A/N: Just a quick note that this chapter is a shade more serious and wanted to include a TW that there are suggestions/mentions of sexual assault/harassment. Nothing explicit but wanted to include this to give you the heads up.

The end of November saw an announcement from Dumbledore about a Christmas dance which would be a first for Hogwarts and the excitement was…overwhelming. Lyra had been made up when Jake asked her, and she found herself on the count down to the event. She had written home to ask her mum to send up a few dresses, hoping she had something suitable to wear for the event. She had checked in with James who just waved off her concern, telling her he would be fine on his own and had no intentions of asking anybody. Which was unusual but he said he still needed the headspace following Lily. As such she left it, realising he was being very mature and sensible about it and was very proud of him.

Before then, however, it was the Ravenclaw Hufflepuff match and talk once again turned to quidditch. Lyra left Jake to it when he was like this, often spending more time at the Ravenclaw table as even James was swept up in the hype. Lyra had planned to skip out, but Jake wanted her to go and, even though they'd be in different stands she thought it was nice he wanted her there and so she had wrapped up warm and headed up to the Ravenclaw stands with the girls. She really was thrilled by the expansion of her friendship circle, really enjoying having both Polly and Alice around. They were both different and similar and she found them both easy to get on with, enjoying their company. She still didn't feel as confident confiding in them, only really expressing any worries or concerns to Rosie. And there were some. She liked Jake, she really liked Jake, but recently he'd started getting a bit more…handsy. She didn't mind him putting his hand up her shirt…as long as it stayed on her back. But then he had tried moving it round her, his other hand creeping up her skirt. Lyra had managed to slow things down but…Jake was a year older than her, and it was obvious he wanted their relationship to go in a certain direction. Lyra just wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. And definitely not in a bloody classroom or broom closet for God's sake. Anyway, she had told Rosie who had reassured her that it was okay to not feel ready and to just tell Jake, sure he would understand. And he had, or at least, he said he had and since then he'd been on his best behaviour. Lyra only hoped it would stay that way and he would be happy with it, not sure if he would still want to go out with her if she wasn't giving him what he wanted. She tried not to dwell on it, hoping that the party tonight would be good and things with her and Jake would be okay.

James had done his best to not constantly look at Lyra, but he found it difficult when she looked so dam hot. Honestly, even when she was stood with Jake he looked, Lyra catching his eye a couple of times and giving him a beaming smile. She'd stood and chatted to him for a bit but then Jake had wanted her to team up with him for a game and James had waved her away, insisting she go as he was going to hang out with the guys anyway. He found Remus and Peter, Sirius, naturally, was too busy flirting and although he liked hanging out with his best friends, he found his attention constantly drifting to Lyra. The way she smiled, the sound of her laughter made him smile, made him happy. The way she would tilt her head slightly to the right when she found something interesting made him want to be with her, hear what it was she was engaged in. He was so fucking envious of Richardson who got to stand with his arm around Lyra's waist, or whisper in her ear and make her blush. He wanted to be that guy. But he couldn't be. Lyra viewed him as her best friend with no romantic feelings at all. And he shouldn't have these feelings. And fuck didn't his heart sink when he saw her sneak out with Richardson, both of them smiling.

"What's up?" evidently he'd been obvious with his feelings, Remus frowning at him as he quickly shook his head and downed his drink.

"Nothing, I'm good" he said quickly, doing his best not to think about what Lyra was doing right now.

"Sure? Is it Lily?" Remus asked, nodding to a point close to where Richardson and Lyra had just left. He saw her talking to Will Matterson, Hufflepuff seventh year, noticed how she kept looking over at him and quickly looked away. He didn't want her thinking he minded because he really didn't.

"She's obviously doing it to get your attention" Peter told him, James just shrugging.

"She's single, she's entitled to flirt with whoever she wants" James said simply, sincerely. "I'm guna get a refill. I'll be back in a moment" and he quickly left, needing a moment to compose himself so nobody would guess anything was wrong.

James clocked the exact moment Richardson came back…on his own. The guy was frowning, running a hand through his hair. James kept expecting Lyra to appear behind him, but she didn't, putting him on edge. He watched as Richardson poured himself a series of shots and did them one after another which propelled him into action. He found Rosie with Polly and Alice, all three laughing at something.

"Hey, Lyra not with you?" he asked, trying to keep himself calm; he was sure everything was okay.

"No, she went to make out with Jake" Rosie told him with a grin but James shook his head.

