When she entered the dorm, Marlene was sleeping, lightly snuffling as Lily made her way to her own bed and dropped onto it.
"Who's there?" Marlene snapped groggily, jolting as the sound of Lily's bed creaked. "Is it time?"
"Go back to sleep," she chuckled. "We've still got some time."
"Mm-kay," the blonde murmured, already nestling back into her pillow.
Lily grabbed onto her pillow and hugged it, propping herself against the head of the bedframe, breathing deeply. Uncomfortable with being alone left with her thoughts, she rolled over to grab a school book off of her nightstand, pulling it towards herself and propping it open on her lap.
Only a few chapters later, the door to the dormitory swung open, slamming into the wall behind it.
"What?" Marlene yelped, sitting up.
"Sorry," Alice winced as she stepped into the room, followed closely by Dorcas and Emmeline. "Didn't know you were sleeping."
"Ugh," Marlene groaned, rubbing at her eyes. "I was trying to."
"Go back to sleep then," Dorcas suggested, making her way over to Lily's bed.
"Well, I can't now with you all in here."
"Everyone's starting to head to bed," Emmeline informed them. "The gathering in the courtyard got cut short."
"I wondered why you were all back so soon," Lily admitted, tucking her book away, grateful for the distraction.
Alice snorted. "Filch was on a rampage, kicking everyone out of the first floor because of all the mud being trekked around. One of the Hufflepuffs fell into a mud pit on the way back in and got the stuff everywhere."
They laughed.
"Dorcas, not out with Burke?" Marlene said teasingly. "We thought you'd for sure take a detour on the way back to the dorms."
"Oi, I'm not a slag," she retorted. "Besides, I'm too amped. I wanted to come back here."
"Isn't that why you go have a snog session?" Lily asked with a grin.
Dorcas waved her off. "I thought I'd try things differently this time around."
The four other girls shared a skeptical look. "Okay," Marlene allowed. "Let us know how that goes," she said with a wink.
"Do you want a jinx to the arse? Because that's how you get a jinx to the arse."
Marlene cackled in response, raising her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I won't tease."
A little while later, after the group had run out of topics to talk about, they retreated to their respective spaces to get ready for the game.
Taking her time, Lily stripped down and pulled out an oversized dark sweater and a pair of black leggings from her trunk, satisfied that the outfit would keep her warm in the cool corridors, but was still dark enough to allow for camouflage.
"No lucky jumper this time?" Marlene mocked.
"'Thought I'd try something different'," Lily smiled, pulling it over her head, the collar pulling out the tie in her hair. Impatient, she reached up to attempt to fix her hair into a french braid, the final result a bit messy and unkempt – not that it mattered. She tended to need to redo her hair multiple times throughout the night.
She slipped into her trainers, lacing them up tight.
"It's Emmeline and Dorcas's last Halloween Game," Alice murmured, having finished changing. She leaned against the frame of her bed, looking a bit sad.
"We'll have to make it memorable then," Lily said with a smile, standing up from her crouched position. "One last hoo-rah."
Marlene scoffed. "Go easy on them? Yeah, right."
Alice and Lily laughed at the vehemence in Marlene's voice.
"What are we laughing about?" Dorcas asked as she and Emmeline returned to the 6th Year girl's dorm.
"These two gits want to rig the game so you two win," Marlene scolded. "Since it's your last Halloween and all."
Emmeline laughed. "I think that'd be wonderfully brilliant. I say you let us."
"Not that we wouldn't have won anyways," Dorcas added.
"You don't even know if you'll be on the same team," Alice pointed out with a laugh.
The two 7th years shrugged simultaneously. "Maybe we'll tie."
"In all of our history of the Game, we've never had a tie," Lily observed. "I doubt it'll change tonight."
"Don't jinx it," Alice quipped. "Or we might have to let them win."
"Blasphemy," Marlene dismissed. She checked the clock. "Should we head down?"
The five girls look at each other, bracing themselves. "Let's go," Emmeline confirmed.
Lily decided to let the rest of them go first, padding quietly down the stairs after them, already beginning to feel the adrenaline hummed in her veins.
Unlike last time, the boys were not waiting in the Common Room for them – and so the girls continued on, cautious to check for any other students.
The four boys were already lounging in the Entrance Hall when the girls arrived, leaning amongst the conjured trees and fog.
"Trick or treat?" Sirius smirked, pushing himself away from a tree covered in moss. "We thought you'd never show."
"We're five minutes early," Lily pointed out.
"As if we'd miss an All Hallow's Eve Game!" Marlene added. "Will this stuff stick around for long?" She gestured around the room, all the trees, mud, and fog.
"It'll be gone by the morning," James explained. "The thunder and lightning's over though."
"Great," Dorcas said dryly, stepping over a root.
Lily made a silent vow to avoid the Entrance Hall as much as she could that night, motioning everyone to join a circle. "Let's count out the groups."
They followed obediently and she counted; she, Sirius, and Remus were on a team, James was paired with Alice and Peter, while Emmeline, Dorcas, and Marlene were placed together.
