The marauders were sitting in the common room, staring at the fire.
Dumbledore suggested they get some rest, but none of them could even think
about sleeping.....except for Peter, who was snoring quite loudly at one
end of the couch. None of the other Gryffindors really mentioned Lily,
though James could see a difference in the way they were acting about her.
It was almost as if they cared or something. They would pass by them
sitting on the couch and give them sympathetic stares. Of course, not all
the kids were being so sympathetic. Leave it to Lily's snotty roommates to
go and say something completely stupid.
Upon seeing her 'boyfriend' sitting on the couch, looking depressed with his friends, Cassandra just 'had' to make him feel better.
"Oh, my little Jamsie Wamsie. Don't let a stupid 'mudblood' get you down like this." She said as she sat down on his lap, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She was looking so intently on James as she said this that she didn't notice the others' reactions. But she was quite surprised with James'.
"THAT'S IT!!!!!!" he yelled as he jumped up in fury, causing Cassandra to tumble to the ground with a loud 'thump'. He stared down at her with burning rage in his eyes. "I've had enough of your whining and constant 'pay attention to me' attitude!" The people in the common room looked over at him when they heard his outburst. Most of them were smiling and smirking when they saw who he was yelling at. Cassandra was finally being put in her place, and everyone was enjoying every minute of it. All except her two lap dogs, who were standing over in the corner eyes widened in shock. Remus and Sirius, and Peter who had woken up during that time, were all smirking and watching in amusement.
Cassandra had said many stupid things in her day, but what she just said about Lily was the worst thing she could have said. "LILY IS IN THE HOSPITAL WING, UNCONSCIOUS AND ALL YOU DO IS CALL HER A 'MUDBLOOD'?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU??!!" When he said this, all the faces in the common room dropped their amused expressions and glared at the girl on the floor, not realizing that just a few days ago, they themselves were calling Lily the exact same thing, though without their knowledge, mind you. When James saw them glare at Cassandra he addressed them as well, "Don't think for one moment that we were any better to Lily. Not one of us was treating her right for the past week." After that said, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all walked out the portrait hole, leaving behind many confused people and the utterly embarrassed Cassandra.
Nobody in the common room understood what James meant by that comment. No one really even talked to Lily for the past week, let alone insulted her, or so they thought. Of course, none of them realized that they were under a spell as well.
~*~*~*~*~
Outside the portrait hole, the boys were absolutely fuming.
"The nerve of them all! Here they were treating Lily like that, for no reason, and then all of a sudden they just 'forget' all the stuff they did!" James ranted on.
"Well, James, you have to admit. We sort of were doing the same thing." Sirius rationed.
James considered that and said, "You're right. We did do the same thing. But still, at least we had a little bit of a reason. We thought she sold Remus out. They had no reason to hate her."
"Actually Mr. Potter, they did." A wise old voice spoke behind them, causing them to jump and turn around in surprise.
"Professor! Is there any news on Lily?" Remus asked hopefully.
Dumbeldore sighed and said, "I'm afraid not, Mr. Lupin. She is still unconscious. Madame Pomfrey says she is in a coma for now and doesn't know when she will awaken." Dumbledore paused, letting them digest the information, and then he said "I have something I must inform you about. Come, follow me to my office." They nodded and followed along, wordlessly.
When they got to his office, and situated themselves in seats, they peered at Dumbledore curiously. He looked at them for a few moments, looking sad and tired and said to them, "You'll be pleased to know that "We've expelled the person responsible for this. Actually 'persons' responsible for this."
"But responsible for what, Headmaster?" Sirius asked.
"There were some things going on here for quite some time, which I hadn't known about. Two students, Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Ricky Avery, apparently, though there really is no proof to back this up, it is just my assumption, have been working for Lord Voldemort," Surprising Dumbledore, only Peter flinched at his name while the other three just waited for him to continue, unfazed by the word. "They were using Dark magic on the school. Not the teachers, just the students. Boys," he continued, "have you ever heard of the Agresivio Anguera potion?"
James, Sirius, and Remus all widened their eyes in shock then understanding after a few moments. Peter looked clueless as he asked, "What's that?"
James, not hearing Peters comment, asked Dumbledore with horror, "They put that spell on the 'entire' school?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"How could they do that to the 'entire' school?" Remus asked, confused. "That's pretty advanced dark magic, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mr. Lupin, you are correct. And that's not the only Dark Magic they did. I'll explain that part in a moment. The answer to your question, though, is that they've been training for years apparently. They also managed to distract the house elves in the kitchens so they could put the potion in everybody's drinks."
"Did they use the spell on us, too?" Sirius asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, they didn't need to. When Mr. Malfoy told James that Miss Evans had informed him of Mr. Lupin's condition, they had that all planned out. They figured you all would be angry with her for telling his secret, so they saw no reason of using the potion on you four." He paused, looking thoughtful and added, "As well as Miss Wellington, Miss Rocks, and Miss Abraham (Cassandra, Kelly, and Stacie for those who don't know their last names) though I don't know why..."
