Author's Note: I can't believe I got that many reviews in chapter 8! I was so proud and astonished that I decided to post this chapter early. I hope you guys keep giving me good reviews and I'll keep posting chapters. I hope you all like this one.
Sorry if these stories are spaced in a wierd way, it's because when I download these text documents...I don't know it just spaces the story kind funky. I hope you can follow along without getting confused.
Chapter Title: An Odd Day
Disclaimer: I don't know why I even keep bothering to put these disclaimers up because everyone knows that I don't own any of these characters, besides Torrance of course.
***LILY'S POV***
Lily had had the best time with Remus on her birthday. What more could she ask for? He had sung to her. To her. He set his dignity on the line and she loved him for it. Love. That sounded weird to her. Love. Lily didn't get it; Remus and love just didn't seem to fit in the same sentence.
Lily re-entered her dorm room quietly so she wouldn't wake up her fellow roommates and shut the window softly as she watched Remus fly off towards his own dorm. Lily turned around to slip her tired body into bed when she stumbled over something that appeared to be...alive! It was Torrance...and her lower torso was covered in blood.
Lily couldn't breathe. Her very own breath seemed to be caught in her chest as she ran her eyes over Torrance. Lily felt of her hand...it was ice.
Like a cat, Lily pulled off her own robes and wrapped it around Torrance tightly to stop the bleeding, but in the matter of minutes her own robes were soaked in blood.
'I have to get her to the Hospital Wing...she'll be alright...she'll be alright...alright.'
***TORRANCE'S POV***
She was on the school grounds again and what appeared to be nighttime. Torrance glanced around at her surroundings. 'Not again...' she recognized this dream only too often. Then suddenly, in slow motion, she saw a green light slash through her and a voice not her own screamed. She hit the ground.
"Lily! LILY!" Torrance turned around to see Remus running at her with an expression of complete and utter terror on his face. Panic filled his voice, "Oh merlin...Lily don't move, I'll get you to the hospital wing...just don't move."
*****************************************************************************
"Torrance? Wake up...Torrance it will be fine..." Torrance's eyes snapped open. She was in a brightly lit room...the hospital wing.
"Oh thank god. Tori can you hear me?" It was Lily and her face had lost it's color. Did she see tears? No, no tears...
"Wha? What happened?" Torrance asked as she guarded her eyes from the bright rays of light that came through the open window.
"That's what I would like to know. Miss Torrance?"
Lily and Torrance gazed at the Headmaster that just entered the infirmary.
"Professor Dumbledore! I don't know...I came in for the night and she was just there on the floor..." Lily said quickly.
"But how did I get here?" Torrance felt very disoriented.
"I believe Mr. Lupin helped Lily, did he not?" Dumbledore gazed at Lily.
"Yes sir. I ran to get him because I couldn't carry Torrance by myself."
"Remus? Then where is he?" Torrance asked as she glanced around the wing.
Lily looked at Torrance, "Left. He couldn't stand to see you like that. So he left not too long ago."
Torrance groaned,"I feel like my head has been split into two."
"More like you stomach was split into two." Dumbledore said "Now, is there anything you would like to tell me?"
So Torrance did. She told him everything. How she would wake up in cold sweat, shivering uncontrollably even when it wasn't cold...how she kept having visions that her best friend was going to die.
"I see. Well, it seems to me that your visions have regenerated physically."
"Meaning..."
"It means that your emotions got in the way of your vision...so whatever happens in the dream will also happen to you in reality."
How could he take this so calm like? Didn't he realize that dream could have killed her? That it means that Lily might die? Did he even care?
***LILY'S POV***
By the time Lily and Torrance exited the Hospital Wing they had already missed half of their classes. Lily persuaded Torrance that she should go lay down in her bed in the dorm but like always Torrance was just down right stubborn. Some things never change.
"For the last time. I'm not going to lie down in that ruddy bed and miss all my classes. I'll be fine, really, even Madam Pomfrey said so." Torrance said.
Madam Pomfrey gave Torrance some dreamless sleeping pills to ease her "nightmares". Torrance insisted that she was getting these visions for a reason and they shouldn't be ignored but Madam Pomfrey was stubborn also. So, before bed every night Lily was to make sure Torrance took her pills.
The girls were on their way to History of Magic. They were already ten minutes late so they weren't really in any rush to get there. It was the most boring class they had anyway.
By the time Lily opened the dingy doors to enter the classroom she noticed that the whole class had been paired up into groups of two. She examined the pairs. Remus and Crabbe. Sirius and Macnair. James and Goyle. Okay, it was obvious that the students didn't get to pick their partners.
"Well, Miss Lily and Miss Torrance. I guess better late than never. As you can see you will need a partner for this assignment and I took the liberty of pairing you up already." Professor Binns said boringly, "Torrance you will be with Severus and Lily I have you paired with Lucius."
"Bugger," Torrance swore under her breath while Lily groaned inwardly. As she made her way to her doom she glanced at Remus. He had a look of complete sympathy. "Good luck," he muttered as she passed his table where Crabbe was chewing on his quill.
