Note : This is more setting up the relationships Lily has with everyone than anything else. It explains why she's going out with Severus (the greasy residue on his hair would be enough to keep me away, but, hey, we're not here to judge...), and how she feels about the Marauders. And you get to read my descriptions of the Marauders, just because I felt like writing them out...So...Enjoy!
Chapter 2
After two days' rest in the hospital wing, Lily returned to her normal schedule. Madame Pomfrey had healed the wound on her leg, though she did have a rather large scar there. Severus was fine, only a bit bruised, exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry. His stay with the Death Eaters had been rather uneventful, and not worth discussing. Even if he had wanted to, Severus was not allowed to speak of it to anyone but Lily or Dumbledore.
"I don't really remember much, anyhow," Severus told Lily when she asked him about it, "I remember them beating me, and I remember seeing you come into the dungeon and I remember the waterfall. But how did we get back? I remember there were Death Eaters everywhere, but it seemed like we were flying over the mountains."
"You must have been hallucinating," Lily replied in a measured voice, "McGonagall came and got us. She had a portkey. It probably just felt like flying because you were almost unconscious."
Severus nodded, and shrugged. He didn't ask any more questions, but in his mind, he seemed to clearly remember two enormous black wings that had bore him to the front steps. Lily didn't seem to know anything, so he didn't trouble her at all.
On Wednesday evening, Lily was discharged from the hospital wing and sent up to the dormitory to rest. As she trudged up the stairs, her mind picked over the thoughts that had been circling through it for the past two days.
So the Death Eaters were back in their mountain lair. And they wanted something...Or someone. Lily's first thought was Dumbledore, but if they had wanted him, they would have done something besides kidnap a student. No, what was that word that the two guards had said? Eviensir. What's an Eviensir? Obviously, someone at Hogwarts, or someone connected to Dumbledore, had some powers they were hiding.
She approached the door, and muttered the password. As Lily clambered in, a girl in the corner let out a high shriek of delight. The stunning blonde, with her wide blue eyes and her incredible figure, came flying over to embrace Lily.
"We were so worried about you!" She exclaimed.
"I'm fine, Arabella," Lily replied, hugging her back.
Arabella took her hand and dragged her over to the corner where she had been sitting, doing Charms homework with their fellow seventh-years, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. They all greeted her warmly, smiling their welcome, Sirius pulling up a plump armchair for her to sit in.
It was odd that, after knowing them for six and a half years, Lily could not really consider the four boys known as the Marauders as her close friends. Certainly, they knew some of her secrets, and she knew a good deal of theirs, and they had been through a scrape or two together, but they were still not that close. In their first and second year, Lily had considered them favorite playmates, but all children are friends, no matter what they say, at that age. Then, as they grew up, they grew apart, and now were simply of neutral, friendly terms with each other. They had become closer when Arabella had begun dating Sirius, but that was all. Still, Lily, for the most part, liked them very much.
James was Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, not to mention the best-looking guy in school. Girls swooned when he walked by. It was so much more than just his face (square of jaw, long, straight, nose, honey/hazel eyes and scattered freckles), or his crop of wild black hair that every girl wanted to run her hands through. It was more, even, than his broad shoulders, slim waist, and all the rest of his body that was fairly rippling with muscles. No, James possessed that vibe, that certain, irresistible something, that oozed sexiness and sent girls into swooning fits.
James' closest friend was Sirius. Sirius was tall, dark, and handsome, to put it in a nutshell. He had a clever look to his face, with his angular jaw, and he constant smirk on his lips. His deep-set eyes were black, under heavy brows. His hair was also black, though not ruffled like James', but sleek, and worn in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Sirius did not have the every-man sort of quality that James had, but there was something in his eyes that would snag anyone who looked too deeply and keep them there.
Then there was Remus. Remus was much quieter than his friends, and there was an aura of secrecy and mystery about him. He had a broad body, but not heavy, with large hands and long fingers. There were scars just paler than his skin on his neck, chest, and arms, and one from his left temple, down across the corner of his mouth, to his chin. No one except the Marauders knew how he got them. At first sight, Remus Lupin was usually pitied for his deformations. But there was a deep sadness in his blue eyes that drew people to him. His blonde hair always hung about his face, giving the impression of a very shy person peeking out behind a half-drawn curtain. All of this made people want to take care of him and make him happier, though nothing made him happier than being with his friends, so he regarded the sympathizers and pitiers with friendly indifference.
