Chapter Eight

Maybe it was the fact that their promises kept swirling around inside her head. Maybe it was because her menstrual cycle had just ended and she'd been deprived for over a week. Or maybe it was that none of her three guys had dismissed her simply because they couldn't have sex.

Lily's period had always been a difficult time for her. The mild cramps and bloating her friends endured with minimal pause to their daily life seemed heavenly to Lily who often was bedridden for the first two or three days of her cycle. Before the curse, Madam Pomfrey had been able to reduce her symptoms with a strong potion, but taking the potion would counter the effects of her "lust potion", as she had taken to calling it.

She had been only mildly surprised to find Remus at her bedside when she failed to show up for classes the first day of her cycle, his lovely face creased in worry as he looked down on her.

"How did you get up here?" Lily had asked groggily.

"Froze the stairs. What's wrong?"

She was glad it had been Remus to come find her as she wasn't sure James or Sirius would have understood about the female reproductive system and that really wasn't a conversation she wanted to have while bleeding from her vagina. Thankfully, Remus had caught on after a simple "It's my time of the month."

After that, he'd disappeared for half an hour before returning with a compress that stayed hot, a veritable mountain of chocolate, Muggle pain relievers (which were safe to take with her lust potion), and a number of fiction books from the library to keep her entertained.

The first day and a half she hadn't wanted any of them near here, but they had badgered her until she agreed to set the mirror up on her bedside table so that they could check in on her. By lunchtime on Thursday, the second day of her torture, she had managed to crawl out of her bed, stumble down the stairs, and climb up to flop into Sirius' bed, the one closest to the door.

Unfortunately, she'd forgotten her mirror in her room. Fortunately, James had taken the map with them to class. When she hadn't answered their call through the mirror, James had pulled out the map and found her dot in their dormitory. They had joined her not ten minutes later, laden down with food delicious enough to tempt her away from the chocolate and painkiller diet she'd been on the day prior.

The beds weren't really made for four people, but by pushing Remus and James' beds against Sirius', they created one massive bed for all of them to spread out on. Lily, of course, was in the middle, bundled up in Sirius' comforter. They had stayed with her the rest of the day, skipping out on their afternoon classes to keep her company.

The following day, she had returned to classes and her guys had been extremely affectionate as they accompanied her around the school. Instead of throwing his arm around her shoulders like usual, Sirius had taken her hand and laced their fingers together as they walked to Charms. James had sat behind her in Transfiguration, his fingers almost constantly combing through her hair while the rest of the class looked on in curious wonder. Even Remus, her rough and tumble guy, was sweetly tender as he settled her on his lap late that evening, sharing his Herbology book with her. They had ended every evening with Lily snuggled between the three of them with Alice and Peter sitting nearby, talking or simply enjoying each other's company.

It had felt good to know that even if she couldn't have sex with them that they were still willing to stick around.

But now she was in desperate need, the kind she hadn't felt since before she became involved with the three Marauders.

The problem was, they were all busy.

Sirius was serving detention for hexing Malfoy in the corridors, Remus was recovering from a rather nasty full moon in the Hospital Wing, and James was at Quidditch practice, which is why she found herself huddling under her thickest cloak in the Quidditch pitch at eight o'clock at night.

She had never really picked up much on Quidditch before becoming involved with the Marauders. Sure, she would attend matched and cheer on the Gryffindor team, but she'd never really understood the game until Sirius and James had discovered her severe lack of education on the subject.

Now, she felt like a veritable expert as she watched the seven starters fly around the pitch, preparing for the upcoming game against Ravenclaw. The reserve team hovered beneath, playing a much more mundane version of the game going on over their heads.

Of course, Lily was paying very little attention to anyone but James. Her body was practically humming with anticipation of when he would call practice. She couldn't deny how incredibly sexy she found his Quidditch uniform to be and she'd spent all of practice imagining how exactly she would get him out of it.

