Lily was the most oddly dressed patient Madam Pomfrey had ever encountered at Hogwarts. She wore the Infirmary clothes – a thin stripped gown – with skivvies underneath or scarves wrapped thickly around her throat. It had been a week since Lily was attacked and a mean pink line ran across her throat, where the waterfall had started. Madam Pomfrey told Lily that the scar would fade more with the use of Dittany but that it would never completely fade. Tears pricked at Lily whenever she remembered that the thin line would always be there no matter what. She hated the stupid scar.
She'd had many visitors over the week. The first where her four friends: Ella, Marlene, Alice and Adaline. They were besides themselves with worry and outrage and they showered Lily in lollies and sweets. Adaline gave Lily a small rucksack filled with Honeydukes chocolates (Lily's favourite). Andrew was next. He was really sweet and had a bouquet of sunflowers, which Lily had in a vase next to her bed. Then Potter came again with his mates: Sirius, Peter and Remus. Lily found it nice that they came. She only really talked to Remus and James and that was mainly because of prefect duties. They had brought her a whole heap of stuff including a disguised bottle of Firewhiskey. Sirius had winked and said, "For when you get better." None of the visitors stayed for long. Lily couldn't talk and she was always falling asleep. But perhaps the most surprising visitor had been when she'd first woken up. James was sitting on a chair next to her bed, hugging his knees, his head bowed down.
"J-James?" she had asked but, it had come out croaky and low and her throat roared at her in pain. But he'd looked up, glasses askew, alert eyes.
"Lily?" he said as he got up and when Lily tried to speak again he told her not to. "You've been hurt, Madam Pomfrey said you shouldn't try to talk. I'll go get her," he'd turned to leave but she grabbed his arm and looked at him. Her eyes wide and scared. He bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You'll be okay," he assured her, squeezing her hand.
—
On the second day the others started trickling through. Nate McKinnon visited with Mia Scott and it was nice having someone who understood what it was like to be in her situation. Later on that day, most of the prefects — except the Slytherins — had come to visit, James and Remus handing her a giant card that was charmed to sprout lilies when she opened it. All the prefects, even the Slytherins', had signed it. Lily was touched even though the other prefects had written a personal message and the Slytherins' only signed their names. She saw Severus's name scrawled in tiny hand-writing in the bottom corner. Then Daisy Ellery and Allison Hopkins visited. Then a small group from Hufflepuff and then at last her friends kicked everyone out and they feasted on all the lollies they had brought the day before and told Lily everything that had been happening in the school until eight p.m. when Madam Pomfrey kicked them out.
On the third day, James came again and this time, Lily was allowed to talk though not much. She didn't really know what had happened that night — she didn't even know why Potter had been there when she woke and she couldn't ask anyone questions.
"Hi," Lily whispered.
James smiled but looked as though he was scared to come up to her. "Hey," he said back. "How you feeling?"
Lily gave him a thumbs up. It was easier than talking. "What happened?" she whispered and he looked down.
"You were attacked, I didn't see the person's face — they were wearing a mask — and I found you and brought you here. I guess the meeting last Tuesday was pretty important after all," he whispered and Lily gestured for him to sit next to her and for the next hour they just sat in silence.
"Professor Dumbledore has given permission for you to attend classes tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey informed Lily and Lily perked up a little as Madam Pomfrey applied dittany to Lily's neck.
"I'll have Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Potions tomorrow…do you think they'll all stare?" Lily asked worriedly.
"I'm sure your friends will hex them if they did," Madam Pomfrey winked and Lily laughed. It's funny how comfortable you can become with someone after spending a week in close quarters with them.
"Now, I want you to go to bed early. Sleep helps the body heal. Potter did good work on you but you still lost more than half your blood volume and I'm not convinced you're completely back to normal," Madam Pomfrey handed Lily a goblet of potion, "Drink up."
Lily downed the potion in one gulp knowing it was better that way because the stuff tasted like sweat and piss mixed in one.
"And tomorrow, you can sleep in your dorm but after dinner I would like you to come here so I can apply dittany and to give you your potion. Also you mustn't over exhaust yourself. I don't want any running or staying up late. Neither do I want flying or a tremendous amount of walking. If you feel faint, you are to come straight to me, understand?"
Lily nodded. "Alright then. Get to bed."
"But it's only eight fifteen!" Lily protested.
