Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Reasons Why I Hate James Potter (3.0)
1. He always runs his fingers through his hair
2. He is ugly inside and out
3. He is mean to Severus
4. He just likes annoying me and it's just a game to him
5. His friends are the worst (so annoying!)
Show me your friends and I'll show you your future.
Sometimes the quote proved to be true. Perhaps that was why people chose to be around others of similar tastes and personalities. Hufflepuffs stayed with Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws with Ravenclaws. And on and on.
It made sense that Slytherins banded together and many of them moved on to become Death Eaters. They were friends in school and that became their future.
With the Marauders, the story was different. It was like the four of them had four completely different personalities and it seemed like they had four completely different futures ahead of them as well.
James was the leader. He held the group together whether he knew it or not. Lily had a feeling that if he left, the whole bunch of them would fall apart. He was the peacekeeper. Whenever there were fights within the group, as it would normally happen after living together for so long, James would always be the one to jump in and ease the tension. Whether it be Remus yelling at Peter for getting cookie crumbs on the beds, or Peter yelling at Sirius for eating his cookies, or Sirius yelling at Remus and Peter for yelling while he was sleeping, James always there to make everything better.
As a leader and protector, James wanted a future as an Auror.
Remus was the brains. He was the one the group came to for homework help. Even though James and Sirius were brilliant in their own right, if only they focused their attention on schoolwork a bit more, Remus was the studious one who understood the texts and content of their schoolwork the best. But, he was also the one they came to for pranking help. He knew how to scour the books at the library until he found the perfect spell for a prank they would never teach in Charms class. Being on all the professors' soft side, he knew how to abate the punishment the professor had in store for them after the prank went completely wrong (or completely right). While Remus may have looked like the innocent one in the pranking, as he liked all the professors to believe, Remus was the mastermind behind it all.
As an educator and helper, Remus wanted a future as a teacher.
Peter was the sidekick. Along for the ride. The person who always cheered them on from the sidelines and scampered away before he got into any real trouble. He encouraged them, but always put himself first. After a prank would take place, Peter would always look left and right, making sure no one saw him do the part that was assigned to him. Always hidden in the shadows, Peter made sure he got none of the blame, but all of the glory of being called a "Marauder."
As a follower and a coward, Peter wanted a future that was safe.
Sirius was the troublemaker, but Lily could not deny that he would do anything for his friends. He would always put them first. When they got in trouble, Sirius would not hesitate to take all the blame. All with a cheeky smile and flirty eyes, he would proudly admit to whatever crime took place regardless of how much detention was in store. He was loyal to the end.
As a wildcard and a rebel, Sirius had no idea what he wanted for the future. He just wanted an adventure.
The groups' dynamic was strange.
It was obvious from the start that James and Sirius were the closest. They had the most similar personalities, even though Sirius would never be able to hold the leadership position James had. James tended to be more amiable with Remus and Peter, while Sirius could never really keep his mouth shut. His big mouth and often abrasive and sarcastic personality had gotten him in trouble more than once. James was luckily there to balance him out. That was how they worked.
While James and Sirius weren't as close with Remus and Peter as they were with each other, the bond the four shared was still stronger than any other friendship. To put it simply, they would die for each other.
Lily did not understand that fact until her third year at Hogwarts. The year she learned something she wasn't supposed to know. A secret that changed her dynamic with the Marauders forever.
It's not like Lily had completely hated the Marauders as a whole. Not in the way she hated James at least. But if they stuck around with James for so long and actually liked him, then they had to be something like him: obnoxious, rude, and downright annoying.
Whenever James would flirt with her and try to woo her, the other Marauders stood behind him making kissy noises and overall being plain ole pains in the behind.
While she mainly tried to ignore them, she couldn't help but be pulled into the group's odd and alluring charisma, and their strange interactions. Especially around Remus Lupin.
She had her suspicions since second year. Remus was getting injured way too often to simply be an accident. At first, Lily thought he was getting abused and beaten by someone. The injuries were much too severe. Then Lily began to notice a pattern. One she simply couldn't place her finger on, but knew was there.
One day after witnessing Remus with a surprisingly large bruise and a gaunt face, Lily had to find out more. She never had a face to face conversation with Remus per say, so she went to her only friend at Hogwarts to learn what was going on with her fellow Gryffindor.
"Do you think something's wrong with Lupin?" Lily asked Severus as they worked on homework lying the grass outdoors.
"Lupin?" Severus asked.
"Remus Lupin, the Gryffindor?" Lily asked.
"You mean the one who always hangs around Potter and Black? Who gives a damn? There's something wrong with the whole lot of them," he said bitterly as he flipped to the next page of the textbook.
"No, I just mean—" Lily sighed, "Never mind."
She realized Severus would never care and she wondered why she even cared in the first place.
But that was who Lily was and she did care. The next evening, Lily approached Remus while he was alone, which was frustratingly difficult as he was always surrounded by his rowdy gang of friends.
"Remus," Lily said as she sat across from the wiry blond at the library.
Remus looked up from his work in surprise, "Lily," he said, "Do you need something?"
"Um, no. Not exactly," Lily said awkwardly. Now that she was actually facing the teen, she did not really know what to say, "I just wanted to know where that bruise came from."
She pointed to his neck and chin where the wound was healing and fading quickly.
"Oh," Remus looked at her with widened eyebrows and adjusted the collar of his uniform to try and hide more of the damaged skin, "It's nothing to worry about. I just fell down the stairs, but Madam Pomfrey gave me a healing potion that works like a charm, no pun intended."
But Lily did not have time for any jokes, "This is what? The fifth time you've used the stairs as an excuse?"
"I don't—"
"Are Potter and Black hurting you?" Lily asked quickly, "Are they using you as a punching bag or something?"
"What the fu—" Remus looked flabbergasted, "Merlin, Lily! Why the bloody hell would you say that?" he practically yelled at her.
Seeing as they were in the library and many eyes turned to look at the two of them, Remus quickly got up, grabbed his belongings, and headed for the exit.
Lily raced after him, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that they're both on the Quidditch team and they're getting stronger and—"
"And what exactly? I'm small and weak and they would just use me as a punching bag when they're bored because you think they're evil like that? Maybe you've been hanging out with the wrong Slytherins too much, Lily, because James and Sirius would never, ever hurt me," he stopped in his steps and glared at her, breathing heavily from walking quickly, "They've done more for me than you will ever know. Stay out of my business and don't talk about what you don't know." And with that, he walked away.
