And here's #5! Although it may not be as good as the other chapters. I had to stuff in a lot in this chapter, which is why everything is choppy. Oh well, perhaps some day I'll edit this really meticulously and rewrite it all!

Enjoy! (&Please Review!)

Chapter 5

Halloween was celebrated throughout the school and everyone was at the feast, except for three people, who had managed to slip out unnoticed, and were now standing in the dungeons, wand at the ready, attempting to fight non-verbally, all the while, conjuring a patronus.

"Remember, Miss Evans, pure focus and happy thoughts!" Lily nodded. "Mr Pottter?"

James' eyes went from ground to Dumbledore's eyes. "Yes, Professor."

"Attack Lily. Now" James didn't bother objecting this time, he always lost his case. He thought of the invisible ropes and figured it would be the least painful thing to do. Instead, he ended up attempting to stupefy her.

His attempts were blocked, and Lily managed to throw him a tripping curse, which he effectively blocked as well. Dumbledore, James was sure, was throwing little spells here and there, and James felt himself hit with one. His eyes went crossed. He couldn't see anymore.

He knew what it was, and he knew the counter curse, but he was trying to block Lily's body binding curse. It must have looked weird for anyone stepping in or through the room, as the only sounds heard were those of heavy breathing, a few steps back or forward, and light blowing off the top of their wands. They looked like they were in a full blown out battle, yet there was no screaming, no threatening, just hexing.

Quickly, James muttered the counter curse to his cross eyed vision, at the expense of being thrown against the wall. The wind was knocked out of him, his eyes began tearing while hishands shook slightly. He raised his wand at Lily, then as he was saying his curse in his head, flipped his wand and aimed it at Dumbledore instead, who was taken off guard and slipped to the ground, incarcerated by invisible ropes. He then switched his glare on to Lily, still struggling to regain his breath, and muttered the curse that left her wandless. He held both his and her wand now, and pointed one at both of his opponents.

Dumbledore's eyes proved hewas impressed. "Good, Mr Potter, excellent!" He untied himself from the binds and approached the now breathless James.

"James?" Lily called out worriedly. His face had taken on a shade of red she had never seen on a human face. It rivalled the crimson of her hair.

James nodded quickly. "I'm okay," he croaked, trying to hold on to his breath. "Just…can't…breathe."

Dumbledore's brow creased his forehead. "Sit down," a pillow appeared, "and take a break. Hand Miss Evans back her wand." James did as he was told. "Now, Miss Evans, I want to see your patronus this time."

James watched silently as Lily was hit with all sorts of jinxes and spells. James cursed under his (very short) breath. Lily's face looked set, her eyes ablaze, but her stance…betrayed her offensive and defensive gestures. After a few moments, Lily was sitting down next to James, struggling to catch her own breath.

"Lily," James turned to face her, yet she kept her green eyes focused on her hands. "You're good at charms, right?" Lily nodded solemnly. "Charm things. Use that to your advantage." Lily looked at James as though seeing him for the first time tonight. She nodded, stood and stared at their Headmaster, who, as old as he was, didn't look very much affected by the action. His breathing was even, and he stared at them over the top of his half-moon spectacles, expecting, always expecting.

Lily tightened her grip on her wand, pointed it at Dumbledore, and a stream of red light headed his way. Dumbledore didn't even try to duck, and the spell completely missed him, hitting the statue behind him, whose mask flew off and landed on top of Dumbledore's head.

"Clever," he mumbled to himself, but even as he did so, he prepared to aim a curse at Lily. James leapt in front of her, obviously screaming PROTEGO in his head. The spell bounced off him, and Lily, taking advantage of the small amount of time James had given her, shot a curse that hit Dumbledore directly on the chest, followed immediately by a large white leopard. His face remained expressionless behind the mask, although he started giggling incessantly.

James proceeded to disarm him, succeeded, and both he and Lily walked up to Dumbledore menacingly. It had been the first time they had overtaken him. The first day of practice they had realised that Dumbledore's reflexes outdid anyone's. He was quick, alert, and always three steps ahead of everyone. Lily and James had secretly sworn to one day become as good as Dumbledore, if not better.

