Disclaimer: I'm sixteen. I never would have thought of this story on my
own. Get it?
Author's Note: Woooo!!! I think I got this one out in record time. That's what happens when you actually sit down and tries to get things done. Warning, this is a pretty long chapter. I kept trying to end it, but it always seemed too short, so I just kept writing. Any who.. here we go! Have fun!
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Remus searched through the large pile of books at the table he had to himself. The Library was almost empty, only a few scattered people ruffled lazily through the books on their tables. He spied one group of first years studying together in a corner, whispering to each other and struggling back laughs. The three boys reminded him of him, James, and Sirius, and he smiled for the first time in days.
Lily was coming back today.
Remus shook his head violently. He promised himself that he would stop thinking about Lily and get over the witch. So far, he managed to push her out of his mind most of the time, but she always seemed to sneak up on him when he wasn't expecting it. Frankly, he was getting tired of it.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, for once not stopping his thoughts of the gorgeous redhead. Merlin's beard, he missed her. Even though he knew it was for the best, he regretted the day when he told Lily that they didn't have a chance. Sure, she would be thinking of James for a while, but she could get over him in time. It wasn't like James was a god or anything, and Remus was a good guy. Why couldn't it work out?
Because he would constantly be wondering if she really was over James, that's why.
Merlin, he just wished that Lily could love him, totally and completely. Was that too much to ask for? Didn't he deserve something good to happen in his life?
"Remus?" He tensed as he heard the hesitant voice behind him. Of course, he should have expected her to creep up on him when he was least expecting it. It had been happening for days.
Remus slowly turned around and looked at Lily. She was still pale, most of the color drained from her face. He noticed that her hands were clasped in front of her, a sign she was tense. "Welcome back, Lily," he said, forcing a smile on his face. "Why don't you sit down? You looked a little peaked."
Lily nodded and sat down next to Remus after he took the stack of books off of it. "How've you been, Remus?" she asked politely, finding her voice weak. What was wrong with her? It's just Remus Lupin, for Merlin's sake.
"Okay. I've been studying a lot, for N.E.W.T.s, you know." Remus couldn't let himself look at her, so he stared at the table. He was afraid that if he looked into those eyes that he loved so deeply, he wouldn't be able to look away and he'd be trapped forever. Why was she here? "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, I just got out this morning." This felt so lame! Why were they tiptoeing around each other like people who had never met before? They'd known each other for years! Lily made sure she kept her eyes on him, so she wouldn't miss it if he looked up. They sat together for a few moments in uncomfortable silence. "I – I've missed you, Remus. Why did you stop visiting me?" Despite trying to sound casual, she couldn't keep the hurt and tears out of her voice.
Oh god. Why did she have to ask? Remus closed his eyes tightly. "I've missed you too, Lily." Why the hell did she have to ask? "It just – I just can't –"Remus sighed in frustration, unable to find the right words to say. He balled his hands into fists on the table. He slowly relaxed himself and flattened his palms on an old book with a leather cover. "It just hurts, Lily," he finished lamely.
Lily studied him for a few moments before she took his hand in hers. She laced her fingers around his and brushed his hair from his brow. He jerked his head up at her touch and finally looked at her.
Merlin, she was beautiful.
The mouth that he loved to kiss was tilted upwards at the corners, a warm smile beginning to form. Color had returned to her face, and Remus hoped that seeing him had done this. Lily's goddess green eyes were glistening with tears and they seemed to glow in the light of the room.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you. It's the last thing that I ever meant to do," she said softly. "And I hope that what I'm going to say next won't hurt you."
Remus shook his head, knowing what she wanted to say. Yes, it would hurt. "Please don't, Lily," he replied, his voice husky and strained from holding back tears that he wouldn't let escape. He turned his head and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for what he knew was to come.
"I love you."
Yes, it hurt, just like he knew it would. Why did she have to say those three words? He wished she didn't utter that phrase, that he didn't have to hear it, that he could have found some way to stop her. But she did, he did, he couldn't.
"You don't love me, Lily." His breath let out shakily after he said what had been on his mind for months now. Remus knew he was going to cry. He wished he wasn't so sentimental, that he could get through this without tears, that it didn't have to hurt with such precise pain. But he was, he couldn't, it did. "I doubt that you ever really loved me. You just didn't want to love James anymore, and you still don't."
