Trying to find James, Sirius, or even Snape for that matter, seemed to be an impossible feat. Though she doubted all three of them conspired to avoid her, she was sure that Sirius and James had most likely discussed it.
According to Marlene, however, she had caught sight of them in the hallway earlier that day; the two of best friends appeared to no longer be talking.
"Cold as ice," Marlene whispered to her in the common room, referring to the attitude of the two boys. "I've only heard James speak when came to tell me the time change for practice tonight."
"Practice!" Lily gasped in realization. She could corner him then.
And probably in one of the most bizarre situations she thought she'd never be in, Lily found herself watching Quidditch practice. Not even an actual match.
Then there she was, freezing her arse off, waiting for practice to be over.
She knew she was getting weird looks from the others who were sitting in the stands – but honestly, they thought she was the git? She was there for a reason. Not to watch the players practice. It wasn't even a proper match. And she certainly wasn't there to watch James fly on a bloody broom, expertly, as he tossed a damn quaffle effortlessly to his other chasers.
She released another impatient sigh when she heard James shout orders once more, telling the team to reset and try the same play over again.
"Come on," she groaned, shifting in her seat as James shouted some more.
They'd already been out there for over an hour. Surely they wouldn't run for much longer than that? Though he and his teammates were high up in the air, she was positive his head had turned towards her more than once.
It was also obvious in the manner that Sirius and James had kept far from each other that something was wrong. They gave a new meaning to cold shoulder, if Lily had seen one.
And then finally, finally, James blew the whistle to signal the end of practice. Lily jumped up quickly and bolted towards the stairs, hoping to cut them off on the way to locker rooms.
She cursed her daftness as she skipped the stairs two at a time – why hadn't she just wanted by the doors?
"Wait!" she shouted, catching sight of James's robe disappearing behind the boy's door. "Damn it," she cursed. Well, then. She would just have to wait outside of the door.
Blanchet, the third chaser of the Gryffindor team, exited from the boys room first, greeting her pleasantly (if a little curious) before heading back towards the castle. She tried to peek over his shoulder as he passed, peering through the closing crack of the door.
"So, why are you wanting to speak with James again?" Marlene questioned as she retwisted her hair up into a new bun. She secured it with a ponytail as she looked at Lily expectantly.
"I was helping them with a Charms project – they're supposed to return a book but haven't yet," Lily said, having rehearsed the words.
"Want me to wait with you?" Marlene offered.
"That's alright. I'm sure he'll be out any moment, right?"
Marlene shrugged and wished her luck, making her own way back towards the castle.
Lily huffed in frustration, crossing her arms over chest tightly. Ten minutes had passed easily, but there was still no sign of the Gryffindor Captain. The rest of the team had long since left the locker rooms to return to the common room.
Annoyed enough to take action, Lily built up the nerve to knock on the boys' door.
"Hello?" she called through the wood of the door. "Potter! Are you still there?"
No response.
Brows furrowed, she pushed open the door just a little "Anybody in there?"
Silence.
"Hello!" she said more loudly, patience nearly at its end. No sound, no shuffle, the showers weren't running. She shoved the door open, wincing as it banged against the wall behind it. "You haven't come out!"
Nothing.
She scoffed. How could he have gotten past her? Was there an exit in the back?
A shiver ran through her suddenly, noting how chilled the air had become. It was very nearly dusk – the rest of her group was most likely up at dinner.
Wisely calling it quits, Lily let the door slam shut as she turned her back on it, scanning the area around her as she made her journey back to the castle. She was hungry anyways.
But yet again, both Sirius and James had evaded her. Only Peter sat at the table amongst her friends, looking a little out of place. She sat beside him, shrugging off her cardigan in the warmth of the Great Hall.
"Have you seen Black or Potter?" she asked him, grabbing herself a glass of juice.
"Nope," he replied, sounding just as annoyed as she felt. "Must be visiting Remus in the infirmary."
Lily's eyes glanced around the table surreptitiously, gauging her friends' reactions to his statement. They looked none the wiser and accepted it as fact. It wasn't uncommon to find one of the Marauders in the infirmary. It wasn't out of place for his friends to want to visit him, bring him food.
Her eyes turned back to Peter, who was still compiling a plate full of food, and studied him for just a moment. Obviously, James and Sirius knew about Remus – she could only assume that Peter did as well.
But based on his reaction to her question, she surmised that Sirius, James, nor Remus had told him that she now knew their secret in trying to protect their friend.
"Hm," she murmured after a long moment, accepting an offered roll from him. "If you see them, can you let them know I need to talk to them?"
"Are they in trouble?" Peter asked curiously. "They haven't done any pranks that I'm aware of."
She snorted. "No, just trying to track them down," she clarified, quickly taking a bite of the bread.
"Sure, I can tell them."
The rest of dinner was uneventful.
