A/N: Again, thank you so much to all of you who are reading and an extra thanks to those of you who are taking the time to review. I really, really appreciate it! Kate Karson, thanks so much for reading all this time. You're awesome! And I have no idea what Lily's parents were named…hmm…I wonder what they were. Thank you to Sara and Phantom as well!

Chapter 6:

"You're doing it wrong, Remus," Lily reprimanded as she scratched out his answer with her quill and began to scribble above it.

"I knew you'd correct it for me, that's why," Remus responded with a warm smile.

"You're awful," she returned as she leaned in to kiss him quickly before continuing to fix his homework.

"You two are enough to make me projectile vomit all of the food I've consumed in the past three weeks," James offered with a disgusted look.

"They're just the model couple of Hogwarts," Sirius stated with a smile. "Everyone wants to be them, but no one can reach their unattainable standard."

"Bugger off," Lily shot at Sirius from the table. "We're no one's model couple, idiot."

"You only wish you weren't, Lily, but everyone's been looking at the two of you with adoring eyes for weeks now," Sirius explained.

"Shall we go for a walk after dinner tonight?" Lily ignored Sirius and looked intently at Remus. Remus looked around uncomfortably, avoiding Lily's eyes.

"I—uh—I'll have a lot of homework to do," Remus said, stumbling over his words.

"Well, I can help you. I don't mind at all."

"No, I—I—uh—I think it might better if I worked on it alone. I might learn more that way," Remus said as he scratched his head in a nervous manner.

"Remus, what are you on about? We always do our homework together," Lily returned, hurt edging into her voice. Her eyebrows knit themselves together with worry.

"I just—this is a really hard assignment," Remus finally stated. He got up without another word, gathered his books and parchment, shot an apologetic look at Lily, and then made his way up the stairs towards the dormitories.

"What did I do wrong?" Lily turned to look at James and Sirius. James's face was twisted in rage, but Sirius merely shrugged and smiled.

"You know Remus, he's an odd sort of fellow. Not quite right in the head," Sirius suggested with a chuckle. Lily frowned slightly, deep in thought.

"I hope I haven't done anything to offend him," she said after a while.

"No, Lily. You've done nothing wrong," James stated firmly. Lily glanced at him questioningly.

"What?"

"Nothing, just forget it," James snapped before getting up and following Remus up the stairs. Lily looked utterly confused and very hurt at this point. She looked to Sirius for comfort, but she merely got a shrug in response.

"There must be something in the air today," Sirius offered.

"Is it that time of the month for you, Moony?" James spat out accusingly as he slammed their dormitory door behind him. Remus turned to face James, a look of shame apparent on his face. "You still haven't told her, have you?"

"James, I meant to, I just couldn't," Remus responded in a pleading tone.

"She's going to be so worried about you," James declared angrily while shaking his head. "You've managed to avoid problems in the past, but she's really starting to wonder why you disappear once a month. Especially as you two become closer."

"I know, I know, I feel awful." Remus lowered his eyes to the floor and stared steadily at it.

"You need to tell her, Remus."

"I will, I will eventually. It's just so hard," Remus replied dejectedly. James's hardened demeanor did not diminish as Remus looked at him desperately for reassurance.

"You're being awful to her," James said simply. "She deserves better." Remus's eyes were rimmed with tears at this point. He turned away and began to throw some of his belongings into a bag in preparation for his monthly trip to the shrieking shack. James sat on his bed and pursed his lips, caught between resentment, anger, and sympathy for his friend. He glanced out the window for a moment and saw the sun was slowly dipping below the horizon Remus followed his gaze and he hurried his attempts to pack. He finally closed his bag and turned to look at James, guilt creasing his forehead.

"I've got to go. You'll meet me down there later?" Remus looked at James expectantly, hoping desperately for confirmation.

"Of course," James replied. "I'd never leave you alone at a time like that." Remus nodded gratefully before slipping out the door and down the stairs noiselessly.

"Remus!" Lily looked devastated as Remus hurried past where she was sitting without acknowledging her. Tears welled up in her eyes as Sirius looked on uncomfortably.

"There, there," Sirius said awkwardly as he patted Lily on the back. Lily rose to her feet and hurried out through the portrait hole, tears beginning to trickle down her flushed cheeks. "That's right, you go have a good cry," Sirius called out after her as she departed. He shrugged to himself and turned back to his parchment as the room fell silent.

Lily ran down the hall. She needed to be alone, to think, to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with herself that was making Remus act so strangely. With a great sigh she decided the best place for this would be by the lake, though she hated to go to a place that reminded her so much of the very person she was trying to escape currently. She slowed her pace to a hurried walk and made her way towards the grounds. As soon as the cold air hit her, she'd wished that she'd brought a heavier cloak to cover herself with. She shivered violently as she approached the lake. On the way, however, her eyes were drawn towards a shadowy figure headed rapidly towards the Whomping Willow.