James, Sirius, and Remus knew why. Obviously they didn't need to use the potion on them. It was pretty much common knowledge throughout the school that Lily's 'only' enemies were those three. It would have been pretty redundant to use a hating potion on someone who already did in the first place.
"As for the rest of the school; they don't have any recollection of being hostile to Miss Evans. Mostly, they think they just haven't spoken to her since last week. So, naturally, they are acting like they did nothing wrong, because, in their minds, nothing happened concerning them with her."
He paused again, letting the words sink in. James was the first to speak, "Headmaster, you said that, that wasn't the only Dark Magic they did. What else did they do?"
"Ah, yes. That wasn't all they did. This Dark Magic wasn't exposed to the rest of the school. James," Dumbledore looked him right in the eye, seriously, "They also tried to poison you and Miss Evans."
All four boys paled at this. Sirius looked frantically over at James; Remus widened his eyes, terrified at what he just heard. Peter for once, seemed to realize what was going on and he gave an 'eeep' sound. James looked in shocked at Dumbledore and asked in a shaky voice, "W-what? W-why?"
Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders and said, "That I do not know at the moment, James. The teachers and I, though, are taking extra precautions to keep you safe because, whether we want to face the truth or not, Voldemort has connections inside Hogwarts. I suggest that no matter where you go, always have someone with you." He cautioned.
James nodded, then he realized something else, "That's the poison Madame Pomfrey found in Lily bloodstream, isn't it?" not waiting for an answer, he went on, looking more confused for a moment, "If she got poisoned, how is it I wasn't?"
The other three boys in the room listened intently on this, looking horrified at what was being said in the office.
"That is one of the more mysterious parts in this story for me. I was wondering if you could maybe clear that up for me. When Madame Pomfrey traced the poison, she found out it was taken right before the Quidditch game at breakfast. It was in her goblet, it was probably in yours, too. I think Lily saw Mr. Malfoy put something in your drink, though not hers, and tried to distract you from it. Can you think of anything along those lines happening?" he asked.
James looked thoughtful for a moment, then he shook his head. "I can't think of anything like that happening."
But Remus was thinking about something he had seen at that breakfast. There was something off during that time that had nagged him in the back of his mind, subconsciously. He closed his eyes for a moment and a vision of the events of the morning at breakfast flashed before him. Watching Lily walked to the end of the table; James, Sirius, Peter and he talking about their newest prank on the Slytherians; then he looked up, not really looking at anything in particular. Kids all around the room, laughing and joking around. He looked over by the doors on the Great Hall, seeing some suits of armor. THERE!!! That was one of the things that were off. A black figure. Hiding behind the armor. It didn't register to him then, now it did.
But that wasn't all. Something else happened. Something. After Sirius just finished a 'really' corny joke, though they laughed nonetheless, something happened. They were so engrossed in Sirius' 'special' way of telling the joke that they didn't notice Lily come up to them. With James bringing his goblet up to him so he could drink... Lily came up to them, looking a little hysteric, but they really didn't pay attention to that. That must have been the time she realized James' drink was poisoned, because she kept eying the cup warily. She sat down next to James and told him about the prefects meeting. No one else was looking at her. Sirius and Peter seemed to be avoiding her eyes and Cassandra and her friends were trying their best to ignore her after they sent her a cold glare. He, however, smiled friendly at her. Then...as she was talking to James...ugh! What was it!? There was something nagging at him. Something he didn't catch at the time, but it was in his mind buried in the depths of other thoughts. What was it? What was it?... That was it! As she was talking to James, her hand reached unnoticeably to James' goblet. She pushed it away from him and hid it under the table.
"I know how it happened!" Remus exclaimed. The others looked over at him, curiously.
"You do?" James asked.
"Yeah, it was when Lily was telling you about the prefects meeting. She hid your goblet from view as she was talking to you. I must have noticed it, though really thought nothing of it at the time. I also noticed a black figure hiding behind the suits of armor. That must have been Malfoy. I'm guessing Lily saw him slip the potion into your drink and immediately distracted you." He explained.
Dumbledore nodded, "Yes that makes the situation easier to understand."
James' face was ashen. Twice she saved his life; and she paid dearly for doing it. "So she saved my life from the poison as well. While she didn't realize hers was poisoned. Because I'm guessing Malfoy did it the same time as he did mine. She must have just drank hers and saw me about to drink mine."
There were tears in Sirius' eyes. 'NO ONE DESERVES THIS!' he thought to himself angrily. 'Especially 'not' Lily! If I saw Malfoy right at this moment, I'd rip him to shreds; Avery, too!'
"I'm guessing they also used Dark Magic to make the bludger aim towards me. And also to make sure she didn't get any help while she was falling." James said, snapping Sirius out of his thoughts.
Dumbledore nodded again, in conformation. "Yes, they did. Well, I guess that's all there is to that. Malfoy and Avery have been given the worst punishment in my power. They are both expelled from here. I assure you that the only Malfoy and Avery that makes their way into this building would be their descendents." Dumbledore assured them, "For now, all we can do is hope that poor Miss Evans wakes up. That's all we can do." Dumbledore repeated sadly.
