"Wait!" Lily Evans shrieked as she ran down platform 9 ¾, praying that she wasn't about to miss the train. She found a door and hurriedly leapt on, heaving her heavy trunk and her owl's cage with her.
"Running a bit late, were we?" an attendant asked with a toothy grin.
Lily scowled at him and tried to brush a lock of tangled hair from her face. "Just a bit," she snapped, turning away from the chuckling man to try and locate her friends.
She wandered the corridor, peering into various compartments in hopes of finding her friends or Connor, who she had been supposed to meet on the platform.
"Lily!" Marlene's voice called out. Lily looked up to see her friend standing outside a compartment halfway down the corridor, waving madly. "Lily, we're over here!"
With a sigh of relief the disheveled redhead made her way over to the compartment. Marlene helped her deposit her luggage on one of the shelves and waved her inside, where Sirius, Remus, Peter and Mary had already claimed their seats.
"We were all wondering where you were," Marlene said, sinking into the seat beside Sirius and leaning against his shoulder.
"I woke up late," Lily said simply, glaring at Sirius when he chuckled.
"Well, you're here now," Mary said, shooting a stern look in Sirius' direction. "Sit down, you look like you just ran all the way here."
"I nearly did," Lily grumbled, not moving from her stance in the doorway. "I have to go find Connor," she told her friends, trying hard to keep the note of resignation from her voice. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Connor, she really wanted to see him very much. But right now all Lily wanted to do was to sit down.
"I saw him down that way with Pilchak and their whole group," Mary said, pointing a finger in the direction from which Lily had come running just five minutes earlier. "He shouldn't be too hard to find."
"I hope not," Lily said. Her eyes drifted to Remus, who was leaning his head against the window, his face pale and drawn. With a rush of compassion, Lily realized that night was a full moon.
Poor Remus, she thought sadly.
She looked around the compartment again and furrowed her brow. "Where's everyone else?"
"Alice and Frank got their own compartment," Marlene said, making a face. "Something about alone time."
"And nobody is quite sure where Prongs is," Sirius chimed in, raising an eyebrow at Lily. "My guess is he was making sure nobody important missed the train."
"Right," Lily said vaguely, sincerely wishing at the moment she had never met Sirius Black and had never taken him to her sister's wedding nor confided in him about her wish to make up with James. "Well," the redhead said firmly, straightening up and combing her fingers through her hair. "I'm going to find Connor, I'll be back in a bit."
"Toodledoo," Sirius chirped, grinning as Lily rolled her eyes and shut the compartment door.
Lily retraced her steps down the corridor, peering about the compartments in search of Connor. She had made it about halfway down when the one person she had thought about more than any other that summer appeared before her.
James' face went pink and his hazel eyes quickly dropped to the ground when he saw her. He moved to the side so as to allow her to pass him.
Lily looked at him uncomfortably. Since her conversation with Sirius in the playground, when she had confessed that she wanted to be friends with James again, she had been quietly waiting and hoping for the moment she would see him and could apologize and ask him to be friends.
She had planned it out over and over, how she would apologize for having been so unfair, offer to forgive and forget his transgressions if he did the same for her. Anything, really, so long as he would talk to her again. She didn't want anything more than friendship, or so she told herself. All she wanted was to be able to talk and laugh with James with some semblance of the ease with which she had talked and laughed with him before.
That moment had come and she found herself momentarily mute, her tongue stumbling over itself as it fought to form words.
Do something, her mind hissed as James waited patiently for Lily to walk past him. His eyes were glued to the floor.
"Hello, Potter," Lily stammered, inwardly cursing herself.
Stupid, stupid, why the hell did you say that?
His eyes rose to her face, which was now boiling with embarrassment, and he gave her a small, unsure smile.
"Hi, Evans," he said, before dropping his gaze back to his shoes.
Face burning, Lily walked past him hurriedly. Maybe friendship was too much to hope for, if they couldn't even pass each other on the train without it being horribly uncomfortable.
"Er, Evans?" he called after her.
Lily stopped and turned around slowly, unreasonable hope rising in her chest.
James' eyes were trained on her face and he pulled a nervous hand through his hair. "I—I meant to say this when you were at my house…this summer," he said, ruffling his hair as he went so that it stuck out every which way. "But, er, I wanted to apologize for what happened that day after charms with Snape, when he called you—that name—and I said…well, you know—"
"I remember," Lily said quietly, her face now feeling as though it were on fire.
"Er, yeah, well," James stammered, looking uneasily at her. "I wanted to apologize for—embarrassing you. And for being the reason Snape called you—"
"It's okay," Lily found herself saying, curling her mouth up into an infinitesimal smile.
James' eyebrows rose and he looked at her in surprise. "Really?" he asked, looking as though he half expected her to say something else.
