A/N: Sorry for the major delay, but soccer's been taking up more of my time
than I anticipated. I hope you all like this chapter~ it's extra long for
you all!
Child-of-Scorpio: Thanks for the sweet review! It's great to know someone's been reading this from the beginning! I hope this chapter is as satisfying as the last~
************************************************************************
One windy evening towards the end of February, a heavy snowfall had confined the Hogwarts' students into the castle for what seemed like an eternity. Imprisoned in their own common room, the Marauders and two of their girlfriends lounged about in a zombie-like state of boredom. Remus and Maren lay curled up in front of a roaring fire – so kindly prepared by the ever-helpful house elves – whispering back and forth to each other, Maren's copper-wire curls brushing against Remus' pale cheeks.
Sirius was sprawled out in a gilded arm-chair, possibly the unhappiest of the group, his eyes skimming "Quidditch through the Ages" while attempting to block out Peter's mindless chatter. His eyes lazily flickered from the book across the room to where a group of giggling sixth year girls was staring avidly at him, admiring his handsome form. Normally, this would have pleased him immensely, but he was currently missing his own girl – as Kelly was similarly confined to the Ravenclaw common room, hopefully ignoring the hungry glances of eager boys and dreaming of Sirius.
The aforementioned Peter – the only Marauder without a girlfriend – was sitting with his plump back against the elegantly curved feet of Sirius' chair, eagerly jabbering on with his take on the past day. It never registered to the often ignored boy that no one was paying him the least bit of attention.
Hair veiling her concentration, Lily bent over one of the room's many desks, quill scratching furiously at a chart of the heavens. Biting her lip as she surveyed the astronomical chart, suddenly breaking into a fit of unrestrained giggles as a wand prodded her side. "James!" She whispered furiously to the boy net to her who looked equally engrossed in his work.
Glancing up at the sound of his name, James turned two widely innocent almond eyes on Lily, "Yes, Lily?"
"Stop it!" she hissed, trying to keep an exuberant smile off her face.
"Stop what?" he blinked his yes at her, sending Lily into another fit of giggles as she turned her attention back to her homework, only to be disturbed by another prod in her side. "James!"
"What?"
Lily rolled her eyes, bending back over her work, her hair shielding her shifting green eyes from her relentless attacker. As James brought his wand to her side once more, Lily's hand shot out, wrenching the mahogany wand from his grasp. "James-" she warned.
"Lily?" he blinked, giving her his best pout.
"James,"
"Lily,"
"James!"
"Lily!"
"Ja-" she was cut off by James' mouth on hers, turning her exasperated yelp into a divine kiss.
Pulling away from the intoxicating kiss, Lily glared at James, "You know, you can't just do that every time you're in trouble."
"Aw," he teased, staring at her with saucer-wide puppy-dog eyes. "But it works so well!"
"Oh, shut it!" She smacked him playfully before returning back to her prolonged homework.
As the head boy and girl focused on finishing their homework, a tense silence filled the room, the same strange silence that filled the static air in the lull before a storm. The silence, however, was broken by a tearful prefect streaking in through the portrait.
"Lily, Lily!" she moaned, skidding to a halt before the table.
"Amanda? What's wrong?"
"I don't know!" the fifth year wailed between choked breaths. "I was walking back from the library and-and, two Sly-slytherins ju-jumped me!" Lily could see James' face contorting into a scowl in the corner of her eye, but she could not afford to deal with him now. She forced her attention back to the weepy Amanda. "Pr-professor McGonagall stopped them and took me to the hospital w-wing. D-dumbledore c-came in to see me and I heard him t-talking to McGonagall and he said," the girl's curly-brown hair bobbed up and down as she took a deep breath, calming her frazzled nerves. "He said that this wouldn't be the first of such attacks, that this was only the beginning, and then, then he came in and asked me to get you and the head boy; he wants to see you two right away!" A triumphant smile crawled across the girl's visage, taking place of the grief-stricken one that had been there only moments ago.
Lily exchanged worried glances with James, murmuring, "Thanks, Amanda." The fifth year nodded, and then scampered off to a circle of equally attractive girls, no doubt to tell them all about her past ordeal.
"Well, shall we go then?" Lily questioned, shakily pushing her astronomy homework aside.
