Liadan Sevenwaters – Yes, Lily and James are now officially a couple! Glad to hear you enjoyed!
Arwenundomneil – I'm sorry to hear that you were so irritated that you almost didn't review. My only reply is that my life does not rule around this computer. I have school and that comes first for me. Glad to hear you liked the chapter, however.
Nicole – I agree with you 100 that this version is so much better than the last. My writing did my mature thanks to an English teacher I had last year (as much as I hate to admit that, haha). The rain scene is one of my favorites too.
Anon – You're review made me laugh. And yes it helped keep me motivated! Every time I get a review I get a burst of motivation!
A/n: Thank you guys for being so understanding with the bouts of time between updates. I'm really trying my best to get all my schoolwork done first before giving my full attention to the chapters. As I write each new chapter it becomes increasingly more difficult because there are things constantly happening, things I have to start to bring in, and so on. I want to make sure that each chapter has what it is supposed to have and be good at the same time. This chapter was a bit difficult to write because there are so many things going on. There is a lot of information in this chapter, a lot of which you as readers already know, but the characters did not. One mystery is wrapped up and you get a lot of hints for another mystery that will be revealed next chapter, as well as hints for the future. There is some foreshadowing this chapter as well. A few things to keep in mind: I am a little like JKR when I write. If I repeat something: it's important. If you think something is coincidence: chances are it probably is not. Thanks again for your understanding, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!
Challenge
Chapter 12: Everyone Has Secrets
James pulled the door to his bedroom open and started down the steps running a hand through his slightly damp, messy hair. As he reached the floor, he looked up at Lily's still closed bedroom door, and smiled. He'd heard the shower go on when he'd been getting dressed so he knew she was up. He was hungry, the growling of his stomach proved that, but his desire to see Lily overpowered his hunger.
He went and plopped down onto one of the couches that littered the common room to wait for her, pulling off his glasses and rubbing his still tired eyes. He'd had trouble falling asleep and by the time he had, he was woken rather rudely by his alarm clock. He couldn't stop thinking about Lily and the way she'd felt in his arms, the way her kiss had given him the biggest high of his life, bigger even than the highs flying gave him. His thoughts began to drift as he leaned back into the couch cushions. He was fast asleep within seconds.
Twenty minutes passed before Lily emerged from her bedroom and made her way down the steps into the common room. She spotted James sleeping peacefully on the couch and quietly made her way over to him. He was completely relaxed and she felt slightly guilty for pressing her lips to his cheek and whispering, "Wake up." She crouched in front of him as he began to stir and smiled when he opened his eyes. "Hi."
"Hey, I wanted to surprise you—but I sort of fell asleep," he told her sheepishly.
Lily smiled, "It's fine. You look like you didn't get a wink of sleep last night."
"Well, that's probably 'cause I didn't," James admitted with a chuckle, "I was too busy thinking about you."
Lily hummed happily, "And I slept like a baby. I had wonderful dreams," she told him.
James leaned forward until their noses practically bumped, "Of me?"
"Maybe," Lily replied shyly. James moved his head slightly and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "What was that for?" she asked softly.
James looked into her sparkling emerald eyes, "Good morning. I missed you. And to make sure that last night wasn't a dream."
"You weren't dreaming, James," Lily assured him.
"Well, then to make it more of a reality, we may just have to do it again," James smiled mischievously leaning over and kissing her again. Lily sat a little straighter and pressed her hands into the cushions on either side of James to steady herself. James ran his fingers through her silky auburn tresses as he slanted his mouth over hers and deepened the kiss.
They kissed for several long moments before Lily pulled away breathlessly and touched her forehead to James'. "You made my wildest dreams come true last night, Lil." Lily smiled and kissed him again. "You want to head down to breakfast?"
Lily hesitated a moment before answering. "I'm a little nervous about going down there actually."
James looked at her confusedly, "Why?"
"You don't think people are going to talk—"
"So, let them talk," James interrupted shrugging.
"And that you're fan club isn't going to try and hex me into oblivion," Lily continued.
"They could try," James said pulling Lily to her feet and settling her on his lap, "But you're Lily Evans, smartest witch in Hogwarts." Lily blushed. "And besides, they'd have to go through me and they wouldn't harm a hair on my head," he joked. Lily punched his arm, but laughed with him anyway.
"So, Izzy, where'd you get off to yesterday? I didn't see you once after we all split up," Rachel asked conversationally.
Izzy spluttered into her orange juice at the same time Remus choked on a bit of toast. Peter slapped Remus on the back so hard that he nearly propelled Remus' head into his bowl of cornflakes. "I shopped for a little while and then came back here to relax. I curled up with a good book for a while."
"Oh. What book?"
Izzy hiccupped, "Oh—er—A Little Princess. It's a muggle book." Rachel nodded and turned back to her scrambled eggs.
"Has anyone talked to Lily or James since their date yesterday?" Alyssa asked.
Sirius shook his head, "Not since we ran into them in the Three Broomsticks. It didn't look like things were going too smoothly."
"Yeah, and Mr. Smooth over here," she jerked her thumb at Sirius, "Had to go over and open his mouth and insert his big foot."
"That's nothing new, Rach," Remus joked having recovered from his choking incident. Sirius threw a grape at Remus' head. "Why, thank you. Don't mind if I do," Remus smiled graciously.
"I hope things didn't go too badly," Alyssa mused aloud.
"We're about to find out. Here they come," Andy said looking toward the double doors where Lily and James had just arrived.
A hush fell over the Great Hall as one by one students looked up to see the Head Boy and Girl doing something no one expected of them. "Are they…?" Izzy began.
"Holding hands?" Remus finished for her.
Jaws began dropping and people began to whisper as Lily and James started to make their way over to their friends at the Gryffindor table.
"Aw, James finally pulled his head from the clouds and his foot from his mouth," Rachel said jokingly.
"And Lily finally pulled her nose out of the books and quit being so stubborn," Sirius returned. Rachel hit him upside the head. "Ow! Why do I get hit when you also made a comment?" Rachel gave him a challenging look and Sirius quickly changed the subject, "I feel like we should be applauding or something."
Peter stood and was about to do what Sirius suggested when Sirius grabbed the back of his shirt and forced him back into his seat, "I was joking, Wormtail."
"Morning guys," James said brightly.
"Morning," the group replied collectively.
Rachel noticed that Lily was looking apprehensively around them as people continued to whisper and stare. She couldn't really blame her as she overheard some of what was being said.
"I thought they hated each other."
"No, Lily hated James because James was always asking her out."
"This can't be happening! I must be seeing things!"
"She must have put a spell on him. It's the only logical explanation!"
"But she's the one who hated him. Not the other way around!"
"But—but that's supposed to be me!"
"I think I need to get my eyes checked."
Rachel spun around and glared at two fifth year girls walking by. "The only thing that needs to get checked is the connection between your brain and your legs because they obviously aren't moving out of here fast enough," Rachel snapped. The two girls huffed and hurried out of the Great Hall.
Lily smiled and mouthed, "Thank you," to her friend.
Rachel winked, "You can repay me with all the details later."