But that wasn't who Lily was and she had to know more. If Remus was in trouble, Lily had to know the truth so she could help him. If James and Sirius were hurting him, Lily had to know. On the outside, they may seem like the best of friends, but Lily knew from experience that friendships aren't always what they seem on the outside and people aren't always who they say they are.
Her own friendship with Severus seemed on edge for the past year, ever since the black haired boy decided to spend more time around the more shady Slytherin characters. Whenever Lily would confront him and ask him what they were up to he would get nervous and push her way, insisting it was nothing, that he just wanted to get to know the people of his house better.
Lily would argue that they were the wrong crowd of Slytherins and that they were Death Eaters, but then he would glare at her and say, "I thought you didn't judge, Lily."
Lily wondered what happened to her childhood friend who she knew even before Hogwarts. The boy she used to play on the swings with and make mud pies in the rain.
If he could change and push her away, Lily knew that the Marauders, as strong as their friendship seemed, could change as well.
James and Sirius were both capable of physically hurting people. Sirius had violent tendencies, finding reasons to fight the Slytherins in every which way. While James was less so, he would not hesitate to jump to Sirius's defense if he needed it.
Lily didn't want to believe that they could do it, but it was not like Remus was around anyone else and James and Sirius were the only two who looked physically capable of doing that much damage to the boy.
While they hadn't fully hit their growth spurt, James and Sirius were slowly but surely maturing, growing taller and taller. James had even reached Lily's height, which he made sure to let her know as soon as he noticed. James and Sirius were both on the Quidditch team since second year and the constant movement had definitely helped form their physique. Something Lily had to constantly hear about in her dormitory from her girly roommates.
Deciding to learn more, Lily chose to sit nearby the Marauders in the common room while they didn't notice. The four of them sat around the fireplace, taking up the whole space. Sirius laid stretched out on the couch, Peter took the big comfy chair, while Remus and James sat on the floor, James leaning against Sirius's couch.
Lily, on the other hand, sat inconspicuously in the chair on the other side of the common room, making sure that the Marauders couldn't see her spying on them.
The four of them worked on their schoolwork in comfortable silence, once in a while asking Remus for the answer, while Remus tried to explain the answer as best he could without giving it away.
Little by little as the other people in the common room filed away to go to bed, it became just Lily and the Marauders left in the room.
Thinking the four of them were alone in the room, Remus looked up at his best mates from his seat on the floor, "You know Lily asked about my bruises today," he said casually.
All at once, three heads shot up and stared at Remus in shock, while Lily waited with bated breath to hear what they were going to say next.
"Lily?" James said quickly, "Lily Evans?"
"Yes, Prongs," Remus said sarcastically, "I believe that's the only Lily that goes to this school."
"What did you tell her?" Peter asked.
"Stairs," Remus answered.
"Really, Snouty?" Sirius whined, "That was the most uncreative one! You are so bad at lying. I told you to use the one about you falling off a hippogriff!"
"Oh and she was going to believe that one?" Remus argued, "And don't call me Snouty, it sounds stupid."
"And who decided on Padfoot? You chose my most unattractive feature!" Sirius shot back.
"And what exactly would be your most attractive feature, mutt?" Remus teased.
"Guys," James interjected seriously, "What did Lily say after you said you fell down the stairs?"
"She doesn't know and I don't think she'll ever find out," Remus shrugged, "I just wanted to let you know in case she acts weird around you."
"Weird how? Why us?" Sirius asked.
"She thinks…" Remus breathily chuckled and shook his head, "It's nothing."
"What?" James asked jokingly, "She thinks we pushed you down the stairs?"
At Remus's silence, James looked at him incredulously and repeated, "She thinks we pushed you down the stairs?"
"Merlin, Prongs, and why do you still like her?" Sirius muttered. Lily resisted rolling her eyes. It's not like she asked James to like her and obsess over her.
James let out a huff and ignored Sirius, "What did you tell her, Remus?"
"Nothing. I just told her it wasn't you and then I kinda stormed off."
"What if she finds out?" Peter asked nervously.
"She won't, Wormtail," Remus assured him.
"You know, I don't really like my nickname either," Peter commented.
"Well, it's the only part of you we see so far, so it's not like we have anything else to go off. You could be anything," Sirius shrugged, "A possum. A mouse. A monkey. A—"
"Alright," Peter rolled his eyes, "I get it. I'm not doing this as well as you guys are."
Doing what? Lily wondered to herself. What were the Marauders doing with animals?
Remus was quick to comfort Peter while James looked too caught up in his own thoughts to notice, "It's not that, Peter. You're making great progress and I'm thankful for all the work you've done. Sirius and James were named after the first parts that formed too, so you're all in the same boat. Sirius formed his padded foot first and James got his antlers. Right, Sirius?" Remus looked at him with raised eyebrows.
Sirius sighed, "Yeah, Wormsy, you're doing fine. Plus, we're all here to help you get all the way through your transformation. It's not like we have it completely figured out either."
Lily wondered what they meant by transformation…into an animal…then it suddenly hit Lily. They learned about Animagi in their first year after witnessing the Head of Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall, transform into a tabby cat.
The Marauders were practicing becoming Animagi and by the sounds of it, they were getting pretty close to becoming fully fledged. As wild as that sounded, Lily had to wonder why they were doing it in the first place. Were they that bored with school?
"Does she really think I could do that?" James said quietly, not paying attention to the other conversation being had.
"James, stop obsessing. It's just Lily Evans. She'll believe whatever she believes to get through the day," Sirius snarked, "It's how she convinces herself that Snivellus is a good guy and not all Slytherins are bad and—"
"Not all Slytherins are bad," Remus interjected.
Sirius scoffed, "As soon as the Sorting Hat touches their head, they're basically doomed to be evil."
"Like I was?" Remus said softly.
Sirius looked at Remus in shock, "No way, Remus! I didn't mean it like that. You're different."
"Exactly," Remus said, "Which is why we shouldn't characterize everyone based on something the Sorting Hat said. Something they pretty much had no choice over."
"Fine," Sirius threw his arms up, "But I still think most of them are evil douchebags."
"No argument here," Remus agreed.
"Speaking of your 'furry little problem', when's the next round coming?" James asked.
Remus looked down, "24 days."
"24 days," James pondered, "That should give us enough time to perfect our transformation, at least me and Sirius, and we could join you next time!"
"No!" Remus exclaimed, "It's too dangerous right now. You should practice some more, I don't want you guys getting hurt for me!"
"Snouty," Sirius said, "This is why the three of us decided to be Animagi in the first place. To help you. So let us help you."
"Not if it means you getting hurt," Remus insisted, "And don't call me Snouty."
James intervened before they argued more, "We'll see as the time gets closer and then we'll decide if we're prepared or not. Sound good?"