~*~*~*~*~
As the four left his office, they walked down the corridors for a while. When they got to the front entrance, they came across Malfoy walking towards it while carrying his trunk. Malfoy saw them standing there and immediately sneered at them. He stopped when he was right in front of James, with Sirius standing promptly on his right and Remus standing on his left, ready for anything Malfoy might try to pull.
James and Malfoy glared at each other for about two minutes. Finally, still glaring, Malfoy spoke up, "Heard what happened to your mudblood whore. It looks like someone finally realized what needs to be done about the garbage in this school."
"You're right. Someone 'did' realize what needs to be done about the garbage in this school. His name in Albus Dumbledore and he expelled it." Sirius growled.
Malfoy sneered at Sirius then turned his attention back to James, "You had better watch your back, Potter. Unless you want to end up like your filthy mudblood girlfriend."
Remus had to hold James' robes to pull him back from lunging at Malfoy. Peter did the same for Sirius, who looked ready to beat the crap out of him. Malfoy smirked at this, a cold gleam in his grey eyes.
"Your carriage is waiting for you, Malfoy. Why don't you just get in it and leave. I'm sure we'll never have to see each other again." Remus whispered dangerously. Malfoy looked as though he was going to do something like hex them, so Remus said, "Unless we have to call James' father out here to straighten this all out."
Without breaking his glare from James, Malfoy picked up his trunk and started to walk towards the door. A few feet away from it, Malfoy turned around and gave them one last threat to James, "You better be careful, Potter. Your little whore may not always be around to save you."
Without hesitation, Sirius spoke up, him and Remus standing a little in front of James, "Maybe not, but we will." He said in a low serious voice. "Tell your 'master' he can try all the shit he wants with Lily and James. It won't matter because one of us will always be around to help them."
With one more glare, Malfoy turned and walked out to his carriage.
"Good riddance." James muttered to his retreating back.
"See you when we catch you to put you in Azkaban, Lucy" Sirius yelled to Malfoy.
~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, James woke up feeling drained. Somehow last night, he was able to finally sleep. He looked over to the beds of his friends. Remus and Sirius were sleeping soundly and Peter was snoring loudly, a flaw all of them had learned to ignore. They had heard no new news on Lily's condition. All Madame Pomfrey said when they saw her was, "No change."
James knew that that news was better than her being dead, which was still an option. Every moment, his heart held a pain inside. A pain so strong, that he though he was physically hurt instead of mentally. He knew Sirius was going through a pain like his, only a little weaker than his. As close as Sirius is with Lily, he still hadn't known her like James does.
Thirty minutes later, when all the marauders were up and dressed, they walked into the Great Hall and saw many people giving them sympathetic stares. Only this time, James didn't thrash out at them; he knew it wasn't there fault. Cassandra had come up to James and asked if he was going to apologize to her after what she said to him.
James' eyes widened in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding me, Wellington."
Cassandra looked clueless as to why James acted this way, "What do you mean, James. I expect an apology from you. You yelled at me for no reason and-,"
"No reason?" Sirius interrupted, laughing at her stupidity, "Boy, for your sake, I hope your parents bribe your teachers so you get passing grades. Like, hello, you, like, totally, like, dissed Lily, and like, she, like, might die, and like, you 'really' don't, like care. Hmmm, like, I wonder, like, 'why' James would be, like so totally mad at, like, you." He mocked.
Nothing seemed to get that concept into the moron's head. She just stared at Sirius for a minute, with a confused look on her face. Then, without a word, turned her attention back to James, "So, like, are you sorry?"
James let out an exasperated sigh, along with Sirius, Remus and Peter and the four of them walked off without a word to Cassandra. They sat themselves down at their usual place and half-heartedly gathered food onto their plates. Lily always joked about their eating habits. About five minutes later, Dumbledore stood up and gave the very sad speech, "Students, I'm very sorry to say something terrible has been going on in this school without my knowledge."
The students who hadn't been paying attention earlier, now looked up at him with astonishment evident on their faces. As Dumbledore went through the heart-wrenching events that had been happening right under everyone's noses, no one made a sound.
Then he got to the part about everyone all being under a spell and them all saying and doing hateful things to Lily. Tears made their way down some faces at that moment. No one had any recollection on even talking to Lily, and here they were hearing that they hated her this last week. Though Dumbledore didn't say it, most realized that they probably even went as far as to call her a mudblood, a non-forgivable action to most. The information was getting to people so strongly, that even Cassandra and her buddies had frowns on their faces.
"-We, the staff, do not know if she will make it through this whole ordeal alive, or not." Dumbledore went on, saying something similar to what he will be saying close to twenty years from now after the most horrible incident can happen to an individual, "And so, when, if in the future, you come to a point when you have to choose between good and evil, remember this tragedy. Remember what Lily Evans did to protect the ones she loves."
~*~*~*~*~
After Dumbledore made his speech, the students were different. No longer the carefree, self-centered kids they were, they grew up in a way. Much more mature. A week had passed and still there was no change in Lily. The whole school wore black to show their concern and pity. Though not decease, they new in their hearts that it was as possible of happening as her getting better. Her odds were 50/50.
