Chapter Twelve

The Friday night of Halloween weekend found Lily and the four Marauders sitting around the Gryffindor fire doing very little. Peter and Sirius were, half-heartedly, playing a game of exploding snap on the floor. The cards seemed to sense that neither were really interested in playing and exploded more often than usual in fits of aggravation. James was laid across the couch, his head in Lily's lap, reading a Quidditch book and strategizing for the upcoming game against Ravenclaw. Remus was leaning against Lily's legs from his place on the floor, also reading, though his text was actually an article published in a wizarding journal about the effects of wolfsbane taming a werewolf during the full moon. The author, a wizard by the name of Damocles, was working on creating a potion that would help those effected by lycanthropy to maintain their humanness during the transformation.

There were very few words spoken between the four boys, something Lily was very appreciative of. She sat almost completely still, her head against the back of the couch, her eyes closed. The only movement, besides her gentle breathing, was the rhythmic movement of her hand through James' hair.

The other Gryffindors in the common room followed the Marauders example and maintained conversations in hushed tones, which is why the entire room jumped when the portrait hole slammed open and a winded Alice Prewett fell through.

"Lily!" Alice called excitedly, hurrying over to where her redheaded friend had just kicked Remus and nearly thrown James off the couch in her surprise.

"Merlin, Alice. What is it?" Lily asked, trying to calm her racing heart.

"I need you. Like, now!" Alice insisted, grabbing one of Lily's arms and dragging her off the couch.

"Oy! Where're you going with our girl?" Sirius demanded.

"None of your business, Black! I'll return her to you soon enough," Alice said over her shoulder and she pulled Lily from the common room.

"Lily, you have your mirror?" Remus asked from his spot on the floor.

Lily nodded once and promised, "I'll call if anything happens," right before Alice pushed her through the portrait hole and into the corridor.

"Merlin's beard, Alice. What's the rush?" Lily asked.

"Not here! The Room of Requirement," Alice hissed, hurrying down the hall.

Lily struggled to keep up with her overly eager friend, dodging students, ghosts, and professors alike as she followed the bobbing blond head. With the speed Alice was going, they made it to the seventh floor in record time. Pacing back and forth in front of the blank wall, Alice brought forth the room she wanted and, once more, dragged Lily behind her.

The room was small with a large bed in the center. Apprehensive, Lily followed Alice onto the bed and waited for some type of explanation. For a long time, Alice didn't say anything, just stared around the room as though curious about what it had produced. Just when Lily thought Alice had brought her to the room for no reason other than to sit in silence, she spoke.

"I asked the room for a place for us to talk. I didn't think much about what the setup would be like," Alice said.

"Well, it's cozy," Lily commented, looking around at the soft fabrics and small fireplace.

"Yeah."

Lily waited, but when Alice didn't seem intent on saying anything else, she pressed for the reason behind her strange behavior, asking why Alice had brought her to the Room of Requirement.

"I asked Frank to Hogsmeade," Alice blurted out, paling drastically.

"Oh, no, Ali. He said no?" Lily asked, surprised.

"He said yes," Alice told her, turning fearful blue eyes on Lily.

"Then what's the problem?" Lily asked, scooting closer to hug her friend.

"I don't know what to do, Lily! I really like Frank and I don't want to bugger up our first date," Alice confessed.

"Alice," Lily tisked. "You won't bugger it up. Just be yourself. I mean, the hardest part is over. He said yes. He obviously likes you."

"But what if he only likes me as a friend? What if we go on this date and he thinks I'm a complete bore?" Alice asked tearfully.

"Ali, that's crazy. You're not a bore, completely or otherwise. You're going to look absolutely stunning when you go with him tomorrow and he'll be so stunned by your beauty that he's not going to notice anything else. Trust me, Ali. I've seen the way he looks at you. That boy is one step short of falling head over heels for you. And tomorrow night, you're going to come back from Hogsmeade floating on cloud nine because it will have been the best date of your life. Everything is going to be fine, Alice. I know it will," Lily insisted.

"And if not, you'll have a pound of chocolate waiting for me and James' wireless ready to go, right?" Alice asked with a watery chuckle.

"Absolutely," Lily promised, pulling her in for a hug.

"Thanks, Lily," Alice sniffled.

"Anytime. Now, let's go back to the dormitory and pick out what you're going to wear," Lily grinned, pulling her towards the door.