"Wait," she called out after the figure. "Stop, you'll hurt yourself!" She began to run after the mysterious person, but much to her dismay the Whomping Willow somehow froze momentarily, allowing the person access to it. The person disappeared quickly beneath the roots of the tree and its branches once again began to swing violently before settling down to a rather gentle occasional swaying.

"But how?" Lily pondered aloud as she carefully approached the tree. She heard footsteps sounding behind her suddenly and she turned to examine who they belonged to. She squinted in the dim lighting of dusk. She made out three figures walking together in her direction. Lily ducked down and crept slowly towards another tree, which she concealed herself behind.

"He still hasn't told her, I can't believe it," a voice echoed out angrily in the twilight.

"Calm down, Prongs," came another voice.

"What does it matter anyway?" A third voice chimed in.

"Stuff it, Wormtail." Lily tilted her head to see who the owners of these familiar sounding voices were.

"James," she gasped suddenly, recognizing his trademark mess of hair. Her eyes moved to the other boys and she immediately recognized Sirius's long, dark shaggy hair and Peter's rounded figure. The three boys came to the tree in the exact way that the previous person had and Lily watched as they touched a knot located on the trunk of the tree. Just as it had before, the Whomping Willow suddenly ceased to move. The three Marauders slipped through a hole in the ground, arguing all the while. Lily scrambled out from her hiding place and began to run towards the tree. However, as soon as she reached the edge of it, it began to swing at her wildly. She backed up quickly and sat on the ground for a moment to catch her breath and absorb everything that she'd just observed.

"What are they up to?" Lily pondered aloud with a frown. Making a conscious decision to find out, she dropped down to her hands and knees and kept low to the ground as she began to crawl towards the trunk of the tree. She reached out her wand to touch the same knot she'd seen everyone tap and was shocked to find that the tree ceased it's swaying. With a triumphant smile she slipped beneath the tree through the roots and found herself in a dark, muddy tunnel which smelled of decomposing leaves. Lily drew in a deep breath before she scrambled to her feet and lit her wand quietly while whispering, "Lumos."

Having no light to guide her steps, she stumbled over unearthed roots several times as she tried to travel through the passage. After what seemed like an eternity, and after she was very well decorated with splotches of damp soil, Lily finally spotted a few shafts of moonlight shining down through an opening. She heaved a sigh of relief as she struggled to pull herself up through the hole. Lily looked around, still in a daze from the whole experience. She found herself in a small, dusty room with well-worn floorboards and furniture covered in sheets. Anxiety overtook her as she realized she was alone in unfamiliar surroundings. Suddenly she heard an animal-like howl from what appeared to be very near by. Lily began to shiver slightly as she rose from the floor and approached the noise she'd just heard, fearing what she'd find.

"You're an idiot," she heard James's voice call out condescendingly. "Don't let him out of this room. Last time he nearly destroyed the entire house."

"That wasn't my fault," Peter's squeaky voice insisted adamantly.

"Of course it was," Sirius piped in. Lily drew nearer to the door from behind which their voices seemed to be coming.

"No, it wasn't," Peter insisted childishly. Lily put her ear against the door, her curiosity piqued. She heard a guttural growl and what sounded like claws on the wooden floorboards. Slowly, she began to lean against the door, attempting to turn the knob noiselessly. She was convinced they were up to no good, and of course as Head Girl, she felt the responsibility to make sure what they were doing was at least not illegal. The door gave way beneath her weight and she eased it open gently, allowing herself to peer into the room.

Lily gasped at the sight that met her brilliant green eyes. Her eyes moved directly towards the ground where her gaze was intercepted by a large, shaggy black dog, a tiny little rat with pointed teeth, a noble-looking stag, and what appeared to be a wolf-like creature. What Lily couldn't understand was how these creatures possessed the voices of the Marauders. She listened a bit longer as they chatted among themselves. All but the wolf were speaking in turn, bantering back and forth. The wolf stood still, a chilling look in its bright eyes which scanned the room eagerly. A few times the wolf lowered itself to the ground, looking as though it were about to pounce, but the stag would charge it readily and throw its weight against the wolf before it could spring into action.

Lily could not tear her eyes from the wolf as there was something almost human-like about it. She gazed at it in wonder until finally the wolf seemed to catch her eye. Its lips pulled back into a snarl, exposing its teeth and a low growl escaped it. Lily's breath caught in her chest as the wolf set its sights on her. The stag was distracted, arguing with the rat, and the wolf began to sneak around it slowly, as though stalking its prey. Suddenly the wolf-like creature broke out into a full run and headed directly towards Lily. A blood-curdling scream escaped Lily's lips as she tried desperately to get out of the creature's path. The stag turned suddenly to see the wolf as it threw itself on top of Lily and immediately pinned her down with its powerful paws.