"Yes," Lily answered, taking a deep breath to conquer the quiver which had crept into her voice. "I—I wasn't exactly fair to you either."
"Right," James said, his hand returning to his hair. "Well, er, so we're alright then."
"I suppose so," Lily murmured, her own hand moving to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, I have to go find Connor," she said hurriedly, backing away. "I guess I'll see you in the compartment."
"Right," James mumbled, "the compartment." He turned away slowly and began walking back the way Lily had come, his hand still tousling his hair.
James walked down the corridor unsteadily, his fingers running a familiar path through his hair. She had talked to him; she had gone out of her way to acknowledge him. He couldn't get his hopes up now, after all that had been what made last year such a disaster.
He entered the compartment in a daze, trying to sort out what had just happened and, much to his frustration, failing miserably. Beside him, Marlene and Sirius grinned at him.
"What?" he snapped, trying to rearrange his face into an expression of indifference.
"Nothing," Sirius said easily, twirling a piece of Marlene's dark hair. "You just look like you've been hit on the head with a bludger."
"Well that's what it feels like," James muttered, jutting out his lip into a pout.
Marlene snorted and leaned over to pat him on the shoulder. "It's almost endearing watching you right now, Jamesy."
He glared at her, but his angry expression quickly devolved into a smile. "I think she's finally coming around," he said to his friends, who both shook their heads and laughed.
"Mate, she's been around," Sirius said. "She's just terrified that you won't want anything to do with her now."
"Why would she think that?" James asked, furrowing his brow.
"You did ignore her for about half of last year," Marlene pointed out.
"I had to!" James cried defensively, throwing his hands up. "I couldn't be around her—when she—it was just—"
"James, nobody blames you," Marlene said gently. "But you understand why she might be a bit nervous around you now."
"I suppose," James grumbled, sinking back in his seat. "Say, Pete," he said, turning towards the mousy haired boy. "D'ya think McGonagall will let you into her N.E.W.T. class with an A?"
Lily walked down the corridor, her mind replaying the events that had just transpired between herself and James. They had been awkward and stilted from both sides, yes, but it was an improvement nonetheless. She smiled slowly to herself as she thought of it. Maybe they could be friends, after all. Or at least, something more than stiff acquaintances.
As she walked, she noticed Emmeline Vance in an open compartment, talking closely with Hestia Jones, a Hufflepuff in their year. Sarah Carroll didn't appear to be anywhere, which was odd as she and Emmeline were usually inseparable. Lily made a mental note to ask Marlene about it later and kept going.
She found Connor in a compartment with his friends from Ravenclaw, discussing the Quidditch World Cup, which had been in France over the holidays.
"Hi there, Lilyflower," Connor said as he rose and kissed her on the head. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."
"Probably because you haven't," Lily answered, looping her arm around her boyfriend's waist and leading him back towards her friends' compartment.
They entered the compartment and slid into their seats. Connor put his arm around Lily and she leaned into his side, looking around at her friends.
Remus had fallen asleep, his body curled into a ball and his face screwed up in a look of worry. Across the compartment, Marlene and Sirius were huddled together, engaged in a hushed conversation. James and Peter were talking with Mary about which N.E.W.T.s they planned on taking. Lily watched James for a moment; he wasn't looking at her, but it wasn't the forced aversion she had been subjected to last year. He seemed relaxed; he seemed almost happy, talking to their mutual friends while Lily and Connor sat together.
Connor poked her gently in the side and Lily tore her eyes away from James, hoping she hadn't been too obvious about her staring. She turned to face her boyfriend and he bent to give her a kiss on the cheek before whispering, "Did I tell you about how I almost saw a real chimera in Spain?"
The trip went by uneventfully. Lily spent the majority of her time talking with Connor about their respective holidays (the chimera, it appeared, had turned out to be just a charmed dog). He had brought her a gift from Spain, turning beet red as he handed her the tiny, daintily wrapped box. Lily opened it carefully and gasped when she saw what it was: a golden bangle studded with rubies.
"Oh my," Mary gasped, leaning in to get a closer look. Behind her, James and Peter craned their necks to see. James' eyes narrowed slightly, but he sat back a moment later and opened a chocolate frog.
Lily wasn't paying attention to James in the slightest, she grinned broadly and threw her arms around Connor's neck before sliding the bracelet onto her wrist, which was already adorned with the silver and green bracelet she had received at Christmas. The two clashed abominably, which Connor pointed out, but Lily simply smiled and said she didn't mind.
As she sat contentedly, leaning against Connor and twisting the two bracelets on her arm, Lily reflected on how different this trip to Hogwarts was than last year's. She smiled at the thought. Things were much different, and it was strange to think that at this time last year Sev had been her best friend in the world, but Lily couldn't find it in herself to be sorry for the way things had turned out.
