A/N: Hola!! Back from skiing in New Hampshire. Did you all miss me? Well, I'm assuming people do actually read this. I mean, I've only got one review, so it's kinda hard to judge, but whatever. On with the chapter.
Slytherin Disclaimer (I have GOT to get more original with these!): Well. ::looks furtively around:: Don't tell anyone this, but I'm actually plotting to gain control of the JK Rowling empire. My plan is nearing completion. But until then, I'm poor as that S.O.B Weasley.
For the most part, Lily enjoyed herself immensely on the ride to Hog warts. They played Exploding Snap and talked about Quidditch and England's chance for the Cup, which was next year. Sirius had calmed down a little, and was only vibrating in his seat and hiccupping regularly. If she was a little distant, nobody noticed. Besides James, of course. Throughout the train ride, he occasionally shot her looks that read clearly, you're not getting out of it that easily. Thankfully, he had enough tact not to bring it up while the others were around. To Lily's mind, there was nothing that could be done until she got a chance to talk to James alone. So she tried to forget about it, and listened attentively to James and Remus bickering about the number of detentions they would get that year. James' arguments consisted of examples of pranks they had pulled on Slytherins and never gotten caught for, which made Lily ask about them, which immediately turned the discussion into a detailed memoir of the trio's escapades. Lily helped James, Remus, and Sirius plan this year's, as well, and they were all happily shocked at how devious she was. Lily's masterpiece was a cunning scheme involving saran wrap, honey, superglue, packing peanuts, quidditch, and Malfoy. Her one rule was that they not use any of her plans until she had learned a bit about Lucious Malfoy for herself, and judged if he really deserved them. James had, naturally, told her all about the Slytherin, but she still wanted to check. Once they had exhausted the subject of jokes, the conversation turned to their personal history. James was a pureblood, whose mother was a healer and whose father was an Auror. Sirius didn't say much, just muttered something about how he had run away from home the summer after his first year and was now staying at James' house to escape the 'evilness'. Remus too was withdrawn, saying only that he was pureblood and both his parents worked for the Ministry. They were all in their sixth year, and were all happy to learn that Lily was, too. The Marauders, as they told her they called themselves, mentioned a missing member, Peter Pettigrew. James asked where he was, and Remus replied that Peter had sent him a vague owl saying that his father had somewhere to take him 'on business' and that he would be starting school after the holidays. Then James shrewdly asked about her life at home. Lily had always been a talented liar, except when her emotions were too strong, and then her personality showed right through. But here, she was in her element. Lily wove a simple deception; she was muggle-born. Her mother was a maid, and her father a radio announcer for a muggle station. Suddenly, Remus stood up, saying, "We've got 15 minutes before we get there. Maybe we should get changed." Everyone agreed, and the boys left, leaving Lily to use the compartment as a changing room.
When they came back 10 minutes later, she was lying with her back on the seat, reading a copy of Lord of the Rings that Remus had lent her. "Shove," said James mildly. She sat up and put her book down just as the train whistle blew. There was a sudden flurry of movement as the students disembarked. Lily found herself outside in the chilly night air, and gasped as she saw Hogwarts for the first time. James slung a friendly arm around her shoulders and said happily, "Home." Remus came up to them. "Let's go get a boat." They walked to the waters edge and got into a small ferry. It started with a jerk, and they set off across the lake, surrounded by other students laughing and talking. On the way across, James explained that the lake had perfectly vertical sides, so it was the same depth all over. "Excellent for fishing," Remus remarked. When they got to the other side, Lily let the boys get off first. As she got out, a student with a sneer and long blond hair pushed past her. She had been standing on the edge of the bank, and James, Remus, and Sirius watched in slow motion as she teetered on the edge, arms flailing, and finally seemed curve backwards and fall into the 100-ft-deep lake. James screamed "Lily!" and ran to the side just in time to see her strike her head on a rock and sink slowly.
