"Four weeks detention!" Lily croaked, once they left the office of their Head of House. "I've never – I can't believe –"
Sirius slung an arm over her shoulder. "It won't be that bad," he promised. "Four weeks will fly by like that." He snapped his fingers with a smile.
She scoffed. "Black, while I'm sure four weeks is nothing when someone like you already spends over a third of the term in detention, I care."
He let out a bark of laughter. "You're not wrong."
"It probably won't be that bad, Lily," said Remus from her other side. "McGonagall normally just sets us up in the trophy room or in the potions room to do some cleaning."
Lily, of course, had had detention before. It wasn't that she was upset at the prospects of the detention itself – it was that it was four weeks worth. The detention McGonagall had given them last time had only been a week. This could do damage to her profile.
Peter cleared his throat, speaking for the first time since McGonagall had taken them to her office. "Do you think the girls made it back okay?"
"I'm sure," Lily said practically. "Otherwise McGonagall would've been called for them, too." She sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "How did I know that bringing you four into the Game would cause loads of trouble and headache?
"Oh, you knew," Sirius said glibly. "You just decided it was worth the risk."
Lily grumbled, throwing his arm off from her shoulder before they entered the common room. "I'll see you gits in the morning.
"Want to visit James in the morning?" Remus asked. "I bet he'll still be in the infirmary."
She considered the offer. "Sure," she agreed. "Before breakfast?"
"We'll bring him breakfast," Sirius corrected, heading towards the stairs up to the boys' dormitory.
"See you in the morning," said Peter, trailing behind the other two boys at a slower pace.
Lily felt a little bad for him; she was sure that he felt guilty at having hurt one of his best friends.
As suspected, the other four girls were in the 6th Year dorm, all awake and waiting for Lily. They were already in their bedclothes and Lily winced, recalling just how long McGonagall had been telling them off
"What happened?" Emmeline jumped up first, catching sight of Lily first.
Lily shushed her and closed the door softly behind herself. "McGonagall," she winced. The girls in the room all made sounds of sympathy. "James took a rather nasty spill – Peter had to grab Pomfrey – and I think McGonagall intercepted him."
"Bad luck," groaned Marlene. "What's the damage?"
"James is still in the infirmary, I think – and four weeks of detention."
Dorcas released a low whistle. "That'll put you up to Christmas break. Did McGonagall figure out why you were out?"
Lily shook her head, pulling off her dusty and grimy clothes to slip on her pajamas. She'd shower in the morning, she decided. "I don't think so. But I know she was suspicious about why the five of us were all out."
"Five?" Emmeline repeated incredulously.
The redhead nodded with a frown. "Sirius, Peter, Remus, James, and myself."
Alice laughed. "Are you becoming one of them? Should we be worried?"
"As if," Lily scoffed, ripping down the bed sheets rather viciously. "And if I do, please, someone slap me."
"Watch out what you say," Marlene said in a sing-song voice.
Lily turned to glare at her, giving her a disdainful look. "Watch yourself." She fell into the bed with a groan. "Four weeks!"
"Just be on your best behavior," said Emmeline. "I'm sure she'll trim off some time if you are truly remorseful."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, tucking herself in. "I hope so."
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The three 6th Year boys were waiting for Lily in the Common Room the next morning. She greeted them with a yawn and an exhausted smile.
"James is still in the infirmary," Remus informed her, just as tired. "Probably had to go through a bottle of Skele-Gro if his leg was broken."
Lily winced for him.
"Did we ever find out who won?" Sirius asked aloud as they walked silently towards the kitchens.
She chuckled. "Actually, I'm not sure. The spell wore off before I thought to check."
Sirius hummed in disappointment, crossing his arms across his chest. "I had a pool started with Mckinnon."
"And you thought your guys' team would win," Lily guessed.
He shrugged noncommittally. "Actually, I thought you, James, and Remus would win."
"No, I don't think we won. No crazy stunts from me this time."
Sirius released a sigh. "I'm very disappointed."
Lily and Peter kept watch outside of the kitchen's entrance while Remus and Sirius collected food for all five of them. Lily had noticed Peter still hadn't spoken since they left the common room. She asked if he was alright.
"I'm sorry," he answered instead with a grimace, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
"For what?" she asked, surprised.
"For McGonagall, and the detentions. I hate that you got the same as the rest of us."
She shrugged, touched at his sincere words. "I don't think there was a way around it. Besides – I'm glad you got Pomfrey; I wasn't sure if we were even going to be able to revive James."
He shuddered then. "I just feel… horrible. I can't believe I almost killed James…"
"Peter," said Lily consolingly. "I am pretty sure much, much worse things have happened during the Game. It's a miracle like something like this hasn't happened before."
"Still…"
"I wouldn't overthink it," she added, giving him a small smile. "I'm sure James is going to bask in the glory of another tall-tale. Being fawned over by Pomfrey."
Peter laughed reluctantly. "I'm just glad he's okay."
