Chapter 20 The Best Dance Ever
Nobody knows it-right from the start, I gave you my heart...So don't go breakin' my heart...I won't go breakin' your heart! -Elton John "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart"
We dashed out of the Whomping Willow, my rib pain disappearing once the adrenaline began to flood through me once more. I completely forgot about everything but getting away. James pressed an almost unnoticeable knob in the tree, and the Willow's branches shuddered to a halt.
"Accio Lily's wand!" He shouted, and from somewhere in the distance my wand flew back into my hand, and I almost wept with gratitude.
"C'mon, we've got to go!" James grabbed my hand, and Severus ran behind us, panting loudly until we got to the Forbidden Forest.
"So-so you're in love now, are you?" He looked at me with utter contempt once we stopped. "You're in love with big head Potter? Don't you remember our promise, Lily? Our promise the first day he and his stupid friends bullied me? Our promise that we would never befriend them?"
I faltered. "I was eleven, Severus," I said softly. "And so were they. They've changed. I don't love him, Sev, he's my friend," I said. He looked away, pained.
"C'mon, Evans, Snape-we've got to go, come on, run!" James grabbed my hand and we took off, feet pounding. From far away, a strangled yelp could be heard, and a long, drawn-out howl.
"Sirius!" James turned around and bellowed. Two short barks answered in response-
"He's alright-keep going!"
"I'm-going to-," Snape panted, struggling to keep up with us. "-to turn you all in! Ill-illegal animagi, and-and Lupin a werewolf-"
"What did you say?" I whirled on Snape as we stopped in a clearing. "Did you just say you're going to turn them in?" I exploded with anger. "You're going to turn in James, who saved your life?"
"He did not save my life!" Severus hissed, eyes crackling with fury and looking blacker than ever. "He was in on the prank, he must've gotten cold feet-"
"You know he didn't Snape, you're a fool not to see that," I said coldly. "He saved your life, and you know it. You'll always be in his debt."
"You knew, Lily? You knew that a dangerous creature prowls on Hogwarts grounds?"
"He does not transform on the grounds of Hogwarts," James snarled. "He's under control-"
"And don't you dare refer to Remus Lupin as a dangerous creature!" I poked him in the chest, hard. "He is a person, with feelings, and morals, and that's more than I can say of the company you keep!" I snarled.
Snape turned, taking off toward the hospital, which was just visible now between a break in the trees.
"You stood up for Remus to that coward," James looked at me, shocked.
"What would you have expected I do?" I looked him in the eye. Suddenly, in full force, the pain in my ribs was back-I knew James probably wasn't much better off, and Sirius was worse, so I didn't mention anything. "Remus is my friend," I said softly. "A friend with an unfortunate problem every once in a while. And even if you occasionally hex boys who try to kiss me, and pretend to jump out windows..." I smiled hesitantly. "We're friends, too. We made a deal last summer, remember? Before all that other stuff happened. And Sirius...well, he's a goofy rebel. But I suppose if you're my friend, he is too," I ruffled his hair teasingly, almost forgetting we had a werewolf chasing us.
"We're kind of a package deal," James grinned goofily. "Unless we start dating," his grin widened and I rolled my eyes.
"I'd better go-"
"RWAAAAAAA!" A tremulous roar sounded from not far away, and James and I looked to each other in terror-
"Quick! Up that tree!" With Remus snapping at our heels we jumped up from branch to branch, with the help of magic-heart pounding and arms completely skinned from sliding along the bark, James and I finally came to sit on an unreachable branch.
"Deja vu," I murmured, panting hard and leaning my head against the tree.
"This is the second time we've been together, hiding from Remus, isn't it?" James panted, producing water out of his wand to put on our stinging arms, all of which had lost a layer of flesh from our frantic tree climbing.
"Yeah," I agreed, watching Sirius from down below, running around Remus and trying to lead him away. "I'm not going to tell him this is how I got hurt," I gestured to myself.
"Can you manage to stay up here until you can't hear us anymore? Then get back to the hospital?" James looked at me intently. "I need to help Sirius."
"Definitely," I nodded my head. "Go, now. I've got it all under control." James grinned briefly and jumped down heavily from limb to limb, hitting the ground and immediately transforming into a handsome stag. Together, he and Sirius lead Remus off into the night, and I watched until their shadows faded into the blackness of the trees.
When even their howls and barks faded, I began to climb down, body stiff and sore.
By the time I finally made it into the hospital wing, I only had time to register that Snape was lying in a bed across the room, leg propped up and wrapped with bandages before I fell, back-down on a bed.
"Lily?" Severus sat straight up. "Are you alright?"
