James Potter had a problem. The problem was he had a problem because of something that actually wasn't his problem. Did you see his problem? No? Okay let's go back to second year.
In second year, James Potter found out a secret about Remus Lupin. A very serious one. You see, Remus Lupin is a werewolf. So In second year James, Sirius and Peter figured it out. Now let's skip to James' fifth year. In the fifth year, James turned into a stag becoming an illegal animagus along with Sirius and Peter. Now let's fast forward until last week on the Wednesday morning when Mia Scott was attacked. James, Sirius and Peter were coming back from Hogsmeade as a stag, a black dog and a small rat and made their way back to the castle under an invisibility cloak that James was sure would be confiscated if ever discovered by a teacher. The real problem, however, was the map, which would also be confiscated if ever discovered by a teacher. They'd left it in the Shrieking Shack.
That is the problem that caused James Potter to have a problem because now James couldn't let someone filter through his mind, certainly not a teacher. Firstly, it would expose Remus. Secondly, Sirius and Peter would be discovered as illegal animagi. Thirdly, Dumbledore could get in trouble if people found out he let a werewolf student into the school. All valid reasons to just hand Professor McGonagall his Head Boy badge now. Did you see his problem now?
"You're being blamed for almost killing a muggle-born?" Sirius spit out angrily. "That's ridiculous!"
"James just tell them!" Remus said and frustrated anger rose in James.
"Tell them what, Moony? That Sirius and Peter are animagi and that we run around with a werewolf once a month, escaping the castle using a magic map and an invisibility cloak? None of that is exactly legal, Moony! We'd all be in serious trouble, not just me."
"Tell them that you know I am a werewolf and I left something in the Shrieking Shack and that I asked you to fetch it for me."
"Remus, no!" James protested. "Professor Dumbledore would have to expel you for making me go off school premises. Just because you're allowed to go once a month doesn't mean we all are."
"Prongs, you are being accused of attempted murder! Dumbledore wouldn't expel me just for that! Padfoot talk to him!"
Sirius didn't say anything he just looked at James and Remus and thought that the great Marauders had gotten themselves into quite a pickle. "Well, it is the lesser of two evils. Two of you getting in trouble for a lesser crime, or one of you getting in trouble for the attempted murder of a muggle-born!"
"Moony, Professor McGonagall said I'll probably only lose my badges. Who cares about those anyways?"
"You do," Peter pointed out but everyone ignored him.
"I think that was best case scenario, Prongs," Remus said icily. "If they prove it was you, the Ministry would have to step in. They would have to!"
"They don't have a strong case!" James attempted to defend himself. "It's my word against hers!"
"And a failure of an alibi! Who are they going to believe, James? There weren't any witnesses-" — "Exactly!" — "If you don't use that as your excuse I will. The animagus bit doesn't even have to be mentioned. The excuse is brilliant! I can even say I accompanied you to the Shrieking Shack, well you accompanied me. It would give you an alibi!"
"Stop trying to be a martyr, Remus!" James roared, "I'm not throwing you into the wolves just so I can get out of something-"
"That isn't even your fault!" Remus interrupted. "I'd be glad to do it."
Peter put his hand up as though they were in class and he wanted to ask the teacher a question.
"What is it, Wormtail?" Sirius asked impatiently and Remus and James stopped throwing arguments back and forth like a quaffle.
"Well, it's just, if we use Moony's story there's a flaw. Whilst Professor Dumbledore might take Moony's word for Prongs's alibi, a-a lot of people don't trust werewolves-"
"Exactly! I'm not going to allow you to subject yourself to stupid prejudices that wizards and witches hold!"
"No, that wasn't Wormtail's point," Remus said faintly, "He's saying that they may discredit my statement anyways because I'm a monster."
