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The Wind Through My Hair
Lily's mouth was slightly ajar as she stared at the two boys before her. Weren't they animals just a few minutes before? Weren't they? Hadn't they been a stag and a dog? She blinked and rubbed her eyes, then looked up again to see if James and Sirius were still really there. James shook his head disbelievingly, but Sirius grabbed her arm aggressively and dragged her into the castle. James followed numbly, but the panic was starting to set into him. Sirius was angry and mad, and on top of it all, he was scared. Being a illegal animagus hadn't really bothered them before, but only because they had never gotten caught. And to get caught by the strictest prefect to ever walk the planet? Somehow, that made matters seem worse. Wow, their luck had run out quickly.
Sirius hadn't really bothered to keep the ruckus down, as he nearly stampeded down the halls, and into the common room. Surprisingly enough, the didn't get caught by Filch-- but they had already gotten caught for enough that night, hadn't they? Sirius almost threw Lily onto one of the couches near the fire, and glared at her as a fierce, male wolf would do. James was still shocked, nervous even. Lily Evans. The girl he...sort of liked...definitely had some dirt on them. Did she realize it? Lily was the first to break the odd silence.
"You...you guys...are animagi? You're animagi? I've checked...but I've checked the list! Only McGonagall's on there. You can't be one..." she rambled.
"You moron, we're obviously illegal. For someone so smart, you sure miss the obvious," Sirius snapped.
"Oh," she said, quite simply. She looked from face to face, wondering what came next. James looked incredulously at Sirius. She hadn't demanded anything. She hadn't even mentioned the slightest bit of blackmail. She hadn't put an offer on the table. Sirius looked just as appalled. She really was inexperienced at this, wasn't she? Every time a fellow classmate caught them, they always put a price on the table, and they gambled for a while. Everyone knew it, and everyone hoped to catch them-- they were both loaded, and had plenty to spare. But Lily didn't even say anything. Just...oh.
"What's the matter with you two? You look ridiculous with your mouths hanging open like that," Lily said.
"You mean...you don't want anything? Aren't you going to demand something?" Sirius asked stupidly. James smacked his forehead and elbowed Sirius very hard. Lily had definitely not been aware she was able to do that . Now, Lily hadn't been aware, but she was a smart girl. She would figure it out, now that Sirius had so openly suggested it.
"Demand something?" Lily looked from one carefully disguised expression to the other. Her eyebrow was raised as she thought it over. "You mean, like Blackmail?"
"Er..." Sirius said. He had never really been good with words anyhow. Lily smiled, almost evilly, as she clapped her hands together. James groaned. They were in for it now. There was no use trying to hide anything anymore- she knew, and they might as well play along, or things might get worse.
"So. What do you want?" James asked miserably. They could've easily gotten away scot-free. Stupid, stupid Sirius!
"Hm," she said, in fake contemplation. "I wonder...money? Clothes? Self-Humiliation on your behalf?" she stopped though, quite suddenly and dropped the act. Her eyes gained a glazed over affect, and she was now totally serious. The idea was brilliant. She didn't know where it came from, but it was brilliant. Perfect thing to change her image. Perfect to get a taste of just how rule-breaking really felt.
"Well?" Sirius asked, irritably. She was really dragging things on, with her whole "amazed with her own idea" expression. There was a momentary pause as Lily considered her words.
All the considering went to waste, as she blurted out in excitement, "I want to be a Marauder."
James and Sirius, once again exchanged glances. Lily? A Marauder? That would certainly raise eyebrows. She was definitely not Marauder material. She was probably not going to agree to many of the things they would do, and just get in the way. James was on the verge of saying "No way, are you crazy, ho?!" but Lily cut in first.
"That's my only offer. Either that, or you can say hello to Azkaban," she said. Both of the boy's eyes widened. She wouldn't honestly put them in Azkaban, would she?
"Well...er...I mean...we've just got to discuss this with Remus and Peter first, alright?" Sirius said, delicately.
"No. Either you say yes now, or tomorrow, I'm going to the Professors," she said, that annoying superior glint coming back to her eyes. Really, Lily should never be put in a position of power...