Remus clenched his jaw tightly, trying to hold back the tears as long as possible. He figured that if Lily didn't cry, didn't talk, didn't insist that she loved him, didn't beg him to take her back, that he might be able to get through the ordeal.
But Fate never seemed to follow along with his plans.
Remus heard her let out a sob. She cried. "You don't really believe that, Remus." She talked. "I do love you, I love you with all my heart." She insisted. "Please, Remus. Please believe me. I want to be with you. Say you'll take me back, please." She begged.
He sobbed.
"I can't do this, Lily. I can't do this to myself. I can't let you do this to yourself. And I can't do this to James," Remus managed to say through his tears. He felt Lily tighten her grip on his hand. She was jerking with her struggle to hold back her tears and she knocked the table. A book crashed onto the floor, and Remus suddenly realized where they were. "Lily, I know we have more things to sort out. Let's go outside, where it's more private."
Lily nodded, afraid of what might happen if she dared to speak, and they headed out of the Library hand in hand.
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James sat by the lake, skipping rocks on the surface of the water and watching the ripples as he had been for the past few hours. Since he woke up.
He was running out of rocks.
Lily was coming back today, but he didn't know if he could face her. Merlin, she knew that he loved her and he was afraid of what she felt. Sure, Remus told him that she still loved him, but that didn't mean anything. Sure, Remus was pretty good and reading people's emotions, but that didn't mean anything.
James just supposed that Remus was wrong, that Lily would never in her right mind come back to him. He would just have to face the facts. Lily Brenna Evans would never become "Lily Brenna Potter". He found it much more likely that she would become "Lily Brenna Lupin".
Lily Potter.
Lily Lupin.
Lily Potter.
Lily Lupin.
Bloody hell.
James buried his head in his hands and resisted the urge to pull his hair out. He had barely slept since he talked to Lily that day in the Hospital Wing. He knew he was starting to worry his friends and that he looked unusually pale. Late at night, he found himself lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with millions of thoughts running through his head. All of them of her.
How peaceful she looked while she was sleeping. How flushed she got when she was angry. How her eyes glowed with warmth when she saw him. How her laughter always brightened up the room. How she smiled when she saw Remus that day she woke up.
Lily Lupin.
Angrily, James picked up another rock and skillfully skipped it across the water five times. Dimly, he heard voices and glanced up to see two people making their way towards the lake, their heads down, their hands linked. He was about to get up and move away when he saw the girl's hair flowing wildly in the wind.
The girl's red hair.
Lily's red hair.
The only guy that Lily would be seen walking with, holding hands with, was Remus. Remus Lupin.
Lily Lupin.
James only had a second to decide what to do before they would see him. If he stood up, they would see the movement and look towards him. He didn't want to see Lily with Remus, especially not after what he had told her the other day. However, if he stayed where he was, they would eventually reach where he was sitting, and they would talk to him.
Well, Remus would. As for Lily... Well, James had no idea what Lily would do.
Before he had to force himself to make a decision, he saw something that was so unexpected, and so crushing, that he couldn't stop the tears. It made him loose all hope for him and Lily.
Lily shook her hair out of her face and pulled it back into a hair band to stop the wind from whipping it around. Then she did the unthinkable. She kissed him.
She kissed Remus.
Lily kissed Remus.
James watched in horror as they stood entwined in each other's arms for more than a minute before breaking apart and start to head back to the castle. He felt his heart break in pieces as the full reality of what he saw sunk in. Lily really was over him, Lily really didn't want to be with him anymore, he didn't mean anything to her. She probably had never been in love with him in the first place. He had just been rebound from having her heart broken by Remus. Lily loved Remus.
Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as James hugged his knees to his chest and buried his head in them. One thought kept running through his head.
Lily Lupin.
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"What do you think Lily's up to?" Cassandra asked Sirius as they sat in the Gryffindor common room. Sirius was sitting in one corner of the couch and Cassandra was sitting in the other with her legs propped up on his knees.
"She said she was heading to the Library, so I figure she's trying to find Remus," Sirius replied. He really wished Lily would just leave his friends alone. He was tired of seeing them mope around with broken hearts.
