Love Hurts

The lavatory seemed quiet and deserted, except for a messy haired boy who started to stir on the floor. He used his arms to push himself up, but crashed down when his legs wobbled. He grabbed the rims of a sink and lifted himself up to look at the mirror. He saw his glasses, short jet black hair, a non-hooked nose, and his hazel eyes.

"I'm not Snape," James said to himself. "It was just a nightmare. But, why are my legs shaking non-stop? I need to go to the Hospital Wing."

James tried to keep himself steady to walk, but he kept falling on his butt. He finally decided to crawl his way to the Wing which, unlucky for him, was on another floor. He could hear footsteps all around him, and giggling.

"Potter, what are you doing?" James looked up and let a sigh of relief.

"Professor Dumbledore! I can't stop my legs from shaking. I need to go see…"

"Don't worry, I'll take you."

The older wizard took James in his arms and calmly walked down the corridor. As they reached their destination they could hear laughing and screaming close by. They entered the Wing and saw three figures occupying different beds. James recognized them as his cronies. A pale, light brown haired boy noticed them enter.

"James! What happened to you?"

"I don't know Moony. Why are you all here?"

"I'm blind!" They all turned their attention to a shivering boy in another bed. "Is that James? I can't see!"

"That potion I gave you should work in a minute," yelled a witch from across the room. "Just calm down Sirius."

"Ok, ok." James then noticed another guy laughing uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with you Wormtail?"

"I… hehe… can't… hehe… stop… hehe… laughing… hehe!"

Dumbledore placed James on a bed next to Remus and then told the witch about James' legs. The healer went to him and made him drink a potion.

"This should make your legs normal again," she told James. Then she turned to Moony and examined his hand. "You're good to go Remus." The witch left but neither boy moved.

"Did Snape get you back for hexing him James?"

"What? I haven't bugged him lately!"

"What the hell do you mean you haven't bugged him lately?" Sirius' eyes were open now, and then he and Remus told James of the events that took place earlier.

"And then you and Lily left with the unconscious Severus," stated Remus, "and then the rest of us noticed things wrong with us so came here."

"I don't remember any of that, it's so weird."

"I'm telling you there's something Lily isn't telling us," replied Sirius. "We need to get the truth out of her somehow."

"I've got Veritaserum," Moony jumped in. "We'll give her some and ask her what's going on."

-----

One day Severus stood outside the Great Hall looking anxious. Soon he saw her, his red headed goddess. Lily glided to him and pecked his lips.

"Did you bring it," he asked her.

"Yes, and it's strong, so just relax." She caressed his broad shoulders and he leaned in for a kiss. After a few sensual moments she pulled away. "We'll have enough time for that later." They walked into the Great Hall hand in hand, and Severus went to the Gryffindor table with her. She giggled and he smiled because she liked it when he did that. "Oh Sevy, I'm sorry but you know you can't eat here with me." He lightly kissed her forehead and then let her go to take refuge at the Slytherin table.

Outside the Hall the Marauders peaked inside and surveyed the place. They pulled back before anybody noticed them and James grunted.

"Damnit, she's already here!"

"I can still give her the potion," said Remus, "if you distract her long enough so I can slip it in her goblet."

They entered the Great Hall casually and sat with her. Nobody said a word while they ate. James constantly thought of a diversion for Lily and Remus held the bottle of potion under the table. Soon the owls flew in and James had to decide something quick.

"Look Lily, it's your owl!" She turned her head to the ceiling and then Moony poured the clear liquid in her cup.

"I don't see Leon anywhere James."

"Oh, I thought I saw him, false alarm." Lily then lifted her goblet to her lips and James grinned.

"James, I need to talk to you alone."

"Uh… ok." She led him to the corner of the Hall and held his hand. "What do you want to talk about?"

"This is hard for me to say, James," she whispered, "but… but…"

'Here it comes,' thought James. 'About time she let the cat out of the bag!'

"I think we should see other people."

'…'

"I think it's for the best James. I love you, but I love another too, and I need to see if my feelings are real. You understand right?"

"Oh, I understand."

"You do, really?"

"Yes, I understand you need to be with Snivelly," he replied rather loudly. "He turns you on with his ugliness, doesn't he?" People overheard them, and then James and Lily could hear the sound of their laughter. She saw Severus start to stand, but she shook her head. He stayed at the table and watched her.

"James, shut up!"

