Author's Note: It has come to my attention that I have been spelling "werewolf" wrong. I spelled it "werewolve". That's my bad. It didn't seem to bother hardly anyone, so that's cool. Either ya'll didn't catch it or you guys didn't care. Either way, it was my mistake.
I'm extremely ecstatic that people seemed to like the last chapter. I wrote it in about thirty minutes to a hour, so I'm glad it came out well. Yes, believe it or not...it doesn't take me long to write these chapters, I'm just lazy and forget to post them.
Some people think that I'm picking on James way too much. Well, to all you James fans out there, to be honest, I like it! I think it's funny because someone needs to put him in his place and what better person to do that than his best friend Remus? I realize that in the books Remus held his tongue when it came to calming down his friends but in my story Remus is around Lily so much she kind of rubs off on him. Get it?
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*Curtains open* NOW PRESENTING THE FEATURE PRESENTATION
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Chapter Title: Halfway to Hogsmeade
Disclaimer:
Indiangurl-James, do I own you?
James-In your dreams.
Indiangurl-Sirius, do I own you?
Sirius-You wish.
Indiangurl-Remus, do I own you?
Remus-Over my dead body.
Indiangurl-*sobs* She stole them! JKR stole them from me!
Rowling-You have Torrance though.
Indiangurl-*grins wildly* I know, she's the best anyway.
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***REMUS' POV***
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Remus left the hospital wing early in the wee hours of the morning. He tossed and turned the whole night. It was the worst night he ever had to sleep through. Seeing the look of horror on Torrance's beautiful face...he could bare it no longer. He knew she had found out. What he didn't know was how. One second he was actually having a real conversation with her then the next thing he knew...well, he didn't know what exactly happened.
He had to talk to someone. His feet carried him to the Gryffindor common room but his mind was oblivious to where he was going. The image of Torrance backing away from his bed cautiously kept replaying inside his head. She acted like she had never known him before, like he was going to attack her right there on the spot. Torrance's eyes were filled with realization for what he really was and when it registered within her brain, she fled.
'Of course she did, why wouldn't she?' Remus thought bitterly.
Before he knew it he was standing outside his own dorm room and he could hear the distant snores of his fellow Gryffindors within the room. He reached out and opened the door very slowly and shut it silently behind him. He peered around the room. He really need someone to talk to, anyone.
Remus first looked at Peter lying face down on his bed. No, he couldn't talk to him. He hadn't really been around lately. His eyes darted over towards Sirius. Nope, not him either. Sirius acted out on his feelings to rashly. He would panic and Remus did not trust himself. He might let his feelings slip about Torrance and he couldn't have that. Then, Remus' eyes fell on James. Remus sighed. James' wouldn't want to talk to him, not after the fight still fresh in their minds.
Was there no one for him to talk to? He walked towards his own bed, careful not to trip over anybody's belongings. He lied down on his soft bedspread when he felt something hard poke him in his side. He rolled over to find his broom in the middle of his bed.
"I think it's time to have a chat with Lils." Remus muttered as he rolled the broomstick in his hand.
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About ten minutes later Remus was opening the entrance to the girl's dormitory quietly. It was nearing five-thirty in the morning and he wasn't expecting for any of the girl population to be up but as he neared Lily's bed all he found was her pillow and blanket...but no Lily.
"That's odd..." Remus whispered as he looked around the room. Still no Lily.
Remus then heard an echo coming from the girl's bathroom. He tip toed closer to the door and pressed his ear against it. Well, he knew where Lily was. It seemed that she was in the shower and singing, not good either. Remus laughed softly and shook his head as he listened to the off notes of Lily's singing. It was amazing that the other girls in the dorm hadn't woken up yet. The smell of Lily's body wash leaked through the openings of the door and the scent filled the young werewolf's senses.
'She always has to smell like strawberries.' Remus thought.
Then, Remus heard the shower head turn off and Lily step out of the shower. Startled, Remus quickly backed away from the door. Moments later, the door opened and steam exited the bathroom as Lily came into the dorm. Lily spotted Remus right away and her eyes grew twice the normal size.
"Remus! What are you doing here or more importantly...how did you get in here?!" Lily hissed as she pulled her white robe more tightly around her body.
Some girls rolled over in their sleep, threatening to wake up.
"Hush! You want to wake everybody up? It's not like I knew you were going to be in the shower! Oh, and by the way...your an absolute horrible singer." Remus said as he contained his laughter.
Lily blushed, "That's not the point."
"Then please direct me to the point."
"The point is that you can't be up here! You could get into trouble." Lily said.
"Look, I realize that but I needed some one to talk to." Remus whispered. He suddenly felt very weak and tired. He needed to sit down.
Lily's expression softened, "Alright, just hold on a second. Let me get dressed."
"Don't mind me."
Lily cleared her throat, "Hem, Hem."
"Oh, sorry." Remus said. He then turned his back towards her so she could get dressed in peace. He didn't turn back around until Lily said he could.
"Remus, you look terrible."
"I feel terrible." Remus replied.
"Here, come over here and sit down." Lily patted a spot next to her on her bed. When Remus took the seat, Lily pulled the bed curtains around them so they could have some amount of privacy.
Lily spoke first, "Look, I think I know what this is about."
"You do? She told you, didn't she?" Remus asked as he busied himself with the pillow ruffles.
"Of course she did, she tells me everything. Listen, she was just freaked out. I calmed her down." Lily said as she tried to make eye contact with him.
Remus held her gaze for a few moments then finally said, "But you didn't see her face. You didn't see her eyes. I knew what she thought of me and it wasn't anything more than a monster."
"You are Remus. A werewolf is only you a couple of days out of the month but the whole other time you're just Remus. She'll get it and if she doesn't, I'll make her get it." Lily said with a smile.
Remus gave a soft smile then frowned.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
"Torrance. How did she find out? One minute she acted completely normal around me then the next second she just froze still, like she thought if she moved I would bite her. I don't get it..."
Remus saw Lily bite down on her lip slightly.
"Oh, well...what you have to understand about that--" But Lily was interrupted by Torrance shrieking in her sleep.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily ripped open her curtains and jumped off of her bed towards Torrance's bed.
"What is it? What's happening to her?" Remus asked as he stared at Torrance's sweat drenched face.
"Oh Merlin...I forgot to give her Madam Pomfrey's pills." Lily gasped.
The whole dorm was nearly awake by now but Lily didn't care. All she focused on was waking Torrance up. You never know...this dream could be more fatal than the last one.
"Pill? What pill?" Remus asked dumbfounded.
Lily ignored the question, "Remus! We need to wake her up." Lily ripped the covers off of Torrance.
Torrance was now muttering incomprehensible things under her breath and thrashing her arms about. Lily began to grow panicky.
"Come on Torrance, wake up. Come on, please wake up." Lily pleaded as she tried to sustain her.
"Torrance, it's just a nightmare. You need to wake up now." Remus said. His tone was gentle and soothing in contrast to Lily's panicky and pleading voice.
Torrance went very still and Lily was finally able to calm down as she saw Torrance's eyes snap open.
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***TORRANCE'S POV***
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"Oh no..not again." Torrance groaned when she realized where she was. Yeah, you guessed it...she was on the Hogwart's grounds...again.
"This isn't funny anymore! Why give me these visions when they aren't even clear in the first place!" Torrance yelled out into the darkness, not really expecting an answer.