"Richardson's over there" he said, seeing her grin falter as she looked in the direction he was pointing. He saw how Richardson looked deep in conversation with Mike Adams, both of them frowning.

"Oh, then I expect she's around here somewhere" Rosie said, but he heard the doubt creep into her voice too. James shook his head,

"She's not here" Rosie looked suddenly alert and James knew something was wrong. "Has she said anything to you?" the hesitation was enough to make him realise she had; something wasn't right. But he didn't know why she'd not said anything to him.

"I…I'll go check the dormitory" Rosie ignored his question and quickly moved away. Cursing under his breath he too left, wondering if he might find her somewhere close by. He searched every classroom but found no sign of her, his worry beginning to surge. On a hunch, he made his way to their usual spot, opening the door and hearing a sniffing sound, as though…his heart lurched, as though somebody were crying.

"Ly?" he asked, shutting the door. All movement ceased for a moment, but he heard another sniff a second or two later.

"James?" her voice was hoarse, and he moved quickly finding her sat in her usual spot, knees drawn up, eyes red from crying.

"Ly what's wrong?" he asked, trying to appear calmer than he felt. He saw a few tears leak out as he sat, putting an arm around her. Lyra promptly dissolved into tears, and he moved them so he could hug her properly, gently stroking her head. "Tell me what's wrong" he needed to know, like he'd never needed anything before. Lyra sniffed and moved back, wiping her eyes. James kept one arm around her and waited for her, giving her a moment.

"Jake" she started, enough to ignite the fire of anger in him. "We…we left the party to, you know, make out" she sniffed, wiping her eyes still. "And well, it was fine until he started" she stopped, and he had this horrible feeling he knew where this was going. Lyra took a deep breath, averting her eyes from him and he knew she felt embarrassed, which only made him angrier. "He started trying to push for more than just kissing" James felt frozen, almost not daring to even breathe. "And so, I stopped him telling him…telling him I wasn't ready but he…he carried on" she whispered. The anger in him was building so much that he could almost hear the blood pumping in his ears.

"Lyra did he hurt you?" he was surprised at how calm his voice came out as Lyra shook her head, the only thing to give him any relief.

"But that's only because…because" she had to take a breath, her voice wobbling and now she looked at him and…fuck, she looked scared. "James, I had to use magic to get him off me" the tears slid down her face as a rage James had never known threatened to take over his entire body. But right now, Lyra was scared and crying, and he would have to temper everything else for the moment. He gently pulled her to him, holding her tightly against himself. She was shaking and he didn't know whether it was because of what happened, or she was cold, but he rubbed her back gently.

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe Ly and I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" he murmured to her, kissing the top of her head as he gently soothed her. It took a while but eventually he felt her tears subside and he gently let her go, quickly taking off his jumper and helping her put it on, wanting her to be warm.

"What he did wasn't okay Lyra, I need you to know that" he said, Lyra giving him a wobbly smile. "I mean it. If you didn't want anything to happen then that's okay and he should have respected that instead of" he couldn't finish that sentence, feeling his hands shake from the anger. Another few tears slipped out and so he reached over to wipe them away. "He doesn't deserve you" James said, Lyra saying nothing. He knew she was devastated and hated that she should even feel slightly embarrassed by what happened. Was furious, in fact, at Richardson for daring to put his hands on her. "Look, I think we need to get you back to your dorm. You're cold and you need your bed. Besides, Rosie's worried" he added, Lyra nodding. James got up and quickly helped Lyra up, pulling her in for another hug, holding her tightly.

"I'm right here for you Ly, always will be" James told her, feeling her nuzzle into him.

"I know" she whispered as he kissed her head again, only wanting to keep her safe. They stayed like that for a while until he felt her shiver again and quickly stepped back, taking her hand, and leading her out. She was shaking, James hoping Rosie would know she might be in shock and keep a close eye on her tonight. They said nothing as he walked her back to Ravenclaw, giving her a hug before leaving her.

"Promise me you'll come down for breakfast so I can see you tomorrow" he insisted. Lyra crossed her heart, giving him a wobbly smile, which reassured him before she went up, James waiting until he heard the door shut before he headed back to the party. He had some shit to deal with.