By the time Lily returned to the Gryffindor Common Room with the rest of her friends, she reasoned that it was too late to visit Remus herself, however much she wanted to
But what had Sirius and James been doing out that night? From what she had picked up from their conversation that night, Sirius clearly had something to do with it… He had somehow set Snape up, putting him in danger. But Sirius, while sometimes not thinking things through, wouldn't truly put the Slytherin in harm's way, would he?
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"Bloody hell," she complained later that day, falling into a seat beside Marlene at dinner later that day. "It's like they must have some sort of tracker on me." She scooped up a dish unhappily, nearly toppling over a goblet.
"Who?" Marlene questioned curiously.
"Potter and Black," she hissed, brushing away a stray piece of her fringe. "It's like they've disappeared." Not even Peter was at dinner. Maybe she would check the kitchens after she finished her plate.
"They were in Creatures," Marlene commented. "It's not like they've fallen off the edge of the earth."
"Sure seems that way."
"Why do you want to talk to them?"
Lily felt awkward then. What would she say? She had already used the good ol' project excuse.
She went with the truth – or at least a version of it. "Just something random they had said the other day. It made me suspicious."
It wasn't too far off of a real reason why she would want to track them down and Marlene seemed to accept Lily's response. While it made her feel a little guilty to lie to her best friend, she knew if she shared the real reason, it would obviously open up to the subject of Remus.
After dinner, it was with some mad dash of luck that Lily caught sight of James's hair exiting the Entrance Hall into the outside air. With a quick goodbye to her friends ("But wait! I need help with Arithmancy," Dorcas had whined), Lily departed to chase him down.
With great surprise, Lily almost ran headlong into James's back as soon as she pushed through the front doors.
"Oh!" she said, surprised. "Thought it'd be harder to find you."
He gave a rather sardonic smile, as he held open the door completely for her. "You were looking for me?"
His blaise ignorance annoyed her. "Of course I've been trying to find you – you and Sirius have been hiding from me."
"I wouldn't know where Sirius is," James retorted, turning on his heel to walk out onto the grounds. His pace was quick, but Lily knew he held back to allow her to keep pace with him.
Knowing they were still within hearing distance of other students, she dropped her voice. "What happened the other night?"
"That's what I would like to know," James responded bitterly. "Why don't you ask Sirius?"
"I told you," she said impatiently. "I couldn't find you or him."
He didn't respond.
For some unfathomable reason, she followed as he walked on, trailing behind him as they moved further away from the castle. It was dusk, the sun peeking just above the horizon.
His figure cut against the fading light and she couldn't help but admire the lines of his jaw when he turned back to see if she were still following.
He sighed with obvious irritation. "I see you're not going to leave it alone."
"No," Lily replied simply. "Look, I understand that you're used to keeping secrets, but I need to know why Snape was out there –"
"You'll have to ask Sirius," he repeated dully, sliding his glasses back onto his face. He gazed at her with no expression. "I have no reason as to why or how he knew to be out there."
Her brows furrowed in annoyance. "Didn't you ask Sirius?"
"No. I did not."
"You aren't speaking?" Lily prompted, now curious.
"If you want answers, ask Sirius. I can't help you."
"But you're his best friend," she pointed out.
"The thing I've learned about Sirius, is that when he gets something in his mind, he doesn't think it through. He doesn't always have rational thoughts. He doesn't think about the repercussions of his actions. I've lived with the bloke for years, Lily. If I'd known what he had planned…" he glared off into the distance across the lake, his lips pulled down in a frown.
"But I don't understand – why would he…?" Lily wasn't sure how to continue.
It all settled into her stomach heavily, with a dark feeling. She could guess what had happened.
Sirius had sent Snape out into the night, teasing him about the truth of Remus for some unspeakable reason. Whether or not he had thought through the consequences of his action, they could only guess until they spoke to him directly.
She also felt a little sad for James and Sirius – had she ever known them to have a fight like this? But then again, she didn't truly know them.
"I'll leave you alone," said Lily finally, wringing her hands.
He nodded, once, eyes still looking out across the water as he raised his hand in a way of goodbye.
When Lily was a few yards away from him, she chanced a look back at his figure. In surprise, she found him watching her, expression blank as they met gazes.
Her next mission was settled: she had to find Sirius.
Which actually ended up being easier than she had expected. He was sitting in the Common Room by himself in front of the fire, looking rather despondent.
"Sirius?" she said, trying to grab his attention. It took a second call of his name to get him to turn towards her.
"Hey," he said in a listless voice.
"Can we talk?"
"Yeah. Want to go down to the kitchens?"
Though she wasn't hungry, Lily accepted, knowing that they would need privacy anyways. She fell into step beside him as he led the way.
"I've messed up," he admitted after walking for a few silent moments.
"I just don't understand what happened," she murmured, watching him closely.
He let out a quick bark of bitter laughter. "Me neither, Evs," His teeth grinded in frustration. "Snape just… He just – knows how to irk me. And now Prongs is pissed at me – rightfully, I guess. I've never seen him this angry before."
"You told Snape to go to the Whomping Willow," Lily said aloud, processing. "I just can't understand why you would do that, Sirius?" Her tone was soft, but she couldn't stop herself from sounding accusing.
