September turned into October and as Halloween approached Lily had not had any more dreams of death.
"Lily? What happened to my chess set?" James called from his dormitory on October thirtieth. Lily grinned. They always acted like a married couple.
"Its either in your beside table or my trunk," she called back. James came down the stairs a couple of minutes later, the sleeves of his white Oxford shirt rolled up to his elbows showing his tanned, toned arms from quidditch.
"Are you sure? I thought I'd played with Remus last night."
"Yes, you used his set."
"Oh," James said as he disappeared up the girls' stairs. Liandra came down a few minutes later shaking her head.
"Lily, you might want to go help him," she said. Lily brushed past her friend heading up to the dorms. She was stopped, however, half way to her room by a large group of fourth, fifth and sixth year girls. Looking to the centre she found the root of the blockage. James.
"Lily! Thank god! A little help here please?" Lily smiled crossing her arms on her chest.
"Do you have a problem Potter?" James' eyes pleaded with her to help him.
"Lily!" She grinned shoving her way to James. He immediately wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her close, changing his grip to her hips when she pushed her way through the crowd. James spun Lily around as soon as they were shut safely in her dorm, his lips crashing down on hers dispelling any doubts she may have had in regards to their relationship. She would have been perfectly content to stay there, wrapped in his arms forever but unfortunately breathing was still a necessity. Lily broke the kiss being the one that was stunned when the kiss had begun.
"Now, about that chess set," she began, moving away from him towards her trunk. James groaned inwardly at the loss of contact. It was killing him.
I don't know if I care so much about that anymore, James thought referring to the chess set. He moved to the window watching the silent grounds below. Suddenly they weren't so silent as a large carriage showed up out of the sky.
"Lily?"
"What is it now James?"
"What's that?" Lily followed his gaze to the carriage.
"Lily, James! Grab a cloak. Dumbledore wants us on the grounds now," Alaura said in a rush running to her trunk and pulling out her heavy wooden cloak. Lily and James stared dumbfounded.
"Well, what are you waiting for? You two are supposed to lead the house down!" Lily flew to her trunk withdrawing her cloak and throwing it about her shoulders. She grasped James' hand dragging him down the stairs and shoving him towards his staircase and facing the house.
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Lily was quite happy to see that Gryffindor was not the last house to show. Dumbledore spotted them and bustled over.
"Take a stand beside Professor McGonagall," he said motioning James and Lily over towards the stern head of Gryffindor.
"There you are Evans, Potter!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed noticing the two prefects. Before Lily and James could reply, Dumbledore's voice was heard over the now assembled students.
"We will be having some guests stay with us until Christmas. It is my greatest wish that you treat them the same way you treat your Hogwarts classmates." One of the first years squealed directing the school's attention to the carriage Lily and James had seen from Lily's dorm window. A large foot had emerged followed closely by a tree-trunk leg. Dumbledore rushed quickly to aid the emerging – what the students could only guess as – human. The school waited apprehensively as the "woman" and Dumbledore exchanged words.
"Hogwarts," Dumbledore said finally, addressing the students. "Please welcome Madam Maxime ad the Beauxbatons delegation." The students clapped politely watching as thirty students emerged from the carriage.
"Karkaroff?" Madam Maxime asked in a deep French accented voice.
"Has not yet arrived," Dumbledore answered.
"Speak of the devil," James mumbled in Lily's ear lacing his fingers with hers and pointing to the lake. A ship, one that must have shown up during the time the students of Hogwarts were staring at the new arrivals, was now floaing in the centre of the lake.
"Headmaster," Lily called pointing with her free hand at the group of forty or so students and their teacher making their way to the school entrance.
"And a warm welcome to Professor Karkaroff and the students from Durmstrang." Lily's eyes widened in realization and horror.
"That's the Dark Arts school," James whispered in her ear. Dumbledore was beaming at all of the students without saying a word.
"Now, back inside to dinner. Prefects! Please stay and assist our arrivals in the school procedure." Lily waved to Alaura and Liandra mouthing for them to save James and herself a seat before making her way to Dumbledore, James' hand clasped tightly in her own.
"Slytherins and Durmstrang students… two peas in a pod," James murmured making Lily grin.
"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff prefects will be in charge of the Beauxbatons students. Slytherin and Ravenclaw, Durmstrang." Lily wound her way through the other prefects towards the group of semi-terrified looking students. Lily smiled at them.