Eventually the scarlet steam engine pulled into Hogsmeade station. The students crowded the corridors, preparing to disembark. Connor gave Lily a rueful smile and kissed her on the cheek, whispering, "I told Miles I'd meet back up with them when we got here."
Lily nodded. "I'll see you soon," she said. She watched him walk through the corridor, disappearing into the crowd. Her eyes fell to the golden bracelet, glimmering from the overhead lights. She felt odd, not happily necessarily, but not sad either. Lily shook her head.
You're being silly, she told herself firmly. She turned resolutely back to her friends and gave no more thought to the weight she felt in her stomach.
Lily exited the train with Marlene and Sirius. The three hurried towards the carriage, leaving the other three marauders and Mary, who were dawdling, behind. Sirius was between the two girls, an arm slung around Marlene's shoulder. Lily walked slightly in front of her friends, pushing her way through the crowd of people so they would be able to have a carriage to themselves.
She had just spotted an empty carriage and quickened her pace when Mulciber blocked her path, flanked by Avery and Severus, who refused to meet her eye.
"Hello, Red," Mulciber leered, his grey teeth bared. "Did you miss me over the holidays?"
Lily scowled and reached into her pocket for her wand. She opened her mouth to retort, glaring first at Mulciber and then at Severus, who gazed steadfastly at the dirt beneath his feet.
"What's going on here?" Sirius asked loudly, appearing at Lily's side and draping his arm over her shoulders.
"It's nothing that concerns you, Black," Snape snapped, finally looking up, his black eyes sparkling in hatred as he stared at Sirius.
Mulciber only raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to Snape, whose mouth had curled into a sneer.
"We don't associate with cowards," Snape spat, his hand diving into his pocket for his wand. Now it was Sirius' turn to raise his eyebrows as he appraised the slytherins in front of him. Snape glowered, his eyes narrowed. Mulciber simply looked amused, glancing every so often at Lily in order to flash her a twisted smile. Avery watched his two cronies, waiting for a command.
Lily said nothing but wrapped her hand around her wand, preparing to draw it at a moment's notice.
"Who are you calling a coward?" Sirius said evenly. Lily's jaw tightened. Though she was sure it had gone over the slytherins' heads, she could make out the challenging note in Sirius' question.
"That's just what I call anyone who runs away from their problems instead of facing them," Snape sneered. "Isn't being a Gryffindor all about being courageous? But I wouldn't call it courageous to run away from home—"
Sirius growled and moved forward. They were attracting several stares by now. Marlene's breathing had become heavy and out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see she had drawn her wand. Lily hissed Sirius' name and grabbed a fistful of his robes, trying unsuccessfully to tug him towards the carriages.
"At least I don't have to hide behind that curtain of slime!" Sirius said angrily, gesturing towards Snape's hair.
Snape ignored the comment, though his eyes flashed maliciously. "How does it feel to know your family's better off without you?" he asked, taking a step towards the Gryffindors. "Regulus tells me that Mummy and Daddy are glad to be rid of such a nasty blood traitor—"
"Severus!" Lily cried, eyes widening and her grip on Sirius slackening from her shock.
Sirius took his opportunity and lunged towards Severus, his face twisted in rage.
"Impedimenta!"
Sirius slowed and Lily's head jerked to the side to see Marlene hastily shoving her wand back into her sleeve, her mouth pressed into a thin line.
"Marls," Lily started, but Marlene shook her head roughly and motioned towards Sirius.
Without a word, the two girls grabbed hold of their friend and held him fast between them, Sirius unable to move but glowering at them. Lily looked up and glared at Snape, who was standing between Mulciber and Avery, watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and anger.
"I suggest you go," Lily said acerbically, finally drawing her own wand and pointing it threateningly at her old friend.
"Don't worry, Red, we didn't intend to keep you this long," Mulciber said breezily, moving away and pushing Avery slightly in front of him.
Snape's face was still white and Lily could hear him muttering a string of curses as he swept past her without a word.
"Let's go," Marlene said firmly, watching the retreating slytherins with distaste. Her spell had worn off and Sirius regained his mobility and the three of them trudged towards the carriage, though the girls refused to release their hold on Sirius.
Once they were safely seated and moving towards the castle, Lily finally let go of Sirius' robes and sat back, watching as he slumped in his seat, his face dark.
"How does that git know anything?" he fumed, mumbling half to himself, glowering at his toes.
Marlene sighed sympathetically and wrapped an arm around him. Sirius didn't acknowledge the gesture, but didn't shrug it off either.
Lily squirmed uncomfortably, debating whether or not to tell Sirius about what had transpired after he had left the night of Petunia's wedding.