"You're not a monster," Sirius denied immediately. That phrase was a reflex to those words. Remus doubted his self-being a lot because of his problem, it didn't matter who many times his mates and parents had assured him otherwise. Learning about werewolves in third year had been the worst. Professor Drake, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher when they were in third year, liked to have discussions about various dark creatures and the ethical issues with them. The 'discussion' about werewolves turned into a very heated debate when Avery, Yaxley, Snape and Aitken all proposed that werewolves should be locked up. Sirius had gotten a detention when he pulled his wand out and threatened to hex the lot of them, after that Professor Drake had concluded the discussion rather quickly. But Remus had been upset for two weeks about it, not even chocolate cheered him up.
"I know what I am, despite what you all think. I'm considered a beast, a savage," Remus said glumly. He sat on his bed and looked at the floor. Sirius, James and Peter all looked at each other. Creatures classified as a beast were creatures that were not intelligent enough to understand the laws of the magical community.
"Only when you are in wolf form, stop being dramatic," James reminded him. "Besides, centaurs and merpeople are considered beasts and they aren't savage creatures."
"They're only listed as Beasts because they were too pretentious to be classified in the same group as hags and vampires and requested to be classed as beasts!" Remus objected.
"You always help me with my homework," Peter spoke up and Remus looked up surprised at the seemingly irrelevant fact. "Beasts don't help chubby teenagers do their homework." Peter shrugged but those words seemed to resonate in Remus's mind like a saving grace. They sat there, so gracefully in his mind and seemed to make him see something that he couldn't before. But he didn't know what that 'something' was. He felt as though if his brain had fingers the 'something' would just be out of reach from the tips of those fingers.
"You sometimes take the fall for some of the crap Sirius and I pull," James said suddenly. "Monsters don't take claim of horror they did not commit. You're basically a Marauder Martyr."
"Besides," Sirius added, "If you're a monster, you're a very tamed monster. You've never physically hurt someone. You've never even hurt someone's feelings. You are a werewolf. That doesn't make you a monster. It just makes you a person with a potentially fatal power that most other people don't have but it's what you do with that power that makes all the difference between monster and martyr."
"Yeah," James backed Sirius up. "Look at Dumbledore! A great wizard like him and he sits behind a desk and never took one step towards the Dark Arts nor did he take one step towards the Ministry of Magic. He is the epitome of a martyred wizard. Voldemort," Peter shuddered but James pressed on, "Is the prime example of a monster. He is a great wizard but has chosen to dabble in dark magic. In magic so inhumane and horrible that he finds it fun to kill people for sport. He is a monster, Remus. He is the true definition of a monster. Now are you telling me that you can compare to Voldemort?" Remus smiled a little. "What do you think, Wormtail?"
"I think, Moony is a martyr."
"I agree," Sirius said.
"As do I. But I think I'd be a pretty shit friend if I allowed you to reveal to the world knowledge that would affect the way you're generally treated so Moony, I'm not going to take your alibi."
Remus seemed to accept that, "But there must be another way!"
"There isn't," James said and Sirius's eyes widened.
"James, could a prefect do it. A prefect other than Remus?"
"Who'd you have in mind? I guess we could ask Dumbledore."
"It couldn't hurt right?" Peter asked nervously.
"Of course it couldn't," Sirius brushed of Peter's worry immediately, "Lily Evans! She's Head Girl and she's not exactly our friend so her opinion wouldn't be considered bias! And we know her enough to trust her with our secret! She wouldn't tell, I'm sure of it!"
"Absolutely not!" James rejected the idea immediately. He would not have Lily Evans, of all people, look through his mind. Just the thought made James want to bury himself in a hole.
"I think it's a good idea," Peter said and James glared at him.
"You know what else is a good idea? Throwing myself off the Astronomy Tower straight after Lily Evans has basically read my mind!"
Did his friends not understand that if Lily Evans were to read James's mind it would be like a terrible nightmare come true where Lily would actually be able to see just how much James adored Lily? It was completely mortifying. She would be able to see his most vulnerable parts.
"Sirius?"
"Padfoot can say what he wants. I'm not doing it and McGonagall said they can only do it if the person is willing to do it. In other words I have to give consent. I am NOT giving consent for Lily Evans to read my mind."
