"But.....you rescued me." Lily whispered.
"Thats right. I picked you up and flew us back to the top of the North Tower. Then we rushed down to the Hospital Wing."
Lily had closed her eyes again; she looked like she was in deep thought.
"So you almost killed me, then saved my life," She said.
"What would say that what you did was braver? Rescue me, or admit that you had locked me in the Room of Darkness as a joke?"
"Rescue you, of course," James said, "Once I saw what you had been going through, I became worried."
"James, I don't know if what you're telling me is the truth. I don't know if you're just big-headed, or you really have changed. All I know right now is I want you to leave."
James obeyed the confused redhead, and let himself out.
Lily was having a very difficult week. Sarah had confirmed that James was telling the truth and that she was as mystified as Lily. Why the sudden change of heart? Lily chose to ignore the Great Mystery of Men, and concentrated on leaving the hospital wing. Her cuts still were painful whenever Madam Clare took the bandages off, and Lily doubted that she would get to leave the hospital wing while she was taking no less than five potions a day. Madam Clare handed Lily a brick of chocolate every hour, and Lily was starting to get sick because of it.
The long hours Lily spent in her bed were the most boring, even with ten pounds of homework to keep her happy. Lily was itching to get out of the Hospital Wing, and to solve the mystery put at hand, especially if James had deflated his head. But Madam Clare had locked Lily in for almost twice the time she had been asleep.
Finally, one late sunny January afternoon, Lily walked out of the Hospital Wing with only half the bandages she had started with, and strict orders from Madam Clare to come to the Hospital wing at 4 o clock every day to take her potion.
Lily walked into the Griffindor Common room with a bang. (Sarah had told her the new password earlier that day.) Some fellow Griffindors jumped up to hug her. Lily noticed the four maurders squeezed into a corner. For once, they weren't the centre of attention.
Lily spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing with the sixth year girls and fifth years. She wouldn't give out too many details about her 'accident': only that she had been locked in the Room of Darkness, but had managed to get out.
Finally, Lily marched off to bed. She was careful not to look in the Marauders direction.
The next day, Lily rushed down to the Great Hall with Sarah. After grabbing some bacon, they ran off to their first class, Transfiguation.
Lily arrived just in time. She took her usual seat in the front, next to Remus. They rarley talked, but when Lily saw his face, she gave a loud gasp.
Across his face, starting somewhere from his left eyebrow all the way down his right cheek, was a huge gash. Remus smiled at Lily, making his face look even more painful.
"Remus -" Lily started, "How - How did you -"
"Don't worry," Remus interrupted, "Madam Clare says thickened Murtlap essence on it won't give me a scar."
"No...." Lily stumbled, "How did you get it?"
"Oh......" Remus's face fell,
"I....just got into a fight with some Hufflepuff....."
"No you didn't," Lily confirmed,
"It looks like you got into a fight with some.....some animal....."
Remus's face fell even more, and Lily was sure he about to make a rude comment back if McGonagall didn't start class right then.
Lily turned in her seat. The rest of the class looked shocked, too, except.....except for Peter, Sirius, and James, sitting at the back of the class. They looked a bit more concerened than shocked.
But wait.....this was the beginning of the day! How could they know what happened to him so quickly? Surely they wouldn't have believed his cock and bull story about a fight with a Hufflepuff......that means they must have been there when it happened and known the real truth! Lily gasped when the thought came to her head......what if they were the ones who caused it? Well, it didn't sound so far-fetched when you remembered that Lily had those three Marauders to thank when she got locked in the Room of Darkness....
Lily turned back into her seat, proud she had solved that mystery. And just when she thought James had grown up.....those injuries must have impaired her thinking. She made a mental note to bring Remus's injury up with Dumbledore when they discussed Peter, Sirius, and James's punishment concerning the room of darkness.
"Hello, Miss Evans. Please take a seat."
Lily sat down in an emerald green armchair. She stared expectantly at Dumbledore. After some while, Lily decided to speak up.
"Well, I suppose you want to know what happened to me in the Room of-"
"I know very well what happens to a person in the Room of Darkness," Dumbledore said softly.
Lily closed her mouth again. Dumbledore opened his.
"What I would like to discuss with you right now is concerning James', Sirius', Peters, and Remus' punishment. We will have to take all matters of account into hand. Unfortunately, I have only heard one side of the story, and that is the part about James rescuing you. And believe me, I have heard it many, many times."
Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eyes.
"But professor, why should Remus have a punishment?" Lily questioned.
"I believe he had news of the prank before it had happened. Though he took no part in it, he could have confessed to a teacher what his three friends were up to."
"But professor, when the Marauders get a plan, there's no stopping them-"
"We must take all matters of account into hand."
Lily took advantage of the long silence to think. Finally, she came up with a good defence for Remus.
"Professor, Sarah said that James said that Remus said," -Dumbledore smiled- "That Remus didn't know they were locking me into the Room of Darkness." Lily was about to add that James, Peter, and Sirius didn't know where they were locking her either, but Lily choose to leave it out.
"Very well, then. I suppose Remus should be granted the same punishment as Sarah, even though he knew what the pranksters were doing beforehand. Twenty points from Griffindor."
Lily could almost hear the rubies shooting around in their hourglass, even from Dumbledore's office.
"Professor, while we're on the subject of Remus-"
"I'm afraid I can not tell you that Lily. You may feel sorry for Remus, but it is very private, and no student should know."
Lily stopped. Then how did the other three Marurders know?
"Now, Lily, tell me how you were lured into the Room of Darkness."