Deciding that he deserved to know everything, she took a deep breath. "I actually saw him right after you left, er, after Petunia's wedding," she said quietly.
Sirius sat up and stared at her. "What?" he asked incredulously.
Lily sighed. "Sev—Snape heard us talking at the playground. He, er, came and confronted me right after you and Mrs. Potter disapparated."
Sirius stared blankly for a moment and then exploded, spittle flying from his mouth in all directions and his face quickly turning magenta. "That sodding git!" he shouted, nearly toppling Marlene as he threw his arms out in anger. "I should've cursed him! I should've wiped his sorry arse on the ground! I should've—"
"Sirius," Marlene broke in soothingly, regaining her balance and running a soothing hand up and down his arm, trying to calm him. "You can't let him get to you like this. It's what he wants."
Sirius glared furiously, but closed his mouth at this and gave Marlene an odd look before slumping back, his face dropping into the same brooding expression he had worn when Lily had first seen him at the Potters' in July. He stayed that way for the remainder of the ride, ignoring Lily and Marlene's attempts to draw him into conversation.
It was a relief when they reached the castle and walked with the rest of the students to the entrance hall. Once they had passed through the heavy oak doors, Sirius turned to Lily and Marlene, who were scanning the crowd for their friends.
"I have to do something," he said enigmatically, looking over his shoulder at the mass of students congregated. "I'll be right back."
They nodded, not wanting to start a fight with angry Sirius. He walked away and disappeared into the sea of students.
"What's he doing?" Remus asked, appearing next to Lily and looking as though he were about to pass out at any moment.
"No idea," Lily shrugged, tearing her eyes from the spot where Sirius had disappeared to look at Remus. "Are you alright?" she asked fretfully, taking in his sallow complexion and the purple bags under his eyes. "Tonight's a—" she glanced around nervously, hoping nobody was listening, "a busy night for you."
"I'll be fine," Remus said warily, adjusting his robes, which hung loosely on his thin frame. "I'm just not going to be at the feast."
"Good idea," Lily said, nodding absently.
Remus gave her a smile and moved to say a few words to James and Peter before turning and walking off down a corridor, presumably to the hospital wing.
The crowd moved forward and began to filter into the Great Hall. Sirius rejoined them, the brooding look gone and replaced by a twinkling grin.
"Shall we go in, then?" he asked cheerfully, gesturing Marlene and Lily forward.
Lily watched him curiously, making a note to ask him later what he had been up to, but promptly forgot as they sat down along the Gryffindor table. When the sorting had finished and Dumbledore had given his speech, the feast appeared and Lily rejoiced over the sheer number of dishes in front of her.
"We'd best eat well tonight, boys," James said, eyeing Sirius and Peter. "We've got a busy night."
"What can you possibly have to do?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's the first night. Nobody does anything except sit in the dormitory."
"Not the Marauders," Peter chirped, tearing off a bit of roast beef with his teeth.
Lily watched and shook her head, allowing herself to relax as Sirius chuckled and grinned, apparently having forgotten about his encounter with Snape. She turned her head surreptitiously and searched the slytherin table, finally finding what she was looking for. Regulus Black, fourteen years old and just as handsome as his brother, though not as intimidating, sat between Rosier and Snape. Though he and Sirius resembled each other, Regulus' face was painted with a coat of arrogance and elitism, which was absent from his brother's.
"Lily?" Marlene nudged her and raised her eyebrows. "I've asked you three times to see that bracelet Connor brought you from Spain."
Lily blushed and didn't turn back to look at the slytherins again as she once again showed her friends the trinket Connor had given her. Although most had already seen it, some, like Alice and Frank, hadn't been in the compartment when Lily had opened it and others, like Marlene hadn't gotten a chance to look closely. They oohed and aahed, taking turns passing it around and examining the shining rubies carefully. When the bracelet had made its way around, Lily redid the clasp and they launched into a conversation about various trips they had taken to the continent.
By the time Dumbledore gave the word and the hall was filled with students moving towards the dormitories, Lily couldn't believe she had been away from Hogwarts and her friends for two full months. It felt as though they had never left.
Alice headed the queue of Gryffindors, shepherding first years towards the common room. Lily and Marlene fell into step, keeping a safe distance from the younger students.
"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, turning towards Marlene with excitement. "I saw something odd on the train today when I was going to get Connor. Emmeline Vance was in a compartment with Hestia Jones. And Sarah Carroll wasn't there."
"Oh yes," Marlene said, twirling a piece of hair between her fingers and twisting her mouth into a small smile. "Apparently Em and Sarah had a bit of a falling out this summer. They're cordial now, from what Mary's told me, but Em spent most of the summer with Hestia."