"Look who decided to grace us with her presence? Oh, did I say grace, I meant distress." Lucius sneered at Lily when she took her seat in front of him. Lily heard Torrance grumble as she sat down at her table directly behind Lily's.
"Do you want me to castrate him for you? It will be my pleasure...honestly..." Torrance whispered.
"I'll be fine. Watch your temper and keep your eyes on your assignment." Lily warned. She forced herself to turn back around to face Lucius.
She noticed that James was keeping a close eye on him, waiting for him to touch her. That was kind of flattering... Remus happened to be doing the same, only he watched out for Snape.
"Okay now each pair will do an essay. I have put the topics in the envelope on the table you're sitting at. You may begin." Professor Binns said.
Lily reached over to grab the envelope by Lucius' hand.
"Don't touch me!" Lucius snapped.
"Not out of my own free will." Lily muttered as she opened the envelope and read aloud:
Topic- Discuss what you think the past wizards of history did wrong concerning muggles. Explain thoroughly. Must be one and a half parchments long. Partners must agree on completed answer.
'Oh no. Here we go. Out of all the topics--'
"Oh well, this one's easy. Past wizards should have just exterminated every person that even had a trace of muggle in them. That would solve everything." Lucius said. Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, why aren't you writing this down?"
"I thought that would be obvious." Lily retorted.
"Listen to me," Lucius hissed above a whisper, "I don't know who you think you are speaking to me like that but it's going to stop right now. People like you shouldn't even be here. I don't know which is lower...muggleborns like you or--"
"Your O.W.L. score?" Lily said.
Apparently most of the class was listening to them bicker because several students laughed at loud at Lily's last retort, including James, Sirius, Remus and Torrance. Lucius went slightly red.
"Now that you've gotten over yourself...let's actually start the lesson." Lily said.
"You do know why people put up with you, don't you?" Lucius asked.
"No. Enlighten me." Lily said as she flipped through her text book.
"It's because you hang out with people like her." Lucius gestured towards Torrance's back.
"Are you through yet? Because I'm warning you..."
"Not, like she's any better. She probably goes to your "house" all the time...rolling around in your parents muggle stink..."
"DAMNIT MALFOY! THAT'S IT!" Lily got up so fast from where she was sitting her chair toppled over behind her as she flung herself across the table at Lucius. But before she got there someone had her around the middle.
"Lily! Calm down! LILY! REMUS HELP ME RESTRAIN HER!" Torrance's muffled voice said as she put her body between Lily and her prey.
When Remus finally stepped in, Lily was defeated and forced back into her chair with Torrance holding one shoulder and Remus the other. The rest of the class stared in amazement.
"Come off it Lupin! Malfoy can live without one testicle!" Lily raged.
"As much as I would like to see it...I can't let you kill Lucius." Remus replied.
Lily sat there, breathing heavily for a few moments.
"Can I let you up now? Can you be civil?" Torrance asked slowly. After a few seconds thinking it over Lily nodded her head. Torrance and Remus let go of her shoulders cautiously.
Lily took this chance of free restraint to charge at Malfoy again but Torrance knew her all too well to be fooled by Lily's false truce.
"See...I knew you were going to do that." Torrance said as her body became the shield inbetween the two students again.
"Yeah, you better hold her back. I could rip the little Mudblood apart with one blow..." Lucius spat behind Torrance's shoulder.
There was a sharp intake of breath from the Gryffindors inside the classroom.
Lily saw the anger in the Marauder's eyes as all of them made aggressive moves towards Lucius. But none of that anger even compared with what Lily saw in Torrance's eyes. Fury. Pure fury lit Torrance's deep brown eyes.
Before Lily had a chance to think twice, Torrance let go of her and turned around to face Lucius.
"THAT'S IT! LET'S HAVE A GO MALFOY!" Then... BAM! One right hook to the left jaw and Lucius was down on the ground faster than you could say round one. Torrance massaged her bruised knuckles. Lily grinned.
"I thought I told you to watch your temper." Lily said smugly.
"Yeah, well...you were always the level-headed one." Torrance replied.
The bell rang signaling for the classes to be over for the day. Torrance and Lily stepped over Lucius and walked out of the room side by side as the Marauders and the rest of the class followed them with admiration sketched upon their faces.
***REMUS' POV***
Today was a particulary odd day for the teenage werewolf. Even for him, being a Marauder and all. First, he carried a half conscience Torrance to the hospital wing that morning and didn't get any answers to why she was like that in the first place. Then, he watched the same girl pummel Lucius Malfoy in the face that very same day. He was growing more in love with her every time he saw her.
Right now, he was in the common room catching up on some studying he had neglected to do earlier in the week. It was nearing eight o'clock and a lot of Gryffindors had been forced back into their commons. Remus was right in the middle of writing the uses of dragon's blood when a note magically appeared on his parchment.
'Meet me in the headgirl's room at ten o'clock. Don't be late.' -Lily
Headgirl's room? Did she mean the Headgirl's common room? Alone? She didn't still have a thing for him, did she? I mean, third year was a long time ago, surely she still wouldn't have a crush on him. Right?
"Hey Moony, quite some day we're having, huh?"