But it wasn't her voice that came out of her mouth, she was in Lily's body...again. Merlin, she really hated being a Seer. If you look at this intelligently, it was all her mother's fault. Then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from behind her.
"Stay away from her! If you hurt her, I'll kill you!" Torrance knew that voice...it was none other than James Potter.
Torrance turned around to face him but was met with several green lights that sliced through her lower body. She fell. And of course, pain followed. She felt life draining from her as the blood drained from her body.
Torrance looked up and saw Remus running towards her...again.
"Oh Merlin...Lily don't move, I'll get you to the hospital wing just don't move!" Remus said as he kneeled over her and picked her up. Within moments of being in his arms she noticed the front of his robes were already soaked with her blood. Everything became a blur...
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"Torrance, it's just a nightmare. You need to wake up now." Torrance snapped her eyes open and sat straight up only to feel pain in her head as she collided with something.
That something happened to be Remus' head as well.
"OUCH! Ugh, nice wake up call..." Torrance muttered as she massaged her forehead. She looked up to see Remus doing the same.
'He's just Remus. Stay calm, he's just Remus. He's not going to eat you' Torrance thought.
"It seems like you didn't have the best nights rest." Remus said.
"I could say the same for you." Torrance replied softly. "I also need to speak to you sometime, about last night...alone." Torrance added as she noticed how pale and peaky Remus was. She didn't look him in the eye. She didn't want him to realize how nervous she was.
"LUPIN? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" one of the girls yelled.
At the mention of one of the Marauder's names every single girl snapped their head around at Remus. Then, at the same time, every girl shrieked bloody murder, trying to cover their makeupless faces.
Remus stared at Torrance and Torrance gave him a apologetic look. Lily just chuckled.
"NO BOYS! GET OUT!"
"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!"
The girls forced Remus out of the dormitory. A little too violently because he ended up tumbling down the girl's stairs into the common room area, where he happened to end up at the rest of the Marauder's feet.
Sirius just stared at Remus then he stared up the girl's staircase. He finally helped Remus up. His eyes were as wide as saucers.
"How did you...w-when...how the hell did you get in there?" Sirius stammered uncontrollably as he pointed at the girl's dorms.
Remus brushed himself off and said, "My little secret."
That's when James stepped out from behind Sirius. Remus and James just stared at each other for a while. Remus realized how much James actually towered over him. He was relieved to see his friend smile.
Then James finally said, "Well, maybe you can forgive me for being such a prat and then you can tell us your secret."
Remus grinned. "I'll forgive you Prongs." James grinned as well and gave Remus a hug.
"But I'm not telling you guys how I got in." Remus said as he walked out of the portrait hole. James, Sirius and Peter followed behind him, begging all the way down to the Great Hall.
Nothing could make Remus have a bad day now. He and James were back on good terms, Torrance still wanted to talk to him and he didn't get killed by the big tumble he had down the stairs. Yeah...life was good.
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***JAMES' POV***
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James was back in his History of Magic class and he couldn't be more bored. The class hadn't even started and he could feel sleep overcoming him. He watched as his partner, Goyle, took a seat opposite from him.
He turned his head in Sirius' direction and saw that him and Macnair were having a glaring contest, every so often one of their eyes would twitch. James chuckled. Macnair wasn't going to win because no one in Gryffindor could beat Sirius in a staring contest.
He glanced at Remus who was seated opposite from Crabbe. He looked absolutely awful. There were bags under his eyes and he was as pale as a ghost. It looked like one good curse could finish him off.
James then gazed at Lily. It made him uneasy that she was only two feet from the biggest git in Slytherin. It appeared that Lucius was doing what he did best, he was insulting Lily but she didn't even seemed phased by his remarks. On the contrary, she just waved them off while she kept busy reading her books. James admired that. She was a wall that no one could penetrate.
"All right, settle down." Professor Binns said tonelessly.
Most of the students in the classroom took their seats.
"Before we begin I need to see Miss Evans at my desk please." Professor Binns said.
James watched as Lily marked her spot in her book and walk up towards the front of the class. James leaned in closer so he could eavesdrop, I mean listen, to their conversation.
"Miss Evans, it has come to my attention that you and Mr. Malfoy can not seem to get along so I am forced to switch your partners." Professor Binns said.
"Yes sir." Lily said.
"I have decided to change your partner with Mr. Lupin. I gather you'll do alright with him, do you agree?"
James saw Lily's face light up, "Yes sir."
Well, at least she wouldn't be near Malfoy, that was a relief. But James still didn't feel any better. He couldn't help but think that Remus was getting all the glory. He didn't blame him. It would just be nice to marry Lily, have babies with her and grow old with her. Was that to much to ask? Didn't James deserve that?
Professor Binns stood up and addressed the class, "Okay, Remus. I have put you with Lily, so you may get up and take your seat next to her."
Remus lifted his head from where he had layed it in his arms only to reveal a very tired and strained looking face. Remus looked at James for a while then looked back at Lily. Was it just him or did Remus have a mischievous twinkle in his eye?
Remus cleared his throat, "I'm sorry Professor but I don't think I can work with Lily."
What are you doing? Lily mouthed behind the professor's back.
James wondered what Moony was up to. So did Sirius because instead of staring at Macnair he turned his focus towards the werewolf as well. Realization dawned on Padfoot's face but James still didn't understand what was going on.
"Excuse me?" Professor Binns asked.
"I can't work with her sir." Remus replied.
"And may I ask why not?" Professor Binns showed a trace of annoyance on his transparent face.
"You see sir, I'm the only reason Crabbe over here is passing this term. We already got three-fourths of our essay done and I don't want to abandon him."
Lily's mouth was wide open. James could tell that she was wondering what insanity took over Remus' body because he was wondering the same thing. He wouldn't need to think twice. Who would you choose? A brainless git like Crabbe or a perfect genius like Lily?
"Oh I see...well, not to worry then. Miss Evans I think I will place you--"
Remus interrupted, "James would be happy to do it sir."
The clouds lifted. Sneaky, sneaky Remus. Now, James knew what he was up to. He remained calm and contempt on the outside but inside he was jumping up and down like a mad man. He owed Moony big time. He would build a shrine after him or something.
"I would be happy and honored to be Lily's partner." James practically sang.
"That will do then. Miss Evans you will move your things over to Mister Potter's table." Professor Binns said as he motioned across the room.
Lily stuffed her things in her bookbag and made her way to his table. She glared at Remus the whole way and when she passed his table she clearly swung her bookbag around her back but made sure it hit him in the back of the head. James could hear Torrance's muffled laughted from across the room.
"Now that we have that cleared up, everyone please proceed with their own essays." Professor Binns instructed.
'Okay James, remember what Moony said. Deflate your ego. You already messed up once, lets at least get through this lesson.' James' brain instucted him.
James raised his hand towards his head to ruffle his hair but caught himself halfway.
'You are such a dolt! You know she doesn't like that!'
"So, what is your topic?" Lily asked.
"Uhh...topic?"
"James you astonish me! Are you telling me that you haven't even looked at your topic?" Lily asked.
"Do I really astonish you?" James asked his face glowing with pride.
Lily sighed, "Yes, it astonishes me that you could be at the top of all your classes." Lily reached for the envelope on the table but James snatched it from under her hand.
"Allow me." James said as he opened the envelope for the first time. Lily rolled her eyes. As he read the topic out loud he noticed that Remus was trying to get his attention from across the room.
Deflate your EGO! Remus mouthed quite plainly.