"Dinner is served in the Great Hall. Come on, I'll show you," she said stepping towards the Entrance Hall.
"Dealing with babies, Evans?" Malfoy leered as she passed him. Lily involuntarily shivered.
"I thought Dumbledore told you to respect…"But James placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Watched the words, Lil. Respect is a big one for Malfoy." Lily faced Malfoy again grinning sarcastically. Malfoy was glaring at the two Gryffindor prefects. The hex was thrown before Lily could really understand what was going on and only years of quidditch and gymnastics put her quick and instinctual reflexes into effect. She threw herself out of the way pulling James with her. She hit the ground, hard, and rolled back to her feet.
"Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang across the grounds before Lily and James could draw their wands.
"Twenty points from Slytherin and a month's detention." Lily waved the stunned visitors from both schools to follow her while McGonagall reprimanded Malfoy for using magic against another prefect.
"To your left," Lily said waving, "is the entrance to the dungeons, to your right the first floor corridors. These stairs," she waved at the large staircase, "leads to the upper floors and these doors lead to the Great Hall," she finished as she and James threw open the large doors and the Hogwarts students roared their welcome.
"Gryffindor is the furthest table to the left, then Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. You're to choose whatever table you would like to sit at," James explained motioning to the four tables in turn. The students took a moment to decide where to sit. All of the Durmstrang students made their way to the Slytherin table and the Beauxbatons students split between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
"Look. There's Alaura and Sirius," James said in Lily's ear pointing to the Gryffindor table and linking arms with her. They headed over threading through students still looking for a place to sit at their tables. Lily plunked down beside Alaura piling pork chop onto her plate.
"Being nice make you hungry, Lily?" Remus teased deciding against making a comment about James' arm, which, it seemed, had become permanently attached to the redhead's waist. Lily glared at him none the less.
"Are you implying that I'm not nice the rest of the time, Remus?" Lily responded dangerously. Alaura, seeing the serious danger for Remus kicked Sirius under the table.
"Prank time!" Sirius hissed halting further argument. Alaura and James perked up spinning to face the gleeful looking boy.
"What are we doing?" Alaura asked, her eyes alight with mischief.
"Who are we doing it to?" Lily asked carefully. Sirius shrugged.
"Malfoy? Snape?" Lily's expression of indifference changed slowly into gleeful apprehension.
"We have to come up with something," Alaura said noting the change in Lily's face.
"Sewer rats. We'll make a theme for this year's pranks," Lily answered simply. "Transfigure their goblets into dirty sewer rats." Alaura's eyes widened further, this time with amusement.
"She'd make one hell of a Marauder," James stressed as if he'd said it a hundred times. Sirius brandished his wand.
"Let's do it." Lily withdrew her wand and winked at Alaura. She had something else in mind for Lucius Malfoy. She watched James and Sirius perform the spell and revelled in the screams of the Slytherin students before picking out the blond haired prefect. Lily grinned as she waved her wand at Malfoy's knife carefully bewitching it. It stood at attention before flying at Malfoy's hair cutting it raggedly. Lily watched in awe as the knife took large chunks of his greasy locks. She, however, was not mad enough to want to kill him and therefore had been careful to make sure the knife would not break any skin. The hall was in tears.
"Mr Potter! Mr Black!" McGonagall yelled. Lily jumped, surprised at not hearing her name.
"My office. Now." James was nervous. He had never seen the Gryffindor head this angry. He shot a frightened look at Lily before following Sirius out of the Great Hall.
"Well with tonight's entertainment taken care of, we shall dismiss you all off to bed. Miss Evans? A word?" Lily wandered to the head table noticing the guest students staying seated.
"Unfortunately our head students have fallen ill with a sort of flu. I am asking you to take responsibility and you and Mr Potter to take the position of Head Boy and Girl in their absence."
"What about Madam Pomfrey?" Lily asked resisting the urge to face the other students. Something was telling her the students were staring at her.
"She has done all she can," Dumbledore replied with a sad shake of his head.
"Everything?" James was back from talking with McGonagall looking far less tense than when he had left.
"All she can," Dumbledore confirmed.
"What did you want us to do?" Lily asked.
"Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime have returned to their respective schools having immediate issues to deal with. Their students will be staying in the east wing guest suites for the night. I am asking you to show them to their rooms." Lily nodded turning to face Hogwarts' guests. She wasn't surprised to see them all staring at her. She smiled.