"Give up, Dumbledore?" James said with a lopsided grin and a twitch of his eyebrows.

Dumbledore kept laughing, giggling at the invisible feather tickling his toes.

"I'll take that as a yes, wouldn't you, James?" He nodded his agreement. Together they bound him with those invisible ropes (one of James' favourites by now) and Lily took off the laughing charm. Dumbledore regarded them with pride.

Lily let down her wand and jumped into James' arms. "HAHA! We did it! Finally!" James grinned absentmindedly. "Yeah," he said quietly, "we beat Dumbledore."

"A feat," the old wizard said, "not many have the opportunity to brag about." He untied himself after James handed back his wand. "This is cause for a celebration – come, let us drink." With a wave of his wand, a bottle of the finest mead appeared with three glasses. Lily and James summoned a few chairs, both of them bursting with pride.

After a few odd silent moments, and a few overly loud moments (where James and Lily discussed what techniques they had employed, what charms and counter curses they had used) Dumbledore, who had long ago not only drained his glass but also refilled it and drained it once more, cleared his throat. "I believe it is time to entrust you with assignments now. You two must keep training, but I have other matters to attend to. Christmas is fast approaching, and that means the perfect time for a Death Eater attack." James and Lily looked serious, although James' face showed more concern and worry than anything.

"Come see me in my office three days before Christmas holidays," Dumbledore continued as he stood, towering over the sitting James and Lily, "and I will give you your assignments. Now, if you'll both excuse me, this old wizard needs the comfort of his other pupils, who are presently awaiting me to dismiss them from the feast." James and Lily nodded their heads, thanked their Headmaster, and watched him disappear from the classroom.

"Thank you for the tip, James," Lily said casually. "I never thought to use charms. I always figured hexing and jinxing would be more efficient."

James shrugged. "I remembered him saying something about everyone excelling in their own rights. I know that you always kick my butt in Potions, but since that'll be useless for now, I thought of where you almost beat me - charms!So, I figured you should use what you are almost best at." He winked at her, she rolled her eyes in response.

"And what are you best at, Mr Potter?" she asked teasingly, although she had meant to ask it in earnest.

"Transfigurations, I guess, I am pretty good at DADA too, though, but not that good." Lily nodded. James was top in Transfigurations, Remus was top in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sirius, for some reason or another, excelled at Charms, although Remus, James and Sirius were always in the top 5 of every class.

"Then why don't you use that for your offence?" James seemed to be reflecting on that.

"I'll try next time," he managed before taking another sip of his mead.

oooo

The weeks between Halloween and Christmas went by faster than ever, the N.E.W.Ts classes becoming more and more time consuming. James half returned to normal, minus his arrogance, for he had again led his team to not so glorious victories against Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Secretly, though, his good mood was more or less brought on by his and Lily's overtaking of Dumbledore – the most powerful wizard alive. Of course, they both knew Dumbledore could have easily beaten them both, yet, something about having caught him off guard was, to them, a feat to be proud of.

James resumed his usual pranks with his Marauders, enchanting some of the Christmas decorations to either chase around Slytherins or some Professors. But the school, despite rumours of the war raging on the outside of the castle walls, kept in good cheer and not even the teachers looked bothered by James and company's resuming to their usual annoying selves.

Sirius, of course, had followed James around ever since he'd noticed James had left during the Halloween feast, without being annoying. Of course, he also spotted Lily was not at the table and thus assumed that Halloween had been something a bit more romantic for James, although he denied it through and through.

The two full moons had been spent inside the school, using the Marauder's map to guide them to the kitchens, steal fresh meat and bring it back to a salivating werewolf and black dog. Prongs preferred berries and fruits, but enjoyed candies most of all.

Perhaps the most curious happenstance of all was the hint of a friendship between Lily and James. To everyone in Gryffindor, these people had been the cause of much grief over the past two years or so, and so to them, it was odd that the usual never-ending arguments now only manifested themselves in short lived snaps or, sometimes, if someone was really attentive, they might even detect a lingering look on both parts.