"I'll be right back, don't start without me." James said to Lily. He quickly got up from his seat and swiftly walked to Remus' table.
"Moony...what do I do, what do I do? The Potter charm isn't working. Help me!" James panicked.
Remus exhaled sharply, "Of course it isn't working. When has it ever worked on her? Just be half the gentleman I know you can be and you'll be fine. Talk about stuff she likes and stop being the Gryffindor god!"
James raised his eyebrow slightly, "Aww... I didn't think you noticed."
Remus rolled his eyes, "Prongs, just trust me," Remus sighed, "Out of all the girls in the school why did you pick the one that despises you?"
"Because, there's a fine line between love and hate, Moony." James said as he walked back towards his Lily.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily wasn't stupid. She knew what Remus was trying to do and she wouldn't let it happen. Or at least she would try. Throughout the entire lesson Lily noticed that James kept going to Remus' table for help on the 'essay'. As if. It was a miracle. After seven years of yelling at Potter, he had finally listened. Remus finally told him off and she had to admit that James was quite...charming, when he wasn't Mr. High and Mighty.
It was now dinner in the Great Hall and practically everyone who had a stomach was in there at the time. Everyone? Well, that is...everyone but Lily of course. She had much bigger and brighter plans. While everyone was stuffing their faces and drinking from their goblets, Lily was in the boy's dormitory. Yes, that's what I said...the boy's dormitory. Why? She needed something and that something just happened to be James' invisibility cloak.
Then she waited. For who?
She waited for Torrance of course. When dinner was done and everyone was full, Torrance came in through the portrait hole...alone, thank Merlin. That's when Lily told Torrance her plan. And it went something like this...
Torrance fake yawned, "Guys, I'm beat. I'm going to turn in for the night."
James looked up from his chess board, "Alright, you do that then."
"I think I'll come too." Lily said as she stood up from the armchair and stretched.
"Why are you going to bed so early? It's only eight-thirty." Sirius said while his own knight pummeled James' pawn.
"Oh, well you know...beauty sleep." Lily replied.
Remus made a face, "That doesn't sound like you. Beauty sleep? What have you done with the real Lily?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Goodnight my fair Torrance." Sirius said over-dramatically.
"G'night everyone." Torrance replied but Lily noticed she looked directly at Remus. Remus didn't seem to notice. 'The git...' Lily thought.
Lily and Torrance headed up to their dormitory and shut the door behind them. There, they waited.
"When do you think it's safe to go back down?" Lily whispered.
"Maybe around nine o'clock. I don't think most people would stay up very late especially when we have a Potions exam tomorrow." Torrance answered as she pulled her robes on over her clothing.
"Well, it's nine-thirty...you think the coasts clear?"
Torrance shrugged, "Does it matter? You nicked James' invisibility cloak so we wouldn't get caught. I think it will be alright."
Lily held out the cloak and Torrance covered herself with it. It was hard moving around in that bloody cloak especially going down the girl's stairway. They practically stumbled three times.
"Do you hear that?" Torrance whispered as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
They inched closer towards the common room and groaned at what they saw. Sirius, James and Remus were apparantly still up and carrying on in their own conversation, laughing, and pretty much acting like boys.
"They aren't going to see us. Just move quickly and keep your mouth shut. James might kill me if he finds out I borrowed his cloak." Lily mumbled under the fabric.
Torrance smirked, "Yeah, you might actually have to go out with him as payment for using his cloak without permission."
The girls tip toed across the common room very carefully and very quickly. They made sure not to breathe loudly and held their laughter when one of the Marauders did something stupid. They were more than halfway there when suddenly Remus turned his head sharply around and looked directly at them.
Lily held her breath and covered Torrance's mouth with her hand. They couldn't afford to be caught, not now. After what seemed like forever, Remus faced forward and Lily pushed Torrance towards the portrait hole, opened it up and stumbled out into the Hogwart's corridor.
"We did it...I can't believe we did it." Lily exclaimed.
"Be proud later, come on...we still have to make it all the way to Hogsmeade." Torrance said as she guided Lily towards the Hogwart's exit.
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***REMUS' POV***
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"Hey Prongs, do that impersonation of Professor McGonagall again. That always cracks me up." Sirius said as he roasted some marshmallows in the Gryffindor fireplace.
Remus knew he should go to bed because he felt absolutely tired and the full moon was tomorrow but...he was a Marauder, need I say more? Remus was watching Prongs mess his face up to look like McGonagall's strict expression.
Mumbling. Remus' ears perked up. He could have sworn he heard mumbling. It was gone...maybe he was more tired than he thought. He went back to watching Sirius and James' pillow fight when...he smelt something familiar. Remus sniffed the air. Strawberries.
Now, you should know something about Remus. He can match everyone of his friends with a particular scent that they give off. James' scent was peppermint and firecracker smoke, Sirius' scent was pumpkin juice and hair gel, Peter's was mothballs, Torrance's smell was cinnamon and of course Lily's was strawberries. Strawberries...
Remus turned his head around to the back of the common room. He scanned the area but didn't see anyone. Being the wise Marauder he was, he knew that if you didn't see something it doesn't mean it's not there. Remus faced forward again and as soon as he did he heard the portrait open then close. Remus put two and two together.
"Who was that?" Sirius asked as he peered at the entrance hole.
"Dunno, maybe the fat lady finally went bonkers." James said.
"I just thought you guys would like to know...Lily and Torrance left here with Prongs' invisibility cloak." Remus said.
"Why didn't you stop them? That's what your werewolf senses are for, Moony! If they get caught, I may never see my cloak again!" James said. Remus smiled at him.
"Then you would miss out on the fun." Remus replied.
"The fun of what?"
"Of seeing where they're going." Sirius finished.
They looked at each other gleefully. James quickly ran up the boy's stairs and came back down with a piece of parchment...the Marauder's Map.
"Okay, let's go." Remus said as each one of them headed out of the common room.
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***JAMES' POV***
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So, off they went. Peter declined the offer of going, he said he was way too tired to go off on a night adventure so they left him behind. (A/N: And plus, I don't like him.) They had to be really quiet because without James' cloak they were very vulnerable to the eyes of Filch and Mrs. Norris.
"Okay, were are they Prongs?" Sirius asked below a whisper.
James scanned the map, "Bloody hell! They're already on the Hogwart's grounds."
"Hogwart's grounds? Where exactly are they going?"
"That's why we're following them, you dolt!" James said as he smacked Sirius.
"If you ladies would stop bickering, we can still catch them if we move fast." Remus said as he motioned for them to catch up to him. He was already at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.
"Yes, Proffesor Lupin sir!" Sirius saluted as he and James slid down the railing of the staircase to the bottom. They bowed gracefully when they hit the floor.
"Show-offs." Remus muttered.
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James sprinted down the Hogwart's grounds, Sirius and Remus nipping at his heels. Their feet made no sound against the damp grass. The night sky was clear and the air was cool. He was searching. Searching for any sign of red. Lily's hair stood out no matter where she was.
"Over there!" Sirius said loudly and pointed in the distance.
Remus smacked Sirius, "Shut up Padfoot! We are trying to be stealthy and cunning."
"They must be going to Hogsmeade." Sirius said as he rubbed the back of his sore head.
James grinned devilishly. He had an idea. Oh, and it was a good idea.
"What's cooking in that big head of yours?" Sirius asked.
"I think it's time for the grim to pay a visit to the girls, don't you?" James said slyly.