Sirius leaned over Rachel and spoke in a girlish tone, "Oh, yes, and James you have to give us all the juicy details too."
Rachel narrowed her eyes and smacked Sirius upside the head for the second time that morning. "Ow!" The others shared a laugh as Sirius glared at Rachel who smiled back innocently.
Seventh year N.E.W.T Potions students stood outside the dungeon classroom the following afternoon waiting for Professor Slughorn to let them inside. They weren't waiting for more than five minutes when the door opened and Horace Slughorn began ushering them inside exuberantly. He was not a very tall man, he barely came up to Sirius' shoulder, and was rather round about the middle. He had thick, shiny, straw-colored hair and a gingery-blonde mustache.
"Take your seats," said Slughorn, moving to the front of the class slowly. Slughorn waited until everyone was settled before speaking again. "Can anyone tell me what is in this cauldron here?" he asked pointing to a cauldron that was emitting spirals of steam on his desk.
Lily's hand immediately shot into the air. "Miss Evans?"
"It's Amortentia, sir. The most powerful love potion in the world," Lily replied.
Slughorn nodded, "And how is it recognized?"
Again Lily raised her hand and said, "It has a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen and steam rises from it in characteristic spirals. And it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, depending on what attracts us."
Slughorn beamed at her, "Excellent, Miss Evans. Take twenty points for Gryffindor." Bellatrix scoffed loudly and Rachel glared at her from across the room.
"Miss Rabb." Rachel turned and looked at Slughorn. "What do you smell?"
Rachel sniffed the air and frowned, "Frog spawn." Everyone laughed.
Slughorn chuckled, "Come closer then my dear, you're probably too far away."
Rachel got up and walked to the front of the class. As she neared Slughorn's desk the most seductive smell washed over her, invading her senses. "I smell freshly baked apple pie and the way it smells after rain in the spring and," she paused, "someone's cologne."
Slughorn chuckled, "Very good, thank you, Miss Rabb." Rachel returned to her seat with her cheeks a light shade of pink. "For the next ten minutes or so I want you all to jot down the various things you smell. Begin."
-
Later on that week, James was on his way back to the dorm to drop his things off before dinner when he spotted Lily walking down the corridor ahead of him. He lengthened his strides to catch up with her and reached for her arm, "Lily."
Lily smiled confusedly at him as he looked up and down the hall for teachers before pulling her just inside an empty classroom. He grasped her waist over her heavy school robes and kissed her hard on the mouth. Lily returned his kiss before pulling away and giggling, "We can't do this here—right now," she said still laughing.
"We just did," James grinned, loving how cute and innocent her reaction was. "Alright, I'll kiss you later," he promised.
"It'll have to be much later, you have practice after dinner," Lily reminded him.
James pouted, "I could skip," he suggested.
"You're the captain," Lily exclaimed with a laugh, "You can't do that. And you can't cancel either."
James sighed, "Okay, are you heading down to dinner?"
"I was thinking of heading that way," Lily said teasingly.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," Lily smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek as he took her hand.
"You did well today Rob," James said to the burly fourth year with dark, brown, almost black hair as they entered the locker room after practice had finished. "There's a good chance you'll make the team next year."
"Thanks, James," the reserve beater replied. "Are you looking for a career in Quidditch after you graduate in June?"
James shrugged, "It's a possibility," he said peeling off his sweaty shirt.
"So, you and Lily Evans, finally together, eh?"
"Aye," James smiled.
"How's it going so far?" Rob asked pulling on a pair of sweatpants.
"Great," said James pulling on a fresh shirt, "She's supposed to meet me down here in a couple of minutes."
Rob straddled one of the benches and grinned wolfishly, "So, she any good?"
James froze, "What?" he turned slowly to face Rob.
"You know—was she a good shag? I mean you did shag her right?" He laughed to himself, "It's been a week, of course you did, your James fucking Potter for Merlin's beard."
-
Lily shivered in the early November air as she walked across the Quidditch field in the direction of the locker room. She'd promised James at dinner that she'd meet him there after practice and they'd walk back up to the school together. She neared the locker room and noticed that the door had been left ajar and could hear a male voice, not belonging to James, coming from inside.
"You know—was she a good shag? I mean you did shag her right?" the boy laughed, "It's been a week, of course you did, your James fucking Potter for Merlin's beard."
Lily froze. Was James bragging to some of the guys about her? From the sound of things he had done just that. But they hadn't done more than kiss. He was not only a liar, but also a major scumbag on top of it. Lily's eyes filled with angry tears and before she could hear another word she turned and ran back to the castle.
-
James looked at Rob with fire burning in his eyes. Rob's chuckling and look of 'job well done, mate' slowly faded when he saw the dark look on James' face. Before Rob knew what was happening James had him pinned against the lockers, one hand at his throat, the other pinning his right hand above his head.
"Whoa! What the hell is your problem?"
"Don't ever talk about Lily like that again! Ever! You got it?" James growled threateningly.
Rob nodded with difficulty as James' hand was still at his throat and James finally released him. James pulled his sweatshirt on roughly and left slamming the door behind him.
By the time James reached the statue of the unicorn he was considerably calmer and a little curious as to why Lily hadn't met him when she'd said she would. His question was answered when he stepped into the common room and immediately spotted Lily curled up on the couch fast asleep with a book open on her stomach. Not wanting to wake her he quietly conjured a blanket and draped it over her body before leaning down and kissing her forehead gently. He then turned and began heading up the stairs to his room. With his back to Lily he didn't notice the lone tear that slid down her cheek.
-
Lily made it a point to avoid James as much as possible the following day. She didn't have to try too hard as they only had two classes together on Friday's. James on the other hand did not realize she was avoiding him. He figured that since they only had two classes together that they simply kept missing each other. By dinner James was more than a little anxious and excited to see Lily. But dinner came and went and Lily never showed.
Lily was sitting in the common room bent over her Charms essay when James came in. She tore her eyes from the parchment long enough to see the worry in his eyes before looking back down at her essay. "Hey," he said walking over to the table she was working at, "I missed you at dinner." He leaned over and expected her to turn her head so he could kiss her properly, but when she didn't, he settled for kissing her cheek instead.
"I really wasn't all that hungry," said Lily distractedly.
"I can get you something from the kitchens if you get hungry later. I'm on pretty good terms with the house elves," he joked. Lily only nodded in response. "I missed you today," he said sitting down beside her.
"Me too," Lily said with a tight smile.
They fell into a tension filled silence that was only broken by the scratching of Lily's quill against parchment. After several minutes of silence, James finally got up and disappeared up the stairs to his room. Lily dropped her quill and buried her face in her hands sighing loudly.
When he returned a few minutes later with his homework, Lily was back to working on her essay. James watched her for a moment before pulling out a sheet of parchment and titling it for his potions essay and began to work.
Patches of sunlight seeped through the small rips and tears of the blinds covering the windows that were in a serious state of repair. About an inch of dust sat on the floorboards so that the footsteps of the only two people in the room were muffled. Standing in the middle of the unused classroom was Rachel, blindfolded.