Three days before winter vacation, Lily Evans and James Potter were spotted, for the first time in a while, without their friends, walking towards the Headmaster's office. Lily spoke first.

"So how did you manage to get Head Boy, then James? I would have thought Remus – "

James shrugged. "Something happened last term, let's just say, and since then, Dumbledore has placed much trust in me." She wrinkled her nose at the poor excuse. "Something about Sniv…Snape, and bringing him out of harm's way."

"You mean Remus." James stumbled. "Oh please, I figured it out, don't look so surprised! I'm not thick, you know!" James started to explain that he didn't think she was, but the Headmaster had come out of his office to meet them.

"Ah, Miss Evans, Mr Potter, excellent timing. Come now, up we go." Dumbledore whispered the password to his office and they stood on the spinning steps together, waiting for the headmaster to offer them a seat in his office.

James found himself seated in the same spot he had that fateful Friday morning. Dumbledore was eyeing one of his many shiny objects, mysteries perhaps to all except Dumbledore himself. With an occasional nod, an even less frequent "mmhmmm" Dumbledore peered inside one of them until satisfied with something, then turned to the two students, the Head Girl and Head Boy of this year.

"James, I offer you a choice. I have –" But James didn't need Dumbledore to finish before he knew what had happened.

"My mother?" he asked, swallowing back his anguish. He remembered Lily was sitting beside him, but didn't make to cut off the headmaster any more.

Dumbledore frowned, mostly to himself, and opened his mouth to say something, a tear escaping his eye instead. "She was a lovely, loving, bright witch, James." James nodded. Lily sat feeling extremely uncomfortable, listening and looking at James' reaction as he found out about his mother's death. "The Order did everything in their power to help her,unfortunately, she..." Dumbledore tried to comfort James, but James was in shock and barely reacted to Dumbledore's words.

The headmaster, eyes still damp, turned to face Lily. "Your parents, Miss Evans, have been made aware of your plans to join the Order. I am deeply regretful that you did not have a chance to address them on your own, but some of my colleagues..." Lily tried to say something, but instead found herself speechless.She wondered whethershe had made the right decision, whether her decision wouldeventually result in the death ofher mother or father. James' mother's death, although she knew had been planned previous to James' accepting a place in the Order, was an all too real reminder of just what they had taken on.

The white haired, white bearded wizard gave them time, if somewhat restricted, to remember the purpose of their meeting. To his surprise, James was the first to remind them. "About our assignment," he said with more determination, more control in his voice James had ever had. Dumbledore was taken by surprise. James Potter, it seemed, was full of surprises.

"You two will accompany a few other members, who are looking after the trial of the certain two Death Eaters who attacked James at the end of September. You will be asked to testify, and then you will both be taken to our Headquarters, where more assignments await you once you've graduated from Hogwarts." James looked eager to get started.

Once outside the Headmaster's office, it was Lily who broke down. "James," she sobbed quietly, "I am so sorry, so so sorry about your mother," she wiped tear after tear escaping her eyes. James rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, hushing her, telling her that she shouldn't be crying. "But you should be, Potter! It's your mother who's died, not mine!" James released her at that moment, and continued walking ahead, although at a slower pace than he habitually took.

"I won't cry, Lily. Not now, not in front of you." She straightened her back in attempts to regain her pride, although her eyes were still red and puffy. He looked over at her and sighed. "So," he commenced too light-heartedly, "what are your plans for Christmas." At the mention of Christmas, Lily's bottom lip started twitching, suppressing another sob.

"We usually," she struggled to keep her composure, "spend quiet holidays. We unwrap gifts and listen to Christmas songs on the radio."

"That sounds lovely," James sighed, remembering that this Christmas would be different for his family.

"What are you going to do James?" She flinched as she asked the question.

"I'm going to take care of my mother's funeral. My father won't be home, of course, I'm sure he won't sleep until he catches whoever … whoeverkilled my mother. That means Sirius and I will be left alone." His eyes sprang wide, grabbed Lily by the shoulders and started shaking her (not too hard though, he didn't want to hurt her!). "Bloody Hell! Padfoot's gonna tail me all winter long! He'll be the most difficult thing to shake off to go to the trial!" Lily's face turned pale as reason flooded her brain.