Sirius grinned evilly as well then disappeared, only to leave a big, black, shaggy dog in his place.
"Oh, no." Remus groaned as he saw Sirius quickly sprint towards the unsuspecting girls.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily and Torrance were taking their time, walking down the dirt path towards Hogsmeade. You might be asking yourself why they're going to Hogsmeade and why in the middle of the night? Torrance hasn't got a clue but Lily plans to buy their formal robes and she hasn't told her best friend because she hates shopping and she hates formal wear. That answers the first question but it still doesn't answer why she's doing it in the middle of the night. Because keeping your wardrobe a secret is a must. It was like an unwritten rule. No one was suppose to see your wardrobe until the day of the ball. And besides, it's daring, fun and risky to do it at night.
"I'm sorry I forgot to remind you to take your dreamless pill. I should have remembered." Lily said while she kicked some pebbles that were in her way.
"I'm glad you didn't remember." Torrance replied.
"Why is that?"
"Because I have these "visions" for a reason, Lils. Without them I can't help anyone and besides, I can achieve useful information out of them."
Lily raised her eyebrow slightly, "Like what?"
"Oh, I dunno like...Remus having a crush on me, for example." Torrance's eyes were sparkling.
Lily was about to reply but a certain noise interrupted her words.
"Did you hear that?" Torrance asked as they both clinged to eachother's arms.
Normally, they wouldn't be afraid. If it was a person they definitely wouldn't be afraid but it wasn't a person's voice that they heard. Nope, it was a low growling and being near the Forbidden Forest wasn't helping ease their fear either.
"Lumos." Torrance muttered and brought her wand out in front of her. The light illuminated the outside of the trees. Torrance slowly shone the light across the path.
"I don't see anything. Maybe it was just our imagin--Wait. What was that?"
And there it was, blocking their entrance to Hogsmeade. An enormous, black dog and it didn't look to friendly at the moment. Lily could hear Torrance's heartbeat through her shirt, or maybe it was her own.
"Lily, is that what I think it is?" Torrance gasped.
"Grim." Lily murmured.
Torrance squeaked. "Okay, I'm calm. Are you calm because I'm definitely calm. Be sure to stay calm. Don't panic, be calm. You must be ca--" Torrance stuttered while she tried to keep her hand from shaking.
Torrance's behavior would have been quite hilarious if this wasn't such a serious situation. It wasn't everyday that you would see Torrance panic.
"Okay, I get the idea." Lily snapped. Her legs felt like lead. There was no way she would have the strength to run.
The dog was inching closer to them, baring its teeth along the way. Long, shiny teeth. Probably sharp too, but she didn't want to find out. Lily quickly pulled out her wand and held it protectively out in front of her. Wait a second...something was eating at the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
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**************FLASHBACK**********************
"Promise not to get angry?" Lily asked
"Angry? Why would I get angry?"
Lily gave out a sigh. "Because sometimes I come out by the lake and look at the sky and I see you guys...transform."
Remus was shocked. He didn't say anything.
"You're angry...aren't you?"
Remus finally found his words. "Not angry, just surprised and...relieved."
"Relieved?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm a werewolf but I was afraid I might lose you as a friend. Plus James, Sirius, and Peter became Animagi illegally..."
*************END FLASHBACK *******************
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'Animagi! Of course, why didn't she think about that before? James was the stag, Peter the rat and Sirius was the...'
"Dog." Lily whispered.
"Know any good spells?" Torrance squeaked.
'Remus looked right at us in the common room, he had to of known that we were there. They must have followed us.' Lily thought.
Lily grinned, "Yeah, I know a spell but I have something better."
Lily pryed Torrance off of her arm and walked slowly towards the "dog" with the sweetest smile she could muster upon her face.
"Lily, you're going to get your arse bitten! Get back here now!" Torrance hissed.
She didn't listen, she just kept walking towards the so called grim. Lily was bubbling with mirth. She could just imagine what thoughts were going through Sirius' head right now.
"Come here little doggy woggy. Come here, come here." Lily said with her best baby voice.
The "dog" or Sirius tilted his head to the side.
"Is the little doggy woggy hungry? Is he? Does the doggy want some candy? Come here."
Sirius barked enthusiastically and wagged his tail. Lily reached deep inside her robes, pulled out a chocolate frog and held it out in front of her. Sirius jumped with eagerness. When Sirius was close enough to sniff the food Lily pounced on top of him and held him down.
"Okay, time to show yourself." Lily said as she hit him with a bright light from her wand and held his fur tightly with the other hand.
The "dog" was now lengthening in size. Fur started to disappear, his arms and legs lengthened and grew more muscular. All that was left was Lily sitting on top of a sheepish looking Sirius.
"Sirius." Lily spat as she looked down at him.
"Don't let him go yet." Torrance said darkly. Lily knew that Torrance didn't like being messed with.
Instead Torrance yelled out into the darkness, "Whoever's out there, you have two choices! You can watch Snuffles die or you can fly like a phoenix from the ashes of your pathetic life and come get this damn dog!"
"We're flying, we're flying." someone yelled back.
The voice came from within the shadows of the trees. And of course, out stepped Mr. Egotistical himself followed closely by an apologetic looking Remus.
"Why am I not surprised?" Lily growled and shoved Sirius aside.
"Geez, it was just a joke. You know, the kind you laugh at?" Sirius said as he dusted himself off.
Torrance rolled her eyes, "You know, I think you're too cocky for your own good." Lily could tell that it took all of Torrance's will power not to bruise Sirius' pretty little face.
"Potter, what the hell is your damn problem?!" Lily yelled at James.
James cringed at the use of his last name. "Is it Potter now? It looks like we took a step back in our relationship."
"What relationship? There is no relationship! I got further with Sirius just now when I was straddled on top of him!"
James turned red, "I just thought I would teach you a lesson for stealing my invisibility cloak."
"Borrowed." Lily corrected.
"Borrowed or not, you still took it without permission."
"With every intention of bringing it back!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sirius waved his arms about as he strutted over between Lily and James, "Forget the stupid cloak! What I want to know is, how did you know about me being an Animagus? Hm?"
"That's what I want to know." Torrance said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Lily sighed and went into the whole story about seeing the guys transform in her fifth year.
"So I figured you guys became Animagi to help out Remus. That's why I didn't tell anybody." Lily finished.
Torrance, Sirius, and James slowly looked at Remus. Remus nervously cleared his throat.
"Hem, Hem. Uh, did I forget to mention that Lily and Torrance know that I'm a werewolf? Must have slipped my mind."
Lily noticed how weak and sick Remus looked. 'He should be in the Hospital Wing, not gallivanting around with his friends,' Lily thought. Then, without warning, Remus' legs just collapsed from underneath him. But thanks to James' good reflexes, he was able to catch him before he hit the ground. It was amazing! In a matter of seconds, Sirius and James transformed from being the Gryffindor gods to compassionate and caring brothers.
"Come on Moony, me and Padfoot are taking you back to the castle." James said as he slung Remus' arm around his neck. Sirius did the same.
Why couldn't James be like that all the time? He was so gentle with Remus and yet he was the same James she grew up with. 'Okay, he is capable of being a normal human being.' she thought.
"Here, you may need this." Lily yelled. She tossed James his cloak. "Oh, and James?"
James looked back at her.
"Be careful." Lily said.
James grinned at her and gave a nod. Sirius rolled his eyes.
