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Severus scrambled over to Lily as quickly as he could after his father had left. He made slight grunting noises as he neared her, even though she was just a few feet away.

"Lily," he moaned. "Lily, are you okay? Tell me you're okay."

Tears sparked at the corners of her eyes. "I'm all right."

"Then why are you crying? Oh, God, Lily…"

"Do you go through that everyday?" she questioned, not even bothering to sound casual.

He leaned up on his elbow, then spoke softly. "Most days, yeah. Especially when he sits down with a bottle of sherry. Sometimes he's okay though, really."

Lily got to her feet, her knees shaking. "Was he really sick those last few times that he was supposed to be teaching?"

"I don't know," Severus said, following suit with Lily's help. They began to walk stiffly back to the castle. "I try my best to avoid him."

"Oh, that's awful!" Lily cried. "You should really tell someone, you know."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "I couldn't, Lily! I mean, people have to suspect something after today at lessons, but imagine how it would be if we went all the way to the court and he was sentence 'not guilty'? I'd be done for, then."

Lily opened her mouth to speak again, but Severus cu her off. "Listen, okay? Don't think I haven't considered it… I want him to stop just as bad as you do… Most likely more… but I need you to keep quiet about it, okay?"

Lily looked down.

"I'm really sorry he even laid a finger on you," he said.

Lily knew he was sincere. Trying to change the subject a bit, she asked, "Do you think anyone has noticed we're a tad bit late?"

"I hope not," he said, then added as an afterthought, "I think we should go in at separate times, so no one will suspect anything. I mean, as long as you promise not to tell."

She bit her lip. "Yeah, all right, I promise… But I don't know how long I can keep it. Here, let me clean us up. Scourgify!"

Lily entered first, then approached the teacher's table, still dusting a little bit of dirt off of the hem of her robes. After trying to avoid some people's eyes, she took her seat.

"You're a bit late, Miss Evans."

"Sorry," she whispered, casting a regretful look across her face. "I got held up at the Flying Pitch."

"Yes, yes," he nodded his head after taking a sip from his goblet. "I heard that you were a most excellent flyer."

"You did?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I did," he assured her. "But, now is not the time for such things as flying. Help yourself to some of this delicious food and listen closely as I talk to you about something."

Lily did as he said, absent-mindedly placing some chicken on her plate.

"First, let us start off with some excellent news. Fawkes has returned, and you are allowed to travel to Hogsmeade."

"That's great!" Lily replied, trying not to choke on her dinner. "Thank you so much, Professor Dumbledore!"

"It is nothing," he beamed. "But, alas, now is the time for me to ask you for something. It's the reason I was so keen to have you sit with me today. You do not have to answer me immediately… in fact, you can have several days to think if over, if you wish."

Lily was hanging onto his every word.

"I have been speaking to your teachers, who have assured me that you are doing a fine job in class, and therefore, I would like to inquire of you that you become a tutor."

Shock passed over Lily's face, then denial raced through her mind. "But, Headmaster, surely there must be a mistake… I'm only in my first year!"

He grinned, obviously amused. "There is no mistake. Now, Miss Evans, if you will kindly take your seat…"

She sat back down, embarrassed, not even realizing that she'd stood in the first place.

"If you are interested…" ("I am!" Lily assured him). "Then there will be a quiz you must take. If you pass, you will begin to help out your fellow first years in your spare leisure time, and, if you succeed and are willing to accept the challenge, then I will also allow you to consider helping the second years. If you excel during this quiz, then I shall announce it to the Hall. Are you ready?"

"Am I ever!" Lily beamed.

"Lovely," he replied, and the examination began. He shot her easy and alarmingly hard questions, but she answered them all off of the top of her head with an easy air of natural assurance.

At the end of the interrogation (and dinner), Dumbledore stood up. "Good evening, students. As you know, Halloween is approaching, which means that added pressure has been placed on you to get more involved with your studies. Therefore, I have come up with a solution. Miss Evans, will you please stand up?"

Lily felt the color rise to her cheeks.

"Miss Evans here has accepted the post of tutoring first year students who are struggling, and, and a few short weeks, if she accepts, she will begin helping out second years, also! All right, the old man has spoken. You are dismissed. Wait, as an after thought, why not give a round of applause to Miss Evans?"

The school began to clap for her, and Lily say Tyler cheering, Malfoy and Snape standing on their tables, whooping, and four Gryffindor boys whistling for her.

Those marauders, Lily smiled after she had managed to struggle up to her dormitory through the crowd of gaping Gryffindors.

As she put in her curlers, she began to think of how James had called her name, and how he looked so proud of her…