"Oh, Merlin. I think I'm going to be sick," Alice moaned.

"No, no. None of that. We'll make sure you look drop-dead gorgeous and Frank won't be able to keep his hands off you the entire time," Lily vowed.

"Now I'm really going to be sick," Alice whimpered, clutching Lily's hand tightly.

"Alice!" Lily admonished.

"Lily, I've never done this sort of thing before. I'm allowed to be a little nervous," Alice said.

"Of course you are, but this is Frank we're talking about. He's the sweetest guy we know and he's not going to hurt you," Lily insisted.

"I know, I know. I'm just so bloody nervous," Alice grumbled.

"It's okay to be nervous. Just don't let it ruin your time," Lily reassured her.

"Right. Okay. Let's do this," Alice said with a determined nod.

"That's my girl. Cor leonis hic," Lily said as they reached the Fat Lady.

The portrait swung forward and the two girls walked through to find the Common Room in complete and utter chaos. Apparently, the Marauders had only been behaving themselves for Lily's benefit and, with her off with Alice, the four boys had proceeded to start the Halloween festivities early.

"Wow. Amazing, isn't it?" Alice shouted over the loud music produced from James' wireless.

"What? Their inability to behave themselves without supervision?" Lily asked, looking around the room for her boyfriends.

"No, that they actually behave themselves for you," Alice replied.

Lily didn't have to ask what she meant. The proof was right in front of her. The Marauders had given her what she needed without her having to ask: a quiet evening in front of the fire. They also seemed to know that she would be with Alice the remainder of the night and had taken that as their cue to begin celebrating the weekend.

She had to admit that while it was rather sweet that they had taken care of her, she was relieved that they would be expending most of their energy with the party. She knew they had been getting restless and a party seemed like the least violent way for them to let some of that pent up energy out.

"Come on. Let's go work on your outfit for tomorrow. I'll find them later," Lily said, leading Alice to the dormitory stairs.

She spotted her boys as she and Alice began climbing the stairs to the landing. They were obviously enjoying themselves, laughing at something one of them had said. She half hoped one of them would look up and see her, but none of them did. Chastising herself for being disappointed that they didn't see her, Lily followed Alice up the stairs to their dormitory.

Remus had to fight the urge to watch Lily as she walked with Alice through the Common Room and up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. He knew that if their eyes had met, he would have pulled her to his side and not let her leave for the rest of the night. As much as he wanted her with him, he knew that Alice needed her and that Lily needed time with her friend.

The past two months had been a hectic scramble of the four of them figuring out how to make their relationship work. He was surprised that jealousy hadn't played a bigger role in that struggle, but he, James, and Sirius had always been open and honest about their feelings for Lily. They probably talked more about her to each other than they talked to her.

It wasn't like this was the first time they had shared a girl, but it was the first time they had been committed to the same girl. It was a learning process for all of them, but Remus thought they'd been doing pretty good with Lily so far. Remus knew James and Sirius had been with her by themselves, just as he had. Nobody tried to hide it, but they also didn't sit down and compare tallies on how many times Lily had been with each of them by themselves. Trying to keep everything even would just end up driving them, and Lily, crazy.

He trusted the Marauders more than he'd ever trusted anyone. They were more than just his best friends; they were his brothers. He would die for them and he would kill for them. Anything that was in his power to give them, he would do so without a single complaint and he knew they felt the same way about him. That was why their unique relationship worked. The three of them trusted each other and they trusted Lily.

"Still with us, Moony?" Sirius asked, elbowing him sharply.

"Sorry? I was thinking," Remus said, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

"Wouldn't be thinking about that sexy little redhead that just disappeared upstairs with Alice, would you?" Sirius smirked, throwing an arm around Remus' shoulders.

"When are any of us not thinking about her?" James snorted.

"Why do we always have to talk about her? I mean, I get it. You guys are all fucking her, but bloody hell, give it a rest. Can't we have some Marauder time?" Peter grumbled darkly before downing his entire butterbeer in one go.

"Watch your fucking mouth, Peter," Sirius snarled, grabbing the shorter boy's shirt with both hands.

"You know I'm right! The three of you are so busy trying to get in her knickers all the time, we barely hang out just the four of us anymore. And now we're not even pulling pranks because of her!" Peter exclaimed angrily.

"Don't you talk about her like that!" James shouted as he moved to stand beside Sirius, his fists clenched at his side.