"You can read for a bit, I guess. But lights out at ten!" she said sternly as she walked back to her office. Lily couldn't wait to go back to the dormitory. She'd missed so much schoolwork she was convinced she was going to fail her N.E.W.T exams. Marlene and Ella were bringing her all the homework but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let Lily try magic yet. She said it would drain her energy too much which then turned into a lecture about how Lily had lost a lot of blood, as though it was Lily's fault she was sliced open at the throat.
Lily grabbed a book off the nightstand. She was reading a book by Valentina Fransesca. She was a witch and she died in 1576. Her book was a literary romance text and Lily found the way of life back then interesting. Fransesca made her love interests go though hell and back. Anything bad that could happen, happened. Lady Eleanor Bennett (the female love interest) was almost burned on a pyre by her own family, whom were faithful Catholics. Lord Stefan Peverell (the male love interest) was betrothed since he was a small child to another pure-blood witch who was truly horrible, Emma Gaunt. Lord Stefan and Lady Eleanor ran away in the end. It was quite cliché, Lily thought, but she still enjoyed the read so much that she ended up falling asleep slouched upright with the book in her lap.
—
"Psst," Lily heard faintly but she decided she was dreaming. Weird dream though, she felt very uncomfortable and something was digging into her stomach.
"Psst!" she heard again. "Lily Evans, if I have to say 'psst' one more time to wake you up I'm leaving!" someone whisper shouted.
Lily still thought she was dreaming until she felt cold air being blown into her ear.
"Urgh," she groaned. "Who's there? What bloody time is it?"
She found the source of the pain in her stomach. She had managed to turn into a little ball and the book was wedged between her legs and stomach. She placed the book on the nightstand before looking up to see none other than Sirius Black.
"Black?" Lily said groggily. "What're you doing here?"
"I just missed you so much in classes," he joked and Lily smiled slyly. "How you feeling?"
Lily shrugged, "I'm okay, I guess. Madam Pomfrey said I can attend lessons tomorrow."
"If anyone stares too much, let me know. I'll hex 'em for you."
"No need, Black," Lily said. "What do you want?"
Sirius look offended. "Can't I just drop by to see how you're doing? Is that such a crime?"
"No, except that it's the middle of the bloody night and if any teacher catches you, you will be crucified."
"Am I meant to get that?"
"Crucified?" Lily asked, "You know, Jesus? The guy who died for our sins…son of God? Ringing any bells?"
"Ahh, you muggles are weird…not that you're a muggle. It's just that you were brought up that way, as a muggle that is. Not that there's anything bad with that. I find muggles quite interesting as a matter of fact. Like those weird box things that have talking pictures."
"You mean the television?"
"Is that what they're called?" he asked and Lily nodded.
"Come on, why'd you drag your ass out of bed in the middle of the night for?"
"That transparent?"
"Yep."
"Okay, so here's the deal. James is going to go to Azkaban if the accusations against him aren't dropped."
"How can I help?"
"Well when this all first started, McGonagall mentioned a thing. Memory Surfing."
Memory Surfing was different to Legilimens in that Memory Surfing required the express permission of the party whose mind is involved. Given that, it was much easier to do then Legilimens.
"Really?" Lily asked surprised, "I mean I see how it would work but is Potter really going to let McGonagall sift through his head?"
"No."
"I'm confused."
"We want you to sift through his head. Why're you wearing a scarf by the way? It's quite warm in here."
Lily ignored the last question. "You want me to surf Potter's mind?"
"I wish you'd stop calling us by our last names, Lily. We've known each other for seven years."
"I'll call you what I want, Black. Why should I help him? He hasn't asked me for any help. In fact, I was under the impression that my help was not wanted."
"Well he doesn't want it, to be honest. But we, the smarter part of the Marauders, want your help. Need your help, that is. Besides, you know he did kind of save your life. Your turn to save his."
"Do you really think they'll send him to Azkaban?" Lily asked anxiously.
"I don't know, to be honest but they'll kick him out of Hogwarts that's for sure. Then his mother would kill him."
"Dramatic," Lily said doubtful that Potter's mother would actually kill him.
"She'd confiscate his broomstick, at least," Sirius said as if that proved his point and Lily just raised an eyebrow.
"Fine," she said rolling her eyes. "I'll do it. But! Only if Potter asks."
"That's like saying you'll do something only if McGonagall doesn't give homework," Sirius complained.
