The upcoming Hogsmeade trip was a bright spot in the gloomy days that followed. Assured by the headmaster himself, additional Aurors will be present at the village, as well as any available Professors who do not already scheduled practice exams and study sessions.
"That kills the fun," Sirius complained, biting into a scone.
"They're usually there anyways," Lily pointed out, dishing herself up some porridge. She purposely kept her eyes downcast in an unassuming manner, intent on her task. Certainly unrelated to the fact James sat across from her, who seemed to unintentionally make an effort to always be in her line of sight. Or Merlin, worse, he'd always been there and now she was constantly conscious of the fact.
Sirius scoffed. "But not in a professional capacity. Now I feel like I'll have an extra set of eyes on me while shopping, assuming the worst."
"Black, you've always got an extra set of eyes on you," Marlene countered.
"Well, thanks, Mckinnon."
Marlene rolled her eyes. "As in, all the shopkeepers watch out for you whenever they see you enter their shops. Chaos is sure to follow wherever you go."
"Thanks," he repeated with a pleased grin.
"Speaking of eyes, somebody tell me why haven't we had a study session in forever?" Dorcas asked.
The group somewhat sombered as they took count of all there – or lack thereof. Emmeline left them at an even number of eight. Pairs. One less than they had before.
"I suppose we might be due one," Remus said. He looked a bit peaked, but was putting in a valiant effort to be social. Lily wondered when the full moon was.
"It has been a few months," Alice pointed out.
"How about after the trip to Hogsmeade? Maybe pick up something to celebrate the first studysession of the year?" Sirius suggested.
"Sounds brilliant," Peter grinned. "Would that be before or after the study session?"
Sirius sighed. "Personally, before and after gets my vote, but I suppose you all wouldn't approve of that."
"Oh, no," Marlene denied. "That'd be completely fine, you getting pissed. As long as you aren't on my team. My partner. For the session."
He smirked. "Jokes on you. I'm certain that I play – study – better when I've been drinking."
"Alright," James cut in. "I'm going to need you to stop. Everything coming out of your mouth sounds like a euphemism."
Lily snorted, nearly toppling her juice. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "Exactly what I was thinking."
The group around her stared.
She wiped at her chin. "Oh, come on. Like you all weren't thinking it, too."
"Well, I suppose that settles it then," Remus said with a grin. "We'll meet at the Three broomsticks at noon for some sustenance and grab some drinks for later."
"And Camelot's Approach the following noon?" Sirius said wryly.
"On that note, I should probably greet Burke then, if I'm supposed to be meeting you lot for lunch," Dorcas informed them, already standing from her seated position. "See you all later."
"She still calls him Burke?" Peter asked with a frown. "Isn't that a bit impersonal?"
"James still calls Lily, 'Evans'," Marlene pointed out innocently. "James, are you indifferent to Lily?"
Lily was only barely able to refrain herself from glaring at Marlene, smoothing her features into a blank, expectant look as the rest of them turned to look at James.
He smirked, sending an exaggerated wink towards her. "Evans will always be Evans. Can't go changing that, can we?"
His words struck a blow right in the middle of her gut, just below that tight spot in her chest that had been bothering her over the last few weeks.
Marlene must've sensed this – or possibly knew that James's choice of words weren't the greatest – and looked to Lily to gauge her reaction, expression apologetic.
Lily chuckled lightly in response, hoping her laugh sounded genuine. "Suppose we can't. You know, I was going to go grab my bag before heading to Hogsmeade. Did anyone need anything from the Common Room?"
"Oh, yes!" Alice replied – thankfully – and smiled at Lily. "Could you grab my scarf? I'm supposed to meet Frank at the courtyard in a few, but it seems pretty cold out."
Lily nodded. "Of course. Anyone else?" The others shook their heads no.
"Here, I'll join you," Marlene said, moving to stand with her. They left the Great Hall behind, Marlene wisely staying quiet until they were well on their way back to the tower.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Lily said quickly. "Really. I know what he meant."
"Did you?" Marlene questioned.
She shrugged. She dawdled a bit, collecting things for her bag as Marlene waited patiently on her bed. "Have you seen my wallet?"