She could practically hear the blood rushing in her ears as she flexed her fingers ready to strike. The room was so silently quiet that anyone could easily have forgotten about the other person in the room, but Rachel knew better. Her sense of hearing was so heightened that her ears picked up the slight whoosh of a cloak as the other body circled behind her. But she did not spin around and attack, instead she waited.
Another whispery whoosh floated past on her left and she turned her head, but still did not react. This continued for several more minutes until the whoosh was faster and more high-pitched and hurtling towards her face. Both her arms flew up in front of her and with one swift move she blocked his foot and gave it a twist, throwing her attacker's balance off. He regained his balance quickly and grunted.
He came at her a second time and then a third and then a fourth. Each time she successfully blocked him. On his fifth attempt she blocked him twice, but failed to block him a third. His fist came out of nowhere and caught her directly in the stomach causing her to double up as the wind was knocked out of her. Her attacker stepped away for a moment and Rachel straightened up, ignoring the pain and whipping sweat from her brow. He came at her again and this time she ducked, caught his arm, spun into him so her back was to him and flipped him over her shoulder.
He was on his feet the next second and before she could do anything he rushed at her and jumped sending both his feet into her stomach. She fell back and went sliding across the stone floor, ripping her jeans and skinning her knees. Groaning softly to herself she quickly got to her feet and faced off her attacker again, blindfold still in place. This time when he came at her she threw a punch and he blocked it. She blocked his first and second hits until his hand closed around her throat and he forced her back into one of the walls hard enough to bruise her shoulder blades—again.
"Fight," he hissed, "Fight."
Rachel threw her head forward and heard the crack of skin and bone colliding as their foreheads met. He let go of her and stumbled backward. Sensing exactly where he was standing she took two running leaps for the wall where her feet met, a good three feet from the dusty floor. She pushed off and sent a spinning kick into her assailant's face. She landed on the floor crouched much like a cat would be after jumping from a height.
She straightened up and slowly walked up beside him where she then pulled her blindfold off and looked down at him. "Checkmate," she said.
"Not quite," he said taking the hand she offered to help him up. "That was better, your best yet, but you still got tired toward the end. You can't afford for that to happen." Rachel nodded. "Now get out of here." She grabbed her sweatshirt off the doorknob and left the room heading back to Gryffindor tower.
James spent a restless night tossing and turning, alternating between brief periods of sleep and long spaces of time staring at the deep red canopy above his bed. Something was wrong with Lily and he knew it, but he didn't know what. By six o'clock, James gave up on his final attempt to fall back asleep and got out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and his gaze immediately sought out the connecting door to Lily's room.
He approached it and listened quietly for any signs of movement. Finding none, he turned on the shower and let the water run hot. When steam began pouring out the top he stripped out of the pajama bottoms he wore and stepped under the hot spray.
He let the water run over his shoulders soothing the tension as he mulled over in his head what could be bothering Lily. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong in the week since their kiss in the rain, but he wasn't positive. By the time he was wrapping a towel around his waist, he'd come to the decision to confront her and ask her what was wrong. It was what any good boyfriend would do. Wait am I her boyfriend? Is that why she's angry?
He finished getting dressed and sat down with one of his Quidditch magazines to pass the time. Nearly an hour and a half had passed when the sound of the shower starting up again filled his ears. Leaving his magazine on his desk he grabbed a sweatshirt from a drawer and hurried down the stairs.
He waited a little over a half an hour until Lily emerged from her room. Instead of making himself known he watched her movements for a moment, and slowly began to notice a pattern. As she gathered up her books that she'd left on the table the night before he caught her casting furtive glances at his bedroom door. When she picked up her bag as though readying to leave James finally spoke.
"Are you avoiding me?"
Lily jumped nearly a foot in the air, "What?" She spun around and saw James getting to his feet at the foot of the stairs, "James, what are you doing down here? You scared me."
James stuffed one hand into his pocket, "Waiting for you. You never answered my question." Lily avoided his gaze and didn't respond. "I don't know if I'm seeing things and overreacting, and if I am tell me, but there seems to be a pattern emerging. You were asleep when I came back from Quidditch practice the other night. You were gone before I got up yesterday. I saw you in the two classes we had together and you barely said two words to me. You weren't at dinner yesterday and when I came back here we sat in silence doing our homework. And now you were what trying to sneak out of here before I came down?"
Lily frowned. She could hear the hurt and confusion in his face and knew that she was only making it worse by not answering right away. "What's going on, Lily?"
Something inside Lily snapped. Why was she the one feeling guilty when he'd been the one she'd caught bragging to the guys about having sex with her? Why was she worrying if he was hurt because she'd been avoiding him? "Like you don't know," she said acidly.
"No," he said slowly the confusion clearly evident on his face, "I don't."
Lily rolled her eyes, "You can drop the act, Potter." James frowned. "I heard you."
"Doing what?" James asked incredulously, "Snoring? Talking in my sleep? What?"
Lily crossed her arms over her chest, "I went down to the Quidditch field to meet you after practice the other night like I said I would. I heard you bragging to the boys about what was it—'shagging' me. Which is a really jackass thing to do since we haven't done anything except kiss!"
James froze. She'd overheard Rob Braxton talking about the two of them shagging and figured that he, James must have been talking about it. "But, Lily I…"
Lily held her hand up, "Save it. I don't want to hear it. Just leave me alone, Potter."
James caught her arm before she had a chance to walk away, "I'm not going to do that. Lily, listen to me, I didn't tell him about us shagging or doing anything else for that matter. Mainly because like you said we haven't done more than kiss. And secondly because I wouldn't do that."
"It's not like you haven't before," Lily said icily.
James had his mouth open ready to tell her about how he'd nearly kicked the crap out of Braxton when her words hit him. "Now wait a minute—I am not the same person I was last year and the years before! You know that! Or I thought you did. I would never go around bragging to the guys about you or what we do in private!"
Lily looked away from him. She wanted to believe him, she really did, but she couldn't. Her heart could hear the truthfulness in his voice, but her brain fought back with his not-so-reliable record.
Before either of them could say another word, the stonewall portrait hole opened and Andy stuck his head inside. "Hey, sorry for interrupting," he said sounding apologetic, "James I need to talk to you and the guys—like now." He gave James a pleading look letting James know that whatever he had to say was important.
James looked helplessly between the two, "Go," Lily said softly.
"This isn't over," he promised her and followed Andy out of the common room.
Lily sighed, "It never is."
Rachel knocked quietly on the door to the first year girls' dorm. "Come in," a voice belonging to the youngest Rabb sibling called back.
Rachel stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, "Hey, kiddo."
Julianna looked up from the book she was reading smiling brightly at her sister, "Hey, Rach." Her smile faded into a frown. "Oh my God. What happened?" she asked looking at Rachel's busted lip and bruising face as Rachel gingerly made her way over to her sister's bed and sat down.
"I wasn't paying attention and I got stuck in that damn invisible step on the back stairs. I got myself out, but also threw myself down the stairs in the process," Rachel told the story she'd thought up in the shower.
Julianna inhaled painfully. "Does it hurt?"
Rachel laughed softly, "A little, but you can fix me up quick, right?" she tweaked her little sister's nose.