"You'd be surprised," Lily said thinking of a deal she had made with her friends about Hogsmeade, which she lost. "Now run along, Black. Thanks for the visit. Don't get caught. See you in class tomorrow."
"Getting rid of me so quickly, Evans?"
"Some people actually like to sleep instead of roaming around the castle at night. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. Feel better. I would hug you but you insist we call each other by our last names so I don't think we know each other well enough even though we've known each other for six years."
"What's my mother's name?" Lily asked.
"Mrs Evans."
"Exactly. Goodbye, Black."
"Goodnight, Evans."
—
For the last week, James Potter was a mess. He kept dreaming of blood. Lily Evan's blood. He would dream that she was in the middle of the Black Lake with the cut in her throat turning the entire lake blood red. He would wake up at night and some nights he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at all. His friends were starting to notice. The bags under his eyes weren't going unnoticed by anyone. Not even Professor McGonagall.
"Mr Potter," she said, after class. "I'd like to have a word."
James walked over to her and she sat down on the chair behind her desk. James couldn't help but remember his second year when Sirius and him had put a gluing charm on it. Professor McGonagall had not been amused.
"What's the matter, Professor?"
"Are you all right, Potter? You seem…"
"Tired?" James suggested.
"Yes."
"I just can't fall asleep much these days," James shrugged. "Bad dreams, you know."
Professor McGonagall nodded knowingly. "She's quite all right."
"I just, it haunts me, Professor. What if I wasn't passing by the Astronomy Tower? What if I never found her? What if no one found her? What if she had died up there all alone and terribly?"
Professor McGonagall looked at James kindly. For the first time in James's life he was having a meeting with McGonagall when she wasn't screaming or lecturing him about something.
"James, if we all wondered about the what ifs in life I don't think any of us would ever sleep. My advice, is to forget about the what ifs. Miss Evans is all right, thanks to you and that's the only 'what if' you need to think about. The one that happened. Now I'm going to write a note for Madam Pomfrey to give you a small dosage of sleeping potion so you can get some sleep. I think Professor Scrivens will curse my ear off next time you fall asleep in her class."
"Sorry 'bout that," James smiled clumsily as he took a piece of parchment off of Professor McGonagall.
"For the record, Potter, I don't believe you ever laid a wand on Mia Scott."
James smiled a little before walking out of the classroom. Sirius was waiting outside. He was leaning against the wall and his school robe was hanging off of his arm so he was only wearing his school uniform – dark grey pants, with a white shirt, sleeves rolled up and the gold and red Gryffindor tie hanging loosely around his neck. If a teacher saw him they'd probably take points from Gryffindor for bad conduct.
"Fix yourself up, Padfoot."
"Sure thing, Head Boy," Sirius said with a snort and ignored James' instructions. "So what did she want then?"
"Gave me permission to get a sleeping potion off Madam Pomfrey."
"Are you gonna get it?"
James shrugged. "Maybe I'll get Moony to pick it up for me. I've a tonne of homework to catch up on."
"Don't want to see Evans?"
James shook his head. "Every time I see her I just, remember. It's bloody pathetic."
"Did you ever think that maybe if you saw how Evans is now, you'd realise she is absolutely fine. I was talking to Adams the other day in Herbology. She said Lily is doing great."
James just shook his head. "I can't."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Wanker," he muttered.
"Shut up you git. You didn't see it. All that blood. You don't imagine that a person can have that much. And to actually see what I am being accused of," James shook his head again, "I just can't."
It wasn't that James didn't want to know that Lily was doing okay. He was glad that she was okay now, but he had an irrational fear that if he were to look at her his nightmares would start to happen in the day.
James ended up going to Madam Pomfrey and thankfully the curtain had been pulled around Lily's bed so James didn't have to deal with her. Madam Pomfrey promised that the small dosage of Sleeping Potion would give him a night's worth of dreamless sleep. As soon as James reached his dormitory after dinner he laid down on his bed and took the potion and that's how Sirius managed to steal an invisibility cloak and take the Marauder's Map without any questions being asked except by Lily Evans of course.
—
The next day, James felt refreshed. The bags under his eyes had shrunk considerably and his eyes didn't want to snap shut when he was awake. He got ready for the day, shoving necessary books into bags and pulling on his school uniform and robe.
"Feeling better?" Peter asked.
"You've no idea," James said. "The potion really worked. Didn't dream a single thing. Not even about a piece of dust. Best sleep I've had in nights."