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A/N: I know I said that Lily and Torrance would shop for dress robes in this chapter but I need more time to develop that idea. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll have the next addition out asap.
Always,
Indiangurl
I'm extremely ecstatic that people seemed to like the last chapter. I wrote it in about thirty minutes to a hour, so I'm glad it came out well. Yes, believe it or not...it doesn't take me long to write these chapters, I'm just lazy and forget to post them.
Some people think that I'm picking on James way too much. Well, to all you James fans out there, to be honest, I like it! I think it's funny because someone needs to put him in his place and what better person to do that than his best friend Remus? I realize that in the books Remus held his tongue when it came to calming down his friends but in my story Remus is around Lily so much she kind of rubs off on him. Get it?
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*Curtains open* NOW PRESENTING THE FEATURE PRESENTATION
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Chapter Title: Halfway to Hogsmeade
Disclaimer:
Indiangurl-James, do I own you?
James-In your dreams.
Indiangurl-Sirius, do I own you?
Sirius-You wish.
Indiangurl-Remus, do I own you?
Remus-Over my dead body.
Indiangurl-*sobs* She stole them! JKR stole them from me!
Rowling-You have Torrance though.
Indiangurl-*grins wildly* I know, she's the best anyway.
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***REMUS' POV***
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Remus left the hospital wing early in the wee hours of the morning. He tossed and turned the whole night. It was the worst night he ever had to sleep through. Seeing the look of horror on Torrance's beautiful face...he could bare it no longer. He knew she had found out. What he didn't know was how. One second he was actually having a real conversation with her then the next thing he knew...well, he didn't know what exactly happened.
He had to talk to someone. His feet carried him to the Gryffindor common room but his mind was oblivious to where he was going. The image of Torrance backing away from his bed cautiously kept replaying inside his head. She acted like she had never known him before, like he was going to attack her right there on the spot. Torrance's eyes were filled with realization for what he really was and when it registered within her brain, she fled.
'Of course she did, why wouldn't she?' Remus thought bitterly.
Before he knew it he was standing outside his own dorm room and he could hear the distant snores of his fellow Gryffindors within the room. He reached out and opened the door very slowly and shut it silently behind him. He peered around the room. He really need someone to talk to, anyone.
Remus first looked at Peter lying face down on his bed. No, he couldn't talk to him. He hadn't really been around lately. His eyes darted over towards Sirius. Nope, not him either. Sirius acted out on his feelings to rashly. He would panic and Remus did not trust himself. He might let his feelings slip about Torrance and he couldn't have that. Then, Remus' eyes fell on James. Remus sighed. James' wouldn't want to talk to him, not after the fight still fresh in their minds.
Was there no one for him to talk to? He walked towards his own bed, careful not to trip over anybody's belongings. He lied down on his soft bedspread when he felt something hard poke him in his side. He rolled over to find his broom in the middle of his bed.
"I think it's time to have a chat with Lils." Remus muttered as he rolled the broomstick in his hand.
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About ten minutes later Remus was opening the entrance to the girl's dormitory quietly. It was nearing five-thirty in the morning and he wasn't expecting for any of the girl population to be up but as he neared Lily's bed all he found was her pillow and blanket...but no Lily.
"That's odd..." Remus whispered as he looked around the room. Still no Lily.
Remus then heard an echo coming from the girl's bathroom. He tip toed closer to the door and pressed his ear against it. Well, he knew where Lily was. It seemed that she was in the shower and singing, not good either. Remus laughed softly and shook his head as he listened to the off notes of Lily's singing. It was amazing that the other girls in the dorm hadn't woken up yet. The smell of Lily's body wash leaked through the openings of the door and the scent filled the young werewolf's senses.
'She always has to smell like strawberries.' Remus thought.
Then, Remus heard the shower head turn off and Lily step out of the shower. Startled, Remus quickly backed away from the door. Moments later, the door opened and steam exited the bathroom as Lily came into the dorm. Lily spotted Remus right away and her eyes grew twice the normal size.
"Remus! What are you doing here or more importantly...how did you get in here?!" Lily hissed as she pulled her white robe more tightly around her body.
Some girls rolled over in their sleep, threatening to wake up.
"Hush! You want to wake everybody up? It's not like I knew you were going to be in the shower! Oh, and by the way...your an absolute horrible singer." Remus said as he contained his laughter.
Lily blushed, "That's not the point."
"Then please direct me to the point."
"The point is that you can't be up here! You could get into trouble." Lily said.
"Look, I realize that but I needed some one to talk to." Remus whispered. He suddenly felt very weak and tired. He needed to sit down.
Lily's expression softened, "Alright, just hold on a second. Let me get dressed."
"Don't mind me."
Lily cleared her throat, "Hem, Hem."
"Oh, sorry." Remus said. He then turned his back towards her so she could get dressed in peace. He didn't turn back around until Lily said he could.
"Remus, you look terrible."
"I feel terrible." Remus replied.
"Here, come over here and sit down." Lily patted a spot next to her on her bed. When Remus took the seat, Lily pulled the bed curtains around them so they could have some amount of privacy.
Lily spoke first, "Look, I think I know what this is about."
"You do? She told you, didn't she?" Remus asked as he busied himself with the pillow ruffles.
"Of course she did, she tells me everything. Listen, she was just freaked out. I calmed her down." Lily said as she tried to make eye contact with him.
Remus held her gaze for a few moments then finally said, "But you didn't see her face. You didn't see her eyes. I knew what she thought of me and it wasn't anything more than a monster."
"You are Remus. A werewolf is only you a couple of days out of the month but the whole other time you're just Remus. She'll get it and if she doesn't, I'll make her get it." Lily said with a smile.
Remus gave a soft smile then frowned.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
"Torrance. How did she find out? One minute she acted completely normal around me then the next second she just froze still, like she thought if she moved I would bite her. I don't get it..."
Remus saw Lily bite down on her lip slightly.
"Oh, well...what you have to understand about that--" But Lily was interrupted by Torrance shrieking in her sleep.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily ripped open her curtains and jumped off of her bed towards Torrance's bed.
"What is it? What's happening to her?" Remus asked as he stared at Torrance's sweat drenched face.
"Oh Merlin...I forgot to give her Madam Pomfrey's pills." Lily gasped.
The whole dorm was nearly awake by now but Lily didn't care. All she focused on was waking Torrance up. You never know...this dream could be more fatal than the last one.
"Pill? What pill?" Remus asked dumbfounded.
Lily ignored the question, "Remus! We need to wake her up." Lily ripped the covers off of Torrance.
Torrance was now muttering incomprehensible things under her breath and thrashing her arms about. Lily began to grow panicky.
"Come on Torrance, wake up. Come on, please wake up." Lily pleaded as she tried to sustain her.
"Torrance, it's just a nightmare. You need to wake up now." Remus said. His tone was gentle and soothing in contrast to Lily's panicky and pleading voice.
Torrance went very still and Lily was finally able to calm down as she saw Torrance's eyes snap open.
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***TORRANCE'S POV***
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"Oh no..not again." Torrance groaned when she realized where she was. Yeah, you guessed it...she was on the Hogwart's grounds...again.
"This isn't funny anymore! Why give me these visions when they aren't even clear in the first place!" Torrance yelled out into the darkness, not really expecting an answer.
But it wasn't her voice that came out of her mouth, she was in Lily's body...again. Merlin, she really hated being a Seer. If you look at this intelligently, it was all her mother's fault. Then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from behind her.