"What's it to you?" I groaned, pulling myself up so my head was on the pillow.
"Miss Evans," I heard Dumbledore say my name, and I opened my eyes abruptly.
"Professor? D'you know what..." I trailed off.
"Yes. I know what transpired on the grounds this evening."
"It wasn't Remus's fault, Professor, I swear! He would have been out in..." I stopped myself. I suddenly realized I knew that Remus didn't transform on Hogwarts grounds, but I didn't know where, exactly. "He doesn't transform on the grounds, Professor, and it was just a joke, honestly, Sirius didn't know what he was doing, and-and no one else was in on it, and-"
"Miss Evans," he held his hands up, placating me. "I know. I know that Mr. Lupin is a werewolf and transforms in the Shrieking Shack. I have known all of this ever since your first year. Rest assured, Mr. Black will not go unpunished for this prank. He was foolish not to consider the consequences, as was Mr. Snape, venturing into a dangerous situation to prove his boldness. It is not bravery when a dangerous deed is done merely to prove something, it is only foolishness. You would do wise to remember that, especially in these dark times," he turned and looked at Severus over the tops of his half-moon spectacles.
"Professor, he's going to tell everyone that Remus is a werewolf and that the boys are animagi-"
"Miss Evans," Dumbledore calmed me for the second time. I was breathing hard and fast, but my lungs couldn't fill completely, and I realized when I tried to breath in all the way a shooting pain filled my chest.
"I have Severus's word that he will never tell a soul, and I trust him. You can rest assured that the Marauders' secret is safe," he smiled kindly at me. "Now I must let Madame Pomfrey attend to you, Miss Evans, or she will have my head. Good night to you both, Severus, I wish your leg a speedy recovery, as well as any injuries you have procured tonight, Lily." On his way out he muttered something to an anxious looking Madame Pomfrey, who obviously knew about the Marauders, as she had heard the whole thing and looked completely calm. She immediately began to attend to me-
She clucked her tongue as she had me drink a pain-numbing potion before preparing to mend my various injuries. "Three broken ribs, several rather nasty cuts-Severus with a sprained ankle-nothing at all grave. You both are lucky you didn't get worse, and I hope you learn from the experience," she looked at us sternly, waving her wand over my ribs until a warm sensation filled my chest, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
She mended my cuts with dittany in a matter of seconds, and gave both Severus and I a dreamless sleep potion to take. Then, she left promptly. I set the potion down on the table beside my bed-I didn't take it yet, I wanted some time to think.
"You shouldn't have done that," I said dully to Severus.
"I don't need a lecture, Lily," he snapped, his voice cracking. I held his gaze for a moment, looking at him and mourning the loss of my childhood friend, of whom this boy was not. At least, not anymore.
"I still want to be friends, Lily," he whispered.
"Severus, that's not possible," I said mater-of-factly. "You've chosen your path, and I've chosen mine, and they don't intersect. When are you going to realize that you can't have both me and the Death Eaters? I'm everything they stand against. I'm a muggle born, and if I were a pure blood I'd be a blood traitor. I despise dark magic. When are you going to get that through your head?"
"Never," he whispered.
"Good night, Severus," I said briskly, quickly drinking my potion and slipping off into darkness.
Severus
"I'll always love you, Lily," Severus whispered as he saw his former best friend's form go limp, and her breathing slow. She was facing the opposite direction, red curls splayed out on the pillow, but he could tell by the way her inhales and exhales were slow and regular that she was sleeping. "Always."
Lily
I opened my eyes slowly, not wanting to get out of bed. I was groggy at first, and there was white all around me-at first, I didn't realize where I was.
As the details of the night before came flooding back, I sat bolt upright in bed, all sleepiness vanishing as quickly as a wave crashing on the shore.
In the beds across from me lay a battered-looking Peter, James, Remus, and Sirius-Snape was gone.
Sirius stirred, turning over and muttering something about "Stupid mother, quit trying to convince that muggle she's a house elf, she doesn't know what you're talking about..."
James looked the worst of all-I crept out of bed, padding softly over the cold floor to where he was laying, and realized I had somehow been changed into clean clothes. My own, even-I wondered how they'd gotten down here and on me. Shrugging it off I continued over to James's side, throwing a quick look over the other boys-none of them were near as bad as James looked.
I pulled up a chair to James, staring. His back was covered in deep claw marks-I counted five. They didn't exactly look fresh, but weren't as far along the healing process as I would have liked. I wondered if they were anywhere else-
"Why the horrified face, Evans?" James twisted over to look at me, wincing.
"Don't move, if it hurts!" I said, startled, throwing out my hands.