"But it could-"
"No," James said so firmly that the boys sighed and dropped the subject completely moving onto the homework they'd been given for Defence Against the Dark Arts that day.
—
"I mean, I don't understand why you didn't just tell me," Marlene said for the tenth time that morning.
Nate rolled his eyes. "Because you nag."
Marlene scowled, "I don't nag!"
"Marls, you nag. It's okay, it's funny most of the time unless you're being a pain in the arse about it. And so what? Mia and I have been dating for a few weeks. It's not a big deal."
"But why didn't you just tell me?"
"Because it isn't news."
"I disagree."
"You know, Henry got detention Monday night?"
"I know. The little shit," Marlene rolled her eyes. "He hexed Ara Black and stop trying to change the subject."
Nate sighed. "I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't be happy about me dating a fifth year. You hate anyone who isn't in our year on principle and it breaks our promise.
"Our promise?" Marlene echoed.
"Yeah, that we wouldn't date anyone we hated."
Marlene was quiet for a moment and then burst out laughing. "You didn't tell me who you were dating because of a promise we made in first year?"
Nate flushed and shrugged. Marlene wrapped an arm around his neck, "You are actually a dork."
"Shut up, nag."
"I hope you don't call Mia names," Marlene pursed her lips. "It's not very nice."
"And you're back to nagging. Can't we just sit in peace and do our Charms homework?"
—
Lily Evans was walking to the greenhouses when Andrew surprised her by sneaking up behind her and covering her eyes with his hand and saying, "Guess who?"
"Er," Lily mocked, "Ella?"
"Really?" he said unamused and Lily laughed as he moved, grabbing her hand in his and they were walking shoulder to shoulder.
"How was your morning?" Lily asked.
"I had Muggle Studies," Andrew shrugged, "So my brain hurts."
Lily laughed lightly, "Oh come on, muggles aren't that hard to understand!"
"They have magic that runs through special wires, it's odd," he complained and Lily shook her head.
"Hmm, well I was going to suggest we go to the library at lunch but if your brain hurts," Lily said, "Maybe I'll just go by myself."
"No, no, no! I'll come library with you."
"Did you read that book I gave you?" Lily asked remembering that she'd given Andrew her copy of Lord Of The Rings.
"That book is highly inaccurate and false! Don't know why you bothered with it to be honest. I left it in the Heads office for you when I went by to check the schedule."
Lily's heart sank a little bit. The Lord Of The Rings was one of her favourites. They entered the green houses as Lily tried to argue that the book is fiction and isn't meant to be accurate and true. Professor Postumus entered the Greenhouses and Andrew and Lily went their separate ways; Lily went and sat by Marlene, Ella, Alice and Adaline whilst Andrew went and sat by his bestfriend, Hannah Abbott. Hannah was the least frightening person in the year. She was a short, fair skinned, fair-haired girl and was so petite that her robes seemed to be able to fit a large, child-sized doll.
"Things are going okay with you and Andrew then?" Ella asked noticing Lily's smile.
"Yes," Lily said simply because happiness was simplicity. When you are asked why you are happy the answer comes easily however for any other emotion the answer usually is 'it's complicated'.
"Be quiet everyone!" Professor Postumus shouted and once she had everyones attention, she started a small lecture about a plant, called Arbdenius, that bears teeth should it come in contact with any living thing. Professor Postumus referred to them as, "nasty little things" and then proceeded to comfort the class by saying, "Don't worry, the most serious injury these plants have ever caused at Hogwarts is biting a finger or two off. Easy enough to regrow." She smiled as though losing your fingers was okay.
"Why did we pick Herbology again?" Adaline muttered.
But Lily couldn't find an answer. All the appeal she had had for Herbology was slipping by the more she looked at the seemingly harmless but actually gruesome plant. It was like a miniature tree with a thick, brown trunk with small tiny leaves spreading off unusually short and small branches. Professor Postumus informed them that inside the trunk was some sort of liquid, called Arbden, that they used in a potion called, Memhibeo to fix people who have been confunded. She also informed the class that their task was to extract the Arbden out of the hole in the small, hollow trunk coincidentally where the teeth are.