"Huh? I mean...yeah Prongs...quite some day." Remus said softly.
"I told Padfoot that he better not mess with Torrance at the ball or she would make him eat his own wand." James said as he sat down beside Remus.
Sirius and Torrance...they would be going to the ball together. Remus' heart dropped. Only a couple more weeks...
"Yeah, Torrance...she's quite some girl." Remus replied.
He glanced over there by the fireplace at Torrance. She was laughing at something Lily had said. Her eyes sparkled and her long, brown hair swished from side to side when she turned her head. Perfect.
***JAMES' POV***
Was Remus looking at Lily? He was certainly looking at someone by the fireplace...hmm... James watched as Remus ran his hand through his hair...there was something different about it...
"Moony? Did you get a haircut?"
"Wow Prongs, nice observation skills. I've only had it for about a week." Remus said sarcastically.
James rolled his eyes. Hey, he was a guy...how was he suppose to know?
Just then a group of sixth year girl Gryffindors came up to their table. In all, there was about five of them...all of them giggling like mad.
"Yes?" Remus asked politely.
More giggles. The supposedly leader of the pack spoke first.
"Uh...I was just wondering...Remus. It is alright if I call you Remus, isn't it?" The girl appeared to be quite nervous. James thought her name was Carlie, no it might by Carrisa...
"Yes, Carrisa. It's alright if you call me Remus." Ah, ha...it was Carrisa.
"Well, I wanted to know if you would consider going with me to the Christmas ball..." James saw Remus run his hand through his hair again and watched the girls sigh at this gesture.
To be honest, James thought this situation quite funny. Moony? Go to a ball? It was laughable. James had never even seen Moony dance before, let alone in front of people. Out of the seven years worth of dances, James couldn't remember any that Moony attended. Not one. No, Remus was the person you would find in the library, reading a book during a ball. He was the person who said 'whom' in all the right places. Moony was absolutely not a romancer.
"Oh, well I'm sorry Carrisa but I've already got a date. I'm honored that you would ask me though." Remus replied softly.
The group of girls groaned and headed up the stairs.
"This is proposterous! I'm hurt, here in my heart." James mockingly put his hand over his chest.
"What?"
"You have a date? Didn't it cross your mind that there would be a severe consequence for not telling us?"
"Tell us what?" It was Lily this time and she already had her pajamas on.
"Oh, Remus here has a date to the ball and didn't bother telling me or Sirius about it." James said as he eyed Lily's pajamas. Oooh...leapord print.
James picked up a playful glint in Lily's eye. "He does? Oh, I bet she's pretty and smart and graceful and lovely and--"
"A tad annoying?" Remus added. Lily slapped Remus' arm.
'Okay...what's going on here?' James thought.
"So what if I didn't tell you or Padfoot about her...you didn't tell me you were taking that Ravenclaw...what's her name? Oh, yeah...Kimberly."
James shuddered, "Yeah, don't remind me."
Lily stretched,"Yeah, well...I'm off to bed. G'night Remus,Po--er, I mean James." Lily made her way to the portrait hole.
"Uh...dorm rooms are that way love." James said as he pointed up the stairs.
"I know. I wanted to sleep in my Headgirl room for a change." Lily replied and disappeared through the hole.
***REMUS' POV***
It was about ten o'clock and thus began his journey to the headgirl dorm. He already answered one of his previous questions in the common room. And the answer was a positive 'no'. Lily did not have a crush on him because Remus distinctly saw the ring on her hand that James got for her. So, that was that and he was relieved.
"Okay, let's see here...Lily said the portrait with the picture of the fairy on it. Alright, here it is." Remus mumbled to himself as he made his way down the corridor.
"Password?" The fairy chimed.
Remus had forgotten to ask Lily for the password...great!
"Are you Remus?" The fairy asked.
"Yes."
"She told me to give you a hint."
"A hint?" Remus asked
"She said that this is what Torrance's future name was going to be."
'Future name? What did she mean by future--'
Remus went slightly red, "Is it Torrance Lupin?"
"Yes sir it is." The fairy said as she swung her portrait open.
Remus entered the headgirl's dorm to find Lily poking at the fire waiting for him. The room was quite impressive.
"Finally! Geez...I didn't know the password was going to be that hard!" Lily chuckled.
"Okay, okay...very funny. What exactly am I doing here?"
Lily's expression went from playful to serious in a matter of seconds.
"Uh...Remus, I just wanted to say that I know you might be confused about what happened this morning with Torrance..."
"Confused? Lily, you came banging on the guy's dorm and practically drug me to Torrance where I carried her limp, bloodied body to the hospital wing. I mean, what the hell happened?"
Few moments of silence...
"Do you want to let Torrance know about your lycanthropy?" Lily asked quietly.
Remus' face drained of color, "No."
"Well, that's why I can't give you the answers you want. It's not my secret to tell. Same with your secret."
Both Lily and Remus took a seat on the plush couch in front of the fireplace. Remus sighed.
"When did life become so hard?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Lily replied.
Remus smiled weakly, "I guess not."
"You and Torrance are such drama queens. It was like this time when Torrance kissed this guy a couple of years--"
"What?" Remus' heart stopped.