Julianna nodded and lifted one hand to her sister's face. A brilliant, glittering, gold glow surrounded the rather nasty bruise on the left side of Rachel's face. Within seconds the bruise faded and disappeared entirely. Julianna repeated the process over every cut and bruise that Rachel had acquired. "There, all done."
Rachel smiled, "Thanks, Jules."
-
"There you two are. Where's Wormtail?" Remus asked when Andy and James entered the dormitory.
Andy shrugged, "I don't know. I can't find him."
"He's probably in the kitchens drowning in chocolate éclairs," James joked sitting on the end of Remus' bed.
Sirius sat down on his trunk that was at the foot of his bed, "So, what's so important, Andy?"
Andy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "Well, we've all been mates since third year, best mates even. You all trusted me enough to reveal to me your many secrets. The Marauders Map, Remus, the Shrieking Shack, being Animagi…"
"Andy, what's up mate?" James asked concernedly.
"Yeah, you sound like you're getting ready to propose marriage," said Sirius lightly.
Andy sat down on the end of his own bed and faced his friends, "There's something I need to tell you guys, something you need to know. Something that's been weighing on my mind since we came back to school. Something that I should have told you long ago."
-
"…and Slughorn's a bit weird. Isn't he?" Julianna looked at Rachel.
Rachel nodded, "Yes, he is."
"During role call my first class with him, he got to my name and nearly screamed with joy."
Rachel burst out laughing, "Well, that's because he has this club, the Slug Club. Every year he chooses people that come from families with high status, or from families with famous bloodlines. He holds these ridiculous meetings and parties where he talks to every member about why he or she is there. He's been trying to get Andy, Matt, and me to go to one of those things for years, but we've always been regretfully busy."
"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL US!"
Rachel and Julianna looked up sharply. "What in the…" Rachel got up and hurried out of the room, Julianna hot on her heels.
"AFTER ALL THIS TIME? AND YOU COULDN'T FIND ONE FUCKING MINUTE TO SIT US DOWN AND TELL US?"
Rachel stopped suddenly (so suddenly that Julianna walked into her) in the middle of the stairs as she took in the scene before her. James, Sirius, Andy, and Remus were facing off in the middle of the common room engaged in a very heated argument. A number of Gryffindors enjoying their free Saturday afternoon had stopped what they were doing to watch.
"Julianna, get back upstairs," Rachel said not taking her eyes from the verbal fight going on below her.
"But, Rach…"
"Go," said Rachel firmly.
Julianna turned and hurried back up the stairs pushing past Alyssa, Izzy, and Lily who had all come down to see what the commotion was all about. "Out!" Lily barked to rest of the Gryffindors.
With very little protest the audience that had formed around the seventh year boys cleared, some heading out through the portrait hole and others heading up to their dormitories. Rachel flicked her wand at both dormitory doors, locking and soundproofing them.
"WE TRUSTED YOU!"
"FOUR FUCKING YEARS AND NOT A DAMN WORD! NOT EVEN A HINT!"
"Knock it off! All of you!" A female voice joined the shouting match. The four boys were startled into silence. "What the hell has gotten into you?" Rachel looked at each boy in turn.
"Honestly, you're acting like a bunch of crazed lunatics," Alyssa added.
"It's not that anything has gotten into us. It's that someone betrayed us," Sirius snarled glaring at Andy.
"I DID NOT BETRAY YOU!" Andy roared.
"No, you just kept something from us for FOUR BLOODY YEARS!" James shot back.
Andy inhaled angrily, "I had no other choice!"
"Yes you did! You CHOSE not to tell us!" Sirius spat.
"Oh shut up, the lot of you!" Lily finally said, "What on earth are you all going on about?" the girls stared at the boys and the boys stared at their shoes.
Rachel's eyes narrowed as her gaze fell on her twin. He glanced into her eyes quickly before looking away again, but he'd held her gaze one second too long. She could sense his guilt and anxiety. She could see both in his eyes. "Andy," she said evenly.
A light bulb went off in James' head and he looked at Rachel, "Do you know?" He rounded on Andy, "Does she know?"
"Of course she knows! She's my twin sister!" Andy exclaimed.
"Know what, Andy?" Rachel asked through gritted teeth.
Andy looked down at his shoes again, "They know, Rachel. I told them." He closed his eyes bracing himself.
Rachel's eyes darkened and flames ignited. "YOU DID WHAT?" Her breathing escalated and she lunged at him pushing him hard in the chest. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? WHAT THE FUCK EVEN POSSESSED YOU TO TELL THEM? AND WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NOT COME TALK TO ME?" Rachel pushed him again, but before she could do anything else a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her away.
"HOW COULD YOU?" she screamed struggling to break free from Sirius' tight hold on her. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU'VE PUT JULIANNA, MATT, YOURSELF, AND ME IN DANGER! YOU'VE PUT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM AT RISK!"
"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?" Andy roared back. "I TELL YOU THAT EVERY FUCKING DAY WHEN YOUR POWERS GO BESERK! I KNOW THE GODDAMN CONSEQUENCES! BUT THEY WEREN'T SO BIG AND BAD WHEN WE TOLD YOUR FRIENDS WERE THEY?"
"THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS TOO!" Rachel cried.
James turned to Lily, "You knew? You knew all this time and you didn't tell me?"
"Of course I knew, Potter," Lily sighed exasperatedly, "But you and I weren't exactly on good terms until this year, and whatever good terms we were on you basically severed."
"What?" said Rachel and Sirius together, momentarily forgetting about Andy.
Lily stared James down, "He's proven that he can't keep anything to himself! Things that aren't even true he can't keep to himself! I wouldn't be so sure that telling him was the right thing to do, Andy. I don't think James is trustworthy enough!"
"Well, shows how much you know!" James argued angrily. "I've kept a secret for seven bloody years of my life! A secret so big that most people couldn't bare to be burdened with it!"
"James!" Remus snapped harshly, finally speaking after a long bout of silence.
"Let go of me," Rachel grunted and Sirius finally released her. "I swear to God if you cheated on her…" Rachel said threateningly rounding on James. Sirius glared at her.
"No he didn't cheat on me—he went around bragging about me," Lily spat, "And stay out of this!" she added to Rachel. "This is not your fight! I can handle myself!"
"I did not go around bragging for fuck's sake!" James cried exasperatedly.
"I wouldn't put it past you considering your past!" Rachel sneered.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Lily and James yelled at her at the same time Sirius yelled, "You're just as mistrusting as she is!"
"I bet you couldn't wait to tell all the boys that you snogged Lily Evans," said Lily accusingly.
James groaned in aggravation, "I never said a damn word to them and I never will! Dammit, what don't you get about this? You obviously didn't stick around to hear me slam him into the lockers and threaten him to never talk about you like that again!"
"You—what?" Lily asked taken aback.
"You heard me! He was asking me questions about you and me and answering them for himself! I got mad that he was talking about you in that way and I slammed him into the lockers and threatened him! I PROTECTED you!"
"What is it with girls anyway? They never trust anyone!" Sirius growled.
"Maybe it's because the boys they want to trust have a record that would make a death eater look trustworthy!" Rachel shot back.