He turned to look at her incredulously. "Lily – do you not remember when Snivellus –"
"– don't call him that –"
"– stood aside and watched as those two Death Eater wanna-bes nearly killed you?"
Lily was taken aback at his words. "You told him to go after Remus to get revenge?"
Sirius's jaw tightened as he glared down at her. "I only told him that there was a passageway below the Whomping Willow. I didn't tell him Remus was a werewolf – I didn't tell him to actually go there."
"You knew he would!" Lily said angrily, as she repeated the words James had said that night. It was easy to see why James was so upset.
"He went there on his own – I didn't force him." He turned away from her and continued towards the kitchens.
"He didn't deserve to die."
"Serves him right," he murmured waspishly.
"Sirius." She was horrified. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
"Go ahead Lily. Tell me I'm a wretched person. Tell me I belong in Slytherin like the rest of the Death Eaters –"
"Sirius," she cut him off in a pained voice. "That's not what I think about you. I just didn't know you could…"
"What?" he demanded bitterly. "Be such a horrible wizard? It's fine, Lily. I'm used to it. I'm a Black. Don't you know? I'm a dark wizard. It's in my blood. Can't help it."
"Stop," she ordered in a quiet voice, but he continued on.
He laughed derisively. "James's going to have his parents kick me out – I'll be forced to go back home. Walburga Black will be so pleased to have her eldest son return home – just in time to turn him over to indentured servitude to the Dark Lord."
Lily was bewildered; James have Sirius kicked out? It was laughable with how close they were.
"He wouldn't do that," she said instead. "Sirius, look, it's over. Snape's alive – Remus is fine."
"Fine," Sirius scoffed. "He won't be fine. I have to tell him I almost made him a murderer."
She felt a little loss at what to say next. He should tell Remus – it was the right thing to do. He wouldn't be able to keep this from him. But it pained her to have to see the group of friends be broken up. They were the Marauders.
"Nevermind, Lily. I'd rather be alone to eat. I'll talk to you later," he muttered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and already striding away.
"Wait, Sirius," she called guiltily, but didn't try very hard, because really, what could she say?
With a heavy heart, she turned back around to return to the Gryffindor Common Room once more.
Sirius's actions had been egregious, she knew that, but in a twisted way, Lily knew he did it out of his own sense of endearment. She felt torn – of course she wanted Snape punished for what he had done, but having Remus's secret exposed… What had Sirius been thinking?
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The following days had felt like torture. Lily felt as if she were a babysitter for half the time; a referee the other.
If she had any assumption that there may have been a chance Sirius and James had grown up and stopped doing pranks, she had been sorely mistaken. However, she could begrudgingly admit they were not as bad as before – and the two of the Gryffindor's efforts seemed to be focused on one main target – each other.
At first, she had honestly been a bit concerned – she knew the tenseness between the two boys was dangerous. The first incident had involved Sirius's breakfast porridge exploding into his face, covering his face, hair, and most of his school robes in the gooey oatmeal.
Immediately, Lily thought that it may have been a rogue spell (a group of 2nd Years had been sitting not too far from their seated position, practicing charms), but the fact that the porridge seemed to only cling to Sirius seemed a bit odd.
"Bloody hell," he cursed, wiping a large glob from his eye so he could see properly.
The second incident had occurred no less than 24 hours later; James had appeared at dinner, looking rather irritated as he ran a hand through his brilliantly blue colored hair.
It was a juvenile, old trick – Lily had seen it done many times before – but she was still amused by James's annoyed huff as he sat on the other side of Remus, whose eyes had become wide as saucers.
(Remus had confided in her later that night during patrols, that while many tended to think Sirius cared more about his appearance, it was truly James that was always fussing over his hair. Lily had accepted this piece of information easily, feeling as if she already knew this fact.)
James, already familiar with attention and stares, remained mostly unaffected by the whispers gathering around them. Sirius, of course, was missing from the table, but Lily could have sworn she could see the hint of smile pulling at James's lips.
"What don't you just spell it back?" Marlene finally asked him.
"I've tried. It can't be undone," he muttered, digging into his food. "Suppose it'll wear off soon enough."
"But the blue looks so smashing," Lily couldn't help but tease (why? She didn't know, call it madness).
James gave her a withering stare, but she could see his jaw clench as he really tried not to grin.
His hair had returned back to its normal color by breakfast the next morning.
However, it was now Sirius who was sporting a brand new brightly colored mustache at breakfast the next morning, the ends curling up rather smartly towards his cheeks. It reminded Lily greatly of the old western movies her father had used to enjoyed watching. Once again, the trick had been juvenile, but harmless.
"Don't," he warned her as he sat in his seat.
"What?" Lily asked innocently, doing her best to keep a neutral expression.
Akin to the stare James had given her the night before, Sirius gave her a blistering glare. Its effectiveness was lessened of course, by the line of bright facial hair lining his lip.
"Couldn't you shave it?"