Remus and Sirius both looked at each other and nodded.
"Alright, good," James said, "Now let's go to bed and tomorrow we can start practicing some more."
"Wait!" Sirius exclaimed, "We should get Remus a new nickname so he can stop bitching about his current one."
"I don't bitch, you're the dog here!" Remus shot back.
"Okay," James interrupted, "So the three of us are named after our first transformation. Me as a deer. Sirius as a dog. Peter as a…whatever. Remus, what's the first part of you that changes?"
"The moon?" Remus joked.
"Oo, I like that," Sirius said.
"How about Moony then?" James suggested.
Remus thought about it for a second, "It does have a nice ring to it. I like it."
"Then it's settled," James proudly stated, "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs: the four Marauders."
As the newly named group headed upstairs for bed, Lily could feel her heart pounding in her throat as she took in the entire conversation she witnessed.
Not believing it to be true, Lily jumped up from her seat as soon as she knew they were in bed and ran out of the common room to the library.
24 days. 24 days. 24 days. The moon changes him. The bruises. The scars. It was all a pattern.
Furry. Little. Problem.
As soon as Lily reached the library she went straight the books on Astronomy.
24 days. 24 days. 24 days.
When was the next full moon? Lily searched.
It was all a pattern.
And there it was. In written text, her answer was there. 24 days: the next full moon.
Furry. Little. Problem.
Lily couldn't believe what she was seeing, but there it was in front of her own two eyes. Horror would be the first adjective to describe how Lily felt.
Remus Lupin was a werewolf.
But he was so nice, Lily thought to herself. Werewolves had a reputation. Evil and bloodthirsty creatures. Animalistic and cruel. Beasts.
Then Lily shook her head, Remus still is the same person before and after I found out his secret.
Putting the Astronomy book away, Lily turned to the Magical Creatures section of the library and found a book on Werewolves. The book described them as horrible monsters. Every full moon, the person had to go through a terrible transformation that regressed the person mentally into a vicious animal while physically taking a toll on their body as well.
Lily teared up as she imagined Remus, a boy her same age, breaking bones every month and struggling within himself for power and sanity.
This was not Remus's fault. He did not choose to get bit. And while Lily didn't particularly like the Marauders, she would never ever wish this upon them. Or even any of the Slytherins that bullied her. Nobody deserved to live like this.
Lily put her hand on her forehead in realization that she accused James and Sirius of causing that pain to Remus. She felt so embarrassed for jumping to conclusions like that and completely understood why Remus was so angry with her. Hell, Lily would have been angry too.
But why the Animagi? Lily wondered to herself. Why would James, Sirius, and Peter struggle to become something that even grown wizards and witches struggled to achieve?
The answer came from the book that explained how innately animalistic a werewolf was. Humans would not dare to be five feet from a werewolf, but other animals on the other hand had a better chance of being safe around it…him.
Sitting all alone in the dark library, late into the night, Lily had to sort through her thoughts, so she turned to the best thing she had to figure out her emotions.
Dear Journal,
Yes, I realize it's been a while, but nothing exciting has been going on for a while and you're probably tired of me complaining about Potter this and Potter that and how I feel lonely and abandoned by Severus.
So I have something else to talk about.
Remus Lupin is a werewolf. And I need to figure out how I feel about it. I can't talk to anyone yet because I don't know who to trust, so I guess I'll just talk to you.
Is he a danger to the school? Should I tell someone?
Okay, but if he goes to Madam Pomfrey every month, then she definitely knows. And if she knows, Dumbledore knows. And probably McGonagall.
And if all those people are letting Remus stay, then he's probably not a danger to the school.
Now that I have that part covered. I want to actually talk about Remus. I had no idea what kind of pain he's suffered or even what age he got bit. Was this recent? Was he a baby? Either way, it must have been horrible. I can't even imagine.
I am quick to judging people, I can admit that. But I also know that people aren't what they seem, so I think I am slow to trusting people as well. But Remus trusts the Marauders with his deepest, darkest secret. That must mean something, right?
Do you think he told them or they just found out? I mean, they aren't as dumb as they look and he is their roommate. But even after they found out…they didn't push him away. They are trying to help him. Becoming Animagi is no easy feat. It takes hard work, focus, and dedication. Something I did not think the Marauders were capable of, but turns out they would do anything to help a friend.
It must be nice to be surrounded by that kind of loyalty. I used to think I had that with Severus, but lately it feels like everything is changing between the two of us. Now, I feel like an afterthought in his life. While the Marauders friendship grows stronger, my friendship falls apart. I guess that's what I get for accusing Potter and Black of beating Remus up for fun. I don't even know why I said that. Maybe I just wanted to believe that if my relationships were a mess, so were theirs. Which doesn't even make sense. Why do I have to compare myself to them? It's not like they're the gold standard for friendships. Well, after hearing what they've done for one of their own, maybe they are.
Sirius Black is probably a dog. Remus called him a mutt and his nickname is "Padfoot" probably for the pads of his dog feet.
Peter Pettigrew might be a mouse or a rat or something with a "Wormtail."
James Potter. James Potter is a deer. Or a stag, which is the male version. He has antlers. They called him "Prongs."
Antlers! How crazy is that? Now I really want to see Potter with antlers.
A stag…wow…
Deer are such magnificent creatures. They say that the animal an Animagi becomes takes after the person's own personality.
A stag is the protector of the forest. They are fierce and wild. But they are also gentle. And soft. And kind.
And they also happen to be my favorite animal.
It's probably just a coincidence though.
Anyhoo, I think I got all my thoughts figured out. But I should make a list just to be sure. You know how I love my lists.
Reasons Why I Should Trust the Marauders
Remus is probably the most likeable out of the four so he can't be that bad
The professors seem to be okay with everything
Remus was an innocent person who has to endure so much pain and it's not his fault
It's a pretty amazing feat the Marauders are doing…
…For a friend
Maybe they're not so bad after all
He's a stag.
Thanks for listening to me —D-i-a-r-y— Journal. I'll see you soon.
Yawning, Lily closed her book of thoughts and made her way back to her sleeping quarters, now peaceful after she came to a conclusion on her next course of action.
She was going to protect the Marauders' secret because it was the right thing to do. She might think they're annoying, but if they would do what they did for a friend, they had to be good people at heart. Lily could respect that and she could respect their wishes to protect their friend.
