So Lily spent her days in classes and her nights split between Quidditch practice and her private lessons with Professor Cauldro. Lily was worn down and ready for what she thought was a well-deserved break when Christmas came. She also planned to read more of her books because of something Professor Cauldro had told her at the end of one of their lessons.
Lily had asked why, when she had been feeling so weak in the beginning of the year after her first use of her powers, had she only started to regain strength when she read her books.
Professor Cauldro had answered, "Well, you have a love of reading. It calms you when you are upset or keeps you occupied when you are bored. Books play a large part of who and what you are and are a way to keep your energy from being released dramatically after a use of your powers. Reading puts your mind, body, and soul at peace. Thus, when you started reading your books again, you regained most if not all the energy you had lost from the burst of your powers."
So Lily had asked James to borrow Myrddin and sent both he and Emrys home to have her mother send all her other books to read over the winter holiday.
The only people staying over the holiday in second year were Lily, Remus, Rini, Sirius, and Teresa. Everyone else decided to go home and spend Christmas with his or her family. Lily had asked James to go home so Remus and her could have some personal time without Remus worrying about James being an issue.
There were a few more people staying over the holiday than last year. A few students from the other years were also staying. The seventh years were staying so they could spend as much of their last year at the school.
Lily's books arrived almost two days after Lily had sent the owls out. Lily grabbed James present, tied it to Myrddin's legs, and sent him off to James. Then she gabbed her family's presents and tried the bundle to Emrys's legs, and sent her off again as well.
Whenever Lily wasn't reading she was hanging out with Remus, Rini, and Sirius. They would go out and have a snowball fight in the fresh snow or go visit Hagrid.
The day before Christmas, Lily and Rini decided to spend the day building a snow fort. They got as many of the remaining students to join them as they could. Everyone except the Slytherins wanted to. Rini was surprised at how many seventh years wanted to build the fort till Lily reminded her that it was their last year to build a spectacular snow fort on Hogwarts's grounds.
They went onto the grounds and, using their wands, moved a lot of the snow into one area. Then, using their wands, hands, and any other digging tool they found, they started to build. They made the tunnels large enough for the largest student there to go through.
Lily secretly started on a tunnel away from the others. After she had a tunnel large enough for her to fit through she went and got Remus. She had him try to crawl through the tunnel. He had minor difficulties so Lily made the tunnel a bit larger. When Remus was able to get through the tunnel easily Lily sent him away and continued to work on her digging. She made the tunnel fairly long. At the end of it she began to dig a cavern. When Lily was done, she had a cavern about five feet in diameter. She left her cavern and used a spell she had found to hide it from everyone save herself.
Lily told the others she'd be back and had Remus show her to the kitchens. She asked the house elves for a container of hot chocolate, two cups, a small, warm loaf of bread, and some warmed ham. The house elves eagerly put the food and drink into a basket for easy carrying. Then she and Remus left and went back to the grounds. Lily told Remus to go back to what he had been doing and then went to her cavern.
Lily removed the spell in case Remus tried to look for her. After making some last minute re-packing of the snow, she looked at her watch. It read eleven fifty-eight. She left the cavern again and got Remus to come back the tunnel. After Remus was in the tunnel, Lily started crawling in. She turned around and then said the hiding spell again. Remus was impressed with the work Lily had done in the two hours she had been missing from the rest of the group.
Lily pulled out a piece of cloth from her robe's pocket and laid it flat on the ground. The she pulled out the container of cocoa, the cups, the bread, and the ham. Though Lily hadn't asked them to, the house elves had cut both the bread and the ham. They ate their lunch there in happiness talking about this and that.
After they had eaten, Lily put the remains of the bread and ham in their coverings and put them back in the basket. She put the piece of cloth in the basket as well. Remus laid back and pulled Lily down beside him. "You're amazing, you know that," he said.
Lily blushed. "I take it you liked my hidden cavern and our private lunch."
"Liked it? I loved it!" Remus paused for a moment. "Did you just say it's a hidden cavern?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Remus leaned over and kissed Lily. "Oh, no reason," he said and kissed her again.
In the tunnel that connected to Lily's private tunnel, Lukas Mio was checking the tunnels for cave-ins. He caught the smell of ham and cocoa. He couldn't see any tunnel openings so he felt for them. On his left the wall suddenly disappeared. He looked carefully at the wall. It looked to be solid. Feeling for both sides of the hidden tunnel.
