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Chapter Ten - Emily and a Contract.

Lily smiled as the Marauders walked into the Great Hall the next day. They each looked so different. Sirius practically radiated happiness as he caught sight of Rose, Peter eyed the food ravenously, and Remus was watching the Ravenclaw table, no doubt looking for Amelia Bones while James seemed off in another world.

"Looking good Evans," James grinned as he sat down. Lily blushed as the others laughed. Her eyes were blood shot and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," she admitted and took a sip from the goblet in front of her. The Marauders and Rose started to eat while Lily looked around the Hall.

Because it was a Sunday there weren't many students sitting up yet and Lily was surprised to see Malfoy sitting alone at the Slytherin table. When he looked up and saw her watching him he waved and grinned cockily. Lily quickly turned back to the table to find the others watching her.

"What is it Potter?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he motioned to her empty plate.

Lily shrugged, "I'm not very hungry."

"But you missed dinner," James exclaimed. "Come to think of it you didn't eat anything in Hogsmeade either."

"And you didn't eat breakfast because we were running late. You must be starving Lily,"' Rose joined in.

"If I was hungry, I would eat," Lily took another sip of water.

"At least have a piece of toast," Rose said and pushed the plate of hot buttered toast toward her.

"Look, when I want to eat, I'll eat," Lily stood up from the table. "I have something to do; I'll catch up with you later."

James looked at Rose in surprise, "I just thought she might want to eat."

Rose shook her head, "I don't know what she's on about."

"Come on, we'll catch up to her in an hour or so. She's probably just at the library or something," Peter said, looking up from his food for the first time, "You know how she is with homework."

Lily walked quickly down the corridors, turning and twisting down stairs and up again. Finally she reached a portrait of a young girl sitting in the middle of a garden surrounded by bright flowers.

"Hello Emily."

The girl stood up and smiled, "Hello Lily, I was wondering if you'd come and see me soon. It's been ages."

"I know, I'm sorry Emily; I was just so busy and I'm Head Girl now, so –"

"Oh, congratulations, I know how much you wanted that."

"Thanks."

"What's the new password then, this year?"

"Uhhh, for the moment Prongs I guess, now one would guess that."

"Alright," Emily smiled. "I'll see you inside."

Emily's portrait swung open to reveal a small gap that Lily easily slid through. She came out into a small bedroom, with a bed and a table with six chairs. There was a window seat across the room and a couple of loveseats by the fire. The room was pink; the walls, curtains and even the bedspread. Soft cream carpet covered the floor and Lily happily wiggled her toes as she took off the sandals she'd worn at breakfast.

Emily appeared in a picture of a pony and rubbed its black nose affectionately. "So, how are you, Lily?"

"I'm good, Busy; but good."

"You look thinner than last year, are you eating enough?"

"What is it with people and eating," Lily said, exasperated.

"It's important that you eat Lily."

"Oh what would you know, you're a picture," Lily snapped and then immediately bit her lip.

Emily turned so her face couldn't be seen and Lily knew she was hurt.

"I'm sorry Emily, that wasn't fair and I shouldn't have said that."

"Would you like to know how I came to be a portrait?"

Lily nodded and Emily motioned for her to sit down at the table. Emily disappeared from the pony portrait and reappeared in a picture frame set on the table.

"My full name is Emily Rose Margaret Cecilia Dumbledore. I was the daughter of Albus Dumbledore," Emily said sadly and Lily gasped quietly in shock.

"This room we are in, it was mine when I was alive. Father had just made Transfiguration Professor and as my mother died giving birth to me I moved into Hogwarts even though I was only five. No one other than the teachers knew I was here and they came and taught me basic things I needed to know, maths, science things."

"Then when we were on holiday, when I was six, just after this portrait was done and placed in front of my room, there was an attack by a dark wizard. Father was off trying to stop him but I wandered off and got lost. Then suddenly I found myself in the middle of the battle. The wizard realised who I was when my father cried my name and killed me before Father could do anything to stop him. It happened in a split second. I remember everything being black and then the next thing I knew I was in this portrait. Since then I've been alone until I met you."

"Does Dumbledore, sorry, your father know you're here?"

Emily shook her head, "He knows my room and the portrait are still here but he doesn't know that I have all my memories and things."

"How come you didn't die, as in, you know, gone?"

"I don't know, I should be dead but instead I'm here."

"You could leave and go find your father."

"I don't want to cause him more pain. I hide when he comes to this room, which he does on my birthdays and deathdays," Emily sniffed and turned away from Lily. "I'd like to be alone now Lily please."