"Me, too," Lily responded, rather surprised by how much she meant it.
Soon enough, Sirius and Remus stumbled through the portrait. And before long, they were at the doors of the infirmary.
Sirius opened the doors loudly, the sound of wood knocking against stone echoing in the tall room. "Good morning!" he called out.
A girl, a second year Hufflepuff Lily recognized, jumped from her place in one of the beds. She looked rather pale and sickly, even a little green, she thought.
"Sorry," Sirius said, not sounding very sorry. He had already caught sight of his friend lounging in one of the beds further down the row. "Prongs!"
"Padfoot," greeted James wryly.
"We bring food and friends," Sirius announced, motioning to the rest of them – and particularly Remus, who had been stuck with carrying the armful of food.
Once they had all settled into seats around James, they all dug into the breakfast food happily.
"So what did you end up with?" Remus asked around a mouthful of porridge.
James groaned, as if he just remembered. "Broken tibia, a couple of cracked ribs from the fall – but it should be healed up by next practice."
Remus turned to look at Lily then. "And when did you learn how to do CPR?"
Lily turned pink. "I was a lifeguard – two summers ago. Had to use it once on a seven year-old."
She shivered at the memory. The little girl had lived, but it was a rather traumatic experience for the both of them. Lily was sure the girl had never swam again.
"CPR?" James asked curiously.
"Mouth to mouth resuscitation," Remus explained.
James's eyes jumped to hers.
"Now, normally I would take this brilliant opportunity to take the mickey out of the both of you," Sirius cut in smoothly. "But I'm just happy that Prongs is alive and breathing – so, I'll let this one slide."
Lily rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the warmth she felt in her cheeks. "Thanks so much, Black," she said dryly.
James was still staring at her.
She did her best to ignore it. "Doesn't make the prospect of four weeks detention any easier."
"Such a downer," said Sirius, taking a large bite of pastry.
Lily glared at him, pulling a chunk off of her own pastry and stuffing it into her mouth.
"Well, you aren't looking too bad," Remus said. "I'm sure you'll be back to classes in no time."
"And you'll probably get to start detention with the rest of us tomorrow," Peter added with a smirk.
James groaned. "Agrippa's sake," he complained. "You guys are awful at trying to cheer me up."
"I'm sure McGonagall will be in soon to give you a good telling-off," said Lily with a smirk.
James shook his head with a forlorn look. "Why do you think I'm already up? She was here thirty minutes ago. At least you four had the company of each other – she only had me."
Sirius laughed. "Sorry, Prongsie. Serves you right – falling off the stairs? Not a smart move."
"I don't know if McGonagall was more mad at the fact I was out after curfew – or that I was out after curfew and got hurt. We've got the Slytherin game coming up next."
Lily laughed appreciatively along with the rest of them.
While McGonagall was a very stern and strict woman, Lily knew the woman held a (rather large) soft spot for the sport. Marlene had told her once that McGonagall had even played for the Gryffindor team while she attended Hogwarts herself.
They were all pretty sure McGonagall had a more competitive side than the group of her friends combined.
Their laughter was cut short – Pomfrey was emerging from her office at the back of the infirmary. Lily watched as the three visiting boys sobered up, painting solemn and worried looks on their faces. James relaxed into the bed, appearing casually aloof.
Lily would've scoffed aloud if she didn't mind being kicked out.
"I thought I heard voices," the healer said with a stern look. "Mr. Potter, you know you're not allowed visitors yet."
James, for his role, played it very well. "They were just here to cheer me up, Poppy. Wanted to make sure I was healing nicely."
"Of course, you're healing nicely," she replied. "You had your last taste of Skele-Gro this morning."
"Ah, see!" James grinned at her. "Sounds like I should be good to go soon, then?"
Madam Pomfrey looked annoyed at the spot he put her in. "I definitely need to keep an eye on you a little longer. Your lungs nearly gave out, you know."
"I am feeling back to normal – think I can join everyone by lunch?"
"Dinner will be the soonest," Pomfrey replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. She turned a sharp eye onto his visitors. "And you all should know better. I'll give you five more minutes. Mr. Potter needs to rest."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said Remus sincerely. The others shared the sentiment.
The healer huffed but reluctantly smiled, shaking her head as she turned and headed back towards her office.
"Who ended up winning?" James asked as soon as the older woman was out of hearing range.
Lily huffed a laugh, rolled her eyes. "We don't know – I'll have to ask one of the girls. I forgot to check."
He looked put-out. "I remember being in second place. No one else got any points?"
Lily and Remus both shrugged. Sirius and Peter weren't sure either.
"What happens when this stuff happens?" James asked curiously. "Do you ever declare a draw?" His lips turned down in an angry frown. "Or did we have to forfeit?"
Lily shrugged again. "We're usually able to finish the game, even if one of us is injured."
Remus glanced at her. "Haven't I heard that you're the one always getting hurt?"