"In your trunk," Marlene provided, not looking up from the magazine she'd pulled from her nightstand.
"Ah, thanks."
"You sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"Yep. I'm sure."
"Are you purposely faffing about to avoid walking down with the boys?"
Lily scoffed. "No. I just have to make sure I've got room for the paper and quills I need from Scrivens."
"Right."
Lily glared at the blonde for her tone.
It so happened that the Marauders had already seemingly left for Hogsmeade, by the time Lily and Marlene made it to the courtyard. Alice was there with Frank, and she accepted her scarf with thanks, snuggling closer to Frank (and looking like there really hadn't been a use for the scarf to start with).
As advised, the presence of Aurors in Hogsmeade was obvious. This time, there were wizards in black and plum robes, standing in strategic points along the main avenue of the small village.
"You think your brother's here?" Lily asked curiously, linking arms with Marlene, letting her eyes flick from one impassive face to the next.
Marlene hummed. "You know, he might be. I hadn't thought of that. I'll need to keep an eye out."
"It'd be a bright spot to see him, since it's been awhile," Lily said with a smile. "Shall we head to Scriven's?"
The blonde groaned. "But Splintwitches!"
"You said –"
"Ugh, fine, fine. Let's get your parchment and quills."
Despite the aurors, the experience was no different than normal.
"Do you think you could apparate us to Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Marlene sighed, running her hands over the nearest display. "They've got shite here and I really need a new servicing kit."
Lily snorted, flicking a twig from a nearby toy display broomstick. "Sure. Let's just hop across the country on a Saturday morning."
"I think that's the point of apparating," Marlene said, taking a box off the shelf to peruse the contents within it.
Lily was only mildly concerned by the other customers milling about – particularly one that might show. It left her unsteady, on light feet as if ready to bolt.
"He's not going to show up out of thin air," Marlene assured, placing the box back in its place.
Lily scoffed, playing it off.
"Oh, he is," Marlene pointed out.
She whirled, eyes scanning the vicinity.
Marlene snorted. "Oh, Agrippa," she said. "Is this really how you are now?"
She glared. "No. I hate you. I'm leaving if you're not going to buy something."
"Okay, okay," Marlene rushed to say, following closely behind. "Can we at least stop by Honeyduke's before we head to the Three Broomsticks? I've really be craving a cauldron cake with butterbeer."
By the time they arrived, Marlene and Lily appeared to be the first at the Three Broomsticks, finding an open table set among the chaos of students against the front windows.
LIly collapsed into her seat, throwing her bag onto the seat beside her. "I need a butterbeer. Where the bloody hell did my wallet just go?" She tossed around the contents of her bag, trying to find the item in question.
"Have you not cleaned that out yet?"
She snorted. "Not properly since the end of last term."
Marlene laughed. "Remember that set of newt eyes you found last year?"
"Don't remind me," Lily shuddered, coincidentally setting aside two phials of her apprenticeship potion, and two jars of crushed Artemisa. "It took weeks of airing this thing out. Pet tossed it in the trash three different times until I moved it outside this summer."
"I'm surprised she didn't try to burn it."
"Oh, she did," Lily assured, finally locating and setting it onto the table. "Now where were we?"
"You needed a butterbeer."
"Right," she agreed, sweeping her arm across the table to drop the other belongings back into the bag.
Marlene winced. "Careful. Don't you need those bits for your potion?"
Lily snorted, pulling the strap over and across her body. "No, not really. Not since they revoked it."
"They revoked your offer?"
Lily scratched at her nose, adamant to remain composed when discussing the topic. "That's what Slughorn said."
"But why? What? When did this happen?"
The redhead picked at a scratch at the table. "The other night, I guess. Because of my altercation with Lestrange and Carrow."
"Because of that prick, Carrow? That's complete bullshit."
She didn't deny it, raising her hand towards Rosmerta, who, thankfully, wasn't too busy to swing by their table to take their orders.
"Can't Slughorn do anything about this?"
"He offered to let me continue brewing in the dungeons," she sighed. "But yeah. It's pretty much been revoked."
"Sounds like you need this cake more than I do," Marlene said wryly, peeling off the wrapper. "Do you want a piece?"