Lily nodded and left the room. The portrait door was how an empty garden. She walked slowly back up to the Gryffindor Tower where she was to meet the others.

Knowing that Rose and James were watching her closely, Lily picked up a turkey sandwich and bit into it. She chewed automatically and swallowed. Then she placed the sandwich down and took a few sips of pumpkin juice. She repeated this until the sandwich was gone.

"So, where were you this morning, Evans?" James asked casually.

"Bug off Potter."

"Don't be like that, Evans, I'm just trying to make conversation."

Bug off Potter."

"Hi Jamie," a voice screeched Whitney Hall squeezed herself on to the bench next to James, pushing Peter aside. "How are you Jamie?"

"Alright, but don't call me Jamie."

"Why not Jamie, I think it's cute," Sirius raised his eyebrows mockingly at James who scowled.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me, Jamie?" Whitney's whining voice was grinding Lily's nerves.

"I don't think so," James glanced quickly at Lily.

"Why not, do you already have a date?"

"Uh, no –"

"Then you can go with me. Oh, it's going to be so much fun Jamie."

"But Whitney, I don't –"

"We can go to Honeydukes and the Shrieking Shack," Whitney continued, not listening to James' feeble protests. Finally Lily had enough.

"I'll meet you guys in the common room, I'm full."

"But you only had one sandwich," Rose protested.

"Still not hungry, I guess," Lily turned to leave but Remus stood up.

"I'm finished, I'll come too if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Lily grinned. "Bye guys."

"Bye," they chorused, shooting death glares at the two escapees.

"Good bye Lily," Whitney screeched before turning back to the frustrated James.

Lily and Remus walked slowly through the corridors. Lily glanced at Remus, who appeared to be deep in thought. "Remus?"

"Yeah Lily?"

"I head you and James last night."

Remus stared at her in shock, "What! How?"

"I was under the Invisibility Cloak. I was coming back from the pitch and you two were ahead of me. I wasn't trying to listen but I couldn't help it." She didn't want to say she followed them all night.

"Why didn't you tell us you were there?"

Lily hung her head, "I wasn't ready to come back yet."

"Oh man, Remus stared ahead of them as they neared the Fat Lady's portrait. "So you head what James said?"

Lily nodded, "I wish to God I hadn't, I don't feel the same. Remus I don't want to know that."

Remus looked at her again, realisation dawning. "No, Lily, I can't do that."

"Yes you can Remus and I want you too."

"Ask Rose to do it to you, I don't think I can."

"I know you can, that's why I'm asking you. You're the only one I trust to do it."

Remus sighed, "Alright, when?"

"Tonight; when the others have to go to bed, but we'll have to find an empty classroom or something. I'll say I have a Charms project I'm working on."

Remus nodded, "I know where to go to do it. I'll borrow James; cloak, I'll tell the boys I'm sneaking food from the kitchens."

Lily smiled, "Thanks Remus," she hugged him as Sirius, Peter, James and Rose walked in.

"Oooh, so that's why you two left early," Sirius grinned as they broke apart. "You two missed a great show."

"Shit it Padfoot," James growled as Peter laughed.

"What happened?" Remus asked, looking from one to the other.

"Well, Miss Hall is now in the Infirmary and I'm pretty sure James is going to have a lot of explaining to do to McGonagall."

"What happened?" Remus repeated patiently.

"Well after you let Miss Hall started talking about how great it was to have James Potter as a boyfriend and our little Jamie kind of lost it."

"She turned red and blew up like a balloon," Peter laughed. "She was floating around the ceiling before they managed to get her down."

"How the hell did you do that?" Remus asked.

James shrugged, "Lost control of my emotions, it wasn't a spell or anything."

Sirius and Peter were rolling around on the floor with laughter while Rose moved to stand beside Lily. "It wasn't really that funny, everyone was laughing at her. Whitney's not all that bad, just a bit boy crazy."

"A bit boy crazy? She was practically planning our wedding," James cried.

Lily shook her head, "I'll go see her later in the hospital wing."

"She could be there for awhile, they have to deflate her," Rose said, which caused Sirius and Peter to break out in even louder peals of laughter.

Later, once Lily had gone to visit Whitney and Sirius and Rose and Peter were busy with homework and things for the next day, Remus pulled Sirius out into the grounds.

"Lily knows what you said last night James, she heard you."

"But how, we were alone."

"She was under the cloak and she didn't want to come back to the Tower so she couldn't tell us she was there. I don't think she was following us, we just picked a bad place to talk."

"Shit."

"She wants met to put a memory charm on her."

"What?"