"The both of you are so fucking doubtful of us! Everything's fine one minute and the next you take something we say wrongly and it all goes to hell! It's like you're waiting for something to go wrong! Like you can't wait until one of us slips up and you can call us out on it!"
"Maybe it's because a girl never knows if the boy she shares her innermost thoughts with is gonna go display them for everyone to see!" she growled.
"Not all guys are the same, Rachel," Sirius snarled.
"Maybe it's because the boys have a history of screwing girls over!"
"People change! And there's always a second side to every story!" Sirius shot back.
"Or maybe it's because the only people a girl can trust are her father and her brother, although I really can't give evidence on that last one considering…"
"Now, Rach, why don't you just hear Andy out?"
"You are NOT defending him!" Rachel exclaimed looking at Alyssa. "Oh, wait I forgot you're sleeping with him! Silly me!"
"Rachel," Andy said threateningly.
Rachel glared at him, "Oh, don't you Rachel me, Andrew Carson!"
Alyssa took a deep breath, "Look, what Andy did was wrong—" Andy opened his mouth to retort, "He should have talked to you before he told them," she said glancing at Andy, "But maybe you," she added to Rachel, "need to take a step back and listen to him."
"You can't take both sides, Alyssa!" Andy exclaimed.
"The only reason I'm in the middle is because you've put me in this position! I love you both and I think that both of you have a right to be mad and hurt. Rachel probably shouldn't have reacted like she did. But Andy you should have talked to her just like she talked to you before coming to tell us."
Rachel smirked triumphantly. Alyssa was right. Rachel had gone to Andy first and they'd made the decision together to tell Lily, Alyssa, and Izzy about their powers. "Yeah!" said Rachel not being able to think of another comeback.
"Well, how do you expect me to keep this kind of secret from them? How do you think it feels for me to know that you have Lily and Alyssa and Izzy to talk to about your powers and they help you in ways that I can't? The guys could probably do the same for me! They trusted me with their biggest secrets and I had yet to trust them with mine!"
Rachel tried not to show how deeply Andy's words affected her so she focused on what else Andy had said, "What secrets? Keeping something else from me?"
"Cut the crap, Rach." Andy said wearily.
"Why haven't you said anything?" James asked looking over at Remus, "You've got to be angry too."
"Actually I'm not. I'm a little disappointed that Andy kept this from us for so long, but I'm not angry." James and Sirius stared at Remus. Remus rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "Maybe it's because I know what it's like to carry a weight around like that. I know how it feels to befriend people and then worry so much about them finding out your secret that you try and push them away. I know how it feels to worry about acceptance from people once they learn your secret."
James and Sirius looked at each other, the impact of Remus' words hitting them hard. They had not gone ballistic when they learned of Remus' secret. Andy had not flipped out when he learned all of their secrets. So, why were they freaking out now that Andy had told them his biggest secret?
"I know that the dangers increase as more and more people learn your secret. I know the risk that he faces by having told us, because I face that same risk every day."
"What risk? What secret?" Lily asked.
Remus glanced at James first, then at Sirius, and finally at Andy. He could feel their support and loyalty practically radiating from them as he took a breath, "When I was younger I was bitten by a werewolf." A collective gasp came from the girls as they all stared blankly at Remus.
Remus looked at each of the girls in turn until he got to Izzy where his gaze settled. "Izzy," he said looking into her eyes as they rapidly filled with tears. She put a hand over her mouth to muffle a small sob, "Sweetheart," Remus reached for her, but Izzy brushed past him shaking her head and ran out through the portrait hole.
Everyone stared from Remus to the portrait hole and back again. Rachel finally broke the tense silence as confusion clouded her brain again, "Sweetheart?"
"Are you and Izzy dating?" Andy asked.
Remus nodded miserably.
"For how long?" asked Alyssa gently.
"We wrote each other all summer. I asked her out a week after we got back to school."
The rest of the group looked at one another, "Did you know about this?" they asked all at once.
"We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while," Remus said softly.
Everyone's demeanors seemed to slump as the group began to separate, each person trying to mull over everything that had just been revealed.
Rachel bumped into Sirius and quickly said, "I'm not talking to you."
"Well, that's good considering I'm not talking to you," Sirius replied coldly.
Rachel turned away from him and heard Andy say, "I'm not talking to you either."
Rachel spun and glared at Andy, "AND I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!" she shouted.
"FINE!" he yelled back.
"FINE!" Rachel screamed so hard that it hurt her throat and she left the common room without looking back.
The heavy door at the top of the stairs to the Astronomy tower creaked loudly. Remus looked up, "Izzy?"
Lily smiled sadly and shook her head. Remus closed his eyes and scuffed the toe of his sneaker on the ground. Lily walked up to him and hugged him. He stiffened, "I don't want your pity."
"This isn't pity," Lily whispered, "It's support." She pulled away and looked up at his face. She could see in his eyes that he was tired, scared, and aged well beyond his years. "I think you're strong and very brave. Most people would rather die than live with being a werewolf for as long as you have."
Remus gave her a small smile, "I've had those moments believe me."
Lily smiled, "But you came here and found friends that love and support you," she paused, "I don't mean just Sirius, James, Peter, and Andy either."
"They've been there for me in more ways than you know," Remus said softly.
Lily smiled, "And we will be too." Lily caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes and knew who he was thinking of. "Izzy will come around. She's just in shock, really. Izzy tries to see the good in every situation and every person and she doesn't judge people. That's probably her best and worst trait. She'd befriend a death eater if he showed an iota of goodness."
Remus nodded letting her words sink in before giving her his own piece of advice, "You should give James a chance, Lily. He makes a lot of mistakes, but he's only human—and a male." Lily laughed. "He's trying to do right by you and not screw this up because he's falling head over heels for you."
Lily reached up and hugged Remus again tightly. "Thanks, Remus."
"Thank you," said Remus hugging her back.
Alyssa found Andy in the Owlery sitting on one of the windowsills stroking his owl's feathers. "I knew you'd come after me," Andy said hoarsely.
Alyssa went and sat down beside him. "Are you okay?"
Andy sighed heavily, "Well, my sister hates me and isn't speaking to me, James and Sirius think I've betrayed them and also aren't speaking to me, Remus is disappointed in me, and you're probably mad at me too."
"Rachel does not hate you," said Alyssa, "She's upset and hurt that you didn't talk to her before you told James, Sirius, and Remus not only you're secret, but hers too. James and Sirius overreacted, and I think they know that. Remus understands why you kept your secret for as long as you did; he's just disappointed that you didn't feel you could tell them sooner. And I am not mad at you."
Andy looked up at her, "I'm sorry, Angel. I should never have put you in the position of middleman."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Alyssa said lightly waving it off. "I love you, Andy," she said cupping his cheek in her hand, "Nothing is ever going to change that, but Rachel's also my best friend."
"I know," he said turning his head and kissing her palm. He sighed heavily and looked at the barn owl perched on his knee. "I don't know why I didn't talk to Rachel before I told the guys. I guess I wasn't really thinking. We made the decision together to tell you, Izzy, and Lily, and it should have been no different this time. They needed to know, they should know, and I wasn't sure how Rachel would react."
