Chapter 2

"Once again, Lily Evans, you have outdone the entire class!" Professor Slughorn almost pompously announced to the class. Evans smiled proudly; one could even say she beamed at the words of praise from the professor.

"You know, James, she calls you cocky, but she herself isn't all that level headed," Sirius whispered as he stirred the bright golden liquid of his cauldron. James smiled absentmindedly, focusing on some weird book he was "reading" upside down. In reality, there was a star map spread in the middle pages of the book, and James was figuring out when their next adventure would take place.

Remus knew what James was doing, and peeked over his shoulder. "Already? It seems like last month's was just a week ago," he whispered under a controlled tone.

James nodded. Seventh year was a lot more than he'd bargained for. Teachers were twice as demanding as they were in Sixth, the homework had shot up tenfold, the spells they learned were five times more complicated than those learned last year (although the Marauders still managed to excel in every subject…well almost all of them did anyhow), which left the students barely any time to breathe, let alone go off adventuring under the full moon. "It's Thursday," he whispered quietly, "you two up for it still?" Peter had not succeeded in getting an E in potions and thus Sirius, James and Remus saw less and less of Peter. Lily coughed. James knew she had heard. He dropped his voice even more. "She's onto us, so we'll have to be extra careful." The other boys nodded. "I think we could get Wormtail to go ahead of us. Moony, I assume someone will be accompanying you?"

"As always."

James looked at his potions book, stirred three turns clockwise, added a dried leaf of parsley, and stirred twice more anticlockwise. A bright light emitted from his cauldron, followed by a soft smell of mint rain. Remus shook his head in disbelief. What was supposed to take hours to make, James had conjured in less than thirty four minutes. His friend's genius never ceased to amaze him. "Alright," James continued as he poured the liquid into a clear glass vial, "that leaves Padfoot and Prongs. Sirius, I think I remember Hagrid saying something about pumpkin patches. Maybe Padfoot would like to walk through them for a bit."

"Yeah, I'll bring him around eight thirty."

"Great. I'll take prongs out, around eight, to make sure he'll be okay for the night."

Remus looked worried. "So we're going to do this?"

Sirius' smile had never looked more suspicious. "Of course."

Thursday's supper was brief as the Marauders had some business to attend to before making their monthly visits to unchartered territories. This night, they had picked Hogsmead (although not the first time, it would be the first time this year) and, considering the War, they had to plan everything precisely. Of course, Lily Evans, sly and sneaky as she was, always managed to pop up near the foursome whenever they tried to discuss their plans. Luckily (or unluckily), James and Lily had been summoned by McGonagall for some Head Boy and Head Girl duties. James had run over the plans once again with Sirius and Peter, Remus was to be checked on at approximately seven forty five by Wormtail, Padfoot out of the pumpkin patch by eight forty-five and James as soon as he could slip away unnoticed. They would meet at the Shrieking Shack, though Sirius protested and finally, Padfoot and Prongs would meet by the trail to go to Hogsmead before the curve.

'I know what's going on tonight, Potter," she spoke softly, so as not to draw attention, yet James couldn't help but detect a tone of pride and menace in her voice.

"I stand by what I said at the beginning of term Evans. Don't break our little deal." They turned down a dimly lit hallway.

"I never agreed to anything. What? Don't give me that look!" James retreated his reproachful eyes. "You shook my hand, James, but I didn't agree."

James' stomach churned. Lily was walking on thin ice suspended over an active volcano. "Evans," he threatened.

"And don't think I don't see right through you, Potter, what with this new attitude of yours." She paused to tell a few first year Ravenclaws how to get back to their tower with a charming smile and soft, motherly voice. Just as soon as she'd changed tones, Lily turned back to James and resumed her cold lecture. "Others may believe it, but I don't. Not even in the slightest."

James stumbled on the first step of the staircase, but quickly regained his balance and continued up the stairs. "I'm not playing anything, Lily, you've got it all wrong."