"You two are the ones behind our mishaps! You two hexed me, my friends, and you two poisoned us, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Suddenly some student's gasped. Lily slapped him as hard as she could and the side of James' face slowly became red. "You're one to talk! Don't give me any potions either." She ran out of the Great Hall and James went after her.

"How can you like that ugly git, Lily?" She hurried up some stairs and he didn't go after her. James slowly walked back to the Great Hall where he heard more laughter. He entered the room and abruptly stopped dead in his tracks. 'What the…'

The black haired stud and the pale faced werewolf, Padfoot and Moony, two men, James' friends, were wrapped in an embrace, caressing each other, and exploring one another's mouths. James felt stunned that they didn't care their peers were amused, and that what he witnessed was really happening at all. They finally stopped and just beamed at each other, still holding one another.

"What was that all about," James asked. The sweethearts turned to him.

"We love each other," started Remus. "Why can't we snog when we want?"

"You two never mentioned this before. How long has this been going on?"

"Not long," replied Sirius. "While you were talking with Lily we noticed that we were ogling each other. Then we just started to make out."

"I can't stop thinking about him."

"Same here." They locked lips again and James looked away.

-----

A week after the incident in the Great Hall James and Remus went in a boy's lavatory, the werewolf covering his face with shaking hands. James hugged him, but felt really uncomfortable doing it.

"I thought he loved me," said Remus. "I thought it was love, but it was just lust."

"I've told you before that Lily gave you both a love potion. Yours probably hasn't worn off yet."

"It hurts so much James."

"I know, I know. The pain will go away, the potion will wear off soon." Remus went into a stall and James just stared at himself in a mirror, hearing his friend sob. "I wish my love for Lily could dissolve like a potion's effects." Suddenly the door burst open and Severus entered the restroom, eyes bloodshot, teeth showing, and wand out.

"There you are Potter! What did you do to Lily?" James looked awestruck.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything. I haven't even spoken to her in a week!"

"She's been avoiding me for a couple of days now. Did you give her anything?"

"No!"

"You liar!" Severus stepped forward and James pulled his wand from his robes.

"Expelliarmus!" Severus' wand flew from his hand and while he tried to retrieve it James' ran as fast as he could out of there.

"Sectusempra!" James collapsed and Severus walked to his fallen body. His robe was torn in two and blood flowed from a wound on his back and the back of his head. The floor and some of the walls were stained red.

"What happened to him?" He saw Lily running towards them, and then she stopped and knelt by James, examining the damage. "Why did you do this," she yelled at Severus.

"What did he do," asked a voice from behind Severus. They turned to see Remus, who was no longer crying.

"Go get help Remus!" Without another word the boy ran down the corridor and became out of sight. Lily looked at Severus again. "Why?"

"He gave you a love potion to tear us apart."

"Don't lie to me. I know what you've been doing." Severus just looked down at her sadly, staying quiet. "You are the one who gave me a love potion. I think it was right after I gave the Marauders the first potions. A few days ago I stopped drinking what you were giving me. I said I would help you, and that was it. I didn't want a relationship with you!"

"But you told me that you liked me, and the way I smiled. Then, I got the idea to steal you away from James."

"I really did like you, but only as a friend, and you had to be greedy." A tear ran down her cheek. "Look what you did to James!"

"I'm sorry. I'll fix it." He knelt down next to her and pointed his wand to the body. In his head he recited the counter course and they saw the gashes close. Blood ceased to flow but it didn't vanish. "He'll be fine once they give him some Blood-Replenishing Potion."

"Do you really love me, and do you want me to be happy?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then let me go. Let me choose who I want to be with. Shouldn't love be real and not forced?" Severus nodded and controlled his urge to cry. "I won't tell anybody what you did if you promise to leave me alone."

"Okay, Lily." He looked at her one last time, got up, and then quickly walked to the other end of the corridor. Severus felt a searing pain deep in his stomach that he knew would probably not go away anytime soon. 'I love her. I want her to be happy. I need to let her go.'

-----

When James finally awoke in the Hospital Wing Lily was sitting in a chair next to his bed. Lily confessed that she helped Severus get revenge on him and his friends, she told him of Severus' plan to make her love him instead of James, and she explained what had happened to them in the corridor.

"So is he going to stop torturing me now," asked James.

"If he told me the truth, that he truly loves me, then he'll lay off me, and hopefully you too."

"I hope so, because I already hurt enough loving you. I don't need him adding to the pain."

Fin