"Nah, I can take it," he promised as he turned to face me, pulling himself into a sitting position. Years of Quidditch had put muscles on his muscle. I tried not to stare.
"What happened?" I whispered, horrified. A sick feeling was bubbling in my stomach.
"Ah, this is nothing," he grinned, trying to calm me down. He put his glasses back on his face, leaning forward so his back wouldn't touch anything but air. "When Remus scratches or bites us in our animagi form, it doesn't transfer over when we go back to ourselves. But last night Remus was mad, because we weren't letting him go after Snape, and toward the end, right in the last ten minutes before his change back, he sort of went a bit mad, and I got thrown-so I turned back to human before I could fall as a stag, you know, so I wouldn't break every bone in my body. They heavier they are, the harder they fall, they say. So anyway, I was thrown as a stag and fell as a human-and they don't call it the Forbidden Forest for nothing. I landed fine, just a bit dazed-and I had landed in some creatures nest, apparently, some little buggers called Horklumps, and they attacked me, scratching at my back and such until I could shake them off. By then Remus was human again and we managed to drag ourselves to the hospital wing," he offered a brave smile.
"Oh, James!" I exclaimed. "Poor boys..." I muttered, looking at the rest of them. Remus was extremely pale and still. Peter's arms and face, the only skin of his visible over the sheets, were completely covered in bruises. Sirius looked mostly fine other than a pink and fading gash on his cheek. James's skin was sickly looking and almost greenish, even his face.
"Are you alright?" I whispered, putting my hand on his cheek and leaning forward. He looked shocked by the gesture, but put his hand over mine.
"I am now," he grinned cheekily, and I couldn't help but smile at him goofily. "Did you get back to the castle okay? Did Snape?"
"We both did, though I think he sprained his ankle," I confided, pushing James's hair back from his forehead. Before I could take my arm back he captured my hand, lacing his fingers in mine.
I saw Peter stir, and open his eyes-he began to open his mouth, but Sirius reached over and toed him-
"Don't ruin the moment, Wormy!" He hissed in a voice he probably thought was quiet.
"I think we have an audience," I whispered, and I unlaced his fingers from mine, sad that the moment couldn't have continued. I unhappily tore my gaze away from James, and then suddenly I was grinning uncontrollably.
"I expect you all to be better soon," I raised an eyebrow at them. "Or there will be trouble. Is Remus awake?" I looked over to the last bed.
"He'll sleep through all of today," Peter shook his head. True to form, Remus did not move an inch.
"Then I'll say this now-I'm not going to tell Remus about last night. I'd already been trapped with him once in werewolf form, and he'll only feel guilty if I told him it happened again, though both times were my fault," I said firmly. "So will that little episode stay between us?" I looked each of them in the eye and they all nodded slowly.
"Alright, I better go. Get better," my eyes lingered a moment longer on James than they should have, and I turned and walked out the door.
"Blimey mate, what happened there?" I heard Sirius ask loudly before I closed the door. James muttered something in response, something I couldn't hear.
Three Weeks Later
Classes for the students of Hogwarts was slipping into more of a regularity and less quick glances at time tables for forgotten classes-September was drawing to a close, and Voldemort-related activity was reaching a peak.
"Oh, look at this," I looked on in horror at the Daily Prophet, spread out over the breakfast table. Alice, Emmy, Marlene, and Dorcas leaned over, looking at the front page, where I was pointing-
FORTY-FIVE MUGGLES SLAUGHTERED IN DUFFTOWN! DARK MARK BURNED INTO SKY OVER SHOPPING MALL...MUGGLE AUTHORITIES BLAME GANG ACTIVITY AND A FAIL IN STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS.
There was a large, moving picture of said Dark Mark flashing green across the sky, and complete pandemonium underneath-what looked to be a muggle shopping center was on fire, and they were running about everywhere, looking terrified.
"Poor muggles," I whispered, shaking my head.
"Blasted Death Eaters," Marlene muttered.
"This is why I want to become an auror," Alice said, slamming her fist down on the table.
"Same," I agreed, nodding vigorously. "I'd love to get my hands on them."
"Attention!" Dumbledore stood at the front of the hall, hands up-this was odd, he had never made a breakfast speech tomorrow-the talking and whispering in the Great Hall stilled immediately. Dumbledore looked extremely grave, and the mood was reflected in the students.
"As most of you know by now, there has been an incident in Dufftown involving the slaughter of many nameless muggles. Voldemort's followers, the Death Eaters, were involved. We are living in dark times. So dark, that sometimes it looks as if we are alone, even if we are surrounded by those who care. You only need to reach out-reach out, and stay in the light. Do not give up hope, even when it seems all hope is lost. Hope never leaves us, nor does love.