"I guess we can make an exception to let our team win," Marlene grinned as the girls shared a giggle. "Last Halloween for Em and Dor and all that."
Lily scoffed. "You weren't so empathetic before."
Marlene shrugged. "I am now."
"We aren't letting anyone win," Sirius cut in, "Regardless of last whatnots." He rubbed his hands together eagerly,
"You're still losing," Marlene promised them, turning to crowd in with Dorcas and Emmeline.
Sirius reached out and tugged her closer to where he and Remus were standing – she nearly tumbled over a tree root.
"Get your head in the game, Evs," he said. "What's the plan?"
"Should we stick together or split up?" Remus asked.
Lily glanced over her shoulder towards the other two teams, deep in debate themselves about their own strategies. As if he felt her eyes on him, James looked up and met her gaze. He grinned.
Sirius nudged her with his arm to grab her attention.
Playing it off, she turned towards her teammates. "Let's split up for the first hour... then meet near the kitchens around one? We can re-evaluate and see if we need to split up again."
"I like it," Sirius decided. He and Remus nodded in agreement.
From over her head, Sirius winked and she looked back in time to see James return it with a rude gesture. She chuckled, shaking her head.
"Alright, come on," she said to the larger group. "I've got to cast the spell still."
She worked the queue quickly, twisting her wand in familiar, practiced movements, gratified when her familiar scrawl could be seen blossoming across her friends' arms.
Last in line, James moved forward, dutifully offering his arm, palm up, so that she could hold onto it. His skin was warm, smooth, under her grip as she adjusted his sleeve to expose more of the skin on his forearm. He was wearing a dark, wool sweater and Lily unwillingly noticed how the fabric fit snugly against his lean frame.
She cast the spell quickly and released her grasp on him, watching as he ran his fingers over the letters. It felt oddly intimate, watching his reverence, so she turned away swiftly, moving to stand next to her teammates for the night.
"You alright?" Sirius checked, barely concealing his grin.
"Fine," she insisted, "just pre-game jitters, I suppose."
"Shall we?" Marlene called to attention. "I'll start the countdown."
As everyone moved into a circle (as or close to one, thanks to the indoor trees), Marlene nodded, pleased, and started the countdown.
"10," she said, her smile catlike. "9... 8... 7..."
Lily took a moment to savor this feeling, the building nerves, glancing around at the small group to find each of her friends shift with varying degrees of excitement and restlessness. She caught James's eye from across the circle and held it for a moment. The corner of his mouth quirked up and he raised a brow, nodding slowly.
Like your heart can't quite catch up with your nerves, he had said before. And it was true. It was exactly how she was feeling.
She felt the corners of her own mouth turn up.
6... 5... 4...
Lily exhaled slowly, tightening the grip on her wand.
3... 2... 1! Marlene announced, a little louder than she would have liked.
There was a chaotic moment when they all struggled to flee from the Entrance Hall, either stumbling into each other or the trees and foliage that surrounded them.
Lily caught sight of Marlene and Alice heading towards the front doors, while James and Peter headed towards the corridor that led towards kitchens. With a bit of contrition, she had not checked where Emmeline and Dorcas had run off, but Lily had paused long enough to catch Sirius's winning smile before he too, took off between the trees, splashing unrepentantly through a muddy puddle.
With quick, nimble steps, she slipped in through Great Hall's opening, mindful of the heavy doors so that they would not slam behind her.
Unsure if it was allowed, she wisely cast a quick Scourgify to rid her shoes of any remaining mud (to hell with that rule), to avoid leaving a trail behind her as she scurried further into the expansive room. The Halloween decorations had been cleared, the only source of light coming from the false ceiling.
The waxing full moon ominously glowed overhead as she switched to a light jog, rounding the Head table carefully to avoid jostling any of the chairs.
She paused at the door just behind the professor's head table, glancing back to check for any signs of movement before pressing the door open.
The hinges of the door creaked painfully loud as she slipped through the doorway, squeezing herself through to prevent the door from opening any wider. She skipped up the steps leading to the trophy room, willing her eyes to adjust to the dark as quickly as they could.
She kept close to the wall, pressing forward towards a portrait she knew hid a passageway.
It popped open with a neat 'click' as she whispered the password and she grabbed onto the portrait's frame with gentle fingers as she pried it open.
It was dark; the only light was that coming from over her shoulder. She stepped through the doorway, shutting the portrait behind her as softly as possible as she used her other hand to reach out, feeling along the wall to guide the way.
She stumbled – once – tripping over the uneven ground below her, but managed to catch herself in time, scraping the knuckles of her hand in the process. She hissed, annoyed at the sting, soon finding herself impatient as she trudged forward – grateful when she could finally see the outline of the exit ahead, faint light filtering through a tapestry.
The warmth of the warning spell radiated from her arm and her heart stuttered in elation.
Moving the fabric of the tapestry aside carefully, giving her eyes a few moments to adjust to the low light.