James rose to his feet, taking the hand of his trembling girlfriend. "I guess we better."
************************************************************************
"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore nodded, dark circles under his electric blue eyes, causing Lily to wonder when the last time was that he had gotten a decent night's sleep. "I'm sorry if anything Miss Banks (A/N: Amanda) said alarmed you, for that was not my intention. I'm assuming by your expressions that she overheard more than Professor McGonagall and I intended her to?" After a confirming nod from James, Dumbledore sighed, his eyes trailing from the two pupils before him to the alert eyes of previous headmasters that lined his office walls. "As Head Boy and Girl I thought you should be the first to know that what happened to Miss Banks this evening is only the beginning of such attacks." He paused, as if to add dramatic effect, while James leaned forward impatiently in his chair, a perplexed look masking his pale visage.
"Professor, if I may ask-" he was cut off as Dumbledore raised his hand, beckoning silence.
"You were about to ask for me to be more clear, were you not?" Withered fingers massaged a wrinkled brow, "This may be hard for you to comprehend, as it is often hard to understand why you should fear something that seems to have no effect on your daily lives, but as two of the brightest students in this school, I simply ask you to try." When they nodded in consent, Dumbledore proceeded. "As you may have heard, the Dark Lord known as Lord Voldemort is quickly rising to power in the Wizarding World. He has several, shall we say, persuasive methods when it comes to recruiting followers. As you know, he appears to have an inexplicable hatred for muggles and muggle-borns." His piercing eyes steadily held Lily's gaze, impressed by her determined composure despite the trepidation evident in her eyes. "Several of our, less impressive, students feel that Voldemort's rise into power allows them to openly express their opinions on such matters. As you well know, Amanda Banks has two fairly important parents in the muggle world." He sighed, his posture sagging slightly as though a great weight had been lifted off him and only now was he noticing the loss of energy. "I hope, that under your influence and mine we can help to prevent these attacks, but until that day comes, I ask for you two to keep your eyes open more than usual and to report any insubordination immediately to me or Professor McGonagall, understood?"
Beginning to feel like the bobble-headed toys muggle children play with, Lily and James nodded once more, rising in their dismissal. Once out of the safety of the headmaster's office, Lily turned her luminescent eyes on James, face full to the brim with consternation.
Knowing that no words were necessary, James simply took her in his arms, folding her into a hug, kissing the crown of her silken head before pulling out of the embrace.
Interlacing her fingers in his, they set off down the darkened hall, proceeding to their dorms. They'd made it as far as the intricately woven tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy foolishly trying to train trolls for the ballet when a bout of raucous laughter broke out from around the corridor. "Slytherins," James hissed disgustedly. Then, casting a nervous glance at Lily, he began to pace back and forth before the polished wall, a look of deep concentration masking his fear.
"James?" Lily questioned, staring incredulously at the boy, "What the heck are you doing?"
"Shh!" he hushed her as a brass doorknob appeared on the polished wood frame. Yanking the door open, he shoved Lily inside, whispering, "Don't make a sound!"
"But, where, how-?" Lily mused in silent wonder as James shoved her inside, bringing the door to a muffled close just as the band of Slytherins rounded the corner.
"Oi! Potter!" A burly, greasy-haired 7th year with a malicious glint in his stone gray eyes bumped forcefully into the wiry head-boy. "Sorry 'bout that, I didn't see ya there!" His words slurred together and James thought he could detect the distinct smell of fire whiskey on the boy's breath.
"Hertz, Macnair, Avery," James stated coldly, nodding to each one in turn. "Don't you think it's a bit late to be wandering the halls?"
"Ah, but that's the beauty of it, ain't it?" Macnair laughed, clearly unaware of what he was saying. "You never know who you might catch unawares."
James shot a piercing glare as they broke into another round of laughter, exchanging perverted gestures. "You three might want to return to your dormitories, unless, that is, you would prefer if I alerted the headmaster to the fact that three of his upperclassmen were illegally drinking."
Laughter dying on their lips, the three Slytherins gaped at him, before shaking their heads in disbelief and sauntering down to the Slytherin common room.
Once he was certain they were secured in their dorms, James turned his attention to his neglected girlfriend. Lily was sitting cross-legged in the middle of what looked like a miniature library. Books lined mahogany shelves on every side of the deep, cerulean painted wall. A soft, royal blue afghan was draped elegantly over her small shoulders, contrasting beautifully with the silken red hair that lay across it.