"Of course," she scoffed, reaching forward to tear a chunk off. "God, this is delicious."
"Right?" Marlene looked pleased, taking a bite herself. "Speaking of delicious."
"Jesus."
"Are you excited for the game tonight? Any particular partners you're hoping to paired with?"
"I hate you."
Marlene threw her head back, laughing heartily. "Merlin, it's like you're a whole new person. What happened to the old Lily Evans?"
"I suspect she's back in the dormitory, laughing ironically at the state she currently is in." Lily pulled a long drink from her butterbeer, only somewhat comforted by the familiar taste. "Honestly? She'd probably hex me if she saw me."
"I'd be happy to oblige on her behalf."
"Ha," she said dryly, taking another drink. "Don't be sympathetic for your despairing friend."
"Oh, definitely not. It's not often you see you out of your normal, calm, friendly, approachable-self."
"Cheers." Lily glanced around, suddenly wary. "Why's it gone all quiet? It's nearly lunch time."
Marlene stood up, peering out the window. "You're right. Where's everyone –"
An explosion, loud and jarring, rattled the windows of the pub. Instinctively, the two witches ducked down under the table, taking cover.
"What the fuck!" Marlene gasped.
"Did that come from Scrivens? Or Honeydukes?"
Marlene straightened to peer out of the corner of the window. "I don't bloody know but – fuck –they're both on fire. Are those –"
"Death Eaters," Lily gasped, wand already in hand. "The students –"
Marlene reached out to grab her arm, preventing her from leaving the safety of the table. "You can't. The professors are supposed to be here – and you saw the Aurors. They'll – take care of it."
"And we just sit back and watch the destruction?"
Another explosion rattled the windows a second time and nearby students cowered, cried out.
Marlene's grip on her arm tightened. "Yes," she hissed. "Stay here. What good will it do to cause more chaos?"
A series of screams sounded from outside. When Lily straightened to peek out the window, a group of students in their Hogwarts robes were running, arms over their heads, as ash and debris rained.
"God, the students," Lily hissed, successfully throwing off Marlene's grasp. She jumped out, ran towards the door and out into the cold.
It smelled like fire.
More screams echoed, jolting Lily into action. "Go, go!" she ordered to a nearby group of young 3rd Years who had cowered, frozen. "Take the next right – follow the footpath by the gardens back 'round towards school. Go!"
"Bertha!" one of the girls cried. "She was hurt, back by Gladrags! They hit her with a spell –"
"Okay," Lily said, forcing herself to sound calm, assuring. "I'll go check. But please, go. Hurry. And be quiet."
The girl who had spoken nodded her head bravely, herding the other three girls to do as they'd been ordered. Lily watched them for a moment longer, before turning back around, facing the direction Gladrags was in.
Hogsmeade was in mayhem. As Marlene had said, the roofs of Honeydukes and Scrivenshaft's were on fire, black smoke billowing up towards the sky. What students were left were scrambling for safety, rushing past her in hurried movements, their expressions filled with terror.
Resolved, Lily put one foot in the other, eyes alert as she scanned the avenue ahead of her to look for any figures covered in black. The further she advanced, the quieter her surroundings became.
The Death Eaters she had seen passing in front of the Three Broomsticks no longer seemed present, but that did not assuage her fears. She hurried forward, following the curve of the snow covered sidewalk until the storefront of Gladrags came into view.
As advised by the small Ravenclaw girl, there was a young student, blonde, slumped over the curb just in front of the shop.
"Fuck," Lily murmured, pressing herself to the stonework against the buildings. She inspected the nearby area with a keen eye, heart in her throat.
Gladrag's itself seemed empty; the front door had been blasted off its hinges, the woodwork still smoking. She glanced across to the store opposite – the post office – it's windows shattered, the inside dark. No movement nearby, from what she could ascertain.
Timidly, she peeled herself from the exterior of the wall to creep forward, crouching as she approached the young witch.
"Hey, hey," she whispered, placing her free hand onto the girl's shoulder and shaking. The girl's body unfolded the way one would if asleep, rolling onto her back as her head lolled. Cold dread coiled within Lily, until she saw the girl's chest rise with a shuddering breath.
