After the whole 'James shouting in the Hall' incident, Lily's invitations
stopped almost immediately. The months passed, along with the Christmas
ball. Though Lily was humiliated by James, she knew he was just being
protective of her so she didn't get angry with him. She ended up going to
the Christmas ball looking stunning and, nevertheless, got asked by many
boys to dance. All of which she, or shall I say the future marauders,
declined.
With the whole ball out of the way, everything pretty much went back to normal. Everything except for Remus, that is. Lily had noticed him acting strange every now and then. He would leave school once a month saying he had a 'sick mother' and had to visit her. Every time he said this, she would get more and more suspicious, but would never say anything. But something kept nagging her in the back of her mind. She obviously knew he was lying to them and she couldn't help but wonder, 'Where does Remus go every month?'
Then, one day while she was in the library, she found her answer. She was just writing an essay Professor Grain assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily was leafing through her textbook, when she came across a lunar chart. She stared at the paper for a moment, almost in a trance. 'There's something about this page..... there's a connection here... somewhere...' her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized something. 'Oh my gosh' she thought to herself. She sat at the table for a couple of minutes, not moving. 'Poor Remus.'
~*~*~*~*~
Later that night, Lily waited until James, Sirius and Peter went to bed. Remus was working on his Potions homework and she was reading one of her favorite muggle fantasy novels, 'Peter Pan'. As soon as she was certain it was just she and Remus left in the common room, she put her book down.
"Remi, can I talk to you?" she asked, not getting up from her spot on the couch. He made a 'mh-hmm' noise, meaning 'yeah', but he didn't look up from his homework. She just sighed and rolled her eyes, 'Great, he won't even pay attention.' She then took a deep breath, 'I had better just say it quickly.'
"I know what you are, Remus." He looked up, in shock. 'She doesn't mean.. She 'couldn't' mean..' He thought in shock. He decided to feign confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked, brows furrowed, trying to fool her. He got up and stretched, trying to look like he was tired and was ready to go to bed so he could get out of there. She just rolled her eyes in amusement and chuckled a little.
"Remi, please. Give me a little credit. I mean, I know I haven't known you for a long time or anything, but still I know you a little more than 'that'. Don't even try to play dumb with me." She told him, "I know you're a werewolf." He paled at that, swaying a little but not sitting back down. He averted his eyes to the floor, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in them.
"I guess you know my secret then. I'm sorry I lied to you." He said sadly, then he looked straight into Lily's eyes "well I guess that's the last time I'll be talking to you."
Lily looked confused, "Why do you say that?"
Remus looked at her like she was crazy, "You don't want to be my friend anymore. I understand that.."
Lily jumped up out of her seat and ran over to him, almost knocking him to the floor when she engulfed him in a gigantic hug that took him completely by surprise. "Remus, I would never do that to you." She said quietly, but sternly. When she let go of him, he looked shocked.
"W-why would you still want to be friends with me. I'm nothing but a beast." He asked, eyes wide.
She shook her head. "No you're not. You're, well, you're just... Remus." She said nonchalantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Though the words were simple, they meant the world to Remus at that moment. He looked at her hopefully.
"Really? You're-you're not, ya know, upset or scared?"
"Think of it this way, Remus." She reasoned, "You transform, what, once a month? And at that time, it's not really you anyway. And if it is, it's not as though you can help it." She shrugged, "It's not your fault. You didn't ask for this, did you?"
He shook his head slowly. She snapped her fingers and shrugged again, rationalizing. "See? You didn't ask to be a werewolf; it's not your fault." He still didn't look convinced, so she went on, "Remus, I'm going to tell you what my mom told me when my sister everytime my sister made fun of me for being a witch. She said, 'Most people see what is, and never see what can be.' If people find out, so what if they avoid you. They're the ones missing out." Remus looked up at her.
"Thank you, Lily." He said, his words sounded so sincere, as though he couldn't believe this was actually happening. Your mother sounds smart. She must be pretty special. Did she come up with that saying?" He asked, noticing the spark Lily got in her eye when she spoke of her mother. Lily smiled when she heard that.