The images flashing through her head sent another rush of liquid between her thighs, further dampening her already soaked underwear. She moaned and crossed her legs tighter, anything to relieve the ache building inside her. If James didn't call practice soon, she was liable to do something drastic.

"Alright, team. Good work! Those Ravenclaws don't stand a chance!" James shouted as the team gathered together in the middle of the pitch.

Lily tuned out his post-practice speech as she waited for him to spot her.

She grinned when his fellow Chaser, Dorcas Meadows pointed her out to James when he made to leave the pitch with the rest of the team. The moonlight reflected off his glasses as he turned to find her and, even as far away as she was, she could see the smirk playing about his lips.

He remounted his broom and kicked off, flying straight for her as the team headed towards the locker rooms.

"'lo there, Lily. You could have told me you were coming," James said as he hovered in front of her.

"I didn't know I would be coming," Lily told him, trying to focus on their conversation and not the way his uniform clung to his chest.

"What made you decide to come?" James asked, leaning lazily forward.

Lily had to swallow against the dryness in her throat before she could even consider answering.

"I, uh… I need…" Lily stuttered breathlessly.

James' smirked widened as he inched his broom forward slowly.

"I know what you need," James murmured, holding out a hand for her.

Relieved, Lily grasped his wrist and allowed him to pull her up in front of him. Feeling the heat of his body against hers was like lighting a match and Lily was instantly on fire for him. As he attempted to navigate back to the ground, Lily twisted so that she could dig her fingers in his hair, her lips frantically seeking his.

Their tongues dueled as James stopped their decent to wrap his arms securely around her waist, drawing her closer to his body. She could feel the hard length of his arousal, pressing against her hip and causing her to writhe in wanton need. One of James' hands slipped down past her skirt to begin trailing back up her leg.

"Spread your legs a bit, babe," James rasped desperately as she suckled the sensitive spot beneath his ear.

She cried out as his fingers pressed against her swollen clit through her thin cotton panties. He groaned when he felt just how wet she was for him, his fingers tugging at the elastic to meet her flesh.

"Face me," James demanded, his hands gripping her hip as he swung her leg over so that she was straddling him.

"James," Lily whimpered, now feeling his hard cock exactly where she needed him.

"I need to get us down," James said, his breath choppy.

"Hurry," Lily pleaded, wrapping her body around his.

She couldn't stop kissing him, even as he very shakily brought them down on the pitch. Her teeth nibbled along his neck, her tongue licked at his jawline, her lips fastened to his as he carried her towards the locker room.

"They better have shoved off," James muttered as he shouldered his way through the door.

They were lucky. The team had already gone up to the castle, no doubt anxious for their beds after a hard practice.

Before she could so much as glimpse the inside of the locker room, James had her pinned against the wall, his hands suddenly everywhere. They were tugging as her underwear, slipping beneath her shirt, grasping her breast, scratching down the length of her spine, tangled in her hair and she burned for more.

"Oh, Merlin, James, hurry," Lily practically sobbed, her arousal almost to the point of pain.

"I wanted… bloody hell… our first time to be… Merlin… softer, but I just don't think… right there… I can stop," James said as she continued her assault on every piece of available skin.

"I don't want soft," Lily insisted, practically tearing his trousers in her rush to get to what she really wanted.

James groaned as she revealed his hard cock, the tip glistening with pre-cum and the whole thing practically touching his stomach he was so aroused. Lily wrapped her fingers around his length, pumping a few times to spread the pre-cum down the base. James hissed as her short nails dragged across his sensitive skin.

"Put me in," James growled before slamming his lips against hers.

She positioned him at her entrance as he devoured her, his teeth biting at her lips before his tongue soothed the sting with gentle licks. As soon as his cockhead was in position, he simultaneously dropped her and thrust up. The result was a powerfully swift invasion that made her scream in the sweetest sort of agony.

"Oh, God," Lily cried, unable to do anything but hold on as he began pistoning in and out of her soaked cunt.