"You will be staying at this school tonight as your headmaster and headmistress have some pressing duties to attend to. Miss Evans and Mr Potter will lead you to the east wing where the guest dormitories are located." Smiling again, Dumbledore motioned for the students to go. James and Lily walked through the two centre tables and out of the Great Hall. The students followed as Lily and James mounted the sweeping staircase going the opposite way than they would to go to Gryffindor Tower.
"McGonagall gave Sirius and I a week of detention," James said almost gleefully. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' students were not talking amongst themselves. Instead they were listening to every word the Gryffindor prefects were saying.
"Only a week?" Lily replied in awe.
"Only a week. No house points taken either," James continued.
"What does that bring your grand total to?"
"Two thousand six hundred forty-five detentions in six years," James answered proudly.
"And Sirius?"
"Two thousand six hundred thirty-seven including the week with McGonagall," James replied.
"Still less than you," Lily said a note of pride slipping into her voice. James laughed.
"You should have seen Sirius in McGonagall's office!"
"He called her Minnie again, didn't he," Lily groaned. James grinned making Lily's knees go weak.
"He did." Lily had to stop and lean against the wall as she laughed.
"And he's still alive?" James nodded. Lily shook her head. It was only a matter of time before Professor McGonagall did something drastic to stop Sirius from calling her the abominal name. They arrived at four large pictures on either side of the hall. Lily stopped and turned to face the other students that crowded around her. She noticed the girls from both schools giving James flirty looks. She resisted the almost overwhelming urge to hex them all into oblivion.
"The Durmstrang dormitories are on the left, Beauxbatons on the right. Girls, follow James down the hall there and boys follow me," Lily said waving the girls further down the hall.
"Durmstrang girls over here!" Lily heard James yell. She held in a smile.
"Durmstrang over there for a moment please," Lily said smiling sweetly. The boys with the Durmstrang crests on their robes moved immediately.
"The password to your dorms is Helping Hands," she told the Beauxbatons boys. They nodded. Lily turned to the picture behind her of a prim looking woman in a pale blue dress who was dozing slightly on her feet.
"Marie?" Lily asked gently waking up the picture.
"Lily? You haven't been around here for a long time! What brings you?"
"As much as I would love to stay and chat, Marie, I'm showing these boys their dormitory. Helping hands," Lily murmured. In reply the portrait swung forward opening into a well furnished room.
"This is your common room. Your beds are the three doors on the left. The bathroom is the door furthest to the right," Lily said pointing at each of the doors in turn. "Now, breakfast starts at eight tomorrow morning." Lily turned on her heel and left adding an extra swagger to her step. She felt the eyes of the male students on her back as she left the portrait. She resisted the urge to giggle though Marie giggling as she swung shut only made it harder.
"Now," Lily said turning to the other boys and making her way to the portrait across from Marie showing a grim looking young woman dressed all in black.
"Back again?" Lily glared.
"Not staying long if I can help it," she replied her voice just as cold before turning back to the enthralled boys behind her.
"Your password is Challenging Destiny." After saying the password and glaring as the frame swung forward somewhat reluctantly. She stalked into the wide room and took a deep breath before turning with a smile to face the guests telling them the same thing she had to the Beauxbatons boys. She left the room in the same manner meeting James in the hall. She had just snapped the portrait shut when James swept her into his arms and carried her the entire way to Gryffindor Tower.
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"You guys have been gone for way over an hour," Alaura said immediately noticing Lily and James. She refrained, however, from making a comment of the way James had swept Lily into the room and dropped her onto the best chair in front of the fire before scooping her up again and placing her on his lap. Lily tried to ignore the blissful feeling of James' lips on her neck, she really did, but her eyes dropped shut, zoning out the rest of the room as his wickedly talented lips and tongue brushed over the ivory column.
"James," she whispered hoarsely. He stopped.
"Did you see the way those boys were looking at you?" he asked before fastening his lips on her neck again. Lily smiled. So he had noticed too.
"Those girls weren't any better," she murmured in reply. The urge to moan was getting stronger and he sparked desire into her eyes. She tucked that desire into a little box to be released later as she reluctantly but forcefully withdrew herself from James' arms. He watched her stand and turn to face him, her desire clearly evident in the darkened emerald pools, and knowing his held an answering heat.
"I'm going to bed," she whispered and he nodded knowing she meant she was tired. It had been a full day and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was tired too.
"Good night, love. Sweet dreams," James said pulling her down and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She wandered slowly up the stairs, grasping her pyjamas and meandering into the bathroom intent on having a shower.
