AN: Sorry for the late update! I was kinda busy this weekend, and wasn't able to upload this chappie. :) Hope you like it!

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Chapter 6: I'd Spend the End With You

"Here it is, folks," James breathed as he pushed open the trapdoor.

"Finally," Lily muttered. "I thought we were going to climb forever."

James climbed out onto the dusty floor. Sirius nimbly vaulted out. James leaned in through the trapdoor and with Remus's help hoisted Lily out.

"Be alert," James warned them softly as Remus replaced the door. "We never know who might be coming down here."

When they were quite sure that the coast was clear, they started upstairs. They slipped into the crowd (they had all abandoned their school robes as to not attract attention) and began picking out the sweets they wanted.

"I don't think I've ever liked those Every Flavor Beans since I got a sour-milk-flavored one," Lily commented as Sirius grabbed a box.

Sirius nodded. "I know they've got a lot of bad ones, but you never know when you might get lucky and find a really good one. Did you ever get the banana-cream one? And the chocolate peanut? Heavenly."

"I got a carrot-flavored one once," James remarked almost distractedly as he helped Lily get some toffees from a shelf. "But I'm trying not to hold it against old Bertie Bott."

Remus came up, his arms loaded with strawberry-cream gummies coated with sugar. "They've got a great new mocha fudge out," he reported. "Wanna get some?"

The woman at the counter barely spared them a glance as she tallied up their purchases. They stepped out of the shop and headed for The Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta recognized them immediately, but James and Sirius charmed her into not saying a word.

"This job has been quite easy so far," Lily quipped as they reentered Honeydukes with bags of butterbeer.

They crept stealthily towards the back of the shop, and had just touched the doorknob to the door leading down to the cellar when someone saw them.

"Thieves! Headed for the cellar!"

"Run!" James cried. They needed no further command. The four of them tore down the steps as quickly as they could. Sirius and Remus got down first and slipped down into the passageway. James followed. Then he turned back to see--

"Lily!"

She had stumbled and fallen all the way down the stairs. Her ankle was hurt, and she had gotten some cuts and bruises; she couldn't move fast at all.

Sirius poked his head out. "Come on, James!"

"But Lily!"

"We're gonna have to leave her!"

A big, fat brute of a man had arrived downstairs. James heard Lily gasp as she was cornered.

"Why you little thief..."

James could take no more. He threw open the trapdoor. Lily's eyes widened as James whipped out his wand.

"Impedimenta!"

The man fell over, incapacitated.

"We're going to have to Obliviate his memories." Lily pointed her own wand.

James slipped his arm around Lily's waist as he helped her to the trapdoor. On cue, Remus and Sirius appeared and lowered Lily into the passageway. When James had slipped through, Sirius shut the trapdoor. As there was no way Lily was going down those sateps with her bad ankle, Remus picked her up and carried her all the way down.

"I thought you guys were supposed to keep to your code," Lily remarked as they emerged back in Hogwarts.

"Well, the code's kinda like a rule. And since when do we follow rules?" Remsu slung his arm around Lily's shoulders.

Lily smiled. "Never."

"Ow!" Lily cried as James treated her wounds. Sirius and Remus had gone down to get them some dinner.

"Grit your teeth and take it like a woman," James ordered. "Healing's a delicate process, you know."

"Well be a little gentle, would you please?"

"OK, OK, I'll try."

James poked her ankle with his wand. Lily prepared to wince in pain.

"Hey!" My ankle's all better!" Lily tested her foot on the floor. "How'd you do it?"

"Relative of mine's a Healer. He taught me some basic stuff." He shot her a crooked smile. "Enough to fix a broken ankle."

"Some celebration, huh?" Lily said wryly.

"Hey, why shouldn't it be? Nothing changes the fact that you did well on that test. And hey, you just went on your first escapade with the Marauders! How was it?"

"Well, it was fun," Lily admitted.

"See? OK, when Moony and Padfoot get back up here with the eats, shall we party?"

Lily thought about it. She certainly couldn't let all that mocha fudge go to waste, could she?

"OK. Let's party."

AN: Thanks a ton to Miss Lady Padfoot, VIVE, Jurneyo, Disneydoll0424, Carmel March, ElectraBlack, and Haunted-Shadows for reviewing! You guys make my day! :)