She knew she wouldn't last long. She'd been too aroused for too long and the rasp of his cock inside of her was quickly sending her over the edge.

"Oh, Merlin, I'm coming," James groaned and she felt the first twitch deep inside.

That was all it took and she went off like a rocket, sobbing incoherently as the most powerful orgasm she'd ever felt crashed over her with all the force of a hurricane. She was helpless to do anything but hug herself tightly to him as James filled her to the brim, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"Never… Merlin, but it's never been like that," James whispered, his lips pressed against her damp skin.

Silently, Lily agreed with him.

"You're so bloody perfect, Lily," James sighed, leaning back to look at her fully.

"You're not so bad yourself," Lily smiled sleepily, her fingers brushing through his windswept hair.

James touched his head to hers, his hazel eyes infinitely deep as they held her emerald gaze, and vowed, "I'm never giving you up."

Tears in her eyes, Lily choked back, "I don't want you to."

Their kiss this time was much more tender, as if it were the first time. His hands were gentle as they smoothed over her wrinkled shirt to settle on her waist. It was sweet and gentle and made her toes curl with the simplicity of it all. This was what she wanted, this moment where there was no urgency, no rampant desire, no insistent urge demanding she fulfill the need placed upon her by a random curse.

"Wash my back?" James asked when they pulled apart.

"Only if you wash mine," Lily teased.

"Deal."

Lily let her feet find the floor, shivering as she felt their mixed fluids shift inside her. James helped her undress and grinned when she returned the favor.

They washed in silence, sharing the soap, shampoo, and rag. It wasn't until they were dressed and James had finished vigorously rubbing both her and her hair dry that he spoke.

"I love you, Lily."

It felt as though all of her insides had turned upside down at his tender words and Lily struggled to breathe as she faced him. He was smiling softly down at her, wrapping a strand of her hair around his pointer finger.

"I think… I love you, too," Lily admitted.

"But?" James asked, watching her closely.

"But I think I love Remus and Sirius, too," Lily whispered, as though speaking the words quietly might lessen the blow.

To her surprise, James practically beamed down at her.

"I knew you were perfect."

"How can you say that? It wasn't… I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you guys," Lily said furiously.

"Honestly, Lily. And they say you're the smartest witch in our year. Do you honestly think we went into this with any intention of ever letting you go?" James scoffed.

"Then… it isn't just you?" Lily asked, trying not to show how hopeful she was.

"Of course not, you daft girl," James chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers. "I have it under the best authority that my mates are just as mad about you as I am."

"You all must be mad. I don't see how this is going to work long term. And what about when the curse is broken and I'm not this… this wanton sex craved harpy anymore? What then? Will the lot of you just up and leave because Evans isn't such an easy lay?"

Lily hadn't realize how nervous she was about that very real possibility until that very moment.

"That's ridiculous. Lily, I've been chasing you for six bloody years. Honestly, if the curse was broken tomorrow, I wouldn't give a rat's arse and neither would Remus or Sirius. Well, Sirius might care a bit, but it's you we want, Lily. Not the curse," James said fiercely.

"It just drives me mad. If it weren't for the curse, none of this would have happened," Lily groaned, thunking her head against his chest.

"Which is why I'm so bloody grateful it did happen," James sighed, holding her tight.

"What? How can you say that?" Lily demanded, trying to break his hold.

"Hush. I don't like the fact that this curse has power over you, but Merlin, Lily. Do you honestly think I'm going to be upset that I've finally got you? That I can finally hold you close and tell you all the things I've been dying to say since third year when I realized just how crazy I was about you? Granted, I wish it hadn't been a curse that sent you my way, but I'll not apologize for being glad that it did," James said.

She continued to glare up at him, not entirely convinced that she should like or agree with what he was saying. When he refused to release her, though, she had little choice but to lay her head back against his chest and accept it.

"Come on. Let's get back to the castle before Moony and Padfoot send out a search party for us," James insisted, taking her hand in his much rougher one.