"A man turns to darkness when he convinces himself that light is blinding. This is what we all must remember-light illuminates, it does not blind. Voldemort only blinds, and turns the mind away from all that is good, and pure. If any of you are having any doubts about your loyalty, let me quell them before they rise and take you over-once in the clutches of Voldemort, very, very few are able to get out. By becoming involved with a man as evil as that, you are setting yourself up as a fly into a spiderweb. I am not oblivious to those few in Hogwarts to aspire to be Death Eaters yourselves. I wish to tell you now-for your own sake, stay on the right side. To those of whom it may seem there is only one option, that you have no choice but evil-there is always a choice. It is not always choosing between merely light and dark. Rarely is it that easy. But fighting for love, and not for hate-life, and not for ending life on man's terms-you will never go wrong.
"To those who admire the dark arts, who look up to those who practice them-I beg of you to take a closer look at the life you are choosing. The whisper of darkness convinces you that you are above everyone, that you and people like you are superior. The grip of power is strong, and never releases its hold, should you be tempted. To those who are tempted, plagued by daydreams of darkness, remember-no one person is pure dark, nor pure light. Voldemort was not always the man he is. Even if the good in someone is so buried, so completely hidden in you, it is never unreachable. There is hope for every single person in this room, no matter how far you believe yourself to be gone. Together, the temptation of power and the mind set that you are above everyone and everything...together, this deadly combination can darken hearts and corrupt minds. I implore each and every one of you to look for the good in each of you-no one person is all bad, just as no one person is all good. A person does not become who they are by who they start out as-they get there by their choices. To all of you-remember, the night is always darkest just before dawn. On this note, enjoy your breakfasts," he smiled, but he had never looked more serious.
I looked to Dorcas, who sat across from me-she was looking back at me, wide eyed. Quiet Doe didn't look it, nor would she ever admit it, but she was a tornado, a force to be reckoned with when something she believed in was being torn down, or one of her loved ones were hurt...she picked her battles, but when she did, she was fierce. She had gotten Sirius to pull himself together, stop laughing and sincerely apologize, down on one knee, to the girl who he'd been making fun of. Incidentally, that girl was Alice, and we were in first year. Emmy, Marlene and I had been elsewhere, but we'd heard about it so many times it felt as though we'd experienced it. If someone told me she'd taken down Voldemort, I wouldn't doubt it.
"Too much homework," I groaned, head in hands as someone jumped down beside me on the couch of the Gryffindor common room.
"Skive off the homework and come pull a prank with us Marauders!" James answered.
"I don't understand how you boys are top of the year-along with Dorcas and I, of course-and yet you don't even study. How is that possible?"
James shrugged. "Osmosis? We sleep near our text books." I looked at him oddly, wondering how he knew the muggle concept.
I stared into the flames, mind pretty much fried from reading over two hundred pages of my ancient runes textbook in one sitting.
"What's with all the studying, anyway?"
"There's this thing called NEWTS, James, and it's no big deal, really-just determines wether or not we graduate and what sort of career we get," I said sarcastically, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"And how long have you been studying, exactly?"
"Four-no, five hours." James's eyes bugged out.
"Alright, come with me!" He pulled me up from the couch, and I began to receive glares from some of the female members of his fan club in the corner of the room-he didn't seem to notice. His eyes sparkled and danced, reflecting the flickering flames in the fireplace.
"James, I've got to keep reading!" I protested, looking up at him.
"Lily, look me in the eyes and tell me honestly you can recall a thing you read on the last page. You can't be absorbing any more over information after five hours."
I scrunched up my eyes, trying to think as he lead me toward the portrait hole.
"Fine, but just a quick walk," I sighed. "Wait-what time is it?"
"Nine-thirty," he said nonchalantly.
"It's after curfew!" I protested again, but made no move to stop as we ducked out into the hallway, softly lit by torches lining the walls.
"Oh, come on," he rolled his eyes, still tugging at my hand. "Break some rules, Lily," he grinned.
"I do break rules sometimes!" I protested.
"Oh yeah? Name a time!"
"After every Quidditch game I go on Alice's broom and fly up to our dorm, going in through the roof window!" I said proudly.
"Oh Evans, you are a rebel," he said sarcastically, smirking and rolling his eyes. "Want to know what I've done? Become an illegal animagus, skived off one of five classes since first year-"
"One of five?" I spluttered.
"Kidding, kidding," he laughed. Then, "Not really," under his breath.
"Oh!" I jumped about a mile in the air, both hands flying to my face-
"What?" He jumped back, startled.