Last, and usually least, there was Peter. Peter did not seem to fit in with the other three at all. While they had their own charms and handsome qualities, Peter...Did not. He was nearly a head shorter than Remus, who stood six-one. He was plump and always red and a little sweaty. His dishwater-brown hair was thin and wispy, his Grey eyes small and close to his pointy nose. Beneath his robes, his fat little feet attached to short, plump legs, were always hurrying after his tall, lean friends. He had none of their athleticism, charms, or brilliance. His single pride and joy was that he could transform like them, and that he was a part of their group. Indeed, Peter was popular, because James, Sirius, and Remus were very nice guys, and they included Peter in everything. Not out of pity, but because they considered him their best fried, and the Marauders would be incomplete without him. (I mean, come on now, even though he did turn out evil, you couldn't have "The Marauder's Map by Messrs. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs," now could you?)
And, although these four were wonderful boys, Lily had never felt close to them since after their second year. Something about them was...Almost annoying. They never did anything more than pull pranks, and Lily would admit to having helped them with some, as well as the getaway. It was mostly James. He was nice enough, yes, but something about him said, "I am soooooo much better than you" to everyone but his three best friends, Bella, and Lily. He didn't project that towards Bella because she was Sirius' girlfriend, and not towards Lily because he respected Lily. Lily was Head Girl, and everyone respected, admired, and loved her.
"So where have you been?" Sirius asked as soon as Lily was comfortable.
"Sick."
"Again?"
"Yes."
"That's too bad. You missed a great lesson on self-levitation in Charms."
"That is too bad," Lily sighed, "I'll just have to get extra tutoring from Flitwick this weekend."
"Or not!" Bella exclaimed, "Hogsmeade this weekend, remember?"
"Oh, yes," Lily frowned, "Well I'll get it on Sunday then."
"Self-levitation," James snorted derisively, "Who needs it when we've got broomsticks, anyways?"
Bella rolled her eyes, "Not all of us here are Quidditch captains, James."
"Well, I know," James started, looking slightly out, "But-"
"It's okay, Bella," Lily said, "James just didn't realize that we're not all Quidditch-cup winners. It's hard to keep track of everyone when the whole world revolves around you, isn't it James?"
Sirius, Remus, and Peter all burst out laughing. They loved watching James get put down by a girl.
"Do you think Flitwick will be around on Sunday?" Lily asked Bella.
"I don't see why you push yourself so hard, Lily," James said in his lazy voice, "And I don't beleive you were sick. There's only so many times the flu can get that bad, and Madame Pomfrey fixes the flu in about two minutes."
Lily didn't answer, only tightened her jaw and rolled her eyes a little. She knew James was only teasing her, but she was not in the mood for joking.
Sometimes, Lily found her friends almost unbearable. They had no clue that the Death Eaters had gathered in the mountains again. She knew that their ignorance was good, but she just wanted to shake them all by the shoulders and scream at them to stop being so stupid. The entire school, every last one of them (except the youngest students, because they were small children, and shouldn't have to deal with that), was one big ignorant mass.
Lily felt her annoyance growing, so she quickly tuned in to the conversation.
"Our chances against Slytherin?" James was saying, "Good. Though they've got that Grider for their Seeker now. Glad they've stopped taking advice from that dolt Snape..."
James voice faded and a faint blush came into his cheeks.
Awkward silence.
Lily nodded slowly, and said, in a light voice, "I'm going to go on up to bed."
She said it in a way that meant nothing more than what she spoke, but that suggested that James had crossed the line...Again. She knew they all hated Severus, but, dear God! she adored the boy.
Severus Snape was the sort of boy who, if you were to line all the guys up in school, would be the most unattractive of the attractive. He did not have good looks, but there was something about him that was so incredibly attractive (though very few girls were willing to admit it) that Lily couldn't resist.