A couple of weeks passed from the day Lily discovered the boys' secrets and the next full moon was rapidly approaching. Every day leading up to it, Lily kept a close eye on the boys. She needed to know if they were ready. If it was going to be safe. While she figured the professors and headmaster knew about Remus's condition, she knew with absolute certainty that they had no clue about what the other three were up to. It would have been deemed too dangerous and McGonagall would have never let them. At that moment, it was only Lily who knew their secret and she wasn't going to tell anybody.
There was a nervous air about the four of them as the day before the full moon approached. That was how Lily knew that they were going to try to join Remus in the forest. Even Lily felt anxious for them. She couldn't keep her eyes of them, watching them from her desk, from behind a book, from across the table.
Normally, that would have caught James's attention, but his nerves were getting the best of him and he could not focus on Lily. The always calm and confident Sirius was also worried. Peter, the normally jumpy one, was even more so as the big day approached. But the three of them would never let Remus know about their concerns. They wanted to be brave for their friend. Whenever Remus turned to them to ask them if they were sure they wanted to do it, they would energetically nod their heads and crack jokes to help the scarred boy forget, even for a moment, of the coming day.
The day of the full moon was here and the tone of the castle was somber. At least to Lily and the Marauders. To everyone else it was a normal day, but they knew different. Lily wanted to be there for the Marauders. To tell them everything was going to be alright. But she knew if she told them she knew now, it would only distract them and worry them more. She figured she would tell them when the time was right.
It occurred to Lily that they were putting themselves in danger by joining Remus in the moonlight, but she trusted James to protect Sirius and Peter and she knew Sirius would do anything to protect James.
The time finally came and Remus was ready to file out of the common room to go join Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey to prepare for the night. James, Sirius, and Peter watched him leave with the promise that they'll join him soon. Lily watched as Remus gave them a weary smile and walked out.
As soon as Remus left, the remaining three Marauders looked at each other and gave a determined nod. This was it. The moment of truth when they would find out if all their hard work had paid off. If they would really be able to help Remus get through the night.
Lily was not completely sure of their plan. She had heard little pieces of the plan here and there, like the words "willow" and "stick", but she did not know the full course of action.
Knowing it was not safe for her out there, Lily could do nothing but wait out the night for them to return home safe.
After a while, the three Marauders left the room as well to meet their friend in need. Lily sat on the couch and closed her eyes imagining what was happening. But that was not enough, Lily had to know if they were okay.
A feeling of dread filled Lily as she ran out of the Gryffindor common room into the hall. How could she let them do that? It was a dangerous situation and they were only thirteen year olds! She had to tell someone! Anyone! What if Remus accidentally hurt them?
Then Lily ran past the stairs to Astronomy tower and figured why not give it a shot and see if she could find them in the dark forest.
As she climbed up the stairs, her heart beating faster and faster, Lily knew if something happened to any of the four, she would blame herself. She found a telescope and peered into it.
The moon looked beautiful: perfectly round and glowing bright. But underneath it hid all the darkness.
She pulled the telescope down towards the Forbidden Forest and searched the various sections of the greenery. Not seeing much, Lily cast a spell on the telescope that allowed one to look through the vegetation and search for people. Finally, she was able to detect three bodies with the spell, but no actual people. Until, there was a shimmer and three people appeared out of nowhere, almost as if they were invisible. Zooming in, Lily took in the figures of James, Sirius, and Peter standing as close as they could to the Whomping Willow, a young tree that was planted the same year she arrived at Hogwarts. James was holding a large piece of fabric that was what had hidden them. A cloak of invisibility. So that's how they snuck around the castle so well, Lily concluded. But right now, Lily had bigger things to worry about.
Sirius was the first person she saw transform. It was amazing to see Sirius, a handsome, shaggy haired boy go from standing on two feet to standing on four. She watched as limbs and body transformed into an adorable, shaggy haired black dog.
Lily grinned as she watched him chase his own tail. Even in a moment like this, Lily knew it would be impossible for Sirius to be serious.
Next up was Peter. Lily watched as James encouraged Peter to transform, but the boy shook his head in worry. James was patient, however, and slowly but surely Peter began to shrink smaller and smaller in size. He grew whiskers and a long tail and became a measly rat.
Finally, it was James's turn, and the person Lily was looking forward to seeing the most…because deer were her favorite animal, of course. No other reason.
In Lily's eyes, James's transformation felt different from the other two. His transformation was beautiful. She watched as James grew antlers and his body elongated and grew in size. He had golden and soft fur, which Lily couldn't help but compare to the boy's natural jet black hair. He was tall and majestic and Lily felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him.
Wow.
Even as a stag, it still looked like James. The deer had his hazel brown eyes and Lily could see every facial expression in his stag form as she would in his human form. Maybe she knew him better than she thought.
But the moment passed quickly as she watched Peter, still in his rat form, scamper towards the Whomping Willow and into the base. Suddenly, the whole tree stood still and Lily was in shock as she watched an entrance emerge from the tree.
That was why the Whomping Willow was planted, Lily discovered. It was for Remus.
Lily had wondered where they usually kept him on nights like these, but today she had her answer. But now, they were going to set Remus free. She kept her watchful gaze on them as the three of them peered cautiously into the opening of the tree until all at once the three of them jumped back in shock. Lily was much too far away to hear any noise, but she saw Remus walk out of the tree and she saw him for the first time as a werewolf.
Lily saw the scars on his back and his drooling, snarling mouth. His vicious teeth and clawed fingers. His own bite marks on his body and his yellow eyes. This was not the Remus she knew.
Fear gripped her heart once more as the three Animagi surrounded the lone wolf.
The werewolf studied the three of them closely, not recognizing the three new animals. Snarling and growling, the werewolf jumped forward to try and break free. The rat ran away as quickly as possible, but the stag and the dog stood their ground, facing the wolf head on.
The stag slowly moved towards the wolf and allowed him to smell him.
It's me, James, the stag tried to say.
The wolf smelled the friendly stag for a moment, but then retreated, his back against the willow tree.
This time, the dog came forward and wagged his tail.
Now the wolf was angry at these intruders. With a new sense of confidence, the emaciated werewolf pounced forward and clawed at the stag drawing blood from the giant ungulate.
Lily clasped her hand to her mouth in shock and worry as she saw James cry out in pain. Werewolves hurt humans. Werewolves weren't supposed to hurt other animals.
But this werewolf had been hurting for a while, all alone in the tunnel, and he was not used to interactions with anyone or anything.
The stag moved weakly, trying to steady itself. While werewolf scratches and bites meant that the receiver would become a werewolf themselves, Lily did her research and knew that if an Animagus was bit in their animal form, they wouldn't become a werewolf. It would still hurt as hell, but that would be the extent of the scratch.