"So you are telling me that you are this sweet, innocent young man who helps first years to their classes, scorns fourth years for picking on the younger ones, and who takes great care so as to not go near Severus Snape? Ha! That's a laugh, really."

James shrugged. "I said I changed."

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten. James Potter changed. But why? Why is he no longer the annoying little prat that he usually takes to being? Why is James Potter keeping his friends quiet this term? Why, by Merlin's beard, would James Potter stop acting pompous, cocky, self-righteous, and arrogant?" Lily's face had transformed to a dark shade of red, which to James was really funny, as her hair was almost the same colour. It made it look almost as if her hair was a continuation of her skin.

He flirted with the idea of replying something witty, something he would have said last year, even a few months ago, something along the lines of "Why, do you miss the old James?" But instead, he shrugged and, quite pale-faced, stood silently as the stairs shifted.

"Come on, Prongs," James jumped, "don't you want to tell Lily Evans what's up?"

"Where did you get –"

"Don't play innocent James, or should I say, Prongs. Why do they call you Prongs anyway? Could it be because –"

James heart was stuck in his throat. He was sure there was a vein in his forehead that was about to burst. He was furious, angry that Lily figured it out (or almost did) but also scared that she had. Dumbledore was much cleverer than she and that meant that…"Lily, you're dancing far too close to forbidden grounds. I'd suggest – "

"Oh don't be chivalrous, Potter, and pretend to save me from harm. I've known for a while about all of your little nicknames. Let me see, Padfoot, Wormtail…Moony…but wh - "

James grabbed her wrist, swung her towards him, the anger almost radiating from behind his glasses. "Stay away from us, Evans, and don't you dare speak those names to anyone again!"

His fury was reflected in her face. "You don't scare me, Potter. I am Head Girl, and you know darn well that I am one of the top witches of our class – "

"Ahem!" They turned and say – to their horror – Professor McGonagall glaring at them. "You two better solve this soon, I will not have child's play be the downfall of Gryffindor. Now, up you go, straight to my office." The Head Boy and Girl made their way silently to her office, but never spoke a word to each other for the duration of the small lecture.

Once back at the common room (it was almost nine!), James slipped out of view to retrieve his cloak. It had been almost impossible – Lily was now watching him more closely than ever – but something had distracted her, and he had used this opportunity to become invisible. Slipping out of the portrait hole (thankfully, some second year had come in just at the right moment), James looked at the empty parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said as he tapped it with his wand. The relatively new yet freaky caretaker, Filch, was out of sight, somewhere along the Slytherin tower, Dumbledore pacing in his office (as he took to doing quite often lately), McGonagall still sitting in her study. Everything was going perfectly as planned (except for the minor delay). "Mischief managed."

He escaped the castle unnoticed, although he had walked through the Bloody Barron. It had been a gross, cold feeling, but it hadn't been the first time James had touched death. Making his way down the road leading to Hogsmead, James was sure he had heard something behind him, but, when he turned, all he could see was the castle towering in the night.

He arrived at the meeting spot, glad to see a familiar dog wagging its tail. James spoke quietly in a baby voice, "Good puppy! You waited for me!" The dog growled, and James got to the point.

The journey started out as well as any other. Padfoot and Prongs arrived at the shrieking shack just in time to save Wormtail from getting stepped on by a very distraught werewolf. Moony's transformation had apparently gone quite well, as only minimal screaming was heard.

They made their way into Hogsmead village, walking just outside of the town, near the forest rather than on the road. They didn't struggle much with Moony's beastly instincts as something about their presence soothed him and Remus found himself in much more control than he had been in during his first year. Wormtail, tiring before getting to Honeyduke's, had climbed onto Prongs' back and slept while the other three, although quite alert, strutted towards the candy shop.