Around the corner, she knew, was a staircase that led towards the Prefects' bathroom and 2nd floor main corridor. While not many knew of it, she would have to assume that Remus had likely told his mates about the luxurious loo. She debated with herself for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, before deciding against the staircase, stepping out from the safety of the hidden passageway to move into the corridor.
Bright sparks exploded against the wall near her face, blinding her.
She gasped involuntarily, falling backwards to duck behind the tapestry for cover. Lily cursed colorfully, certain that the spell had come from the right, from the staircase that led to the Prefects bathroom.
Bracing herself with a deep breath, she launched herself out from behind the tapestry – nearly ripping the fabric from the wall– and took off at a sprint, tossing a spell over her shoulder towards where she assumed her opponent had been. She hoped it would buy herself enough time to escape without getting hit.
She heard a curse – male – but couldn't hazard a guess who it could've been, instead focusing on racing down the corridor as quick as she could, yelping when a spell shot past her, nearly clipping her shoulder as she rounded the corridor's corner.
There were three hallways that joined up into the corridor she was in – in a spontaneous decision, she made a sharp turn down the narrow hallway on her left. It led to two storage rooms that had been previously used as classrooms, and while she knew it would put her in a precarious position, she risked it.
Her opponent, if they knew the castle well enough, would assume she would not willingly choose the pathway, as it had no exit other than the way you had come from. She would need to turn around.
As light footed as possible, she rushed towards the closest storage room, hearing the sound of bounding footsteps approaching. She winced at the squeak of the doorknob being turned, holding it twisted so that she could open and shut the door without making any more noise.
The disused classroom was small, she found, as she turned her back to the door. The structure of the room was odd – pillars hanging low from the ceiling so that it bisected the room into four quadrants. Lily was unsurprised to find the room had been recycled into a storage room, a pile of old chairs in the corner in the room.
She used one of the pillars to crouch against, kneeling at the base of it to watch the door for movement. She couldn't stay for long, she knew, but the pillar at least provided great coverage.
Using mindful breathing (something she begrudgingly agreed was a useful technique that Donahue had taught in the latest lesson), Lily raised her wand in a readied position, watching the door for any sign of movement.
Just as she began to ease into a more relaxed position, she began to lower her wand, sure that they must've moved on – but tensed when the doorknob gave the tiniest squeak.
She watched with bated breath as the door crept open slowly. She squinted, trying to discern the figure just beyond the doorway.
Taking a chance, she adjusted her wand and in a quiet voice, cast, "Cesso."
Her aim had been off. The spell streaked across the room, bursting into showering sparks as it hit the door frame rather than her opponent.
It had given her ample time and light to watch as James ducked through the doorway, the glare of his glasses refracting the light of the blue sparks as they dispersed.
She pulled herself back and pressed against the pillar closely, clutching her wind tighter, nerves fluttering in her stomach.
"Giving up already?" he called out teasingly, his voice echoing through the room. Lily knew he did it to get a rise out of her. She refused to answer him.
Rising from her crouched position, she was mindful to keep her elbows tucked against her, little room for error. She leaned forward – very slowly – to peer around the column.
An involuntary yelp escaped as she hauled herself back behind the column, a shot of blue sparks narrowly missing her face.
A second blast of sparks nearly grazed her hip and she nearly fell backwards in surprise.
"You can't stay hidden forever," he goaded.
He was right. She couldn't.
Closing her eyes to brace herself, Lily took a deep breath and sent a prayer to whoever might've been listening.
Impetuously, she shot off three quick spells in succession towards his direction, leaning opposite this time, peering around the other edge of the column to see if she had hit her target.
He had already shot off his own speedy spell, as if he had expected her to do just that. She evaded just in time, but her reaction forced her out from behind the safety of the pillar.
Instinctively, she tucked into a clumsy somersault, just as he vaulted around the other side of the pillar – he cast another charm after her, but it missed. She scrambled towards the safety of another stone pillar, narrowing avoiding another onslaught of his spells.
His laugh echoed off of the walls. "Your offense seems to be sorely lacking."
"Sod off," Lily called back with her own laugh. "Haven't been tagged yet, have I?"
"I didn't say your defensive moves were bad," he responded. "Just that –"
She shot another set of three charms in the direction of his voice. Lily released a gasp of surprise as James darted into her line of vision as he dodged to avoid her spells.
Their eyes met for a solid moment before he blinked with a hint of alarm.
"Cesso!" she cast hastily, just as he did the same. They both dodged, taking cover on opposite sides of the same pillar.
Throwing caution to the wind, she didn't give it any more time before she pushed herself away from the column, moving into a sprint towards the door. To protect her backsides, she blindly sent more spells over her shoulder.
Despite this, she could still hear James shout the spell, see the familiar bright blue out of the corner of her eye. She nearly stumbled into the doorframe to avoid it, but managed to do so successfully, scraping the heels of her hands in her haste to pull herself through the doorway.