"No, she heard it from a really smart guy. His name was Albert Einstein." He looked confused so she said, "A famous muggle genious. But yeah, she really is special to me. She's a lovely woman. So full of life. Just like my dad. They're great. I love my parents." She stood up and starting to walk to the staircase, then she turned around and looked at him again, "Are you planning to tell James and Sirius and Peter?"
He looked terrified at the thought. "'One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.' She says that a lot also." Lily said, noticing the scared look. After she said that, she smiled at him, turned, and walked up the steps, leaving Remus standing in the middle of the common room to think about what she had said.
The next day, Remus told the other three.
~*~*~*~
Much to Remus' surprise and delight, the other three didn't care about him being a werewolf at all. In fact, James even said the same thing Lily said last night when Remus stated he was a beast.
"You're not a 'beast'! You're just.. Remus." Then he shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal.
That was when Remus decided he had the greatest friends in the world.
~*~*~*~
After Remus told everyone his problem, the group of five was closer than ever. They supported him as much as they could. Sirius and James even came up with an idea at breakfast at breakfast one morning about two months after the secret spilling.
Remus was engrossed in a book that was propped up on a jug of pumpkin juice. On her right, James was in a deep conversation with Sirius over something the rest couldn't hear. Lily was trying to help Peter catch up on his Charms homework. That was when Sirius cleared his throat and the others looked up at him expectantly.
"Remus. James and I have come up with a plan that would help make your transformations a little better." Sirius said, seriously. (No pun intended)
They all stared at him, waiting for him to continue. When it was apparent Sirius wasn't going to explain his idea, Peter raised his eyebrow and said slowly, "And....?"
"Oh yeah, and we both think that we should become animagi." Sirius finished, nonchalantly.
"What?" Remus almost shouted. Peter looked terrified at the thought and Lily looked as though she was in deep thought. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!" Remus continued.
"N-not to mention illegal." Peter managed to stutter out, his eyes widened in fear.
"Sirius you've come up with some pretty stupid ideas before, I'll admit. I mean that thing with the rubber duckie and Mrs. Lewis down the street..that was bad enough. But James, I'd think you would have been the voice of reason-," Remus rambled on
"I- I think it's a good idea." Lily said quietly, but no one heard her because James and Sirius started to argue, not paying attention to her. Only Peter heard her and he looked at her like she was crazy.
"It's stupid. It's life-threatening. It's-," Remus said loudly. Thank goodness the Great Hall was almost empty since it was early Saturday morning.
"It's a good idea. It will help you out. It's bloody brilliant." James said just as loudly. Lily opened her mouth to speak again.
"I think it's a good idea." She said, a little louder. They still weren't listening. But this time, Sirius heard.
"Guys! Shut up." Sirius shouted. They both stopped talking immediately. Then Sirius turned back to Lily, "What were you saying Lily?"
"I said I think it's a good idea." Lily said, a little more confidence in her voice. James looked satisfied and looked over at Remus, smugly, who looked astonished that Lily didn't have more sense than that.
"Lily? Are you alright? Do you have a fever?" Remus said, thinking that could be the only logical explanation to Lily's statement.
Lily sighed and answered, "No Remi. I feel fine. But hear me out, ok?" Remus looked as though he might have objected, but then thought against it. Lily was usually more sensible than him, so she must have a good explanation. "If it will help your transformations, then I think we should do it." He opened his mouth to object.
"Remus, either way we're going to do it. You know how James and Sirius are when they set their minds on something. But," she said all this quickly before Remus could object, "it would be easier to make the potion and actually accomplish this if you're behind us on this 100%."
The other three boys looked at him, expectantly. Peter was shaking his head slightly and James and Sirius were looking apprehensive. Finally, Remus said, giving up, "All right. I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you anyway." A smile started on his face. The other 4 cheered.
More people started to file in. It was around nine o'clock and the mail started pouring in also. The five friends were now discussing animagi potions and whatnot. Suddenly, a black crow landed next to Lily. Lily, thinking it was a letter from her parents, opened it cheerily. The boys, except for James, were too engrossed in their conversation and didn't pay attention to her reading the letter. When James saw her reaction, he was immediately concerned about her.