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When she emerged half an hour later Alaura was sitting on her bed looking none too pleased with something.
"Those lovely Beauxbatons guests locked Liandra, you and me in here," she said motioning to the already asleep figure.
"Why?" Lily bit out afraid of the answer.
"James, Sirius and Remus, I suppose." Lily stomped to her trunk throwing it open and withdrawing her wand.
"They took ours," Alaura explained when Lily shot her a puzzled look. She was tired and Lily could tell. She didn't want to go down and fight them physically. This only made Lily's eyes flare more with suppressed anger.
"I'll be right back." She stomped down the stairs noticing James was looking thoroughly terrified sitting in the same chair she had left him in with one of their so called guests on his lap. Sirius was looking quite content with his arms around two who were sitting on the couch with him. Remus, looking as indifferent as he always did when approached by any girl other than Liandra, was talking animatedly to a nice looking Beauxbatons guest and therefore Lily didn't really pay attention to him. James looked up and saw her, his eyes growing even wider with terror as their eyes locked. He renewed his so far futile efforts to get the blond off of his lap.
"You have all of two seconds to explain yourselves before I jinx you all into the middle of the next era!" Lily screeched. She vaguely heard a fourth year murmur something about her legendary temper. They were about to find out just how legendary and feared her temper was.
"It is one thing to stare at another girls boyfriend. It is another to lock his girlfriend in her dorm!" Even James cowered at Lily's tone and expression.
"Accio wands," Lily said easily watching with a cold smile as the wands, located in various places around the room, zoomed to land at her feet.
"You are guests in this castle and whether you are here or at home there are rules that need to be observed." Were it anyone else, the girls would have probably laughed and continued flirting, but Lily made a scary picture when mad. "One is the curfew rule which you have already broken, being here instead of in your common room. The other is etiquette. You. Don't. Steal. Another. Girl's. Boyfriend." James, using Lily as a distraction, placed the terrified female that was on his lap onto the chair and had discretely woven his way through all of the girls to stand behind the terrifying redhead he could proudly say he loved.
"Lily, honey, breathe," he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He knew efforts to calm the raging redhead in this mood were futile and therefore decided against attempting it. Lily raised her wand pointing it at the girl James had removed from his lap. Starting with her, Lily did some of the fastest spell work the Gryffindor students had ever seen, leaving half of the girls in the full body bind and the other half in the leg locker curse. She looked satisfied with her work.
"Lil? How are we going to get them to their dorms?" James asked watching the girls in the leg locker curse hop to the portrait hole in an attempt to run from Lily.
"Mobilius corpus," Lily intoned watching as the paralysed figures of the other girls floated up and ahead of Lily as she walked purposefully out of the Fat Lady. Stepping into the corridor outside of the entrance to Gryffindor Tower she noticed a handful of the male students from Beauxbatons looking horrified at being noticed by the same girl they had heard yelling at the top of her lungs.
"James!" Lily yelled. James came running out of the portrait hole and noticing the predicament the Beauxbatons males. Lily had dropped the girls on the stone floor and her wand was pointed at the boys.
"Lily! Don't!" James rushed to her side pushing her hand down so the wand pointed at the floor instead of the belts of the cowering male students. Lily's breath was heaving her anger overpowering her rational mind.
"Mr Potter, Miss Evans, what is going on here?" Professor McGonagall strolled toward the newly appointed Head Girl and Boy.
"Our guests," Lily forced out not taking anger-filled eyes from the group in front of her, "decided to pay us a visit after curfew." McGonagall's eyes flickered to the petrified girls on one side and the shaking males on the other.
"I will escort them back to their dormitories. You two, to bed." With that she freed the paralysed girls. Lily watched them rush down the hall after the Gryffindor head sneaking frightened glances back at Lily who was still brandishing her wand menacingly.
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Morning came too quickly for Lily, who did feel much calmer than the night before, but the first words out of her roommate Amanda Harrison's mouth cheered her up.
"Halloween ball is tonight!" This was the one thing that got Lily through her Saturday morning of Potions and Divination homework. A whole night of general freedom with James.
"So I'm getting my leg bitten off by a three headed dog on the twelfth, bitten by a poisonous spider on the thirteenth, watching my best friend die on the fourteenth and getting attacked by a giant on the fifteenth," Sirius was saying.