"That's good," Peter agreed. "Tonight do you think you can help me with my Potions essay?"
"Sure, Wormtail. Coming down for breakfast?"
Peter nodded and hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. Together they walked down to the Great Hall and James' stomach jolted when he saw her.
Lily Evans looked great. Her hair, no longer stained with blood, was pulled up into a high ponytail and she was wearing her uniform as she usually did, with the exception of a purple scarf, and nothing was dripping blood. Her face was pink and bright and didn't look even close to death. She was laughing with her friends and eating food. She was normal.
"Prongs," Peter nudged him and James stopped staring and walked to sit down on the table. Peter immediately started eating everything he could reach but James didn't touch a single piece of bread. He'd lost his appetite. All he could think about was Lily. She'd only been in hospital for a week, were they sure she was okay? What if that person tries to hurt her again?
Sirius and Remus came and sat down with Peter and James.
"Where've you been?"
"Nowhere in particular," Sirius said. "It's just such a lovely day to not be accused of attempted murder."
James snapped his full attention to Sirius. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Sirius said sourly. "But I think you should talk to Evans about Memory Surfing."
"We've already been over this," James said.
"I don't think we have," Sirius said strongly.
"It is a bit ridiculous, Prongs," Peter said. "Evans can prove that you weren't the one who attacked Scott. I think you should do it."
"But she'll find out about Moony."
Remus laughed humourlessly, "Do you really think that one of the smartest witches in our year doesn't know what I am?"
James didn't answer because personally, he did think Lily figured it out and if she hadn't, Snape had definitely told her after that stupid prank Sirius pulled in sixth year.
"She knows and she hasn't told. She won't tell about you guys being animagus' either. I'm not saying she'll approve exactly but she's not a snitch either."
"Besides," Peter said, "You saved her life. She owes you."
"She doesn't," James said automatically. "Yes, I saved her life but I would've done it for anyone. She doesn't owe me anything except to not get hurt again."
James looked around the Great Hall out of habit and noticed the Aitken twins, Avery and Malfoy laughing and staring at Lily. James watched for a moment with complete loathing. James turned to Lily and noticed she was red in the face and slinking in her seat with embarrassment like she wished the world would just swallow her up, her hands shook as they adjusted the scarf. Without even thinking he aimed his wand at Octavia Malfoy and murmured, "Furnunculous!"
Immediately, boils and pimples erupted on Octavia Malfoy's face and soon enough the entire hall was erupting with laughter as she ran out of the Great Hall screaming in shame. James glanced back at Lily, a small smile on her face.
"I'd like to thank whoever did that," Sirius chortled and James just smiled to himself satisfactorily.
—
James had been keeping his distance from Lily all day, but anyone who so much as stared at Lily found themselves in the need of a visit to the hospital wing and Lily figured it out by lunch.
James found it odd when Lily sat by James at lunch. James was sitting alone and Lily had just plunked herself down into the seat next to him. James looked over and saw that she was trying to avoid looking at him.
"You've got to stop hexing and jinxing everyone who looks at me," she said, though James saw a sly smile on her lips, the same sly smile she had in the morning when he'd hexed Malfoy.
"You love it."
"I don't. You've been keeping your distance."
James shrugged. "Have I?"
"Don't play dumb, Potter."
"I'm not. Why are you here then?"
"I just, I know I've already said thank you but I just want to say it again… And if there is anything, anything at all, that I can ever do for you. Just say the word because I have a debt to you that I don't think I can ever repay. Without you I'd be dead." James flinched at her blunt statement.
"You don't have a debt to pay me. Saving your life wasn't a loan or an act of insurance. I did it because it's what you do. I can't imagine anyone not helping someone who was in the state you were in. So you don't owe me. You don't have a debt to pay. God, Lily. I just need you to promise me that you won't get hurt again."
"Black told me," Lily blurted out and then she flushed. "About, about the Memory Surfing."
"I never asked you to do that."
"I know, that's why I'm offering," Lily said. "You don't deserve any of this crap that's happening to you."
"But there are things…" James trailed off, "Things that I've done that you can't tell anyone about." James looked at Lily to see that she was already looking at him.
"You haven't hurt anyone?"
"No."
"Killed anyone?"
"No."
"Then I don't care and I'll carry your secret to the grave."
Lily said it with such sincerity that James had to blink to snap out of the gaze she had him locked in. He could feel her eyes burning him.