"I've no idea," Lily whispered back, as she looked at the dull plant.
When class finished the students were glad beyond reasonable measure. Daisy Ellery had received a deep cut on her finger and Peter was sent to the Hospital Wing when the Arbdenius left his finger hanging off his hand with only a nerve or two still connecting his finger to his hand. Sirius made a big deal of it and acted as though Peter was dying whilst James looked as though he could hurl at any second, a thought that made Lily quite happy, in the end Remus had ended up escorting him.
Another thought that made Lily quite happy was the idea of Andrew and her in the library. Andrew waltzed up to her after Herbology and immediately started to talk about the bizarreness of the Arbdenius plant.
They walked to the library and once there Lily was about to unpack her bag to start the Herbology essay on the properties of the Arbdenius plant when Andrew pulled her behind a shelf. This aisle was particularly tall with books looking down on them, hundreds and hundreds of names staring them down and the aisle was also particularly deserted. Before Lily knew what was even happening Andrew's lips were an inch away from hers and she had a second to decide whether or not she wanted to kiss him. His hands were on her waist, pulling her closer and his lips looked so kissable. Lily wrapped her arms around Andrew's neck and their lips teased each other before they finally touched.
His lips were rough and tasted like peppermint. His hands ran up and down her body and Lily liked the way the fabric of her uniform rumpled under his hands.
"I like you, a lot," Andrew murmured with his eyes closed, his forehead against Lily's. Butterflies seemed to fly in her stomach and she blushed.
"I like you too," she admitted and her lips found his again.
They'd been kissing a while when they heard someone cough at the beginning of the aisle. They broke apart immediately and James Potter stood there with a sullen smirk on his face and his arms crossed against his chest.
"Kissing your boyfriend better, Evans? Even I thought you had more class than the aisles in the library," he said coolly and blood rushed to Lily's cheeks. "But I suppose your boyfie needs cheering up after last night, to assert dominance or whatever it was you were prattling on about."
"Asserting dominance?" Lily echoed and Andrew stiffened. James smiled in delight.
"He didn't tell you? I broke his nose last night after he warned me to stay away from you," James said gleefully and then he looked confused, "I thought he would've told you, you know being so close and all."
"You're a git, Potter," Andrew said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you tell Lily about how you've been identified as the attacker of Mia Scott!"
Lily pushed back Andrew so she could face James and Andrew at the same time.
"Firstly, I don't, you don't get to tell me who I can or can't talk to!" Lily fired up at Andrew, "If we're going to be something, let's get that straight from now."
James started to walk away but Lily held up her hand to point at him, "And you!" she accused, "What the heck are you doing? I thought I told you that you need to act responsibly now! Punching people! Really?"
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" James asked wearily.
"We didn't finish it!" Lily said hotly.
"I rather thought being pushed into a wall and being accused of murder was a rather colourful finish to the conversation."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Seriously, James? Punching people? I read Snape and Aitkens points taken slips."
"I hope you didn't bloody sign them!"
"Well, of course I did! You punched him!"
"That's what you're concerned about?" Andrew butted in, astonished. "He attacked a muggle-born!"
Lily scoffed, "Potter's mother runs an organisation against magic used for evil. If Potter attacked Scott than I'm the Minister of Magic."
"You believe I didn't do it?" James asked immediately. His smirking face turned serious and his eyes penetrated Lily in such a way that she couldn't think for a few seconds.
"Of course not," she said snapping out of it. "Now get on with it, Potter. I was in the middle of a good snog and mind you don't do anything stupid!" she called after him as he turned to walk away.
—
Ella and Michael sat in Potions and to say it was awkward was an understatement. Ella was sure that Godric Gryffindor's sword wouldn't be able to cut through this awkwardness. Michael sat stony faced, facing the front and Ella did the same, their chairs as far apart as the table would allow.