The dog head-butted the wolf and ran away. The wolf looked at the dog in confusion and chased after him, wondering what he was up to. The dog ran in zigzags through the forest until even Lily lost track of where he went. When Lily finally caught up to the two of them, they were having a stare down. That is, until the dog tilted his head to the side and stuck his tongue out, panting wildly. The werewolf repeated the action, tilting his head to the side and sticking his tongue out.
Accepting the offer of friendship at last, the werewolf ran towards the dog and head-butted him once more in a friendly way. However, the push had more strength than both animals had anticipated and the dog fell into the nearest tree with a resounding crash. Whimpering, the dog tried to lift his head up, but fell limp against the broken pieces of the tree.
That was when the stag decided to rejoin the situation and tried to distract the werewolf. The red scar on the stag looked deep, but it did not seem to bother him much. He had bigger things to worry about. While the dog worked up the strength to get up, the stag continued the game of chase with the werewolf.
Not really understanding the power the wolf had, the werewolf's rough play left the dog and stag battered and bruised as they each took turns entertaining the creature.
Lily spent the whole night watching the three of them play with each other. Some moments she smiled in pride, other moments she clutched the telescope tight with worry something was going to go wrong and that the werewolf would hurt them beyond repair.
As the sunrise began to barely show its face, it was time for Remus to begin his transformation back. The transformation back to a human was as painful as it was to become a werewolf, but even more so as the bones cracked into place and one could hear the very human cries of someone being put back together. Worn out and damaged themselves, the dog and the stag waited for the rat to press the button for the Whomping Willow to stop, and still in animal form, James and Sirius slowly and cautiously guided a pained and transforming Remus back into the tunnel for Madam Pomfrey to find and take care of.
Lily released a breath of relief she hadn't realized she was holding in as soon as Remus was safe inside. Their first time out went better than expected and Lily was there to witness it all. And she was damn proud of her boys.
The stag, dog, and rat looked at each other and nodded in confirmation. With great strength, the three closed their eyes and transformed back into their human selves until it was James, Sirius, and Peter in their place.
All of them, especially Sirius and James, looked worse for wear. But they smiled through bruised bones and bloody shirts. If Lily was closer, she would have noticed they were tearing up in happiness. They had succeeded. Everything was going to be okay.
In that moment of absolute euphoria, the three grew closer and embraced each other. Gripping each other tightly, not saying a word. They stayed like that, heads bent into each other's' shoulders. Safe and secure.
Lily stopped looking through the telescope and ducked her head, not wanting to intrude on such an intimate moment between brothers.
She walked down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower and back to her dormitory to wait for the Marauders to return. She wanted to make sure they got to their beds safely and didn't get into any trouble from the forest to the common room. She did not understand why she felt so overprotective over them, but she didn't want to overthink it.
After a couple of minutes, Lily heard some shuffling outside the door and saw the three worn out boys enter through the entrance.
"Evans," James said in surprise as he looked at her, "What are you doing still up?"
She stood up from her seat and got a close-up look at their damaged bodies which looked so much worse up close.
Especially James, who had endured the brunt of the damage being the largest Animagus. He had a black eye and a limp. But the worst part was the three red lines that stained through his shirt. Three…claw marks that James had to bear on his skin forever.
Lily must have been staring for a while without answering his question because James tried to explain his injuries, "So, these," he gestured to his body, "are…uh, from Quidditch. I…uh, fell off my broom. And so did…so did Sirius and Peter."
It was at that moment that Sirius closed his eyes in disappointment at James's lying abilities, "Yeah, that…that was totally what happened," he reluctantly agreed.
Lily nodded in agreement with their lie, "Okay."
Sirius raised his eyebrows, "You believe that?"
She swallowed nervously, "Quidditch is a dangerous sport. You would have to be very brave to do it. I…I'm just glad you're okay and you're safe."
Without thinking, finally reassured that James was okay, Lily walked forward and gently wrapped her arms around the boy and hugged him close. She could feel his heart racing in his chest, but Lily figured that was a post-adrenaline rush from the night. James didn't move a single bit at the beginning, staying still as a statue, as if he moving even a smidge would make the hug not real anymore, but as relief of being alive filled him, his joints worked in sync and he wrapped his arms around her as well and held her close.
"What, so Prongsy gets a hug and we don't?" Sirius teased.
Lily backed up from the hug quickly and collected her senses, "Oh…um, sure."
She awkwardly embraced Sirius and Peter one by one and gave them a quick squeeze. Sirius patted her back and tried to maintain distance from her in the hug as if to not anger James, who was still in too much shock from the hug to notice anything. Peter stood still, his arms at his side and his eyes wide open in shock of being touched by a girl.
"You know," Sirius raised his eyebrows, "I was joking, but thanks, I guess."
Sirius looked around awkwardly, "We should probably head to bed now. James?"
James still stood there in shock with Lily looking at him in worry.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Let's go, Peter."
The two of them walked to their rooms leaving James and Lily alone in the common room.
James said his first words after the hug, "I…I got blood on you."
Lily looked down at her t-shirt and sure enough there were streaks of blood splotching the fabric.
"Don't worry about it," she assured him, "It'll wash out. You are the one I should be worried about. You look worse than Peter and Sirius combined."
"Yeah, when I fell off my broom…I landed on some… Quidditch... poles. They were very pointy."
Lily pursed her lips. This boy really needed to work on his lying abilities. What kind of poles left three deep raggedy wounds on someone's chest? Maybe poles that were claws and transformed every full moon.
"You can't just brush this off," Lily chastised the boy, "You need to see Madam Pomfrey."
"No!" James exclaimed.
Lily looked at him in surprise at his sudden outburst so James tried to come up with an excuse, "It's just that…we weren't supposed to be out this late playing…Quidditch so I don't want Pomfrey to get suspicious of me being injured on the same day as…um, nothing."
"Oh, right." Lily said. She realized that if Madam Pomfrey saw James as injured as he was on Remus's full moon, she would know something was up and tell Dumbledore about it. "Well, you still need to take care of your injuries. It could get infected and become much worse and then you would either have to visit Madam Pomfrey or die."
"Can I just die?" James muttered.
"You're still bleeding through your shirt," Lily noticed, "Let me just go to Pomfrey and get some bandages and then we can deal with your scratches."
James looked at her wearily, "I might have a better idea. Follow me."
"Wait," she said as she ran, two steps at a time, up the stairs to her room. Making sure not to wake her roommates, Lily grabbed her most worn out and ratty t-shirt and went back downstairs to meet James who had not moved an inch.
Rolling up the fabric, she pressed it firmly against James's stomach to stanch the bleeding, "Hold it there. Now let's go."