"What?" Lily asked a little annoyed with being interrupted.
"Torrance has already kissed a guy before?" Remus croaked.
"Uh, yeah. Who hasn't had their first--" Lily stopped abruptly the answer dawned on her face.
"We have a problem." Remus said.
"No. A lot of people haven't had their first kiss...like..uh...hold on give me a minute."
"You're so comforting." Remus said sarcastically.
"I got it! Severus hasn't had one. I bet a hundred Galleons on it." Lily said cheerfully.
"That's still not comforting." Remus said.
"Oh, come on. Anyone can do it, it's not like you need practice or anything. Here...try it on this pillow." Lily threw a pillow at Remus' head.
Remus looked at the pillow disgustingly, "I am not going to snog this cushion."
"I won't laugh, I promise." Lily said innocently.
"Nope. Not going to do it."
"Then how do you propose we work through this?" Lily inquired.
"I dunno...I'll just grow up to be a bad snogger...it's not that bad." Remus said doubtfully.
Lily sighed, "Fine. Here you can practice on me."
Remus' eyes widened, "What?!"
"Oh come on. Don't be a baby. It's completely professional. You don't want to end up like Snape, do you?"
"Fine." Remus groaned.
"Okay...ready? One...two...three."
Remus leaned forward slowly and felt Lily's lips touch his. They were amazingly soft and tasted like...strawberries. He moved a bit closer and put his hands in her hair...This was a odd feeling...he felt extremely awkward.
Lily pulled away slowly. "Umm...that was...err...good." Lily said breathlessly.
"Was it that bad?"
"No, it was perfect...it's just..." Lily looked extremely uncomfortable.
They both jumped up from the couch and wiped their lips until they were raw.
"Eww...that was so gross!" Remus said as he started to spit into the fire.
Lily shuddered, "I know! I feel like I need to take a bath..."
Then the both said at the same time, "It was like kissing a sibling!"
They walked to the opposite ends of the room and faced their wall. When they looked back around at each other they shuddered.
"Okay, we are never going to do that again." Lily said
Remus smiled, "Yeah and this incident stays in this room, deal?"
"Deal." Lily agreed and they shook on it.
Remus' ears perked up, "Did you hear that?"
Lily held her breathe, "No...what is it."
'Knock, Knock.'
"Someone's knocking on your portrait." Remus smelt a familiar scent in the air. What was it? It smelt of...peppermint and firecracker smoke. Oh god, he knew that smell. It was James.
***********MEANWHILE******************************
"Hey Padfoot, I'm going down to swipe a midnight snack. Want anything?" James said as he bounced off his bed and onto the dorm floor.
"Nah, I just came from there. But don't forget to take the map. I think it's Filch's time to do his patrolling." Sirius replied.
"What do you take me for? An amateur?"
Sirius sneered. "You weren't so cunning last time, now were you Mr. Prongs? I seem to remember Professor Mcgonagall catching you right in the middle of your prank. Now, what happened again? Oh, yes...you ran and went into your own trap."
James rolled his eyes. "Even the professionals have their slip ups." James went over to Remus' trunk and pulled out their prideful Marauder's Map.
"What the--" James stopped half way out the door. He was seeing things, or the map had finally gone bonkers. It was Lily and Remus and they were in her room, alone. Sirius snatched the map away.
"Don't think it Prongs, don't you think it. They are probably just studying in their because the common room was to loud."
"Well, I shall go pay them a little visit." And before Sirius had a say in anything, James left full speed down the boy's staircase.
**************************************************
"We've been found out." Remus sighed.
"You didn't tell anyone about this place, did you?" Lily asked
"I didn't need to. James, Sirius, Peter and I made a map a while back that shows the outline of the school. James must have seen us on the map while he made his daily trip to get some food."
'Knock, Knock!'
"Okay, don't panic. We've haven't been seen, yet."
"Are you nutters? Haven't you been listening to me? He has the map." Remus said.
"Just leave it to me. Go back there in the back room and don't come out." Lily said. Remus did as he was told and when Lily was sure he was out of eye distance she took off her robe that covered her pajamas.
'Knock, Knock...BANG!'
"Hold your knickers. I'm coming!" Lily yelled through the portrait. Lily opened the painting slowly only to reveal a heavy-breathing James on the other side.
"Where's Remus?" James asked inbetween breaths.
"Hello to you to James."
"Hi Lily...where's Remus?" James asked again.
"I don't know. He's not in the common room?" Lily asked sweetly.
"Look, don't play innocent love. I know he's in there. Now, why don't you just--" James stopped mid sentence.
He just now realized what Lily was wearing...it was the first time ever he had seen her without a robe on. Suddenly it felt extrememly hot where he was standing. It felt like his robe collar was choking him. Why was it so hot in this hallway?
"What?" Lily chuckled.
"Uh...er...are you sure you don't know where...uh...Remus is?" James asked as he messed up his hair.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No but if I see him, I'll let you know. G'night James."
"Uh, G'night Lil." James murmured.
Lily shut the portrait softly and listened as she heard James walk off.
