Chapter Seven
"You're okay!"
Lily had barely enough time to brace herself before a mass of blond obscured her vision as her best friend huddled her body over the couch and straight at Lily.
"I was so worried! And Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me in to see you because she said you needed rest and I tried to tell her I would just sit there and no even say a word, but she still wouldn't let me in and I was so worried and no one knew how you were doing and not even Professor McGonagall would tell Madam Pomfrey to let me see you and I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Merlin, Alice. Breathe," Lily chuckled, hugging her friend.
"Sorry, but I really was worried. And, for the record, that boyfriend of yours is really scary when he's angry," Alice said in a stage whisper.
"Which one?" Lily laughed.
"Sirius. I thought for sure he was going to hex Madam Pomfrey into next month if she didn't leave him stay with you," Alice said with wide eyes.
"Yeah. They were waiting for me as soon as Madam Pomfrey released me," Lily said, glancing over at where her three men were talking with their fourth Marauder. Even completely focused as they were on their conversation, all three of them looked up when she glanced over at them making her blush and quickly look away.
"That would be kind of creepy if it wasn't such a Marauder-ish thing to do," Alice grinned, pulling her over to settle down on the couch.
"How was last night? Did Susan or Claire say anything?" Lily asked, completely redirecting the conversation.
"No, they basically ignored me. Claire did ask if you were alright, but that was it," Alice shrugged.
"Good. I was worried Susan might try to cause trouble for you."
"Oh, please. There's nothing she can throw at me that I can't throw back," Alice said, waving her off.
"I know, Ali. You're awesome like that," Lily grinned.
"About time you realized my potential."
The two fell against the couch giggling, arms intertwined and their heads close together.
"So, how are you really? Because it's been three days since you and Remus were in that closet and I know you haven't had anything since then. Have you been mainlining potions?" Alice asked in a soft whisper.
"I'm actually okay. I didn't need any potions while I was in the Hospital Wing. I asked Madam Pomfrey about it and she seems to think it was because I was in so much pain, but I felt fine yesterday," Lily told her.
"Maybe the curse is fading," Alice suggested.
All it took was a glance back at the Marauders for Lily to know that the curse had done anything but fade.
"Or maybe not," Alice giggled, noticing Lily's reaction.
"Merlin, I don't know what's going on. I'm perfectly fine unless I look at or think about one of them," Lily groaned, falling back against the couch once more.
"Well, who can blame you, honestly? From the rumors I've heard, those three are veritable beasts in the sack and you've got all three of them waiting on you hand and foot," Alice said with a somewhat evil grin.
"I wouldn't go that far," Lily protested.
"Oh, please. If you so much as gave the slightest indication that you needed something, one or all three of them would be over here faster than you could say 'quidditch'," Alice insisted.
Lily couldn't help but look back over the couch at the Marauders once more. She was unsurprised to find them looking back at her. She felt that, somehow, they knew she and Alice were talking about them. Shooting them a small smile to assure them everything was fine, Lily turned back to Alice.
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I need to have them help me with every little thing."
"I know that. I'm just saying, any number of girls would kill to have one of the Marauders and you have three. It's any wonder you can get your work done between the three of them," Alice said.
Lily could see what Alice meant. Ever since she'd agreed to be with the Marauders, she'd barely had any alone time. Even when they weren't right beside her, they were only a mirror-call away. Although she didn't feel crowded by their constant presence, there was a certain sense of disquiet inside of her. She had never enjoyed being surrounded by people, never felt comfortable in a constant crowd. She could feel the break coming, the time would she would desperately need some time alone, and was powerless to stop it.
"Ali. If I asked you to do something…" Lily trailed off uncertainly.
"You know I've got your back no matter what," Alice said solemnly.
"I need a break. Just a little one. Could you distract them tonight long enough for me to go to the room?" Lily asked.
"Of course. How long do you need?" Alice asked.
"A few hours. I just need some me time," Lily said.
"You got it. I'll take care of it after dinner. You can have as long as you need," Alice grinned.
"Thanks, Ali. You're the best," Lily smiled, hugging her friend tightly.
"You just now figuring this out?"
James sat in front of the fire and tried not to smile. He was fighting a losing battle, but he endeavored for the sake of Alice's pride. He'd been on to her from the start, as had Remus and Sirius. He figured Peter was the only one who hadn't caught on yet, but the longer Alice talked, the more unsure Peter looked.
"So Lily's run out of potion and needs the four of us to go fetch it from Professor Slughorn because she can't find her socks and won't wear shoes without socks and refuses to go barefoot?" Peter asked, scratching his head.
"No. I'm tell you that the four of you need to go get Lily's potion because she's worried about a blister on her foot. She doesn't want to risk popping it by wearing her shoes and causing an infection and she can't walk barefoot because the blister hurts too much," Alice correct him.