"You have to shake him off!" They had meant to keep the order a secret from everyone, and they had succeeded, but Sirius was being relentless in his inquiries about where James and Lily would run off to every Saturday mornings. James appreciated Sirius' concerns, and, although never deliberately, he sometimes found himself dropping hints about there being other more important duties than Head Boy duties.

ooooo

"I'll drop by your house as soon as I head off to the trial." Lily nodded at James, pink cheeks from the cold, bits of white snowflakes lingering at the top of her toque and hair.

"Take care of yourself, James Potter," she said, shivering slightly.

"Happy Christmas to you, Lily Evans." With a quick smile (which still held traces of sadness), Prongs turned and joined up with his brother-who-wasn't, heading towards Mr Potter. The train ride had been grim, Sirius being every bit as affected as James was about Mrs Potter's death. The Marauders had sat alone in a compartment near the back of the train, and had barely uttered a word throughout the entire trip.

"I won't be home often this Christmas, boys," greeted Mr Potter as he,Sirius and James apparated at the Potters' front door. Prongs and Padfoot nodded. They had known. "Take care of James for me, will 'ya Sirius?"

"I will Mr Potter," Sirius replied tonelessly.

"James, take care of your handsome brother," James grunted a response, not quite ready yet for humour, no matter how touchingly sweet it was. "The food's a plenty, the gifts as well. Don't stay up too late. I'll be back soon…" they were empty words, James recognized a hopeless farewell when he heard one.

Sirius clasped hands with James' dad, wished him happy holidays, and stepped inside, closing the door so as to let James and his father talk things over. James' father broke down first.

"I could pretend, for you James, I could act as though I'm not affected, but I can't. Your mother – I love her with all my heart – and I couldn't save her."

"It's not your fault, dad – "

"Nor is it yours, James. Your headmaster's told me how you've taken her death. It's not your fault, James, and don't go out seeking revenge. Don't do it, James, stay safe, behind the lines. We could hide you, ship you off somewhere, I swear the Death Eaters won't find you."

James regarded his father with a blank expression. "I refuse the offer to be a coward, father. But thank you for the option."

His eyes were menacing. "James, don't risk your life. Your mother died peacefully thinking you were safe at Hogwarts. Don't join Dumbledore's – "

It was then that James realised the purpose of his life. As corny as it sounds, James' neurosynapses connected in a way that let him understand exactly what he wanted to do. "Dad, I'm fit to do this. I'm made to be doing this. What better incentive could I have? My entire family has a mark on their heads – except for Sirius, who's mark is actually more from his mother than anything else – and I have only one member left to protect!" James released an exasperated sigh. To his mind, his parents had done their role. Now they had aged, weakened, and were his responsibility. It was just the way things went – you raised your child to the best of your abilities, and when you could no longer care for yourself, then your child would care for you. He felt a pang of guilt as he realised that he hadn't been able to protect his mother. No, he told himself, it was NOT your fault. Lily had repeated this time and again and, since it came from Lily, James accepted it.

"I won't be the cause of family shame. I know I'm going to die, dad, just as I knew mom was, and I know you are. It's inevitable! I've come to terms with it, and I know you have now Mum's gone, but I won't die without bringing a few of 'em down first. I'm going to make a difference – no matter how small it is – before I meet my end." James' eyes now matched the colour of his rosy cheeks. He was crying, for the first time since he'd heard of his mother's death, but the young man was not entirely sure it was his mother that he was mourning.

Mr Potter observed his son quietly, taking him in, accepting him as a man for the first time. He rested his hand upon James' shoulder – which was slightly higher than his own – and sighed. "You are a much better man than I, James. A much more talented wizard and a much braver man." James nodded appreciatively. "I'd give anything to trade places with your mother so she could hear you say all this." A tear sparkled at the bottom of his eyelid. "Now give your father a hug before he goes on this mission to not get himself killed." James embraced his father for the second time in seven years. Both men let go of what had been bottling up inside, and both accepted the other's comfort. They stayed out on the front steps for many a minutes before James headed back inside.