All through school, you would hear people talking about the accident. Phrases like, "Has she woken up yet?" or "Did you go to see her?" where heard throughout the halls. Many came up to the marauders to ask about her condition, or to simply give their sympathies.
The marauders. That's where most of the drama took place. James had seemed to distance himself from his friends and take refuge in the hospital wing. Whenever he wasn't sleeping or in class, you could find him there, taking in all the flowers and 'get-well' cards around her bed. Her cuts and bruises became less visible. She was still as pale as can be, though. Her arm was healed, though it never moved. She never moved. It disturbed James to see her like this. She was never this still, even when she was asleep. To see someone who was usually so full of life like this, it was like having your heartbreaking every time over and over again when you looked at her.
James refused to leave to eat meals, insisting that she may wake up without him there. On the tenth day of him doing this, Remus and Sirius came into the room, proclaiming loudly and seriously "James. You gotta get out of here. Get something to eat... do 'something'!"
"What if she wakes up? She won't see me here. What will she do if she doesn't see me here, holding her hand and waiting for her?" James replied.
"I think Lily would understand. James, you of all people know that she would 'hate' the way you're behaving." Remus said.
James was silent, just staring at the still form of Lily, "James, you know she wants you to get out of here and do something other than sit around here." Remus pressed on.
"You can come back. All we're going to do is grab some food. Maybe we can even pull a prank." Sirius suggested, a sparkle in his eye.
James seemed to hesitate about that. Sirius noticed his looked and said quickly, "We could dedicate it to Lily. Come on, you know who she 'loves' pranks."
That seemed to do the trick, "Alright. We'll pull a prank. But right after that, we head straight back here." He insisted.
"Deal." Peter replied. The four walked out of the wing to the Great Hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the prank, James seemed to be recovering. He laughed more with his friends. The four of them thought about Lily often. They still felt guilty, though they didn't let it eat up their lives anymore. All pranks they pulled they ended with a white and pink Lily in the air. That brought almost everyone comfort, even the prank victim.
It had been a month since it happened. The boys visited her once a day after their classes and just talked and joked as though she could hear them. This particular day was a Saturday. Not just any Saturday, though. It was a Quidditch game day. The first Quidditch game without Lily there. They had to use one of the back-up chasers. An annoying third year by the name of Gildory Lockhart, who in fact, had an enormous crush on Lily ever since he saw her. Of course, he knew that she was in love with him, she had just been hiding it from him all those years because she thought that he was too good for her...at least that's what 'he' claimed.
The marauders knew that this game would be hard to play. Not because they were playing Hufflepuff...because they sucked, but because Lily wouldn't be there. It would be the second time that Lily wouldn't be there to make sure they ate a healthy breakfast before the match; which had become practically tradition to the Gryffindor players.
Instead of the marauders sitting together alone, they ate with the rest of the Quidditch team, whom were poking at their food half-heartedly. James, since he was the captain and all, decided to take it upon himself this time to make the players eat. He also decided to try and cheer the team up.
"Now team, must I always repeat myself. Like I've said millions and 'trillions'," James started, talking like Lily usually did when she made this speech. And, imitating her, he stretched his arms out as wide as they would go when he said the 'millions and 'trillions' part. "No fuel in the belly, no fire in the brain." When he finished, the players were all staring at him with twinkles in there eyes. The whole table was staring at him, though he knew they were thinking about Lily. "Now come on team. Let's eat!" And with that, he grabbed some food himself and started eating.
~*~*~*~*~
After James had given his pep talk in the locker room, the team minus James, Remus, and Sirius walked to the pitch. The three stayed behind a moment.
"I miss her." Sirius said softly.
"I do too. But hey, she could wake up at any moment." Remus said, trying to sound cheerful.
James sighed sadly and said, "Yeah, well we'd better get out there."
As James, Sirius, and Remus walked out onto the Quidditch pitch, they saw something that made their hearts skip a beat. They stared at the other end of the field and saw a 'large' banner with a white and pink lily on it; much like the one they displayed after every prank. This one, like all the ones before, comforted them. It was almost as though Lily were out here playing with them.
With lighter hearts, they all mounted their brooms and played. They put their heart and souls into this game and it ended up paying off in the end. As soon as James caught the snitch in his hand, the Gryffindors and surprisingly 'everyone' else, Hufflepuffs included clapped, cheered, and whistled while the Gryffindor team and the others gathered around and lifted James up on their shoulders.
James, in a daze, looked at the snitch resting calmly in his hands. Then, he looked up a the banner of the flower and smiled. "This one's for you, flower." He whispered. He looked around for Remus and Sirius and saw them and the rest of the team getting prompted up on the other Gryffindor's shoulders. They looked over at him and he could tell they were thinking about Lily as well.
Then in a much louder voice, James yelled over the crowd's noise, "FOR LILY!!!" That sent the crowd into hysterics and they started to chant, "Lily." Over and over again.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N- how'd you like it? Please tell me in a review.
* Finally, they all made it to the castle.
* She let out a shaky gasp as she took in the unconscious form.
* "She doesn't know when she'll wake up." He said sullenly to his dad.
* "Does her family even know?" "Do you think they care?"