When she looked back, he was already giving chase. With a squeak of panic, she shot out of the room, slamming the door behind her to buy more time as she raced down the pathway and back towards the way she had come.
The rhythm of James's footsteps behind her followed closely to the beat of her own heart; meaning she did not have much time before he was able to catch up to her.
Her breath stuttered in her chest as she forced herself to breathe evenly, turning the corner and catching sight of the tapestry hiding the passageway.
Another streak of blue shot past her shoulder and she shrieked in alarm, the sound followed by the echo of his laughter.
She reached the tapestry, nearly tearing it apart from the force of her strength as she ducked into the darkness, using her hands once more to guide her path back towards the trophy room.
Unfortunately, because she could not see in the dark, her speed was drastically slowed as she tried her best not to trip as she ran.
Low natural light flooded the passageway from behind her and she knew that James must have just caught up to the tapestry.
He cast another spell that lit the darkness, the blue sparks almost hitting her on the feet.
In return, she cast her own spell over her shoulder in another desperate attempt to tag him. The spell, at least, lit up the passageway enough that she could see properly, avoiding divots and craters in the ground below her.
The only assurance she hadn't tagged him was his triumphant 'whoop', having dodged her spells.
Lily burst through the other end of the passageway, slamming the portrait against the back wall.
"Bloody –" the portrait's inhabitant cursed.
"Sorry!" she apologized briskly, reaching around to slam the portrait closed once more.
It wouldn't do much to stop James, but she hoped it would deter him. She ran towards the top of the staircase, twenty or so steps above him, and turned, ready to aim.
James must've already predicted her plan. As soon as he burst from behind the portrait, his wand was already raised, spell already formed on his lips.
She let out a sound of surprise as she fell back to dodge the spell – but her foot slipped and she pitched forward, knees slamming into the steps as she fell down the stairs. She protected her head as best as she could, tumbling down the stairs painfully.
"Evans!" James's voice shouted, watching her painful descent down the stairs.
She landed hard at the bottom of the stairs with a groan, rolling onto her side painfully. "Oh, ouch," she grimaced, clutching at her ribs.
Despite her unsteady gaze, she caught sight of James from across the room, staring at her with a mixture of horrified astonishment. "What?" he gasped. "Are you alright?"
With only the slightest amount of guilt, Lily raised her arm, winced, and cast, "Cesso!"
Her aim finally struck true – the spell struck him in the chest and he froze, a look of shock preserved in time.
"Sorry," she said with a smile, knowing he could still hear and see her. She winced, reaching up to touch her split lip and took a quick moment to take inventory of her body: her elbow throbbed, but nothing sprained, there was the taste of blood in her mouth, but felt no ache in her skull – no concussion she assumed.
She pulled herself up using the stairs and, with the grace of what she felt like was a newborn baby deer, made her way back up the stairs for a second, heading for the door that would lead back to the Great Hall.
"Bloody hell!" James's voice echoed up from behind her just as she moved through the door into the room. She laughed, a little wildly, as she darted around the professor's table and legged it towards the main doors between the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables.
Only a moment later, she heard the sound of the door banging open and Lily turned to jog backwards, curious to see his reaction.
She saw the moment he saw her, his expression dumbstruck. "You –!" He pushed himself away from the door, following her.
With violent surprise, she watched as he vaulted over the professors' table, landing neatly on the other side of the wood. Unfazed, he picked up his pace to try to catch her.
With an embarrassing squeak, she quickly righted herself, facing back towards the entrance so that she could sprint full-on.
"Cesso!" James casted and on pure instinct and Lily dove under the bench at the Ravenclaw table, scrambling for cover.
He cursed as she began to awkwardly army-crawl underneath the table, the flesh of her elbows taking on the brunt of her weight.
"Cesso!" she yelled, aiming towards where she could see his legs further down the way.
There was a set of deep thuds as James jumped onto the table, his pace quickening to reach her.
"Fuck," she hissed, turning over onto her bum and crawling backwards under the table, trying not to bang her head. She stuck her arm out from beneath the table, blindly casting the spell in the hopes to tag him. His footsteps still continued on, signaling she had missed her target.
She stopped abruptly, twisting back onto her hands and knees to shuffle towards where he was coming her way.
With some hesitation, she waited to see his next steps.
Literally.
She watched with bated breath as his foot stepped down onto the bench. With as much strength as she could muster, she used the heels of her feet to shove at the bench. Watched as it wobbled and toppled over, taking James with it.
He shouted, the bench rolling out from underneath him. Lily winced as he landed flat on his back, the fall knocking the wind from him. He groaned loudly, in more surprise than pain.
As he recovered, Lily took the opportunity to crawl out from under the table, nearly tripping over the fallen bench in her haste to get away.
James was quick, though, having jumped into a sprint after her. He reached out, grabbed onto her sweater. Whether it was the adrenaline or the madness of it all, she shrieked with laughter as he pitched forward, falling into her, and the both landed on the floor, hard.