"Is he gone?" Remus whispered from behind the couch.
"Piece of cake." Lily smiled and watched a wave of relief sweep over Remus' face.
Sorry if these stories are spaced in a wierd way, it's because when I download these text documents...I don't know it just spaces the story kind funky. I hope you can follow along without getting confused.
Chapter Title: An Odd Day
Disclaimer: I don't know why I even keep bothering to put these disclaimers up because everyone knows that I don't own any of these characters, besides Torrance of course.
***LILY'S POV***
Lily had had the best time with Remus on her birthday. What more could she ask for? He had sung to her. To her. He set his dignity on the line and she loved him for it. Love. That sounded weird to her. Love. Lily didn't get it; Remus and love just didn't seem to fit in the same sentence.
Lily re-entered her dorm room quietly so she wouldn't wake up her fellow roommates and shut the window softly as she watched Remus fly off towards his own dorm. Lily turned around to slip her tired body into bed when she stumbled over something that appeared to be...alive! It was Torrance...and her lower torso was covered in blood.
Lily couldn't breathe. Her very own breath seemed to be caught in her chest as she ran her eyes over Torrance. Lily felt of her hand...it was ice.
Like a cat, Lily pulled off her own robes and wrapped it around Torrance tightly to stop the bleeding, but in the matter of minutes her own robes were soaked in blood.
'I have to get her to the Hospital Wing...she'll be alright...she'll be alright...alright.'
***TORRANCE'S POV***
She was on the school grounds again and what appeared to be nighttime. Torrance glanced around at her surroundings. 'Not again...' she recognized this dream only too often. Then suddenly, in slow motion, she saw a green light slash through her and a voice not her own screamed. She hit the ground.
"Lily! LILY!" Torrance turned around to see Remus running at her with an expression of complete and utter terror on his face. Panic filled his voice, "Oh merlin...Lily don't move, I'll get you to the hospital wing...just don't move."
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"Torrance? Wake up...Torrance it will be fine..." Torrance's eyes snapped open. She was in a brightly lit room...the hospital wing.
"Oh thank god. Tori can you hear me?" It was Lily and her face had lost it's color. Did she see tears? No, no tears...
"Wha? What happened?" Torrance asked as she guarded her eyes from the bright rays of light that came through the open window.
"That's what I would like to know. Miss Torrance?"
Lily and Torrance gazed at the Headmaster that just entered the infirmary.
"Professor Dumbledore! I don't know...I came in for the night and she was just there on the floor..." Lily said quickly.
"But how did I get here?" Torrance felt very disoriented.
"I believe Mr. Lupin helped Lily, did he not?" Dumbledore gazed at Lily.
"Yes sir. I ran to get him because I couldn't carry Torrance by myself."
"Remus? Then where is he?" Torrance asked as she glanced around the wing.
Lily looked at Torrance, "Left. He couldn't stand to see you like that. So he left not too long ago."
Torrance groaned,"I feel like my head has been split into two."
"More like you stomach was split into two." Dumbledore said "Now, is there anything you would like to tell me?"
So Torrance did. She told him everything. How she would wake up in cold sweat, shivering uncontrollably even when it wasn't cold...how she kept having visions that her best friend was going to die.
"I see. Well, it seems to me that your visions have regenerated physically."
"Meaning..."
"It means that your emotions got in the way of your vision...so whatever happens in the dream will also happen to you in reality."
How could he take this so calm like? Didn't he realize that dream could have killed her? That it means that Lily might die? Did he even care?
***LILY'S POV***
By the time Lily and Torrance exited the Hospital Wing they had already missed half of their classes. Lily persuaded Torrance that she should go lay down in her bed in the dorm but like always Torrance was just down right stubborn. Some things never change.
"For the last time. I'm not going to lie down in that ruddy bed and miss all my classes. I'll be fine, really, even Madam Pomfrey said so." Torrance said.
Madam Pomfrey gave Torrance some dreamless sleeping pills to ease her "nightmares". Torrance insisted that she was getting these visions for a reason and they shouldn't be ignored but Madam Pomfrey was stubborn also. So, before bed every night Lily was to make sure Torrance took her pills.
The girls were on their way to History of Magic. They were already ten minutes late so they weren't really in any rush to get there. It was the most boring class they had anyway.
By the time Lily opened the dingy doors to enter the classroom she noticed that the whole class had been paired up into groups of two. She examined the pairs. Remus and Crabbe. Sirius and Macnair. James and Goyle. Okay, it was obvious that the students didn't get to pick their partners.
"Well, Miss Lily and Miss Torrance. I guess better late than never. As you can see you will need a partner for this assignment and I took the liberty of pairing you up already." Professor Binns said boringly, "Torrance you will be with Severus and Lily I have you paired with Lucius."
"Bugger," Torrance swore under her breath while Lily groaned inwardly. As she made her way to her doom she glanced at Remus. He had a look of complete sympathy. "Good luck," he muttered as she passed his table where Crabbe was chewing on his quill.
"Look who decided to grace us with her presence? Oh, did I say grace, I meant distress." Lucius sneered at Lily when she took her seat in front of him. Lily heard Torrance grumble as she sat down at her table directly behind Lily's.