Peter opened his mouth, no doubt to come back with another angry retort, but Remus cut him off with a dangerously calm warning.

"I'd be careful about what you say next, Peter. Remember that all three of us are doing more than just fucking Lily, as you so indelicately put it. We own her, which means that we must protect her, even if that means protecting her from one of our best mates."

"You would ruin our friendship over a girl?" Peter sneered.

"No, but it seems that you would. Lily is a part of us now. If you can't accept that, then you can't accept us. It's your decision," Remus told him.

For a long while, Peter glared between the three of them and Remus thought he was going to walk away, break the bond that the four of them had formed when they were First Years, but eventually Peter just sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, guys. I know you care about her. I just miss the way it used to be. The four of us, just hanging out, no girls," Peter mumbled dejectedly.

Sirius let Peter's shirt slip through his fists and took a step back, but James stepped forward and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"I get it, Wormtail. We've been lousy friends and I'm sorry about that, but this thing with Lily is so… amazing. I mean, come on, Pete. I've been after the girl for five years and she's finally said yes. You have to forgive me for going a little crazy over it," James chuckled.

"I know. It's not that I don't like Lily, because I do. She's awesome, you know? I just don't want to lose the Marauders' way," Peter tried to explain.

Remus realized that just like Lily needed time alone with Alice, the Marauders needed time alone together. The excitement of the past two months had made spending time away from Lily very limited and it had obviously caused a strain in their other relationships.

"Hogsmeade tomorrow, gents. You know what that means?" Remus said with a sly grin.

"Zonko's," Sirius grinned, looking very roguish.

"We can stock up and see about putting together a prank for the Slytherins at the Halloween feast," Remus suggested, thinking it would be the perfect thing to bring the Marauders back together.

Peter looked between the three of them and Remus knew that this trip to Hogsmeade was exactly what was needed to re-strengthen their friendship.

Hopefully Lily wouldn't mind spending the day with Alice.

The morning of the first Hogsmeade trip of the year dawned on a world of white. During the night, a snowstorm had moved in and showed no sign of stopping as Lily made her way down to the Entrance Hall, a nervous Alice at her side.

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Alice asked, nervously tugging at her top.

"Stop fidgeting. You look great," Lily insisted, slapping her hands away.

Her outfit was probably a little dressier than Hogsmeade deserved, but Alice looked like a knockout in the knit brown sweater, hip-hugger jeans, and suede boots. They had left her hair down to help keep her ears warm. In the bag at her side was a pair of cream-colored gloves, a matching hat, and scarf. She also had a fitted wool coat for the walk to and from the small village. The outfit was designed to keep her warm while still showing off her curves.

"Seriously, Ali. You're going to knock him dead," Lily assured her after appraising the outfit one last time.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this. It's just Hogsmeade with Frank. No big deal," Alice told herself.

"Right. Now, just keep that in mind, but I wouldn't keep saying it," Lily grinned, noticing Frank among the mass of students ready to pile out into the snow.

She was pleased to see that he had dressed up for the occasion as well, as it would put Alice more at ease.

"Oh, Merlin, there he is," Alice whimpered, stopping in her tracks.

Lily spun around to momentarily hide Alice from view. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Lily proceeded to give her the final prep-talk.

"You can do this. You look hot as hell. He's going to be blown away and the two of you are going to have an awesome time together. Just be yourself and everything will be great."

Alice took a deep breath before giving Lily a single nod to indicate that she was ready. Lily returned her nod and turned to watch as Alice walked up to Frank. The seventh year Ravenclaw spotted Alice and Lily had to fight a giggle as his jaw actually dropped. He recovered quickly, taking Alice's hand in his and kissing her cheek. Lily watched as Frank whispered something in her ear, making Alice smile and blush. The two of them left the castle hand-in-hand, Frank's head leaning towards Alice as she chatted away.

Satisfied that her friend would be alright, Lily began looking for her boys. She didn't have to wait long before an arm slid around her waist, pulling her back into a firm chest.

"Hello there, beautiful," Sirius murmured into her neck.

"Hi," Lily sighed, tilting her head to give him greater access.

"How'd you sleep?" Sirius asked.

"Alright. I missed you guys," Lily admitted, squeezing his hands.

"We missed you," Sirius said as he turned her in his arms.

She smiled up at him, happier than she had ever thought possible to be there.