* "I have found something odd, though. On her right shoulder, there is
a mysterious looking scar."
* Christmas was coming up.
* "Happy Christmas, Lilz." They each said softly.
* "I believe that Miss Evans had gotten your presents quite early this
year."
* The days and weeks passed and still no sign of change.
Upon seeing her 'boyfriend' sitting on the couch, looking depressed with his friends, Cassandra just 'had' to make him feel better.
"Oh, my little Jamsie Wamsie. Don't let a stupid 'mudblood' get you down like this." She said as she sat down on his lap, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She was looking so intently on James as she said this that she didn't notice the others' reactions. But she was quite surprised with James'.
"THAT'S IT!!!!!!" he yelled as he jumped up in fury, causing Cassandra to tumble to the ground with a loud 'thump'. He stared down at her with burning rage in his eyes. "I've had enough of your whining and constant 'pay attention to me' attitude!" The people in the common room looked over at him when they heard his outburst. Most of them were smiling and smirking when they saw who he was yelling at. Cassandra was finally being put in her place, and everyone was enjoying every minute of it. All except her two lap dogs, who were standing over in the corner eyes widened in shock. Remus and Sirius, and Peter who had woken up during that time, were all smirking and watching in amusement.
Cassandra had said many stupid things in her day, but what she just said about Lily was the worst thing she could have said. "LILY IS IN THE HOSPITAL WING, UNCONSCIOUS AND ALL YOU DO IS CALL HER A 'MUDBLOOD'?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU??!!" When he said this, all the faces in the common room dropped their amused expressions and glared at the girl on the floor, not realizing that just a few days ago, they themselves were calling Lily the exact same thing, though without their knowledge, mind you. When James saw them glare at Cassandra he addressed them as well, "Don't think for one moment that we were any better to Lily. Not one of us was treating her right for the past week." After that said, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all walked out the portrait hole, leaving behind many confused people and the utterly embarrassed Cassandra.
Nobody in the common room understood what James meant by that comment. No one really even talked to Lily for the past week, let alone insulted her, or so they thought. Of course, none of them realized that they were under a spell as well.
~*~*~*~*~
Outside the portrait hole, the boys were absolutely fuming.
"The nerve of them all! Here they were treating Lily like that, for no reason, and then all of a sudden they just 'forget' all the stuff they did!" James ranted on.
"Well, James, you have to admit. We sort of were doing the same thing." Sirius rationed.
James considered that and said, "You're right. We did do the same thing. But still, at least we had a little bit of a reason. We thought she sold Remus out. They had no reason to hate her."
"Actually Mr. Potter, they did." A wise old voice spoke behind them, causing them to jump and turn around in surprise.
"Professor! Is there any news on Lily?" Remus asked hopefully.
Dumbeldore sighed and said, "I'm afraid not, Mr. Lupin. She is still unconscious. Madame Pomfrey says she is in a coma for now and doesn't know when she will awaken." Dumbledore paused, letting them digest the information, and then he said "I have something I must inform you about. Come, follow me to my office." They nodded and followed along, wordlessly.
When they got to his office, and situated themselves in seats, they peered at Dumbledore curiously. He looked at them for a few moments, looking sad and tired and said to them, "You'll be pleased to know that "We've expelled the person responsible for this. Actually 'persons' responsible for this."
"But responsible for what, Headmaster?" Sirius asked.
"There were some things going on here for quite some time, which I hadn't known about. Two students, Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Ricky Avery, apparently, though there really is no proof to back this up, it is just my assumption, have been working for Lord Voldemort," Surprising Dumbledore, only Peter flinched at his name while the other three just waited for him to continue, unfazed by the word. "They were using Dark magic on the school. Not the teachers, just the students. Boys," he continued, "have you ever heard of the Agresivio Anguera potion?"
James, Sirius, and Remus all widened their eyes in shock then understanding after a few moments. Peter looked clueless as he asked, "What's that?"
James, not hearing Peters comment, asked Dumbledore with horror, "They put that spell on the 'entire' school?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"How could they do that to the 'entire' school?" Remus asked, confused. "That's pretty advanced dark magic, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mr. Lupin, you are correct. And that's not the only Dark Magic they did. I'll explain that part in a moment. The answer to your question, though, is that they've been training for years apparently. They also managed to distract the house elves in the kitchens so they could put the potion in everybody's drinks."
"Did they use the spell on us, too?" Sirius asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, they didn't need to. When Mr. Malfoy told James that Miss Evans had informed him of Mr. Lupin's condition, they had that all planned out. They figured you all would be angry with her for telling his secret, so they saw no reason of using the potion on you four." He paused, looking thoughtful and added, "As well as Miss Wellington, Miss Rocks, and Miss Abraham (Cassandra, Kelly, and Stacie for those who don't know their last names) though I don't know why..."
James, Sirius, and Remus knew why. Obviously they didn't need to use the potion on them. It was pretty much common knowledge throughout the school that Lily's 'only' enemies were those three. It would have been pretty redundant to use a hating potion on someone who already did in the first place.
"As for the rest of the school; they don't have any recollection of being hostile to Miss Evans. Mostly, they think they just haven't spoken to her since last week. So, naturally, they are acting like they did nothing wrong, because, in their minds, nothing happened concerning them with her."