"So we're all going to have a jolly time being roommates this year," Lily mused, willing herself not to laugh at Sarah Carroll's misfortune. Really, it wasn't funny that someone had lost their best friend. She herself had been miserable after her falling out with Sev. But this was Sarah Carroll…
"Everyone will figure it out," Marlene said, smiling. "And if they don't, we can bunk in the boys' room."
"Marls, that's not allowed!" Lily cried as Marlene laughed.
"Oh, Lily," the brunette said, draping an arm over her shoulder. "It's frowned upon, yes, but nowhere in the rules does it say it's not allowed. Trust me, I've looked."
"You—"
"I figured, knowing our roommates as we do, we ought to have a plan in case things get a bit too dramatic."
"Right," Lily said uncertainly as they clambered through the portrait hole. She sincerely hoped Marlene was joking.
They climbed the stairs to their dormitory and found Alice, Mary and Sarah Carroll already inside. Sarah ignored the newcomers and got into bed, drawing the hangings around her. Marlene rolled her eyes and flopped down onto her mattress.
Lily changed into her pajamas and pulled back the covers of her own bed but stopped before getting in. From the window, she could see the moon peeking out from behind a cloud. Slowly, she moved towards the window, sitting down on the chair beside it. By craning her neck slightly she was afforded a view of the Whomping Willow, thrashing wildly in the darkness.
Lily sighed. Somewhere, Remus was transforming into a werewolf, shut up inside an old house for the night while he lost control of humanity. She trained her eyes on the giant tree, trying to make out where the entrance to the passageway Remus had mentioned might be.
A flicker of movement caught her eye. Lily shifted her gaze to the grounds directly below the window.
Her heart stopped for a moment.
Gliding across the grass, heading determinedly towards the very tree she had been observing, was Severus. Even had she not been painfully familiar with his gait, the large bat-like cloak he wore could not be mistaken.
"Lils, are you okay?" Alice asked from across the room. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Y-yes," Lily answered mechanically, not taking her eyes off of Severus, who drew closer and closer to the Whomping Willow. Did he know…?
"I have to go somewhere," Lily announced, jumping up and snatching her dressing gown from her trunk. Her friends stared at her.
"You have to go somewhere?" Mary repeated, looking at Lily as though she had two heads.
"Yes," Lily answered, her eyes trained her feet as she shoved shoes on. "I—I have to speak with Dumbledore." Ignoring her friends' questioning protests, she grabbed her wand and hurried from the room. She had to find someone, had to stop Severus, whatever he thought he was doing.
Lily ran down the spiral stairs and across the common room, tumbling out of the portrait hole and flying down the dimly lit corridor. She was vaguely aware of the fact she did not know exactly where she was going, and that she would most likely be caught by a teacher and receive detention for wandering the castle, but she didn't care. Severus was in danger. No matter what his faults were, she couldn't knowingly sit by and allow him to come face-to-face with a full-fledged werewolf. And Remus! Lily shuddered to think what Remus' reaction would be if he were to harm another student.
She rounded a corner and shrank back when she saw a light coming from the end of the corridor. She stood still for a moment, before reasoning that even if it was a teacher, they would be able to help her before giving her detention.
She trotted hastily towards the figure and gave a small gasp of surprise when she realized who it was.
"James!" she cried desperately, running towards the boy, who held in one hand his wand and in the other a familiar piece of old parchment, which he held very close to his face.
He looked up at the sound of her voice, his expression confused and then concerned when he saw her face. "Lily?" he asked, lowering the parchment and leaning towards her. "What's wrong?"
"Severus," she gasped, putting a hand on the stone wall to steady herself. "Severus is going to the Whomping Willow, I saw him—"
The color drained from James' face and he hastily unfolded a section of the map, holding his lit wand above it.
"Bloody fucking hell," he swore under his breath, folding the map quickly and stowing it in his pocket. He seized Lily by the wrist. "Go get Dumbledore," he commanded, his hazel eyes wide. "I don't know who—bloody hell—just go get Dumbledore. You know where his office is?"
Lily nodded, watching in awe as James ran his free hand through his hair and looked at her fiercely. "The password's sugar quill, bring him down to the main doors. I'll meet you there with Snape."
"Where are you going?" Lily croaked, horror washing over her as James spoke. "You can't—"
"Don't worry about it," James said sharply, releasing her wrist. Noticing Lily's face, and the fear etched into it, he softened slightly and added, "I'll be fine, really. Just—go get Dumbledore." And he turned around and sprinted down the corridor.
Lily watched him go for a moment before regaining control over herself. She resumed her trot and hurried to Dumbledore's office, approaching the gargoyle outside tentatively. The statue moved and Lily ascended the staircase, finding herself outside a heavy door. She knocked nervously.