"Where are the others?" Lily asked.

"They're coming. Prongs is running a little late this morning. He's a lot happier when you're there in the morning," Sirius told her, as if it was her fault James was being slow.

"Sorry, but the four of you had disappeared by the time I came back down to the Common Room," Lily said with a small shrug.

"Did you manage to calm Alice down?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, she's good. She was worried about-" Lily started, but was cut off by the arrival of the rest of the Marauders.

"Morning, babe," James greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

Sirius released her to Remus who kissed her forehead.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Remus murmured into her hairline.

"Good morning," Lily hummed happily, nuzzling his collarbone through his shirt.

"Hey, Lily," Peter said from a few feet away, looking sheepish.

"Hi, Peter. Enjoy the party last night?" Lily asked, giving him a smile.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. It was great," Peter nodded, looking around nervously.

"Listen, babe, we were talking last night and thought it might be a good idea for you and Alice to go to Hogsmeade together. She seemed really upset last night and we thought you guys might enjoy some girl time," James said, taking her hand.

"Plus, we figure we're due for some Marauder time and we didn't think you'd want to be around for that," Sirius added.

"Oh. Sure. Right. No problem," Lily agreed brightly.

"Great. So we'll see you at dinner?" James asked, taking her hand and kissing her sweetly.

"Yeah," Lily breathed as they began walking towards the large double doors.

She watched the four of them walking away, her disappointment and satisfaction warring with each other. She was happy that the Marauders were spending time together. She understood the need to keep that connection alive and thriving. It was, without a doubt, the most important relationship to develop within Hogwarts' halls. She would never try to interfere with that, but now she was faced with spending the day by herself.

The idea of going to Hogsmeade by herself was hardly appealing, so she turned away from the entrance and walked into the Great Hall. It was largely filled with first and second years, with a few of the older students spaced throughout. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table, Lily filled a plate with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage. The younger Gryffindors stared at her, openly whispering to each other about her.

Wishing she had thought to bring a book with her, she hurriedly ate breakfast so she could disappear into the library or the Room of Requirement for a few hours. She could while away the hours with a good book and enjoy some time to herself.

With all the stares she was receiving, she failed to notice that someone from the other side of the Hall was staring at her more intently than all the others. At least, until she stood up and made to leave. She made it to the double doors at the same time as this person, but didn't look up until they had both made it out of the Great Hall.

Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see Severus. He looked the same as always. His long black hair was greasy and his clothes ill fitting. His trousers were too short and his cloak much too large. Still, looking at him brought a pang to Lily's heart and she struggled against the urge to bridge the gap between them.

They stood there, simply staring at each other, for a long time. Severus' hand twitched, whether to draw his wand or reach for her, Lily didn't know. She stood completely still, though, waiting to see what he would do.

Suddenly, seemingly without any provocation, his face hardened and he bared his teeth at her in a nasty sneer.

"Enjoying my curse, Evans?"

Completely confused, Lily barely managed to rasp out, "What?"

"My curse, Evans. Are you enjoying it?" Severus asked, a cocky tone to his voice that Lily had never heard before.

"What do you mean? What is that?" Lily asked, though she already suspected.

"Come now, Lily. You're supposed to be bright. Although, I can see how fucking Black, Potter, and Lupin would cause anyone to lose brain cells. Still, I had higher hopes for you," Severus said in mock disappointment.

"You… you were the one who cursed me?" Lily couldn't comprehend why Severus would have caused her this pain, but the satisfied look on his face was confirmation enough that he had.

"You never should have mocked me, Lily. I would have left you alone or we could have gone on as we had been, but you joined in with those idiots. I couldn't let that go," Severus told her, his tone no longer politely friendly.

"But why? Why would you curse me like this?" Lily asked desperately.

"Well, I had hoped to have you for myself. Your body would crave none but me and I would have you at my beck and call, ready for me whenever I desired you. Unfortunately, those fucking idiots got to you first. But, no matter. I haven't lost hope yet, my beautiful Lily," Severus said, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Frozen in shock, Lily could do nothing but stand there as his fingers trailed down to draw patterns on her collarbone.

"Enjoy Potter and his friends while you can, love. I have a feeling it won't last much longer."

With that final warning, Severus turned and disappeared down the stairs towards the dungeons, leaving Lily to wonder just what it was Severus had planned for her and the Marauders.