He paused again, letting the words sink in. James was the first to speak, "Headmaster, you said that, that wasn't the only Dark Magic they did. What else did they do?"
"Ah, yes. That wasn't all they did. This Dark Magic wasn't exposed to the rest of the school. James," Dumbledore looked him right in the eye, seriously, "They also tried to poison you and Miss Evans."
All four boys paled at this. Sirius looked frantically over at James; Remus widened his eyes, terrified at what he just heard. Peter for once, seemed to realize what was going on and he gave an 'eeep' sound. James looked in shocked at Dumbledore and asked in a shaky voice, "W-what? W-why?"
Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders and said, "That I do not know at the moment, James. The teachers and I, though, are taking extra precautions to keep you safe because, whether we want to face the truth or not, Voldemort has connections inside Hogwarts. I suggest that no matter where you go, always have someone with you." He cautioned.
James nodded, then he realized something else, "That's the poison Madame Pomfrey found in Lily bloodstream, isn't it?" not waiting for an answer, he went on, looking more confused for a moment, "If she got poisoned, how is it I wasn't?"
The other three boys in the room listened intently on this, looking horrified at what was being said in the office.
"That is one of the more mysterious parts in this story for me. I was wondering if you could maybe clear that up for me. When Madame Pomfrey traced the poison, she found out it was taken right before the Quidditch game at breakfast. It was in her goblet, it was probably in yours, too. I think Lily saw Mr. Malfoy put something in your drink, though not hers, and tried to distract you from it. Can you think of anything along those lines happening?" he asked.
James looked thoughtful for a moment, then he shook his head. "I can't think of anything like that happening."
But Remus was thinking about something he had seen at that breakfast. There was something off during that time that had nagged him in the back of his mind, subconsciously. He closed his eyes for a moment and a vision of the events of the morning at breakfast flashed before him. Watching Lily walked to the end of the table; James, Sirius, Peter and he talking about their newest prank on the Slytherians; then he looked up, not really looking at anything in particular. Kids all around the room, laughing and joking around. He looked over by the doors on the Great Hall, seeing some suits of armor. THERE!!! That was one of the things that were off. A black figure. Hiding behind the armor. It didn't register to him then, now it did.
But that wasn't all. Something else happened. Something. After Sirius just finished a 'really' corny joke, though they laughed nonetheless, something happened. They were so engrossed in Sirius' 'special' way of telling the joke that they didn't notice Lily come up to them. With James bringing his goblet up to him so he could drink... Lily came up to them, looking a little hysteric, but they really didn't pay attention to that. That must have been the time she realized James' drink was poisoned, because she kept eying the cup warily. She sat down next to James and told him about the prefects meeting. No one else was looking at her. Sirius and Peter seemed to be avoiding her eyes and Cassandra and her friends were trying their best to ignore her after they sent her a cold glare. He, however, smiled friendly at her. Then...as she was talking to James...ugh! What was it!? There was something nagging at him. Something he didn't catch at the time, but it was in his mind buried in the depths of other thoughts. What was it? What was it?... That was it! As she was talking to James, her hand reached unnoticeably to James' goblet. She pushed it away from him and hid it under the table.
"I know how it happened!" Remus exclaimed. The others looked over at him, curiously.
"You do?" James asked.
"Yeah, it was when Lily was telling you about the prefects meeting. She hid your goblet from view as she was talking to you. I must have noticed it, though really thought nothing of it at the time. I also noticed a black figure hiding behind the suits of armor. That must have been Malfoy. I'm guessing Lily saw him slip the potion into your drink and immediately distracted you." He explained.
Dumbledore nodded, "Yes that makes the situation easier to understand."
James' face was ashen. Twice she saved his life; and she paid dearly for doing it. "So she saved my life from the poison as well. While she didn't realize hers was poisoned. Because I'm guessing Malfoy did it the same time as he did mine. She must have just drank hers and saw me about to drink mine."
There were tears in Sirius' eyes. 'NO ONE DESERVES THIS!' he thought to himself angrily. 'Especially 'not' Lily! If I saw Malfoy right at this moment, I'd rip him to shreds; Avery, too!'
"I'm guessing they also used Dark Magic to make the bludger aim towards me. And also to make sure she didn't get any help while she was falling." James said, snapping Sirius out of his thoughts.
Dumbledore nodded again, in conformation. "Yes, they did. Well, I guess that's all there is to that. Malfoy and Avery have been given the worst punishment in my power. They are both expelled from here. I assure you that the only Malfoy and Avery that makes their way into this building would be their descendents." Dumbledore assured them, "For now, all we can do is hope that poor Miss Evans wakes up. That's all we can do." Dumbledore repeated sadly.
~*~*~*~*~
As the four left his office, they walked down the corridors for a while. When they got to the front entrance, they came across Malfoy walking towards it while carrying his trunk. Malfoy saw them standing there and immediately sneered at them. He stopped when he was right in front of James, with Sirius standing promptly on his right and Remus standing on his left, ready for anything Malfoy might try to pull.