"I don't think I'll die until the twenty-sixth," Alaura replied jotting it down on a piece of parchment while consulting their third year book Unfogging the Future and watching Sirius write another gruesome painful happening.
"I'm out of ideas, Lil. How else am I supposed to plot my death for Trelawney? Let me see yours," James said reaching across Lily's potions essay towards two rolled parchments where she had written her death for Divination. Lily slapped his hand playfully tucking the two rolls safely in her bag, away from prying eyes. She turned back to her essay on moonstone uses in poisons pulling her textbook closer as her quill sped across the parchment. She had completed two rolls of parchment and had started on her third when Alaura snatched her completed two.
"Are you nuts! We're supposed to write one roll and you're on your third!" Sirius looked at Lily snatching one of the completed rolls and grazing over it. Lily shrugged.
"There are a lot of uses for moonstone in poisons," she replied pulling the two rolls back before continuing on her third.
"You are going to help us with our right?" Alaura asked gleefully scribbling another gruesome event. Lily looked at her reproachfully. Alaura and Sirius gave her the puppy dog eyes and Lily felt her resolve melting.
"I will edit them but I'm not helping past that," she said finally. Alaura shifted happily in her seat placing yet another deadly occurrence onto her December list of predictions. She sighed finishing off her essay with a flourish and rolling up the parchment.
"You're done?" Sirius asked a note of awe slipping into his voice. Lily had pulled out her essay for History of Magic on the Salem witch burnings.
"Potions and Divination. I still have Charms, Transfiguration, History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures to do," she replied easily. She heard James sigh heavily beside her.
"Are they mad?" Sirius asked referring to their teachers.
"Transfiguration and Charms is just practicing. Care of Magical Creatures is two feet of information on centaurs and History of Magic is two rolls on witch burning. Not difficult," Lily shrugged.
"If Lily thinks its not difficult the rest of you are going to find it excruciating," Liandra said approaching the four seated friends and pulling out her own witch burning essay.
"You have just as much as the rest of us," Alaura pointed out smugly. Liandra grinned back.
"Or I would if I hadn't done any of it last night." Alaura grumbled at Liandra's answer turning back to plotting her death for homework.
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James was impatient. He hadn't seen Lily since lunch and checking his watch decided it was five hours too long. She had explained to him that girls needed much more time than boys to get ready for things like balls. She had then followed her dorm mates Amanda Harrison, Dawn Twining, Jessica McClintock, Alaura and Liandra up to the sixth year girl dormitories to prepare for the Halloween ball.
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Lily on the other hand was giggling with Alaura, Liandra and the other sixth years. Amanda, dressed as the muggle television character Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer complete with real wooden stake, was applying a shimery shadow to Lily's eyes that matched her skin tone while Dawn, a brown haired sixth year dressed for the occasion as an angel, curled Lily's normally wavy auburn hair into bouncy ringlets. Jessica had opted for sitting on Lily's bed, keeping her filmy gypsy costume spread out around her, gossiping.
"I heard Narcissa, the pretty blond Ravenclaw sixth year, was going with Lucius Malfoy," she said. Lily gasped making Dawn drive the burning iron she was using to curl Lily's hair into the redhead's scalp. Lily didn't seem to notice.
"That really nice girl I worked on that third year Herbology project with?" Lily asked taking a moment reminiscing about the times when she didn't have Herbology with the slimy Slytherins. Jessica nodded then realizing Lily couldn't see her spoke.
"Yes. She seemed really gleeful about it too."
"How could any one be happy dating Malfoy?" Alaura asked but before anyone could reply Amanda and Dawn proclaimed their masterpiece, Lily, complete standing back as Lily swept out of her chair and towards the full-length mirror on the closet door.
"James is going to be speechless," Liandra, dressed as a super model, exclaimed. Lily grinned walking to the door and pulling it open and motioning for the other girls to go first. Amanda and Dawn squealed scurrying out of the door pausing before travelling down a couple of steps just out of sight of their dates. Jessica, Liandra and Alaura followed leaving Lily to bring up the rear. She closed the door and made her way down the stairs behind Alaura. The girls peeled away slowly to their dates until only Liandra and Alaura blocked Lily from James' hungry gaze. Sirius and Remus approached taking Liandra and Alaura, who was only going with Sirius as a "friend" with them as they followed the other three pairs out of the common room leaving Lily and James to have a private moment.