"Lily? Are you alright?" he asked as her face drained of color. Tears were threatening stream down her face and her bottom lip started to tremble. She just stared at the letter in her hands, re-reading line after line. Remus, Sirius and Peter looked up as well. When she didn't answer, James almost whispered, "Lily?"
She inhaled a shaking breath and said so softly they could barely hear her, "They're gone." With that, she jumped up and ran out the doors of the Great Hall. Many students looked up from what they were doing, curious as to what was going on. The four boys stared at the piece of paper Lily had left on the table. James picked it up and began to read it. His eyes widened as he read the letter. Without warning, he shot up out of his seat and ran to find the distraught Lily. The remaining three boys looked at each other, shocked, and they practically trampled on the table to grab the letter. Remus held it in his hands, with Sirius and Peter on either sides of him, and they all read the letter. Sirius was about ready to jump up and run after Lily, himself, but Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly, and said softly, "Let James do it." Sirius then nodded his head and sat back down. They felt so bad for Lily.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily ran up to the astronomy tower. As soon as she reached it, she collapsed on the ground and cried her heart out. Her parents were gone. Kill.. By Voldemort. She loved her parents so much. They were so kind and loving. Why? Why would someone kill them? Could someone really be that cruel and heartless? Apparently so.
She sobbed loudly and kept mumbling over and over, "Why?" That was how James found her.
"Lily?" he asked softly. She let out another sob and said in a chocked voice, "They're gone, James. M-my parents are gone. They left me." He rushed over to her and sat next to her, engulfing her in a comforting hug.
"They didn't leave you, Lily. Nobody ever really leaves this world. Just as long as you keep them in your heart," he took her hand and placed it over her heart and continued, "and as long as you remember them and love them, they will never be gone."
She kept crying, but listened to what he was saying, "B-but they're dead." She said in a small voice.
He nodded sadly and just held her tighter; he chocked back tears that threatened to fall, "I know, flower. I know. I'll miss them too. They used to be just like my second parents."
They sat that why for what had to be about 2 hours. Just holding each other and crying.
"B-but where will I stay?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. James was startled to hear her voice; he thought she had gone to sleep. Nonetheless, he answered gently, "I'm sure you could stay at my house. Funnily enough, I forgot to owl my parents about seeing you, but I'm sure they'll be happy to take you in. They'll be just as upset as I am to hear about that. Your parents were my parents' best friends in the muggle world. They talked about you and your family all the time."
"Same with my parents." Lily said dully.
~*~*~*~*~
After the death of her parents, Lily withdrew herself more from what was going on around her. She didn't eat as much and one time Sirius could have swore he her Cassandra and her friends complaining about how they keep loosing their precious beauty sleep because 'that Evans girl has taken up a habit of waking up screaming and then cries herself back to sleep.'
She would still help Peter with his homework and would keep up on her own studies, but anyone who knew Lily before the incident noticed the lack of spark in her eyes and her cheery attitude wasn't very cheery anymore. The first couple of months after the deaths, James and the other guys understood that that was Lily's way of mourning. However, when four months came, they got seriously worried. She still wouldn't talk unless she was spoken to, and even then she would just answer in a toneless voice. She was growing 'very' skinny, even for her and every day she would have bags under her eyes.
One day, the boys decided enough was enough.
"Lily." James said, concerned. They were sitting in the common room, the five of them alone. That was a rare thing nowadays. Lily usually secluded herself in her room as much as possible.
"Hmm." She said, tonelessly, to show him she was listening.
"You've got to snap out of this funk, Lilz." Sirius jumped in. She looked up at them and they all winced when they saw the pain in her eyes.
"Why?" she asked simply. This wasn't what the guys expected.
"Huh?" Peter asked dumbly.
"Why?" she repeated, "Why? What's the point?"