Prongs shook, sending an awakening rat flying off his back. He stomped his foot firmly, meaning "Go do your job now," which was to snatch a few sweets before heading into the forest. Wormtail, rat that he was, always ran around a bit first to scare as many ladies as possible before getting down to business. But Padfoot enjoyed watching him, watching the younger witches scream with fright at the ugly little thing. Who could blame them? It's not like Wormtail was a very good looking human to begin with, right? So how could anyone expect him to make a good looking rat?

Wormtail finally emerged with a bag of liquorice - one of the only things he had been able to grab. Prongs, however, paid him no attention. Something did not feel right, something felt…not out of place, but as though it should not be there. The hair on Padfoot's back stood up on ends as he caught the scent in the air. Their worries were confirmed when Moony howled. Someone was there, watching them, stalking them.

The four of them made a quick run for it, leading the now-almost-out-of-control Moony back to the Shrieking Shack. Wormtail, once there, continued straight into the Whomping Willow and most likely back inside the castle. Prongs and Padfoot were somewhat thankful, it meant one less person to worry about. Both of them led Moony into the room he usually transformed in, locked the heavy door, and transformed back into their human forms.

"Did you see who it was?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, but he smelt something awful. And be sure – it was a he!" James nodded in agreement. "What are you planning?" Sirius could tell James had already thought of something.

"Plan C. You go back to the castle via Whomping Willow," he caught his breath, unable to control his racing heart, "and I'll go get my cloak and the map." James' heart now deafened him, so whatever Sirius replied was somewhat unheard. "Just go straight to the castle, to the Common Room and stay there until I get back. If it takes me more than half an hour…send Dumbledore."

Sirius made to argue, but James had already assumed the shape of Prongs and had ran outside. At least, he thought as he ran as fast as he could for the place where Padfoot and him had met barely an hour ago, Death Eaters don't aimlessly kill stags.

From there on, however, nothing went as he had planned.

Prongs arrived at the meeting place to find a peculiar smell in the air. He leapt into the brush transformed back into James, and snuck around on his hands and knees in search for his map, cloak, and, of course, ah, there they were – his glasses.

"Mister Potter…Junior, I presume." A deep voice hidden under a black cloak and hood snivelled as James managed to touch both cloak and map. He kept them hidden, moving ever so slightly, so as not to raise an alarm. "Glad to finally get rid of you then."

"Morsmordre." Someone shot up the dark mark into the sky. "It seems to me that you've neglected the rules, Potter. You, of all people, should know better to wander about the school grounds alone."

The other snickered. "Very daring, or just outright stupid. Tsk, tsk. What would your mother say?"

"You're marked, Potter. Last words?"

James struggled against his brains. Come on! THINK! He thought. You're a smart boy, you're a wizard! Think! And then it came to him. He thought of it hard, focusing on it, then, aiming with his wand, shot invisible ropes at his attackers. One of them ducked, the other was knocked off his feet, head banging against the trunk of a tree.

"Naughty, naughty, Potter, you don't play nice at all, do you?" The man raised his wand. James barely had enough time to jump to his feet and dive over a few roots, protecting himself behind a tree. "Come out, boy, don't be a coward. At least your father fights us like a man. You wouldn't want to disappoint him would you?" As he said this, he aimed a wand at his accomplice and freed his comrade of the invisible ropes. Unfortunately for him, though, the wizard was still unconscious.

Petrificus Totalus! James thought, pointing it at his opponent's chest, but the wizard was quick and managed to block off the attack, coming back with another unspoken hex within seconds. James was not directly hit, though he suffered a wound to his left arm as a piece of tree bark sliced through shoulder. He bit his lip, trying to calm his need to scream. He needed to buy time, needed to get his cloak on without the wizard noticing. "What do you want from us?" He said angrily. "Why bother us?"

"Potters. Blood-traitors all get what they deserve," the man said, and James was sure there was a smirk on his face, though he could not see it.

"On whose orders?" he slowly crouched down into a ball as the other wizard laughed insanely. He slowly swung the cloak behind him, readying himself to put it on.