James and Malfoy glared at each other for about two minutes. Finally, still glaring, Malfoy spoke up, "Heard what happened to your mudblood whore. It looks like someone finally realized what needs to be done about the garbage in this school."
"You're right. Someone 'did' realize what needs to be done about the garbage in this school. His name in Albus Dumbledore and he expelled it." Sirius growled.
Malfoy sneered at Sirius then turned his attention back to James, "You had better watch your back, Potter. Unless you want to end up like your filthy mudblood girlfriend."
Remus had to hold James' robes to pull him back from lunging at Malfoy. Peter did the same for Sirius, who looked ready to beat the crap out of him. Malfoy smirked at this, a cold gleam in his grey eyes.
"Your carriage is waiting for you, Malfoy. Why don't you just get in it and leave. I'm sure we'll never have to see each other again." Remus whispered dangerously. Malfoy looked as though he was going to do something like hex them, so Remus said, "Unless we have to call James' father out here to straighten this all out."
Without breaking his glare from James, Malfoy picked up his trunk and started to walk towards the door. A few feet away from it, Malfoy turned around and gave them one last threat to James, "You better be careful, Potter. Your little whore may not always be around to save you."
Without hesitation, Sirius spoke up, him and Remus standing a little in front of James, "Maybe not, but we will." He said in a low serious voice. "Tell your 'master' he can try all the shit he wants with Lily and James. It won't matter because one of us will always be around to help them."
With one more glare, Malfoy turned and walked out to his carriage.
"Good riddance." James muttered to his retreating back.
"See you when we catch you to put you in Azkaban, Lucy" Sirius yelled to Malfoy.
~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, James woke up feeling drained. Somehow last night, he was able to finally sleep. He looked over to the beds of his friends. Remus and Sirius were sleeping soundly and Peter was snoring loudly, a flaw all of them had learned to ignore. They had heard no new news on Lily's condition. All Madame Pomfrey said when they saw her was, "No change."
James knew that that news was better than her being dead, which was still an option. Every moment, his heart held a pain inside. A pain so strong, that he though he was physically hurt instead of mentally. He knew Sirius was going through a pain like his, only a little weaker than his. As close as Sirius is with Lily, he still hadn't known her like James does.
Thirty minutes later, when all the marauders were up and dressed, they walked into the Great Hall and saw many people giving them sympathetic stares. Only this time, James didn't thrash out at them; he knew it wasn't there fault. Cassandra had come up to James and asked if he was going to apologize to her after what she said to him.
James' eyes widened in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding me, Wellington."
Cassandra looked clueless as to why James acted this way, "What do you mean, James. I expect an apology from you. You yelled at me for no reason and-,"
"No reason?" Sirius interrupted, laughing at her stupidity, "Boy, for your sake, I hope your parents bribe your teachers so you get passing grades. Like, hello, you, like, totally, like, dissed Lily, and like, she, like, might die, and like, you 'really' don't, like care. Hmmm, like, I wonder, like, 'why' James would be, like so totally mad at, like, you." He mocked.
Nothing seemed to get that concept into the moron's head. She just stared at Sirius for a minute, with a confused look on her face. Then, without a word, turned her attention back to James, "So, like, are you sorry?"
James let out an exasperated sigh, along with Sirius, Remus and Peter and the four of them walked off without a word to Cassandra. They sat themselves down at their usual place and half-heartedly gathered food onto their plates. Lily always joked about their eating habits. About five minutes later, Dumbledore stood up and gave the very sad speech, "Students, I'm very sorry to say something terrible has been going on in this school without my knowledge."
The students who hadn't been paying attention earlier, now looked up at him with astonishment evident on their faces. As Dumbledore went through the heart-wrenching events that had been happening right under everyone's noses, no one made a sound.
Then he got to the part about everyone all being under a spell and them all saying and doing hateful things to Lily. Tears made their way down some faces at that moment. No one had any recollection on even talking to Lily, and here they were hearing that they hated her this last week. Though Dumbledore didn't say it, most realized that they probably even went as far as to call her a mudblood, a non-forgivable action to most. The information was getting to people so strongly, that even Cassandra and her buddies had frowns on their faces.
"-We, the staff, do not know if she will make it through this whole ordeal alive, or not." Dumbledore went on, saying something similar to what he will be saying close to twenty years from now after the most horrible incident can happen to an individual, "And so, when, if in the future, you come to a point when you have to choose between good and evil, remember this tragedy. Remember what Lily Evans did to protect the ones she loves."
~*~*~*~*~
After Dumbledore made his speech, the students were different. No longer the carefree, self-centered kids they were, they grew up in a way. Much more mature. A week had passed and still there was no change in Lily. The whole school wore black to show their concern and pity. Though not decease, they new in their hearts that it was as possible of happening as her getting better. Her odds were 50/50.
All through school, you would hear people talking about the accident. Phrases like, "Has she woken up yet?" or "Did you go to see her?" where heard throughout the halls. Many came up to the marauders to ask about her condition, or to simply give their sympathies.