"Lily! You're slowly killing yourself like this!" James shouted, making Lily jump at the outburst. He sighed, "Sorry. But Lily, please, snap out of it. I know you're hurting and everything," he continued a little more passionately, "but this is 'not' the way your parents would want you to live your life, is it?"
Lily didn't speak. Many thoughts were running through her head. The guys didn't think they were reaching her. That's when Remus remembered something.
"Lily, you can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of your loss, or you can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift you have- life itself." Remus told her. She looked up at him. He thought he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. James, Sirius and Peter all exchanged confused glances.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She said, quietly, "M-my mother said that to me. Right after James moved away. How do you know that quote?"
Remus smiled, "You told me about six months ago. We were talking about our pasts." His smile faded a little as he went on, "Lily, your mother was obviously a caring, affectionate woman. She and your father wouldn't want you to sulk about for the rest of your life. Take her advice again like you took many years ago."
The tears finally fell. She put her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. The four quickly gathered around her and comforted her. "I m-miss them so much." She managed to get out in between her tears. James put both his arms around her in a weird-angled hug and whispered, "I know. I know. It's alright, Lily Flower. Just let it out. It'll all be alright." The other three guys backed away and quietly left. James nor Lily noticed their absence.
~*~*~*~
Lily finally managed to sort out her issues. She would live her life to the fullest. She knew she would never fully recover from her parents' deaths, but she could try to accept it and move on.
It was decided that Lily would be staying with James over the summer. She found out that James forgot to owl his parents about him reuniting with her, but his sister, Melanie, told them the first week of school. The Potter's were deeply saddened by the news of their old, dear friends being murdered by their worst enemy. They now felt it was their duty to care and love the child of their best muggle friends. Lily proclaimed that she didn't want to be a burden on them.
"Nonesense." James said, firmly, with Melanie at his side. "They insisted you stay with us. And you're my best friend."
"Ahem" Sirius cleared his throat loudly, hearing James' last sentence from across the common room.
James rolled his eyes, "All right. You're my best 'girl' friend." He looked over at Sirius with a raised eyebrow and expression that clearly asked, 'Satisfied?'. Then he looked back at Lily.
Melanie cut in, "Plus, for crying out loud, Lily, you were practically family when we lived next door to you. You could never be a burden."
Lily smiled sheepishly, "Well.. If they 'insist'.."
James smiled widely, "Then it's settled.. Oh," he added, realizing something, "and what about Petunia? Is she staying with us as well?" James sounded a little terrified, fearing the answer would be a 'yes'.
Much to his relief, Lily shook her head, "No. I guess she's staying with my Aunt June and Uncle Tom. They wouldn't take me because they hate the fact I'm a witch." James scowled at that. Lily had told him how much her family had distanced themselves from her when she found out she was a witch. He hated that.
~*~*~*~
Finally, it was the last day of Hogwarts. The final exam results returned and to much their pleasure, Lily and James were top of their classes. Although, Lily beat James in Charms and he beat her in Transfiguration. Other than that, they tied in the others. Remus finished second, Sirius in third. Poor Peter barely passed, though, despite Lily's extra tutoring.
They were currently all in the common room. Lily pulled James aside.
"What'd you want to tell be, Lils?" James asked.
"You've been such a good friend this year James. The best actually." She said as she kissed him on the cheek. She turned and walked back to the group, leaving James in a stupor. He just touched the spot where she had kissed him, smiling slighty.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N- hi! I am soooooooooo sorry that took so long. I had a very long English assignment that I had to get done. Well, I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Now on with the preview.
* "So I guess I'm stuck with you all for the entire summer, eh?" she said, a smile playing on her face.
*"Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" she exclaimed, running towards them.
*They were now in their fifth year at Hogwarts.
*"Can you believe I actually made a prefect?" James asked, astonished. "Yeah. Now you'll have to stay out of trouble." Lily said, smiling smugly. "That goes both ways, Lilz"
*"Oh, like, great." She said, snottily, "It's, like, the ugly, mudblood Evans." "Glad to see your vocabulary has improved over the summer, Cassandra." Lily replied, dryly.
*"Ugh." He said, "You will not 'believe' what I just found out." "What is it?" "Snape 'fancies' Lily."