As he led her out of the common room, he kept glancing back at her to make sure she wouldn't disappear.
When they reached the stairs, James was fine for the first couple of flights, but after that, he began to breathe heavily, leaning against the handrail, his face looking paler and paler by the second.
Lily took one of his arms and hung it on her shoulder, "Let me help you."
And together, they both walked up the last flight and onto a new floor.
"We made it," Lily said as she looked at James and smiled.
James looked star-struck that Lily was being so nice to him, "I must look like shit," he said as he walked in a straight line with Lily still holding onto him.
Lily was confused, "Why do you say that?"
"You haven't yelled at me once," he chuckled softly as he turned and walked back on the same line.
"You always look like shit. I'm just saving the yelling until you're at your fullest shit potential."
"Ah, makes sense." Again, James turned and walked in a line.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked as she and James kept walking in the same spot.
"Just walk with me one more time." James urged.
"Fine."
After the third time they walked in the same spot, a door opened. Lily looked at it in complete astonishment.
"What the—"
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement," James said proudly.
"The Room of Requirement?" she asked.
"Go inside," James encouraged.
Lily was even more taken aback as she walked in the room and was welcomed by an exact replica of the infirmary at Hogwarts. But this one was completely empty.
The room had all the medicine and the equipment, but no people.
"Where are we? What is this?"
"Wherever we want to be," James explained, "We just have to walk past this place three times and wish for something and it just happens. It's been very useful for our pranks."
Lily spun around as she took in the room little by little, "Wow."
"I know," he said as he gingerly took a seat on one of the chairs, "It's pretty amazing and we just happened upon it by accident, crazy as that sounds."
"So I could make this room into anything I wanted? I could make it into an amusement park?"
"I guess. Anything except food. Trust me, we've tried that."
"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," she mumbled to herself.
James grunted in agreement, which then turned into a grunt of pain.
"Merlin! I am so sorry I forgot about that!" Lily chastised herself as she rushed to look over James's injuries.
She delicately leaned over and touched one of the three bloody lines that marred James's chest, "I don't think you need stitches. Right?"
James hissed and flinched away from her touch, "How am I supposed to know?"
"Get on the bed," Lily commanded as she pointed to one of the infirmary cots.
James begrudgingly rose from his seat and climbed up on the nearest bed, "You know, I always imagined you saying that to me. Just in a different context."
"I never imagined I would ever have to say that to you. In any context," Lily shot back as she rummaged through the drawers to find something that would help clean and take care of James's wound.
Finding what she needed, she grabbed it, turned around and said to James, "Take off your shirt and if you make another joke those scratches you got from 'falling off a broom and landing on poles' are gonna be the least of your worries."
"Yes, ma'am," James agreed, as he cautiously pulled off his blood and sweat drenched shirt.
Lily threw a quick glance down at his body and unconsciously bit her lower lips.
"Are you checking me out, Evans," James teased, but with less energy than usual as he lay his head down on the elevated cot.
Lily blushed and shook her head, "Checking out your injuries, if that's what you mean."
As she approached closer, James held out his hand to stop her from performing any operations and lifted his head up to look at her, "Do you know what you're doing? Two seconds ago you asked me if you thought I needed stitches."
"I'm sorry," Lily put her hands on her hips and stared James down, "Do you want me to go get Madam Pomfrey?"
James put his head back down and stared at the ceiling, "Carry on."
"That's what I thought," Lily harrumphed, "And if you must know. My mom is a nurse, so she made sure I knew how to take care of basic injuries and medical situations, so I think I can properly disinfect and dress a wound. Sound good?"
"Sounds splendid," James replied, still staring up at the ceiling.
"How much does it hurt right now?" Lily asked.
"It doesn't feel great, I can tell you that," James sassed.
"James," Lily said sincerely.
He sighed, "It hurts a lot."
"You don't have to hide your pain around me, James."
When she said that, James let his façade fall and it was like he became a totally different person.
He closed his eyes and his breath hitched in his throat, "It feels like it's slowly burning me up from the inside."
Lily looked at him in concern and wondered if maybe that was because it was from a werewolf. It shouldn't have affected him so much since he was a stag when it happened and the wound on the stag did not seem so deep because he jumped out of the way quickly before the claws could go deeper. The pain was most likely because it was from a werewolf and werewolf scratches tended to be more agonizing than a normal injury.
"Let's just start with a disinfectant, alright?"
James swallowed roughly and nodded, his eyes still squeezed shut. Lily noticed the shirt she had given him to stem the bleeding was still clutched tightly in his hands. His fingers curled around the soft, blood drenched fibers of the shirt, gripping them like a life-line until his whole hand was pale white. His normally fluffy black hair stuck to his face from the sweat and his glasses leaned haphazardly on his face.
Lily took the glasses off and put them on the drawer next to him and without even thinking about it, she brushed some of the hair that was covering his eyes, back from his face.
James was in so much pain, he didn't seem to notice.
"I don't really know how magical medicine works, so I'm just gonna do it the muggle way, okay?"
When James didn't answer, she continued, "James, I need you to sit up for me, please."
With great patience, she helped guide James up to a sitting position on the bed. She gripped his shoulder with one hand and put a towel of water against his chest to clean the dirt and blood off. James's skin felt dangerously warm against her fingertips, but Lily figured if she could get the wound cleaned and bandaged, she could give him some medicine to sleep off the pain and he would be good as new the next day, albeit a little sore.
Soon, James's chest was as clean as it could get, save for the three long marks from Remus's scratch.
"This part is going to hurt a little, okay James? It's gonna be a tiny sting."
Without waiting for his response, Lily placed the cloth with the healing medicine at the top of his chest and dabbed it gently. James let out a loud yell and fell back against the bed, gritting his teeth.
"You said it was going to be a tiny sting," he said, his eyes squeezed shut and hands clutching the bedsheets. "This. Is. Not. A Tiny. Fucking. Sting."
"I know, I know James," Lily tried to comfort, "That was the first scratch. It's over now. Only two more to go."
"No, no, no." James shook his head, "I can't. I can't do this anymore. I'm done. I'm okay. I don't need this. I'm fine."
"James," Lily said, softly but firmly, "If we went to Madam Pomfrey, she would have put together some potion that you could have drank and you would have been fine and it would have been painless. But you decided to let me do this. So let me do this. Because if you don't and then I turn around and a day later you die, that's on me and no offense, I don't want to be responsible for your dumbass death. Got it?"
"Got it," James breathily replied.