"Stay away from her! If you hurt her, I'll kill you!" Torrance knew that voice...it was none other than James Potter.
Torrance turned around to face him but was met with several green lights that sliced through her lower body. She fell. And of course, pain followed. She felt life draining from her as the blood drained from her body.
Torrance looked up and saw Remus running towards her...again.
"Oh Merlin...Lily don't move, I'll get you to the hospital wing just don't move!" Remus said as he kneeled over her and picked her up. Within moments of being in his arms she noticed the front of his robes were already soaked with her blood. Everything became a blur...
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"Torrance, it's just a nightmare. You need to wake up now." Torrance snapped her eyes open and sat straight up only to feel pain in her head as she collided with something.
That something happened to be Remus' head as well.
"OUCH! Ugh, nice wake up call..." Torrance muttered as she massaged her forehead. She looked up to see Remus doing the same.
'He's just Remus. Stay calm, he's just Remus. He's not going to eat you' Torrance thought.
"It seems like you didn't have the best nights rest." Remus said.
"I could say the same for you." Torrance replied softly. "I also need to speak to you sometime, about last night...alone." Torrance added as she noticed how pale and peaky Remus was. She didn't look him in the eye. She didn't want him to realize how nervous she was.
"LUPIN? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" one of the girls yelled.
At the mention of one of the Marauder's names every single girl snapped their head around at Remus. Then, at the same time, every girl shrieked bloody murder, trying to cover their makeupless faces.
Remus stared at Torrance and Torrance gave him a apologetic look. Lily just chuckled.
"NO BOYS! GET OUT!"
"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!"
The girls forced Remus out of the dormitory. A little too violently because he ended up tumbling down the girl's stairs into the common room area, where he happened to end up at the rest of the Marauder's feet.
Sirius just stared at Remus then he stared up the girl's staircase. He finally helped Remus up. His eyes were as wide as saucers.
"How did you...w-when...how the hell did you get in there?" Sirius stammered uncontrollably as he pointed at the girl's dorms.
Remus brushed himself off and said, "My little secret."
That's when James stepped out from behind Sirius. Remus and James just stared at each other for a while. Remus realized how much James actually towered over him. He was relieved to see his friend smile.
Then James finally said, "Well, maybe you can forgive me for being such a prat and then you can tell us your secret."
Remus grinned. "I'll forgive you Prongs." James grinned as well and gave Remus a hug.
"But I'm not telling you guys how I got in." Remus said as he walked out of the portrait hole. James, Sirius and Peter followed behind him, begging all the way down to the Great Hall.
Nothing could make Remus have a bad day now. He and James were back on good terms, Torrance still wanted to talk to him and he didn't get killed by the big tumble he had down the stairs. Yeah...life was good.
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***JAMES' POV***
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James was back in his History of Magic class and he couldn't be more bored. The class hadn't even started and he could feel sleep overcoming him. He watched as his partner, Goyle, took a seat opposite from him.
He turned his head in Sirius' direction and saw that him and Macnair were having a glaring contest, every so often one of their eyes would twitch. James chuckled. Macnair wasn't going to win because no one in Gryffindor could beat Sirius in a staring contest.
He glanced at Remus who was seated opposite from Crabbe. He looked absolutely awful. There were bags under his eyes and he was as pale as a ghost. It looked like one good curse could finish him off.
James then gazed at Lily. It made him uneasy that she was only two feet from the biggest git in Slytherin. It appeared that Lucius was doing what he did best, he was insulting Lily but she didn't even seemed phased by his remarks. On the contrary, she just waved them off while she kept busy reading her books. James admired that. She was a wall that no one could penetrate.
"All right, settle down." Professor Binns said tonelessly.
Most of the students in the classroom took their seats.
"Before we begin I need to see Miss Evans at my desk please." Professor Binns said.
James watched as Lily marked her spot in her book and walk up towards the front of the class. James leaned in closer so he could eavesdrop, I mean listen, to their conversation.
"Miss Evans, it has come to my attention that you and Mr. Malfoy can not seem to get along so I am forced to switch your partners." Professor Binns said.
"Yes sir." Lily said.
"I have decided to change your partner with Mr. Lupin. I gather you'll do alright with him, do you agree?"
James saw Lily's face light up, "Yes sir."
Well, at least she wouldn't be near Malfoy, that was a relief. But James still didn't feel any better. He couldn't help but think that Remus was getting all the glory. He didn't blame him. It would just be nice to marry Lily, have babies with her and grow old with her. Was that to much to ask? Didn't James deserve that?
Professor Binns stood up and addressed the class, "Okay, Remus. I have put you with Lily, so you may get up and take your seat next to her."
Remus lifted his head from where he had layed it in his arms only to reveal a very tired and strained looking face. Remus looked at James for a while then looked back at Lily. Was it just him or did Remus have a mischievous twinkle in his eye?
Remus cleared his throat, "I'm sorry Professor but I don't think I can work with Lily."
What are you doing? Lily mouthed behind the professor's back.
James wondered what Moony was up to. So did Sirius because instead of staring at Macnair he turned his focus towards the werewolf as well. Realization dawned on Padfoot's face but James still didn't understand what was going on.
"Excuse me?" Professor Binns asked.
"I can't work with her sir." Remus replied.
"And may I ask why not?" Professor Binns showed a trace of annoyance on his transparent face.
"You see sir, I'm the only reason Crabbe over here is passing this term. We already got three-fourths of our essay done and I don't want to abandon him."
Lily's mouth was wide open. James could tell that she was wondering what insanity took over Remus' body because he was wondering the same thing. He wouldn't need to think twice. Who would you choose? A brainless git like Crabbe or a perfect genius like Lily?
"Oh I see...well, not to worry then. Miss Evans I think I will place you--"
Remus interrupted, "James would be happy to do it sir."
The clouds lifted. Sneaky, sneaky Remus. Now, James knew what he was up to. He remained calm and contempt on the outside but inside he was jumping up and down like a mad man. He owed Moony big time. He would build a shrine after him or something.
"I would be happy and honored to be Lily's partner." James practically sang.
"That will do then. Miss Evans you will move your things over to Mister Potter's table." Professor Binns said as he motioned across the room.
Lily stuffed her things in her bookbag and made her way to his table. She glared at Remus the whole way and when she passed his table she clearly swung her bookbag around her back but made sure it hit him in the back of the head. James could hear Torrance's muffled laughted from across the room.
"Now that we have that cleared up, everyone please proceed with their own essays." Professor Binns instructed.
'Okay James, remember what Moony said. Deflate your ego. You already messed up once, lets at least get through this lesson.' James' brain instucted him.
James raised his hand towards his head to ruffle his hair but caught himself halfway.
'You are such a dolt! You know she doesn't like that!'
"So, what is your topic?" Lily asked.
"Uhh...topic?"
"James you astonish me! Are you telling me that you haven't even looked at your topic?" Lily asked.
"Do I really astonish you?" James asked his face glowing with pride.
Lily sighed, "Yes, it astonishes me that you could be at the top of all your classes." Lily reached for the envelope on the table but James snatched it from under her hand.
"Allow me." James said as he opened the envelope for the first time. Lily rolled her eyes. As he read the topic out loud he noticed that Remus was trying to get his attention from across the room.
Deflate your EGO! Remus mouthed quite plainly.
"I'll be right back, don't start without me." James said to Lily. He quickly got up from his seat and swiftly walked to Remus' table.