"Oh, thank Merlin." She kneeled over the girl, desperately checking her surroundings once more for movement, before reaching forward to pat the girl's cheek. "Wake up, Bertha. Come on, we need you."
The girl didn't immediately respond, groaning softly.
"That's it," Lily encouraged. "Open your eyes. Can you open your eyes?"
A pair of brown eyes fluttered open, unfocused and blurry. "Wha–at?"
"Here," Lily said softly, as the girl gained more awareness. She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder and helped her to sit up. Probably not a smart move – she could have a concussion – but Lily knew the time they had was precious. "Sit up for me, Bertha."
"What's happened?" Bertha said weakly.
"There's been an attack," Lily said evenly, glancing away to survey the area once more. "We need to get out of the open. Can you stand?"
"I think – so." Bertha looked unsure, though, so Lily nodded encouragingly.
"Here, I'll help you."
With Lily's help, the young witch stood on shaky legs.
Bertha's eyes were filling with tears. "W–where are we supposed to go?"
"Great question," Lily murmured, inspecting the nearby storefronts until – there. Puddifoot's looked untouched. "Here, this way."
She helped guide Bertha, sticking close to the exterior of the buildings as they rushed towards the teashop. As they approached, Lily scanned the windows, pressing her face against the glass to try and peer through the lacey curtains. No movement. When they came to the door, she knocked urgently, praying it was the right place to go.
It swung open and revealed – Alice.
"Alice?" Lily demanded, as the witch urgently waved for them to enter.
"Get in," the brunette ordered. Just behind her, Frank was crouched, wand at the ready.
"Did you see –"
"Death Eaters?" Lily inserted. "Yes. Earlier. Nothing since then. Bertha, why don't you go behind the counter?"
The young witch nodded quickly, already heading towards the lower-set counter where other students were huddled together.
"What the bloody hell are you doing out there?" Alice asked. "You got a death wish?"
"Of course not," Lily said, refraining from wiping the sweat that had settled against the back of her neck. "There were students still out. Is everyone alright here?"
Frank nodded. "No injuries here. Madam Puddifoot darkened the shop when the first explosion sounded. It seemed to work to ward off the attackers."
"Whoa, where are you going?" Alice asked as Lily moved back towards the door.
"Back out there. What if there are other students hurt?"
"You're bloody mad," Frank said. "You can't go back out there. What if you become hurt?"
"Exactly," Alice hissed. "Stay here – the aurors –"
Another explosion rocked the foundation of the teashop, dust and small pieces of debris from the ceiling raining down.
"Oh, Agrippa, that was from Zonko's," Frank said, having already peered through the curtains. "The bloody front's on fire."
By the time Lily had scrambled forward to peek through the swathy fabric, students were pouring out of the joke shop's doorway, their screams and cries of panic filtering through the glass windows.
"Right, that's it." Quick so that Alice or Frank couldn't stop her, she dashed forward, throwing open the door and darting out back into the street.
Again, there was no obvious appearance of Death Eaters – striking her odd – but she used the opportunity to wave to the students, gathering their attention. The first few, McLaggen and Gregors, among them, caught sight of her as she motioned them towards Puddifoot's. The students that escaped through Zonko's door followed their lead.
"Come on, come on," she urged, gesturing them through the door.
Gregors coughed, streaks of ash smeared across his forehead, blond hair. "There's more in there."
"More students? More Death Eaters?" Lily demanded.
"Students," he rasped.
Without a second thought, she hurried back out the door, across the street, keeping to the side of the building as close as possible as she advanced towards the joke shop. She paused between one building before the next, adjusting the grip on her wand, bracing herself.
Lily stepped out, ready to hurry across the opening of one cross street, when an arm caught her across the middle, hauling her sideways.
She screamed, immediately fighting against the grip. A rough hand clawed her wand hand, fingernails digging into the skin of her knuckles as it tried to wrestle her wand out of her grasp. She screamed again, ineffectively swinging her elbow. From the corner of her eye, she could only see black and white.
A Death Eater mask.
"Mm, mudblood fear," he murmured into her ear, inhaling deeply, pulling her backwards with his arm around her throat. He pressed the tip of his wand into her neck, the wood red-hot.