She remembered the day she had first found him to be so. Towards the end of their fifth year, a large group of students from all the houses were down at the lake, taking a swim. Lily had been lounging on the grass with Bella, when they glanced up and saw Snape coming towards the group. Bella and Lily shared a look, something along the lines of shock and amusement. Snape was very anti-social, but he had smug look about his sharp features. His black eyes were wild with excitement, pride, and a smirk was on his lips. As he approached them, the group fell quiet.
"Well, what are all you looking at?" Snape exclaimed.
They all immediately went back to what they had been doing.
Lily, interested (though she didn't know why), propped herself up on one elbow, and watched Severus. He was wearing loose swimming trunks, like most of the boys, and a baggy shirt over it. He looked around for a minute, and then lifted the shirt over his head.
After Lily had picked her jaw up off the ground, she looked closer. She didn't know why, but she had never noticed how incredibly fit Severus was. She had never noticed how his biceps bulged, how broad his shoulders were, how lean his stomach. Standing there in the sunlight, he was incredible. Severus must have felt her gaze, for he looked over, and Lily dropped her eyes and felt a blush creep into her cheeks as his eyes wandered over her. Then a splash, and he had disappeared under the cool surface of the lake.
Later, Lily noticed how he had to unbutton his cuffs to fit his wrists through, and how strong his hands and forearms were, wrapped around her waist, and what an incredibly good kisser he was. Severus was followed everywhere by a shadow. It clouded his eyes and drew together his dark brows that cut that startling black line in his pale face. Lily sometimes wondered if he wasn't part vampire, but she never pursued the subject.
All that mattered was that he loved her. And she loved him back. At the very least, she felt more for him than she had ever felt for any guy. Whenever she saw him, her hair swirled and they were surrounded in a red cloud, separated from everyone and in their own little world.
And even after almost two years, James Potter still didn't have enough brains to remember that they were dating. Lily scowled, and went to bed.
Dumbledore sat in his office, pondering over a book, when he heard a tap on the window. Glancing over, he saw an owl.
"What's this?" He muttered to himself as he took the note from the owl's beak. The owl soared back out again.
Dumbledore opened the envelope, and tossed it on the desk.
// Deliver the Eviensir//
A dark shadow passed over the room. Dumbledore snatched the envelope from the desk and turned it over. The broken seal was green, and had been stamped with the Dark Mark.
*~*
All right. Now review!
Chapter 2
After two days' rest in the hospital wing, Lily returned to her normal schedule. Madame Pomfrey had healed the wound on her leg, though she did have a rather large scar there. Severus was fine, only a bit bruised, exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry. His stay with the Death Eaters had been rather uneventful, and not worth discussing. Even if he had wanted to, Severus was not allowed to speak of it to anyone but Lily or Dumbledore.
"I don't really remember much, anyhow," Severus told Lily when she asked him about it, "I remember them beating me, and I remember seeing you come into the dungeon and I remember the waterfall. But how did we get back? I remember there were Death Eaters everywhere, but it seemed like we were flying over the mountains."
"You must have been hallucinating," Lily replied in a measured voice, "McGonagall came and got us. She had a portkey. It probably just felt like flying because you were almost unconscious."
Severus nodded, and shrugged. He didn't ask any more questions, but in his mind, he seemed to clearly remember two enormous black wings that had bore him to the front steps. Lily didn't seem to know anything, so he didn't trouble her at all.
On Wednesday evening, Lily was discharged from the hospital wing and sent up to the dormitory to rest. As she trudged up the stairs, her mind picked over the thoughts that had been circling through it for the past two days.
So the Death Eaters were back in their mountain lair. And they wanted something...Or someone. Lily's first thought was Dumbledore, but if they had wanted him, they would have done something besides kidnap a student. No, what was that word that the two guards had said? Eviensir. What's an Eviensir? Obviously, someone at Hogwarts, or someone connected to Dumbledore, had some powers they were hiding.
She approached the door, and muttered the password. As Lily clambered in, a girl in the corner let out a high shriek of delight. The stunning blonde, with her wide blue eyes and her incredible figure, came flying over to embrace Lily.
"We were so worried about you!" She exclaimed.
"I'm fine, Arabella," Lily replied, hugging her back.