"Lil?" James' sweet voice drifted to her ears.
Looking up from her latest endeavor into "The Blue Willow Plate", Lily's complacent smile contorted into a perplexed frown. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Potter."
************************************************************************
"It's called the Room of Requirement," James spoke less than an hour later as he and Lily patrolled the halls on McGonagall's orders (they had informed her of the drunken Slytherins) "Sirius and I found it quite by accident when we were trying to hide from Filch our first year." He didn't elaborate on the subject, "It's only there when you really need it, and when it is, it's filled with whatever you need at that moment. Like tonight, it was filled with books to keep you occupied while I dealt with the Slytherins."
"Why did you shove me in there in the first place?" She asked coldly. "It's not like I couldn't have handled them! I've taken on guys worse than them before."
"Lils," James heaved an exasperated sigh, stopped in his path, and turned her to face him, "I know you can, but did you listen to anything Dumbledore said? Amanda Banks was a muggle-born, as are you. I know Amanda, she has top-marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts and even she couldn't cope with their hatred of muggle-borns." He stared soulfully into her emerald eyes, "I don't want to see you hurt."
As touched as she was by this sentiment, Lily could not bite back the saucy retort, "Thanks, but I can handle myself."
Knowing that even he could not compete with her persistent determination, James capitulated, admitting his defeat. The couple strolled in tranquil silence until a hoarse voice froze them in their places, dripping with enough enmity to chill the blood in Lily's veins, sending involuntary shivers down her spine.
"Mudblood."
************************************************************************
A/N: Dun dun dun~ I know I promised James' revenge in this chapter . . . but it just wasn't flowing well enough, and I thought I'd leave you here in suspense *evil laughter* This is by far the longest chapter I've written so far, so enjoy it while it lasts! I've got soccer practices 'till 6 ever night, then our end of the quarter projects, and after that SPRING BREAK!!! So it may be awhile before the next chapter is up. Hopefully I'll get it up before the end of this week so as not to leave you all hanging!
See the pretty button in the corner? You just knoooooooooow you want to push it . . . right? The more reviews I get, the faster I post!
Child-of-Scorpio: Thanks for the sweet review! It's great to know someone's been reading this from the beginning! I hope this chapter is as satisfying as the last~
************************************************************************
One windy evening towards the end of February, a heavy snowfall had confined the Hogwarts' students into the castle for what seemed like an eternity. Imprisoned in their own common room, the Marauders and two of their girlfriends lounged about in a zombie-like state of boredom. Remus and Maren lay curled up in front of a roaring fire – so kindly prepared by the ever-helpful house elves – whispering back and forth to each other, Maren's copper-wire curls brushing against Remus' pale cheeks.
Sirius was sprawled out in a gilded arm-chair, possibly the unhappiest of the group, his eyes skimming "Quidditch through the Ages" while attempting to block out Peter's mindless chatter. His eyes lazily flickered from the book across the room to where a group of giggling sixth year girls was staring avidly at him, admiring his handsome form. Normally, this would have pleased him immensely, but he was currently missing his own girl – as Kelly was similarly confined to the Ravenclaw common room, hopefully ignoring the hungry glances of eager boys and dreaming of Sirius.
The aforementioned Peter – the only Marauder without a girlfriend – was sitting with his plump back against the elegantly curved feet of Sirius' chair, eagerly jabbering on with his take on the past day. It never registered to the often ignored boy that no one was paying him the least bit of attention.
Hair veiling her concentration, Lily bent over one of the room's many desks, quill scratching furiously at a chart of the heavens. Biting her lip as she surveyed the astronomical chart, suddenly breaking into a fit of unrestrained giggles as a wand prodded her side. "James!" She whispered furiously to the boy net to her who looked equally engrossed in his work.
Glancing up at the sound of his name, James turned two widely innocent almond eyes on Lily, "Yes, Lily?"
"Stop it!" she hissed, trying to keep an exuberant smile off her face.
"Stop what?" he blinked his yes at her, sending Lily into another fit of giggles as she turned her attention back to her homework, only to be disturbed by another prod in her side. "James!"
"What?"
