Chapter 6: Fights Break Out

The Same Night: With Sirius and Hermione

Sirius and Hermione walked into the common room laughing. Hermione put a hand over her stomach, as she desperately tried to stop laughing. She finally stopped and looked at Sirius. "I had a fun time," she said.

"Me too."

"Sirius... what are we?" Hermione asked.

"What do you mean?" Sirius said confused.

"What are we? Are we just friends? Or are we more?"

"Oh. We are definitely more than friends," Sirius replied grinning.

"Am I your... girlfriend?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he said, still grinning. He took a step closer to her and began to kiss her. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck. Sirius's tongue entered her mouth and their kiss became more passionate. They made their way over to the couch without breaking apart. Sirius's hand slowly crept up over her breast.

Maybe I should stop this before it goes too far, she thought.

But all of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Ah hem," she heard a polite cough coming from nearby.

Sirius and Hermione immediately broke apart from their kiss, and Hermione attempted to stand up but realized Sirius was on top of her. "Sirius get off," Hermione said pushing him off. He obeyed and Hermione stood up quickly. There stood Lily and Harry. Lily looked quite amused, but Harry on the other hand looked very angry. "Sorry to interrupt... that," Lily said, grinning intensely.

"It's okay," Hermione said quickly. While she was very embarrassed, Sirius, like Lily, seemed to think it was funny.

"I'm gonna go to bed," Sirius said. "Good night Hermione." He gave her an award winning smile and went up to the boy's dormitory.

"Uh... I'm gonna go to bed too... long day. Night Harry," Lily said giving Harry a hug. "Night Hermione," she said still grinning. "Tell me everything tomorrow," Lily whispered in Hermione's ear as she passed. With that, she disappeared, leaving Hermione and Harry alone.

"Tell me again Hermione... because I'm still remembering you telling me that you were going to make it clear to Sirius that you only wanted to be his friend," Harry said angrily.

"Harry, calm down, just listen to me," Hermione said.

"Oh, I think I saw enough before to have to listen to you now," Harry replied. "I saw you going to second base with my godfather!"

"Harry, I really like him."

"Oh, and you think he really likes you? Well let me tell you something Hermione, he doesn't! You're just another girl he has added to his list!" Harry said loudly.

Hermione felt tears forming in her eyes. "Maybe you're right... after all, I've never been important to anyone before, why would I matter to Sirius?"

"Hermione, stop being so dramatic about this. Let's just face the facts. Number one, we are leaving in a few months. Number two, Sirius is over twenty years older than you. Number three---"

But Hermione did not stay to hear number three. She stood up and started walking up to the girl's dormitory.

Harry groaned and put his head in his hands. "Everything is so fucked up," he mumbled to himself.

Harry heard the portrait hole open and in walked James and Peter. James looked at Harry with nothing but loathing in his eyes. "Well, I'm going to bed James, see ya tomorrow," Peter said.

"Night," James said. "I'll be up in a minute."

Peter ran upstairs leaving James and Harry alone. The look in James's eyes actually scared Harry a little. He could tell James wanted nothing more than to hurt Harry. Both physically and emotionally. James took a few steps forward until he was face to face with Harry.

Harry became a bit more frightened. He thought of seeing Snape's worst memory fifth year. He knew his father could be very cruel. But Harry never thought his father would be cruel to him. Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a hard blow to his stomach.

Harry winced in pain and fell to the ground. James has punched him. His dad had punched him...

James grabbed Harry by his shirt and pulled him back up to face him. Looking into his father's eyes at that exact moment, Harry wanted nothing more then to go back home. There was only hate in his father's eyes. Harry wanted so badly to cry.

"Come on, fight back!" James yelled. Harry couldn't even gather the strength to shake his head no. James punched Harry in the stomach again, but this time harder. Harry was lying on the ground once again. "Just what I thought. You're pathetic." Neither James nor Harry said anything for a moment. Harry slowly pulled himself to his feet. "You can have Evans. I don't want her," James said quietly.

"Neither do I," Harry managed to say in the midst of the pain that was running through him.

"Don't lie to me," James said immediately.

"I'm not lying," Harry said. "She's just my friend."

"I don't believe you," James stated simply.

Harry saw James's hand form in a fist, and Harry felt another blow to his stomach. But it was then that Harry realized no matter how many times he told James that he and Lily were only friends, James would never believe him. Harry needed to say something different. "She still loves you," Harry said.

This got James's attention. "Did she say that?" he asked.

"Well she said she missed you," Harry explained.

"But she didn't say that she loved me?" James asked.

"Well, no---"

But James cut Harry off. "Look Parsons. You can have Evans. I don't want her anymore. It's over between us." He took a few steps away from Harry. "But you don't deserve her. You're no better than those Slytherins. In fact, it is beyond me why you were even sorted into Gryffindor," James said bitterly.

James had succeeded. Harry had never felt worse than he had at that moment. And it wasn't the physical pain, it was the words his father had said to him. Harry thought of Professor Snape, always telling Harry he was exactly like his father. Was he? Was Harry like that? Was he so close-minded and selfish? And for a minute, Harry actually sympathized with Professor Snape.

The Next Day

"Harry, are you okay?" Lily asked. "You're walking kind of funny," she observed.