Without thinking, he dove in after her, narrowly missing the stone himself. James arrowed through the water until he found her, slender body swaying gently in the underwater current, long coppery hair undulating gently around her body. There was a slight haze of red around her, and a nasty-looking gash on her temple and forehead. She looked pale and erethreal in the moonlit, shadowy water. James shook himself and grabbed her around the waist. Kicking off with powerful stokes, bubbles coming from his mouth, he rose slowly to the surface. When he got his head above the water, James slung her over his shoulder and began climbing the steep bank of the river, with the help of a rope that Remus and Sirius had conjured. "You idiots!" a girl cried, going round and whacking a random student around the head. The sixth-years had all gathered around the bank and were watching the spectacle. "Go HELP THEM!" she pointed at Remus and Sirius, who were straining at the rope, trying to pull Lily and James up. She ran over and began heaving on the rope as well. Soon other Gryffindors joined her, and Lily and James rose slowly to the bank. When they got there, James clambered over the edge and gently deposited a sopping wet Lily on the ground. She rolled over and started coughing violently as water came out of her lungs. "That," he said to her, "was Malfoy." Some of the Slytherins could be heard muttering "Goddammit" under their breaths when they heard that the rescue was a success. Just then, Headmaster Dumbledore came striding across the grounds, conjuring a stretcher as he went. When her reached the sopping wet Lily and James and the 10 or so students with rope burns who were panting heavily, he raised his eyebrows, levitated Lily onto the stretcher and told James to follow him. They made their way up to the castle, with Lily weakly protesting that she could walk, and James forcefully holding her down, probably a good choice seeing as the score along her head was still bleeding heavily. He gradually realized that she wasn't struggling anymore, and cautiously let go of her shoulders. She had, evidently, passed out from blood loss. When they got to Dumbledore's office (pepper imp), the old man stuck his head inside the fire and called "POPPY!" In a few seconds, during which he conjured a bed and laid Lily in it, Madame Pomfrey ran into the room, wheezing heavily. "Jesus Christ, Albus. If you've gotten a lemon drop stuck in your beard AGAIN, I swear I'll destroy the entire bloody industry-" she stopped suddenly. "Oh, dear," she said seeing Lily and James, who had pulled up a chair next to the bed. She immediately summoned a house-elf and asked him to bring her a blood-replenishing potion, pain reliever, and some chocolate to ward off pneumonia. She woke Lily up, and as soon as her patient woke up and pieced together what was going on, she began protesting again. "Here, have some treacle fudge," Dumbledore offered. She took it absently and with a thank-you, and ate it as she continued to ward off the harassed medi-witch. "Honestly, I'm fi-mmmph mummph MUMMPH mmmumph!" Her jaws had been locked together with something that looked suspiciously like fudge. "Hagrid?" asked James. Dumbledore nodded as his student grinned and the nurse conjured a curtain and began to administer to her patient, after a curt "Thank-you, Albus". Lily had given up on talking and was now alternating between giving the death glare to James through the curtain and trying to loosen the treacle. She inconspicuously leaned towards a candle near her bed, and the fudge began to melt. When the witch had finished and Dumbledore had gotten the whole story from James, he said, "Well, it would be pointless to have you sorted in the Great Hall now, Lily, so we may as well do it right now. He stuck his head into the fire again, and said "Minerva? Could I please have the Sorting hat? Thank-you." As he pulled his head out of the fire, the hat appeared there. He took it out and placed it on Lily's head. After a long period of silence, the hat said "Gryffindor," in a hoarse voice. "Long night?" asked Albus sympathetically. "Fifty-three. Can you believe it? Most of them Slytherins, too. Nasty stuff. Night, sir." The hat replied before shutting up and snoring lightly. "Well, I expect you two will want to be getting back to your dorm. Mr. Potter, I will ask you to accompany Miss Evans back, as the potion will have made her slightly dizzy. "Yes, sir." James replied. Lily slid off the bed and stumbled, grabbing James' arm for balance. They made their way out of the headmaster's office and down two corridors before Lily cried out, "Oh no! Remus' book!" She checked her pockets. "It was a first edition, too! He's going to kill me!"
"Here," said James, helping her sit down against the wall, "stay here. I'll go check to see if it fell out of your pocket in Dumbledore's office." He turned and ran back to the office as Lily cried "Thank-you!" James muttered the password to the gargoyle and silently mounted the rotating staircase. He waited impatiently for the ride to end. He didn't like leaving Lily alone like that…He reached the door and was about to knock when he heard voices coming from inside. James hesitated, and, the Marauder inside taking over, lowered his hand and instead listened to Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey talk in confidential tones.
" – Strangest thing I've ever seen, Albus, I swear. The poor girl had second degree burns all over her side and severe lacerations on her left leg. I picked these out of it." There was a rustle of cloth, a soft chink, and then silence.
"Pottery…"
"And her arm, Albus! That is as close as you can get to snapping her arm without breaking it! I did all I could, but I'm afraid that wasn't much. Most of it needed to heal itself."
"What did you do, Poppy? I'm sure young Miss Evans would not have submitted willingly to your… ministrations."
"Erm, well, you see, I thought it would be best…" Madame Pomfrey sounded rather embarrassed. "I-er, that is to say- Igaveherasleepingdraughtthenmodifiedhermemory" she said quickly.
"Pardon, Poppy? I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that."
"I gave her a sleeping draught then modified her memory." The medi-witch said guiltily.
"Well, that is most unorthodox, but I believe, given the circumstances, that we can accept that as the right thing to do." Albus said kindly. "I think it would be best if we didn't mention this to anyone, and let Miss Evans handle this for herself. I am sure she is quite capable." James could hear the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes. He slid away from the door and ran down the staircase. He had heard enough.
A/N: Well? That was kinda long, but I just couldn't stop writing… I'm gonna go open up an new document right now and just continue my thoughts in a new chapter…PLEASE review! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! I can't tell if anyone is reading this!!!