"Do you want me to castrate him for you? It will be my pleasure...honestly..." Torrance whispered.
"I'll be fine. Watch your temper and keep your eyes on your assignment." Lily warned. She forced herself to turn back around to face Lucius.
She noticed that James was keeping a close eye on him, waiting for him to touch her. That was kind of flattering... Remus happened to be doing the same, only he watched out for Snape.
"Okay now each pair will do an essay. I have put the topics in the envelope on the table you're sitting at. You may begin." Professor Binns said.
Lily reached over to grab the envelope by Lucius' hand.
"Don't touch me!" Lucius snapped.
"Not out of my own free will." Lily muttered as she opened the envelope and read aloud:
Topic- Discuss what you think the past wizards of history did wrong concerning muggles. Explain thoroughly. Must be one and a half parchments long. Partners must agree on completed answer.
'Oh no. Here we go. Out of all the topics--'
"Oh well, this one's easy. Past wizards should have just exterminated every person that even had a trace of muggle in them. That would solve everything." Lucius said. Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, why aren't you writing this down?"
"I thought that would be obvious." Lily retorted.
"Listen to me," Lucius hissed above a whisper, "I don't know who you think you are speaking to me like that but it's going to stop right now. People like you shouldn't even be here. I don't know which is lower...muggleborns like you or--"
"Your O.W.L. score?" Lily said.
Apparently most of the class was listening to them bicker because several students laughed at loud at Lily's last retort, including James, Sirius, Remus and Torrance. Lucius went slightly red.
"Now that you've gotten over yourself...let's actually start the lesson." Lily said.
"You do know why people put up with you, don't you?" Lucius asked.
"No. Enlighten me." Lily said as she flipped through her text book.
"It's because you hang out with people like her." Lucius gestured towards Torrance's back.
"Are you through yet? Because I'm warning you..."
"Not, like she's any better. She probably goes to your "house" all the time...rolling around in your parents muggle stink..."
"DAMNIT MALFOY! THAT'S IT!" Lily got up so fast from where she was sitting her chair toppled over behind her as she flung herself across the table at Lucius. But before she got there someone had her around the middle.
"Lily! Calm down! LILY! REMUS HELP ME RESTRAIN HER!" Torrance's muffled voice said as she put her body between Lily and her prey.
When Remus finally stepped in, Lily was defeated and forced back into her chair with Torrance holding one shoulder and Remus the other. The rest of the class stared in amazement.
"Come off it Lupin! Malfoy can live without one testicle!" Lily raged.
"As much as I would like to see it...I can't let you kill Lucius." Remus replied.
Lily sat there, breathing heavily for a few moments.
"Can I let you up now? Can you be civil?" Torrance asked slowly. After a few seconds thinking it over Lily nodded her head. Torrance and Remus let go of her shoulders cautiously.
Lily took this chance of free restraint to charge at Malfoy again but Torrance knew her all too well to be fooled by Lily's false truce.
"See...I knew you were going to do that." Torrance said as her body became the shield inbetween the two students again.
"Yeah, you better hold her back. I could rip the little Mudblood apart with one blow..." Lucius spat behind Torrance's shoulder.
There was a sharp intake of breath from the Gryffindors inside the classroom.
Lily saw the anger in the Marauder's eyes as all of them made aggressive moves towards Lucius. But none of that anger even compared with what Lily saw in Torrance's eyes. Fury. Pure fury lit Torrance's deep brown eyes.
Before Lily had a chance to think twice, Torrance let go of her and turned around to face Lucius.
"THAT'S IT! LET'S HAVE A GO MALFOY!" Then... BAM! One right hook to the left jaw and Lucius was down on the ground faster than you could say round one. Torrance massaged her bruised knuckles. Lily grinned.
"I thought I told you to watch your temper." Lily said smugly.
"Yeah, well...you were always the level-headed one." Torrance replied.
The bell rang signaling for the classes to be over for the day. Torrance and Lily stepped over Lucius and walked out of the room side by side as the Marauders and the rest of the class followed them with admiration sketched upon their faces.
***REMUS' POV***
Today was a particulary odd day for the teenage werewolf. Even for him, being a Marauder and all. First, he carried a half conscience Torrance to the hospital wing that morning and didn't get any answers to why she was like that in the first place. Then, he watched the same girl pummel Lucius Malfoy in the face that very same day. He was growing more in love with her every time he saw her.
Right now, he was in the common room catching up on some studying he had neglected to do earlier in the week. It was nearing eight o'clock and a lot of Gryffindors had been forced back into their commons. Remus was right in the middle of writing the uses of dragon's blood when a note magically appeared on his parchment.
'Meet me in the headgirl's room at ten o'clock. Don't be late.' -Lily
Headgirl's room? Did she mean the Headgirl's common room? Alone? She didn't still have a thing for him, did she? I mean, third year was a long time ago, surely she still wouldn't have a crush on him. Right?
"Hey Moony, quite some day we're having, huh?"
"Huh? I mean...yeah Prongs...quite some day." Remus said softly.