"My Dark Lord, Potter, who else? He does not express any grief in doing so, either, as ridding the world of those such as yourself is actually one of his primitive goals."

"EXPELLIARMUS!" James roared and hit his target, ducked under his cloak, and repeated the attack, this time, on the unconscious wizard.

"STUPEFY!" another voice roared from behind a tree. James knew instinctively that this should not be happening. It could not be happening.

As it was, it was indeed happening, and the spell had completely missed the now very angry wizard and he was already trying to summon his wand, which was stuck under James' foot.

James knew it was Lily, but why, WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME? He wanted to scream at her, to stupefy her! But he couldn't. He just wanted to get to her, throw the cloak around her and tell her to remain quiet while he handled the Death Eaters. Courageous thoughts…he had no choice but to think them. Lily losing her life because all of this time James had made her life hell and she was too stubborn to refuse to listen to good advice was not something James wanted floating above his head. He decided to rush over to her, even if it meant his opponent would regain position of his wand.

"Lily!" he whispered as he caught a glimpse of her hiding beneath a willow tree. "Stay there!" he whispered-yelled again. Lily didn't move. He could tell she was scared, her hands were trembling, but her eyes showed resolution, power, and left little room for fear. He wrapped his cloak around her too, and then immediately brought her (as quietly as possible) over to the protection of another tree. "Lily, I told you –"

"James!" She said as she spotted him for the first time. She kept her voice low, but he knew the others could easily hear them and thus, hit them with a spell. "James, I ... I didn't know! The – there are Death Eaters after you!"

James sighed. People always had a habit of saying the obvious in times of distress. "I know Lily. Lily, you've got to take this cloak and head back to the castle, go get Dumbledore, and head straight to the Common – "

"No, James, I can't." She looked sorry, but determined. "I can't leave you here alone. This is a grown wizard James, he could kill you in no time!"

"Lily Evans," he spat, "listen to me! I demand that – "

"Come out, come out wherever you are! I won't bite…I might inflict unbearable pain, but I promise, it'll only last a short while. You will die soon enough."

James shuddered. He was beyond enraged. Lily was here, and he'd told her, told everyone around him, to let him face this alone! His arms began to tremble. "Look, James, you're afraid too, you're shaking –"

"I am shaking because of how angry I am right now, Evans." Lily shrunk back. Slightly.

"Well, I'm not leaving, so you might as well let me help."

"CRUCIO" the wizard screamed. The spell barely missed them, skimming the surface of James' cloak. He swallowed back his anger, and instead shot Lily a look of … a bit of anger, concern, horror.

"Fine, on three, I start a diversion and you…you …" his voice trailed off. The wizard was mere feet away from them. INCENDIO! James thought, concentrating all his anger on the success of the spell. And it worked. The Death Eater's robe caught fire – not a small fire, mind you, but was set ablaze. Lily took the opportunity to disarm him, and James found the strength to bind the imaginary ropes around him, this time, succeeding.

"CRUCIO!" The spell hit James squarely in the chest, sending white hot pain blaring through his entire being. His heart, he was sure, was due to stop any moment soon. His bones ached, his mind screamed with horror. Someone was saying something, throwing something at someone, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, the spell wore off.

James sunk to the ground. "Get up, James!" Lily cried, unable to contain her fear any longer. The usage of an unforgivable curse had made this duel all the more real to her. She was no longer showing James that she was just as strong as he was, she was now struggling to keep them both alive. "James, please, get up, we have to go!" James looked at her, glasses askew, eyes blurred with pain. "Get up Potter." And with a great amount of effort, she seized his arm, lifted him all the while ensuring the cloak was safely around them, and made her way quickly towards the castle. James' legs, however, seemed not to function well, and every so often, he would trip over a small pebble, or one of his legs would jus give way.