"You really mean that don't you?"
"Of course I do and if Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore will allow me to do it, I'll do it. I'll learn the spell and we'll do it."
James didn't know what he was saying until after he said it. "Okay."
"Really? You'll let me help?"
"I-yes. Okay. But I swear Evans. If you tell I will hex you."
"I think you're forgetting that I can beat you in a duel," Lily said cheekily and for the first time in a week James laughed.
"Yeah but this time I'll have Padfoot on my side."
"Padfoot?"
James sighed, "You'll know soon enough I guess."
—
Lily had been practicing the spell non-stop for three days. Professor Dumbledore set the day for October twenty-ninth and Lily had twelve more days to practice with the cat (Dibbles) that Professor McGonagall had conjured up for Lily to practice on and considering Dibbles didn't have too many memories, Lily was doing an all right job of it. Though she did find out truly disgusting things about cats though, like a first hand look of it killing Marlene's mouse, Milly.
Lily lay in Andrew's arms in their usual spot in the Green Houses behind the castle. After Lily had been attacked, both of them seemed to have forgotten their last fight and they had slipped straight back into how it use to be. He played with Lily's hair, pulling at her knots until Lily told him to stop.
"I hate that Potter just gets away with everything," Andrew murmured.
Lily's forehead creased. "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean what do I mean? Potter attacked you and then chickened out and pretended like he was the one to save you!"
"It wasn't James!" Lily argued. "I would've recognised his voice."
"He could've confunded you!"
"You need to be conscious for that, I would've heard it before I blacked out. Look you'll see soon enough that Potter wasn't the one behind the attacks."
"What do you mean 'I'll see'?" he asked and Lily cringed. "You aren't talking to Potter, are you?"
Andrew's deep blue eyes looked into Lily angrily.
"I don't know if I like the vibe your eyes are giving off," she said airily. "I'm not exactly talking to Potter."
It was true, sort of. Lily hadn't spoken to James since the date was set in Professor McGonagall's office but Lily couldn't help but notice that James didn't look so good. He usually had bags that would miraculously disappear for one day and then slowly return before disappearing again. His hair was even messier than usual and his uniform was starting to look like Remus's – shabby and crumpled.
"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"
"Well, I haven't talked to Potter in a few days."
"Lily! He attacked you!"
"No, he didn't," Lily brushed him off. "He saved me."
"Lily," he scolded.
"Andrew," Lily said normally and he groaned in frustration.
"Why do you have to be so bloody stubborn? The man attacked you."
"Replace 'attacked' with 'saved'. Remember how you were going on about how you were glad I was okay. Well, thank Potter for it. I surely am."
"'Am? As in you are thanking him?"
"Oh relax, Andrew! I'm just helping him get the ridiculous accusations dropped. It's the least I could do. If it wasn't for him the Astronomy Tower would've become the Red Lake."
"Don't joke about it."
"Who's joking?" Lily said coolly. "I've no idea who attacked me and blaming Potter, the person who saved my life, is not helping! You know what is helping? Keeping my mind busy by helping Potter. So you can shut up about it already. Potter didn't hurt me. Potter would never hurt me."
"Why? Because you think he still fancies you?"
"Oh for the love of Merlin! Potter would never hurt me because he's a good person."
"Is he making you help him? Using the fact that he 'saved you' as some sort of blackmail."
Lily snorted. "Potter didn't ask for my help, you git! I offered!"
"I just don't see why you would help him! Why, Lily, why?"
"Come Halloween and you'll be eating your own bloody words!" Lily accused. "I'm helping Potter and that's it! I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do and that's it!"
"Then we are over and that's it!"
Lily was shocked for a moment and had to force herself not to cry.
"So you don't trust my judgement? Not even a little?"
"To be quiet frank Lily, I used to think you had great judgement. I'd trust you with my life. But now, I think you're bat shit crazy."
Anger boiled up in Lily as though it had been conjured. "Bat shit crazy? Bat shit crazy! I'll show you bloody bat shit crazy, you two faced, egotistical moron! Densaugeo! Now you look as ridiculous as you bloody sound! Stupid, close-minded moron!"
With that, Lily stormed out of the greenhouses as Andrew's teeth grew like beaver's teeth. Lily rounded multiple corners before she slumped down on a step in a secret stairwell and started crying. She knew she shouldn't have hexed him but he deserved it and it made Lily feel just that tiniest bit better.