"I told Padfoot that he better not mess with Torrance at the ball or she would make him eat his own wand." James said as he sat down beside Remus.
Sirius and Torrance...they would be going to the ball together. Remus' heart dropped. Only a couple more weeks...
"Yeah, Torrance...she's quite some girl." Remus replied.
He glanced over there by the fireplace at Torrance. She was laughing at something Lily had said. Her eyes sparkled and her long, brown hair swished from side to side when she turned her head. Perfect.
***JAMES' POV***
Was Remus looking at Lily? He was certainly looking at someone by the fireplace...hmm... James watched as Remus ran his hand through his hair...there was something different about it...
"Moony? Did you get a haircut?"
"Wow Prongs, nice observation skills. I've only had it for about a week." Remus said sarcastically.
James rolled his eyes. Hey, he was a guy...how was he suppose to know?
Just then a group of sixth year girl Gryffindors came up to their table. In all, there was about five of them...all of them giggling like mad.
"Yes?" Remus asked politely.
More giggles. The supposedly leader of the pack spoke first.
"Uh...I was just wondering...Remus. It is alright if I call you Remus, isn't it?" The girl appeared to be quite nervous. James thought her name was Carlie, no it might by Carrisa...
"Yes, Carrisa. It's alright if you call me Remus." Ah, ha...it was Carrisa.
"Well, I wanted to know if you would consider going with me to the Christmas ball..." James saw Remus run his hand through his hair again and watched the girls sigh at this gesture.
To be honest, James thought this situation quite funny. Moony? Go to a ball? It was laughable. James had never even seen Moony dance before, let alone in front of people. Out of the seven years worth of dances, James couldn't remember any that Moony attended. Not one. No, Remus was the person you would find in the library, reading a book during a ball. He was the person who said 'whom' in all the right places. Moony was absolutely not a romancer.
"Oh, well I'm sorry Carrisa but I've already got a date. I'm honored that you would ask me though." Remus replied softly.
The group of girls groaned and headed up the stairs.
"This is proposterous! I'm hurt, here in my heart." James mockingly put his hand over his chest.
"What?"
"You have a date? Didn't it cross your mind that there would be a severe consequence for not telling us?"
"Tell us what?" It was Lily this time and she already had her pajamas on.
"Oh, Remus here has a date to the ball and didn't bother telling me or Sirius about it." James said as he eyed Lily's pajamas. Oooh...leapord print.
James picked up a playful glint in Lily's eye. "He does? Oh, I bet she's pretty and smart and graceful and lovely and--"
"A tad annoying?" Remus added. Lily slapped Remus' arm.
'Okay...what's going on here?' James thought.
"So what if I didn't tell you or Padfoot about her...you didn't tell me you were taking that Ravenclaw...what's her name? Oh, yeah...Kimberly."
James shuddered, "Yeah, don't remind me."
Lily stretched,"Yeah, well...I'm off to bed. G'night Remus,Po--er, I mean James." Lily made her way to the portrait hole.
"Uh...dorm rooms are that way love." James said as he pointed up the stairs.
"I know. I wanted to sleep in my Headgirl room for a change." Lily replied and disappeared through the hole.
***REMUS' POV***
It was about ten o'clock and thus began his journey to the headgirl dorm. He already answered one of his previous questions in the common room. And the answer was a positive 'no'. Lily did not have a crush on him because Remus distinctly saw the ring on her hand that James got for her. So, that was that and he was relieved.
"Okay, let's see here...Lily said the portrait with the picture of the fairy on it. Alright, here it is." Remus mumbled to himself as he made his way down the corridor.
"Password?" The fairy chimed.
Remus had forgotten to ask Lily for the password...great!
"Are you Remus?" The fairy asked.
"Yes."
"She told me to give you a hint."
"A hint?" Remus asked
"She said that this is what Torrance's future name was going to be."
'Future name? What did she mean by future--'
Remus went slightly red, "Is it Torrance Lupin?"
"Yes sir it is." The fairy said as she swung her portrait open.
Remus entered the headgirl's dorm to find Lily poking at the fire waiting for him. The room was quite impressive.
"Finally! Geez...I didn't know the password was going to be that hard!" Lily chuckled.
"Okay, okay...very funny. What exactly am I doing here?"
Lily's expression went from playful to serious in a matter of seconds.
"Uh...Remus, I just wanted to say that I know you might be confused about what happened this morning with Torrance..."
"Confused? Lily, you came banging on the guy's dorm and practically drug me to Torrance where I carried her limp, bloodied body to the hospital wing. I mean, what the hell happened?"
Few moments of silence...
"Do you want to let Torrance know about your lycanthropy?" Lily asked quietly.
Remus' face drained of color, "No."
"Well, that's why I can't give you the answers you want. It's not my secret to tell. Same with your secret."
Both Lily and Remus took a seat on the plush couch in front of the fireplace. Remus sighed.
"When did life become so hard?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Lily replied.
Remus smiled weakly, "I guess not."
"You and Torrance are such drama queens. It was like this time when Torrance kissed this guy a couple of years--"
"What?" Remus' heart stopped.
"What?" Lily asked a little annoyed with being interrupted.