"You didn't think she'd be even more mad that you didn't talk to her?"
Andy shook his head, "Not at the time. I'd been keeping this big part of myself concealed from some of my best friends. My powers are this huge part of who I am and I felt that with them not knowing, they didn't know the real me."
"Then they don't really know any of us real well because we all have secrets."
"So do they," Andy admitted. "What do I do, Angel?"
Alyssa stopped stroking Apollo's feathers, "You tell them exactly what you just told me."
Sirius walked slowly across the grounds, his hands deep in the pockets of his jacket to keep them warm. As he passed Hagrid's hut his ears picked up the sounds of small, muffled sobs coming from somewhere close. He rounded the bend and saw a curly blonde sitting on the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's vegetable patch muffling her cries into her arms.
"It's not safe for you to be out here by yourself this close to the Forest," Sirius said quietly so as not to startle her as he approached, "There are dangerous creatures in there."
"Like werewolves?" said Izzy bitterly.
Sirius nodded, "Like werewolves," he said shrugging out of his jacket and draping it around Izzy.
She sniffled, "Thanks."
"No problem," he said sitting down beside her. But he didn't say another word.
"Why didn't he tell me, Sirius?" Izzy cried.
Sirius thought for a moment, "Because he didn't want to lose the one ray of sunshine in his life," he said, finally speaking. "We're his best mates, but not one of us is a girl. In the seven years we've been at Hogwarts, James and I have had our fair share of women, but not Remus. Remus has never dated until you. He was scared for them and scared of what they would do if they ever found out about him. He was scared of facing the whole school knowing what he was and the fact that the girl rejected him because of what he is.
"Since we've been back at school Remus has been happier. I caught him singing in the shower a few weeks ago, not well might I add," he said making Izzy laugh softly, "He was sleeping better. Being his roommate I know he spent many sleepless nights tossing and turning, especially in the week leading up to the full moon. The pain I've seen him go through—I can't even imagine."
"You've seen him transform?" Izzy gasped.
Sirius nodded, "Yes." Izzy gave him a questioning look, "I can't tell you everything, and it's not because I don't want to, it's just that we should all be there." Izzy nodded slowly in understanding. "Look, Izzy, I can't tell you what to do here, but I can tell you that I would die for any one of my friends. Remus is one of my best friends. He's the bravest man I know."
"I love him, Sirius," Izzy whimpered softly. "I don't care that he's a werewolf, I love him."
Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Tell him. That's all he needs to hear."
Rachel sat hugging her knees to her chest looking out at the lake as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She didn't know what to think or feel. Her emotions were a complete mess of anger, hurt, confusion, and more. The crunch of leaves behind her made her aware that she was no longer alone.
James sat down heavily beside Rachel, "Hi." He bent his legs up and draped his arms about his knees loosely.
"Hey," she said softly, wiping away a few of her tears.
"Don't worry I won't ask if you're okay," he said looking out over the glasslike surface of the lake.
Rachel cracked a small smile. "I'm sorry, James. I shouldn't have butted in."
"Don't worry about," he began, "You were protecting Lily. I would have done the same thing for any one of my friends." Rachel nodded in understanding, "But you guys need to give us the benefit of the doubt and trust us more. We're all gonna make mistakes, but trust me Sirius and I would never intentionally hurt any of you girls, and neither would Remus."
Rachel sniffled, "I know. You're right." They were quiet for a moment. "What exactly happened between you and Lily? Everything was going great and then…"
James sighed, "She was supposed to meet me down in the locker room after practice the other night. I'd stayed a little late to work with one of the reserve beaters, Rob Braxton."
Rachel made a face, "He's such an ass."
James snorted, "Yeah, well he started asking about Lily and me and providing himself with answers. Lily overheard him say that she and I had shagged. She left before I slammed him into the lockers."
"Wow."
"Yeah," James said clearing his throat.
"So, the whole thing is just one big misunderstanding?" James nodded. "Talk to her. She'll come around, she probably already is. Just don't break her heart."
"I won't," he said sincerely and then grinned, "Because I know you'll come after me."
Rachel laughed, "Damn straight." They sat quietly for a few minutes until Rachel broke the silence again, "I guess everyone has secrets."
"Like Remus and Izzy?" James said grinning. "I did not see that one coming. But you're one to talk about keeping secrets," he said nudging her with his elbow.
Rachel blushed, "We didn't really have any other choice."
"But you told Lily, Izzy, and Alyssa…"
Rachel nodded, "They learned our secret at great personal risk." She looked over at James, "You Marauders should know all about that." James nodded in understanding. "Back in first year Andy and I were still learning how to control our powers, me more so than him because mine are sometimes controlled by my emotions. Because sometimes you just get so angry." She punctuated her final word by opening her hands from fists to open palms very quickly and blew up a rock sitting feet away from them.
James stared open mouthed at the place where the rock once sat which was now littered in tiny pebbles. "Whoa," he said finally.
"That's why we had to tell them. In case we used our powers in front of other people, they were able to jump in and distract them. Make them think they hadn't seen anything at all or that the spell had come from our wands. They've been there for both me and Andy more times then we can count."
"Nothing's going to change that Rach," James said putting a comforting hand on her arm, "And now that Andy's told us, we can help you too. What can be better than having the Marauders on your side?" he teased.
Rachel smiled. "I just wish that he would have talked to me first. I think that's what hurts me the most." Another tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away. "We have to worry every day, James."
"Because of Voldemort," said James knowingly.
Rachel nodded, "If he ever found out about us, there's no telling what he'd do to us, or how many people he'd kill to get to us." Several more tears slipped down her cheeks and James pulled her into a tight, comforting hug.
She pulled away a couple seconds later and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Look who's heading our way," she said to James as she spotted the two persons in the distance.
-
"Hey," said Lily softly when she and Remus reached them.
Rachel stood and enveloped Lily in a tight hug, "I'm so sorry, Lily."
"I'm sorry too," Lily said returning the hug.
Rachel pulled away from Lily and looked at Remus for a moment before pulling him into a hug too. "You are a hero in my eyes," she told him quietly.
"Thanks, Rachel."
-
Lily moved next to James as they watched the exchange and slipped her hand into his. James looked down at their joined hands as he linked their fingers, "You're talking to me then?"
Lily faced him slowly, "I'm so sorry, James. I should never have jumped to conclusions and I should have let you explain."
"I'm sorry for not telling you about it sooner and for yelling at you," he said looking apologetically into her emerald eyes.
"Truce then?" Lily said holding up her free hand for him to shake.
James glanced at her hand, "I'd rather kiss on it," he said pulling her close and lowering his lips to hers. Lily smiled against lips and wound her arms around his neck.
They pulled away a few breathless seconds later. "I want this—to be with you so bad it hurts, Lil."
"I am with you," she whispered cupping his face in her hands and kissing him again.
-
Andy gently tapped Rachel on the shoulder and she turned from talking to Remus to face him. "Hey."
"Hey."
"Can we talk?" he asked.
Rachel nodded and led him a little ways away from the rest of the group. They stood in silence for a moment watching Lily and James talk quietly and occasionally kiss, and Alyssa talking quietly with Remus.