*"Ewww!" she exclaimed, quite loudly.
*"Who could have told Malfoy?" James he angrily. "It was Lily." He replied, looking astonished.
With the whole ball out of the way, everything pretty much went back to normal. Everything except for Remus, that is. Lily had noticed him acting strange every now and then. He would leave school once a month saying he had a 'sick mother' and had to visit her. Every time he said this, she would get more and more suspicious, but would never say anything. But something kept nagging her in the back of her mind. She obviously knew he was lying to them and she couldn't help but wonder, 'Where does Remus go every month?'
Then, one day while she was in the library, she found her answer. She was just writing an essay Professor Grain assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily was leafing through her textbook, when she came across a lunar chart. She stared at the paper for a moment, almost in a trance. 'There's something about this page..... there's a connection here... somewhere...' her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized something. 'Oh my gosh' she thought to herself. She sat at the table for a couple of minutes, not moving. 'Poor Remus.'
~*~*~*~*~
Later that night, Lily waited until James, Sirius and Peter went to bed. Remus was working on his Potions homework and she was reading one of her favorite muggle fantasy novels, 'Peter Pan'. As soon as she was certain it was just she and Remus left in the common room, she put her book down.
"Remi, can I talk to you?" she asked, not getting up from her spot on the couch. He made a 'mh-hmm' noise, meaning 'yeah', but he didn't look up from his homework. She just sighed and rolled her eyes, 'Great, he won't even pay attention.' She then took a deep breath, 'I had better just say it quickly.'
"I know what you are, Remus." He looked up, in shock. 'She doesn't mean.. She 'couldn't' mean..' He thought in shock. He decided to feign confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked, brows furrowed, trying to fool her. He got up and stretched, trying to look like he was tired and was ready to go to bed so he could get out of there. She just rolled her eyes in amusement and chuckled a little.
"Remi, please. Give me a little credit. I mean, I know I haven't known you for a long time or anything, but still I know you a little more than 'that'. Don't even try to play dumb with me." She told him, "I know you're a werewolf." He paled at that, swaying a little but not sitting back down. He averted his eyes to the floor, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in them.
"I guess you know my secret then. I'm sorry I lied to you." He said sadly, then he looked straight into Lily's eyes "well I guess that's the last time I'll be talking to you."
Lily looked confused, "Why do you say that?"
Remus looked at her like she was crazy, "You don't want to be my friend anymore. I understand that.."
Lily jumped up out of her seat and ran over to him, almost knocking him to the floor when she engulfed him in a gigantic hug that took him completely by surprise. "Remus, I would never do that to you." She said quietly, but sternly. When she let go of him, he looked shocked.
"W-why would you still want to be friends with me. I'm nothing but a beast." He asked, eyes wide.
She shook her head. "No you're not. You're, well, you're just... Remus." She said nonchalantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Though the words were simple, they meant the world to Remus at that moment. He looked at her hopefully.
"Really? You're-you're not, ya know, upset or scared?"
"Think of it this way, Remus." She reasoned, "You transform, what, once a month? And at that time, it's not really you anyway. And if it is, it's not as though you can help it." She shrugged, "It's not your fault. You didn't ask for this, did you?"
He shook his head slowly. She snapped her fingers and shrugged again, rationalizing. "See? You didn't ask to be a werewolf; it's not your fault." He still didn't look convinced, so she went on, "Remus, I'm going to tell you what my mom told me when my sister everytime my sister made fun of me for being a witch. She said, 'Most people see what is, and never see what can be.' If people find out, so what if they avoid you. They're the ones missing out." Remus looked up at her.
"Thank you, Lily." He said, his words sounded so sincere, as though he couldn't believe this was actually happening. Your mother sounds smart. She must be pretty special. Did she come up with that saying?" He asked, noticing the spark Lily got in her eye when she spoke of her mother. Lily smiled when she heard that.