"Moony...what do I do, what do I do? The Potter charm isn't working. Help me!" James panicked.
Remus exhaled sharply, "Of course it isn't working. When has it ever worked on her? Just be half the gentleman I know you can be and you'll be fine. Talk about stuff she likes and stop being the Gryffindor god!"
James raised his eyebrow slightly, "Aww... I didn't think you noticed."
Remus rolled his eyes, "Prongs, just trust me," Remus sighed, "Out of all the girls in the school why did you pick the one that despises you?"
"Because, there's a fine line between love and hate, Moony." James said as he walked back towards his Lily.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily wasn't stupid. She knew what Remus was trying to do and she wouldn't let it happen. Or at least she would try. Throughout the entire lesson Lily noticed that James kept going to Remus' table for help on the 'essay'. As if. It was a miracle. After seven years of yelling at Potter, he had finally listened. Remus finally told him off and she had to admit that James was quite...charming, when he wasn't Mr. High and Mighty.
It was now dinner in the Great Hall and practically everyone who had a stomach was in there at the time. Everyone? Well, that is...everyone but Lily of course. She had much bigger and brighter plans. While everyone was stuffing their faces and drinking from their goblets, Lily was in the boy's dormitory. Yes, that's what I said...the boy's dormitory. Why? She needed something and that something just happened to be James' invisibility cloak.
Then she waited. For who?
She waited for Torrance of course. When dinner was done and everyone was full, Torrance came in through the portrait hole...alone, thank Merlin. That's when Lily told Torrance her plan. And it went something like this...
Torrance fake yawned, "Guys, I'm beat. I'm going to turn in for the night."
James looked up from his chess board, "Alright, you do that then."
"I think I'll come too." Lily said as she stood up from the armchair and stretched.
"Why are you going to bed so early? It's only eight-thirty." Sirius said while his own knight pummeled James' pawn.
"Oh, well you know...beauty sleep." Lily replied.
Remus made a face, "That doesn't sound like you. Beauty sleep? What have you done with the real Lily?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Goodnight my fair Torrance." Sirius said over-dramatically.
"G'night everyone." Torrance replied but Lily noticed she looked directly at Remus. Remus didn't seem to notice. 'The git...' Lily thought.
Lily and Torrance headed up to their dormitory and shut the door behind them. There, they waited.
"When do you think it's safe to go back down?" Lily whispered.
"Maybe around nine o'clock. I don't think most people would stay up very late especially when we have a Potions exam tomorrow." Torrance answered as she pulled her robes on over her clothing.
"Well, it's nine-thirty...you think the coasts clear?"
Torrance shrugged, "Does it matter? You nicked James' invisibility cloak so we wouldn't get caught. I think it will be alright."
Lily held out the cloak and Torrance covered herself with it. It was hard moving around in that bloody cloak especially going down the girl's stairway. They practically stumbled three times.
"Do you hear that?" Torrance whispered as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
They inched closer towards the common room and groaned at what they saw. Sirius, James and Remus were apparantly still up and carrying on in their own conversation, laughing, and pretty much acting like boys.
"They aren't going to see us. Just move quickly and keep your mouth shut. James might kill me if he finds out I borrowed his cloak." Lily mumbled under the fabric.
Torrance smirked, "Yeah, you might actually have to go out with him as payment for using his cloak without permission."
The girls tip toed across the common room very carefully and very quickly. They made sure not to breathe loudly and held their laughter when one of the Marauders did something stupid. They were more than halfway there when suddenly Remus turned his head sharply around and looked directly at them.
Lily held her breath and covered Torrance's mouth with her hand. They couldn't afford to be caught, not now. After what seemed like forever, Remus faced forward and Lily pushed Torrance towards the portrait hole, opened it up and stumbled out into the Hogwart's corridor.
"We did it...I can't believe we did it." Lily exclaimed.
"Be proud later, come on...we still have to make it all the way to Hogsmeade." Torrance said as she guided Lily towards the Hogwart's exit.
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***REMUS' POV***
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"Hey Prongs, do that impersonation of Professor McGonagall again. That always cracks me up." Sirius said as he roasted some marshmallows in the Gryffindor fireplace.
Remus knew he should go to bed because he felt absolutely tired and the full moon was tomorrow but...he was a Marauder, need I say more? Remus was watching Prongs mess his face up to look like McGonagall's strict expression.
Mumbling. Remus' ears perked up. He could have sworn he heard mumbling. It was gone...maybe he was more tired than he thought. He went back to watching Sirius and James' pillow fight when...he smelt something familiar. Remus sniffed the air. Strawberries.
Now, you should know something about Remus. He can match everyone of his friends with a particular scent that they give off. James' scent was peppermint and firecracker smoke, Sirius' scent was pumpkin juice and hair gel, Peter's was mothballs, Torrance's smell was cinnamon and of course Lily's was strawberries. Strawberries...
Remus turned his head around to the back of the common room. He scanned the area but didn't see anyone. Being the wise Marauder he was, he knew that if you didn't see something it doesn't mean it's not there. Remus faced forward again and as soon as he did he heard the portrait open then close. Remus put two and two together.
"Who was that?" Sirius asked as he peered at the entrance hole.
"Dunno, maybe the fat lady finally went bonkers." James said.
"I just thought you guys would like to know...Lily and Torrance left here with Prongs' invisibility cloak." Remus said.
"Why didn't you stop them? That's what your werewolf senses are for, Moony! If they get caught, I may never see my cloak again!" James said. Remus smiled at him.
"Then you would miss out on the fun." Remus replied.
"The fun of what?"
"Of seeing where they're going." Sirius finished.
They looked at each other gleefully. James quickly ran up the boy's stairs and came back down with a piece of parchment...the Marauder's Map.
"Okay, let's go." Remus said as each one of them headed out of the common room.
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***JAMES' POV***
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So, off they went. Peter declined the offer of going, he said he was way too tired to go off on a night adventure so they left him behind. (A/N: And plus, I don't like him.) They had to be really quiet because without James' cloak they were very vulnerable to the eyes of Filch and Mrs. Norris.
"Okay, were are they Prongs?" Sirius asked below a whisper.
James scanned the map, "Bloody hell! They're already on the Hogwart's grounds."
"Hogwart's grounds? Where exactly are they going?"
"That's why we're following them, you dolt!" James said as he smacked Sirius.
"If you ladies would stop bickering, we can still catch them if we move fast." Remus said as he motioned for them to catch up to him. He was already at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.
"Yes, Proffesor Lupin sir!" Sirius saluted as he and James slid down the railing of the staircase to the bottom. They bowed gracefully when they hit the floor.
"Show-offs." Remus muttered.
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James sprinted down the Hogwart's grounds, Sirius and Remus nipping at his heels. Their feet made no sound against the damp grass. The night sky was clear and the air was cool. He was searching. Searching for any sign of red. Lily's hair stood out no matter where she was.
"Over there!" Sirius said loudly and pointed in the distance.
Remus smacked Sirius, "Shut up Padfoot! We are trying to be stealthy and cunning."
"They must be going to Hogsmeade." Sirius said as he rubbed the back of his sore head.
James grinned devilishly. He had an idea. Oh, and it was a good idea.
"What's cooking in that big head of yours?" Sirius asked.
"I think it's time for the grim to pay a visit to the girls, don't you?" James said slyly.
Sirius grinned evilly as well then disappeared, only to leave a big, black, shaggy dog in his place.
"Oh, no." Remus groaned as he saw Sirius quickly sprint towards the unsuspecting girls.