It had been a long night and Lyra was thankful she had Rosie who had insisted on sleeping in bed with her to make sure she was okay. It had helped her, and she woke up the next morning feeling heartbroken but at least not crying which was something. She hadn't wanted to come down to breakfast but she had promised James and knew he wouldn't rest until he saw her and so she realised she would have to brave it. For the first time this term Lyra had left her hair, pulled on some tracksuit and one of James's jumpers before heading down, the girls all making various threatening remarks about Jake which had almost made her cry but kind of reassured her. The fact that he could do that, the memory of his hands drifting up her skirt…it made her want to cry, made her feel embarrassed, despite James and the girls telling her not to be embarrassed. That the fault was entirely Jake's and nothing to do with her. Lyra wasn't sure she could believe them just yet, but they refused to hear any other argument and so instead she allowed the girls to chivvy her down to breakfast. Unsurprisingly, James wasn't there yet as she hunched down at the Ravenclaw table, hoping nobody else knew about her and Jake yet. How she'd yelled at him that they were over through her tears before she fled to one of the few places she felt safe in Hogwarts. Where she knew James would find her. Apparently just thinking about him was enough to summon him and the sight of him…her eyes widened as she took him in. He was…he was battered. He had a black eye, what looked like a split lip and his cheek was bruising. He also looked like he was limping.

"James! What the hell!" it came out strangled as he and the rest of the Marauders joined them at the Ravenclaw table. His appearance had caused a stir, people whispering and gossiping already.

"How you doing today Ly? Are you okay? Did you manage to sleep?" he asked her, looking at her in the same way as she was looking at him.

"Me?! I'm…yes, I'm okay but James what the hell happened?" she exclaimed. James looked like he wasn't going to reply but she saw how Sirius nudged him.

"She's going to find out eventually. It'll be all over school within the hour" Remus murmured, Lyra feeling her heart thump.

"Oh shit" Rosie said beside her, gaining her attention. But Rosie was looking at James. "You had a fight with Jake" Lyra whipped back to James who sighed and nodded.

"Lyra if you thought I wasn't going to do anything after what happened then you're sorely mistaken" he got in there before she could.

"James I…you…" she didn't have the words, James still watching her.

"I mean it Ly. He can't get away with doing shit like that. Besides, these guys agree" she blushed at the idea that they knew what had happened, what Jake had done. James reached for her hand across the table, forcing her to look at him. "Don't you dare let him make you feel embarrassed Lyra. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?" his voice was firm but she just shrugged, determined not to cry right now.

"You shouldn't have fought" she murmured, James squeezing her hand.

"Well, I did try talking to him about it but turns out I wasn't very calm" he said simply.

"Serious understatement" Sirius murmured as a commotion by the door made her look over…to where Jake was entering, looking just as bad as James.

"Well shit, you managed to get a few good hits in" Alice remarked, so casual. "I think he looks worse than you, good job Potter" she said with a grin, making Sirius and Peter laugh.

"Yeah, considering the guy's a beater you did well" Rosie said, again, so casual as James let go of her hand and simply shrugged. He was about to pour himself a tea when a shadow fell over them and they looked up to find Professor McGonagall looming over them.

"Oh shit" they heard Sirius mutter.

"Potter. My office. Now" she barked at him. He scrunched his face but nodded as he got up, McGonagall sweeping over to the Gryffindor table where they saw her speak to Jake.

"Meet me in an hour" James told Lyra who just nodded, watching her best friend anxiously as he left the Hall.

"Don't worry Ly, he won't get in trouble" Remus sounded confident but she said nothing as she quickly averted her eyes from the entrance, not wanting Jake to see her watching and instead focused on her breakfast, hoping James would be okay.

James sat and waited for Lyra in their usual meeting spot, nobody much using this corridor, so he didn't have to worry about being found. The summoning to McGonagall's office had been predictable but for once, she couldn't pin anything on him. Although James had definitely thrown the first punch, Richardson couldn't say anything as it would mean McGonagall would then ask James what they were fighting about, and Richardson wouldn't want McGonagall knowing. As such they both played dumb, claiming to have fallen over. Naturally, McGonagall wasn't having it and put them both in detention for a whole week. It sucked, but better than being potentially suspended as his parents would hit the roof. The one truly terrible thing to come out of it was Richardson telling James he was off the team. As captain, he had the final say and James couldn't argue. Richardson had said he wouldn't say anything until next term as otherwise McGonagall would question it, but he told James in no uncertain terms that he wasn't welcome at practise. James had stormed off, wanting very much to hit him all over again but his knuckles were already hurting and so decided against it. Besides, it was but a matter of time until Richardson came crawling back as they both knew he was the best seeker he had.

The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts as the door cracked and Lyra peered in. She gave him a small smile when she saw him before coming in properly, James realising she had a bag with her and had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"Hi" he greeted her, wanting to hug her again, to know she was safe but just about tempered it.