"There's a shield charm on it," he hissed, glaring at the back of James's head, where he sat further down the table with the rest of the Quidditch team. Lily was surprised the boy didn't turn around, feeling the heated stare.
"You've got some porridge on it," Emmeline pointed out with a laugh.
"Prick," Sirius grumbled, using a napkin to wipe at his face.
Unbidden, Lily's eyes glanced back over at James. He had looked over just at the same moment, catching her eyes. Her eyes darted towards Sirius and she smiled, rolled her eyes.
He responded with a small grin of his one, returning back to chatter with those around him.
It was then that she knew the friendship between Sirius and James wasn't ruined. They would get through this. She would just have to sit back and enjoy the show (Merlin, who had she turned into?).
During their patrol the following night, Remus shared the conversation he had with Sirius, how Sirius had revealed he was the reason why Severus now knew he was a werewolf.
"You forgave him?" Lily asked, unable to hide her surprise.
Remus shrugged, but still appeared torn over the whole matter. "He was really sorry," he murmured. "I know Sirius. I know when he's being honest."
It jarred her, then, that she couldn't help but wonder if Remus was too afraid to lose Sirius as a friend, having so few already, being worried about what he was. Because of this, he was able to forgive Sirius without a second thought.
"He wouldn't really do anything to hurt me," Remus insisted.
Lily's personal feelings toward Sirius were still mixed; while he had been daft enough to threaten Snape, he had done it because of her. Something she felt guilty about – if she hadn't let herself get caught by those damned Slytherins…
She shook herself then, choosing not to go down another pity-path. It was pointless. And while she'd always been mindful of Sirius's carefree attitude, she knew she'd had to watch him more carefully; she hadn't known how reckless he could be.
She also managed to keep a close eye on James, as well. The more she had thought it, she couldn't deny how courageous it had been that he had chosen to go after Snape, to stop him from finding Remus in his werewolf form, despite the animosity between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin. Again, her view of him had shifted.
Things slowly settled into a less awkward phase, as the weeks flew by in November. While Marlene, Alice, Dor and Emmeline had noticed something off about the Marauders, they did not comment.
Nonetheless, Lily could sense that her group of friends were waiting anxiously for the next game.
"How about a study session?" she offered at dinner that night.
While things hadn't gone back to completely normal, the group in its entirety had begun to finally sit at the table together; though James and Sirius were notably on opposite sides.
Lily bit back an amused smile as nearly all the heads in the vicinity popped up in shock.
"You mean it?" Marlene said with an excited grin. "It's been ages since… Halloween."
"I think we're due for one," Lily agreed. "How about… tomorrow night? After Remus and I's prefect meeting and patrol?"
"Finally," Dorcas laughed.
Lily was taken aback for a moment. She looked at them strangely. "You guys weren't waiting … for me, were you?"
Her friends at the table, including the boys, looked sheepish.
"We just wanted to give you… time," Emmeline said softly. "Since you know, the last Game didn't end so well."
Lily scoffed. "I said I was fine," she retorted, her cheeks a bit flushed.
"We know," Marlene was quick to assure. "But we'd thought we'd leave it up to you, to decide when the next study group was."
She laughed. "You could've told me. We could have had a session ages ago."
Marlene shrugged and the others didn't look quite as sure.
"Well, tomorrow night then," she said decisively.
A wave of excitement rolled through their small group. Lily smiled happily into her goblet of juice. Things were finally feeling normal.
She caught James's eye over the top of her cup and her heart skipped a bit. Almost normal.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The next night after dinner had ended, Lily had joined an actual study group with Dorcas, Burke, and Rochester in the library.
Well. It really just ended up being Lily and Rochester, as Dorcas 'couldn't' locate the book she needed and asked for Burke's assistance to find it. They'd been missing for at least ten minutes.
"Must be in a tricky spot," Rochester smirked, flipping the page of his book idly.
She smiled wryly. "Probably checking every shelf thoroughly, I'm sure."
"There are a lot of books in here," he mused, dropping his quill onto his essay and taking the chance to stretch. "How's your work coming along?"
"It's Charms, so pretty easy," she teased, setting down her own quill to stretch her hand.
"Oof, bragging much?"
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I offered to look over your homework assignment."
"I thought you were just being nice," he grumped.
"I was," she joked, offering her hand out.
Rochester grabbed his parchment and placed it in her hand dutifully. "I appreciate it."
"Of course," she murmured. "Just know that you'll owe me a sugar quill."
"That's right," he laughed, leaning back in his chair, watching her as she read over his work.
"This is good," she admitted after a moment. "But you've got this paragraph confused. I mean, ethically, the Vermillious Duo shouldn't be used on these types of charms, but I'm still willing to acknowledge the pros of using the spell," she said, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Rochester shook his head. "I disagree. The properties of the spell aren't exactly effective when it comes to spelling an object."
"That's not quite true, though," Lily countered. "The electrical charge emitting from the spell can be used to enhance the spell, if aimed properly."