James was struck speechless when he set his eyes on his girlfriend. It amazed him, at times, how much they thought alike. He was dressed as a prince in a white shirt and black pants that Lily had a sneaking suspicion came from his Hogwarts uniform and a Gryffindor red over coat. The golden buttons were left undone and his hair was just as unkempt as ever though it seemed he had at least made an attempt at combing it.
She was dressed as Gryffindor's princess. Her dress was a beautiful red that brought out her hair and hugged all of her upper curves. Some curls had fallen out of the small gold clip Lily had placed in it seconds before she left the room and her golden tiara had been bewitched to sparkle. The accents, in the form of ribbons and a filmy over skirt, of the long-sleeved full-skirted dress were red.
"Very Gryffindor, beautiful," James remarked when he found his voice making Lily blush gracefully.
"And yourself, handsome," she murmured taking the offered arm and allowing him to lead her out of the common room to where Alaura, Sirius, Remus and Liandra were waiting. The six were going to be the last ones to enter the Great Hall where the students were already gathered, and knowing the ball was in full swing. Lily's shoes clicked on the floor.
"Heels love?" James asked knowing how Lily didn't like them. Lily smiled sheepishly.
"Part of being Gryffindor's princess," she replied throwing James a dazzling smile.
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The Great Hall doors were wide open as Lily, James, Sirius, Alaura, Remus and Liandra descended the marble staircase. Liandra and Remus entered first, talking and laughing having some effect on the students gathered in the hall. Alaura and Sirius went next quietly discussing any possible pranks for the up coming months and not caring that no heads had turned to watch their entrance. Lily grasped James' hand, linking her fingers with his and grinning up at him. James squeezed her hand rhythmically as if counting and on the third squeeze they both stepped into the hall turning all heads. Some people were craning their necks to get a look at Hogwarts' super couple. Lily glanced around taking it the awe-struck faces of the guests scattered around the hall. Lily distinctly heard a wolf-whistle as the hall burst out in applause. James' eyes narrowed as he searched the room for the one that had whistled and Lily was sure that James would put that person in the Hospital Wing if he ever found them.
"James?" Lily started tugging on his hand. James looked at her, his eyes travelling over her face and landing on her lips. Partly to Lily's horror and partly to her pleasure, he lowered his lips to hers. All thoughts were wiped from her mind when their lips met and as James ran his tongue over her bottom lip, her mouth opened automatically to give him entrance to the honeyed cavern of her mouth.
"James," Lily whispered when they broke apart for a breath of air. "They're watching." James' glance was possessive, his expression loving.
"You're mine," he whispered passionately kissing her again, thoroughly and Lily's brain shut down completely, instincts taking over as she was… well… kissed senseless.
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Lily grinned at the canopy of her four-poster, listening to the giggling of Amanda and Jessica who were discussing the things that had happened at the ball.
"None of us are asleep, gals," Lily heard Alaura's voice travel quietly across the room. She sat up watching the other five figures do the same.
"That was the best!" Jessica exclaimed. Lily grinned wider watching the shadowed form of the blond bouncing on her bed.
"The way James kissed you was so sweet but you should have seen the jealous looks the rest of the boys were sending James! And then there were the ones that the girls were shooting at you!" Amanda added. Lily blushed.
"What did he whisper at you before he kissed you for the second time?" Dawn asked eagerly. This made Lily blush harder. She mumbled something inaudible.
"Missed that," Alaura said smirking. She knew this was embarrassing Lily.
"First, I said that you guys, well, all of the Great Hall, were staring at us. Then he said, with the most possessive look in his eyes, that I was his. Then I got kissed senseless," Lily replied the heat rushing to her face. The other girls laughed gleefully. This was exactly what they wanted to hear.
"And what's going on between you and Sirius, Alaura?" Amanda asked genuinely curious. Alaura blushed, a very interesting feat for some one who didn't get embarrassed at all.
"Absolutely nothing," she answered resolutely though Lily and Liandra heard the slight note of longing in her voice.
"Why were you there with him then? You guys looked pretty enthralled with each other through the entire night," Dawn countered.
"We went as friends," Alaura replied smoothly.
"Alaura…" Lily began. Alaura, though quite smart when it came to academics, seemed to be continually blind to Sirius' obvious feelings for her. She wasn't listening to Lily.
"We were talking about all of the pranks we've pulled in the past," she said. Lily sighed.
"Wow. Too bad. He looked really captivated with you," Jessica said confused. Lily grinned, thankful to Jessica for pointing out this virtually insignificant observation but it was Liandra who spoke.