She recognized the voice. Mulciber. She was sure of it.
"Let go," she hissed, kicking out her feet as he dragged her towards the alley.
"Don't think I'll let you get away this time," he growled.
In a desperate move, she brought both knees up and swung them down, knocking his balance off center. He stumbled, giving her the chance to swing her head back.
She felt the back of her skull connect with his nose.
"You cunt," he howled, dropping her to clutch at his face.
She spun, knocking her elbow into the side of his face, the impact connecting against his cheek bone. He stumbled once more, nearling tripping into the wall.
"Stupefy!" she cast.
The spell struck true. He was blown back by the force of it, knocked into the wall, where he fell to the ground, motionless.
Lily stood frozen, ears ringing. Mulciber.
Mulciber was a Death Eater.
That made her feel sick. Instead, she turned on her heel, rushing back towards the main street and the joke shop.
She screamed again, nearly bowled over by another figure that had been running across the alleyway's opening.
"Merlin. Evans?" James Potter demanded, grabbing onto her forearms. He glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of the collapsed figure and then shifting back to look at her, eyes scanning her form.
"I'm fine," she answered, having read the question in his eyes. "We've got to get to Zonko's – there are –"
"Reducto!" someone cast across the way.
Instinctively, Lily and James ducked out of the way, the spell exploding against a stray set of trash bins. They burst into dust and debris.
"Incendio!" the Death Eater cast. "Bombarda!"
"Protego!" James deflected the curses easily, moving to shift her behind him. "We've got to get the younger students –"
If they hadn't been in the middle of a fight, she probably, may have (unwillingly, of course) kissed him.
"Stupefy!" she cast over his shoulder instead, ducking behind the corner of the building once more, shoulder to shoulder with him. Overcome, "James –"
He turned to her, dropping his gaze to meet hers.
A loud, angry shout caught their attention and they both looked towards the opposite end of the small alleyway.
A lone figure stood, swathed in black, face covered behind a veil of dark cloth. "Noxum Secare!"
A bright purple streak shot at them and James raised his wand again, casting a shield just in time. "Impedimenta!"
The cloaked figure blocked it, casting another curse towards them.
This time, Lily cast another Protego over their position, sending a quick Reducto at the ground near the wizard's feet. It worked, the blast knocking him off his feet and he was thrown backwards, landing on his back.
"Quick," James murmured, grabbing onto her arm, shoving her behind him. "Move –"
"I'm coming with you," she snapped, seizing the sleeve of his robe. "James, let's go."
The figure recovered, moving to stand in jerky, angry movement. "Sectum–semp,"
It was an unfamiliar spell. It caught them off guard; Lily only had time to raise her wand to try and deflect it but was prevented by James's frame as he slid in front of her.
There was a neat sound – like a snick – and she heard the tell-tale sound of James's sharp exhale.
"Stupefy!" he called out regardless, and the spell hit its target – the cloak figured was flown back, falling into a crumpled heap at the end of the alley.
"James," she gasped, when he stumbled forward into her. She collapsed under the weight of him, knees buckling as she tried her best to soften his landing onto the ground over her lap.
He groaned, eyes squeezed shut as he clutched at his middle.
"Shit, shit, shit," she hissed, seeing the red. His tan jumper beneath his robes was almost immediately soaked through. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
"Merlin, Evans," James said with a grin, face already pale. "Relax a bit, alright?"
"You're a prick," she retorted, brain frozen on the red of it all.
He snorted, the sound stilted by his hiccough of pain. "Oh, you don't mean that, do you?"
"God, just stop talking for a second," she hissed, mentally going over the healing spells she knew. "Hang on, lift your shirt."
"Well," he chuckled, but did as she asked. The shirt lifted with a squelch that made her stomach roll. "That bad?"
"Shut it," she said distractedly. "Episkey." The skin remained sliced, blood flowing freely. "Tegero. Acusutura."
Nothing.
James rubbed at his face, trying to cover his expression of pain.
"Fuck," she hissed. "Why aren't they working?"
"Come on, Evans," he murmured, face paler than ever before. "I'm sure you can come up with something."