Ella had been hoping that they could go back to being friends and just pretend that nothing ever happened but apparently not and she was shocked by how much she missed his witty comments during Slughorn's lectures. Sighing, she scribbled into the open textbook they shared, 'I'm sorry, truce?'
He glanced at it and wrote, 'No'. Ella sighed and fell back into her seat, crossing her arms. She was grateful when the bell rung for exactly a minute because a minute was all it took for Marlene to come up to Ella and start poking around.
"Was Putley okay? You two seemed off today."
"It's fine, Marlene." Ella sulked and pretended to be distracted by reading a random piece of parchment she'd randomly grabbed from her back in the hopes of fooling Marlene into thinking Ella was too busy to talk.
"Are you sure? Because you two didn't speak one word to each other."
This was what Marlene did. She nagged until the person gave in and Ella, not bothered to be subject to that gave in pretty quickly. She shoved the parchment back in her bag. "He kissed me and then asked me on a date. I said no. He doesn't want to get over it. It's nothing."
"Ella -!"
"Leave it alone, Marlene."
Marlene shut her mouth. "You should accept his date," she said quietly as the reached the entrance hall.
"Marls," Ella complained, "I don't want to talk about it and I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions."
"Right. I was just saying."
"Well, don't. I'm just glad the stupid assignment is due tomorrow so I can stop sitting with him in Potions."
—
By dinner everyone was still talking about how James Potter had supposedly attacked the muggle-born girl and it bothered Lily. She may not be friends with James but you had to talk to the bloke for all of five minutes to know that he wasn't a murderer.
"Lily," Ella said, "You've been quiet. Everything okay?"
"It's just, do you think Potter really attacked Scott?" Lily questioned as she played with the food on her plate, pushing it around with her fork.
"I don't know, Lily. I mean she said she saw him. She's identified him as the attacker. Why would she lie?" Marlene asked and Alice nodded in agreement.
"We're wizards and witches for the love of Merlin, someone could have confunded her!" Lily defended.
"But why would they confund her to say, Potter?" Alice questioned, "If he's innocent, it will only come out in the end that she was confunded. It would've been smarter to confund her to say that she didn't know who the attacker was. It doesn't make sense, Lily."
But it made sense to Lily. Someone was framing Potter and she wanted to know why. Lily fell asleep that night trying to think of plans to prove Potter was innocent. She didn't know why it mattered so much. It just did. They'd had their fights and arguments but at the end of the day she knew he was a good guy where it counted and he didn't deserve to be falsely accused of attempted murder — Lily simply refused to believe he was being correctly accused of it. The boy with the hurricane of hair, who laughed to much, had dimples when he smiled — he couldn't be capable of murder. The boy who held her so tenderly and who almost cried when she told him she didn't have feelings for him. No, he was not capable of murder. Lily was sure of it and that got her to thinking who was actually to blame. A Slytherin — her blood ran cold when Snape's name popped into her mind — or anyone really from those old pure-blood families who believed strongly in what Voldemort was doing and it would definitely have to be an older student. Sixth or Seventh years, fifth years may be pushing it but it wasn't entirely impossible. There were a few Selwyns in Ravenclaw — that family was always pushing for anti-muggle laws — and there were the Aitken sisters — their dad was a rumoured Death Eater — and then there was Rosier, Yaxley and Mulciber, they were as bad as could be and everyone knew their parents were right in Voldemort's inner circle.
"Lily — earth to Lily," Ella snapped her fingers in front of Lily's face. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking," she said shaking her head to snap out of her thoughts. "You really think Potter tried to kill someone?"
Ella hesitated. "No. I don't but the evidence is piling up against him."
"He doesn't have an alibi," Alice commented.
"And Scott herself named him as her attacker and I heard from Daisy that Madam Pomfrey couldn't find any signs of being confunded."
Lily frowned. The evidence was piling up against Potter, still didn't mean he had done it. There were at least fifteen people that Lily could name who would be more likely to have done this kind of crime and Potter wasn't one of them.