"Why didn't you come to me?" Rachel asked, finally breaking the silence.
Andy shrugged, "I don't know. I wasn't sure how you'd react. I was scared that you'd tell me my idea to tell them was ridiculous. That they didn't have to know now just because we all were friends."
"When have I ever called one of your ideas ridiculous?" Rachel asked him. Andy shrugged. "I can understand why you told them…"
"How?" he interrupted.
"You felt that by keeping this big part of yourself from them that they didn't really know the real you." Andy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're not the only one who can sense what others are feeling. I may not have that power, but I'm pretty good at reading people. You're my twin, I should be able to read you better than I can anyone else," she paused, "I just wish you had come talked to me before."
"I know, I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry. You can't imagine how sorry I am, Rachel," he said looking into her eyes. She didn't say anything as she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," she whispered.
He felt her shudder, "What is it?"
"I just worry about what could happen, more so about Jules and Matt than us, if Voldemort ever finds out about our powers."
"I know," said Andy, "But now we have even more people to help protect them—and us."
-
By the time they rejoined the group, Izzy and Sirius had spotted them and were making their way over. Once they arrived Remus and Izzy looked at each other and the rest of the group moved away to give them a bit of privacy.
"Hi," Izzy said croakily and Remus knew she had been crying. It hurt him to know that he'd been the reason for her tears.
"Hi," Remus said heavily. A minute of awkward silence followed. "So?"
"When did it happen?" Izzy asked softly.
"What?"
"When did it happen?" Izzy repeated.
Remus sighed heavily, "I was around four. My father offended Greyback…"
Izzy gasped, "Fenrir Greyback? That horrible werewolf that sometimes pops up in the daily prophet? The one thing that is in running with You-Know-Who?"
"The one and only," said Remus, "to get back at my father Greyback bit me one night when I was playing in the yard. I woke up in St. Mungo's and my parents told me that I'd been bitten and that there was no cure. For years my parents tried everything, writing to various institutions, but nothing could be done.
"When my Hogwarts letter came my parents were wary of sending me. Other parents wouldn't like a werewolf running around with their kids. Dumbledore thought there was no reason for me not to attend school as long as they took necessary precautions. You know the Whomping Willow?" Izzy nodded. "It was planted because of me. There's a passageway beneath it that leads to the Shrieking Shack, which was also built because of me.
"Once a month on the full moon Madame Pomfrey would walk me down to the Willow and see me into the passageway. I would transform in the Shrieking Shack so that I couldn't bite anyone."
"The villagers think that place is haunted," said Izzy quietly.
Remus shook his head, "It's not. It's me. Dumbledore encouraged the rumors to ensure that no one ever got too close."
Remus finished and Izzy watched him for a few seconds before lifting her hand and gently touching his cheek. "Don't," he said hoarsely, "Please."
Izzy did not remove her hand, "Why not?"
"Because I don't want your pity and I don't want you to stay with me because of it."
"I don't pity you, Remus, I love you," Izzy whispered.
Remus turned to look at her, "You what?"
"I don't care that you're a werewolf. You are one of the sweetest, kindest, bravest men I know. And I love you."
Remus' face lit up and he kissed her, pulling her close and tangling his fingers in golden curls. "Say it again," he panted when they broke for air.
"I love you," Izzy said smiling up at him.
"I love you too."
-
"Look," Lily whispered nudging Rachel with her elbow.
Rachel looked over at Izzy and Remus, "Aww. They really are adorable together."
"Yes, they are. I don't know how we didn't suspect something," said Lily.
Remus and Izzy rejoined the group and Andy faced the three boys. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
"We're sorry too," said James, voicing an apology for all three of them.
"We overreacted," Sirius added, "And we shouldn't have. We were out of line."
Andy smiled, "Still mates?"
"Of course," said Remus slapping Andy on the back in a friendly gesture.
Rachel shook her head in disbelief, "Boys," she said in bewilderment.
"Well, chaps, I hate to ruin the mood, but it's grown quite cold, and I think it's time to move this party elsewhere. Someplace warm," said Sirius.
Lily shivered and moved closer to James who wrapped his arms tighter around her, "I agree."
The group entered the brightly lit and welcomed warmth of the Entrance Hall, and James suggested the Heads common room to continue talking in private. The others agreed and began making their way in the direction of the Heads dorms. Rachel hung back until she was walking beside Sirius at the back of the group.
"Are you angry?" she asked him quietly.
Sirius sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "Not so much angry anymore, just hurt I guess," he said speaking just as quietly so as not to be overheard.
"Sirius," Rachel said putting a hand on his arm, halting him from going any further. "We've only been friends for two months after six years of me wanting to turn you into a hat and hang you on a peg somewhere." Sirius snorted. "Did you really expect me to just blurt out my lifelong secret to you after that amount of time?"
Sirius frowned, "When you put it like that, no, I suppose not."
"I had to know that I could trust you before…"
"But you can," Sirius interrupted.
"I know," said Rachel, "And I'm sorry for being so mistrusting and doubting you. I'm the complete opposite of Izzy when it comes to trusting people. I don't trust people easily and Izzy trusts too easily sometimes." She paused, "It's not that I didn't want to tell you. I was protecting you."
"I'm a big boy," Sirius jokingly defended himself.
Rachel smiled, "I know, but if Voldemort were to ever catch wind of what me, my brothers, and sister can do there's no telling what could happen. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone dying because they knew our secret, especially someone I'm close too."
"Your secret is safe with us, Rachel," he promised her.
"So, where do we start?" James asked, sitting down beside Lily and wrapping his arm around her so she could rest comfortably against him.
Andy and Rachel looked at each other. "We'll start," Andy said. "Our dad is a white lighter and our mum a witch. I inherited all of our dad's white lighter abilities: orbing, apportation, intangibility, sensing, cloaking, and healing touch."
"And I," said Rachel, "Take after our mum. I inherited powers from her and the McKenzie bloodline: telekinesis, particle manipulation, and the power to freeze. When I was seven we found out that I had inherited one power from our dad: orbing."
"Freezing is very difficult to do without a wand. You can really freeze things? Like time or just objects?" Remus asked.
"Both," said Rachel, "My freezing power and my telekinesis power progressed rapidly, faster than they had for my mother. Particle manipulation is the one that still acts a bit funky and is sometimes set off when I become particularly upset." Realization dawned on Sirius' face. "Izzy?" she asked the blonde, "Could you pick up that bowl on the table next to you?"
Izzy nodded and did as Rachel requested. "Drop it," Rachel told her. And Izzy did. Rachel opened her hand from a fist to an open palm as quick as a flash and the bowl stopped in mid-air.
"Whoa," said Sirius looking impressed as he set the bowl back on the table. "What powers did Matt and Julianna get?"
"They're more a mix of our parents. Matt can orb and apportate like me, but can also freeze things like Rachel," said Andy, "And Jules inherited the healing power and ability to orb from our dad, and can perform telekinesis like our mum."
"Both a blessing and a curse," sighed Rachel and Andy nodded his head in agreement.
"While we're on the subject of blessings and curses, I have a secret too," Alyssa admitted, "I'm an Angel."