"Wouldn't they just check the map?" Lily asked with a small smile as he led her outside the locker room.

"Moony might, but Padfoot tends not to always think things through before he acts. If we aren't careful, we're liable to find Wormtail scurrying around under our feet," James teased, pulling her along.

"Just so long as he waits until after we're dressed before showing up," Lily huffed.

James shot her a sideways glance, a mischievous grin on his handsome face.

"No guarantees, babe. He is a Marauder, after all."

It was bound to happen, she supposed. It wasn't like they were keeping the curse, or the fact that she was dating three of the four Marauders, a secret. Still, it surprised her when, after Advanced Potions Friday afternoon, while she and Alice were making their way through the corridors to meet the guys for dinner, a group of Slytherin fifth years caught up with them.

"Hey, Evans. Fancy a little trip into the broom cupboard?" asked a rather portly boy with dirty blond hair and a flat, piggish nose.

"Yeah, we don't mind sharing, either. Do we lads?" sneered a tall, lanky boy of African descent.

"Not at all. Come on, then, Evans. We'll even give your friend a nice shag," a brute of a redhead smirked, reaching out to grab Lily's arm.

"No, thank you," Lily snapped, jerking away from his offending arm.

"Come off it, Evans. We all know you would take it any way you can," the first boy chortled.

"She said no," Alice said, linking her arm through Lily's as they tried to get away.

"No need to get huffy. We said we'd shag you as well. Come, then, love. Give us a kiss," the redhead insisted, grabbing Alice and pulling her away from Lily.

Before she could reach for her wand, the second boy had her pressed against the wall, his lips viciously sucking hers. One of his hands kept hers captured while the other moved up to grope her breast. Lily winced, knowing his firm grip was bound to leave bruises on her incredibly pale skin.

The curse tried to take over, recognizing the hard length pressed against Lily's stomach instantly and her body began to respond in kind. Her mind, however, rebelled, insisting that it wasn't one of her guys and so she wasn't going to let him take advantage of her.

As her body and mind fought each other, she could hear Alice struggling with the other two in the background. The sounds seem to come from a very long tunnel, not quite making sense to her dizzied senses.

She didn't fight the boy holding her off, but neither did she respond, so wrapped up in her own internal battle that she doubted she would be able to move on her own. She stood there, rigid with a mix of fear, desire, and indecision. More than anything, she wanted someone to come by and get the slimy git off of her.

"Oy! What's going on here?"

The boy holding her didn't so much as pause his assault, but Lily was pulled enough out of the curse's hold to listen as the other boys responded.

"We're just having a bit of fun. Run along now."

"Let her go," the new voice demanded, sounding harsher than anything Lily had heard before.

"I don't think so. You can find your own-" the boy who was talking abruptly stopped and she heard Alice sob after two thuds.

The boy holding her stopped his assault to see what had happened to his mates, giving Lily enough breathing room to gain further control over her body. With all her mental strength, Lily forced herself to knee the bastard in the groin, effectively dropping him.

"Nicely done, Evans."

Lily looked up to see Frank Longbottom, a Seventh Year Ravenclaw, helping Alice to her feet.

"Thanks. You okay, Ali?" Lily asked, panting against the curse's hold.

Alice nodded, clinging tightly to Frank as she tried to regain her footing. Lily noticed that the first few buttons of her shirt were undone, a few of them missing, and her hair was wilder than anything Lily had ever seen.

"I'm alright. Do you need a p-potion?" Alice asked, visibly trembling.

Lily closed her eyes and nodded. She heard the sound of Alice fumbling with her bag and felt so incredibly guilty. Alice had just been attacked by two guys and she was having to help Lily instead of being helped herself. Fighting against frustrated tears, Lily pushed herself away from the wall and moved to take Alice's bag from her.

Or, at least, she had intended to. Instead, she found Frank rummaging through Alice's bag, searching for the potion Lily needed to counteract the curse's effects.