"The Whomping Willow," he whispered. Lily turned, saw the willow was actually peaceful tonight, and threw both herself and James on the ground in front of it. "The knot," he said. She slowly stood and pushed it, shaking hands and all. She could hear the two other wizards making their way towards them. The trunk opened very much like a door. James rolled himself in, grabbing Lily in the process. The willow shut itself.

"Wh – how did you…?" her voice trailed off. She had been hit with something, for she had a cut across her forehead, and her hand was also covered with blood.

"Lumos," he whispered, and a soft glow lit both faces.

"You're hurt," he said, pointing out the obvious, angry with himself for letting her get hurt.

"It's a scratch. This blood is yours." James understood. There had been an odd taste in his mouth and now he knew it had been the taste of blood. "James, are, are you okay? What do they want with you?" a hint of tears lined her voice, but her eyes did not betray her pride.

"I'm fine. Shh…" he shut his eyes, laying on the cold hard ground within the Whomping Willow, relishing in the protection she offered, knowing full well what awaited them at the other end of the tunnel. It made no difference though. James would chance this danger. Surviving a werewolf attack seemed much more probable than surviving another unforgivable curse.

Lily seemed unable to relax. "James, they're going to stand out there until we die of starvation!" she spoke softly now, scared, but sensing James' breathing slow down, she tried to regain her composure.

"Sirius will send Dumbledore soon. Don't worry, Evans. We know how to plan stuff." Lily smiled if ever so slightly, daring to believe James, who had now regained his usual smug face.

It vanished immediately. He blanched, face becoming as pale as snow. "James?" he could only stare at the top of the tunnel, eyes locked in horror. "Potter, stop, you're scaring me."

"Dumbledore…he'll find out about…"

He quieted as he heard screaming, cursing, a loud THUD! and footsteps outside the willow. "Nox. Shh, don't make a sound!" James took Lily in with one arm so that they would take the least amount of space possible, and pulled the cloak in tight around them.

Dumbledore walked through the trap door, light coming from his wand. For a moment, his eyes seemed to linger on James, looking at him over the top of his half-moon spectacles, he seemed to see through his cloak, but James shrugged it off. No, it was impossible, not even Dumbledore could see through invisibility cloaks…could he?

His racing heart finally slowed when Dumbledore reluctantly pulled his head out of the opening of the tree. "There's no one there," he said, "I assume that everyone is presently safely sleeping in their own dormitories." He said it as though it were a command.

Everything went dark as he shut the trap door. After a while, positive that everyone had left, James reached into his back pocket. The map was still there. "Lily?"

"Hmm?" she almost sounded asleep, but her uneven breathing told him she was still shaken by the night's events.

"What happens now you will never, ever repeat to anyone, promise?"

She opened her mouth to object, but instead, noting the seriousness of his voice, she simply said, "Yes".

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he tapped the wand at the map, then lit the end of his wand.

"Where did you get that?" Lily's green eyes sparkled with interest and awe as she saw what the map revealed.

"Our little invention." He smiled. Lily couldn't believe the sheer genius of the enchantment.

"You and – "

"Sirius, Remus. Pete too. Come, no time to chit chat, coast is clear. Let's get this night over with." He struggled to stand, refused Lily's help, who in turn refuse his hand, and together they walked out of the Whomping Willow. None said a word to the other the entire time it took for them to reach the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Er – Lily," he kept his voice low, almost putting a sweet tone to it.

"James?" She replied in the same voice.

"I – er – thanks, for what you did. I wouldn't be alive if you wouldn't have been there."

Lily smiled briefly, then the edge of her lips turned into a devious smile. "From now on, Potter, you better let me in on things. No more trying to protect me while keeping me blatantly ignorant. Alright?"

"I owe my life to you. I cannot refuse you." Was all he said. Lily tipped her head to one side, as though pondering the meaning of his words. Then, suddenly, she straightened her spine, flung her hair to her back with a flick of her head, and walked out from underneath the cloak into the Common Room.

"Remember what you said, Potter. After all, it was you who said you are a man of your words." And with a mischievous smile, she vanished into her dormitory.