"I haven't ever had to give up on a game," she said with a smile.
"Are you calling me weak?" asked James with narrowed eyes.
"I didn't say that," she replied with an innocent smile. "But to be fair, I don't think I've ever fallen so hard that I had to be resuscitated."
"I was fine after that," James said. "It was the broken leg that would've slowed me down."
Lily laughed, shaking her head at his stubborn pride.
"We should probably head out," Peter reminded them. "Before we get kicked out."
Sirius smiled proudly. "Wouldn't be the first time."
Remus scoffed, grabbing him by the arm to make him stand. "How about we avoid that today? James, we'll see you later."
"Bye, lads," he said with a somewhat sad look. "Bye, Evans."
"Good luck with healing," she said, giving him a quick wave and a smile.
"Thanks," he murmured and she could feel his eyes on her even after she left the infirmary.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
As Peter had guessed, James was well enough to join them for detention the following night after dinner.
And just as Remus had consoled her about McGonagall's idea of detentions, the professor set them up in the Room of Rewards to dusk, clean, and wipe away any speck of grim that had settled into the room.
"Spotless, by the time I get back," the Head of their House ordered, before turning sharply on her heel and leaving them alone (unwise, really, Lily thought).
Surprisingly, the boys set to work, picking up the clothes McGonagall had provided and began wiping down any visible surface. She grabbed the least dirty rag from the leftover pile and made her way towards the case in front of the windows.
Halfway through, her eyes started watering.
"You'll get used to it," Sirius said wryly, polishing a nondescript bronze statue.
Lily sneezed – again – dabbing her nose against her sleeve. "God, I hope not."
"Merlin, Evans," James laughed when she sneezed a third time. "I didn't think your allergies were this bad."
"I never have to worry about them, because I'm not normally in detention surrounded by dust," she sniped in a light manner.
"Touche."
Lily looked over where he was sitting cross legged on the floor, working on a set of portrait frames that had been lined along a low shelf. He wasn't looking at her, but he was smirking.
She wondered if he was recalling their previous conversation – where she'd teased him about his French.
The five worked in diligent silence, the time passing rather quickly, if Lily were honest with herself, listening to occasional comments Sirius and James would throw between each other.
McGonagall relieved them at half past nine.
Tired, dirty, they trudged back to the common room.
McGonagall had assigned the next detention in the Potions classroom, with Slughorn watching over them. Being one of Slughorn's favorites ended up working in her favor.
She had been tasked with the duty of cleaning and organizing the Potions Storage Room – something she had already volunteered to do in the past.
The four boys, of course, had been assigned the task of cleaning extra cauldrons, wand-free.
It wasn't that Lily wasn't grateful for her easy task, but it was a task that ended up being very boring and dusty (again). The non-magic feather duster she had been presented with did little to actually collect dust; instead, it just caused the dust to float about in the air and clung to her clothing and hair.
She sneezed.
"Bless you," she could hear Remus call back from the classroom.
"Thanks," she replied bitterly, setting down the duster with disdain. She might as well have been using her cloak on the dirty shelves. She poked her head out of the closet to peer into the classroom, curious about their progress.
The boys were sent to the four corners of the classroom, at least a dozen potion cauldrons scattered on the tables between them. Slughorn was missing from the room.
"Went back to his office." Sirius jutted his chin towards the front, indicating the closed door.
"Pompion potion," James groaned, turning his head away from the cauldron. "I hate the smell of pumpkin."
He had already tossed his school sweater aside and rolled the sleeves of his white button up to his elbows, scrubbing the cauldron with effort.
Lily smiled, about to comment that she, too, hated all things pumpkin, but was cut off by Peter.
"At least you don't have to scrub the copper cauldrons," he said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. A dark green smear appeared across the skin there and she winced. "They're bloody impossible to clean!"
"If you add a little gillyweed water, it actually helps break it up," she informed him. "It actually works better than soap – let me grab some for you."
She walked back into the closet and found the item in question, handing it to Peter once she returned to the classroom.
"Thanks," he said gratefully. He tipped the bottle over.
"Oh, just a little though," she said quickly before he poured out too much.
"Oi, how come you're not helping the rest of us out?" Sirius complained. He dropped the wooden brush he had been using onto the table, before moving to sit on the table beside it.
"Because there's a difference between working hard and hardly working," she teased. "Haven't you ever heard that?"
He gave her a look of mock-outrage. "Are you accusing me of not doing my work?"
James snorted from his corner. "I think we can all see you're not doing very much work."
He gestured to the two clean cauldrons Sirius had finished, compared to the others who had reached at least their fourth.
"He's right," Lily added.
"Maybe I'd get more done if I had help," he groused, pulling his next cauldron closer and picking up the brush.
"Where's the fairness in that?"
"Listen here, you –" Sirius was cut off as the cauldron in front of him exploded spectacularly, liquid matter splattering.