Arabella took her hand and dragged her over to the corner where she had been sitting, doing Charms homework with their fellow seventh-years, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. They all greeted her warmly, smiling their welcome, Sirius pulling up a plump armchair for her to sit in.
It was odd that, after knowing them for six and a half years, Lily could not really consider the four boys known as the Marauders as her close friends. Certainly, they knew some of her secrets, and she knew a good deal of theirs, and they had been through a scrape or two together, but they were still not that close. In their first and second year, Lily had considered them favorite playmates, but all children are friends, no matter what they say, at that age. Then, as they grew up, they grew apart, and now were simply of neutral, friendly terms with each other. They had become closer when Arabella had begun dating Sirius, but that was all. Still, Lily, for the most part, liked them very much.
James was Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, not to mention the best-looking guy in school. Girls swooned when he walked by. It was so much more than just his face (square of jaw, long, straight, nose, honey/hazel eyes and scattered freckles), or his crop of wild black hair that every girl wanted to run her hands through. It was more, even, than his broad shoulders, slim waist, and all the rest of his body that was fairly rippling with muscles. No, James possessed that vibe, that certain, irresistible something, that oozed sexiness and sent girls into swooning fits.
James' closest friend was Sirius. Sirius was tall, dark, and handsome, to put it in a nutshell. He had a clever look to his face, with his angular jaw, and he constant smirk on his lips. His deep-set eyes were black, under heavy brows. His hair was also black, though not ruffled like James', but sleek, and worn in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Sirius did not have the every-man sort of quality that James had, but there was something in his eyes that would snag anyone who looked too deeply and keep them there.
Then there was Remus. Remus was much quieter than his friends, and there was an aura of secrecy and mystery about him. He had a broad body, but not heavy, with large hands and long fingers. There were scars just paler than his skin on his neck, chest, and arms, and one from his left temple, down across the corner of his mouth, to his chin. No one except the Marauders knew how he got them. At first sight, Remus Lupin was usually pitied for his deformations. But there was a deep sadness in his blue eyes that drew people to him. His blonde hair always hung about his face, giving the impression of a very shy person peeking out behind a half-drawn curtain. All of this made people want to take care of him and make him happier, though nothing made him happier than being with his friends, so he regarded the sympathizers and pitiers with friendly indifference.
Last, and usually least, there was Peter. Peter did not seem to fit in with the other three at all. While they had their own charms and handsome qualities, Peter...Did not. He was nearly a head shorter than Remus, who stood six-one. He was plump and always red and a little sweaty. His dishwater-brown hair was thin and wispy, his Grey eyes small and close to his pointy nose. Beneath his robes, his fat little feet attached to short, plump legs, were always hurrying after his tall, lean friends. He had none of their athleticism, charms, or brilliance. His single pride and joy was that he could transform like them, and that he was a part of their group. Indeed, Peter was popular, because James, Sirius, and Remus were very nice guys, and they included Peter in everything. Not out of pity, but because they considered him their best fried, and the Marauders would be incomplete without him. (I mean, come on now, even though he did turn out evil, you couldn't have "The Marauder's Map by Messrs. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs," now could you?)
And, although these four were wonderful boys, Lily had never felt close to them since after their second year. Something about them was...Almost annoying. They never did anything more than pull pranks, and Lily would admit to having helped them with some, as well as the getaway. It was mostly James. He was nice enough, yes, but something about him said, "I am soooooo much better than you" to everyone but his three best friends, Bella, and Lily. He didn't project that towards Bella because she was Sirius' girlfriend, and not towards Lily because he respected Lily. Lily was Head Girl, and everyone respected, admired, and loved her.
"So where have you been?" Sirius asked as soon as Lily was comfortable.
"Sick."
"Again?"
"Yes."
"That's too bad. You missed a great lesson on self-levitation in Charms."
"That is too bad," Lily sighed, "I'll just have to get extra tutoring from Flitwick this weekend."
"Or not!" Bella exclaimed, "Hogsmeade this weekend, remember?"
"Oh, yes," Lily frowned, "Well I'll get it on Sunday then."
"Self-levitation," James snorted derisively, "Who needs it when we've got broomsticks, anyways?"
Bella rolled her eyes, "Not all of us here are Quidditch captains, James."