Merlin, this woman does not miss a thing! Harry thought. I would never have been able to get away with anything.

"I'm fine Lily. I guess I just... slept funny," he lied quickly.

"No," Lily responded. "It's almost like you've been hunching over all day or something. And whenever your stomach touches anything you wince."

"Really Lily, it's nothing," Harry reassured her.

But Lily did not listen, instead she grabbed Harry's shirt and pulled it up, revealing large purple and blue bruises.

Lily put her hand over her mouth in shock. "Harry, did James do this?"

"Of course not," he lied. "I ran into a table---"

"Harry Parsons, do not lie to me! A table cannot do that to you!" Lily said. She lifted up his shirt again and examined the bruises more carefully. "These bruises are so big. How many times did he punch you?"

"A few," Harry replied reluctantly.

"Oh my Harry. Were you not even going to tell me about this?" Lily asked.

"Well, I didn't want you to worry, and---"

But once again, Lily cut him off. "I can't believe James. Ya know, I really never expected him to stoop this low," she said. "How bad do they hurt?"

"They don't hurt," he said.

"Harry..."

"Okay, they hurt like hell. He's very strong," Harry said sitting down and putting a hand over his stomach.

"Oh, I can't believe him!" Lily shouted angrily. "I am going to kill James Potter! I can't believe I ever went out with him! And I knew he was like this. I knew he had this side to him, yet I ignored it! Ugh, this makes me so mad!" she yelled.

"Lily, no, listen. This is between me and James," Harry told her.

Lily seemed appalled by his statement. "No it is not! It's between me and James. You just accidentally got dragged into it somehow. And I'm really sorry. I'm probably not even worth having as a friend, am I? I mean, you become my friend and you get beat up by Potter."

"Of course you're worth it Lily. You're the only one worth spending any time with here," Harry said.

Lily smiled. "Harry, you are a great friend. You have become my best friend in the little time you have been here. Do you think we are kindred spirits?" she asked.

Harry smiled to. The first time he had smiled in a while. "Yes, I think we might be," he replied.

A Little Later

Lily walked into the common room where she knew the marauders would be. Sirius and Peter were talking softly, as if it were a secret, Remus was of course reading, what else? And James sat there working on homework. He looked up and saw Lily standing there.

"Evans," he said acknowledging her and standing up from the couch. "What do you want?"

But Lily did not answer him, she simply walked up towards him so they were close. And then, to everyone's surprise, she then slapped him hard right across the face.

"What the hell was that for Evans?" James asked putting a hand on his cheek. "That hurt!"

"It was supposed to!" Lily yelled at him. "And don't pretend you don't know why I did it, I know you know."

"Oh, are you talking about that Parsons kid? I see he know has girls fighting his battles," James said.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked confused.

"Potter beat up Harry," Lily explained quickly to Sirius.

"You beat him up?" Sirius asked surprised.

"No, I did not beat him up. I just punched him a couple of times. It's a totally different thing," James replied.

"James, there were bruises all over his stomach! Why are you doing this? Just leave Harry alone!" she begged. "Why are you bothering him so much anyway? I know it is because of me."

"Don't flatter yourself," James said cruelly. There was a moment of silence between them. Lily was surprised that she was still hurt by his words. James on the other hand, couldn't believe he had just said that. But never the less, he continued. "It wasn't about you Lily, it never was. It's about Harry. He's a jerk."

"How can you say he's a jerk when you've hardly spoken more than ten words to him? Harry is the complete opposite of a jerk, he's absolutely wonderful. And in fact, the only jerk that I see here is you," she said as she spun around and stormed off.

Remus, Peter, and Sirius, who had remained quiet during Lily and James's fight, sat there in silence. They did not want to say anything. James didn't speak either.

"I always told you that there was a connection between redheads and their tempers," Sirius said breaking the silence. James simply gave Sirius a look of disgust and left. "So... that was pretty jacked up," Sirius commented casually to Remus and Peter. The three marauders turned when they heard footsteps running down from the girl's dormitory.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "I heard yelling."

"James and Lily," Remus explained. Hermione looked at Sirius silently asking for more information.

"James beat up Harry," Sirius said.

"WHAT?" Hermione yelled louder than Lily. "He beat him up? Oh my Merlin! James beat up Harry! Oh my..." Hermione started pacing around muttering to herself.

"Hermione, calm down. It's not like it's the end of the world," Peter said.

"Oh yeah? How would you feel if you fath---" But she immediately stopped herself "If you were beat up?" she said desperately trying to cover up her mistake. She had almost said father.

"No, wait. What were you saying before?" Peter inquired. "You said how would I feel if my father... what?"

"I didn't say that," Hermione said automatically.

"Yes you did," Peter said.

"No I didn't!" Hermione said loudly.

"Okay you two, it's not a contest," Remus said quieting them. "It really doesn't matter."

"Hermione," Sirius said.

"Yes?" she asked making eye contact with him.

"Do you want to meet me in the Astronomy tower tonight?" he asked approaching her.

Hermione knew what Sirius wanted. But there was no way that was going to happen. "Sirius, I---"

But before Hermione could finish the excuse she was about to make up, Sirius spoke. "Great, meet me at nine," he said smiling.

Oh Merlin. What am I getting myself into? she thought.