Well, not the cauldron itself, she realized after a terrifying moment – but the leftover contents on the inside. He had been forced back off the table, landing in a heap on the floor, covered in grey green goo.
Lily sniffed the air and grimaced. "Oh, ew, horned slugs."
Sirius was groaning on the floor still, using his own discarded jumper to wipe the goo off.
"Bad luck, mate," said James empathetically, having come up to stand beside Lily. They both shared an amused look.
"Shove off, Prongs," Sirius snapped in annoyance, having only succeeded in ruining his jumper.
"Mr. Black!" Slughorn gasped, opening the door from his office. "What's happened?" He rushed forward and Lily got the impression he might have been sipping his nightly glass of wine when the sound had interrupted him.
"The bloody potion exploded," Sirius said, gesturing to the goo all over his face and front.
"Now, Mr. Black – a little Boil Potion never hurt anyone. Nothing that can't be fixed!" Slughorn raised his wand and the gunk disappeared without a trace.
Sirius checked himself over, even running his hands over his hair. When nothing came away, he stood up smoothly. "Thank you, Professor," he muttered, his mood still sour.
Slughorn turned to survey the rest of the room; only about half of the potion cauldrons had been cleaned, but it appeared to suffice. "Alright, Gryffindors. Looks like you've done enough work for tonight. And there's still plenty left for another day or so."
She knew it was because Slughorn was ready for bed himself.
"Miss Evans, be sure to lock up the storage closet – and the rest of you can return back to your tower."
By the time Lily did as told, James was the only one left standing in the room, hands tucked neatly into his pockets and his usual easy smile on his face.
"I told them they can head on up – I wanted to wait for you."
Lily let out a breath; feeling a bit nervous, but also rather appreciative. She wasn't looking forward to walking down in the dungeons by herself. "Thanks," she said. It wasn't past curfew yet, she knew, but it was close.
They had only walked a little while before James spoke up.
"I just wanted to say thanks, you know. For the other night. Saving my life and all that."
Though Lily was walking side-by-side with him, she could feel his gaze on her.
She kept her eyes ahead and shrugged playfully. "It was nothing, really. It was just CPR. What was I going to do – let you die?" Her voice slightly cracked on the last word and she winced, hoping he hadn't noticed.
"Yeah," he said bluntly, slowing to a stop. "You literally brought me back to life – Pomfrey said."
Lily stopped as well, reluctantly turning to face him, feeling embarrassed. He was staring at her rather intensely.
"Really James, I had to."
"I know," he said quietly, his expression nearly unreadable.
She cleared her throat, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. It felt grimy, still covered in dust from the storage closet. "Besides, Remus helped, too.".
James blanched then, processing her words. "He – what?"
Lily laughed at his expression, quickly catching onto his train of thought. "Oh, Merlin," she giggled, holding her stomach. "Not the mouth-to-mouth part, just, with the chest compressions."
She wiped away a stray tear of mirth.
He chuckled. "I mean, I love Moony, but personal space and all that."
"Right," Lily said, still giggling. "God, your face."
He glared at her lightly, almost in a threatening manner, but seemed like he couldn't hold a serious face.
Once she settled down, her thoughts lingered on his last statement a bit more closely. "Moony," she hummed in thought. "I told him I get where the nickname comes from."
"Ingenious, isn't it?" he asked with a wry smile, but Lily could tell by his sudden tenseness he was wary of the conversation topic.
"What about the others?" she asked curiously.
He raised a shoulder in indifference. "We should probably keep moving. Wouldn't want McGonagall to catch us out after curfew. Again, that is."
She followed his lead, taking note of his quicker pace. "Prongs, right?"
"Hm?" he asked indifferently.
"Sirius calls you that," Lily supplied. "Where's it come from?"
"It's a nickname."
Lily gave him a dry look, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I gathered that."
He didn't answer, but continued walking, staring in interest at the portraits as they passed them.
"James?" she prompted.
"Yes?" he asked politely, hands deep in his pockets. He didn't turn to look at her.
"Prongs?" she repeated. "And Padfoot?"
"Nicknames," he insisted easily. "Really not that much to it."
Lily waved a hand. "Does Peter have one? Did I hear you say, 'Wormtail' earlier?"
"He does. It's Wormtail," James acknowledged carefully. "What, don't you and your friends have nicknames?"
"No," she responded honestly.
James looked over at her with a guarded look. "Why are you so curious?"
She shrugged. "Just am."
"Maybe I'll tell you one day."
James didn't seem like he would budge on the subject, and so wisely, Lily let it slide. For now. He held the portrait open for her as they entered the Gryffindor Common Room.
James left her side to join his friends as she caught sight of hers in their normal spot.
"I'm free," she exhaled tiredly, falling into a seat beside them. It was only Marlene, Emmeline and Dorcas occupying the table. Lily assumed Alice was with Frank.
Marlene smirked. "Brilliant. Now help me with this essay?"
Lily groaned. "I thought I was free," she grinned. "Now you're asking me to do more grunt work?"