—
In the first week of October, Lily and James were finally scheduled to patrol together for the first time. Andrew had Quidditch practice almost every afternoon and Lily, for some reason unbeknownst to herself, felt compelled to pair herself with James. They met at the Heads' Office and Lily felt James staring at her.
"Shall we get on with it then?" Lily asked and James nodded.
"Want to start with the basement and make our way up and then back down?"
Lily agreed and they walked down to the basements.
"Evans, why did you patrol us together?"
Lily shrugged, "I figured we were Head Boy and Girl and we should patrol together a few times you know, just because. I think we should patrol together at least once or twice a month."
"On one condition," James said and Lily looked at him. "During patrols we pretend that we're friends."
Lily smiled, "Done. But only during patrols. I don't want people to think I hang out with riff raff like you," she sniffed snootily.
"Careful, Evans. I might hex you."
"Lily. You can call me Lily."
"But everyone calls you Lily."
"Well it's my name."
"I'll have to come up with a nickname for you."
Lily smiled. In the basement, James caught a scrawny pair of third years in a broom closet, who seemed completely mortified at being caught, and Lily had to stifle a laugh at seeing James act with authority. It was such an odd sight on him. He was always on the other side of authority.
"What's so funny, Evans?"
"Nothing, I promise."
They headed up to the first floor and James looked at Lily thoughtfully. "So are you and Fortescue official now?"
"Wouldn't be snogging him in libraries if we weren't," Lily said honestly and James blushed a little. Lily laughed.
"You act like you've never heard the word snog," she snorted.
"I'll have you know I've snogged a lot of people in my seventeen years!"
"Like Helena Bonham?" Lily said holding back a giggle but she knew that a part of her was generally curious, just like another part of her would want to rip out Bonham's hair if he confirmed it.
"We snogged a couple of times over the summer. It wasn't a big deal and I'll have you know that my last relationship was with a fourth year Ravenclaw last year and it lasted all of three weeks."
"Oh yes, I remember. It was very scandalous. James Potter loves a younger woman. Who was it again?"
"Aria McKinnon," James said bobbing his head down in shame.
"Ah, that's right. Nate broke his hand breaking your jaw. Oh the memories," Lily said fondly. "Right in the middle of the Entrance Hall too."
"Rub it in then. What about you and Fortescue?"
"I'm still in that relationship," Lily frowned.
"Exactly," James said, "You could do better than that Hufflepuff bumblebee."
"That's my boyfriend you are talking about, Potter."
"He's still a Hufflepuff bumblebee. Sorry, I don't make the rules," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"No, you just make it your life goal to break as many of them as possible."
"Hey, I'm just looking for a good time, if I break a few rules along the way, it's just a part of the experience."
Lily shook her head as she chuckled.
"You know, on Tuesday, I found a book — Lord of the Rings — in the Heads office, I gave it a read and it was amazing," he smiled. "Was it yours?"
"Yes — wait you actually liked it?" she asked excitedly.
"I bloody loved it! You'd have to be mental not to like it!"
"That's what I said!" Lily exclaimed, nudging his arm. "Andrew said it was inaccurate and false," she rolled her eyes.
"It's a piece of fiction — brilliant fiction, might I add — it's not supposed to be accurate and true."
Lily nudged him again, "That's what I said!"
Once they'd exhausted all topics on Lord of the Rings, James grew rather bored and said, "Let's play a game."
"What kind of game?" Lily asked as she opened the door to another broom closet.
"I don't know. Why don't we just ask each other questions and we have to answer honestly?"
Lily shrugged and agreed. She could use the game to her advantage.
"What's your favourite flower?" James asked her and Lily looked at him. "I've always wondered if your favourite flowers were lilies because of your name."
"No, actually. My favourite flower is a peony. What's your favourite flower?" Lily asked as a joke but James answered seriously.
"Water lilies. My mum has a huge green house at the back of our estate and she's got a huge pond in it and it's just filled with water lilies. I'll have to show you some time. It's quite pretty."
Lily gagged and James laughed and nudged her with his elbow. "Why did you really change the schedule?" he asked and Lily lost her smile and sighed.
