for fifteen minutes. She hadn't made a move. Blue eyes... And black hair. She wondered how long they would be there. When would this whole ordeal be over. Would it ever be over? Was she doomed to lie to everyone her entire life? And what about the summer. When would she see France again?
A tear slid down her face, and she didn't try to resist the next, and the one after that. She picked up her diary, and flipped to the year before.
Dear Diary, I have made progress with the Animagus Potion and experiment came out beautifully. I have been registered by the French Ministry of Magic, and will probably have my first transformation at Beaxbatons.
Dear Diary, Elle and I went to the beach today and the most gorgeous guy came up and asked us to play volleyball...
Dear Diary, Dad's cough is growing steadily worse... I'm so worried! Will he ever get better? He had a huge coughing bought today and when I was emptying the trash from his room, there were countless tissues with blood spots on them... I'm so worried I don't know what to do...
Dear Diary, It worked! I experienced my first ever transformation into a doe today!
Dear Diary, Ever since the big day (As I'm now calling it) I've had an overwhelming fondness for salt. I can't put down the stuff! We'll I have to go down to dinner now!
Much Love, Lily
That had been her last entry...
Lily heaved a huge sigh, and picked herself up again. She flipped to the blank page after her last entry.
Dear Diary, Note that I'm writing in English now! Thanks to the strenuous effort of the Transfiguration teacher, and my two friends, and countless other peoples, I'm coming along beautifully. Now diary, about my new friends...
Professor McGonnagall- Met her the night I came. I quickly befriended her, though it's more of a mother-daughter relationship. She is extremely nice and was very lax on my homework the first two months.
Arabella (Bella as requested) - Bella is the wild one, always perky, and sometimes a bit clueless. She is open to everything and a good listener.
Maria- Maria is shy, quiet, and very thoughtful. During the first few weeks here, Maria played bail for me countless times when boys asked her where I was and if she could set them up with me. I cannot say the same thing for Bella however.
The Marauders- I group of boys (Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter)(Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs) who delight in laying pranks and living life. Sirius was a member of the boy brigade (as Bella called it) but finally gave up. Diary, I think they might be Animagus.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lily checked her watch. It was 2:15. She slid out of bed fully dressed, and flung on her invisibility cloak. She tiptoed down the hall and whispered the password to the fat lady who swung open in her sleep. Lily stepped into the deserted common room where the fire was dying, and discards of homework were littered all over the floor. She quietly snuck up to the boys dormitories and stepped in to the Mauauders bedroom. James was on his stomach, his hair messier than Lily had ever seen before. How he managed to subdue it she had no idea. Sirius's mouth was open and Lily could see some drool glistening on his cheek. Remus was snoring softly, a book still in his hand, and Peter was giggling in his sleep. Silently, she tiptoed over the floor and nearly died of heart attack when the floor squeaked loudly and Sirius muttered something and rolled over. She got on her knees by James's bed and groped under the bed for the box. She felt something clammy grab her wrist. Her breath caught and visions of her stuttering a feeble explanations to the horrified boys popped up, and then she had to suppress a laugh. It was the rotting hand that she had set up as a Halloween decoration in the boys room in October. The hand seemed feeble now, and diminished as if it had been thrown across the room one to many times. Lily whispered a silencing spell and then beat it on the floor and flung it across the room, freeing herself of the vice like grip. She pulled out the box, and fished out the album. She searched the pages until she found what she wanted. Toddler James at the beach, in his trunks, destroying a sand castle his father and uncles had made for him. It was there. Lily dropped the book and sat against the wall. It must be his birthmark. It had been on the exact same place on the stag. It had caught her attention the night before, a curious little marking.
His nickname Prongs. Of course. It was all coming together. Padfoot- the dog. Peter must be something. as well, But Moony? An owl? Then it dawned upon her. The werewolf she had seen She put her hand to her mouth. No wonder they were so worried today. They know that the doe they saw in the forest wasn't an animal because they heard me scream. But it's illegal in Britain, they must have known that. She looked over at Remus sleeping peacefully across the room. his face looked pale and drawn, but peaceful none the less.
They wanted to help their friend, I see. Lily pushed the box back under the bed and left. She stopped at the door and snorted as the rotting hand inched it's way back under the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What?" said Remus, his eyes growing wide with shock. "I almost attacked someone last night?"
"A doe can't scream."
"It might have been a banshee. Who knows what lives in the forest."
"That wasn't a banshee. Remember Defense Again the Dark Arts class on banshees. We heard their scream.
Sirius winced. "How could I forget."
"Well I didn't forget either, and that was a female human scream.
"How do you know it was female?"
"The only guy I know who screams that high-pitched is Peter."
"Hey!" said Peter, offended.
"Also, the vines behind it were moving."
"So what are you saying?"
"That doe was an animagus. Probably the moody chick at the salt lick I saw a couple months ago."
Sirius looked over at Remus concerned. "Moony, are you okay?"
Remus indeed looked nauseous. " I need to go to the Hospital Wing I think."
After Potions James felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around. It was Elle.
"Is Remus all right? He wasn't in class."
"Oh, he's fine. He thinks he caught the flu."
"Oh." Elle gave him a weak smile. "All right then. Bye."
"Bye," James whispered as she walked down the hall with Bella and Maria. The look in her eyes said that she knew he was lying.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Okay this chapter is done. (I know it sucked) Chapter 6 is Yuletide season and the L/J you've been waiting so patiently for will start. I had a MAJOR writer's block for this chapter. Uggg. Next chapter will be up soon, as I already know what I'm going to write.
I want reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!!!!
Watching the Super Bowl as I write- Go Buccaneers! Arr!