"Hey, how'd it go with McGonagall?" she asked straight away, coming to stand opposite him, her eyes scanning his injuries making him realise he was right with what she was going to do.

"Just got detention for a week" Lyra seemed surprised so he shrugged as she put her bag next to him and got some of her muggle medicines out. "Ly you don't-"

"I'm going to. Don't argue" she said simply and so he stopped, resisting the urge to smile.

"Just so you know, Pomfrey's checked me. No serious damage" he felt she should know, and she gave him a small nod. "You're way too prepared" he remarked as she got out an ice pack, holding it to his lip before pulling his hand up to hold it. Merlin that felt insanely good, the cold soothing his throbbing mouth.

"I know. I knew McGonagall would never let Madam Pomfrey heal you. Hence the muggle way" she told him simply. James lapsed into silence as he watched her, dabbing some cream around his eye, tutting at his knuckles and getting another ice pack out for him. "You look like you could split them. I'll bandage them for you" she told him, James just nodding, knew there would be no arguing with her. He couldn't help but let out a hiss of pain, moving the ice pack from his mouth to his cheek. "That's what you get for fighting" she said simply, James chuckling at this. He loved watching her when she was focused like this, a tiny frown appearing on her face, eyes narrowed and sometimes she would scrunch her nose when she was really focused. Like she was now on bandaging him without too much pain.

"There, let me see your face" she stepped closer to him, James only now coming to terms with the fact she was stood between his legs. "Did you speak to…him at all?" her voice caught in a way which had him moving a hand to her waist, wanting to reassure her.

"Sure. Kicked me off the team" he said, Lyra pausing and looking horrified at this.

"What?! Surely he can't do that!" she exclaimed, but James sighed.

"Of course he can Ly. He's the captain. But it's alright" she looked totally unconvinced by this. "It is. Richardson knows I'm the best seeker he has. Thorpes is crap, honestly, she's a lovely person but she's a shit seeker and he knows it. When they lose to Ravenclaw, which they will because your team is on form, he'll come crawling back" he would have to convince himself of this, hope it would work out to be true. Lyra looked upset, eyes shining in a way which was so rare for her; he barely saw her this kind of upset.

"Lyra it will be fine. Honestly" he told her, gently moving his arm further around her waist as she let him pull her to him. She buried her head into his neck, James leaning his head against hers as he gently stroked her back.

"You shouldn't have fought" she mumbled, her breath tickling his neck in a move which had him unconsciously tightening his grip on her.

"He deserved the beating for ever thinking he could lay a hand on you" he told her, hearing her give a small sniff as he hoped she wasn't crying. "But you know what?" he asked, wanting to make her smile and forget about the tosser that was her ex. "I've missed seeing you look like this you know" at this she moved off him, James keeping his arm around her though and seeing a few tears still escaping. He gently wiped them away for her, Lyra giving him a wobbly smile.

"What do you mean?" she asked, clearing her throat a little.

"You know, like you" he gestured to her outfit, saw her frown deepen.

"A mess?" she asked, James's eyes widening as he realised his mistake.

"No, no not a mess!" he said hastily, seeing a small smile twitch on her face. "Hey stop being a wind up! I just mean I miss seeing you look…I don't know, comfortable? Yourself? Not that you haven't looked good because obviously you have" and to his very great surprise he could sworn she blushed at this, bringing a small smile to his face as she averted her eyes. "Plus, I quite like it when you wear my jumpers" he added, somewhat hesitantly but now she was definitely blushing as a small flame of hope leapt to life inside of him.

"Alright territorial Gryffindor. Let's not go all alpha male on things" she told him, gently pushing him and making him laugh but she was smiling now as she looked back up at him.

"Too late. Beat up your ex-boyfriend for you" he replied, Lyra sighing and shaking her head, smile slipping slightly as he realised it was probably a little too early to be joking about that.

"I…" she seemed hesitant, biting her lip in the way she did when she was nervous. "Does everyone know what…what happened?" she whispered, James instantly shaking his head.

"I only told the guys because they had to haul me off Jake. And it would make him look like a fucking tosser if anybody found out so I don't think anybody else will know Ly. It's fine, alright. And, like I said, you should no way feel embarrassed at what he's done. At all" he reassured her, Lyra looking shaky again and he had a feeling she didn't believe him. As such he pulled her in for a hug again and this time, they stayed like that for a while, James wanting nothing more than to protect her, keep her safe, and make her happy.