"Its really obvious the two of you like each other, and not just as friends, Alaura," she said in her quiet way before Alaura could interrupt. "Its only a matter of time before the two of you start dating." Alaura glued a look of offence on her face.
"Me and Black? Not a chance!"
"I'm with Liandra on this, 'Laura," Lily said. "You two are a lot like my parents. They constantly threatened and tormented each other through school but look at how much in love they are now." Alaura didn't have a verbal reply. Instead, she did something Lily would always classify as worse. She, without saying a word, rolled over and tried to go to sleep. Lily followed, feeling quite guilty about what she said.
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Lily spun around quickly at the sound of her name. The blond man, David she had learned, was kneeled beside the small girl, Tanith (A/N: Yes I mean Tanith not Tanice). Lily rushed over noticing that, for the first time, she had her wand with her. As she got closer to the pair Lily observed that Tanith wasn't breathing.
"Is she…?"
"Dead, no. I don't know what happened though and therefore how long she'll last." That was all Lily got to hear as she was whisked away into the pitch-blackness of the Hogwarts dungeons. Footsteps were approaching quickly. Liandra poked her head around a corner ahead and Lily ran to catch up. Alaura, Sirius, James Remus and Liandra were crowded around the wooden door across from the angel's tapestry. James and Sirius pushed it open as Lily got nearer and she hurtled through the door into the suffocating black. She muttered "lumos" illuminating the tip of her wand. She rotated in a small circle taking in the entire room. It was empty except for a circular disc. The six teenagers crowded around the golden glimmer wordlessly. There were four carvings of animals on the circle: a raven, a hedgehog, a lion and a snake. No words were exchanged as Liandra pulled supplies from the canvas bag on her shoulder. Lily identified most of the ingredients as wiccan instead of the usual potions ingredients. She didn't think anything of it remembering vaguely Liandra mentioning her friend practicing that branch of magic. The door creaked but no one turned being too busy concentrating on the possible opening of the disc in front of them. They began the Portuguese incantation slowly, Lily too focused on the faint glowing to notice each of her friends disappearing one by one. Only when she was yanked away from the heavily glowing disc did she realize that her friends had been secured to the wall opposite. She was dragged roughly further and further away finally feeling herself being chained to the wall. The person that had chained her there was pointing his wand at her friends. A green light emanated from the wand a couple of moments later hitting Sirius as she heard Alaura scream, the sound ringing throughout the room. Remus was next to be hit as Liandra echoed Alaura's scream. Lily looked to Sirius first noticing that he wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing and neither was Remus beside him. Alaura came next screaming in earnest as the light made contact with her chest. Liandra was terrified and it showed in her eyes as the nameless person aimed his wand at her. Lily tried to make a sound but nothing would come out. Liandra was dead as the light hit her right where her heart was located. As the wand tip was turned to James, Lily found her voice again and started screaming his name at the top of her lungs.
"No! James, no!" There was a flash of green light as the unforgivable curse shot at James but it wasn't the lifeless for of James she saw when the light had cleared. Instead she was standing in the cozy living room of a large cottage. James was sitting on the couch reading but looked up as if he had heard her enter.
"Harry's asleep?" While her mind was questioning who on earth Harry was, she nodded her affirmative. He opened his arms to her and she cuddled up to him, loving him more in that moment than she believed she had ever felt. James suddenly scooped her into his arms ad carried her up the stairs. She laid a hand on his shoulder about half way up the stairs stopping him. She heard footsteps and then the door creak open. James set Lily on her feet, his eyes pleading with her.
"Lily, take Harry and go!" James whispered fearfully. "It's Him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off." Lily gave him one last fleeting kiss before rushing into the first room on the left. It was a baby's room, Lily noticed as she rushed to the cradle against the window. Inside the cradle was a one-year-old black-haired, green-eyed boy. A scuffle had broken out downstairs; Lily could hear the curses, hexes and defensive spells that were thrown at James and him. She drew the small boy into her arms listening as a high, cold, calculating voice called out the unforgivable killing curse. Lily cringed as the door's hinges shook but refused to cry. She had to think logically… for Harry's sake. She heard the footsteps climbing the stairs and turned towards the room she now occupied. The door was blown off its hinges as the evil… creature, dressed in a hooded, black robe, entered turning to face her.
"Give me the boy," the cold voice drawled.
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry," Lily pleaded.
"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside now…"
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –" Lily was swiftly brought back to the Hogwarts dungeons facing a very dead James Potter.