Marlene glared, but it soon crumpled, her eyes pleading as she stared at Lily.
"Alright, alright," Lily said, laughing quietly as she pulled the other girl's parchment closer to proofread. It was Charms. Easy, enough.
She was nearly halfway through the essay when Marlene nudged her.
"Look," she whispered, gesturing towards the portrait entrance.
Lily looked. It was Rochester, accompanied by Burke, and another Ravenclaw wizard that Lily didn't quite recognize.
"Are you going to say hi?" Marlene asked quietly, so that only Lily could hear.
"Eh," Lily replied, returning to stare down at the essay. "I just haven't had much of a chance to talk to him other than in passing."
She really had other things on her mind, but she chose not to share this.
Marlene was still staring at her closely. "Do you like him?" she whispered.
Lily looked up in surprise at the interest in her friend's curious tone. Inexplicably, her eyes strayed towards the corner of the common room, catching sight of a messy mop of dark hair. She looked away before James looked up.
"I'm not sure," Lily replied honestly, glancing back over towards the entrance. Her eyes flicked over his tall frame, his blonde hair. "He's nice," she shrugged.
Marlene leaned closer. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but just be sure you don't string him along –"
Lily scoffed, unintentionally stung. String him along! They hardly spoke again since their last study session.
"I said don't take it the wrong way," Marlene said hastily. "It's just that –" her voice dropped impossibly lower, "Emmeline actually quite fancies him."
Lily's eyes snapped to their mutual friend, who sat at the opposite chair in their corner, her nose buried in a book. "She does?"
The redhead suddenly felt terrible – had she been stringing the 7th Year wizard along? Sure, she tagged alone when Dorcas invited her, as filler, she thought, but had the bloke expected more from her?
Marlene read her thoughts easily. "I don't think it's that he's stuck waiting on you, but I think Em doesn't want to make a move because of you."
"Oh, Merlin," Lily whispered guiltily. "I should probably say something to him, shouldn't I?"
Her blonde friend shrugged. "That's up to you. But I'd say you'd probably need a note of finality to it, for Emmeline's sake."
Marlene was right, Lily acknowledged, thoughts straying as she imagined Em and Danny studying together… dating. It would be cute, she thought with a smile. They would be a good couple.
She'd talk to Danny, Lily decided. Sooner rather than later.
Lily waited around, slowly working on Marlene's paper while keeping an eye on area the 7th Year boys had migrated to, to make sure they hadn't left yet.
She knew that Emmeline would head upstairs soon, providing her the chance to speak with Danny in a way that wouldn't look compromising.
And like a habit, Emmeline was soon collecting her things into her bag with a yawn. "I'm heading to the dorm. Dor, you coming?"
The girl in question raised her head tiredly, somewhat dazedly. "What? Oh, yes, I am so ready for bed."
"Good luck on your essay, Mar," Emmeline said. "Lily, don't change it too much."
Lily laughed while Marlene made a sound of annoyance. When the two girls were out the doors and out of sight, Lily shoved the essay back towards Marlene.
"Wha– you're not even done with it!" Marlene whined.
"Check your facts," Lily muttered, standing from the table. "I circled the ones you got wrong."
She ambled casually over towards the table the boys had settled at, where just Danny and Burke had sat now, Blanchett having seemingly retired for the night.
"Hey, Danny?"
He looked up at her voice, smiled. "If you're here to ask a Transfiguration question, I'm sorry. It's too late and my brain is scrambled."
She laughed. "No, actually. I was hoping to have a chat?"
Burke laughed, clapping Rochester on the shoulder. "I'm heading up. Good luck."
Lily felt her cheeks warm at this tone, feeling sheepish.
They both watched as Burke stood up, made his way around the couch and left them alone in front of the hearth. She tried not to look at the group of boys in the corner.
"So, this doesn't sound good," Rochester said with a wry grin.
She chuckled, taking Burke's abandoned spot to sit beside him. "I'm not sure how I want to say this –"
"We're not going to work out?" he guessed.
She let out an awkward laugh. "We really haven't had much of a chance to hang out," she said apologetically. "And you're really very kind."
"It's okay," Rochester assured with a soft shrug. "I had a feeling it wouldn't really work out, you know?"
Lily nodded with a shy smile. "Not that you aren't fit –" he laughed, " – I just, you know, had a feeling it wouldn't work out," she teased.
He chuckled, scratching at his cheek. "I guess I can say this isn't the worst breakup I've had."
"Breakup?" she said wryly. "Were we even together?"
"Fair," he laughed. "Guess you have to be dating to break up."
She laughed as well. "Kind of a requirement, I think."
"So I'll see you around?" he said amicably.
"Yeah – Oh, wait," she murmured, reaching out to place a hand on his arm before he could leave. "Actually, I wanted to ask. You know Emmeline?"
"Vance?" he clarified.
Lily was pleased to see recognition dawning in his eyes quickly.
