"Underneath it all" by marauderyears
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it, J.K Rowling does.
A/N: Thanks reviewers!!! I love it when you all review; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
Lily's POV
Lily wasn't in the greatest of moods as she plopped down on the couch by the fire. And it didn't make her any happier that there were giggling 1st and 2nd years hanging out by her favorite seat.
Lily stared up at the clock and realized it was near dinner time. But there was no way in hell she was going down to the Great Hall. Not only was she tired but she didn't feel like having to answer questions about the 'fingers incident'. No doubt the whole school knew about it already.
Lily stared up at the ceiling and started to count the dots on it. She felt her eyelids get heavy. She drifted off to sleep to the droning voices of the other kids in the room...
James' POV
"I'm bored."
"Congratulations Padfoot." Remus answered in a dull voice as he looked up from his game of Exploding Snap with James. It was James' move.
"Guess what?" James said excitedly.
"Chickenbutt." Sirius answered. There was a long silence after this. "What? Muggles say it, why can't I?"
"Anyways, I am officially able to talk to Lily with out her slapping me."
"Congratulations, Prongs."
"It's a good thing. I feel like we're taking steps forward, toward a friendship."
"Yes, so you've been listening to me that you need to be her friend first." Remus said as his knight dragged James' pawn off of the board.
"Yes, but I feel like our relationship is going so sloooow."
Sirius snorted. "What relationship?"
James glared at him as Remus answered. "Everyone's got a relationship with someone. It can be positive or negative or at neutral...kind of like zero."
"Oh. So in Prongs' case; negative."
"That's not true, we're moving up to zero." James said resentfully.
"Congratulations, Prongs." Sirius said rolling his eyes. Remus frowned at Sirius.
"Hey, that's my line."
James spaced out as they started bickering. He started to daydream about a certain pretty redhead. He started to wonder where she was and what she was doing at this exact minute. She was probably sleeping, it was already nearing midnight. He hadn't seen her at dinner. What if she's in trouble? James stood up suddenly, gaining the attention of his friends.
"Have ants in your pants Prongs?" Sirius asked smirking.
Remus laughed, "The only time he did was because you put them in there."
James mock glared at both of them before heading down the dormitory staircase into the common room. At a first glance he didn't see anyone in the room. When he looked closer, he noticed the little figure of a redhead curled up on the couch by the fire.
He smiled and walked over to her. He watched her calm face for a bit before she muttered something and shifted a little. James noticed she had goose-bumps on her arms and legs, so he summoned a blanket and covered her with it. She smiled a little. James thought about bringing her up to her room, but decided against it. Her roommates would wonder why and ask questions...
James sighed and stood up. His back cracked a little. He glanced one last time at her before he slowly headed up the staircase to his dorm. He thought he heard the common room portrait door open and close.
Lily's POV
Awakening her from her dreams was a loud chime. Lily jumped up and remembered the clock always struck midnight. She got up and stretched feeling her bones crack. That was the last time she fell asleep on the couch. It gave her muscle cramps.
Lily realized she was hungry when her stomach growled. She remembered she hadn't eaten since lunch so she exited the common room, accidentally slamming the portrait to the dismay of the Fat Lady.
Lily headed to the kitchens through a shortcut that she had once seen Peter take to get to the dormitory. In one sudden motion that happened so quick Lily barely had time to yelp, she felt her body flip over as she was pulled to the ceiling by her left foot from a rope.
Lily flailed around for a second before she realized she was quite stuck hanging upside down tied to the ceiling by her foot. And she had dropped her wand. She heard voices of people laughing. Lily swore violently as she tried to rotate to see where the laughter was coming from.
"Hey, look we caught a mudblood in our trap!" Before Lily could see who the people were, a blindfold was placed around her eyes tightly. Lily let out an angry scream.
"Well mudblood, while you're just hanging around you can answer a few questions for us." The first, feminine voice said. A second masculine voice laughed.
Lily growled, "I'm not answering anything for you!"
A look passed between the two people and one of them nodded. The second person walked over to Lily and took her flailing hands and tied them behind her back as best he could. Lily tried to glare at him but stopped glaring as she realized she was getting dizzy. The blood was rushing to her head. The people must have noticed this because they laughed.
All three of them were silent for a second as they heard distant voices. Lily took a deep breath before yelling.