Thinking it to be wise to be quiet, he sneaked into the tunnel. It was rather smaller than the others were. Crawling as quietly as he could, he crawled to the end of the tunnel. What he saw was a fairly good-sized cavern with a basket and two people in it. The two people were kissing. He looked closer at the couple. They were kneeling with the boy's arms around her waist and one of the girl's hands was holding onto the back of his head. Suddenly, he recognized the girl. "Miss Lily Evans!" he shouted.
Lily and Remus broke apart and turned towards the entrance of their cavern. "Luke!" Lily cried in anger when she saw her Quidditch captain. "How did you find my tunnel? And what are you doing here!" she demanded.
"Yes, Lily. I found your tunnel by following the smell of your lunch. And I could asked the same of you!"
"I made this tunnel and cavern for Remus and me and then I used a spell to hide it. It's obvious what we are doing in here, but that doesn't answer to what you are doing here."
"I was checking the tunnels for cave-ins and I smelled your lunch. Then I felt the opening to your tunnel and went through it. That brings us to here."
"So what do you want?"
Luke sat back and looked around Lily's cavern. "Did you dig this all by yourself?" Lily nodded. "Well, you disappeared around ten, so I gander it took about two hours to do." Lily nodded again. "Impressive."
"That's what I said," Remus put in. "Hi, I'm Remus Lupin. I'm guessing you're Lucas Mio."
"Yeah. Call me Luke. Lily, would you mind if I brought Angela here? It's so romantic the way it was dug out for a private lunch and make out." With yet another nod from a blushing Lily, Luke left to get Angela.
Remus sat down Indian-style and Lily sat in his lap with her head on Remus's shoulder. "So that was your team captain. Nice guy."
"Mm hmm," Lily mumbled. Lily started softly singing a song about a dreamland. Not only was Lily's mind painting a beautiful picture, so was Remus's. When Luke came back with Angela a few minutes later, Angela kept her eyes closed while Lily finished her song. As she did finish, she realized they had come and welcomed them.
Angela stared at the cavern just and Remus and Luke had. "Incredible," she murmured.
"So I've been told," Lily said with a laugh.
Luke sat across from Remus and Lily and Angela crawled into his lap into the same position Lily was in. They started talking about Quidditch and problems with their relationships. They only left their comfortable little cavern when dinner came. The two couples sat together at dinner as well.
The rest of the holiday those who had built the fort spent it in there. They added more caverns with the fresh snow that fell and repaired old caverns. Lily and Remus's cavern remained hidden from everyone besides Luke and Angela. Lily even caught them once the way Luke had Remus and her.
Lily was a bit sad the last day of the winter holiday came. It meant that the fort would probably be taken down and left to melt. The bright spot in the day was that James would be returning.
Thinking of James she started toying with his gift. He had sent her another necklace. The pendant on it was a crescent moon with stars all around it. Lily thought it was one of the most beautiful gifts she had received.
To Lily's surprise that night at dinner Dumbledore said that the fort those who had stayed over during the holiday had worked so hard to create would not be taken down! It would be left up so people could still enter it during the weekends. Lily planned on taking James on a tour.
The months went by. James kept enough distance from Lily for Remus to trust him again as Lily and Remus got closer.
They would sit on a chair in the Common Room doing homework together, doing word-finds and fill-ins that Lily had, or just cuddling.
They were working on one of Lily's word fill-ins in March when Rini came stomping into the Common Room. She marched straight up to her dorm without looking at anyone. Lily looked at Remus. "I think I should go and find out what's wrong." Remus nodded.
Lily walked up the stairs to her dorm. Opening the door, she saw Rini shooting various hexes and curses at photos. "Serena?" Lily said cautiously.
"What?" Rini turned and snapped.
"Rini, what happened? Did you and Damien have a fight?"
"That...that...that jerk just decided he doesn't want to go out with me anymore! Instead, he wants to go out with that bimbo from Ravenclaw!"
"Who from Ravenclaw?" Lily asked curiously.
"Rachel Rone!" Rini said with a growl.
Lily looked at Rini with surprise. "Are you serious! Damien broke up with you to go with her?"
Rini nodded and looked at Lily with tears in her eyes. "What did I do to make him not like me anymore, Lily. I did everything I could to be a good girlfriend. What did I do wrong?"