"No, she heard it from a really smart guy. His name was Albert Einstein." He looked confused so she said, "A famous muggle genious. But yeah, she really is special to me. She's a lovely woman. So full of life. Just like my dad. They're great. I love my parents." She stood up and starting to walk to the staircase, then she turned around and looked at him again, "Are you planning to tell James and Sirius and Peter?"
He looked terrified at the thought. "'One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.' She says that a lot also." Lily said, noticing the scared look. After she said that, she smiled at him, turned, and walked up the steps, leaving Remus standing in the middle of the common room to think about what she had said.
The next day, Remus told the other three.
~*~*~*~
Much to Remus' surprise and delight, the other three didn't care about him being a werewolf at all. In fact, James even said the same thing Lily said last night when Remus stated he was a beast.
"You're not a 'beast'! You're just.. Remus." Then he shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal.
That was when Remus decided he had the greatest friends in the world.
~*~*~*~
After Remus told everyone his problem, the group of five was closer than ever. They supported him as much as they could. Sirius and James even came up with an idea at breakfast at breakfast one morning about two months after the secret spilling.
Remus was engrossed in a book that was propped up on a jug of pumpkin juice. On her right, James was in a deep conversation with Sirius over something the rest couldn't hear. Lily was trying to help Peter catch up on his Charms homework. That was when Sirius cleared his throat and the others looked up at him expectantly.
"Remus. James and I have come up with a plan that would help make your transformations a little better." Sirius said, seriously. (No pun intended)
They all stared at him, waiting for him to continue. When it was apparent Sirius wasn't going to explain his idea, Peter raised his eyebrow and said slowly, "And....?"
"Oh yeah, and we both think that we should become animagi." Sirius finished, nonchalantly.
"What?" Remus almost shouted. Peter looked terrified at the thought and Lily looked as though she was in deep thought. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!" Remus continued.
"N-not to mention illegal." Peter managed to stutter out, his eyes widened in fear.
"Sirius you've come up with some pretty stupid ideas before, I'll admit. I mean that thing with the rubber duckie and Mrs. Lewis down the street..that was bad enough. But James, I'd think you would have been the voice of reason-," Remus rambled on
"I- I think it's a good idea." Lily said quietly, but no one heard her because James and Sirius started to argue, not paying attention to her. Only Peter heard her and he looked at her like she was crazy.
"It's stupid. It's life-threatening. It's-," Remus said loudly. Thank goodness the Great Hall was almost empty since it was early Saturday morning.
"It's a good idea. It will help you out. It's bloody brilliant." James said just as loudly. Lily opened her mouth to speak again.
"I think it's a good idea." She said, a little louder. They still weren't listening. But this time, Sirius heard.
"Guys! Shut up." Sirius shouted. They both stopped talking immediately. Then Sirius turned back to Lily, "What were you saying Lily?"
"I said I think it's a good idea." Lily said, a little more confidence in her voice. James looked satisfied and looked over at Remus, smugly, who looked astonished that Lily didn't have more sense than that.
"Lily? Are you alright? Do you have a fever?" Remus said, thinking that could be the only logical explanation to Lily's statement.
Lily sighed and answered, "No Remi. I feel fine. But hear me out, ok?" Remus looked as though he might have objected, but then thought against it. Lily was usually more sensible than him, so she must have a good explanation. "If it will help your transformations, then I think we should do it." He opened his mouth to object.
"Remus, either way we're going to do it. You know how James and Sirius are when they set their minds on something. But," she said all this quickly before Remus could object, "it would be easier to make the potion and actually accomplish this if you're behind us on this 100%."
The other three boys looked at him, expectantly. Peter was shaking his head slightly and James and Sirius were looking apprehensive. Finally, Remus said, giving up, "All right. I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you anyway." A smile started on his face. The other 4 cheered.
More people started to file in. It was around nine o'clock and the mail started pouring in also. The five friends were now discussing animagi potions and whatnot. Suddenly, a black crow landed next to Lily. Lily, thinking it was a letter from her parents, opened it cheerily. The boys, except for James, were too engrossed in their conversation and didn't pay attention to her reading the letter. When James saw her reaction, he was immediately concerned about her.