"Enter," Dumbledore's calm voice called. Lily pushed the door open and found herself standing in the most unusual office she had ever seen. It was quite large, and the walls were covered with portraits of older wizards and witches, who all peered at her curiously.
"Is that quite a natural hair color?" a witch wearing a ratty black hat whispered loudly to her neighbor.
Lily glared and turned resolutely towards the headmaster, who was seated behind his desk.
"Miss Evans," he said, nodding towards her as though they were meeting for lunch. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
James sprinted through the castle, not even bothering to check the map. He didn't care if anyone caught him. The image of Lily's face, awash with fear, burned into his mind as he ran.
Snape knows, his mind chanted numbly as he ran. Snape knows.
But how could he know?
James didn't pause to think about it as he burst through the heavy oak doors and onto the Hogwarts grounds. All that mattered was that he find Snape and get him away from Remus before anything terrible happened.
The night was warm and cloudy, with rays of moonlight falling softly onto the grass. About a hundred meters away, James saw the Whomping Willow freeze, and a bat-like figure disappear between the branches.
With renewed anxiety, James continued running, looking over his shoulder to be sure no one was nearby.
In an instant a large stag was running the James' place, its eyes rimmed by dark grey hair which looked curiously like spectacles. The stag stormed across the grounds, panting heavily as it went. It reached the tree, now thrashing around again, in a manner of minutes, sitting back and throwing a frustrated look at the knot towards the base of the trunk. A knot that could be easily reached by a rat, but not by a stag.
The stag was replaced by a gasping sixteen-year-old boy, hastily straightening his glasses and clutching his side before turning his attention back to the knot at the base of the large tree, whose branches were flying around him, attempting to crush anything they came across.
James' eyes swept across the ground and flitted back to the moon which hung high in the sky. Remus would be nearly fully transformed by now.
The realization snapped him back into focus, and he continued to survey his surroundings, looking for something, anything, he could use to hit the knot and freeze the tree.
His eyes fell on a large stick lying to the side, undoubtedly used by Snape minutes earlier. He picked up the stick and began positioning himself close enough to hit the knot. Hearing heavy footfalls behind him, James whipped around, praying it wasn't Lily running after him. Snape being in close proximity to Remus was bad enough, the thought of Lily knowingly putting herself in a werewolf's path was unbearable.
It was not Lily, though, nor was it a human at all. It was a large, shaggy black dog, bounding towards James with its tongue hanging out happily.
The dog shifted into the form of James' best friend and Sirius ran towards him, a self-satisfied grin on his face.
"Prongs!" he cried, thumping James on the back. "Pete's coming, the idiot forgot his wand in the dormitory."
"You have to help," James said quickly, ignoring Sirius' comment. "Snape knows about the passage somehow, he's in there. Lily came and told me."
"I know he does," Sirius said, the grin on his face spreading. "I told him about it. Good, eh?"
"You—" James said dumbly, his face going slack as he stared at his friend. "You…told…Snape about Remus?"
"I didn't tell him about Remus," Sirius said, smirking proudly. "I just told him that if he found a way to hit the knot at the bottom of the Whomping Willow and followed the passage, he'd find something rather interesting."
"Sirius," James said slowly, his voice shaking. His hands balled into fists at his side as he fought to keep his face neutral. "Please tell me you aren't telling me that you purposefully sent Snape in there knowing full well he's going to find a werewolf."
"It'll teach him to call me a coward," Sirius said.
"You—you told him!" James cried, his voice rising. "You sent Snape in there knowing that Moony has no control over anything right now!"
"I—" Sirius started, his eyes going wide. James' reaction seemed to be a shock to him. "It was a joke, Prongs, just a prank—"
"No this is not a bloody prank!" James shouted maniacally, turning back to the base of the tree. With a well-timed thrust, he hit the knot and the branches froze.
"You stay out here!" James shouted to his friend, rushing into the passage. "We're not done!"
Sirius' reply was drowned out as James entered the passage, running and praying he wasn't too late.
The pain in his side seared and his breath became ragged when he came upon Snape mere feet away from the Shrieking Shack entrance.
"Snape!" he hissed, hoping against hope that the git would have the sense to not make a scene.
No such luck.
"Potter!" Snape shouted, stopping and drawing his wand. "Whatever you're doing—"
"I'm trying to get you out of here alive!" James snapped, eyeing Snape's wand warily. "Keep your bloody voice down, he might—"
"He?" Snape perked up, smiling maliciously as though he had caught James in the middle of a scheme. "So it's a person in there?"
"You know very fucking well what's in there," James said coldly, refusing to give Snape the satisfaction of seeing him upset.