"Why? There doesn't really seem to be a point to it." Sometimes she really worried about what was going on in her friend's head. Cassandra felt that she should just find a nice rebound guy, like Cortland Wood, and leave the Marauders the fuck alone.
"Lily probably thinks that she can persuade Remus into taking her back and get over James by trying to fall in love with Remus. Even though she says she's over James, she isn't. She just doesn't want to be in love with him anymore," Sirius evaluated expertly. "Remus knows this, but he's head over heels for Lily and she will be able to persuade him that they can make it happen if he lets her. I just hope they don't run into James anywhere."
Cassandra studied her boyfriend for a few moments, amazed at his perception in the situation. "When the hell did you grow up?" she said with a smirk.
Sirius smirked back and leaned forward to pull her hair a little. "About the same time that I fell in love with you."
"Aww.. how sweet," she said, fluttering her eyelashes and laughing a little.
He just grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. "What are you're plans after Hogwarts?"
She blinked a little, surprised at the question, and thought about it for a moment. "Well, I'm hoping to be able to work for St. Mungo's. You know that. So I guess I'll see if I get into the program and take it from there."
"Is that all you have planned?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well," Sirius leaned back into the couch, "what about us? I'm shooting for an Auror, and I don't think I'll have any problems with that. Especially since Voldemort has come to power, they need more people. But it's a three year program. What will happen to us?"
Cassandra couldn't help but frown. Sure, she had thought about the future between them. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't know what Sirius wanted. He said that he loved her, and she believed him, but she was till sure that one day he would tell her he was bored and leave.
"I don't know. What do you want to happen to us?"
It was just the opening that he needed. Sirius smiled at her and kisses her cheek softly. "Will you marry me?" he whispered softly into her ear. He drew back far enough to see the astonished look on her face, quickly covered by a smirk.
"Where's the ring? Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?" she demanded. "Come on, be romantic, Sirius." With a grin, he slid off the couch and pulled a box out of the pocket in his robes as he got down on one knee.
Sirius opened the box and held it out to her. "Cassandra Weeks, will you marry me?"
She started to smirk, until she saw the ring. "Oh my god, Sirius, it's amazing! I didn't think you paid any attention to my ramblings!" Inside the box was a simple square cut amethyst set on a silver band with small diamonds on each side. She went to pluck it out of the box, but Sirius snatched it out of her reach.
"You didn't give me an answer, young lady.." he said, grinning widely.
"Oh, you great baboon, of course I'll marry you!" she said, almost squealing and knocked him over as she launched herself at him and kissed him multiple times. "I love you, I love you, I love you!" Sirius just grinned up at her and slid the ring onto her finger.
"Let's find the gang and tell them," he said wisely. Cassandra jumped up and helped Sirius up. They climbed through the portrait hole hand in hand. "I think we should tell James first, he needs the most cheering up." Cassandra just grinned at him.
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From the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, a man with red eyes watched they redhead with eager eyes. He watched her cross over the grounds with their hands clasped together. He saw the kiss, and his eyes flashed with anger. The boy would pay for touching his flower, and he would pay dearly.
And he could pay now.
Voldemort quietly made his way to the edge of the forest, so he could see them and to the couple, he would be a mere shadow. He expertly aimed his wand at the boy and yelled. "Crucio!" The spell hit the boy and he fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain. He could see that Lily didn't know what to do; she hadn't seen where the spell had come from.
Suddenly, the boy – from Wormtail's reports, this was Remus – stopped writhing as Voldemort cut off the curse. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and someone stood up from the edge of the lake. He knew that mop of messy hair anywhere.
James Potter. It was his time to pay, now. The Dark Lord aimed his wand again and yelled the incantation for the Cruciatus Curse. This time, James was the one to writhe and scream as Voldemort let the curse run much longer than it had on the other boy.
Lily and Remus rushed to the spot where James was twisting in pain. Just as they reached him, Voldemort stopped the curse. Hopefully, he had caused lasting damage.
It was amazing how easy the Dark Lord found it to hurt these people, and how confused they became because of it. Really, he had thought that Lily was smarter. He had observed her since she was a child and had seen all that he wanted in her. She would be his queen.
Voldemort watched as another couple ran to the edge of the lake to meet up with the other three. The smiles he caught on their faces quickly disappeared as Lily informed them of what happened. He couldn't tell what was being said, but he saw the couple's faces fall. This was probably Sirius and Cassandra.