He'd taken the brunt of his own weight onto his arms, she could tell, but she landed onto her stomach beneath him, feeling the breath stolen from her lungs. With stuttered breaths, she laughed, speechless, as she rolled onto her back beneath him.
"That's not how you play the game," she cackled, head thrown back as she fought to catch her breath between laughter.
He'd shifted so that his body didn't quite cage hers, leaning more onto his side over her. He chuckled. "It's not?"
"No," she gasped, eyes near watering for the ridiculousness of it all.
James looked incredibly amused by her, grinning widely as he studied her face intently. "I guess I must've forgotten."
As her body finally started to recover from her bout of laughter, she unbiddenly met his gaze, his face closer than it ever had been before. "Should I remind you?"
"If you could," he murmured and she watched as his eyes darted down to her lips.
This was a moment that panicked Lily. This was something she could not fathom.
"Cesso," she cast softly, tapping her wand into his side as she did so.
He froze.
She rolled out beneath him, aware of how warm she'd become, and twisted up into a run.
"Now you've been reminded!" she called in a teasing manner, not looking back as she laughed gleefully, exiting the Great Hall into the enchanted Entrance Hall, ducking and dodging branches as she trudged towards the corridor that led towards the dungeons.
When she reached a hidden alcove, she took a moment to lean back against the cool wall and catch her breath, an unbidden smile forming on her lips. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but no one had given her as much of a fight as James had.
Once her breathing had finally evened out, she poked her head out from her hiding spot and surveyed the hallway, listening and watching for any sounds of movement. Nothing.
She was almost scared to check the score, but she tugged her sleeve up to expose the scrawl imprinted there.
She, Sirius, and Remus were in second; not bad, she reasoned. She'd tagged James once, earning them some points – but at least she had managed to avoid getting tagged herself. Comically, Marlene, Dorcas, and Emmeline were in first place, taking the lead by over 20 points. James, Peter, and Alice were in third.
She tugged her sleeve back down, trying to hide her grin even though no one could see it.
Though there was still plenty of time before she needed to meet Remus and Sirius near the kitchens, she considered going back towards the Entrance Hall, to check the higher levels; but decided against it, choosing to stay below and loop around the corridors sub-level at least once before needing to meet the others.
Scanning both ways of the corridor leaving the safe spot, she ventured further down the corridor, wand at the ready and continuously checking behind her for any signs of other adversaries.
As she approached the first of the classrooms, she paused, looking up in alarm at the sound of voices – too foolish to be any of her friends, for how obvious they were.
They were coming her way, however, she realized with a jolt, backtracking quickly to the nearest classroom doorway, dismayed to find the door locked.
"Alohamora," she cast, trying her best to quietly jiggle the handle to see if it worked. It remained locked, unforgiving in her hand.
The voices were deep, young, talking in low voices. Not any professors she could recognize, Lily noted. She pressed herself into the doorway, the threshold just deep enough for her to hide properly, praying that the corridor was dark enough that they, whoever they were, would not notice her.
The blood drained from her face as she finally recognized the voices.
Mulciber. Avery.
"Fuck," she whispered viciously for the second time that night. They were approaching, fast. What the hell were they doing out after curfew?
Panic-stricken, she froze, watching the hallway to see when they passed.
"... said to meet at half past one. Half past one," Mulciber recited, as if it were a mantra. "Any later and..."
Avery mimicked a sound like choking and they both cackled.
"You got your hood?" Mulciber asked as their voices became louder, nearing the doorway.
"Yeah, here."
"For fuck's sake, that's your bloody school hat, you fucking tosser," Mulciber snapped. "Fucking – give it here."
Their footsteps paused as Lily listened to the sound of rustling, a murmured, "Engorgio."
"Just make some holes in it. Fuck, Avery, get your shit together."
"Shut up," he snarled in return.
"Don't be a cunt, then," Mulciber growled. "Come on. They'll fucking leave us behind if we aren't there in time."
"Then fucking go, you cunt," Avery snarked back.
"If we miss fucking shit up, I'm coming after you."
"I said let's go then."
The two pairs of footsteps resumed – three, Lily corrected after a moment. A third could be heard just faintly over the stomping steps of the two Slytherins.
She held her breath, pressing herself so closely to the door she felt her bones creak.
The two large Slytherins passed in front of her, none the wiser.
The third figure skulked into her field of vision and what little breath she had was suddenly knocked from her chest.
Severus Snape trailed behind the other two, indifferent to his companions' fight.
As if he suddenly sensed her presence out of compulsion, his head turned, eyes meeting hers.
"Lily?" he gaped, stunned by her appearance.
Mulciber and Avery whirled at his voice, their own gazes locking onto Lily only a moment later.
"Well," Mulciber drawled with a foul giddiness. "What do we have here?"
Snape winced as Avery came to stand behind Mulciber's shoulder as the two larger Slytherin's crowded her in.
"Patrols," she retorted spontaneously. "You shouldn't be out of your dungeons."