"Heeellllppppp!!!!!!" Someone slapped her face and she felt tears threaten to fall. She felt rather than heard the two people exit the room.
"Holy shit!" Lily heard a new voice and recognized it as Sirius' voice.
She felt someone cut the rope down and yelped as she landed in a pair of arms. Someone cut the rope around her wrist and untied her blindfold. She blinked, having to get used to the light. She was in James' lap and was looking up at Sirius and Remus' concerned faces.
Lily sighed, "Thank you, I don't know what I would've done if—"
"Who did this to you?" James interrupted her.
Lily shrugged as best she could with her sore arms. "I was blindfolded, I don't know." Lily felt her throat tighten up as though she would cry.
"Here." Remus handed her his cloak. She nodded her thanks and put it on.
James turned her toward him. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Lily shook her head but he noticed the red mark on her cheek. "Did they hit you?"
Lily nodded. Sirius growled, "Don't worry, we'll get them back."
Remus handed her the wand that she had dropped. She thanked him. She retold them the story of what happened.
James' POV
When James heard the slamming of the portrait hole he got worried and went back to the common room to see if Lily was okay. When James got there she was gone. James went back up to his dorm to grab the Marauder's Map to follow her. As he was digging through his stuff he woke up Sirius and Remus. Peter could sleep through a stampede, so he didn't wake up.
"What the bloody hell is—Prongs what are you looking for?" Sirius said edgily.
Remus let out an exasperated sigh and turned over to try and fall back asleep.
James looked up, "For the Marauder's Map, where is it?"
Sirius shrugged, "Peter used it last to go to the kitchens." James swore loudly.
Remus grumpily asked, "Why?"
"Because Lily just left the Common Room and I want to see where she's going to make sure she's okay."
Sirius sighed, "Prongs mate, she's fine."
"I just want to make sure. And you two can help me follow her."
They both grumbled. James shook his head, "Padfoot, we'll go to the kitchens afterward." At this Sirius jumped out of bed and pulled Remus out of his. The three of them headed down with only the invisibility cloak.
As they were heading down one hall they heard a distant, angry scream. They picked up the pace. At one intersection in the hall, James didn't know which way to go to follow Lily.
"Which way do you think she went?"
Sirius answered, "She probably went to the kitchen. Where we should be."
Remus nodded, "We should take the shortcut—" He was cut off by someone shouting, "Heeellllppppp!!!!!!" They both ripped off the cloak and sprinted toward the shout.
When they entered a room that led to the kitchens they saw a Lily upside down hanging from a rope.
Sirius was the first to speak, "Holy shit!" They ran over to her. Remus used his wand to cut the rope down. James caught her before she hit the ground. Sirius untied her blindfold as Remus cut the rope around her wrist.
Lily sighed, "Thank you, I don't know what I would've done if—"
"Who did this to you?" James interrupted her, trying to ignore the fact that the beautiful, love of his life Lily was lying in his arms.
Lily shrugged. She grimaced in pain. "I was blindfolded, I don't know." James saw tears in her eyes threatening to fall and her voice sounded strangled.
"Here." Remus handed her his cloak as he saw that she was shivering. She nodded her thanks and put it on.
James turned her toward him. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Lily shook her head but he noticed the red mark on her cheek. "Did they hit you?"
Lily nodded. James felt the anger boil in him. Someone had hit his Lily?! His Lily?! He looked her over to make sure she was okay everywhere else.
Sirius growled a little. "Don't worry, we'll get them back. I'm betting they were Slytherins."
Remus handed her the wand that she had dropped. She thanked him. She retold them the story of what happened as they led her back to the common room. She stopped them.
"No, wait. I was trying to go to the kitchens. I'm hungry."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You know where the kitchens are?"
Lily laughed. "Ha. That's amateur stuff. Plus James told me..." She added sheepishly.
Remus and Sirius mock glared at James as he turned red and shrugged. All four of them headed down to the kitchens. The whole time down there, Sirius claimed that it was probably one of his 'evil, ugly, Dark Art-loving cousins'. Remus then pointed out that they all looked exactly like girl versions of him. That shut him up.
A/N: Sorry for the pointless chapters. I just wanted to include the Slytherins in somewhere. Professor Brody will come more into the story in the next few chappies. Patience is a virtue...One that I sure as hell don't have.