With a smirk, he twirled his wand in his long fingers and fought with the urge to kill. He wanted Remus and James to suffer, so they wouldn't be able to die for a bit, and he couldn't hurt his dear Lily. But the other two... He needed someone to murder before he killed one of the other boys before their time.
The question was – did he want to kill a girl, or a boy today?
Voldemort's eyes glinted in a patch of sunlight, and he was saved the need to choose when the girl looked right at him. And screamed.
He boldly walked out of his protection of the forest and aimed his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" With the tell tale flash of green light, Cassandra fell to the ground. There were a few moments of chilling silence while Voldemort waited for them to react.
The boy with the long black hair – Sirius – screamed and pointed his wand at the Dark Lord. "You'll pay for that, monster!" Whatever Sirius planned to do was lost as Voldemort, with a slashing movement and a flash of violet light, cut across Sirius's chest with his spell. He fell to the ground screaming and holding his wound.
Lily rushed to his side, eager to help stop his pain, and gave Voldemort his window of opportunity. "Wingardium Leviosa!" With an expert swish-and- flick, Remus and James were suspended high in the air over the lake. "How's it hanging, boys?" he asked in his cold voice, letting it run over them. "I'm in control. One of your friends dead, another injured, you two helpless. I will have Lily."
"NO!" both Remus and James screamed at the same time. Voldemort just laughed. Lily ran towards him and started punching him in every available space, wand and magic forgotten. Voldemort shoved her back with a swipe of his hand.
"I don't want to hurt you, my dear, but if I have to I will." Voldemort spun around as he heard a voice behind him. What he saw scared him more than anything, though he would not admit it.
Dumbledore.
He sneered and let the boys fall, right into the frigid lake. With a swish of his cloak, he was gone.
But not before he whispered in Lily's ear, "One day, my precious flower, you will be mine. Do not doubt it."
Lily realized that day would be imprinted in her mind forever as she tried to stop the bleeding on Sirius's wound and she watched Dumbledore help Remus and James out of the water. She would never forget what Voldemort told her, or the terror it instilled in her heart. Tears fell onto Sirius's chest as she glanced over at her best friend, dead.
Most importantly, she would never forget that day as the day that Cassandra was ripped from her life.
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Author's Note: Well, what did you guys think? Personally, I didn't like how I ended the chapter. It sounds too much like the end of the story. How about that relationship cliffhanger? ::evil laugh:: It's so much fun... Just don't get too mad at me about Cassandra! I knew all along that I was going to have her get killed, I just didn't mean for it to be so impersonal. In the next chapter, I'm going to write more about.. Well, you'll see. Shout out time!
lilylives07 - ::blushes:: Aww... I feel so special. It's my duty to make people cry in my stories. So if you think the earlier chapters were bad, how about this one? Wait till you see the next couple... Keep the tissues handy!
James'Gurl1215 – I just love reading your reviews. I always feel so special! Flattery will get you everywhere. If you're pissed off about Lily being in denial, how mad are you now? ::evil laugh:: Don't worry about the exclamation points, I think they're quite pretty. Skippy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::giggle::
californiagurl – Hmm... word to describe James... Moody? Stupid? Melancholy? Idiotic? Unpredictable? Did I mention stupid? How about we just bypass picking one, and say he's just all of the ones we don't like right now. I think that works quite well. Anaheim, hmmm? Do you like No Doubt? They're from Anaheim... They're my favorite band. I don't know exactly where Santa Cruz is, I think it's kinda near San Francisco. I'm as confused as you on the whole "Santa" thing. I'll stick to New Jersey, thank you very much.
Brighton Baby – Hmm.. tad bit critical, don't ya think? Yeah, I always type too fast and if it's a word, Microsoft Word doesn't care and doesn't pick it up. I'm too lazy to go through the whole story and pick out every mistake that the comp doesn't get, because I never notice it. The confusion in the beginning about which PoV it was in was because it started out as first person, but I wanted to include everyone, so I decided third person would be better. One of these days I'm going to have to go back and fix all the mistakes that you pointed out for me. Thanks, buddy.