"My bag!" she exclaimed. "The potion, that might –" She shuffled around and neatly upended the bag, her belongings tumbling onto the snow–covered ground as she scrambled to find the two small phials she'd seen earlier.
"Evs?" Sirius's voice called from the entrance of the alley.
She looked up from her search to catch sight of him, hair in a disarray and expression wild. Her head whipped around, suddenly alert to their surroundings. The cloaked figure was gone, the only traces of him visible in the snow where his body had landed.
"James!" Sirius gasped, already sprinting towards them.
"Sirius! The potion, the potion!" she pleaded, returning to the task at hand. "Help me find it – small, silvery liquid – it was just here."
James grinned up at Sirius as the other wizard dropped to his knees. "Hey, Padfoot."
"Prongs," Sirius acknowledged, following Lily's request without a second ask, running his hand over the random jars, phials, wrappers, and other items from her purse. "Here, here – is this it?"
"Yes, yes," she said, ripping it out of his hands to twist the top off. She tipped it over onto the back of her hand, testing the consistency. When she looked back at James, laid out in front of her, she cursed. "Hey, hey. Keep your eyes open," she ordered.
"Oi, Prongs. Listen to the witch, alright?"
James hummed, but did not comply. His head lolled a bit to the side. Sirius reached forward to give his cheek a hearty smack.
That worked. James's eyes opened as his brow furrowed. "Oi, easy there."
Lily had found the second phial, pulling out the stopper and handing it over. "Drink this. Sorry about the taste."
He smirked, accepting the glass container and tipping it back. "Oh, fuck. You weren't lying about the taste."
An involuntary smile came across her lips as she rolled her eyes. "I said sorry. Here, lift your shirt again."
It was very much not the appropriate time to ogle when he was bleeding out, but here she was. While the blood had seemed to slow (which, honestly, that could be a bad, bad sign), the skin had yet to stitch itself back together.
"Is it working?" Sirius demanded.
"I don't know," she hissed, watching the open wound with narrowed eyes. "God, stop moving."
"Right, let me just stop breathing then," James snarked, his voice weak, smirking when Lily raised her eyes to glare at him.
"Not the time for jokes," Sirius snapped. "What else can you do?"
She contemplated, glancing between James's face and his torso. "Shit. I'm so sorry, this is going to sting." She tipped the first bottle into the palm of her hand, turning it over to smother the potion directly onto the gnarly gash.
"Fuck!" James shouted, throwing his head back and convulsing with pain. "What the fuck, Evans."
"Hold still," she snapped, trying to be gentle, pulling her hand away only when she felt the wound had been sufficiently saturated in the potion.
She and Sirius watched, eyes stuck on the red and silver stained skin of James's stomach.
It was slow, snail-slow, but the skin seemed to stitch itself together – or, at least the muscle below the top layer of skin that had been slashed opened.
"Thank fuck," Sirius murmured, clapping a hand onto Lily's shoulder and pulling her into the crook of his arm.
"Lookin' better than?" James said, head still tilted back.
Sirius snorted. "Nah, mate. You're always going to look like shite."
Lily almost snorted herself. James's abs look like shite? Yeah. Right.
The three jolted when a shout alerted them to another's presence. Sirius and Lily reacted first, wands at the ready (Lily's nearly flew from her hands, the combination of blood and potion making her grip slick).
It was a wizard – an auror – dressed in the familiar plum. "Lower your wands," he ordered sharply. The two did as requested (James had already been discarded by his side).
"Marc," she gasped, surprised, recognizing the blond.
"Lily?" he questioned, stepping closer to them. "What the bloody hell are you lot doing here?"
"Great question," Sirius retorted. "Better question; what the hell took you lot so long to respond?"
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"It was your red hair I saw first."
Sirius's voice pulled her out of her revelry.
"And then I saw the rest of the red."
After Marc and the other Aurors helped them, along with the other students, return to the castle unharmed (or, further harmed, really), the young wizard and witches were directed to return to their common rooms.
Of course, Lily couldn't sit still. To hell with it. Effectively abusing her Prefect privileges, she escaped the Common Room under the guise of checking with the Head of House for further instruction, only to be interrupted by Sirius halfway to the hospital wing.