"Thats right. I picked you up and flew us back to the top of the North Tower. Then we rushed down to the Hospital Wing."
Lily had closed her eyes again; she looked like she was in deep thought.
"So you almost killed me, then saved my life," She said.
"What would say that what you did was braver? Rescue me, or admit that you had locked me in the Room of Darkness as a joke?"
"Rescue you, of course," James said, "Once I saw what you had been going through, I became worried."
"James, I don't know if what you're telling me is the truth. I don't know if you're just big-headed, or you really have changed. All I know right now is I want you to leave."
James obeyed the confused redhead, and let himself out.
Lily was having a very difficult week. Sarah had confirmed that James was telling the truth and that she was as mystified as Lily. Why the sudden change of heart? Lily chose to ignore the Great Mystery of Men, and concentrated on leaving the hospital wing. Her cuts still were painful whenever Madam Clare took the bandages off, and Lily doubted that she would get to leave the hospital wing while she was taking no less than five potions a day. Madam Clare handed Lily a brick of chocolate every hour, and Lily was starting to get sick because of it.
The long hours Lily spent in her bed were the most boring, even with ten pounds of homework to keep her happy. Lily was itching to get out of the Hospital Wing, and to solve the mystery put at hand, especially if James had deflated his head. But Madam Clare had locked Lily in for almost twice the time she had been asleep.
Finally, one late sunny January afternoon, Lily walked out of the Hospital Wing with only half the bandages she had started with, and strict orders from Madam Clare to come to the Hospital wing at 4 o clock every day to take her potion.
Lily walked into the Griffindor Common room with a bang. (Sarah had told her the new password earlier that day.) Some fellow Griffindors jumped up to hug her. Lily noticed the four maurders squeezed into a corner. For once, they weren't the centre of attention.
Lily spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing with the sixth year girls and fifth years. She wouldn't give out too many details about her 'accident': only that she had been locked in the Room of Darkness, but had managed to get out.
Finally, Lily marched off to bed. She was careful not to look in the Marauders direction.
The next day, Lily rushed down to the Great Hall with Sarah. After grabbing some bacon, they ran off to their first class, Transfiguation.
Lily arrived just in time. She took her usual seat in the front, next to Remus. They rarley talked, but when Lily saw his face, she gave a loud gasp.
Across his face, starting somewhere from his left eyebrow all the way down his right cheek, was a huge gash. Remus smiled at Lily, making his face look even more painful.
"Remus -" Lily started, "How - How did you -"
"Don't worry," Remus interrupted, "Madam Clare says thickened Murtlap essence on it won't give me a scar."
"No...." Lily stumbled, "How did you get it?"
"Oh......" Remus's face fell,
"I....just got into a fight with some Hufflepuff....."
"No you didn't," Lily confirmed,
"It looks like you got into a fight with some.....some animal....."
Remus's face fell even more, and Lily was sure he about to make a rude comment back if McGonagall didn't start class right then.
Lily turned in her seat. The rest of the class looked shocked, too, except.....except for Peter, Sirius, and James, sitting at the back of the class. They looked a bit more concerened than shocked.
But wait.....this was the beginning of the day! How could they know what happened to him so quickly? Surely they wouldn't have believed his cock and bull story about a fight with a Hufflepuff......that means they must have been there when it happened and known the real truth! Lily gasped when the thought came to her head......what if they were the ones who caused it? Well, it didn't sound so far-fetched when you remembered that Lily had those three Marauders to thank when she got locked in the Room of Darkness....
Lily turned back into her seat, proud she had solved that mystery. And just when she thought James had grown up.....those injuries must have impaired her thinking. She made a mental note to bring Remus's injury up with Dumbledore when they discussed Peter, Sirius, and James's punishment concerning the room of darkness.
"Hello, Miss Evans. Please take a seat."
Lily sat down in an emerald green armchair. She stared expectantly at Dumbledore. After some while, Lily decided to speak up.
"Well, I suppose you want to know what happened to me in the Room of-"
"I know very well what happens to a person in the Room of Darkness," Dumbledore said softly.
Lily closed her mouth again. Dumbledore opened his.
"What I would like to discuss with you right now is concerning James', Sirius', Peters, and Remus' punishment. We will have to take all matters of account into hand. Unfortunately, I have only heard one side of the story, and that is the part about James rescuing you. And believe me, I have heard it many, many times."
Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eyes.
"But professor, why should Remus have a punishment?" Lily questioned.
"I believe he had news of the prank before it had happened. Though he took no part in it, he could have confessed to a teacher what his three friends were up to."
"But professor, when the Marauders get a plan, there's no stopping them-"
"We must take all matters of account into hand."
Lily took advantage of the long silence to think. Finally, she came up with a good defence for Remus.
"Professor, Sarah said that James said that Remus said," -Dumbledore smiled- "That Remus didn't know they were locking me into the Room of Darkness." Lily was about to add that James, Peter, and Sirius didn't know where they were locking her either, but Lily choose to leave it out.
"Very well, then. I suppose Remus should be granted the same punishment as Sarah, even though he knew what the pranksters were doing beforehand. Twenty points from Griffindor."
Lily could almost hear the rubies shooting around in their hourglass, even from Dumbledore's office.
"Professor, while we're on the subject of Remus-"
"I'm afraid I can not tell you that Lily. You may feel sorry for Remus, but it is very private, and no student should know."
Lily stopped. Then how did the other three Marurders know?
"Now, Lily, tell me how you were lured into the Room of Darkness."