"So it is—"
James let out a frustrated snarl and grabbed a fistful of Snape's robes, pulling the boy behind him as he turned and ran back through the passage.
"Let go of me!" Snape shrieked, attempting to wrestle himself from James' grip. James refused to let go and continued to pull Snape behind him.
The run back seemed shorter, now that James had a living, relatively uninjured Snape with him. The anxiety dissipated and was replaced with a boiling anger, directed at Sirius.
He had done this.
The anger towards his friend's stupidity, his maliciousness, drove James as he ran back to the entrance. When they finally reached the base of the tree again, he slammed his fist against the knot. The tree froze and his fingers pounded, blood seeping through broken skin on his index finger.
James pulled Snape through the entrance and across the ground until they were a safe distance from the tree. He threw the slytherin on the ground, not even deigning to look at him as he turned towards his best friend, who stood meekly to the side.
"Prongs," Sirius said, his face turned down in shame. "I—I didn't think—"
"Damn right you didn't think," James spat, his hands shaking. "You could have killed him, Padfoot! What do you think that would've done to Moony?"
Sirius looked up at this, his eyes wide and shining. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Sorry doesn't fix it, Sirius!" James screamed, his entire body quaking with fury. Sirius' pathetic frown, his shame, only served to make James angrier. "You almost fucking killed someone and you didn't think!"
"I—"
Thwack. James' fist, still bloody from hitting the tree trunk, swung through the air and connected with Sirius' jaw, sending the boy stumbling backwards.
James towered over his friend, breathing heavily. "There is no excuse for this, Sirius," he said quietly. He turned angrily and tugged Snape to his feet, marching them to the doors. "Lily will be here with Dumbledore soon," James said. Nobody answered. They sat in silence and waited.
Standing in front of the headmaster, Lily's face flushed and she stammered, "Severus—Severus is going towards the Whomping Willow and Remus—"
Dumbledore stood up in an instant, his blue eyes staring down at her curiously. "I take it you know about Mr. Lupin's condition?" he asked, his voice still calm as it had been before, but now laced with something else.
"Y—yes," Lily said, shrinking back slightly. "I—I found out. He didn't want to tell me, it's not his fault! I—I wrote a letter to his mum and then cornered him and he really—"
"Miss Evans," Dumbledore held up a hand to stop her, smiling kindly. "I understand the many ways in which it is possible to find out a secret about a friend. If Mr. Lupin trusts you, that's all that matters. But you were saying, about Mr. Snape?"
"Right," Lily continued, feeling flustered and unable to form coherent sentences. "He—he was going towards the Whomping Willow! I don't know how he would know, but he's guessed before and tonight's a full moon, you know, and James said something about getting him—"
"Mr. Potter is involved as well?" Dumbledore asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Yes!" Lily cried, frantic now to get out of the office and find the boys. "Yes, James told me to come get you while he gets Severus and Severus was walking across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow and Remus is probably transformed by now!"
Dumbledore walked around his desk and came to stand beside Lily. "Let's go, then, Miss Evans," he said gravely, gesturing towards the door.
Still jittery and unable to think straight, Lily opened the office doors and led herself and the headmaster down the stairs and to the main castle doors. When they arrived, they were greeted by three boys, who were all slumped against the wall.
James' glasses were crooked and his hair stuck up everywhere as he panted. He looked unharmed, though Lily noticed blood on the knuckles of his right hand.
Severus too looked unharmed, though his face was white. He stood straight, with one hand in his robes pocket, glaring at his two companions.
Finally, the only one Lily had not been expecting to see, Sirius sat down on the stone floor, his face in his hands.
"Gentlemen," Dumbledore spoke softly but all three boys looked up. Snape opened his mouth angrily to speak but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him. "I would like you all to follow me," the old man said calmly, his face betraying neither anger nor pity. "We will sort this all out in my office."
The three boys straightened and followed the headmaster through the corridor. Lily, being unsure what to do, followed.
Nobody spoke. James cast a few looks in Sirius' direction, but otherwise kept to himself.
Lily hurried to walk beside Sirius. When she was in step with him, she glanced over and saw a large, purple bruise blossoming on his jaw. "Sirius, what happened?" she whispered as they walked. He glanced at her briefly but just shook his head, the corners of his mouth tugging downward.
When they reached Dumbledore's office, the headmaster stopped them before opening the doors. "I would like to speak to the three boys," he said quietly, looking at each of them in turn. "And after that I will keep whomever it is I need to see privately. Miss Evans," he looked pointedly at Lily, "I would prefer you stay here until one of these gentlemen is available to escort you back to Gryffindor Tower."
"Yes, sir," Lily nodded, leaning against the wall with a sigh.
Dumbledore gave her a small smile before opening the heavy door and retreating into his office, waving the three boys inside.