Special thanks to: ZombieGurl98, AnG3L1c diVa-chan, shortiibabi, Xo DaNiElLe 03 oX
Author's Note: Woooo!!! I think I got this one out in record time. That's what happens when you actually sit down and tries to get things done. Warning, this is a pretty long chapter. I kept trying to end it, but it always seemed too short, so I just kept writing. Any who.. here we go! Have fun!
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Remus searched through the large pile of books at the table he had to himself. The Library was almost empty, only a few scattered people ruffled lazily through the books on their tables. He spied one group of first years studying together in a corner, whispering to each other and struggling back laughs. The three boys reminded him of him, James, and Sirius, and he smiled for the first time in days.
Lily was coming back today.
Remus shook his head violently. He promised himself that he would stop thinking about Lily and get over the witch. So far, he managed to push her out of his mind most of the time, but she always seemed to sneak up on him when he wasn't expecting it. Frankly, he was getting tired of it.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, for once not stopping his thoughts of the gorgeous redhead. Merlin's beard, he missed her. Even though he knew it was for the best, he regretted the day when he told Lily that they didn't have a chance. Sure, she would be thinking of James for a while, but she could get over him in time. It wasn't like James was a god or anything, and Remus was a good guy. Why couldn't it work out?
Because he would constantly be wondering if she really was over James, that's why.
Merlin, he just wished that Lily could love him, totally and completely. Was that too much to ask for? Didn't he deserve something good to happen in his life?
"Remus?" He tensed as he heard the hesitant voice behind him. Of course, he should have expected her to creep up on him when he was least expecting it. It had been happening for days.
Remus slowly turned around and looked at Lily. She was still pale, most of the color drained from her face. He noticed that her hands were clasped in front of her, a sign she was tense. "Welcome back, Lily," he said, forcing a smile on his face. "Why don't you sit down? You looked a little peaked."
Lily nodded and sat down next to Remus after he took the stack of books off of it. "How've you been, Remus?" she asked politely, finding her voice weak. What was wrong with her? It's just Remus Lupin, for Merlin's sake.
"Okay. I've been studying a lot, for N.E.W.T.s, you know." Remus couldn't let himself look at her, so he stared at the table. He was afraid that if he looked into those eyes that he loved so deeply, he wouldn't be able to look away and he'd be trapped forever. Why was she here? "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, I just got out this morning." This felt so lame! Why were they tiptoeing around each other like people who had never met before? They'd known each other for years! Lily made sure she kept her eyes on him, so she wouldn't miss it if he looked up. They sat together for a few moments in uncomfortable silence. "I – I've missed you, Remus. Why did you stop visiting me?" Despite trying to sound casual, she couldn't keep the hurt and tears out of her voice.
Oh god. Why did she have to ask? Remus closed his eyes tightly. "I've missed you too, Lily." Why the hell did she have to ask? "It just – I just can't –"Remus sighed in frustration, unable to find the right words to say. He balled his hands into fists on the table. He slowly relaxed himself and flattened his palms on an old book with a leather cover. "It just hurts, Lily," he finished lamely.
Lily studied him for a few moments before she took his hand in hers. She laced her fingers around his and brushed his hair from his brow. He jerked his head up at her touch and finally looked at her.
Merlin, she was beautiful.
The mouth that he loved to kiss was tilted upwards at the corners, a warm smile beginning to form. Color had returned to her face, and Remus hoped that seeing him had done this. Lily's goddess green eyes were glistening with tears and they seemed to glow in the light of the room.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you. It's the last thing that I ever meant to do," she said softly. "And I hope that what I'm going to say next won't hurt you."
Remus shook his head, knowing what she wanted to say. Yes, it would hurt. "Please don't, Lily," he replied, his voice husky and strained from holding back tears that he wouldn't let escape. He turned his head and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for what he knew was to come.
"I love you."
Yes, it hurt, just like he knew it would. Why did she have to say those three words? He wished she didn't utter that phrase, that he didn't have to hear it, that he could have found some way to stop her. But she did, he did, he couldn't.
"You don't love me, Lily." His breath let out shakily after he said what had been on his mind for months now. Remus knew he was going to cry. He wished he wasn't so sentimental, that he could get through this without tears, that it didn't have to hurt with such precise pain. But he was, he couldn't, it did. "I doubt that you ever really loved me. You just didn't want to love James anymore, and you still don't."
