"Are you ready to go?"
"Nearly, just give me a sec."
"Can you please hurry up?"
"Okay, okay," Kiara replied to Lily's request. "I'm ready."
They both headed down to the common room where several people were crowded round the notice board. They looked at each other quizzically and then proceeded to have a further look.
"Oh yeah, the date of the first Hogsmeade trip is up. It's on the 5th October." Lily told her craning her neck to see above the herd of people gathered in front of them.
"Do you want to see if the boys want to go as a group with us?" Lily asked as Lisa came up to join them.
"Hi, Lily I've decided to do it. I'm going to ask Remus to Hogsmeade."
"Aw that's great Lees, when are you going to ask him?" Lily congratulated her.
"Probably a bit closer to the time," she replied.
Lily hugged her. "He hasn't said yes yet you know," Lisa half laughed.
"Let's head down to breakfast," Kiara said finally.
"So thinking of going with anyone you two?" Remus asked James and Sirius.
"Not really. I thought we might see if the girls wanted to go as a group," James replied.
"Yeah that sounds a good plan," Sirius agreed.
"So, what about you Moony? You thinking of asking anyone special?" Sirius asked.
"Well, there is someone I would like to ask but you know I can't go with anyone, it would be too dangerous for them, and how would I know I could trust them."
"Just for once would you forget about the risks? You don't know what would happen. And you'll never find out if you don't go with anyone. Just live life in the now would you?" James argued.
"I don't know Prongs," he replied sounding unsure.
James gave him a look that said quite plainly he should stop thinking of others and put himself first for a change.
"Fine. You win. I will ask her but I still don't know if she'll want to go with me."
"Of course she will mate."
"Morning people!" Sirius said brightly to the girls as the three marauders sat down at the Gryffindor table opposite them.
"Morning. Where's Peter?" asked Lily.
"He said he'd catch up."
"What do we have first today?" James asked the group.
"Defence against the Dark arts," Lily told him.
Kiara gave a squeal of delight at which Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous," she said.
He gave her an "as if" smile.
"We better head off otherwise we'll be late," Lily said forking the last of her breakfast into her mouth.
"We've only just got here," complained Sirius.
"We'll catch up," Remus told her with an amused smile.
"Morning class," Professor Adams greeted. "Now, as I said I will tell you a bit more about myself this lesson but I've decided to start the lesson by inviting you to ask questions of which hopefully I will be able to supply the answers. That should cover the first half of the lesson and then we will proceed with the homework I gave you. I hope you have all found a spell you think you need to work on."
"So that's that, who wants to ask the first question?" he finished off.
There was silence until a timid Ravenclaw girl put her hand up and said, "Is the auror training programme hard?"
He chuckled slightly before replying, "It depends what an individual finds hard but for most it can be extremely difficult. There are many aspects to the course and you have to do well in all of them to become a qualified auror."
Another girl raised her hand and asked shyly with slight worry, "Is there really a new dark wizard rising?"
The class was silent until Professor Adams said sadly, "I'm afraid it is true and there have been many murders and missing persons since we have started to hear more of him. But there are plenty of aurors on his tail and you are perfectly safe at Hogwarts."
This time a boy raised his hand and asked, "I heard he's going after muggleborns. Is that true?"
"Yet again I am afraid to say that this is true, he is one of those wizards who believes only pureblooded witches and wizards should be allowed to learn magic." There were many gasps around the room. "And unfortunately he is willing to commit murder to gain power," he finished sadly bowing his head and looking a lot older than he actually was.
"Next question please," he said looking up.
This time James put his hand up. "My parents are aurors and they told me that this dark wizard, I think they said his name was something like Lord Voldemort, has lots of followers called death eaters?" he started unsurely until Professor Adams gave his a curt nod signalling him to continue. "They said that aurors have been given the power to use the unforgivable curses on them."
This time there were many much louder gasps before Professor Adams began talking. "You have all learned about the three unforgivable curses during your fourth year here. The imperius curse, the cruciatus curse and the killing curse of which no one has ever survived, Avada Kedavra. You should all be aware that the use of any of these spells on another human being earns a life sentence in Azkaban. However, the ministry feels that the use of these spells may be the only way to stop this Lord Voldemort and his followers. So you are correct. Aurors have been given permission to use the unforgivable curses but only in extreme conditions." Lily thought she could hear bitterness in his voice.
"Have you ever used an unforgivable curse sir?" the girl who had asked the first question about Lord Voldemort asked nervously.
Professor Adams surveyed the class carefully before answering, "Yes. Just once before I quit being an auror. You remember I said my being an auror got one of my best friends killed. Well, I was there when she was murdered. But before the death eater who murdered her committed it he decided to torture her. I didn't get there in time to prevent the spell but it made me so angry that I tried to use the cruciatus curse on the death eater. Of course it wasn't very strong having never done it before. That's what you need to conduct one of these curses. Anger and hatred to flow through your veins." The class was now listening intently and hanging on every word.
"You may be wondering why I wasn't at the welcoming feast. Well it was the one year anniversary of her death and I didn't feel quite up to it. Some of you will understand this if you have lost people close to you. Other's of you with think me weak. This is exactly what Voldemort would think. But it is not weakness it is a strength of which Voldemort does not possess now but must have done once. A strength which is in all of you now. And you will always need to remember should you ever have to call on it."
"And I think that will conclude our little discussion. We shall now proceed with the proper class work."
They spent the rest of the lesson revising spells they had learnt in previous years and concentrating on those spells which they found most difficult. The students all thought Professor Adams was a very nice teacher as he let them sit and talk whilst trying to do the spells. He gave them a lot of trust which some of the other professors didn't allow which strove them to work harder.