Lily rolled her eyes, bending back over her work, her hair shielding her shifting green eyes from her relentless attacker. As James brought his wand to her side once more, Lily's hand shot out, wrenching the mahogany wand from his grasp. "James-" she warned.
"Lily?" he blinked, giving her his best pout.
"James,"
"Lily,"
"James!"
"Lily!"
"Ja-" she was cut off by James' mouth on hers, turning her exasperated yelp into a divine kiss.
Pulling away from the intoxicating kiss, Lily glared at James, "You know, you can't just do that every time you're in trouble."
"Aw," he teased, staring at her with saucer-wide puppy-dog eyes. "But it works so well!"
"Oh, shut it!" She smacked him playfully before returning back to her prolonged homework.
As the head boy and girl focused on finishing their homework, a tense silence filled the room, the same strange silence that filled the static air in the lull before a storm. The silence, however, was broken by a tearful prefect streaking in through the portrait.
"Lily, Lily!" she moaned, skidding to a halt before the table.
"Amanda? What's wrong?"
"I don't know!" the fifth year wailed between choked breaths. "I was walking back from the library and-and, two Sly-slytherins ju-jumped me!" Lily could see James' face contorting into a scowl in the corner of her eye, but she could not afford to deal with him now. She forced her attention back to the weepy Amanda. "Pr-professor McGonagall stopped them and took me to the hospital w-wing. D-dumbledore c-came in to see me and I heard him t-talking to McGonagall and he said," the girl's curly-brown hair bobbed up and down as she took a deep breath, calming her frazzled nerves. "He said that this wouldn't be the first of such attacks, that this was only the beginning, and then, then he came in and asked me to get you and the head boy; he wants to see you two right away!" A triumphant smile crawled across the girl's visage, taking place of the grief-stricken one that had been there only moments ago.
Lily exchanged worried glances with James, murmuring, "Thanks, Amanda." The fifth year nodded, and then scampered off to a circle of equally attractive girls, no doubt to tell them all about her past ordeal.
"Well, shall we go then?" Lily questioned, shakily pushing her astronomy homework aside.
James rose to his feet, taking the hand of his trembling girlfriend. "I guess we better."
************************************************************************
"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore nodded, dark circles under his electric blue eyes, causing Lily to wonder when the last time was that he had gotten a decent night's sleep. "I'm sorry if anything Miss Banks (A/N: Amanda) said alarmed you, for that was not my intention. I'm assuming by your expressions that she overheard more than Professor McGonagall and I intended her to?" After a confirming nod from James, Dumbledore sighed, his eyes trailing from the two pupils before him to the alert eyes of previous headmasters that lined his office walls. "As Head Boy and Girl I thought you should be the first to know that what happened to Miss Banks this evening is only the beginning of such attacks." He paused, as if to add dramatic effect, while James leaned forward impatiently in his chair, a perplexed look masking his pale visage.
"Professor, if I may ask-" he was cut off as Dumbledore raised his hand, beckoning silence.
"You were about to ask for me to be more clear, were you not?" Withered fingers massaged a wrinkled brow, "This may be hard for you to comprehend, as it is often hard to understand why you should fear something that seems to have no effect on your daily lives, but as two of the brightest students in this school, I simply ask you to try." When they nodded in consent, Dumbledore proceeded. "As you may have heard, the Dark Lord known as Lord Voldemort is quickly rising to power in the Wizarding World. He has several, shall we say, persuasive methods when it comes to recruiting followers. As you know, he appears to have an inexplicable hatred for muggles and muggle-borns." His piercing eyes steadily held Lily's gaze, impressed by her determined composure despite the trepidation evident in her eyes. "Several of our, less impressive, students feel that Voldemort's rise into power allows them to openly express their opinions on such matters. As you well know, Amanda Banks has two fairly important parents in the muggle world." He sighed, his posture sagging slightly as though a great weight had been lifted off him and only now was he noticing the loss of energy. "I hope, that under your influence and mine we can help to prevent these attacks, but until that day comes, I ask for you two to keep your eyes open more than usual and to report any insubordination immediately to me or Professor McGonagall, understood?"
Beginning to feel like the bobble-headed toys muggle children play with, Lily and James nodded once more, rising in their dismissal. Once out of the safety of the headmaster's office, Lily turned her luminescent eyes on James, face full to the brim with consternation.