She had trusted him and all along he just thought she was crazy. Probably using her for her status and good looks. Ugh, she hated him because she liked him and he was an absolute git. He thought she was 'bat shit crazy'. Lily didn't think she was but what if that's what a lot of people thought. Her own boyfriend had thought she was so why shouldn't strangers who don't know an honest thing about Lily?
Lily felt so helpless and embarrassed of herself. What if other people did think she was bat shit crazy? She didn't want to have that impression on people because she wasn't crazy. Maybe she wasn't normal but who was? Everyone was something. Marlene squeezed her toothpaste into a tub instead of using it out of the tube. Petunia's room looked as sterile as an operating room. Alice cut her hair really short and kept it like that for a few days before magically regrowing it. Lily's mother organised their wardrobes by colour. Lily's grand-dad locked up toys he thought of as dangerous – he confiscated Lily's wand one summer when he came to visit. If people were normal there'd be no stories to tell.
"Evans?" someone asked and Lily looked around but no one was there. She could've sworn the voice was familiar. Lily shook her head.
"Great," she muttered bitterly as she wiped her face with the back of her hand, "I'm freaking hallucinating now. Maybe I am bat shit crazy."
"Who said that?" the voice asked again and Lily flinched slightly before deciding to go with it.
"My boy – ex-boyfriend."
"He must be stupid then, to let a girl like you go. You're beautiful."
"I'm not beautiful. I've tears running down my face and my eyes are all puffy. Who're you?"
"If he doesn't love you at your worse he sure as hell doesn't love you at your best. And come on, take a guess Evans?"
"Say something again."
"Will you go out with me, Evans?"
Lily smiled at a sudden realisation. "Not even if it was a choice between you and the Giant Squid. Hi, Potter. Where are you hiding?"
James suddenly appeared and Lily saw him holding a cloak.
"What's that?"
"Just an old family heirloom. Why're you crying then?" James sat down next to Lily and because the stairwell was so narrow their shoulders and knees brushed against each other.
"Andrew, he called me 'bat shit crazy' so we broke up."
"I'll hex him tomorrow for you."
Lily laughed despite the tears flowing down her face.
"You don't have to do that."
"Of course I do, he made you break your promise to me." Lily looked at him questioningly so James elaborated. "You promised me you wouldn't get hurt again. He hurt you."
"He didn't hurt me in that way," Lily defended as she pulled out a bag of Honeyduke's sweets she won from Professor Scrivens. She offered one to James and he took it gratefully.
"I don't care if he gave you a paper cut. I'm hexing him anyways. Besides, I find mental pain is worse than physical pain. Not that you should feel any pain at losing that twit as a boyfriend. He's a bit of a prat. Shit Quidditch player too. I can get the quaffle off of him nine out of ten times."
"He is a prat isn't he?" Lily said. "You know, he can't even run a hand through my hair without pulling a thousand knots? And he didn't like Lord Of The Rings!"
James gasped dramatically. "And you still dated him!?
"I know," Lily sighed, "It should've been the first sign."
"He's such a prat that no girl wants to date him."
Lily smiled and then frowned. "But I dated him." She ate a sweet to make herself feel better, it didn't. It just made her feel fat.
"That's because you've such a kind soul that you decided to overlook his prat-i-ness."
"Is that so?" Lily asked.
"Yep and just for the record, I don't think you're bat shit crazy."
Lily smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Potter."
"Anytime, Evans."
"If you tell anyone about this, I'll hex you."
"And we have the proof that you can beat me in a duel."
"Literally," Lily said gesturing to the bag in her hand and James laughed and popped another sweet into his mouth. "I'm getting the hang of the spell."
The mood changed drastically. "You've been practicing then?"
"Yeah every spare moment. I've gone ten minutes without breaking the connection to the cat. McGonagall recommended to go a half hour without breaking the connection, you know, in case I have to sift through a lot. Are, are you okay?"
James nodded. "Never been better. Shall we head to the common room?" he asked checking his watch, "It's midnight."
Lily nodded. James started pulling out the old family heirloom he had put into his pocket and Lily realised that it was a cloak.
"You coming?" James asked holding it up and Lily looked at him confused.
"It's not that cold. I think I'm okay."
James chuckled, "Just trust me."
Lily stood up wearily and went to stand next to James. He threw the coat around them and he felt his heart beat faster as their arms brushed together. Lily felt like she was playing dress ups under the cloak, like children acting like ghosts.