Remus clenched his jaw tightly, trying to hold back the tears as long as possible. He figured that if Lily didn't cry, didn't talk, didn't insist that she loved him, didn't beg him to take her back, that he might be able to get through the ordeal.
But Fate never seemed to follow along with his plans.
Remus heard her let out a sob. She cried. "You don't really believe that, Remus." She talked. "I do love you, I love you with all my heart." She insisted. "Please, Remus. Please believe me. I want to be with you. Say you'll take me back, please." She begged.
He sobbed.
"I can't do this, Lily. I can't do this to myself. I can't let you do this to yourself. And I can't do this to James," Remus managed to say through his tears. He felt Lily tighten her grip on his hand. She was jerking with her struggle to hold back her tears and she knocked the table. A book crashed onto the floor, and Remus suddenly realized where they were. "Lily, I know we have more things to sort out. Let's go outside, where it's more private."
Lily nodded, afraid of what might happen if she dared to speak, and they headed out of the Library hand in hand.
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James sat by the lake, skipping rocks on the surface of the water and watching the ripples as he had been for the past few hours. Since he woke up.
He was running out of rocks.
Lily was coming back today, but he didn't know if he could face her. Merlin, she knew that he loved her and he was afraid of what she felt. Sure, Remus told him that she still loved him, but that didn't mean anything. Sure, Remus was pretty good and reading people's emotions, but that didn't mean anything.
James just supposed that Remus was wrong, that Lily would never in her right mind come back to him. He would just have to face the facts. Lily Brenna Evans would never become "Lily Brenna Potter". He found it much more likely that she would become "Lily Brenna Lupin".
Lily Potter.
Lily Lupin.
Lily Potter.
Lily Lupin.
Bloody hell.
James buried his head in his hands and resisted the urge to pull his hair out. He had barely slept since he talked to Lily that day in the Hospital Wing. He knew he was starting to worry his friends and that he looked unusually pale. Late at night, he found himself lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with millions of thoughts running through his head. All of them of her.
How peaceful she looked while she was sleeping. How flushed she got when she was angry. How her eyes glowed with warmth when she saw him. How her laughter always brightened up the room. How she smiled when she saw Remus that day she woke up.
Lily Lupin.
Angrily, James picked up another rock and skillfully skipped it across the water five times. Dimly, he heard voices and glanced up to see two people making their way towards the lake, their heads down, their hands linked. He was about to get up and move away when he saw the girl's hair flowing wildly in the wind.
The girl's red hair.
Lily's red hair.
The only guy that Lily would be seen walking with, holding hands with, was Remus. Remus Lupin.
Lily Lupin.
James only had a second to decide what to do before they would see him. If he stood up, they would see the movement and look towards him. He didn't want to see Lily with Remus, especially not after what he had told her the other day. However, if he stayed where he was, they would eventually reach where he was sitting, and they would talk to him.
Well, Remus would. As for Lily... Well, James had no idea what Lily would do.
Before he had to force himself to make a decision, he saw something that was so unexpected, and so crushing, that he couldn't stop the tears. It made him loose all hope for him and Lily.
Lily shook her hair out of her face and pulled it back into a hair band to stop the wind from whipping it around. Then she did the unthinkable. She kissed him.
She kissed Remus.
Lily kissed Remus.
James watched in horror as they stood entwined in each other's arms for more than a minute before breaking apart and start to head back to the castle. He felt his heart break in pieces as the full reality of what he saw sunk in. Lily really was over him, Lily really didn't want to be with him anymore, he didn't mean anything to her. She probably had never been in love with him in the first place. He had just been rebound from having her heart broken by Remus. Lily loved Remus.
Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as James hugged his knees to his chest and buried his head in them. One thought kept running through his head.
Lily Lupin.
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"What do you think Lily's up to?" Cassandra asked Sirius as they sat in the Gryffindor common room. Sirius was sitting in one corner of the couch and Cassandra was sitting in the other with her legs propped up on his knees.
"She said she was heading to the Library, so I figure she's trying to find Remus," Sirius replied. He really wished Lily would just leave his friends alone. He was tired of seeing them mope around with broken hearts.