Sanpe was studying her closely, darting over her injuries, she realized; her split lip, bloody knuckles. He stopped himself from saying something. Lily recognized his pursed lips.
"Is that where you'd like to be?" Mulciber asked suggestively, leaning towards her. He propped an arm against the edge of the door's threshold blocking her in. "Besides, it was our prefects' turn to patrol. So I'd say you're lying. For what reason, I wonder?"
He reached out to press a finger against her split lip, but she jerked out of his reach, glaring. "Don't touch me."
"How about we take you back to the dungeon's with us. We could help heal up some of those cuts," he sneered. "Mummy's not around to kiss it better, but we could certainly step in for the job."
"Shove off," she snapped, knocking his hand away when he tried to touch her face again.
"Or what? You'll take points?" Avery taunted. "Me thinks you won't. How would poor wee Evans explain to the Head Boy how Slytherin lost points overnight?"
She closed her mouth, glaring between the two. Severus remained further back, watching the interaction silently.
"Quiet, for once," Mulciber mused, moving to slide beside her in the doorway, pressing his chest against her shoulder. He used a finger to pull her braid away from her neck, strands of loose hair catching against his sweaty palm. "I think I like her submissive."
"Screw you," Lily spat, stepping out from the threshold to get away from Mulciber's reach.
He let out a malicious laugh and reached forward, grabbing both of her arms to pull them behind her back, dragging her closer to press his face into her hair.
"A little lioness all by her lonesome – not so lonesome anymore," Mulciber taunted into her ear, churning the contents of her stomach.
"Go fuck yourself," she snarled, twisting her arms to get free out of the painful grip around her wrists. "Let go!"
Avery lunged forward to grab around her middle, but she kicked out, shoving him away. Mulciber hauled her up so her feet left the ground, giving Avery the chance to spring closer, where he managed to grab onto an ankle.
She fought harder, bringing her knee up as she used Mulciber's hold to her advantage. It connected into Avery's nose with a solid crunch and he dropped the grip he had on her foot, shouting in pain. Blood immediately spurted down his face.
Lily tried twisting her arms out of Mulciber's grasp, bringing the heel of her foot down hard, slamming it into the toe of his shoe.
"Fuck," he cursed loudly, releasing her as he shoved her forward into Avery.
He caught her clumsily against his body, holding her close in one arm as he brought his other back and slapped her across the face.
She cried out, stars exploding across her vision. Blindly, she arched her wand up, pouring the hurt and hanger into the wood. She pressed it into the side of this neck – for only a moment, but it was enough – and a large welt appeared where her wand had been. He shouted in pain again, shoving her hard onto the stone floor.
Taking the opportunity, she curled onto her side, holding the tip of her wand against the skin of her forearm, against the spell – sending a warning that the game needed to end.
Mulciber seemed to mistake her action for cowering. He cackled loudly, watching as she began to rise to her hands and knees. Before Lily had a chance to brace herself, he brought his foot back and swung, his boot connecting with her ribs.
Her cry was loud to her own ears as she collapsed forward, wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively.
He used the heel of his boot to kick her onto her side, where he swung again, striking her in the soft flesh of her stomach. She heaved, huddling to protect herself as best as she could.
Avery took his turn next, landing a kick near the small of her back.
"Stop!" she pleaded, unable to catch her breath. Through watery eyes, she looked to Snape, beseeching.
He stood, features twisted in anguish as he watched on – unwilling to step in to help her.
Mulciber leaned over her, grabbing onto the collar of her sweater to haul her upwards. "It's worthless mudbloods like you that give the Dark Lord reason," he spat, raising his hand in a fist. He brought it down hard, knuckles connecting with the bone of her cheek.
Lily wasn't sure if she cried out this time; her vision blackened as she collapsed backward from the force of his hit.
She could hear him cackle gleefully, feel his hands on her arms as he pulled her up into a standing position. Avery helped to twist her so that her back was to Mulciber as he held her up by her arms from behind her. He pressed his wand into her throat, the sensation choking.
"Fucking mudblood cunt," Avery said viciously, pulling his arm back and landing a hit to her stomach, just below her ribs.
Lily retched, her empty stomach spasming uselessly. Her vision swam.
"Nu-uh," Mulciber breathed into her ear, using her braid to pull her head back so it rested on his shoulder. "No going to sleep for this."
"Stupefy!" James's voice rang out loud and clear.
The spell struck Avery square in the chest. He flew back into the wall of the corridor, effectively knocking him unconscious.
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius cast, disarming Mulciber expertly. He caught the Slytherin's wand and grinned madly.
Without his wand, Mulciber shoved her forward towards them. She barely caught herself in time, her elbows taking the brunt of the fall. "Fucking have her," he snarled, using her as a distraction to retreated further into the dungeons.
James rushed towards Lily, kneeling over her as he pressed a hand lightly on her back. "Are you alright?"
She coughed, trying not to retch, rising to her hands and knees in a painful manner, but nodded shakily, accepting his hand as he offered it to help her stand. It took a few painful tries until she managed to rise onto weak legs, leaning heavily into his frame.