Lily walked over to Rini and gave her a hug. Rini started sobbing into Lily's shoulder. "It's okay," Lily soothed. "You did everything right, Rini. Never blame yourself for what he chose. He chose Rachel. That's the kind of girl he thinks he wants. When he comes crawling back to you, that's when you let him feel his mistake. You don't take him back."
Rini laughed at Lily's last remarks. "I wouldn't take the idiot back to save the world. He's made his bed. Now he can lie in it. I just wish I knew what she has that I don't."
"Probably a big chest and the know how to use it." Rini started laughing harder.
"She is a year older than us," Rini pointed out. "You want to help me destroy the last of his pictures?"
"I'd love to." With that, Lily and Rini destroyed the last of the pictures, careful to make sure only Damien was erased from them.
When Lily came back downstairs, Remus looked at her expectantly. "It's alright, Remus," Lily said. "She and Damien broke up, though." Remus looked at her surprised. Lily nodded. "He felt like going out with that loser of a witch from Ravenclaw, Rachel Rone."
Remus tried to figure out who Rachel Rone was. "Wait. Is she that third year Ravenclaw floozy with the bleach-blonde hair and lips too big for her face?"
Lily laughed at his description of her and nodded. "That would be her!" she cried through her laughter. When Lily calmed down she exclaimed, "Rini should hear your description of Rone!" Before Remus could stop her, Lily ran to the steps and yelled, "Rini! Hey, Rini! Get your arse down here!"
Rini ran down the step. "What's up, Lils?"
Lily started giggling as she said, "You should here Remus's description of Rone!" Rini intently set her eyes on Remus.
He sighed and said, "She's that third year Ravenclaw floozy with bleach-blonde hair and lips too big for her face."
Rini burst out laughing as Remus finished. She ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I needed that!"
James came into the Common Room just then, hearing Rini saying 'I needed that!' Curious, he asked, "What did you need, Rini?" So Lily, Rini, and Remus told him what had happened. He chuckled at Remus's description of Rone, but was otherwise angry with Damien by the end of the story.
"So you know where he is? No!" James seemed to have changed his mind. "I'll go find him myself and show him what happens when you mess with one of my friends." The idea that he might have changed his mind was gone. Before anyone could stop him, he was out the Common Room door.
"Uh-oh. I think he's mad," Lily said stating the obvious.
Rini turned to Lily. "Lily, I've known him as long as I can remember. I'm like a sister to him. Do you know how protective of me he is? Either he's going to kill Damien or he's going to pull a series of ferocious pranks on him."
After James had left the Common Room he reached into his pocket to make sure that he had his wand. Sure stormed around the castle looking for Damien. He had been storming around the school looking for Damien for nearly thirty minutes when he found him. He was talking to a girl who, by Remus's description, could only be Rachel Rone.
Hiding behind a corner, James watched then for a few seconds before deciding what to do. Finally, he took out his wand and aimed it at Rone's lips. "Engorgio!" he muttered. James watched amused as Rone's Lips began to get even bigger. She shrieked and, along with Damien, started to run to the Hospital wing.
Partially satisfied, James went back to the Common Room. When he reached the room, Rini ran up to him and asked, "What in Merlin's name did you do?"
James laughed. "Relax. I merely made Rone's lips truly become to big for her face."
Rini gave James a big hug and a kiss on his cheek. "Oh, thank you, James! You're the best non-brother and girl could have!"
"Uh, your welcome?" James said unsure.
"She means you're like a brother to her and you're the best one she could have, James," Lily said with a giggle.
"I knew that!"
"Sure you did, James. I forgot. You're the genius of our little group."
Rini let go of James as he smiled a stupid little smile and nodded. Lily just shook her head and sat down beside Remus.
"What are we going to do with him?" she asked as Remus put his arm around her.
"Unfortunately, I don't know," he said going along with it.
They all laughed and James just playfully hit Remus on the shoulder.
Rini came to terms with Damien going out with Rone. The boys on the other hand refused to talk to him. Damien accepted the fact that they were loyal to Rini and left them alone. His sisters, Sara and Jordyn, were a little sympathetic and talked to him once in a while, but they told him he deserved what he was getting. Damien would nod and say he understood.
It was April, a month after Rini and Damien's break up. Remus had begun to get uneasy with James again because Lily and James would always hang out, plan pranks, and do homework together more than they usually did. Though they all did their homework together, Remus seemed to think that Lily helped James out more than she should. Plus, she seemed to look at him quite a bit.
At first Remus tried to ignore it. Then it seemed to him that they were always together. Towards the end of April, he had had enough. He decided to confront Lily.