"She told she doesn't want to know, seeing as she shouldn't have heard you say and she doesn't feel the same way."

"Don't do it Moony, it's too dangerous. You could alter her entire memory."

"I don't want to but James, she wants to take the risk."

"When?"

"Tonight, we're going to use the Room of Requirement."

"There is way to solve this, one other way."

"And that would be?"

"I tell her myself that I want her to know and that if she makes you use the charm then it'll be for nothing because I'll just tell her again anyway."

"Can you do that Prongs?"

"I will because I have to."

Remus nodded, "Alright."

Lily entered the common room about two minutes after James and Remus had returned. She collapsed on to the floor in front of the seats the group had claimed.

"How is she?" Rose asked. Beside her Sirius snickered until Rose dug her elbow into his side.

"She's alright, just extremely embarrassed and hates James now."

James shifted uncomfortably, "Maybe I should apologise."

"I wouldn't, she'd probably kill you," Lily brightened, "Actually, go ahead."

"Lily," Remus said in a warning voice, "Be nice."

"Or what, you'll –" Lily stopped when Remus raised his eyebrows at her. "You're no fun Remus, "she pouted. "Sorry Potter."

"Can someone explain why Lily is taking orders from Moony?" Sirius asked.

Rose looked at Lily curiously while the others shook their heads.

"Care to enlighten us, Lily, Moony?"

"Sorry Padfoot, but no," Remus smiled as he picked up the book beside him. Lily to shook her head and closed her eyes, still lying in front of the couch James and Peter were lying on. After a few minutes she felt something continuously hitting her in the stomach. She opened to her eyes to find James' foot swinging back and forth while he played chess with Peter.

"Potter," she growled. James looked down at her innocently.

"Sorry Evans; didn't realise," James apologised but kept swinging.

"Potter, get your foot off me or –"

"Lily," Remus warned. Lily hissed in annoyance before closing her eyes again.

Remus looked between the two. Maybe there was a way he could do something to stop their constant arguments.

"Ready Lily?"

"Yup, let's go"

Remus and Lily walked quickly down the corridors and up stairs in the Invisibility Cloak toward the Room of Requirement. Remus had already explained how the room worked.

They opened the door and went in to find James waiting for them.

"What the hell are you doing here Potter?" Lily asked.

"He asked to be here when I told him you wanted the Memory Charm."

"You told him? Remus, I told you that alone so he wouldn't find out."

"He had a right to know."

"I didn't want him too!"

"You never told me that, so technically I haven't done anything wrong."

"Oh please, just talk about me like I'm not here, "James spoke for the first time.

"Shut it Potter."

"No, I won't because I don't want Remus to do the charm. What if something happens and you lose all your memories?"

"Nothing will happen."

"You don't know that. Remus might be good at Charms but even Aurors mess up Memory Charms."

"I trust him."

"If you did use the Charm I'm just going to tell you again anyway," James looked at Remus for support.

"Lily I can't go through with it. To me it isn't worth it."

"It's my choice Remus, and I want to do it."

"Alright."

"Alright?" James yelped, "You're going to do it?"

"I'm going to give her a choice but yes, I will do it."

"And that would be?" Lily asked.

"Well you can go through with the Memory Charm and in that case James will tell you again and you'll have risked everything for nothing or you can sigh this contract."

"Contract?" Lily and James asked in one voice.

"It says that you two have to be nice to each other for six months and if you still want your memory wiped then I'll do it, no questions asked."

"Six months? Make it four months and I'll sign," Lily bargained.

"Five and no less."

"Okay, I'll sign," Lily took the quill Remus offered and quickly scribbled on the parchment.

"James?" Remus looked pointedly at him.

"I'll sign, but I don't like it," James added his signature next to Lily's.

"Now, we need to go back to the common room before we all get caught," Remus rolled up the parchment and shoved it in the pocket of his robes.

"We can't all fit under the cloak," Lily protested.

"We can," James smiled. ""Peter, Sirius and I can all fit under it when we go to Remus."

"Oh."

They covered themselves with the cloak and walked slowly out of the room. Once they were out the door disappeared and they continued down the corridors. Once they entered the common room Lily ran up the steps to the girl's dorms without a word and without looking back.

"I don't think she's entirely happy," Remus stated, staring after her.

"That was quite a good idea Moony, but what do we do when the five months run out?"

"She won't want it by then, trust me. She's already warming towards you."

"She is?"

"Yup."

"Cool, now let's get to bed."


I'm going to update once more before Christmas, please review!!!!!! thanks so much for all your support.

LittleAquarianPrincess