Lily stood outside for what felt like an hour, though it was only about ten minutes. Her head snapped up when she heard the creak of the opening door. Expecting to see Sirius, she faltered a bit when it was James who approached her.
"You ready to go back?" he asked, his face impassive.
Lily nodded silently and they fell into step. "What happened?" she asked quietly, not looking up at James.
He sighed heavily and put a hand lightly on her shoulder to stop her. He guided her to the edge of the corridor, where he put a hand on the wall to steady himself and looked down at her. His hazel eyes sparkled and his jaw twitched slightly as he took a breath.
"Sirius told Snape where to go to find Remus," he said tonelessly.
Lily's eyes widened and she gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. "He wouldn't," she said, staring at James.
The grimace on his face and the sadness in the lines around his eyes told her it was true.
"But—" Lily faltered, thinking over the events of the day. "Before the feast," she murmured, her heart sinking as she remembered Sirius' earlier shift in mood. "He told him then."
"I think it was his idea of revenge," James said, running a hand through his hair.
"I can't believe it," Lily whispered, leaning back against the wall and sliding down. Her bottom hit the floor and she stayed seated. James followed a minute later.
"This is going to destroy Remus," he said hollowly, continuing to drag his hand through his messy hair.
Lily reached out and gently brought his hand down. "Stop," she said.
James looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.
Lily flushed and released his hand quickly, shoving her own back in her lap and cursing herself inwardly. "It drives me mad when you do that," she explained, wanting to sink into the floor as he continued to stare at her.
Finally, James looked away and leaned heavily against the wall.
Lily glanced down and saw again the blood on James' knuckles. "You hit him," she said, not even bothering to phrase it as a question.
James snorted and brought his hand up to inspect it. "Yeah," he said bitterly. "I hit him."
"Here," Lily took his hand and fished her wand out of her pocket. "Scourgify," she said, siphoning off the blood. Prodding gently with her thumb, she felt for any breaks in the bones. "Your middle finger's broken," she told James, running her fingers along the groove in his finger. "I can fix it if you'd like."
"Go ahead," he said. "I guess it'll save me a trip to the hospital wing."
Lily took her wand and tapped the injured finger, saying firmly "episkey." There was a crack and James grunted in pain, but a moment later he was flexing his hand and smiling at her.
"Thanks," he said. "I'm rubbish at healing charms."
"I know," Lily replied, chuckling softly. "I remember the day in class you accidentally turned Peter's nose pink."
"I forgot about that," James mused, standing up and extending a hand to help Lily. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
They started walking again, moving at a slow pace as they both absorbed what had happened.
"That was really brave, what you did," Lily said slowly, looking up at James, who was staring fixedly at the wall, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Going after Snape, putting yourself in harm's way—"
"It was for Remus," James said gruffly, shaking his head. "It would've killed him if he'd hurt someone. Even Snape."
"Well, either way, it was very noble of you," Lily said.
James nodded slowly. "Lily?" he asked tentatively.
She stopped walking, watching him with a raised eyebrow. He had called her Lily, for the first time in months.
"Yes, James?" she prompted, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach.
"Er—" he stalled, looking down at his feet before returning his eyes to her face. "I asked you last year if you wanted to start over and you said no. But, if I were to ask now, would you—I mean—"
"I would love to start over," she said quietly, her face flushing. "I've wanted to start over for quite a bit now."
He looked at her with a shadow of the arrogant smirk that vexed her so much. "Really?" he asked.
She nodded and sighed dramatically. "You're annoyingly hard to despise."
"Well, if we're going to start over again let's do it properly," James said, stepping in front of her and holding out his hand. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm James. I'm a wizard."
"Hello, James," Lily said, shaking his hand. "I'm Lily. I'm a witch."
"Excellent," he said, as they resumed walking. "You know, I'm glad we established that right away because if, say, we both thought the other was a muggle and did something ridiculous, like spend an entire summer together, things could get messy."
Lily swatted him on the shoulder, trying and failing to repress a grin. "Don't push your luck, Potter."
James shook his head good-naturedly. Lily felt an overwhelming peace settle over her. It certainly wasn't what they had been last summer, but it felt wonderful to be laughing and talking with James again. They were friends now, nothing more nothing less. She could be friends with him.
They climbed through the portrait hole and parted ways in the common room. Despite the terrible events of the night, Lily couldn't help but smile to herself as she climbed the spiral staircase. She could definitely be friends with James Potter.
Author's Note: So much love goes out to all my readers, thank you thank you thank you for your feedback. It really makes my day so much better when I get an email saying someone reviewed. I hope you like this chapter, please continue sending in reviews!
Also an enormous thank you goes out to VileMalfoys who is my beta and is an enormous help to me!