"So you're basing your paper on the user themselves, versus the spell itself?" he questioned.
"I guess I am," she replied, appearing slightly perplexed. "I don't normally base my writings on the abilities of the wand user."
"The use of this particular spell does seem to rely on the skill of the spell caster," Rochester said.
"Many times, the way the spell responds is actually based on the wand itself," Lily informed him, turning her eyes skyward as she remembered the text. "Darker woods, like black walnut or rosewood, tend to radiate brighter tones – appearing like it's more powerful, but actually, lighter woods, like yew or ashwood, give off more voltaic charges."
"Really?" he asked, rather intrigued.
"Absolutely," she confirmed, noticing how much closer he had leaned in. In a subtle manner, she pressed the paper back into his hand, angling away from him at the same time. "But then I guess that it does make it depend on the wand user, seeing as the wand chooses them."
Rochester chuckled. "I guess me and my hawthorn wand are going to have to work harder then, aren't we?"
Lily had to stifle her laugh. "It sounds like a personal problem."
Rochester's expression changed, having just processed what he had said and its innuendos. "That's not, uh, how I wanted that to come out."
She laughed. "I figured. If you –"
"Evans," James Potter cut in, revealing himself between the aisles.
"Potter," Rochester greeted idly, once he'd realized who spoke. "Nice game last week."
"Thanks," he said, maybe less chuffed than he normally would be on a compliment regarding his Quidditch skills.
"What's up?" Lily asked him curiously.
"Remus was looking for you. Prefect meeting?"
"Oh, God," she gasped, checking the watch she could barely just see beyond the stack of shelves. "Is it already that late?"
"It is," James confirmed.
She was rushing to gather her parchment, notes, and books into a neat pile.
"I could probably have Dorcas take those for you, if you're in a hurry," Rochester pointed out.
"Oh, no – I can –"
"I'll grab them," James declared, stooping forward to collect them all in one easy grab. "I'm heading back to the Common Room now, anyways."
"Thanks," she said, a bit breathless. "I'll see you later, Danny. Thanks for the help!"
"Of course," he said kindly.
James was waiting patiently for her to begin walking. He didn't speak, which felt odd.
"Thanks again," she offered, as she pushed open the door to the library. "I appreciate you grabbing those for me."
"Sure," he nodded, falling into step beside her. "I'll leave 'em with Marlene – she's still sitting in front of the fire."
"It's lucky you found me so easily, I would've completely missed the meeting."
He hummed. "Definitely lucky. I'll see you later?"
She returned it. "Thanks again."
He didn't reply.
After Lily and Remus had returned from the Prefect meeting and their patrol, she'd separated from him to meet Marlene in the Common Room, but found she'd already escaped to the dormitory with Lily's possessions.
The girl was snoozing when she entered. In an amused huff, Lily decided – what the hell. She fell into her own bed, not bothering changing, and snuggled in for a quick nap. They had a bit before the Game started.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Dorcas exclaimed.
Lily felt the covers torn from her body. "Wha?" she asked, dazed.
"We've got to head down to the Entrance Hall! Now!" Dorcas ordered. "Or did you two forget about the bloody game?"
Lily shot up – catching sight of Marlene doing the same. "It's already midnight?" she cried out.
"Damn near!" Dorcas chastised.
Lily could feel their eyes as Dorcas, Emmeline, and Alice watched in amusement as she and Marlene scrambled to change.
Lily grabbed the nearest black top – a snug turtleneck – and yanked it over her head. "Where – are – my – leggings?" she huffed, tossing apart her trunk. She huffed in triumph once she'd located them, swapping her school skirt for the pair of worn pants. "Anyone have a ponytail?" she asked desperately, pulling her hair out of the collar.
Emmeline tossed her a scrunchie, which she caught (surprisingly) deftly and she tied her hair back into a messy low twist. "There, ready."
"Well, come on, then! Let's go."
The four boys were already lounging in the Entrance Hall when the girls arrived.
"I thought you treated this game as sacred?" Sirius smirked from his lounging spot on the stairs. He pushed off the railing with spry movements.
"Well, if someone hadn't been sleeping," Marlene sniped, her appearance looking just as disheveled as Lily's probably did.
Lily guffawed. "Me?"
"Yeah, these two lazy arses were both sleeping," Dorcas informed the boys. "Be thankful we made it at all."
"Hey," Marlene and Lily both argued.
"Okay, okay," Emmeline interjected. "Remus, mind conjuring the straws?"
"Of course," he grinned, doing just that.
Alice, Peter, and Emmeline were partnered together. Sirius and Marlene were with Dorcas; Lily was on the team with Remus and James. A troublesome, but overall not a bad result.
Lily walked up to Remus and James with a smile. "Ready to win?" she couldn't help but tease.
James laughed as they both obviously recalled their past conversation about their paired luck.
"I appreciate your confidence," Remus murmured with a smile.
"You did wonderful last time," she assured, dropping her eyes to check her watch, then raising them to meet James's. "What's the plan?"