"Well, I know," James started, looking slightly out, "But-"
"It's okay, Bella," Lily said, "James just didn't realize that we're not all Quidditch-cup winners. It's hard to keep track of everyone when the whole world revolves around you, isn't it James?"
Sirius, Remus, and Peter all burst out laughing. They loved watching James get put down by a girl.
"Do you think Flitwick will be around on Sunday?" Lily asked Bella.
"I don't see why you push yourself so hard, Lily," James said in his lazy voice, "And I don't beleive you were sick. There's only so many times the flu can get that bad, and Madame Pomfrey fixes the flu in about two minutes."
Lily didn't answer, only tightened her jaw and rolled her eyes a little. She knew James was only teasing her, but she was not in the mood for joking.
Sometimes, Lily found her friends almost unbearable. They had no clue that the Death Eaters had gathered in the mountains again. She knew that their ignorance was good, but she just wanted to shake them all by the shoulders and scream at them to stop being so stupid. The entire school, every last one of them (except the youngest students, because they were small children, and shouldn't have to deal with that), was one big ignorant mass.
Lily felt her annoyance growing, so she quickly tuned in to the conversation.
"Our chances against Slytherin?" James was saying, "Good. Though they've got that Grider for their Seeker now. Glad they've stopped taking advice from that dolt Snape..."
James voice faded and a faint blush came into his cheeks.
Awkward silence.
Lily nodded slowly, and said, in a light voice, "I'm going to go on up to bed."
She said it in a way that meant nothing more than what she spoke, but that suggested that James had crossed the line...Again. She knew they all hated Severus, but, dear God! she adored the boy.
Severus Snape was the sort of boy who, if you were to line all the guys up in school, would be the most unattractive of the attractive. He did not have good looks, but there was something about him that was so incredibly attractive (though very few girls were willing to admit it) that Lily couldn't resist.
She remembered the day she had first found him to be so. Towards the end of their fifth year, a large group of students from all the houses were down at the lake, taking a swim. Lily had been lounging on the grass with Bella, when they glanced up and saw Snape coming towards the group. Bella and Lily shared a look, something along the lines of shock and amusement. Snape was very anti-social, but he had smug look about his sharp features. His black eyes were wild with excitement, pride, and a smirk was on his lips. As he approached them, the group fell quiet.
"Well, what are all you looking at?" Snape exclaimed.
They all immediately went back to what they had been doing.
Lily, interested (though she didn't know why), propped herself up on one elbow, and watched Severus. He was wearing loose swimming trunks, like most of the boys, and a baggy shirt over it. He looked around for a minute, and then lifted the shirt over his head.
After Lily had picked her jaw up off the ground, she looked closer. She didn't know why, but she had never noticed how incredibly fit Severus was. She had never noticed how his biceps bulged, how broad his shoulders were, how lean his stomach. Standing there in the sunlight, he was incredible. Severus must have felt her gaze, for he looked over, and Lily dropped her eyes and felt a blush creep into her cheeks as his eyes wandered over her. Then a splash, and he had disappeared under the cool surface of the lake.
Later, Lily noticed how he had to unbutton his cuffs to fit his wrists through, and how strong his hands and forearms were, wrapped around her waist, and what an incredibly good kisser he was. Severus was followed everywhere by a shadow. It clouded his eyes and drew together his dark brows that cut that startling black line in his pale face. Lily sometimes wondered if he wasn't part vampire, but she never pursued the subject.
All that mattered was that he loved her. And she loved him back. At the very least, she felt more for him than she had ever felt for any guy. Whenever she saw him, her hair swirled and they were surrounded in a red cloud, separated from everyone and in their own little world.
And even after almost two years, James Potter still didn't have enough brains to remember that they were dating. Lily scowled, and went to bed.
Dumbledore sat in his office, pondering over a book, when he heard a tap on the window. Glancing over, he saw an owl.
"What's this?" He muttered to himself as he took the note from the owl's beak. The owl soared back out again.
Dumbledore opened the envelope, and tossed it on the desk.
// Deliver the Eviensir//
A dark shadow passed over the room. Dumbledore snatched the envelope from the desk and turned it over. The broken seal was green, and had been stamped with the Dark Mark.
*~*
All right. Now review!