From across the way, Sirius had shoved Snape against the wall, wand pressing into his neck.
Snape shifted impatiently, wrestling against Sirius's grip on his robes.
"I ought to kill you," Sirius snarled in his face.
"Do it," Snape sneered, features marred in anger.
Sirius forced his wand harder into Snape's jugular in response.
"Sirius," she rasped, inexplicably stopping him.
He looked back over his shoulder towards her, meeting her gaze. His eyes swept over her figure, where she was angled into James' hold so she could stand. His jaw clenched as he rolled his neck, turning back to Snape.
He reared his arm back and punched Snape square in the face.
Lily looked away from it, wincing, and then whimpered as the movement caused a slice of pain to teary through her torso. She coughed again, tasting blood on her tongue as she wiped at her mouth.
"Merlin," James murmured, wrapping an arm tighter around her waist as another coughing fit wracked her body. Her vision continued to swim, tunneling, but she could hear Sirius speak to Snape in low, threatening tones.
Pain was radiating from her chest, making it hard to breathe properly.
"Fuck, Evans," James hissed as her knees gave out. "We need to get you back to the tower," he ordered, tilting forward to press an arm under her knees, lifting her into a bridal hold. Her head lolled onto his shoulder. "Padfoot!" he barked over his shoulder, walking quickly down the corridor.
He took care not to jostle her as he carried her back to the tower, muttering and cursing under his breath fiercely.
Lily kept her head rested against his shoulder, the rough wool of his sweater scratchy against her temple. It gave her something to focus on, rather than the intense pain in her ribs.
Her breath hitched unintentionally as James ascended the staircases to the tower.
"Sorry," he murmured fervently.
"'S alright," she whispered. She couldn't help but silently admire how his movements up the stairs were smooth, his feet gliding over the stone. "Sorry about the blood."
He scoffed loudly, glancing down at where she was referencing. Her split lip had been bleeding, along with a cut she had received on her cheek when Avery slapped her. "I wouldn't worry about it. Have you seen how many times I've been hit by a bludger? Blood doesn't scare me."
He diverged from the staircases, taking the 7th floor corridor towards the Gryffindor tower.
"Hang on, I can try to walk," she insisted, having somewhat gained her breath back.
The look he gave her was doubtful, but she could tell he recognized the stubborn expression on her face. Gently as he could, he set her back onto her feet, leaving a hand high on her waist as she righted herself.
The pain in her side was stabbing, her eyes involuntarily tearing up. She bit the inside of her cheek to detract against the agony, working her way forward slowly.
James kept his hand on her back for support, watching her movements carefully.
"DId Sirius follow us?"
"He's probably right behind us," he said, making it clear he was not concerned.
Lily shuffled painfully along beside him, biting back whimpers.
"For Merlin's sake," he muttered, stooping low to tuck his arm beneath her knees once again, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing.
"Oi!" she protested weakly, unable to stop him from sweeping her into his arms.
"We need to get to the Common Room, fast. I don't want to get caught out here," he stated decisively, adjusting her carefully in his arms before resuming his original quick pace.
She purposely did not set her head back onto his shoulder, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
"Don't pout," he said quietly, his tone wry.
Lily glared at him, suddenly annoyed by the situation. Here she was, playing the damned damsel in distress, again.
When they came upon the snoozing Fat Lady, James provided the password quietly, ducking in through the entrance carefully to avoid hitting Lily's limbs against the archway.
A bit drowsy, Lily searched the space for her friends; usually they wanted by the fire in these instances – but the room was empty.
"I'm sure they're fine," James said under his breath, having read her expression. Without asking, he carried her up to the boys dormitory, his long legs taking the steps two at a time in his rush. When they came to the threshold of his dorm, he set her down against the wall, supporting her with one hand while he used the other to twist the door open.
Peter immediately rushed them. "Oh, thank Merlin, you're back!" he exclaimed. "Are you alright? The spell burned on my arm – it bloody burned – but I remember you saying it was a warning. I ran into Remus on the way back, but no one was here when we arrived – Lily, you're bleeding!"
"What the hell happened?" Remus demanded, jumping up from his bed.
"Slytherins," James answered darkly, guiding Lily towards his bed.
Peter's mouth dropped open. "Where's Sirius?"
"He was behind us," James answered, gently lifting her onto the mattress. "Sorry," he murmured, catching sight of her wince. "Remus, grab a – whatever would help."
"What did they do to you?" Remus asked, using his wand to drag his trunk closer towards James's bed.
"They –" she coughed, turning her head away into the pillow, clutching at her stomach, groaning in pain.
"They were holding her like a punching bag," James said angrily.
"They didn't use any spells?" Remus clarified, leaning over his trunk to speak to her.
She shook her head, eyes shutting tight against the discomfort of the motion.
Remus shifted closer. "Is it your chest? Your ribs?"
Her breath stuttered. "Ye-es," she confirmed, breathing shallowly. "My left side – and my back."