"That's her," she smiled. "I know this is really forward, but I was hoping that maybe you'd like to ask her out."
Rochester gave her a wary look, but didn't seem entirely opposed to the idea. "Why?" he finally asked.
"Because you're fit," she teased. "And I think you'd make a great couple. Did you know she's amazing at Runes?"
He threw his head back and laughed. "Merlin, is she? I guess I could see if she's free for lunch."
"Brilliant," Lily grinned. "Thanks, Danny."
"Of course," he replied with a light smile. "Thanks for, you know, turning me down easy."
She shook her head and they both stood. "You're welcome."
"Well, that looked like it went well," Marlene commented upon her return.
"Really well," Lily said pleased, settling back into her chair. "He's going to ask Emmeline to lunch."
"You told him?"
"Not that she fancied him," she said hastily. "Just that he should ask her out. She's great at Runes."
Marlene scoffed, rolled her eyes.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Their next detention was two days later, back in the dungeons. While James and Lily had been set to resume their previous tasks, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were sent to the adjoining classroom, where the 3rd Years had spent their day's lesson working on Lung Clearing Potions – a potion that, if not properly mixed could easily become a stomach clearing potion.
"Good luck, Pads," James had muttered under his breath.
The other wizard flipped him back in return over Slughorn's shoulder as the four of them left the room.
They got to work, James continuing to clean the cauldron's piled at the back, Lily set on cleaning the potions cupboard.
"Are you alright?" she asked curiously.
He looked up where he was in the process of rolling up his sleeves. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you've seemed quiet the past few days. With me."
"Just a lot on my mind," James murmured, picking out the cleaning brush with the best bristles.
"Right," she replied quietly, feeling a bit putout.
It wasn't that James had been directly ignoring her, but he hadn't been… exactly warm in the conversations they'd had together. She wouldn't say it out loud, but it sort of stung.
She pushed it to the back of her mind, kneeling on the ground to work her way through the bottom shelf of jars and bottles.
By the time she finished, her eyes felt heavy. Curiously, she stepped out of the cupboard, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Oh, God. How did it get so late?" she gasped.
James glanced up from his latest cauldron; having washed a dozen, it seemed. "Damn. Wasn't Slughorn supposed to come back?"
"McGonagall will give another set of detention if she catches us out after curfew," she worried, dusting off her hands and then turning to lock the potions cupboard behind her. "Do you think we should check with Slughorn?"
"Nah, we'll be okay," he assured, stuffing a piece of parchment into her trouser's pocket as he stood up. "You go first, I'll be right behind you."
"Are you sure?" she asked, a bit dubious.
He nodded. "Go. If Slughorn comes in, I'll explain that you finished. He won't be mad."
She did as he ordered.
But the guilt got the better of her, worried that he might get caught on his way back to the tower. She waited on the couch near the hearth, a bit anxious.
When James finally entered, he looked a bit surprised she had waited.
"Any trouble?" she asked quietly, though there was no one else in the common room.
"None," he assured, tucking his hands deep into the pockets. "McGonagall was still in her office, pacing back and forth restlessly."
"How would you know that?" she asked curiously.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It's what she does."
"What, are you stalking her or something?"
He laughed. "Right, because stalking our Head of House is normal."
"It's not," she said. "Which is why it's a bit funny you know where she is."
He shrugged again, unbothered.
"You know something," surmised Lily, stepping back to gaze at him. "Or you're hiding something."
James scoffed light-heartedly. "When am I not hiding something?"
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, crossing her arms. She glared at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, crossing his arms in a similar manner. "It's not like I murdered someone."
Lily gasped excitedly. "See! There is something you're hiding."
James raised a hand to brush his hair back from his face, exasperated.
Lily spied the piece of parchment paper he had been carrying around with him, almost every time she saw him. The corner peeked out, covered in ink and scrawling text. It looked as if it were – moving, she thought wildly.
Propriety out the window, Lily reached forward and plucked the paper from his pocket. It came away with some resistance, much larger than she originally thought.
"Hey!" he said, rather angrily, reaching to grab it back.
She moved away from him, holding the parchment out and away from him so that it unfolded, revealing something she wasn't able to recognize immediately. She turned it.
"A map," she whispered in awe, unfolding it wider.
From his position behind her, James neatly snatched it out of her hand, mechanically folding the parchment back up.
"Wait! What is it?" asked Lily, pulling at his arm to prevent him from completing his task of hiding the parchment. She tried not to notice how warm his skin was under her hand.
"Nothing," James replied in a clipped tone.
Lily worried for a moment that she had offended him, but brushed off the thought, too curious to be truly concerned. "Was it Hogwarts?"
"Nope."
"It was," Lily disagreed, still trying to reach for the paper.
"Come on, get off," he said in annoyance, using a hand on her shoulder to lightly push her away.
With surprise, Lily noted that he finally relented, handing over the paper with sloped shoulders. Unregretful, she accepted the parchment, folding it back open as she sat down on the couch.