"Torrance has already kissed a guy before?" Remus croaked.
"Uh, yeah. Who hasn't had their first--" Lily stopped abruptly the answer dawned on her face.
"We have a problem." Remus said.
"No. A lot of people haven't had their first kiss...like..uh...hold on give me a minute."
"You're so comforting." Remus said sarcastically.
"I got it! Severus hasn't had one. I bet a hundred Galleons on it." Lily said cheerfully.
"That's still not comforting." Remus said.
"Oh, come on. Anyone can do it, it's not like you need practice or anything. Here...try it on this pillow." Lily threw a pillow at Remus' head.
Remus looked at the pillow disgustingly, "I am not going to snog this cushion."
"I won't laugh, I promise." Lily said innocently.
"Nope. Not going to do it."
"Then how do you propose we work through this?" Lily inquired.
"I dunno...I'll just grow up to be a bad snogger...it's not that bad." Remus said doubtfully.
Lily sighed, "Fine. Here you can practice on me."
Remus' eyes widened, "What?!"
"Oh come on. Don't be a baby. It's completely professional. You don't want to end up like Snape, do you?"
"Fine." Remus groaned.
"Okay...ready? One...two...three."
Remus leaned forward slowly and felt Lily's lips touch his. They were amazingly soft and tasted like...strawberries. He moved a bit closer and put his hands in her hair...This was a odd feeling...he felt extremely awkward.
Lily pulled away slowly. "Umm...that was...err...good." Lily said breathlessly.
"Was it that bad?"
"No, it was perfect...it's just..." Lily looked extremely uncomfortable.
They both jumped up from the couch and wiped their lips until they were raw.
"Eww...that was so gross!" Remus said as he started to spit into the fire.
Lily shuddered, "I know! I feel like I need to take a bath..."
Then the both said at the same time, "It was like kissing a sibling!"
They walked to the opposite ends of the room and faced their wall. When they looked back around at each other they shuddered.
"Okay, we are never going to do that again." Lily said
Remus smiled, "Yeah and this incident stays in this room, deal?"
"Deal." Lily agreed and they shook on it.
Remus' ears perked up, "Did you hear that?"
Lily held her breathe, "No...what is it."
'Knock, Knock.'
"Someone's knocking on your portrait." Remus smelt a familiar scent in the air. What was it? It smelt of...peppermint and firecracker smoke. Oh god, he knew that smell. It was James.
***********MEANWHILE******************************
"Hey Padfoot, I'm going down to swipe a midnight snack. Want anything?" James said as he bounced off his bed and onto the dorm floor.
"Nah, I just came from there. But don't forget to take the map. I think it's Filch's time to do his patrolling." Sirius replied.
"What do you take me for? An amateur?"
Sirius sneered. "You weren't so cunning last time, now were you Mr. Prongs? I seem to remember Professor Mcgonagall catching you right in the middle of your prank. Now, what happened again? Oh, yes...you ran and went into your own trap."
James rolled his eyes. "Even the professionals have their slip ups." James went over to Remus' trunk and pulled out their prideful Marauder's Map.
"What the--" James stopped half way out the door. He was seeing things, or the map had finally gone bonkers. It was Lily and Remus and they were in her room, alone. Sirius snatched the map away.
"Don't think it Prongs, don't you think it. They are probably just studying in their because the common room was to loud."
"Well, I shall go pay them a little visit." And before Sirius had a say in anything, James left full speed down the boy's staircase.
**************************************************
"We've been found out." Remus sighed.
"You didn't tell anyone about this place, did you?" Lily asked
"I didn't need to. James, Sirius, Peter and I made a map a while back that shows the outline of the school. James must have seen us on the map while he made his daily trip to get some food."
'Knock, Knock!'
"Okay, don't panic. We've haven't been seen, yet."
"Are you nutters? Haven't you been listening to me? He has the map." Remus said.
"Just leave it to me. Go back there in the back room and don't come out." Lily said. Remus did as he was told and when Lily was sure he was out of eye distance she took off her robe that covered her pajamas.
'Knock, Knock...BANG!'
"Hold your knickers. I'm coming!" Lily yelled through the portrait. Lily opened the painting slowly only to reveal a heavy-breathing James on the other side.
"Where's Remus?" James asked inbetween breaths.
"Hello to you to James."
"Hi Lily...where's Remus?" James asked again.
"I don't know. He's not in the common room?" Lily asked sweetly.
"Look, don't play innocent love. I know he's in there. Now, why don't you just--" James stopped mid sentence.
He just now realized what Lily was wearing...it was the first time ever he had seen her without a robe on. Suddenly it felt extrememly hot where he was standing. It felt like his robe collar was choking him. Why was it so hot in this hallway?
"What?" Lily chuckled.
"Uh...er...are you sure you don't know where...uh...Remus is?" James asked as he messed up his hair.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No but if I see him, I'll let you know. G'night James."
"Uh, G'night Lil." James murmured.
Lily shut the portrait softly and listened as she heard James walk off.
"Is he gone?" Remus whispered from behind the couch.
"Piece of cake." Lily smiled and watched a wave of relief sweep over Remus' face.