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***LILY'S POV***
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Lily and Torrance were taking their time, walking down the dirt path towards Hogsmeade. You might be asking yourself why they're going to Hogsmeade and why in the middle of the night? Torrance hasn't got a clue but Lily plans to buy their formal robes and she hasn't told her best friend because she hates shopping and she hates formal wear. That answers the first question but it still doesn't answer why she's doing it in the middle of the night. Because keeping your wardrobe a secret is a must. It was like an unwritten rule. No one was suppose to see your wardrobe until the day of the ball. And besides, it's daring, fun and risky to do it at night.
"I'm sorry I forgot to remind you to take your dreamless pill. I should have remembered." Lily said while she kicked some pebbles that were in her way.
"I'm glad you didn't remember." Torrance replied.
"Why is that?"
"Because I have these "visions" for a reason, Lils. Without them I can't help anyone and besides, I can achieve useful information out of them."
Lily raised her eyebrow slightly, "Like what?"
"Oh, I dunno like...Remus having a crush on me, for example." Torrance's eyes were sparkling.
Lily was about to reply but a certain noise interrupted her words.
"Did you hear that?" Torrance asked as they both clinged to eachother's arms.
Normally, they wouldn't be afraid. If it was a person they definitely wouldn't be afraid but it wasn't a person's voice that they heard. Nope, it was a low growling and being near the Forbidden Forest wasn't helping ease their fear either.
"Lumos." Torrance muttered and brought her wand out in front of her. The light illuminated the outside of the trees. Torrance slowly shone the light across the path.
"I don't see anything. Maybe it was just our imagin--Wait. What was that?"
And there it was, blocking their entrance to Hogsmeade. An enormous, black dog and it didn't look to friendly at the moment. Lily could hear Torrance's heartbeat through her shirt, or maybe it was her own.
"Lily, is that what I think it is?" Torrance gasped.
"Grim." Lily murmured.
Torrance squeaked. "Okay, I'm calm. Are you calm because I'm definitely calm. Be sure to stay calm. Don't panic, be calm. You must be ca--" Torrance stuttered while she tried to keep her hand from shaking.
Torrance's behavior would have been quite hilarious if this wasn't such a serious situation. It wasn't everyday that you would see Torrance panic.
"Okay, I get the idea." Lily snapped. Her legs felt like lead. There was no way she would have the strength to run.
The dog was inching closer to them, baring its teeth along the way. Long, shiny teeth. Probably sharp too, but she didn't want to find out. Lily quickly pulled out her wand and held it protectively out in front of her. Wait a second...something was eating at the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
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**************FLASHBACK**********************
"Promise not to get angry?" Lily asked
"Angry? Why would I get angry?"
Lily gave out a sigh. "Because sometimes I come out by the lake and look at the sky and I see you guys...transform."
Remus was shocked. He didn't say anything.
"You're angry...aren't you?"
Remus finally found his words. "Not angry, just surprised and...relieved."
"Relieved?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm a werewolf but I was afraid I might lose you as a friend. Plus James, Sirius, and Peter became Animagi illegally..."
*************END FLASHBACK *******************
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'Animagi! Of course, why didn't she think about that before? James was the stag, Peter the rat and Sirius was the...'
"Dog." Lily whispered.
"Know any good spells?" Torrance squeaked.
'Remus looked right at us in the common room, he had to of known that we were there. They must have followed us.' Lily thought.
Lily grinned, "Yeah, I know a spell but I have something better."
Lily pryed Torrance off of her arm and walked slowly towards the "dog" with the sweetest smile she could muster upon her face.
"Lily, you're going to get your arse bitten! Get back here now!" Torrance hissed.
She didn't listen, she just kept walking towards the so called grim. Lily was bubbling with mirth. She could just imagine what thoughts were going through Sirius' head right now.
"Come here little doggy woggy. Come here, come here." Lily said with her best baby voice.
The "dog" or Sirius tilted his head to the side.
"Is the little doggy woggy hungry? Is he? Does the doggy want some candy? Come here."
Sirius barked enthusiastically and wagged his tail. Lily reached deep inside her robes, pulled out a chocolate frog and held it out in front of her. Sirius jumped with eagerness. When Sirius was close enough to sniff the food Lily pounced on top of him and held him down.
"Okay, time to show yourself." Lily said as she hit him with a bright light from her wand and held his fur tightly with the other hand.
The "dog" was now lengthening in size. Fur started to disappear, his arms and legs lengthened and grew more muscular. All that was left was Lily sitting on top of a sheepish looking Sirius.
"Sirius." Lily spat as she looked down at him.
"Don't let him go yet." Torrance said darkly. Lily knew that Torrance didn't like being messed with.
Instead Torrance yelled out into the darkness, "Whoever's out there, you have two choices! You can watch Snuffles die or you can fly like a phoenix from the ashes of your pathetic life and come get this damn dog!"
"We're flying, we're flying." someone yelled back.
The voice came from within the shadows of the trees. And of course, out stepped Mr. Egotistical himself followed closely by an apologetic looking Remus.
"Why am I not surprised?" Lily growled and shoved Sirius aside.
"Geez, it was just a joke. You know, the kind you laugh at?" Sirius said as he dusted himself off.
Torrance rolled her eyes, "You know, I think you're too cocky for your own good." Lily could tell that it took all of Torrance's will power not to bruise Sirius' pretty little face.
"Potter, what the hell is your damn problem?!" Lily yelled at James.
James cringed at the use of his last name. "Is it Potter now? It looks like we took a step back in our relationship."
"What relationship? There is no relationship! I got further with Sirius just now when I was straddled on top of him!"
James turned red, "I just thought I would teach you a lesson for stealing my invisibility cloak."
"Borrowed." Lily corrected.
"Borrowed or not, you still took it without permission."
"With every intention of bringing it back!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sirius waved his arms about as he strutted over between Lily and James, "Forget the stupid cloak! What I want to know is, how did you know about me being an Animagus? Hm?"
"That's what I want to know." Torrance said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Lily sighed and went into the whole story about seeing the guys transform in her fifth year.
"So I figured you guys became Animagi to help out Remus. That's why I didn't tell anybody." Lily finished.
Torrance, Sirius, and James slowly looked at Remus. Remus nervously cleared his throat.
"Hem, Hem. Uh, did I forget to mention that Lily and Torrance know that I'm a werewolf? Must have slipped my mind."
Lily noticed how weak and sick Remus looked. 'He should be in the Hospital Wing, not gallivanting around with his friends,' Lily thought. Then, without warning, Remus' legs just collapsed from underneath him. But thanks to James' good reflexes, he was able to catch him before he hit the ground. It was amazing! In a matter of seconds, Sirius and James transformed from being the Gryffindor gods to compassionate and caring brothers.
"Come on Moony, me and Padfoot are taking you back to the castle." James said as he slung Remus' arm around his neck. Sirius did the same.
Why couldn't James be like that all the time? He was so gentle with Remus and yet he was the same James she grew up with. 'Okay, he is capable of being a normal human being.' she thought.
"Here, you may need this." Lily yelled. She tossed James his cloak. "Oh, and James?"
James looked back at her.
"Be careful." Lily said.
James grinned at her and gave a nod. Sirius rolled his eyes.
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A/N: I know I said that Lily and Torrance would shop for dress robes in this chapter but I need more time to develop that idea. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll have the next addition out asap.
Always,
Indiangurl