"Honestly?" she asked and he nodded. Lily looked away and focused on the end of the corridor. "I wanted to know why the entire school thinks you attempted to murder Mia Scott."
James informed her of the story about the night in the hospital and Lily pursed her lips.
"Really, James?" she asked appalled. "You faked being sick just so you could talk to her?"
"Hey," James said defensively, "Don't give me that. I was just hoping she would tell me so I could tell the teachers. I don't like the idea of someone wandering around the castle looking for witches and wizards to kill."
"You mean muggle-borns," Lily said softly.
"No, I mean witches and wizards. Just because your parents aren't a witch and wizard doesn't make you or anyone else any less of a witch or wizard. I hate that pure-blood, half-blood and muggle-born nonsense because it is just that: nonsense and not to mention completely ridiculous. I mean look at you! You don't have any wizard ancestry and you beat me in a duel and I am from wizard ancestry. Those categories are only still here because of the pure-bloods and their wanting to keep the old ways," James rolled his eyes. "I mean they are completely ridiculous. Look at Sirius, his entire family apart from his Uncle Alphard and his cousin Andromeda disowned him just because he didn't believe in that pure-blood vs muggle-born nonsense. If that's what being a pure-blood means, then I hope the lot of them die in this stupid war that they've started."
Lily smiled softly. "Do you think the war will end soon?"
"No," James said, "I think it's just begun. You know, up until recently I wanted to be a professional Quidditch player."
"What do you want to be now?"
"An Auror."
"Why?"
"Because, being an auror, it isn't easy but it isn't easy because it makes a difference. If I can save lives, if I can capture Death Eaters than who cares if it isn't easy because innocent people will be alive because of me," James shrugged, "It'd make me fall asleep better at night."
"You're so lucky," Lily murmured. "You know what you want to do. You have two possible paths: Quidditch or the Auror Department. So simple. I've no idea what I want to do."
"I think you'd make a good healer or an auror."
Lily scrunched up her nose, "I don't know … why do you think someone is trying to frame you?"
"I think you've had like three questions in a row!" he accused, then shrugged, "Beats me. Apparently an Auror is coming from the ministry to investigate now that they have no leads."
"An Auror? Are they going to question you? And after this you can ask me three questions promise."
"Four," James grinned. "And apparently, it's the same Auror that was here when it happened. You know, questioned her and her friends and some of the people in her classes, Professor Flitwick. They didn't find much. They think they've hit a pot of gold with me," James said bitterly.
"Well, we'll just have to prove them wrong," Lily said crossing her arms.
"We?"
"Do you want my help or not?"
James stayed quiet for a few moments and somehow Lily knew what he was going to say and a feeling rose in her. It was like a ship going down in flames; sinking but mad.
"Five," — Lily shook her head — "And I don't want your help."
Lily smiled politely, "I see, only friends during patrols. And four! You just asked me a question."
"Five! I did not! And I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you don't have to help me. I got myself into this mess, I can get myself out."
"Ah, that arrogance of yours is showing, or is it your ego? I can't tell. And four! You asked me 'we?' after I said 'we'll have to prove them wrong'!"
"That wasn't a question! And I'm not arrogant!"
"Then it must be your ego showing. And if it wasn't a question what was it?" Lily asked quirking her eyebrow up.
James struggled for a moment, "It was, it was confirmation!"
"Ha! You didn't deny that your egotistical!" Lily exclaimed pointing at him with a victorious smirk. "And that's a weak argument, Potter, even for you. Four."
James rolled his eyes. "Five and I am not egotistical!"
Lily scoffed as she peered into an empty classroom, "Sure. Four."
"Five! I'm not!"
"Four. You are!"
"Five. Am not!"
"Four. You are!"
"Five. Am not!"
"Four. You are!"
"Five. Am not!"
"Agree to disagree?" Lily sighed finally.
"On which one?" James asked suspiciously.
"Both."
"Yes but five."
Lily rolled her eyes and muttered, "Four," under her breath.