Lily then brushed the damp hair out of James's eyes once more and set to work on the second scratch. James's yell seemed louder before and it sounded more like sobbing. Lily couldn't bear hearing him in that much pain and she resisted crying, herself, at the sound. Lily looked down at James and noticed a few tears had already escaped James's eyes and using her free hand, she brushed them away.
"We're almost done, James. I promise."
James simply whimpered in response.
When Lily began on the third one, there was a renewal of groans as James felt the new sting of the medicine against his torso.
Not able to handle him in pain and not wanting to hear the sounds of his wailing, Lily did something she never in a million years thought she would ever do.
Without thinking about it twice, Lily leaned in and captured James's mouth with her own.
Lily kissed James.
It was a brief kiss, but in that moment, it felt like lightning in a bottle finally being released. It was like electricity.
And it definitely shut James up.
She released James from her grip and took the cloth of his chest. Heart racing in her chest and butterflies soaring in her stomach, Lily let her gaze drop to the floor, embarrassed by James's star-struck gaze that would not leave her face.
"You're all cleaned up now," she said as a matter-of-factly. "I'm just gonna wrap this bandage around you and you're good to go."
James simply did not stop staring at her with great shock, his mouth hanging open the whole time Lily wrapped a soft cloth around his chest and fastened the end.
When she was finally done, Lily looked around the room until she found a closet of shirts. Exactly what she was looking for.
Pulling out a red shirt that fit James's size, she tossed it to the boy, "You can put a shirt on now. We're done."
But James still didn't move, clutching onto the shirt Lily had just given him.
Lily sighed as she sat at the edge of his bed, "Do you want to talk about the kiss?"
James sat straight up, "Yes please."
"Okay, what about it?"
"Why?" James asked.
"I wanted you to shut up. Your screams of pain were making my ears bleed."
"Was that your first kiss?" James asked softly.
Lily bit her lower lip as she studied the floor pattern.
"Yes," she answered, her gaze lifting up to meet his doe-eyed look.
"Oh," was his only response.
"Was…was that your first kiss?" Lily asked nervously.
"Yes," he replied.
"Oh."
"Did you—" James said at the same time Lily came with a, "So, I—"
"You go first," they both said at the same time, and then they both laughed as they grew past the awkward moments. They were both on the same boat, sharing their first kiss together.
"I didn't meant to kiss you and I'm sorry if I surprised you. I just wanted to take your mind off the, you know," she gestured to his upper body which he still had not covered with the red shirt.
"Mission accomplished. I haven't thought about it once after that," James commented, "You don't have to apologize."
"No," Lily shook her head, "I don't want you to get the wrong idea or anything. I just…I don't want to…I don't want anyone to—"
"You don't want me to tell anyone about this. You don't want us to be together in public. You want this to have never happened." James concluded dejectedly.
"No! I…uh, yes," Lily settled, "It's not that it was a bad kiss or anything or that I'm embarrassed or—"
"But you are, aren't you?" James asked.
"I just don't want to deal with boyfriends or drama or anything."
"Why would there be drama if we went out?"
"Some of my friends don't really like you and—"
"You mean Snivellus?" James said with great disdain.
"I mean Severus and that is exactly what I'm talking about!"
"What? You can't possibly be telling me that if Snape liked me you would date me in a heartbeat!"
"Maybe I would!" Lily shot back, surprised by her own words as soon as they left her mouth, "I just mean…you're a great guy. You're athletic, you're funny, you—oh, stop looking at me like that—All I'm saying is that, any girl would be lucky to have a guy like you, but I'm just not the girl for you."
"Why not?"
"We just had this discussion!"
"But you just said I was the best kiss of your life! That I was a phenomenal kisser! That I just blew your whole world!"
"I said no such thing, James Potter!" Lily laughed, "You are my only kiss!"
"So I guess that does make me the best kiss of your life, doesn't it?" James smirked.
"It also makes you the worst kiss of my life," Lily teased back.
"Touché, Evans. Touché."
"Although," Lily pursed her lips, "I suppose…as first kisses go, it wasn't that bad. I mean, it could have been much worse."
"Very true," James agreed, "And I have heard that second kisses tend to be much better than the first. Shall we give that a go?"
"I think that might be best. Just to test what people have said, of course," Lily replied.
"Of course," James nodded, "So should I…"
He leaned forward to meet Lily's and Lily also leaned forward the same way until they bumped noses instead of lips.
They both chuckled at the mishap and tried to collect their bearings, whilst their faces shone a bright red hue.
They tried again and once again they both leaned in the same direction and bumped noses.
"Okay, you go left. My left," Lily instructed, "And I go right."
"Third time's a charm," James joked.
"Here's to hoping," Lily answered and they both leaned in.
Whoever said second time would be much better…was definitely right.
No longer in any pain or rush or panic, the two of them felt in tune with each other and free to deepen the kiss.
Lily leaned closer to James on the bed and James used one of his hands to timidly cup her face.
Lily pulled back once more, leaving James to the open air.
"After tonight," Lily said breathlessly, knowing her face must be looking as red as her hair, "This never happened."
"Whatever you want, Evans." James was equally as breathless.
"Now put your shirt on and let's go," Lily stood up to leave.
"Hold on a second. You said after tonight. Tonight's not over yet."
"It's past sunrise."
"And people are still sleeping," James reasoned, "Come on, Evans. It's just tonight. And today's the weekend, we can sleep in as long as we want."
"I'm not kissing you again," Lily stated.
"No kissing," James agreed, "unless you want to."
"I don't."
"Then no kissing," James nodded affirmatively.
"Fine," Lily sat back down, "But put your shirt on, it's getting weird."
"Can't handle all this manliness?"
"You mean your skinny arms and hairless chest? Oo, I just can't get enough."
James huffed as he tried to lift the shirt above his head.
"Need help, manly man?" Lily quipped.
"Maybe," James replied.
Together, the two of them managed to pull the shirt over his head without letting it touch his bandaged wounds.
Lily looked at his damaged, but healing, body and remembered the sacrifice and work he had put in to getting it. Into helping his friend.
"Are you going to do it again?" Lily asked him as the both comfortably settled down, James on the bed and Lily on a chair.
"Do what?"
"Play…Quidditch with your friends again. Get scratched up and beaten again."
Lily said that knowing damn well she wasn't really talking about Quidditch.
James thought about it deeply, "If playing…Quidditch was good for something or helped someone, especially someone I cared about, then I would do it again in a heartbeat. Without a doubt." Then he shook his head, "I'm sorry, that made no sense. I know Quidditch doesn't really help anyone—"
"No, I get it. Don't worry," Lily assured him. "I think that's very brave of you."
James threw her a shy smile, "Thanks, Evans."