Lily went to the Common Room during lunch. Remus waited a few minutes and then excused himself from the table as well. When he got to the Common Room, he saw Lily sitting in front of the fire. She was singing. Remus recognized it as the song Lily and James had danced to at the Halloween dance so many months ago.
Lily was thinking about the Halloween dance and the night James had told her he could read her thoughts. She smiled at the fire as she started singing the song they had danced to.
"All my bags are packed; I'm ready to go. I'm standing outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking; it's early morn. The taxi's waitin'; he's blowing his horn. Already I'm so lonesome I could cry.
So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go.
There's so many times I've let you down. So many times I've played around. I'll tell you now they don't mean a thing.
Every place I go I'll think of you. Every song I sing I'll sing for you. When I come back I'll bring your wedding ring.
So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go.
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go."
Lily sighed as she finished singing the song. 'What are you doing to yourself!' her head screamed. 'Either buck up and stay with Remus or break up with him and tell James you love him!'
Remus looked at Lily as she finished her song. "Lily," he called calmly and softly.
Though he had said it calmly, Lily jumped and whipped around. "Remus!" she said in surprise. "I didn't know you were there. How long have you been there?"
"Long enough," he answered. Remus walked over to where Lily was sitting and sat beside her. Looking at his hands and then at her he asked, "Lily, do you...do you still love me?"
"Of course I do, Remus!" she answered without thinking. She raised a hand placed it gently on his cheek. "You believe me, don't you?"
Remus turned towards the low fire before answering. "I don't know," he whispered. Standing up and looking back at Lily he said, "I love you, Lily. I truly do. But lately, I'm not sure if you love me or James more!"
His statement shocked Lily. She stood up quickly and put her hand on his arm. "How can you say such a thing?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Lily felt the sting of unbidden tears come into her eyes. "Of course I love you more than James. If I loved James more I'd be going out with him!"
Remus saw the unshed tears in Lily's eyes and wanted to hold her and apologize, but he couldn't. "Is that so, Lily? Can you remember how any of the songs we danced to at either last year or this year's dances go? The song you were singing was the one you danced to with James, not me, Lily. James! How do you explain all the looking at each other, huh? To make matters more suspicious, you've kissed him! You have kissed him, Lily! What am I supposed to think about you two?" he demanded.
The tears were now spilling over Lily's cheeks. She was hurt but furious as she yelled back at Remus. "So I can't remember any of the songs we danced to! Witches and wizards wrote them. The song James and I danced to was written by muggles! That's why I can remember it so well! The reason I look at him is to tell him things! He can read my thoughts, Remus! When we look into each other's eyes he can read my thoughts! And so I've kissed him! I don't regret ever kissing him, Remus! Though now I am starting to wonder if saying yes to dating you was the right thing! You are so suspicious of James and me. Can't you accept the fact that even if I did love James more, I wouldn't sneak behind your back? I love you both, just in different ways!"
Suddenly, James's voice floated into Remus's head from the dance. 'Don't worry, Moony. You're her King Arthur and she's your Queen Guinevere. I'm just her champion, Lancelot.' "That's why he called me your King Arthur and you my Guinevere. You told him that's what you think of us. I'm you're Arthur and he's your Lancelot. You feel as if you have a duty to me!"
"And what if I did refer to James, you, and me as Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot? That's how I feel, Remus!" Lily yelled. "What do you want me to say? That I love James? Well, fine! I love James! Is that what you wanted to hear, Remus! I love James and he loves me! Are you satisfied now?"
Lily sank to the floor crying. Remus, who hated himself more and more, moved to put his hand on Lily's shoulder. Lily raised her hand, as if to push him away. Her hand tapped Remus's stomach and he flew backwards.
Suddenly, Lily felt weak. She brought her hand in front of her face and saw a partially squared-off spiral in the center of her palm. "Oh no!" she gasped. Lily stood up and looked around. She saw Remus lying twenty feet away from where she was standing and ran to him. Lily knelt and pulled the unconscious Remus to her. "Oh, God, what have I done?" Lily whispered, rocking back and forth while holding Remus. "What have I done!"
Lily set Remus back on the ground and kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry, Remus. I never meant to hurt you. Physically or emotionally." Then she ran up to the second year boys' dorm. She found James's trunk and opened it. Searching through it Lily found his invisibility cloak. She threw it over herself and ran out of the Common Room.