"I'm going to raise your shirt, sorry," he murmured and Lily obediently lifted her hands to allow him to do so.
"Fuck," James hissed. The skin of her side was bruised, purpling beneath the flesh.
"Prongs, hold her hand. I'm sure she's broken her ribs – this is going to hurt."
Lily looked up at James's face as he did as told, slipping his hand into hers, gripping it tightly. She squeezed back, bracing herself. He nodded at her once, encouragingly, and she squeezed harder.
"Ossa emendo," Remus cast over her torso.
Lily knew that the students of Gryffindor were sleeping. It wouldn't be wise to wake them in the middle of the night to cause panic. And so she bit back the scream she so desperately wanted to release as the bones snapped into place; instead, twisting into the pain, moaning into James's pillow as she crushed his hand.
"I'm sorry, sorry," Remus was saying to her, apologetic and remorseful. To James, "I don't think I've ever performed that spell on anyone else but me." Worried, unsure.
"I'm sure it worked fine," James responded and Lily could feel him brush the hair out of her face as she came up for air.
She was sweating, eyes shut tight against the agony in her torso – but she could find it easier to breathe, some of the pressure released from her chest. Her breath still hitched, something preventing her from taking a full breath, but she no longer felt like hyperventilating.
Her eyes opened, a bit dazed, and caught James's. He was studying her closely, waiting for her reaction. "What do you need?" he asked, voice rough.
"My face –" she winced, "my cheek."
He turned her head lightly, examining the damage with his touch. "Not broken, but it's going to bruise."
"Lovely," she whispered wryly.
"Here," Remus cut in, handing James a phial and a cloth. "This will help – remember what we used before?"
She nodded with a half-smile. "Arnica and fluxweed."
"That's the one," he confirmed. "James, pour a healthy amount into the cloth. Press it to her cheek. Peter, help me conjure some ice."
James leaned closer. "Sorry," he said softly, taking the soaked fabric and pressing it into her cheek.
She squeezed her eyes shut again, humming against the pain.
"Why is it," he murmured, voice low, angry, "that you always seem to get hurt?"
"It's my kind of luck," she rasped, the pain giving way to numbness. She inclined her head into his hold. "Might as well get used to it."
He scoffed.
"Lily, here's some ice. Press it to your ribs; wait, actually, take some of that potion first and rub it into your skin." Remus retrieved a second phial from his trunk and uncapped it before handing it to her.
"Help me sit up," she ordered, and James dropped the cloth to do so, helping angle her legs so she could twist up into a seated position, feet dangling from the mattress.
Having already lost some dignity, she raised her sweater over her stomach, tucking it under her armpits to lather the area over her ribs with the potion. Politely, the three boys looked away, giving her privacy, but she didn't honestly care; the potion soothed the pain, though she still had an odd hitch in her breathing.
"How's your back?" Remus asked diplomatically.
"Sore," she admitted, massaging the potion in circular motions. It soaked through the edge of her bra, the cool liquid causing her to shiver. When done, she pulled her shirt back down over her stomach, wiped the excess potion from her hand onto her leggings.
"Prongs," Peter cut it, nervous. "We should probably check on Padfoot. Using the you-know-what."
"He'll show up any minute," James said adamantly, peeking back to confirm Lily was once again decent. "He's probably coming up the stairs right now."
"He's already here," a dry, female voice announced to the room.
In a comical manner, all occupants of the dorm spun their heads towards the door in a similar fashion.
McGonagall was standing at the threshold of the boys' dormitory, her hand placed on Sirius's shoulder as she forced him further into the room.
"Professor!" James said in shock.
"Is there any particular reason why I would have found Mr. Black out wandering the corridors after hours, and all of you out of bed?"
"We can certainly explain," Sirius interjected, "as I was trying to explain, Professor –"
"Miss Evans?" she squawked, catching sight of the redhead on James's bed.
Lily winced – from pain and utter mortification at having been caught in the boy's dorm.
"What on earth are you doing here?" The older woman pushed closer, expression morphing into concern as she took in her appearance. "What has happened?"
"I – uh," Lily struggled, glancing to the others for help. None came. "It was a misunderstanding," she finished weakly.
McGonagall gasped, gaping at the others in the room.
"No!" Lily shouted, quickly catching onto her assumption. "No," she repeated hastily. "I was hurt – and I came here because –"
"Yes?" McGonagall prompted with distress.
"Because of Remus's potions," Lily said. "I know he had some healing potions in his trunk. I must've woken – the others."
"Miss Evans," the professor murmured with forced patience. "What makes you think that there was something in this boy's trunk that could help you? Look at your face!"
Lily winced, feeling bereft. She couldn't let them get into trouble – because of her.
"I am taking you to the infirmary," McGonagall insisted, helping Lily stand. "Black, twenty points from Gryffindor for being out after curfew."
Sirius did not attempt to argue.
Lily got one last glimpse of them as McGonagall ushered her through the doors.