"I'll see you at your next game, Potter."
"What about you?" James asked.
"What about me?"
"Is there anything you would be willing to get beat up and scarred for?"
"My parents probably. I don't know. Right now, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head I would sacrifice myself for. People are pretty shit."
James laughed quietly, "That was…honest."
"I'm serious! And I swear to Merlin if you make a Sirius joke I will end you. But, do you ever feel like everything is against you and you're all alone?" Lily asked and then shook her head, "Of course you wouldn't. You're James Potter with the three best friends in the world."
"I used to be friends with a lot of the Slytherins in this school," James said.
"What?"
"We were all friends once. Before coming to Hogwarts. Our parents all knew each other and we would always be stuck together and eventually we became friends."
"What happened?"
"Voldemort. Sorting hats. I don't know. I see them as my enemy now, but sometimes I just remember when we were nine years old and running around and playing with colored bubbles our parents used to blow for us to keep us entertained," James smiled bitterly, "As a first year, sometimes I did feel alone when I saw the Slytherins who I couldn't call friends anymore because I had already branded them as evil in my mind. All they cared about was blood status. If I just…and now, it's too late. Now some of them have graduated and already joined Voldemort's ranks and others are on the path to becoming so."
"Huh, maybe you do understand," Lily said.
"You're not alone, Evans. You don't have to be," James stared at her with intensity, "If someone is dragging you down, you don't have to go down with him. You don't have to be with him."
They both knew who him was.
"Severus is my friend and if he's going down a dark path, I can bring him out of it."
"You're a Muggle-born, Evans. You are everything the Death Eaters hate and if Sniv—Severus is even thinking about siding with them, he's not your friend."
"Who are you to tell me who my friends are and aren't? You don't even know Severus's whole story! You can't judge him!"
"I can't judge him? I don't need to know his whole life story to know who he is and who he will become. He spent his whole childhood with you and now he's caught up with future Death Eaters practicing dark magic and—"
"He's what?" Lily asked in quiet shock.
"You don't know? Sirius saw them when he was trying to pull Regulus from their crowd," James looked expressionless as he continued on, "Apparently he's the best of them all at the spells. He's even made his own."
"But Sev wouldn't," Lily's mouth was agape, "He wouldn't. He promised me—"
"I'm sorry." And he truly did sound sorry for breaking Lily's heart into a thousand pieces.
"I just thought he was hanging around them. He said he would never do what they would do. Become what they are."
James was silent as he watched her try to rationalize and sort out her thoughts, "Sev," Lily thought out-loud, "Sev wouldn't do that to me. He promised. He did. You," she looked at James, "You're lying to me. You want me to hate Severus and you're saying this to make me hate him. Don't lie to me!" Lily yelled at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'm not lying, I solemnly swe—"
"Yes, you are! I don't believe you. Severus is not a Death Eater and he's never done dark magic. I'm leaving."
"Wait!" James said as he caught Lily's wrist in his hand before she could leave, "You don't have to believe me, but I don't want you to be mad at me. Can we just pretend like this conversation never happened?"
"This conversation never happened," Lily said stoically, "This kiss never happened. Tonight never happened."
With that, she was out the door, taking the night with her.
When she was finally alone in her bed, she realized how exhausted she was, but how jittery she felt all the same. She had to tell someone. But she had no one.
She didn't feel close with any of the girls in her year. Except maybe Marlene McKinnon who she had made small talk with once in a while.
She definitely couldn't tell Severus, who would probably yell at her for fornicating with the enemy and sever their dying friendship, dangling on the edge of ruin, more than it already was.
Knowing the only person, or thing, that she could confide in was hiding under her bed, Lily reached down and pulled out her diary, sorry journal.
Dear Journal,
As much as I don't want to admit the night happened, the night did happen.
What night you might ask? The night I bloody kissed James effing Potter!
I kissed him.
I. Kissed. Him.
I did that! Who does that? I effing did that!
It was my first kiss, as you already know, and on all accounts, it was actually not that that bad. Still crazy cause it is James bloody Potter! But still…
I've heard many tales in my rumor mill of a dormitory of girls recounting their first kisses. How sloppy it had been…how awkward and strange…how uncomfortable.
My kiss didn't really feel like that. In the beginning, I guess the two of us had to find our bearings and know which way our heads should turn, but once we got the hang of it, I felt like our mouths were meant to fit together, as weird as that sounds.
But in the end, we argued (as usual) and we were stubborn (as usual) and he got on my last damn nerve (as damn usual) and I retaliated and…it all boiled down to Severus.
Deep down, I know I should have at least listened to what James had to say about Severus practicing dark magic, but I just can't stop thinking about who the two of them are to me. Who they have always been and always will be.
Severus is my best friend and we might be going through a rough patch right now, but I know we'll make it through. I can trust Severus.
James on the other hand…not so much. James is a trickster. A prankster. A no good hooligan.
James would do anything to get me to love him and go out with him. Even lie about Severus, who he already hated in the first place.
So I believe I am justified in my stance against James. Even if he is a loyal friend who became an Animagi to help Remus. That doesn't mean he still isn't a trickster, prankster, no good hooligan.
Okay, as I'm rereading what I've written, I've realized that I've been calling James, "James" a lot instead of "Potter", which is on me. My bad.
I really need to get back into the swing of things and start despising him again.
The kiss was an accident that I can never speak of again. A wonderful and surprisingly pleasant accident, but accident all the same.
My lips are sealed and so are you…till the next little bit of drama in my life, of course.
But until then, goodbye and good night!
By the time Lily had finished writing, it was already nearing midday and Lily had not slept the entire night. So, as the exhaustion settled upon her like a ton of bricks, she shut her book, shut her eyes, and conked out for a good number of hours till late into the evening.
Damn James effing Potter and his phenomenal kissing skills for making her stay up all night.
Author's Note: Okay, so a few changes. I know that the Marauders didn't become Animagi this early in their lives, but bear with me cause it works better in my fic.
Also, I did change the name of the fic! I had a couple of reasons, but the two biggest are cause...
1. I'm a sucker for puns
2. I didn't want people who just glanced at the title to think I was writing some fanatical hate essay about James Potter, who is probably my favorite character in the Harry Potter fandom.
To any new readers, this fic used to be called "Reasons Why I Hate James Potter" (which probably makes sense cause it's literally how I start every chapter).
To add to the changes, I also changed the rating from K+ to T, just cause the kids are growing up and there is gonna be some bad language words (anyone understand that reference?).
That's it for the changes! I hope you like this chapter (especially since Lily and James finally kissed...you're welcome!)
Love you guys!