He looked surprised that she was asking his opinion. "We can split up. I say we meet back up in an hour – maybe by the library corridor?"
Lily shook her head. "Emmeline likes to scout out there. Maybe the third floor corridor – by the Baroness's portrait?"
James gave a quick nod. "The alcove there. Sounds like a plan."
With little reason to dispute, Remus shared his agreement as well.
She grinned excitedly. "Good luck, team. Let's win."
The group of Gryffindors soon joined into the larger group, and like before, allowed Lily to cast the spellwork that allowed them to see the teams and their scores, along with the countdown timer.
"Everyone ready?"
Lily received varying types of responses, from Marlene's too-loud, "Yes!" to Peter's timid nod.
"I guess maybe this reminder isn't needed, but remember, press your wand to the spell for at least two seconds. That'll send the warning – and we should meet at the Gryffindor Common Room."
They all nodded, a bit solemn.
"Alright, alright," Lily murmured. "Let's get started then…10…"
And her countdown began, the beginnings of adrenaline already seeping into her nervous system.
9… 8… 7… 6…
From beside her, James shared a smirk, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously.
5… 4… 3…
From her other side, Lily could hear Dorcas's impatient, "Come on, come on, come on…"
2… 1!
Lily couldn't help the excited laugh that escaped as she watched her friends take off in different directions, their movements frantic and crazed.
She waited an extra moment before following their actions, heading towards the stairs. Her plan for this game was to reach high ground, then work her way back towards the 3rd floor just in time for meeting James and Remus.
Though she wouldn't admit it out loud to any of her friends (or anyone else for that matter), she was going to take care to avoid the dungeons and the lower floors as much as possible.
The five minute warning warmed against her arm, before she'd been able to ascend the stairs as fast as she liked and Lily made a more conscious effort to move closer against the railings and the walls as she ascended the stairs further.
While the goal of the game was always to win, her desired outcomes shifted more to focus on her stealth skills, rather than the points.
The Astronomy Tower was her target, though she knew she risked the chance of running into other students (even those not a part of the Game).
Surprisingly, the tower's classroom and stairs were empty. Maybe she was having luck.
Nonetheless, Lily was extra cautious and strained to hear any sounds of movement.
After about twenty minutes of ping ponging between the tower, the classroom, and prowling the corridor just beyond, Lily was starting to regret her plan.
The collar of her turtleneck was starting to itch something fierce, and the restlessness she felt in her legs was beginning to grow. Where was everyone?
Within the next ten minutes, she'd already looped around the 7th floor three times, expecting to come across another person at least once. If anything, she expected to run into Alice, who was usually the one to check out the Divination classroom, but there was still no sign of her.
Lily huffed in annoyance, spinning on her heel to turn back around and go back the way she came. If she didn't see one person…
"Cesso!" a voice spelled from further down the corridor, startling Lily.
She dodged just in time, spinning herself into the wall. There was nowhere to cover herself and so she escaped back towards the way she had come, towards the Divination room.
While not the most opportune arena, the tiered classroom would provide much needed cover and provide her a chance to tag her opponent.
The classroom door opened easily, and Lily took the nearest steps up to the next platform of tabled seats, diving under the nearest table.
The room was dark, which worked to her advantage. The only light source was that of the pale light spilling in from the door.
Excitement thrummed in her veins as she watched the shadow of her opponent elongate across the floor, the sound of light footsteps entering the classroom. From her position under the table, she wouldn't be able to see them, but she could at least guess at their position, and hopefully her spell would strike true.
"Cesso!" she cast.
"Oi!" Alice's voice rang out and Lily felt triumphant, pleased that she could track her friend's movements by their repetitive actions. A bit disappointed that she had missed, though.
Lily took the moment of surprise and jumped up from underneath the table.
"Cesso!" she exclaimed, the spell hitting Alice in the stomach. "Yes!" Lily shouted, jutting a fist in the air.
She moved quickly then, passing by Alice's frozen form with a wave and a smile, moving along the corridor in a run to get away from her enemy.
When she felt she was at a safe distance, she slowed to a light jog, nearly jumping out of her skin as one of the Arithmancy classroom doors slammed open.
It was Dorcas, who shouted a quick spell that caught Lily in the shoulder.
The blonde twiddled her fingers tauntingly, before taking off down the corridor.
"Shite," Lily cursed when she became unfrozen. She checked the scores. Her team was in second; but not by much.
By the time she ran into another person, another 15 minutes had passed. She and Emmeline had a bit of a standoff on the 6th floor, in the Room of Rewards.
Lily thought she had bested Emmeline, but the other Gryffindor had caught her off guard, shooting five spells in quick succession.
She found herself frozen once more, cursing silently at Emmeline's back and promising vengeance.
She only had twenty or so odd minutes to redeem herself, or else she'd have to face Remus and James with ashamed embarrassment.
It was certainly not on her mind to keep James's words true.
And so she took the different paths down to the 3rd floor, half-hoping to run into another person for a chance of earning some points, the other half hoping she would find empty hallways and classrooms.