She leaned forward towards the dying flame in the hearth to read it over. Lily felt him sit beside her.
There were names. They were moving – in the rooms all across the castle – indicated by small footprints that inked themselves upon the paper.
"This is…" Incredible, she wanted to say. Mesmerizing. A bit creepy.
It was Magic.
She looked up, finding James staring at her intently.
Her eyes fell back down, tracing the way through the castle, starting at the Entrance Hall… around the Grand Staircases. Over the classrooms and empty broom closets (mostly empty, she noted dryly). Here were the floorplans of the castle she had spent the majority of the last six years, spread out neatly in front of her.
"So you would have found out about us eventually. About the Game," she said wryly, pointing at where they sat in the Common room(so close their names were nearly on top of each other).
He scoffed. "I would've found out anyways."
"You hadn't for four years," she pointed out.
"Sometimes it takes me a while to figure things out."
The way he had said it made her glance up at him curiously, but he wasn't looking at her. His brow was furrowed though and his lips pursed, as if he were unhappy about something. She let her eyes drop back onto the parchment.
"The Room of Requirements isn't on here," Lily noted with surprise. She pointed to the spot where it should be.
James shrugged. "We actually couldn't get it to stay. I think it might be unplottable."
"That would make sense," she murmured, running her fingers over the map, feeling where the ink print left an impression. "This is ingenious."
James shrugged again, a bit bashful. "Honestly, we really couldn't have done it without you."
"Me?" Lily asked with wide eyes, looking back up at him. "I wouldn't have thought to do this."
"The book you found for me, remember?"
"'Charms: Passwords, Secrets, and You'?"
"That's it," he said with a grin. "It was a lot more helpful than you knew."
She turned her gaze back onto the map in her lap, unable to hold his gaze any longer. She turned it over, re-reading the front's text.
"'Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs…'" she read aloud. "So this is how you knew not to be worried about McGonagall."
He nodded his head with a smirk, reaching over to unfold one of the pages wider. He pointed.
There in her office, the name Minerva McGonagall floated, as if she were pacing back and forth.
"She does that a lot," said James, his mouth close to her ear. "We're pretty sure it's because she can't stand grading papers anymore. Or they're driving her mad."
Lily thought of the Transfiguration paper that Marlene had been pouring over earlier that day, frustrated and hopeless. She giggled. "Driving her mad, no doubt."
Her eyes scanned till she found her name again, nearly on top of James's. "I can't believe you all created this," she murmured. "The castle, the people in…"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as another thought popped into her head. "Have you guys been cheating at the Game? Using this?"
James was quick to shake his head and assure her. "No, we didn't." He winced involuntarily then, having thought of something. "Well, Sirius had dibs on it – but only once," he added quickly when she frowned further.
"That's why he kept finding me in that one game. He was such a tosser that night. But… that's not right," she said, feeling slightly betrayed.
"We know," James said immediately. "Which is why we never used it again. It wasn't fair, I know."
She gave him a searching look, finding it easy to believe him. He was sincere.
"Except that night when… you were attacked," he admitted. "We weren't using it, but it's not safe to leave hanging around in the dorm. When the warning went off for your spell, I had to check…"
"And you saw me in the dungeons, with Avery, Mulciber, and Snape," she surmised. If they hadn't had the map, then…
"That's why I was out that second night, you know," he continued, dropping his gaze down onto the parchment. "Tracing the map to make sure it was right."
She thought back. "The second time we saw each other in the corridor? During the Game?"
He smirked. "It was more like you barrelling into me. I'm pretty sure you cracked a rib."
"Oi," she complained, elbowing him. "Was that how you knew I was there?"
"No," he said mildly. "We hadn't even gotten the charm work done on it yet. We wanted to be sure we hadn't missed any hidden passageways before we spelled it."
The sound of footsteps came from the dormitory stairs. With deft fingers, James plucked the map from her lap and pressed his wand to the parchment, murmuring, "Mischief managed."
"Cute," Lily couldn't help tease, finding the phrase oddly appropriate.
James gave her a warning glare as he folded the parchment and moved to tuck it into his pant pocket. They waited to see who was coming down the stairs.
It was Peter. They both relaxed. "You coming up, James?"
"Yeah, I'll be up in a bit."
They waited until Remus turned and resumed the walk back up.
"Thank you for showing it to me," she said sincerely.
"You really didn't give me a choice," he replied dryly. "Nearly ripped it from my hand."
Lily had the sense to look apologetic – but only a little.
"And, in all actuality," James continued sensibly. "You did help in its creation. Or well, at least the charm to conceal it."
She groaned then. "Oh, no. Does this mean I helped you Marauders wreak havoc in these halls?"
"With or without you, we'd never stop causing trouble," he said with his smile.
"That's the truth," she agreed, suddenly realizing how close they were sitting, aware of how his leg was warmly pressed up against hers.