"No! Moony, don't!" The stag called out desperately, extreme urgency in his voice. He immediately leapt into action and ran towards Lily. "Moony, stop! You don't know what you're doing! That's Lily! Stop!" The rat scurried hurriedly in the opposite direction, but the large, shaggy dog also jumped into action. The stag and dog struggled to get the wolf off of Lily, throwing themselves against the creature and yelling at him fiercely. Lily's gaze met the stag's eyes for a moment, and in that moment she saw a look of such concern that she froze, no longer able to fight against the wolf.

"Lily, keep fighting him off!" The stag encouraged her with James's voice.

"James?" The stag looked at her for only a moment, but Lily recognized those eyes, that look. "James!" The room suddenly grew dark as a large patch of clouds passed over the bright moon. The wolf creature suddenly fell to the ground, gasping in pain. Tears were streaming down Lily's face at this point, her breaths coming raggedly. The wolf began to convulse on the ground, shrieking in pain.

"James, what's going on?" The stag transformed suddenly before her eyes into the human form of James, which she knew all too well. Lily began to sob violently as the dog also transformed into its human form. Sirius's large eyes were staring at her in the next moment. James rushed to her immediately and threw his arms around her protectively.

"Lily, Lily, it's alright. It's okay. You're safe now," James said soothingly, his eyes full of fear.

"What—what is that?" Lily pointed to the mass of fur on the floor which continued to quiver and howl in pain. The room grew completely dark except for a bit of soft light emanating from a lit candle. The furry mass suddenly transformed into a very tired-looking brown-haired boy. Lily swept over the figure with her eyes. She gasped in disbelief.

"Remus?" The boy rubbed his eyes in confusion and looked about the room, taking in the scene. His eyes finally landed on Lily, who looked absolutely devastated.

"Lily?" Remus appeared extremely dazed. He shook his head in disbelief as he stared at her, still wrapped in James's arms. "What happened?" Remus looked to Sirius and James for answers, but they both remained silent. "Did I hurt Lily?" His eyes suddenly opened wide with alarm. Lily continued crying silently, she could not stop the sobs that wracked her body.

"You tried," James replied quietly. Remus bit his lip and looked away from Lily's tear-stained cheeks. His face betrayed a look of utter self-loathing. He shook his head and then turned back towards Lily. Slowly, Remus approached and made a motion to hug her and comfort her. Lily drew away immediately without even consciously meaning to. Remus winced as he began to feel the pressure of hot tears building up behind his eyes.

"Lily, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I'm so, so sorry," he explained softly. "I hate myself for this—more than you'll ever know." Lily could not bring herself to make eye contact with Remus. She cowered in fright and buried her head in James's shoulder, refusing to believe all that had just occurred—all she'd just discovered. She felt so betrayed she could barely grasp it. Remus sighed deeply as he watched Lily shake with trepidation in the arms of his best friend.

"Lily, listen to me. Please leave before the clouds disappear. Leave before I transform again," Remus begged. "I don't want to hurt you, Lily. Please. I love you," Remus continued, his eyes filled with sorrow and despair.

"He's right, Lily. Let's get you out of here," James stated authoritatively as he helped her to her feet while still covering her protectively with his arms. Lily continued to lean on James with her full weight as he led her back towards the opening she'd come from originally. Remus followed behind them with a heartsick look etched clearly on his face. He took Lily's hand, though she shuttered at his touch.

"Lily, I'm so sorry," he repeated, his brows knit together with concern. "I should have told you." Lily could do nothing but nod in agreement as she tried to choke back her tears.

"Why didn't you trust me?" Lily's voice was wrought with emotion. She shook her head, her heart torn with betrayal. Remus stood speechless before her, unable to explain away his treachery. "I love you so much, Remus. You should have trusted me." Lily turned away and continued towards the tunnel which would lead her back towards Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry," Remus whispered, his voice choked with tears. The clouds slowly began to clear away from the moon as the light within the small house intensified. He groaned in pain and fell to the floor as he once again began his transformation.

"Run! Now!" James commanded Lily as he grabbed her arm urgently and began to pull her after him down the passage.

The pair of them ran as fast as their aching legs would carry them down the dimly-lit tunnel until they could no longer breathe deeply enough to continue their pace. Lily stopped and fell against the wall, gasping for breath.

"How could he, James? How could he?" Lily demanded, a mixture of hurt and anger easily discernible in her voice. James remained silent for a moment, a stoic look upon his face.

"I don't know," he replied, finally breaking the silence. "I don't know, because I could never ever hurt you like that, Lily. He owed you the truth," James stated with conviction.

"I would have understood," Lily returned, her lower lip quivering. "I'd have understood."

"I know you would have," James said simply. He did the only thing he could think to do to bring her comfort—he swept her into a hug and held her in his arms for a moment, hoping to soothe her heart. Lily pulled away after a moment.

"Thanks," she whispered, a few tears escaping down her cheeks.