"Why? There doesn't really seem to be a point to it." Sometimes she really worried about what was going on in her friend's head. Cassandra felt that she should just find a nice rebound guy, like Cortland Wood, and leave the Marauders the fuck alone.
"Lily probably thinks that she can persuade Remus into taking her back and get over James by trying to fall in love with Remus. Even though she says she's over James, she isn't. She just doesn't want to be in love with him anymore," Sirius evaluated expertly. "Remus knows this, but he's head over heels for Lily and she will be able to persuade him that they can make it happen if he lets her. I just hope they don't run into James anywhere."
Cassandra studied her boyfriend for a few moments, amazed at his perception in the situation. "When the hell did you grow up?" she said with a smirk.
Sirius smirked back and leaned forward to pull her hair a little. "About the same time that I fell in love with you."
"Aww.. how sweet," she said, fluttering her eyelashes and laughing a little.
He just grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. "What are you're plans after Hogwarts?"
She blinked a little, surprised at the question, and thought about it for a moment. "Well, I'm hoping to be able to work for St. Mungo's. You know that. So I guess I'll see if I get into the program and take it from there."
"Is that all you have planned?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well," Sirius leaned back into the couch, "what about us? I'm shooting for an Auror, and I don't think I'll have any problems with that. Especially since Voldemort has come to power, they need more people. But it's a three year program. What will happen to us?"
Cassandra couldn't help but frown. Sure, she had thought about the future between them. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't know what Sirius wanted. He said that he loved her, and she believed him, but she was till sure that one day he would tell her he was bored and leave.
"I don't know. What do you want to happen to us?"
It was just the opening that he needed. Sirius smiled at her and kisses her cheek softly. "Will you marry me?" he whispered softly into her ear. He drew back far enough to see the astonished look on her face, quickly covered by a smirk.
"Where's the ring? Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?" she demanded. "Come on, be romantic, Sirius." With a grin, he slid off the couch and pulled a box out of the pocket in his robes as he got down on one knee.
Sirius opened the box and held it out to her. "Cassandra Weeks, will you marry me?"
She started to smirk, until she saw the ring. "Oh my god, Sirius, it's amazing! I didn't think you paid any attention to my ramblings!" Inside the box was a simple square cut amethyst set on a silver band with small diamonds on each side. She went to pluck it out of the box, but Sirius snatched it out of her reach.
"You didn't give me an answer, young lady.." he said, grinning widely.
"Oh, you great baboon, of course I'll marry you!" she said, almost squealing and knocked him over as she launched herself at him and kissed him multiple times. "I love you, I love you, I love you!" Sirius just grinned up at her and slid the ring onto her finger.
"Let's find the gang and tell them," he said wisely. Cassandra jumped up and helped Sirius up. They climbed through the portrait hole hand in hand. "I think we should tell James first, he needs the most cheering up." Cassandra just grinned at him.
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From the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, a man with red eyes watched they redhead with eager eyes. He watched her cross over the grounds with their hands clasped together. He saw the kiss, and his eyes flashed with anger. The boy would pay for touching his flower, and he would pay dearly.
And he could pay now.
Voldemort quietly made his way to the edge of the forest, so he could see them and to the couple, he would be a mere shadow. He expertly aimed his wand at the boy and yelled. "Crucio!" The spell hit the boy and he fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain. He could see that Lily didn't know what to do; she hadn't seen where the spell had come from.
Suddenly, the boy – from Wormtail's reports, this was Remus – stopped writhing as Voldemort cut off the curse. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and someone stood up from the edge of the lake. He knew that mop of messy hair anywhere.
James Potter. It was his time to pay, now. The Dark Lord aimed his wand again and yelled the incantation for the Cruciatus Curse. This time, James was the one to writhe and scream as Voldemort let the curse run much longer than it had on the other boy.
Lily and Remus rushed to the spot where James was twisting in pain. Just as they reached him, Voldemort stopped the curse. Hopefully, he had caused lasting damage.
It was amazing how easy the Dark Lord found it to hurt these people, and how confused they became because of it. Really, he had thought that Lily was smarter. He had observed her since she was a child and had seen all that he wanted in her. She would be his queen.
Voldemort watched as another couple ran to the edge of the lake to meet up with the other three. The smiles he caught on their faces quickly disappeared as Lily informed them of what happened. He couldn't tell what was being said, but he saw the couple's faces fall. This was probably Sirius and Cassandra.