She quickly feigned a yawn and moved to stand, feeling her cheeks warm. "I should get to bed," she murmured, unable to meet his gaze again.
"Night," he said softly to her back as she escaped from the common room towards the stairs.
Outside of the door to her dorm, Lily leaned with her back against the wall, willing the heat in her cheeks to go away. She groaned, pressing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets.
When had he become so nice? He was a troublemaker – he got in trouble all the time. Didn't he? She caught him being a bully to numerous students this year, hadn't she? He would pick on the Slytherins and there would be pranks on them, all the time. Hadn't he?
Lily was suddenly stumped, thinking back to the past few months. She thought of the times she had caught him performing magic in the corridors; but it had been to help a younger year fix a book, charm a stitch back together…
She was not getting feelings for James Potter. They were friends. They hung out together (if that, really). Platonically friends. No feelings. None whatsoever.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
It was at the end of the week that McGonagall was already confirming which students were leaving or staying for the holiday break. She approached the group of 6th year Gryffindor girls on a cold morning in the Great Hall, the ceiling magicked to make it look like it were snowing.
"Staying," Marlene provided with a grimace. At Lily's curious look, she elaborated, "Mum and dad are taking another trip, I think they're visiting Great Aunt Phyllis in Ireland." She shuddered. "I opted not to go."
"That's too bad," Lily replied honestly.
Marlene shrugged. "I think it's to actually take Marc with them – he surprisingly got time off. Despite how busy, you know, things have been."
She nodded solemnly; turning to look up as McGonagall came back around her side.
"Home," Lily provided, a bit bleak, not looking forward to the trip. With the wedding of her sister looming, her stomach felt more tumultuous than ever before.
Alice, Dorcas, and Emmeline all answered the same.
Danny, who sat between Emmeline and Lily herself, also advised their Head of House that he was going home.
This was a bright spot in the last week, Lily thought, glancing at his form beside her. It was very obvious to her and her close friends that Emmeline and Danny clicked much better than he and Lily ever could. He often joined them for lunch or dinner, and even accompanied them on more than one study session during a mutual free period.
"Where's Remus?" Lily heard Dorcas ask the three boys who'd just traipsed into the Great Hall and sat, pulling her from her thoughts. "I was hoping to ask for his help on a Divination paper."
Lily glanced around curiously, noting that Remus, was in fact, absent from the table. She checked the time – breakfast was almost over.
"Sick," Sirius answered in a short tone, pouring himself another glass of orange juice. He looked rough.
Lily's eyes moved onto James's form further down the table, taking in his exhausted demeanor as he leaned over the table dangerously, resting his head in his hands. Dark circles were obvious beneath his glasses.
Poor Peter had appeared to give up completely, his forehead pressed into the cool wood of the table as a small snore escaped.
Sick, Sirius had said, and Lily was struck hard with realization. Had it already been a month ago that she had found out Remus's secret?
Even more curious, why were the three boys exhausted beyond proper communication?
She did not press, thinking it wise that to be ignorant was best.
"Want to come home with me?" she asked Marlene instead as they finished off their breakfast. "I would sure appreciate the company."
"Nah, that's okay," Marlene said reassuringly, mistakenly taking Lily's offer as pity. "It'll give me time to practice flying."
Lily's gaze dropped, a bit sad. "Won't you be lonely?" she asked her friend. "I can always stay."
"As much as I would like to be your excuse to not attend your sister's wedding, I would also not like to be the excuse for you not to travel home."
"Mar," she complained, but was distracted by a touch on her shoulder. She turned to find Rochester and just behind him, Emmeline.
"We're heading towards the library. Do you guys want to join?"
Lily did need to return a book. "Sure," she had started to reply, but received a swift kick to the ankle.
Marlene was giving her a pointed look from the corner of her eye.
"I mean, no, that's okay," she corrected hastily, with a bit of pain in her voice. "I'll catch up with you all later."
Rochester gave her a bit of an odd look and shrugged, holding a hand out for Emmeline to accept as she made to stand. Lily smiled secretly at the gesture, watching as they left. With a subconscious thought, she noted the Marauders had already left as well.
"You didn't have to kick me," she hissed at Marlene, bending low to rub at the sore appendage. "Could've just made an excuse."
Marlene flipped her blonde plait over a raised shoulder, smiling innocently. "I think they should spend some time alone."
"You didn't have to kick me," she repeated again.
Marlene's response was very maturely sticking her tongue out. "Potter, Black," she snapped, jolting the two awake. "We've got to get to Creatures. Get a move on."
They grumbled, but did as Marlene ordered.
"You," she said with a pointed finger at Lily, as the other two stumbled into a standing position. "Don't think about joining Rochester and Em."
She rolled her eyes, "It's the library. I can go if I want."
James had been watching her, a bit drowsily, brow furrowed.
"Good luck in class," Lily offered, trying to decipher the look in his gaze.
Sirius murmured a tired response, waving her off. James inclined his head, but didn't respond verbally.