"A blister?" Peter frowned.
James had to fight not to look at Sirius and Remus for fear he'd bust out laughing. Oh, Alice was weaving a brilliant web, changing her stories every time Peter asked a question for clarification. It was brilliant and would work on anyone who had one iota of logical sense. Unfortunately, Wormtail wasn't really known for his logic and Alice was walking all over him.
"Have you ever had a blister, Peter? It can pop very easily and then you have to worry about infection which could lead to amputation if not taken care of properly. Do you really want to cause Lily to lose a foot just because you don't want to walk down to talk to Professor Slughorn?" Alice asked angrily.
"B-b-but-" Peter stuttered.
"Alright, Alice. Enough. We'll go get Lily her potion," James said, stepping in to save his friend.
"Really? Thanks, James! You're the best," Alice chirped, grinning wide.
"Come on, mates. Let's take care of our girl," James said, leading the rest of the Marauders out of the Common Room.
As soon as the portrait hole shut behind them, James allowed his amusement to break through. Sirius and Remus joined him in his laughter while Peter chuckled uncertainly.
"Oh, she's good. She's very good," Sirius gasped when they finally managed to control themselves.
"I'll say. That girl's smarter than anyone gives her credit for," James agreed.
"What? She was playing us?" Peter asked, frowning angrily.
"She was trying to, at least. Moony, you got the map?" Sirius asked, leaning lackadaisically against the wall.
Remus pulled the map out from his back pocket and they all crowded around the parchment. As the ink appeared across the page, Remus began folding and unfolding sections, searching for the dot labeled "Lily Evans". They searched the map three times before admitting defeat.
"Is the map malfunctioning?" James asked, frustrated.
"It's not possible. The spell is foolproof. If her dot isn't on here, then she's not at Hogwarts," Remus said.
"I think Alice knows where she is. That's why she's been talking us in circles," Sirius fumed, already turning towards the portrait hole.
"Wait! There she is," Peter said, pointing to a dot that had just appeared.
"What the hell is she doing on the seventh floor? The only thing up there is the staircase leading to the Divination tower," James frowned down at the map.
"Well, she's heading this way now, from the looks of it," Peter said, his finger following Lily's dot.
The four stood there, watching as Lily's dot maneuvered through the school back towards the portrait hole. When they were sure the Gryffindor Common Room was her destination, the four clamored back through the portrait hole to await the redhead.
They didn't have long to wait. Just ten minutes after they'd crawled back through, Lily appeared. She spotted them immediately, sitting as they were in their usual spots. With a happy smile, she practically bounced over to them.
Some of the anxious anger left James as he took in her smile and the lightness about her that had been missing since the start of term.
"Hello, you lot," she greeted them, bending over the couch to kiss Sirius and Remus each before flouncing across the small space to land in James' lap. "Not plotting, are you?"
"Us? Plotting? What would give you that idea?" Sirius asked innocently.
James didn't fail to notice that his mates had relaxed upon seeing Lily as well. Their initial concern at being unable to find her had faded the instant she walked into the room.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the map sitting on the table," Lily said, just as innocently.
They all looked down and realized that they had, in fact, left the map open and visible. With a light giggle, Lily leaned forward, touching her wand to the middle of the map and whispered "Mischief managed."
"We were looking for you," James told her, watching as the map disappeared.
"I'm sorry. I need a little bit of alone time and the Room of Requirement is my favorite place to just be," Lily told them, sighing sweetly as she snuggled against James' chest.
Feeling as though his chest was about to burst, James wrapped his arms around the girl he'd been in love with since First Year. He tried to control the excitement and thrill he felt at finally being able to hold her close, but knew he didn't completely succeed when she wiggled closer, her hip brushing against his hardening cock.
"The Room of Requirement?" Peter asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. You know. The Come and Go Room," Lily said distractedly.
One look at his fellow Marauders confirmed that they had no more idea of what Lily was talking about than he did.
"You mean you guys don't know?" Lily asked, surprise evident as she looked around at them.
"When we looked for you on the map, we couldn't find you. Peter saw you appear on the seventh floor corridor, but before that, it was as if you weren't inside the castle," James told her.
Lily stared at them, mouth agape.
"You never found the Room of Requirement? The Marauders? Merlin, Alice and I found it our third year," Lily said in complete surprise.
"What is it exactly?" Remus asked, leaning forward.
"It's… well, it's the Room of Requirement. It's not always there, but it pops up when you need it. You have to pace back and forth three times in front of the wall, thinking about what you need and, voila. The room appears," Lily explained.
"Show us," Sirius insisted.
"Now?"
"Right now."
Despite the lateness of the hour, Lily led all four of them through the castle until they reached the seventh floor corridor, directly across from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet. For a long time, the four Marauders simply stood there, staring at the blank wall while Lily stood nearby, waiting.