Knowing that no words were necessary, James simply took her in his arms, folding her into a hug, kissing the crown of her silken head before pulling out of the embrace.
Interlacing her fingers in his, they set off down the darkened hall, proceeding to their dorms. They'd made it as far as the intricately woven tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy foolishly trying to train trolls for the ballet when a bout of raucous laughter broke out from around the corridor. "Slytherins," James hissed disgustedly. Then, casting a nervous glance at Lily, he began to pace back and forth before the polished wall, a look of deep concentration masking his fear.
"James?" Lily questioned, staring incredulously at the boy, "What the heck are you doing?"
"Shh!" he hushed her as a brass doorknob appeared on the polished wood frame. Yanking the door open, he shoved Lily inside, whispering, "Don't make a sound!"
"But, where, how-?" Lily mused in silent wonder as James shoved her inside, bringing the door to a muffled close just as the band of Slytherins rounded the corner.
"Oi! Potter!" A burly, greasy-haired 7th year with a malicious glint in his stone gray eyes bumped forcefully into the wiry head-boy. "Sorry 'bout that, I didn't see ya there!" His words slurred together and James thought he could detect the distinct smell of fire whiskey on the boy's breath.
"Hertz, Macnair, Avery," James stated coldly, nodding to each one in turn. "Don't you think it's a bit late to be wandering the halls?"
"Ah, but that's the beauty of it, ain't it?" Macnair laughed, clearly unaware of what he was saying. "You never know who you might catch unawares."
James shot a piercing glare as they broke into another round of laughter, exchanging perverted gestures. "You three might want to return to your dormitories, unless, that is, you would prefer if I alerted the headmaster to the fact that three of his upperclassmen were illegally drinking."
Laughter dying on their lips, the three Slytherins gaped at him, before shaking their heads in disbelief and sauntering down to the Slytherin common room.
Once he was certain they were secured in their dorms, James turned his attention to his neglected girlfriend. Lily was sitting cross-legged in the middle of what looked like a miniature library. Books lined mahogany shelves on every side of the deep, cerulean painted wall. A soft, royal blue afghan was draped elegantly over her small shoulders, contrasting beautifully with the silken red hair that lay across it.
"Lil?" James' sweet voice drifted to her ears.
Looking up from her latest endeavor into "The Blue Willow Plate", Lily's complacent smile contorted into a perplexed frown. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Potter."
************************************************************************
"It's called the Room of Requirement," James spoke less than an hour later as he and Lily patrolled the halls on McGonagall's orders (they had informed her of the drunken Slytherins) "Sirius and I found it quite by accident when we were trying to hide from Filch our first year." He didn't elaborate on the subject, "It's only there when you really need it, and when it is, it's filled with whatever you need at that moment. Like tonight, it was filled with books to keep you occupied while I dealt with the Slytherins."
"Why did you shove me in there in the first place?" She asked coldly. "It's not like I couldn't have handled them! I've taken on guys worse than them before."
"Lils," James heaved an exasperated sigh, stopped in his path, and turned her to face him, "I know you can, but did you listen to anything Dumbledore said? Amanda Banks was a muggle-born, as are you. I know Amanda, she has top-marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts and even she couldn't cope with their hatred of muggle-borns." He stared soulfully into her emerald eyes, "I don't want to see you hurt."
As touched as she was by this sentiment, Lily could not bite back the saucy retort, "Thanks, but I can handle myself."
Knowing that even he could not compete with her persistent determination, James capitulated, admitting his defeat. The couple strolled in tranquil silence until a hoarse voice froze them in their places, dripping with enough enmity to chill the blood in Lily's veins, sending involuntary shivers down her spine.
"Mudblood."
************************************************************************
A/N: Dun dun dun~ I know I promised James' revenge in this chapter . . . but it just wasn't flowing well enough, and I thought I'd leave you here in suspense *evil laughter* This is by far the longest chapter I've written so far, so enjoy it while it lasts! I've got soccer practices 'till 6 ever night, then our end of the quarter projects, and after that SPRING BREAK!!! So it may be awhile before the next chapter is up. Hopefully I'll get it up before the end of this week so as not to leave you all hanging!
See the pretty button in the corner? You just knoooooooooow you want to push it . . . right? The more reviews I get, the faster I post!