"Ugh...." James moaned, and threw his head into his hands, practically pulling his hair out. This girl was simply impossible. "Fine," he said, almost inaudibly.
"I'm sorry, what?" Lily asked in a sing-song voice.
"FINE!" James bellowed.
"Let's shake on it shall we? Make things more formal?" Lily suggested. They all knew that it would bind the contract magically. Handshakes meant more with magic, and Lily knew quite well they wouldn't be able to back out on their word if they shook hands. "Or...should I write up a contract?" Contracts were like hell. James was very suspicious and did not want Lily putting any kind of hex on the contact when he signed it.
"Er, no. A handshake will be fine," he muttered. "But...you've got to agree to not tell ANYONE about what you've seen and what his deal is all about," he said. And so, they all shook hands.
*********************
Lily tiptoed up into her dormitory, and opened the door slowly. She walked in, and was about to change her clothes when she felt two pairs of eyes glaring angrily from their beds.
"Er..." she said, and turned around, only to find what she had expected. Two very furious friends by the name of Diana and Sarah. They both would've screamed at Lily for leaving them waiting in the narrow hallway for her to come back, but both Alice and Rachel were sound asleep. They settled for, instead, screaming in low whispers. It was hard to distinguish what they were saying, since they were not only "screaming" in whispers, but at the same time too. Lily apologized profusely, and then proceded quickly to what had actually happened. She finished the story and Diana and Sarah looked shocked. Diana, being a very clever, and observant witch, pointed out one little problem.
"Er...weren't you...not supposed tell anyone about what actually happened?" Lily's eyes widened considerably, and she sweared.
"Damnit! Now...oh no...I've never made a deal like this. What'll happen when they find out? They should know by now, as you can always tell, but I mean, what about the deal?" Lily was now very confused again. She had just made a perfectly good deal, where everything have been very advantageous for her. But what happened when a snag like this happened?
"Well...I suppose you'll have to ask them about that tomorrow," Sarah suggested. "But I'm horribly tired, and we've got about...3 hours to sleep before it's time to get up and get ready for classes. If you don't mind..." Sarah didn't continue talking, and flopped down on her bed. She probably fell sleep before she hit the pillow.
*********************
Lily hardly slept, and got up groggily the next morning. She got up earlier than usual, which was strange, since she got less than three hours of sleep, and got dressed quickly, not even bothering to shower like she routinely did. Lily was eager to reformulate the deal, and be in the Great Hall, before the boys got there. To her surprise, as she walked in to the huge Great Hall, all four Marauders were already there and waiting for her. Sirius looked angry, Remus looked grim, James looked thoughtful, and Peter was...well, eating.
Lily wlaked up to them, and said, "Well, I suppose you know I told them already?"
"Yeah. Could tell last night, Woke me up, it did. I thought we had a deal?" Sirius said.
"Yeah...I totally forgot! But, my friends, I swear, they won't tell anything," she said.
"That's great then. Everything's settled. You're friends won't tell, and the deal's off since you broke our magical unwritten contract," James said.
"Whoa! Wait a sec! The deal is definitely NOT off!" she said.
"Oh, yes it is! You broke the contract! It's off!" James said, just as ferociously.
"Ugh! FINE! I'm going to tell Professor Dumbledore, right now!" said Lily.
James eyes looked like they might pop out of his head at that moment, but Remus cut in. "Look, how about we...er, compromise? Like, since Lily broke the contract, she can still try being a Marauder, but only for...a month? Instead of like...forever?"
As much as Lily didn't want only a month as Marauder, it'd have to do. She had, after all, broken the contract they had made, only minutes after they had shaken on it. James too, still felt strongly that they shouldn't help her at all. But, the fact remained: she had a lot of dirt on them, and what she had done really hadn't been that serious. She had only told her two best friends, and, unless the Minister of Magic and Professor Dumbledore were her best friends, it wasn't that much of a problem.
And so, this time, all five of them shook hands on it. Thus, the fifth Marauder sat down with them, and ate her breakfast.
A/N: Good, bad, terrible? I dunno, I think there was a lot o back and forth in this chapter. Didn't know quite were to direct it. Review, perhaps?