It was the latter, she found out, as she took care to check different crooks and nannies of the corridors as she made her descent down the castle. It was an eerie feeling, not running into another person. Lily second-guessed herself, absolutely sure that maybe she had missed another person in one of the classrooms.
She arrived a few minutes late at her team's appointment meeting place, huffing in annoyance as she dipped into the somewhat hidden alcove.
"Everything okay?" James asked, having heard her long-suffering sigh.
"Ace," said Lily in clipped tones. "Not having much luck tonight."
The score was showing that they were still in second place and Lily knew it could be worse.
"Same," Remus said in empathy. "Sirius already caught me twice, and even Emmeline got me – Peter even once."
That made Lily feel a little better. She looked up at James.
He shrugged with a pleased smile. "Haven't been caught yet, but I was able to tag a couple of others."
Lily rolled her eyes, neither pleased nor unhappy that he was the reason they were holding their spot in second place.
"Whatever they had planned, there aren't many upstairs; I started up in the Astronomy tower. I only came across Alice and Dorcas."
James nodded to himself, processing the information. "I spent most of my time one floor up – they had the library locked up, but a lot of the study rooms were great spots to –"
He stopped suddenly, raising a finger to his lips to silence them.
Lily had heard it, too. Footsteps and rustling.
But it seemed too far off to truly be worried; the person must've been around the corner at the stairs. The sound soon receded.
"What's the plan, then?" Remus asked, his voice tight with nerves.
"Up or down?" Lily asked James, who once again, looked surprised by her addressing him for directions.
"Let's head down. That way we're closest to the Entrance Hall."
Lily gave a two-fingered salute with a sly smile. "Lead the way, captain," she couldn't help but tease.
He rolled his eyes, but even in the dark, Lily could see the smile pulling at his lips. It pleased her for some reason.
James left the alcove first, his head turning both ways down the corridor to check for any movement, before stepping out. He waved Lily on after him, signaling that it was okay to move.
When he was a safe enough distance away (wouldn't want anyone to catch them at the same time), Lily left the safety of the hiding place behind, as well. Remus followed soon after.
Without incident, they were able to make it to the Grand Staircase. James leaned low, holding close to the balustrades of the railing as he descended the stairs. Lily mimicked his movements, still keeping distance as she tiptoed down the stone steps.
They had made it to the landing just above the Entrance Hall when instinct made Lily glance around her.
Remus was following behind at a respectable distance, still making his way down the steps (if anything, he wasn't crouching low enough, he was still a bit taller than her). When he caught her looking at him, he gave her a questioning look.
But she paid him no mind – Peter was at the landing above them, looking gleefully pleased.
"Look out!" Lily called, but Peter had already made his move.
"Cesso!" he casted, the spell whizzing past her down the stairs.
James had been caught off guard – he turned, caught sight of the oncoming spell and twisted – with enough force to send him over the railing backwards.
Lily watched with detached horror as he tipped over, his feet disappearing over the railing.
"James!" she screamed, running to the railing and nearly tossing herself over it after him.
But he had already landed on the floor below, and Lily tried not to think of how his leg was twisted awkwardly beneath him.
Later, much later, she realized she couldn't remember running down the stairs or collapsing on her knees beside him, or how Peter screamed with horror, the sound piercingly loud in the staircases' atrium-like walls.
She barely remembered Sirius nearly knocking into her in his desperation to check on James, nor how Remus actually did tumble into Sirius, who had viciously shoved him back (involuntarily, of course).
But she would remember how she couldn't get James to open his eyes or how his jaw went slack, his mouth falling open lifelessly.
He wasn't breathing.
"Ennervate!" Lily spelled frantically. His chest remained motionless.
"Why – why didn't that work?" Sirius asked, his tone scaring Lily.
Remus's face was ghostly white.
"Enervate!" She recast, nearly choking on the word.
"Lily," breathed Remus, his tone horrified.
She shushed him angrily and bent over James, placing a hand on his chest and moving her ear over his mouth. He wasn't breathing, but she could have sworn she felt the smallest beat of a heart under her hand.
Instinct took over, and like she had practiced ages ago, she tilted his head back at an angle and propped his mouth open. Pinching his nose, she pressed her lips against his and breathed air into his lungs.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see his chest rise. Two more breaths and she pulled back, now binding her hands to press against his sternum.
"What are you doing?" Sirius questioned, no less frantic.
"She's doing CPR," Remus answered, surprised. "It'll keep him breathing."
She was counting to herself quietly. 15, 16, 17… oddly it reminded her of counting down to the start of the game.
21, 22, 23… she stopped at 30 and moved back towards his face, repositioning his head back once more.
One breath, two breaths…
Back to his chest and restart.
Her vision began to blur and Lily thought it was because of how deeply she had breathed to give him oxygen. She realized it was the tears that began to fall against her cheeks.
They fell against his shirt, just above where her hands were still trying to pump blood into his heart.
28, 29, 30.