Sirius laughed, "Yeah, and the horns are only there to keep the halo on straight."
"I mean one of the supreme beings of light. The Order of Angels is another branch of the Order of White Lighters. I have all the same powers as Andy only I shimmer instead of orb; it's like apparating without the pop. I'm also Clairvoyant. When I was three I started having visions, a power that's not associated with Angels." Alyssa told them.
"My mum's a muggleborn," she continued, "When her parents found out about her being a witch they knew it had come from my great Aunt on my mum's side. The best thing my mum ever did for me was sending me to my Aunt's to help me master my power."
"So, you're like a Seer?" asked James.
Alyssa made a face, "I don't really like that term. Seers have a bad reputation because of idiots who pretend to be Seers. Who pretend to see what's coming, but really have no idea until it hits them right between the eyes."
Lily, Rachel, and Alyssa glanced at Izzy. "Okay, I have a secret too," she said meekly.
"Come join the club," said Sirius making everyone laugh.
"I can change the weather." Remus, Sirius, and James stared at her. "I can make a thunderstorm happen on a perfectly sunny day," Izzy elaborated.
"Are you serious?" Remus asked.
Izzy nodded, "I can make it snow or rain or hail. I can create a hurricane or even a tornado. Now, mind you, I don't control the weather—I only mess with it a little. It's a very dangerous power that can cause a load of destruction, that's why I'm very careful with it. It's also very exhausting to use. My father's a muggle. He found out my mum was a witch and left us, shortly after my younger brother was born. I was so angry that I caused a storm so large that I spent a week in St. Mungo's for extreme exhaustion."
Remus' eyes went wide, "Remind me to never piss you off." Everyone laughed.
James looked down at Lily, "What about you? Any secret powers I should know about?"
"Actually, yes, but mine isn't controllable, unfortunately. And I don't know where it comes from, or how to really use it. It's only happened twice. It happened the first time one night when Rachel and I were walking back from Hogsmeade. An arrow hit her in the back. I remember spinning around to face the forest and I felt this hot, prickling sensation behind my eyes. The next thing I knew Hagrid was running toward us."
"Her eyes glowed emerald," Rachel spoke up. "I'd never seen or heard of anything like it. And these two balls of light shot from her eyes into the woods. It was an amazingly scary bit of magic."
Sirius sat looking astounded, "What happened the second time?" he asked.
"I was facing a boggart," Lily replied.
The group looked up at the annoying sound of stone scraping against stone as the hidden stone door slid open and Peter appeared. "Wormtail!" Sirius exclaimed, "Where have you been?"
Peter shrugged, "Around. No where really."
James raised his eyebrows at Sirius who rolled his eyes in response. "Have you been pigging out in the kitchens all this time?"
"No," Peter bristled indignantly, "I slept part of the time." The other boys snorted. "What'd I miss?"
Rachel glanced at Sirius, who looked over at Lily, who looked up at James, who finally looked back at Peter and responded, "They know, Wormtail."
"Know what?" asked Wormtail.
"About me being a werewolf," Remus spoke up.
Wormtail's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "Oh. That," he moved further into the room and sat down in one of the unused chairs, "Was that a good idea, Padfoot?"
Sirius rolled his eyes and barely resisted the urge to hit Peter upside the head. "Yes, it was."
"Oh," said Peter taking the hint that everything was fine, "Alright then."
"We were just getting ready to tell them our other big secret," said James.
Rachel raised her eyebrows, "What you're related to merpeople and have webbed feet?" she joked and James threw a pillow at her.
"No," said James, "When we realized that Remus was a werewolf we wanted to find some way to help him."
"But that's impossible," Lily interrupted, "No human can get near a werewolf without being bitten."
James looked down at her and smiled, "Exactly."
"You would have had to…" she gasped as she put two and two together. "No!" James nodded. "But then you're not registered are you?"
Sirius shook his head and grinned. "I knew they made you Head Girl for a reason.
Alyssa squinted her eyes in confusion, "Hello, not following and confused over here," she said pointing at herself.
"For three years, James and I researched on how to become Animagi," said Sirius.
Peter kicked Sirius in the shin, "I helped—some!"
"You're going to help yourself head first into the toilet if you kick me again," Sirius growled. Peter gulped and turned his attention to James who had begun speaking:
"By the start of our fifth year we were all able to turn ourselves into our Animagus form at will."
"Wait," Rachel said, "Is that when you gave yourselves those nicknames?"
Remus nodded, "I became Moony—for obvious reasons. James is Prongs because his Animagus form is stag, Sirius is Padfoot because he becomes a dog, and Peter is Wormtail…"
"I turn into a rat," said Peter making it sound like it was the coolest thing ever.
Sirius gave him a strange look, "Right, then."
"On the night of the full moon Sirius, James, and Peter would sneak out to the Whomping Willow under James' Invisibility Cloak. Yes, he has one," Remus added before any of the girls could ask, "Peter would transform first and slip between the branches to freeze the tree. Sirius and James would transform and follow the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. I became less dangerous because of them being there."
"Once that happened," James picked up and continued, "We began to roam the Hogwarts grounds as well as Hogsmeade. We came to know them so well that we created the Marauders Map. It's an enchanted map of Hogwarts, the grounds, and Hogsmeade that shows where everyone is…"
"What they're doing…" said Remus.
"Every minute…" said Peter.
"Of every day," finished Sirius.
"But isn't that dangerous roaming the grounds with a werewolf?" Rachel asked and then added quickly, "Sorry, Remus, no offense."
Remus chuckled, "None taken. Sirius and James transform into large enough animals that they're able to keep me in check."
Everyone sat mulling over all of the information that was shared. James pressed his lips to Lily's temple and held her a little closer. Izzy snuggled closer to Remus. Alyssa squeezed Andy's left hand with her right one. Sirius squeezed Rachel's knee in a friendly way and she smiled back at him. Peter sat trying to determine if it was chocolate éclair or brownie wedged underneath his fingernail. Everyone had had a secret to share because everyone has a secret that they keep inside.
A/n: There you have it. A couple of scenes were inspired by One Tree Hill and various Harry Potter movies. To clear up why Lily got so upset, in case it wasn't clear enough or you were curious: Lily got upset with James because she's not used to dating a man that is inconsistent, like James, who has a poor record of being a playboy. One of my beta's mentioned this after she proofread the chapter and I thought I'd mention it before anyone got curious. A big thanks to both Jen and Kristen for all their help!
It seems like we haven't had a Challenge in ages, but it's really only been two chapters since the third task, but Chapter 13 will have the next task. I have started it and I expect it to be just as lengthy as this chapter was. However, I am back in school for two and a half weeks and it will be hell. My teachers are going to try and cram as much stuff as they can before Christmas break, which is a lovely length. I ask once again for your patience between updates.
I hope you all had great Thanksgivings, and enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I myself was a little disappointed of some things they had to cut, but thought that they did a pretty damn good job of getting the gist of a 7-hundred-something page book. I actually saw it twice! Love to hear your brief thoughts on the movie as well, if you'd like to share! Remember to review and I'll see you guys next update!