He had raised the familiar parchment. "Saw you leave you up from our dorm. Figured I'd join you."
"How'd you know where I was headed?"
He grinned wolfishly. "Just a guess."
Lily then allowed him to join her on the trek to the main floor, glad to have the company.
She raised her hands to show him. "Feels like they're still covered in blood," she admitted. "Five scourgifys were not enough."
Just outside the doors of the hospital wing, he held out an arm to halt her movements. "Listen, Evs," he said plainly. "Enough beating around the dirigible plum bush."
She stopped short, hand frozen over the door's handle. "What do you mean?"
"Are you going to tell him, or what?"
She spluttered, retracting her hand from the brass as if burned. "Tell him what?"
Sirius gave her an unimpressed look. "Are we still playing that game, then?"
She flinched. "Sirius."
"I'm not sure if it's fear of rejection or what, but you can't react like that," he said, gesturing to what she assumed was Hogsmeade, "and not be in love with the bloke."
"I am not in love with him – I mean, I only – if anything, fancy him –" Lily stopped at Sirius's smirk.
"Oh?"
"I am going to kill you," she hissed, stepping away from the Hospital Wing's doors.
He moved to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?"
"Running away," she retorted, blocked from escaping. "Avoiding this conversation at all costs."
"Oh, come on, Evs. You're bloody mad if you don't think that Prongs would –"
"Nope!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to hear it. I'm not going to say anything and I'm going to flee to the Common Room to check on the other students, make sure they're okay and avoid any references to this conversation – or topic – or –"
"Alright, alright," he said hastily, having successfully halted her attempts at trying to bolt around him."But don't tell me you don't want to check on him – make sure he's alive and all that."
Lily warily glanced between him and the infirmary doors. "I'm not –"
"Please," he intoned, his expression sincere.
She relented. "Okay. But if I hear one implication to anything –"
"– you'll hex me and immediately leave."
"Exactly."
"I'm sure that wouldn't make him suspicious at all," he said wryly.
She was already reaching for the door handle when she winced. "You don't think that he… knows… do you?"
Sirius threw his head back and laughed. "Prongs? No. Does he hope? Yes. He'll –"
"I said I don't want to hear it," she hissed, pressing a hand over her eyes. "Stop talking."
"Merlin. You asked!" he reminded, gesturing to her to open the door. "Just go, before I lose my mind."
She reached for the handle a second time, emotions at war with themselves inside her chest, but was stopped before she had a chance to touch it. It first opened and a wizard in plum robes rushed past them. She and Sirius shared a curious look before entering the hospital wing.
The infirmary was more busy than she'd seen it. She was a bit surprised her and Sirius's conversation hadn't been interrupted sooner. It was a combination of Hogwarts students and ministry Aurors, both visitors and patients. Among the hustle and bustle sat James near the rear of the infirmary. He was laid out on his back, tossing a rolled up ball of gaze into the air and catching it, not unlike the time she'd caught him in bed during her visit to his house at Christmas.
He was shirtless, obviously unbothered by the fact, but nearly half his torso was wrapped in the very same gauze he threw into the air and caught deftly.
"I see being maimed didn't ruin your catching skills."
"'Course not," he grinned, shifting to sit up, but wincing. "Best chaser there is here."
"Or your humility, it seems,"
"Nah, Bridgers here will attest to that. He's been helping my form. Right, Bridge?"
Lily hadn't noticed before, but there was a small Hufflepuff boy laid in the bed to James's right. A bandage was tied across his forehead and he was nursing his left arm.
The young boy nodded bravely, his manner timid. "Right, Potter. His aim was a bit off at the start, but it's improving."
"Cheers, mate," James replied with his grin. "A bit more practice and I'll be better than your throw."
If it wouldn't be obvious, Lily would have cursed out loud. Why the hell was that so attractive?
"Can't have you stealing my best mate, Bridgers," Sirius said mildly, reaching out to snatch the gauze on James's next toss. "How're you feeling, Prongs?"
"Right as rain," he said. "'Sides the gash in my gut."
Sirius cuffed him on the head, but was still smiling. "Remember that one full moon –"
"Padfoot," James quickly snapped, giving him a look.