Her shoulders and arm muscles burned, and she was glad for the break to switch back to breathe into his mouth. More tears fell against his cheeks, but she couldn't care to be embarrassed.
"Come on, James," she muttered, returning to pumping his chest. She pressed harder, knowing her weak hands would have to work more to get through to his heart.
She heard a sob and was very surprised to learn it came from her own chest.
"Lily," Remus demanded in a croak. "What can I do to help?"
Her breathing was labored as she continued her thrusts. "When I'm done breathing for him, put your hands together like mine – and press hard. At least a couple of centimeters. It'll pump blood into his heart."
He nodded in understanding and moved to James's other side, falling to his knees rather clumsily.
Lily smiled in reassurance as he locked his fingers together, pressed the heel of his hand into the spot just below the top of James's sternum. Again, she moved her hands to readjust James face, tilting his head back to make sure the airway was open. One, she breathed. Two…
She sat back and nodded the go ahead to Remus. For his part, he seemed to copy her movements brilliantly. She was grateful for his help – her hands were shaking terribly and she knew she wasn't strong enough to continue on her own.
"Two more times," she huffed and Remus followed her instruction.
When his hands fell away, she turned James face again and held her ear over his mouth. Nothing.
"Damn," she cursed. And breathed for him again. She wouldn't give up…
"Where the hell is Peter," Sirius snarled. "He went to get Pomfrey."
Remus took up his movements when she moved back. One, two, thr–
James gasped, loudly, eyes opening and staring blindly for a moment as he clawed at his chest.
"James!" Sirius shouted as James began to violently cough, near retching – but he was alive.
Lily helped turn him to his side, making it easier for him to breathe. Her watery eyes met Remus's and they shared a look of incredulous relief.
"What the hell happened?" James asked with a hoarse voice, struggling to sit up.
"You nearly died, Prongs," said Sirius in shocked disbelief. Rather roughly, he reached forward and grabbed James into a bear hug.
"I don't seem dead now," he croaked, patting Sirius's back awkwardly. "Oi, easy – I feel like I got bowled over by a hippogriff."
Lily let out a tearful laugh, brushing away the wetness from her cheeks.
James moved out of Sirius's hold and looked up at her. "I guess we lost out on some points?"
She scoffed wetly. "Fucking prick. We're way beyond worrying about the damned points."
"I really wanted to win."
"Prongs," Remus laughed incredulously as Lily and Sirius chuckled, but she was honestly torn about slapping him.
The sound of someone clearing their throat cut them off short.
Lily turned with a heavy stomach, catching sight of Professor McGonagall, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey, and a guilty looking Peter.
James was still lying on the floor, propped up on his elbows. "Evening, Professor. Madam Pomfrey," he said with a grin. "What brings you here?"
"Mr. Potter," said McGonagall, unamused. Her lips pursed. "Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Black – you three, I am not surprised to find out at this hour. However, Miss Evans, I am quite shocked to see you running amok within the company of these four."
Lily felt her cheeks burn.
"Poppy, would you mind looking after Mr. Potter? He seems to have taken quite the fall."
Lily was surprised at the professor's blaise attitude, but remembered quickly that for James, a Quidditch Player, falling wasn't an uncommon occurrence.
Remus, Sirius and Lily stood from their kneeling positions to allow the healer room to attend to James and check on his status.
As inconspicuous as she could from behind her back, Lily pressed the tip of her wand against the scoreboard on her arm, sounding the alarm for the others.
"Now," McGonagall snapped, causing Peter to jump behind her. "Would you four mind telling me why you are all out, after curfew, and exactly how Mr. Potter ended up falling two stories?"
Lily and the other three marauders looked at each other with wide-eyes.
"Well, you see," Sirius started smoothly. "It all started when –"
"Not you, Mr. Black," the professor said in disdain. "Miss Evans, Mr. Lupin. As Gryffindor Prefects, I expect you to uphold the rules and codes of the house and the school. Please give me the explanation as to why you would break these rules?"
"Um," said Lily eloquently. In all her years playing the game, this was admittedly the first time she knew she couldn't get away without being in trouble.
(There was one time the year prior in the middle of the Game that she had run into Professor Flitwick, but pleaded off, explaining that she needed to head to the Prefect Bathrooms, looking for a bath to help relieve cramps. The pink-cheeked teacher waved her on sympathetically).
This was definitely not an excuse to use this time.
"Well?" McGonagall prompted.
The issue was that there wasn't a viable reason for the five of them to be out at this time of night – at least there would be no excuse good enough for their Head of House.
"I'm sorry, Professor," Lily murmured, inclining her head.
McGonagall stared down her nose at them, disappointment written on her face. "My office, now." She turned sharply on her heel, expectant that the four would follow.
Pomfrey was still tending to James when Lily glanced over her shoulder as they were led away. The healer had helped him into a fully-seated position as she ran tests.
He looked up as if he sensed her gaze, catching her eye. He smiled, nodded reassuringly.
Her heart still hammering in her chest, she turned back around to follow the others.