"Okay," Professor Adams said as the bell rang signalling the end of the lesson. "Next lesson we will start to learn some new stuff so be prepared."
"Wow, that was a really good lesson," Lily exclaimed to their group as they all walked out of the door. "But do you think I should be worried about this Lord Voldemort guy? I mean I am a muggleborn."
"Don't worry Lily. Like Adams said. You're safe at Hogwarts." said James. "What have we got next by the way?"
"Transfiguration."
"My favourite subject."
"Don't we know it."
The next couple of weeks flew by very quickly and it was nearly coming to the Hogsmeade visit.
Kiara, Lisa and Lily were all sitting in the common room studying when James and Remus walked through the door.
"Hey Lily, remember we need to go on patrol in a minute," James reminded her.
"Oh right. Give me a second." She got up and started to turn away but not before she had whispered to Lisa, "Do it now!"
Lisa mouthed an okay in response.
"Remus can I have a word with you, uh, privately?"
"Sure."
Lisa led him off to an open space in the common room where they couldn't be heard. James stayed about 5 metres to the right of Remus. Close enough to make sure he wouldn't chicken out but not too close so Lisa would think he was intruding.
"I was wondering," she began. "If you, uh, would like to got to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"
"Like a date?"
"Yeah."
"Well, um," Remus started rubbing the back of his head with a hand as he always did when he was nervous. He shot a sideways look at James who widened his eyes in encouragement and gave a small nod. Then turned back to Lisa's waiting and slightly worried face.
"Look listen it was a stupid idea, I'm sorry." She turned to leave before Remus grabbed her arm and swung her round to face him.
"I would love to go with you Lisa."
The worried look on her face was now replaced with a wide smile.
Just then Lily came back to the common room and said to James, "Let's go."
They both walked out of the portrait hole to patrol the corridors together.
They had come to enjoy their nightly patrols in each others company learning more about each other every night. James had learnt that Lily's parents had been thrilled when she had got her letter to Hogwarts but her sister, who she had once been close to, now considered her a freak. Equally Lily had learnt of James desire to become an auror like his parents although if he ever did have a family of his own he would try and make sure he could spend more time with them than on the job as his parents were away a lot.
"It's great about Remus and Lisa isn't it," Lily said.
"Yeah, I'm so glad he decided to take the risk."
"What risk?"
"Oh nothing, never mind," he replied quickly.
Although Lily wondered what he had meant she decided it was really none of her business so she contented herself with a, "hmm."
"And what about Kiara and Sirius hey?" Lily asked James.
"There's nothing going on between Kiara and Sirius. She hates him."
"I hated you but when I got to know you, you turned out to be a pretty decent guy."
This made James smile until he remembered her first comment, "But still…?"
"I know she likes him really, she just won't admit it. And you know what Sirius is like he has a different girl every week."
"I can't disagree with you there. I think some of them are on their second time round. But I do actually think he really likes Kiara but he won't admit it either."
"Hey you did want to go to Hogsmeade as a group didn't you?" Lily asked remembering to check that their plans were still valid.
"Yeah, of course. Peter can't make it he didn't say why so it'll only be you, me, Sirius and Kiara. We might survive if we manage to keep them at a reasonable distance from each other."
Lily laughed.
After half an hour more of patrolling and pleasant conversation they decided it was time to head back.
Saturday came around quickly and in no time at all the students were lined up outside the gates of Hogwarts ready to get into Hogsmeade.
Lisa and Remus came up to the other four holding hands. They had spent a lot more time with each other since they had agreed to go to Hogsmeade together.
"Me and Remus will meet you in The Three Broomsticks at about two. Is that okay?" she asked the group.
They all nodded.
"So, where do you guys want to go first?" Lily asked the other three once the other couple had left.
"Quidditch store," they all replied in unison.
Lily groaned. "I should have known. I am stuck with the best three players on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Okay let's go."
After a pleasant morning of being dragged to Quidditch stores and joke shops by the boys and the boys being dragged to clothes shops by the girls, they all agreed to go to honeydukes where they bought many, many sweets and Sirius and Kiara went completely mad on sugar. Lily and James were careful not to eat too much and they ended up parenting the other two and telling them off like they were three year olds before they got to The Three Broomsticks at around a quarter to two.
"Sit down Kiara, No sit down Sirius." Lily was trying hopelessly to control the two "toddlers" as every time she got one of them to sit down the other one would stand up a bit like a seesaw. She decided to give up and sit quietly waiting for James to come back from the bar with their drinks.
After a couple more minutes she saw him carrying a tray of two butterbeers and two glasses of water. "If this is what these two are like on sweets I do not want to see what they are like on butterbeer."
"Good point."
Lily and James had just managed to get the two to calm down enough to sit down and drink their water when Remus and Lisa walked in holding hands and laughing.
They spotted the others nearly immediately and headed straight to their table. Sirius and Kiara giggled as they approached and Remus and Lisa both looked at them worriedly and then at James and Lily enquiringly.
"Sugar hype," James explained.
After about an hour, by which time Sirius and Kiara had calmed down and were practically their normal selves again, they got up and left the pub and started to make their way back to the school.
A/N I think this is my longest chapter yet. Thankyou to my reviewers. I love you all! lol. You might have noticed that i'm keeping Peter out of this story quite a bit and this is because he doesn't really have any relevance to this story but he has to keep in it at some points to stay true to the books.
I think that's all i need to say. So Please Review!