"Lily? Are you alright?" he asked as her face drained of color. Tears were threatening stream down her face and her bottom lip started to tremble. She just stared at the letter in her hands, re-reading line after line. Remus, Sirius and Peter looked up as well. When she didn't answer, James almost whispered, "Lily?"
She inhaled a shaking breath and said so softly they could barely hear her, "They're gone." With that, she jumped up and ran out the doors of the Great Hall. Many students looked up from what they were doing, curious as to what was going on. The four boys stared at the piece of paper Lily had left on the table. James picked it up and began to read it. His eyes widened as he read the letter. Without warning, he shot up out of his seat and ran to find the distraught Lily. The remaining three boys looked at each other, shocked, and they practically trampled on the table to grab the letter. Remus held it in his hands, with Sirius and Peter on either sides of him, and they all read the letter. Sirius was about ready to jump up and run after Lily, himself, but Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly, and said softly, "Let James do it." Sirius then nodded his head and sat back down. They felt so bad for Lily.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily ran up to the astronomy tower. As soon as she reached it, she collapsed on the ground and cried her heart out. Her parents were gone. Kill.. By Voldemort. She loved her parents so much. They were so kind and loving. Why? Why would someone kill them? Could someone really be that cruel and heartless? Apparently so.
She sobbed loudly and kept mumbling over and over, "Why?" That was how James found her.
"Lily?" he asked softly. She let out another sob and said in a chocked voice, "They're gone, James. M-my parents are gone. They left me." He rushed over to her and sat next to her, engulfing her in a comforting hug.
"They didn't leave you, Lily. Nobody ever really leaves this world. Just as long as you keep them in your heart," he took her hand and placed it over her heart and continued, "and as long as you remember them and love them, they will never be gone."
She kept crying, but listened to what he was saying, "B-but they're dead." She said in a small voice.
He nodded sadly and just held her tighter; he chocked back tears that threatened to fall, "I know, flower. I know. I'll miss them too. They used to be just like my second parents."
They sat that why for what had to be about 2 hours. Just holding each other and crying.
"B-but where will I stay?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. James was startled to hear her voice; he thought she had gone to sleep. Nonetheless, he answered gently, "I'm sure you could stay at my house. Funnily enough, I forgot to owl my parents about seeing you, but I'm sure they'll be happy to take you in. They'll be just as upset as I am to hear about that. Your parents were my parents' best friends in the muggle world. They talked about you and your family all the time."
"Same with my parents." Lily said dully.
~*~*~*~*~
After the death of her parents, Lily withdrew herself more from what was going on around her. She didn't eat as much and one time Sirius could have swore he her Cassandra and her friends complaining about how they keep loosing their precious beauty sleep because 'that Evans girl has taken up a habit of waking up screaming and then cries herself back to sleep.'
She would still help Peter with his homework and would keep up on her own studies, but anyone who knew Lily before the incident noticed the lack of spark in her eyes and her cheery attitude wasn't very cheery anymore. The first couple of months after the deaths, James and the other guys understood that that was Lily's way of mourning. However, when four months came, they got seriously worried. She still wouldn't talk unless she was spoken to, and even then she would just answer in a toneless voice. She was growing 'very' skinny, even for her and every day she would have bags under her eyes.
One day, the boys decided enough was enough.
"Lily." James said, concerned. They were sitting in the common room, the five of them alone. That was a rare thing nowadays. Lily usually secluded herself in her room as much as possible.
"Hmm." She said, tonelessly, to show him she was listening.
"You've got to snap out of this funk, Lilz." Sirius jumped in. She looked up at them and they all winced when they saw the pain in her eyes.
"Why?" she asked simply. This wasn't what the guys expected.
"Huh?" Peter asked dumbly.
"Why?" she repeated, "Why? What's the point?"
"Lily! You're slowly killing yourself like this!" James shouted, making Lily jump at the outburst. He sighed, "Sorry. But Lily, please, snap out of it. I know you're hurting and everything," he continued a little more passionately, "but this is 'not' the way your parents would want you to live your life, is it?"
