Disclaimer: To say I own the characters would be copy write theft. I have no wish to steal, so to cover my backside, I don't own it.

Thanks to the following reviewers: Tai Greywing, Kates Master, maneatingbananas, life2me, blvd, Trainer Krystal, ilovedrew88, angeltread, monkeyboi, Ari, radical-rebel, Celestial Huntress, pigs can fly, sugur-huny-bun, lostindreams1001, Harry Potter Mania, LilyFlower92 and Jazzmatazz!

A/N: Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! I didn't do reviewers last week! I wasn't paying attention and I posted without doing the list! Argh! I'm stupid! I won't do it again! (Fred: You damn well better not!)

Another problem. I've got writers block! Argh! Can you all tell me something funny and it might inspire me to write again! (Fred: Isn't that what we muses are for?) Subtle hint for you to review. But really, if I can get the next chapter (34) complete, then I will start updating more regularly, say two or three a week? (Fred: Oooh! I like the sound of that! Tell her something funny!)

Another important reminder! If by any horrible chance, my story were to be deleted, I would be re-posting it on Mugglenet ASAP. Or if that didn't happen you could email me!

My apologies again for those of you who were mad cause I didn't do reviewers last week! I am a dumb little blonde!

Chapter 24

"Aww! They're so cute!" Tash said. Lily nodded as she watched Jenny and Remus leave the common room hand in hand. It was their six-month anniversary and they were going into Hogsmeade for the evening.

"So they've got a date in Hogsmeade what are we going to do?" Tash asked.

"Unfortunately, I've got homework to finish," Lily said. "And unless you've been ditching Quidditch practise to study, you've still got it too."

"I'd never ditch Quidditch!" Tash said mortally offended. "Not only would your boyfriend kill me, but my boyfriend would probably think I was mad."

"You are mad Tash I though we established that in thethird year?" Lily said gluing her eyes back to her essay. Unfortunately the common room was full of people and the noise was making concentration impossible.

"Actually it was thesecond year," Tash said. "And I can't concentrate either."

"Mmm," Lily threw her quill on the parchment as James and Sirius came in from dinner.

"I've never understood what takes you two so long in the hall," Lily said.

"We're eating," James said.

"Yeah Tash eats at breakneck speed too but she doesn't take half an hour," Lily pointed out. Tash swelled at what she obviously thought was praise.

"Yeah but Tash shovels," Sirius said, "no offence Tash!"

"None taken. I know I do," Tash waved her hand.

"But we take time to digest," James said.

"Charming," Lily smiled.

"Have Jen and Moony gone?" Sirius asked.

"Yep," Tash nodded and tried to write something on her parchment. "Argh! I can't concentrate!"

"Oh another thing," Sirius said. "We've got detention tonight."

"Why?" Tash asked. Lily frowned at James.

"We, kind of hexed Snape in the corridors," Sirius said.

"No you hexed Snape in the corridors," James corrected. "I was just defending myself. But Ramton walked past and gave us detention anyway."

"Git!" Tash said.

"Hope that was directed at the teacher and not me!" Sirius said.

"Don't worry," Tash said. Sirius relaxed but Lily heard Tash mutter. "It was directed at both of you."

"So when is you're detention?" Lily asked.

"At seven o clock," James said.

"You mean in five minutes," Tash gestured to the clock.

"Uh oh!" Sirius gulped. "Perhaps we'd better be going Prongs."

"See you later," James waved and followed his friend through the portrait hole.

"Wonder what Ramtons got in store for them," Tash mused.

"Knowing him it'll be something foul," Lily said throwing down her quill again. "Right now I really can't concentrate!"

"I think we should go to the library," Tash said gathering her work up and bundling it into her bag. "It'll be quiet there."

Sighing at the rowdy Gryffindor's Lily picked up her essay and followed Tash.

OOO

"…allowing a potion to retain heat without keeping it lit…" Tash finished.

"I think your grammar might be a bit off," Lily said folding up her essay and tucking it into her bag.

"Who cares, if Amie doesn't like it he can go…" Tash trailed off wondering what exactly their Professor could do.

"Don't finish that sentence," Lily advised. "Come on. Lets go back to the common room before Filch starts patrolling."

"We've got fifteen minutes till curfew," Tash said. "The library's' only just about to close!"

"Trust me," Lily said. "Moaning Myrtle flooded her bathroom again last night. James and I saw it on patrol. Filch is going to be in a very foul mood and I wouldn't want to cross him anyway."

"Point taken," Tash said stowing her belongings in her bag and heading for the door.

"So when's your anniversary?" she asked Lily.

"End of April," Lily said smiling.

"Aww look at you grinning like you're Father Christmas," Tash teased.

"Shut up," Lily said.

"You're blushing red enough to be him too," Tash continued. "Now you just need a white beard!"

"Shut up!" Lily said, throwing her bag at Tash, who ducked and almost tripped over the staircase.

"Alright," Tash said. "Sorry!"

"What about you and Sirius?" Lily asked. "You going to celebrate your anniversary."

"It's too far away to think about it," Tash said. "I still don't know where we are."

"Do you love him?" Lily asked as they reached the fourth floor.

"I don't know," Tash said. "I feel something but I don't know what it is. And I don't know how he feels either!"

"Ask him?" Lily suggested.

"I can't just ask like that!" Tash said. "That would freak me out as well as him!"

"Have it your way," Lily said. They continued down the corridor towards the staircase. She didn't know why but Lily felt extremely nervous. As they reached the stairs, Tash flung out her arm and stopped.

"Don't move," she hissed in warning, reaching slowly for her wand. "We're being followed."