They left the stairwell and walked through the moonlit corridors, towards the Gryffindor common room in near silence. Lily glanced up at James and noticed how his eyes seemed to gleam a soft golden colour. She didn't know why she noticed. Lily could hear her breaths and James's breath and their footsteps against the stone. Then Lily heard another set of footsteps. Filch.
"We've got to go and hide!" Lily whispered. "He's heading towards this corridor!" she whispered urgently but James managed to get a grip on her arm and kept her in place.
"No we don't, just stand quiet and still."
"But-"
"Shh!"
Lily bit her lip, she didn't know what James was playing at but she stood still. James was still holding her arm and Lily didn't mind because once Filch caught them she was going to kill him. If someone had asked Lily why she stayed, standing exposed in a corridor, Lily wouldn't know the answer. Lily just had a natural instinct to trust James. Maybe that's what happened when you knew someone for a little over six years.
The footsteps rounded the corner and Lily held her breath but it wasn't Filch. It was that wizard, the one with the purple robes. He was looking around frantically. Lily looked up at James and he looked puzzled, his eyebrows drawn in together his mouth slightly opened. The purple robed wizard continued down the corridor and Lily motioned them to follow. James agreed and they hurried off silently after the wizard as though they weren't there at all.
In the rush of the chase, James stepped on Lily's foot a couple of times and she kept glaring at him but he didn't notice. Lily admired how focused James was. His eyes were set ahead of him and Lily imagined he only saw what was in front of him. They looked pretty in the moonlight too. They'd sort of gone a gold brown kind of colour and it reminded Lily of a jar of honey.
After going up and down a dozen different stairwells and corridors, the wizard finally found the room he was looking for. It was an unused broom closet and Lily and James looked at each other uncertainly but nevertheless followed the wizard into the room, quietly slipping in after him.
Lily had to hold back a gasp. The broom closet was not just a broom closet. It must've had some sort of Undetectable Extension charm placed on it because, despite the tiny door and odd location, the room looked like an unused classroom. Desks were pushed up against the wall and a black board and projector stood side by side at the front of the room. In the free space, over a dozen witches and wizards were standing around chatting. Lily recognised only Professor McGonagall and the wizard they followed. Lily looked up at James again and felt as though he recognised a lot more of the witches and wizards.
Lily noticed a group of witches reading the Prophet and read the title, 'Muggle Family Tortured With The Cruciatus Curse'. Lily had to stifle another gasp and James grabbed her hand out of reflex. Lily was surprised but given the circumstances, didn't pull her hand away.
Professor Dumbledore waltzed in, his blue robes looked bright and unusual against the dark green and black cloaks. He commanded everyone to move away from the centre of the room. Everyone listened and Dumbledore, with a flick of his wand, moved all the desks to the middle of the room so they made a long table made out of school desks. With another flick of his wand, all the chairs moved around the tables. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table and the others filled in the chairs around them. Lily quickly did a head count and found that there were nineteen people there excluding Dumbledore.
They all looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to speak. Lily felt like asking him to hurry up.
"Good Evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming again, I trust you are all well and properly fed."
Some people nodded or smiled and others just stared blank eyed at Dumbledore waiting for him to get to the point.
"Very well. It is under my notice that Voldemort's efforts are getting larger and more extravagant. I have no immediate plans to interfere with what the ministry is doing," there was a small outburst of outrage but Dumbledore spoke over them, "For, I agree with what Minister Minchum is doing. He has taken much of the advice I have given him and the ministry, we believe, remains strong against Voldemort. They have an entire new department, it is of secret nature I believe, called the Department of Arrests and Detainment of Death Eaters, shortened simply to D.A.D."
"Dad?" a small witch wrinkled her nose.
"That's Emmeline Vance," James whispered, "Alice's sister."
Lily recognised her barely. Last time she had seen Emmeline Vance she was wearing Hogwarts school robes and it had been 1974. Emmeline had had short blonde hair but now it was reaching her waist and a dark brown colour. The Vance's must've had a similar likeness of drastic hair changes.
"Fabi! Did you hear that?" Emmeline asked a handsome wizard with a strong jaw line and a muscular body. He turned her attention to her.
"Yes, dear."
A wizard next to Fabi started laughing, "Already practicing for the marriage are you?"
"Oh shut up, Gideon you git," Emmeline said but she was laughing.