The marauders. That's where most of the drama took place. James had seemed to distance himself from his friends and take refuge in the hospital wing. Whenever he wasn't sleeping or in class, you could find him there, taking in all the flowers and 'get-well' cards around her bed. Her cuts and bruises became less visible. She was still as pale as can be, though. Her arm was healed, though it never moved. She never moved. It disturbed James to see her like this. She was never this still, even when she was asleep. To see someone who was usually so full of life like this, it was like having your heartbreaking every time over and over again when you looked at her.
James refused to leave to eat meals, insisting that she may wake up without him there. On the tenth day of him doing this, Remus and Sirius came into the room, proclaiming loudly and seriously "James. You gotta get out of here. Get something to eat... do 'something'!"
"What if she wakes up? She won't see me here. What will she do if she doesn't see me here, holding her hand and waiting for her?" James replied.
"I think Lily would understand. James, you of all people know that she would 'hate' the way you're behaving." Remus said.
James was silent, just staring at the still form of Lily, "James, you know she wants you to get out of here and do something other than sit around here." Remus pressed on.
"You can come back. All we're going to do is grab some food. Maybe we can even pull a prank." Sirius suggested, a sparkle in his eye.
James seemed to hesitate about that. Sirius noticed his looked and said quickly, "We could dedicate it to Lily. Come on, you know who she 'loves' pranks."
That seemed to do the trick, "Alright. We'll pull a prank. But right after that, we head straight back here." He insisted.
"Deal." Peter replied. The four walked out of the wing to the Great Hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the prank, James seemed to be recovering. He laughed more with his friends. The four of them thought about Lily often. They still felt guilty, though they didn't let it eat up their lives anymore. All pranks they pulled they ended with a white and pink Lily in the air. That brought almost everyone comfort, even the prank victim.
It had been a month since it happened. The boys visited her once a day after their classes and just talked and joked as though she could hear them. This particular day was a Saturday. Not just any Saturday, though. It was a Quidditch game day. The first Quidditch game without Lily there. They had to use one of the back-up chasers. An annoying third year by the name of Gildory Lockhart, who in fact, had an enormous crush on Lily ever since he saw her. Of course, he knew that she was in love with him, she had just been hiding it from him all those years because she thought that he was too good for her...at least that's what 'he' claimed.
The marauders knew that this game would be hard to play. Not because they were playing Hufflepuff...because they sucked, but because Lily wouldn't be there. It would be the second time that Lily wouldn't be there to make sure they ate a healthy breakfast before the match; which had become practically tradition to the Gryffindor players.
Instead of the marauders sitting together alone, they ate with the rest of the Quidditch team, whom were poking at their food half-heartedly. James, since he was the captain and all, decided to take it upon himself this time to make the players eat. He also decided to try and cheer the team up.
"Now team, must I always repeat myself. Like I've said millions and 'trillions'," James started, talking like Lily usually did when she made this speech. And, imitating her, he stretched his arms out as wide as they would go when he said the 'millions and 'trillions' part. "No fuel in the belly, no fire in the brain." When he finished, the players were all staring at him with twinkles in there eyes. The whole table was staring at him, though he knew they were thinking about Lily. "Now come on team. Let's eat!" And with that, he grabbed some food himself and started eating.
~*~*~*~*~
After James had given his pep talk in the locker room, the team minus James, Remus, and Sirius walked to the pitch. The three stayed behind a moment.
"I miss her." Sirius said softly.
"I do too. But hey, she could wake up at any moment." Remus said, trying to sound cheerful.
James sighed sadly and said, "Yeah, well we'd better get out there."
As James, Sirius, and Remus walked out onto the Quidditch pitch, they saw something that made their hearts skip a beat. They stared at the other end of the field and saw a 'large' banner with a white and pink lily on it; much like the one they displayed after every prank. This one, like all the ones before, comforted them. It was almost as though Lily were out here playing with them.
With lighter hearts, they all mounted their brooms and played. They put their heart and souls into this game and it ended up paying off in the end. As soon as James caught the snitch in his hand, the Gryffindors and surprisingly 'everyone' else, Hufflepuffs included clapped, cheered, and whistled while the Gryffindor team and the others gathered around and lifted James up on their shoulders.
James, in a daze, looked at the snitch resting calmly in his hands. Then, he looked up a the banner of the flower and smiled. "This one's for you, flower." He whispered. He looked around for Remus and Sirius and saw them and the rest of the team getting prompted up on the other Gryffindor's shoulders. They looked over at him and he could tell they were thinking about Lily as well.
Then in a much louder voice, James yelled over the crowd's noise, "FOR LILY!!!" That sent the crowd into hysterics and they started to chant, "Lily." Over and over again.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N- how'd you like it? Please tell me in a review.
* Finally, they all made it to the castle.
* She let out a shaky gasp as she took in the unconscious form.
* "She doesn't know when she'll wake up." He said sullenly to his dad.
* "Does her family even know?" "Do you think they care?"
* "I have found something odd, though. On her right shoulder, there is
a mysterious looking scar."
* Christmas was coming up.
* "Happy Christmas, Lilz." They each said softly.
* "I believe that Miss Evans had gotten your presents quite early this
year."
* The days and weeks passed and still no sign of change.