"Well, go on, then," Lily prompted.
James stepped forward and began pacing back and forth, thinking to himself, We need a quiet place where no one can find and interrupt us. A comfortable place with books for Lily and Remus, some Quidditch gear for me and Sirius, and something to distract Peter. A big roaring fireplace with a large comfortable sofa for all of us.
James continued thinking about the room, trying to be as specific as possible so that there would be no doubt to the room's power when the door finally appeared.
As he passed the wall for the third time, a large wooden door appeared from the stone.
Undeterred, Lily strode over and opened the door, slipping silently inside. James followed right after, still uncertain about this mysterious room. He felt Sirius, Remus, and Peter behind him and all four of them stopped at the sight that greeted them.
"Wow, James. Nice work," Lily said, turning from her point in the center of the room to take in every aspect.
It was exactly what he'd asked for. One entire wall was filled with books, the shelves overflowing with literature for Remus and Lily. On the opposite side sat two broomsticks and a Quaffle, one hoop on either side of the long room. The ceiling was almost as high as the ceiling in the Great Hall, making it perfect for flying. And at the very end of the room was an exact replica of the Astronomy Tower, complete with night sky for Peter, who only seemed to do well in the star-gazing class.
Cushions were scattered across the room, pillows strewn all over the floor in front of a massive fireplace. A single couch that wrapped around a small table was the perfect setting for all five of them to sit comfortably. With a happy sigh, Lily collapsed into a pile of pillows, eyes closed in contentment.
"Very nice," Lily sighed, stretching her arms out wide.
"This is unbelievable. How did we not know about this?" Remus muttered, walking further into the room.
"Forget about that. How did Evans know about it when we didn't?" Sirius asked, looking around in a bewildered sort of wonder.
Peter, who had spotted the Astronomy supplies, darted eagerly across the room, exclaiming over the items laid out for him.
"How did you find this place, Lily?" James asked, standing over her.
"Alice and I found it by accident while looking for the girl's lavatory. We passed this way a few times before the door opened. After we left, the door disappeared, so we tried it again. It only took us a few times before we figured out the room wasn't limited to lavatories. After that, we took to coming here whenever we need a break from homework, friends, professors, and the like," Lily told him.
"And you've known about this since Third Year?" Sirius asked, flopping down beside her.
"Yep," Lily grinned smugly.
"Alright. We'll allow you this one victory, Evans, but don't let it go to your head. The Marauders still know this castle better than anyone else," Sirius told her, poking her side.
She giggled and squirmed away from his touch, agreeing "Yes, yes. You lot know it better than anyone."
"And don't you forget it," Sirius growled, tugging their girl close.
"Oh, yes. I think this room will come in very handy," Remus said, holding up something small, pink, and plastic.
"What is that?" Lily asked, laying across Sirius' chest so that her juicy bum was on display.
"This, sweetheart, is an anal plug and we will be introducing it to you very soon," Remus told her with a dark grin.
"Oh, Merlin, I can't wait for that," Sirius groaned, his hand going to cup the ass just inches from his face.
James' own trousers were feeling incredibly tight at the thought of Lily sandwiched between him and Sirius. Over the years, he and his best mate had shared a number of girls. They enjoyed taking a woman together, having her soft body pressed between their hard one, forcing her to orgasm again and again as they push and pulled her to meet their needs. On occasion, Remus would join them, though his kink tended to be slightly dark than James' and Sirius', mostly involving chains, whips, clamps, and handcuffs. So far, very few of the girls they'd dated had been open to Remus' preferred lifestyle.
James had to believe Lily would be different, otherwise Remus would draw himself from the relationship they were developing and James' little family would be torn apart.
"You better have lots and lots of lube before you even think about shoving that thing up my ass, Remus Lupin," Lily warned, though James could hear the slight hitch in her voice.
"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. I'll get you nice and ready before I start 'shoving' things up that pretty little ass of yours," Remus assured her darkly, twisting the butt plug.
Lily shivered across Sirius' lap, making them all grin knowingly.
Sirius traced the seam of her trousers, his hands rubbing along the rounded globes of her bum, squeezing experimentally.
"Can you imagine it, Evans? Once Remus gets you up to a decent size plug, we'll all be able to take you at once. Think about it. One of us in your sweet pussy, one in your tight arse, and one filling you mouth. You won't be able to move because you'll be so packed full of cock, but you won't have to. We'll rock you between us and there won't be a moment when you don't have one of us balls deep inside some part of your body. And you'll come at least twice before we even think about letting go."
Sirius' voice was dark and low as he described all the things they wanted to do to her. Lily's breathing was slow and heavy, her eyes half-lidded as she moved against Sirius' hand.
"Please," Lily whimpered prettily.
"Soon, babe. Real soon," Sirius promised.