Lily didn't speak. Many thoughts were running through her head. The guys didn't think they were reaching her. That's when Remus remembered something.
"Lily, you can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of your loss, or you can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift you have- life itself." Remus told her. She looked up at him. He thought he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. James, Sirius and Peter all exchanged confused glances.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She said, quietly, "M-my mother said that to me. Right after James moved away. How do you know that quote?"
Remus smiled, "You told me about six months ago. We were talking about our pasts." His smile faded a little as he went on, "Lily, your mother was obviously a caring, affectionate woman. She and your father wouldn't want you to sulk about for the rest of your life. Take her advice again like you took many years ago."
The tears finally fell. She put her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. The four quickly gathered around her and comforted her. "I m-miss them so much." She managed to get out in between her tears. James put both his arms around her in a weird-angled hug and whispered, "I know. I know. It's alright, Lily Flower. Just let it out. It'll all be alright." The other three guys backed away and quietly left. James nor Lily noticed their absence.
~*~*~*~
Lily finally managed to sort out her issues. She would live her life to the fullest. She knew she would never fully recover from her parents' deaths, but she could try to accept it and move on.
It was decided that Lily would be staying with James over the summer. She found out that James forgot to owl his parents about him reuniting with her, but his sister, Melanie, told them the first week of school. The Potter's were deeply saddened by the news of their old, dear friends being murdered by their worst enemy. They now felt it was their duty to care and love the child of their best muggle friends. Lily proclaimed that she didn't want to be a burden on them.
"Nonesense." James said, firmly, with Melanie at his side. "They insisted you stay with us. And you're my best friend."
"Ahem" Sirius cleared his throat loudly, hearing James' last sentence from across the common room.
James rolled his eyes, "All right. You're my best 'girl' friend." He looked over at Sirius with a raised eyebrow and expression that clearly asked, 'Satisfied?'. Then he looked back at Lily.
Melanie cut in, "Plus, for crying out loud, Lily, you were practically family when we lived next door to you. You could never be a burden."
Lily smiled sheepishly, "Well.. If they 'insist'.."
James smiled widely, "Then it's settled.. Oh," he added, realizing something, "and what about Petunia? Is she staying with us as well?" James sounded a little terrified, fearing the answer would be a 'yes'.
Much to his relief, Lily shook her head, "No. I guess she's staying with my Aunt June and Uncle Tom. They wouldn't take me because they hate the fact I'm a witch." James scowled at that. Lily had told him how much her family had distanced themselves from her when she found out she was a witch. He hated that.
~*~*~*~
Finally, it was the last day of Hogwarts. The final exam results returned and to much their pleasure, Lily and James were top of their classes. Although, Lily beat James in Charms and he beat her in Transfiguration. Other than that, they tied in the others. Remus finished second, Sirius in third. Poor Peter barely passed, though, despite Lily's extra tutoring.
They were currently all in the common room. Lily pulled James aside.
"What'd you want to tell be, Lils?" James asked.
"You've been such a good friend this year James. The best actually." She said as she kissed him on the cheek. She turned and walked back to the group, leaving James in a stupor. He just touched the spot where she had kissed him, smiling slighty.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N- hi! I am soooooooooo sorry that took so long. I had a very long English assignment that I had to get done. Well, I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Now on with the preview.
* "So I guess I'm stuck with you all for the entire summer, eh?" she said, a smile playing on her face.
*"Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" she exclaimed, running towards them.
*They were now in their fifth year at Hogwarts.
*"Can you believe I actually made a prefect?" James asked, astonished. "Yeah. Now you'll have to stay out of trouble." Lily said, smiling smugly. "That goes both ways, Lilz"
*"Oh, like, great." She said, snottily, "It's, like, the ugly, mudblood Evans." "Glad to see your vocabulary has improved over the summer, Cassandra." Lily replied, dryly.
*"Ugh." He said, "You will not 'believe' what I just found out." "What is it?" "Snape 'fancies' Lily."
*"Ewww!" she exclaimed, quite loudly.
*"Who could have told Malfoy?" James he angrily. "It was Lily." He replied, looking astonished.