With a smirk, he twirled his wand in his long fingers and fought with the urge to kill. He wanted Remus and James to suffer, so they wouldn't be able to die for a bit, and he couldn't hurt his dear Lily. But the other two... He needed someone to murder before he killed one of the other boys before their time.
The question was – did he want to kill a girl, or a boy today?
Voldemort's eyes glinted in a patch of sunlight, and he was saved the need to choose when the girl looked right at him. And screamed.
He boldly walked out of his protection of the forest and aimed his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" With the tell tale flash of green light, Cassandra fell to the ground. There were a few moments of chilling silence while Voldemort waited for them to react.
The boy with the long black hair – Sirius – screamed and pointed his wand at the Dark Lord. "You'll pay for that, monster!" Whatever Sirius planned to do was lost as Voldemort, with a slashing movement and a flash of violet light, cut across Sirius's chest with his spell. He fell to the ground screaming and holding his wound.
Lily rushed to his side, eager to help stop his pain, and gave Voldemort his window of opportunity. "Wingardium Leviosa!" With an expert swish-and- flick, Remus and James were suspended high in the air over the lake. "How's it hanging, boys?" he asked in his cold voice, letting it run over them. "I'm in control. One of your friends dead, another injured, you two helpless. I will have Lily."
"NO!" both Remus and James screamed at the same time. Voldemort just laughed. Lily ran towards him and started punching him in every available space, wand and magic forgotten. Voldemort shoved her back with a swipe of his hand.
"I don't want to hurt you, my dear, but if I have to I will." Voldemort spun around as he heard a voice behind him. What he saw scared him more than anything, though he would not admit it.
Dumbledore.
He sneered and let the boys fall, right into the frigid lake. With a swish of his cloak, he was gone.
But not before he whispered in Lily's ear, "One day, my precious flower, you will be mine. Do not doubt it."
Lily realized that day would be imprinted in her mind forever as she tried to stop the bleeding on Sirius's wound and she watched Dumbledore help Remus and James out of the water. She would never forget what Voldemort told her, or the terror it instilled in her heart. Tears fell onto Sirius's chest as she glanced over at her best friend, dead.
Most importantly, she would never forget that day as the day that Cassandra was ripped from her life.
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Author's Note: Well, what did you guys think? Personally, I didn't like how I ended the chapter. It sounds too much like the end of the story. How about that relationship cliffhanger? ::evil laugh:: It's so much fun... Just don't get too mad at me about Cassandra! I knew all along that I was going to have her get killed, I just didn't mean for it to be so impersonal. In the next chapter, I'm going to write more about.. Well, you'll see. Shout out time!
lilylives07 - ::blushes:: Aww... I feel so special. It's my duty to make people cry in my stories. So if you think the earlier chapters were bad, how about this one? Wait till you see the next couple... Keep the tissues handy!
James'Gurl1215 – I just love reading your reviews. I always feel so special! Flattery will get you everywhere. If you're pissed off about Lily being in denial, how mad are you now? ::evil laugh:: Don't worry about the exclamation points, I think they're quite pretty. Skippy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::giggle::
californiagurl – Hmm... word to describe James... Moody? Stupid? Melancholy? Idiotic? Unpredictable? Did I mention stupid? How about we just bypass picking one, and say he's just all of the ones we don't like right now. I think that works quite well. Anaheim, hmmm? Do you like No Doubt? They're from Anaheim... They're my favorite band. I don't know exactly where Santa Cruz is, I think it's kinda near San Francisco. I'm as confused as you on the whole "Santa" thing. I'll stick to New Jersey, thank you very much.
Brighton Baby – Hmm.. tad bit critical, don't ya think? Yeah, I always type too fast and if it's a word, Microsoft Word doesn't care and doesn't pick it up. I'm too lazy to go through the whole story and pick out every mistake that the comp doesn't get, because I never notice it. The confusion in the beginning about which PoV it was in was because it started out as first person, but I wanted to include everyone, so I decided third person would be better. One of these days I'm going to have to go back and fix all the mistakes that you pointed out for me. Thanks, buddy.
Special thanks to: ZombieGurl98, AnG3L1c diVa-chan, shortiibabi, Xo DaNiElLe 03 oX