Professor McGonagall silenced the three of them with a look but they weren't the only ones to have gotten distracted.
"But Dumbledore, surely there must be something more that you can do?" Professor McGonagall asked with a certain urgency to her voice.
"Brilliant as I am with excellent resources, I'm afraid to say that the sides are even. Voldemort has powerful, dark magic to which extent even I am not sure of and he's building an army-"
"Right!" said a wizard slamming his hand on the table and James' hand tightened around Lily's, "So we should be creating our own army! Your army!" he said jabbing his finger at Dumbledore. "We would all gladly fight with you for this cause! I would gladly die for this cause!"
There was a mutter of agreement across the table and the wizard sat back down again. Lily thought there was something familiar about him but Lily couldn't place a finger on it, something about the face seemed familiar.
"Very well, Monty," McGonagall said, "Let's just rally up an army out of a population of wizard folk who are locking their doors in fear of Death Eaters and Voldemort!"
"I never said it would be easy! But we should be doing something instead of waiting around like cockroaches to be stepped on."
"I heard he was trying to get the giants, the ones the ministry exiled, on his side," a measley man said.
"Doesn't the image of a gigantic foot stomping down on us really bring out Monty's metaphor of us being cockroaches?" Gideon asked and Fabi had to suppress a laugh. Lily suspected Emmeline kicked them under the table.
"I have taken all your ideas into account and if I see prudent I shall start an organisation against Voldemort's efforts but as of this time, I do not see it fit. I remind you all to be careful and to report anything at all to me or to the Auror Office."
"Where is Alastor?" Emmeline asked. "He said he'd be here tonight."
"He's been called to investigate the muggle family who's been tortured," Dumbledore said gravely.
"Oh."
"As I was saying, report anything unusual to myself or Alastor. The next meeting will be in a month. Until then, be careful."
Chairs scraped against stone as all the witches and wizards stood up to leave. Dumbledore remained seated and so did McGonagall. Once the door to exit opened, Lily and James slipped out and stayed silent until they reached the Gryffindor common room.
As soon as they were in the common room, they threw the cloak off of themselves and James sat down on the couch. Lily paced up and down so she could think. She hadn't realised just how big Dumbledore's part in the war was. People wanted him to start an army. People wanted to follow Dumbledore. It was quite amazing really.
"So," Lily started awkwardly. "That was … unexpected."
"My dad was there, the wizard, Monty. That was my dad."
"I didn't realise your dad was part of Dumbledore's inner circle."
"You think that was Dumbledore's inner circle?"
"Maybe not all of it, I believe a man like Dumbledore would have a lot of associates and friends, but I do believe that was part of it. I only recognised McGonagall and that wizard in the purple robes."
"Shacklebolt? Kingsley Shacklebolt?"
"That's his name!" Lily said clicking her fingers.
"There were a lot of old wizard families there. Edgar Bones, Elphias Doge, the Prewett brothers, Emmeline Vance and I even saw Andromeda Tonks! Sirius's cousin. A lot of young faces."
"Well if Dumbledore's thinking of starting an army, the younger the better."
"Andromeda has a four year old daughter at home," James said dejectedly and Lily sighed sitting down next to James.
"War isn't fair, Potter. My granddad died in World War Two. My mother still cries about it every year on the twenty-second of October. War is … war. It's hard and cruel and unkind to mankind. It's malicious and terrible and unforgiving. People will die, it's inevitable and maybe that's what's so tragic about a war. But if wars didn't happen we wouldn't have the world we have. My grandad died but maybe he died to save someone. Maybe his life saved a life. Maybe he saved ten lives, twenty lives, maybe even a hundred. Isn't that what a war is about? Saving innocent lives? If Dumbledore starts this army, I'll join."
"Don't be stupid, Evans. A war isn't fun and games. And sure your grandad may have saved a hundred lives in this world war that I've never heard of but your mother cries on the same day every year. Was it really worthwhile?"
"Better than a hundred families crying on the same day every year. Are you saying you wouldn't fight? For muggle-borns, for people like me."
"Of course I'd fight, Evans. I just don't see why people who have things to lose fight in them."
"It's because if you've got things to lose, you have something worth fighting for."
Author's Note:
Hey guys, I know I don't do a lot of author's notes but I just wanted to say that I really appreciate every view/follow/fav/review! So thank you times a million for giving my story a chance!
-Natalie x