"James!" Lily screamed at the top of her lungs.
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She sat bolt upright in her bed watching her dormmates rush over to her. Ignoring their concerned questions she bolted out of the girls' dorms racing down the stairs, waking up the sleeping students as she went, and streaking up the boys' staircase to the sixth year dorms. The door swung open before Lily had touched the handle as James stood before her fear creasing his handsome face and flooding his hazel eyes. Taking a split second to register that it was indeed James standing in front of her before throwing herself into his arms. James instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. He stroked the back of her hair carrying her down the stairs into the now fully lit common room. Liandra and Alaura were sitting on the couch in front of the fire moving sideways so that James could fit between them, with Lily on his lap. Jessica and Dawn were sitting in two of the arm chairs murmuring that Amanda had gone to get McGonagall. The Transfiguration teacher had already arrived by the time James had been able to calm Lily enough for her to be capable of coherent speech.
"Lily, honey, what happened?" James asked concerned. He had heard her scream his name from her dormitory earlier. Lily looked up at the Gryffindor head.
"I know where it is," she answered simply. Professor McGonagall's face paled visibly.
"Very well," she said in her thick accent. "We will pay a visit to the headmaster." Lily stood with James behind her, offering his silent support. McGonagall looked at him.
"I believe Miss Evans is quite capable of walking to Professor Dumbledore's office on her own." At Lily's step back and the mutual shaking of both heads, Professor McGonagall sighed motioning them both out of the Fat Lady. Lily paused for a moment remembering that she was only in her pyjamas and didn't have anything on her feet. Alaura silently held up the redhead's slippers and winter robe, he hand tucked tightly into Sirius' who was sitting on the armrest above her. Lily could tell that Alaura knew he hadn't survived Lily's dream.
Lily thanked her silently, telling both of her friends with one gaze that she would tell them everything when she returned from the headmaster's office.
The journey seemed to stretch on and on as Lily snuggled into James, afraid of losing contact and seeing him gone. As they approached the stone gargoyle Professor McGonagall called the password ("sugar quills") and the two students and their teacher mounted the spiralling staircase. The headmaster was waiting for them sitting behind his magnificent desk.
"Miss Evans, Mr Potter, have a seat. Minerva, you do not need to stay if you would prefer to return to your quarters," Dumbledore said. Professor McGonagall left, sensing the hidden command in the kindly headmaster's voice. She shot a concerned look at her second best student to which she received both a verbal and non-verbal thank you.
"Now…" Dumbledore began. Lily turned her eyes to face him and as the twinkling blue eyes of the headmaster and Lily's emerald green met, the headmaster was taken aback – though of course didn't let it show – at the fear that was present in the young student's eyes. He had never seen that magnitude of fear reflected in any one's eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief that whatever she had saw was indeed a dream and not reality or he would have seen more of a blank fear in Lily's eyes.
"I know where the Angel's Seal is," Lily interrupted swiftly. Dumbledore nodded.
"Very good! The question that remains is, can you open it?" Lily looked down at James and her entwined hands.
"I know it involves a Latin incantation and wiccan spell ingredients," she responded with a despaired shrug. Dumbledore beamed at her.
"Good! That is quite the advancement. How do you know this?" Lily didn't grin though the incentive was definitely there.
"If you wanted me to tell you about my dream, Professor, you could have easily asked," she said rather snappily. Her patience was thin. She had just been scared into tears at the thought of losing James and this, coupled with the headmaster's annoying habit of being anything but blunt had left little room for tolerance.
"Blunt as always, Miss Evans, but if I am correct, you do not wish to tell me the whole dream." This was true. She did not want to tell Dumbledore about watching her friends die, nor did she want to try to explain to him the section in which Voldemort had entered what Lily had narrowed down to her and James' house. It usually irked her that the headmaster knew exactly what was going on or what a student wanted but with all of the night's events discussing annoying habits with Dumbledore was not on top of her 'to do' list.
"Professor," she began, "the seal is in the dungeons, further down from the kitchen and across from the tapestry of that angel… where I was found unconscious." These words lit another light bulb in her head.
"By all means, Miss Evans, go and check on the poor dear, though I'm sure her classmates have already notified the nurse," Dumbledore said for ones beating around the bush. Lily shot the headmaster a very thankful look before unintentionally dragging (A/N: she meant to bring him with her just not drag him) James towards the Hospital Wing.
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