"This it?" he asked, holding out the small vial.

"Yeah," Lily croaked, taking it from him and downing the potion.

Frank watched her for a while as he continued to support Alice.

"Good?" Frank asked.

"Good. Thanks," Lily whispered.

"Let's get you guys to the Hospital Wing," Frank said, bending over to lift Alice into his arms. "Can you walk?"

Lily nodded and mindlessly followed Frank, all the while cursing herself for not anticipating the attack sooner.

"It's not your fault, you know," Frank said as they climbed the stairs out of the dungeon.

"I should have known it was going to happen," Lily argued.

"You can't anticipate the actions of others. Just because you have a curse doesn't mean you shouldn't feel just as safe as the rest of us walking down these halls," Frank insisted angrily.

Lily didn't know what to say other than, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Anybody seen Lily or Alice?" Remus asked, looking up and down the Gryffindor table.

They usually met the girls right after Potions for dinner, but dinner had started an hour ago and neither had shown up yet.

"They're not still on Amortentia, are they?" James asked worriedly, knowing how the potion had affected her.

"No. They've moved on to Draught of the Living Death," Remus said, having gone over the finer points of the potion with Lily just last night.

"She and Alice are probably just chatting up Slughorn for the next Slug Club meeting," Sirius said, though he too glanced anxiously at the door.

"Er, why not just check the map?" Peter suggested, frowning curiously at his best mates.

The three looked at him briefly, as though stunned at his logic, before James produced the map. Remus leaned closer to help search for the dot, anxiety churning in his gut when he saw the Potions classroom and surrounding area deserted.

"Where is she?" James muttered as they traced the path she would have taken to the Great Hall.

They intersected her and Alice's dot at the turn off for the Hospital Wing. Remus tried to ignore the way his heart sputtered and enforced logic on his overactive imagination.

"Alice probably had a problem with her potion," Remus insisted.

"What's Longbottom doing with them, then?" Sirius asked, frowning angrily at the old boy's dot.

"Maybe he was in the Hospital Wing and is just walking with them," Remus offered, though he didn't entirely believe it himself.

"Come of it, Moony," Sirius said.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Lily will tell us what happened when she gets here," Remus insisted, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Longbottom had better've kept his hands to himself," Sirius grumbled, falling back into his seat.

"If he's touching up on anyone, it'll have been Alice," James said, knowing the Ravenclaw had been watching Alice for quite some time.

"Good. Let's make sure he keeps it that way, yeah?" Sirius snapped just as the object of their conversation entered the Great Hall.

"Bloody hell," Remus groaned, jumping to his feet.

James and Sirius were quick to rise as well when they saw Lily's decidedly rumpled appearance and Alice's even worse disorderly uniform. Frank stood on one side of Alice while Lily flanked her on the other. Lily kept shooting nervous looks over at the Slytherin table, but Alice seemed determined to avoid looking that way at all costs. Frank met Remus' gaze and gave an imperceptible nod known and understood by men everywhere. Frank had stepped in to fulfill a role none of the Marauders had known was needed.

Lily hadn't called them.

"Evening," Lily mumbled, kissing Remus briefly before moving to greet James and Sirius in a similar manner.

"All right, Frank?" Remus asked, shaking the older boy's hand.

"All right. Mind if I join you lot for supper?" Frank asked, helping Alice into her seat.

"Not at all," Sirius agreed with a grin that showed a little too much teeth.

"What happened, Lily?" James asked, jumping right in.

"Can we talk about it later?" Lily asked, fidgeting nervously.

Remus met James' gaze over top of her head before they both looked towards Sirius who was too busy glowering at Frank to notice.

Leaning close to make sure no one else could hear, Remus whispered in Lily's ear, "You're all right?"

Lily nodded quickly, but Remus saw the tears shimmering in her eyes as she refused to look at him.

Understanding that she just needed some time, Remus wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. He would be patient and wait for her to tell him what had happened.

Then he would spank her ass for not calling them.