"By who?" Lily whispered.

"Well if I knew I wouldn't be whispering would I?" Tash hissed. Lily reached for her own wand as Tash spun around and shouted 'stupefy!'

Behind them stood three figures. One of them was caught in Tash's spell and dropped to the floor. Lily nearly gasped aloud when she saw all of them were hooded and masked. She heard Tash swearing to all the gods known to man. To Lily's horror another three Death Eaters had blocked their way up the stairs. They were surrounded and outnumbered.

Tash didn't waste any time and began to duel with the three on the stairs. Turning to two behind them Lily began to do the same. She soon realised that the spells they knew far surpassed anything she could do against them. Even Tash had only succeeded in knocking out one of them.

"Cestor Morandum!" one of the Death Eaters shouted. Lily felt herself slam into the wall behind her. Tash stunned the Death Eater. Another advanced leering at Lily. Lily felt a stab of horror when she realised what he was planning to do.

"Crucio!" Lily braced herself for the pain, but nothing happened. Someone else was screaming instead. Terror surged through Lily when she realised that Tash had taken the curse for her.

"Invocatum!" she shrieked. Another Death Eater blocked the spell. Furious, Lily shot another hex at him so fast that he didn't have time to pull up a shield. Tash's screams were still sounding and Lily wondered briefly why no one had heard. She send another spell at another of the Death Eaters, who froze on the spot. Turning to the Death Eater who was torturing her friend Lily raised her wand.

"Crucio!" Lily felt pain come crashing on top of her. One of the remaining Death Eaters had snuck up behind her.

How long she lay there under the curse Lily didn't know. She could only hear herself scream. Finally the curse was lifted and there was the sound of hurried footsteps. Vaguely Lily could see the Death Eaters grabbing their fallen partners and disappearing by portkey.

Just before she passed out Lily saw the ring on her finger glowing blue and if she had the strength she knew that if she could see Tash's ring it would be glowing red. To say they were in danger was a bit of an understatement.

OOO

Gasping for breath, Jenny hurried up the passageway followed by an equally exhausted Remus. They had been walking around Hogsmeade when Jenny's ring had begun to glow. Now they were racing to get back to the castle and find out what had happened.

"Here we are," Jenny said bursting into the second floor. They knew that this was one of the passages that Filch knew about but right now the threat of getting caught was not a priority.

"Where are they?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," Jenny said. "They could be anywhere!"

"Cutting your date short?" came a voice from behind them. Jen and Remus turned around to see James and Sirius standing on the staircase, wands drawn.

"We were coming back from detention and we heard someone screaming," Sirius said glancing upwards. Jenny yelped.

"It's Lily and Tash!"

"What?" James asked the colour draining from his face.

"How do you know?" Sirius asked. Jenny raised her hand to show her ring, which was changing colour from red to blue.

"Where are they!" Jenny freaked.

"Here," James dug into his bag and pulled out the map. "Come on! Come on!...Got them, they're on the fourth floor corridor."

Everyone bolted upstairs. At the top of the stairs Jenny screamed loudly.

Lily was lying in the middle of the floor with blood trickling from a graze on her head. Not far away Tash was next to the wall, her breathing shallow. There was no one else around.

James immediately ran to Lily and began checking for any sign of life. He was almost immediately pushed out of the way by Jenny who checked her over.

"Merlin! She's had the Cruciatus curse on her!"

"Tash has too," Sirius shouted.

"Who the hell would do this?" Jenny asked.

"I think we all know who did it," James said. "But how they did it right under Dumbledore's nose I don't."

"What on earth is going on?" came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned to see Nearly Headless Nick floating by the staircase.

"Nick! You have to go and get help!" Jenny said. Seeing Lily and Tash on the floor Nick didn't wait for an explanation and began floating down the staircase as fast as he could.

"Right Lily's in no immediate danger," Jenny said going over to Tash. James clutched Lily's hand and stroked her forehead.

"Come on Tash," Jen muttered.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked sounding extremely panicky.

"She's not responding. She must have had the curse on her for longer," Jenny said.

"You don't think…" Sirius trailed off. I was quite obvious everyone knew what he was worried about.

"I don't know," Jenny said. "It could just be because she's been hit with it before."

"Someone's coming," Remus said. James looked at the stairs, where Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey were hurrying up the stairs.

"Helps coming Lily," James whispered. "Hang on."

OOO

When Lily finally awoke she realised that she had pins and needles in her left arm. Glancing over she saw messy jet black hair resting on it. It seemed James had fallen asleep next to her.

"Lily!" Jenny squeaked and hugged her. Lily felt every bone in her body scream as Jenny hugged her. All she managed was a faint groan.

"How are you feeling?" Jenny asked. On her other side, Remus shook James awake. He bolted up and looked around.

"Well I was fine until you hugged me," Lily said. Jenny looked slightly put out.

"Are you sure you're okay?" James asked clutching her hand.

"Yes I'm sure," Lily said before she remembered the events that had taken place just before she'd passed out. "What happened to Tash?"

Everyone glanced at each other and Lily felt dread settle over her.

"She's alive," Remus said.

"But?" Lily asked.

"They don't know whether she's going to wake up," Jenny whispered. Lily turned her head to look at the bed next to her. Tash was still asleep. Sitting next to the bed, with undisguised tear in his eyes was Sirius.

A/N: Don't forget to leave me a review with something funny (if you can bear it after this). Fred: Pretty pretty pretty please with cherries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and those tasty little sprinkles on top?

Next Chapter: Umm…what on earth can I say? Basically it's the weeks following this chapter.

May Stardust fall in your dreams!