Sirius grinned. "Right. Well, just saying it's not the worst injury you've had."
James gave him a warning look, but Sirius could not be deterred. James instead looked to Lily, gesturing to himself. "So now I owe you twice for saving my life. What's that phrase? A damsel in distress? That'd be me."
Lily snorted. When she looked up, Sirius was staring at her with a pleased grin.
Her smile immediately dropped. "Well, since you're still alive and all, it looks like you're in good hands –"
Sirius opened his mouth –
"– I should probably go help check on the other students."
As she fled towards the exit, her progress was halted by a wizard in a plum set of robes. She had to double-take for a second time that afternoon. The older Mckninnon sibling looked worried at her presence. "Oh, hello, Marc."
"Fancy running into you a second time," he said, trying his best not to frantically scan the infirmary beds. "Marlene. Is she..?"
Lily shook her head vehemently. "Oh no, she's upstairs. Totally fine. A bit miffed with me, actually. I was just checking on a – friend."
Marc, with his familiar blue eyes and blonde hair, cheekbone structure near identical to Marlene's, looked over his shoulder and set his gaze on a single point. He smirked. "Ah. Potter?"
Lily glanced over her shoulder to find the two marauders watching them. Sirius waved, an exaggerated twiddle of his fingers. James's expression was as it normally was; mildly interested, but opposedly aloof.
"Yes," she chuckled nervously, turning back to find Marc still smirking at her.
"The very same bloke you were howling on about when you visited Marley for Christmas?"
She grimaced, a flash of pink footie-pajamas in her mind. "Yeah, most likely."
"He's a good lad," Marc admitted. "Or at least from what I remember when Ma made him and Marley have play dates back in the day."
Lily snorted, recalling the tales that Marlene would share from their play dates. He had been a terror. Granted, Marlene tended to exaggerate her own well-mannered behavior; but it wasn't a far stretch to imagine the chaos James Potter could incur.
"Listen," He continued. "Marley had mentioned you wanted to be an Auror. You –"
Lily's shoulder's immediately tensed. "Tell me I can't," she challenged.
"No, no," he quickly assured. "I was going to say – we need you. You kept resiliently calm helping the younger students up the castle. You've got pretty good instincts."
"Thanks," she said, a bit embarrassed.
"When you apply for the academy, send me a letter. I'll give a recommendation, for sure."
Lily's eyebrows raised. "Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course."
"Even for a muggleborn?" she asked curiously, unable to hold back the question.
He scoffed. "We need the wizard – well, witch power, too. We'll take all the wands we can get with this fucking mad wizard going on the way he is."
"Thank you," she repeated, truly meaning it.
Marc waved it off. "Just tell Marley to owl me. I'm sure Moody will have me home on 'administrative leave' while they figure out this whole Hogsmeade thing. I'll be bored out of my mind."
Lily smiled wryly. "I will."
"Stay sharp, then," he said in farewell, clapping a hand on her shoulder before departing, heading towards the bed of an Auror with a gauze-wrapped leg.
Her departure from the hospital wings was on light-feet, pleased at having received a compliment from an Auror – Marlene's brother, really, but it still counted.
When she returned to the Common Room, it was easy to spot the other members of the marauders plus Marlene.
"James alright then?" Remus asked as Lily took a seat beside them.
She nodded, smiling. "He's fine. Just a flesh wound."
Remus returned her smile, the corners tinged with guilt. "I should've been there."
"Don't," she ordered seriously, empathetically. "You choosing to stay in the castle today doesn't affect anything."
He smiled weakly.
"I can't believe they attacked Hogsmeade," Marlene murmured. "First the ministry and now this? That's pretty much Hogwarts. That's pretty much this Voldemort attacking Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore's been against worse, hasn't he?" Peter pointed out, his demeanor nervous. "With Grindelwald. Surely Voldemort can't be… scarier than him."
Those present hummed in agreement.
"I suppose we have that," Remus said aloud, crossing his arms and grimacing.
"So much for that Game tonight," Marlene said with a frown, crossing her own arms.
Lily scoffed, amused by her friend's petulant response. Involuntarily, her mind strayed back towards the infirmary. "Rain check, it seems."