"I've got to tell you about this-erm, dream I had. You were in it-now don't get a big head, James," I added quickly. "Have you heard of Daivat Frobisher?"
"Yeah, mum and dad used to tell me stories about that bloke."
"Okay, well, here was the dream. So...we were all in Greece, right?" I paused, and he nodded. "Dumbledore sent for me, and told me about this prophecy how I was the only one able to stop this mass murder of Voldemort, for whatever reason. So I had to leave and become someone else-like my appearance was totally changed, and such-and I pretended to become a Death Eater. And it was horrible, James. A year later, I stopped him from killing all those people, and-James, are you alright?" I looked at him. His face was looking quite pale.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine-go on," he prodded, eyebrow furrowed.
"Alright...so anyway, I stopped him and we dueled, and he almost killed me-I would have died, but I went to Dumbledore. He had a cure for me, but it would take two whole years for me to sleep it off. So I did that, and I woke up as a twenty-year old. Then he..." I continued to tell him all through the story, and his eyes got wider and his face got paler. He evaded several attempts of mine to ask him what was wrong. True to what Dumbledore said, I had to stop every once in a while and concentrate very, very hard to remember certain details. I was almost sure I had forgotten some. "Of course, it was all just a dream," I added hurriedly at the end. "Now, what is the matter?" I stopped him, grabbing his arms.
"Lily," he whispered hoarsely. "I had that exact dream. And-and that necklace you've been wearing, I made that for you out of-out of the locket, and-and we shrunk the helicopter-how did you-how did you-Lily, what's going on?" I stared at him, completely speechless. I had thought James was supposed to possess no recollection whatsoever of the adventure we'd taken together!
"James, what was your dream?" I whispered. "Was it-did it start at-"
"Diagon Alley," he gasped. "With that scarf over your face. But you told me about you becoming a fake Death Eater that day. Evans, are you messing with me? Did you somehow make me have that dream?" He looked at me suspiciously. "And why-and how-did you recreate that necklace from the dream?" He pointed to the chain around my neck. "Does it have something to do with the days you disappeared over the summer?"
"I didn't make you have the dream. And I didn't recreate the necklace. When I-when I came back from the disappearance, I was wearing it. Remember?" I said. "I honestly don't know where I was those two days," I lied.
"What if the dreams were real?" He grinned widely.
"They're not!" I protested quickly.
"How do you know?" He smiled cheekily, bending down to meet me at eye level.
"Because it's perfectly ridiculous, James," I rolled my eyes, trying to sound casual. "Davait Fra-Fri-"
"Frobisher," James supplied.
"Yeah. He isn't real," I protested.
"Hey, wait a second-" his eyes lit up. "You kissed me, didn't you Lily?"
"I most certainly did not!" My eyes widened and heat flushed into my cheeks.
"Ah, but you did! I seem to recall-"
"That you kissed me the first time? And the second time?"
"Ah, ah, ah," James wagged his finger playfully. "You kissed back!"
"That-that's the natural response to being kissed!" I protested, stumbling over my words.
"So if Sirius Black laid one on you, right now, you're saying you'd kiss him back?" I stood with my mouth working soundlessly.
"Well-I-," I said, flustered. "No, but-"
"Ha!" He exclaimed loudly, jumping upright.
"James, it was a bloody dream!" I hissed, grabbing his arm to quiet him, but he was already jumping around, doing some bizarre form of the happy dance.
"James!" I tried to grab his arms and pin them to his sides, but instead he pulled me to him, put his arm on my waist and hoisted my own up on his shoulder-he grabbed my other hand, and began to gallop with me down the hall, singing loudly-
"Lily loves me yes she does, yes she does, yes she does-"
"James!" I squealed through my giggling as we turned, half-galloping, half- sashaying together down the next hallway. "J-James, someone is going to hear us!" He looked at me with a wild grin, eyes wide open in pure happiness. We continued to practically fly through the air, and James sang so loud, and I laughed so hard that I was surprised we didn't wake the whole castle up. I finally let myself slip and enjoy myself, and stopped trying to stop James.
He sang at the top of his lungs, and finally we turned back, and stopped in front of the Fat Lady-we stopped dancing and I tackled James into a hug, both of us panting and laughing, high on happiness.
We stood there like that for a while, his arms around me and mine around him, until our ragged breathing slowed. James lifted his head of my shoulder and looked down at me, grinning.
"That was the best dance ever," he said, eyes twinkling.
"It sure was," I smiled, lifting my face to meet his. Our lips met, and-
"Ahem!" Came a cough from the portrait. We broke away, startled, assuming it was the Fat Lady-
"Sirius Black, you stupid git, you ruined the moment!" Marlene yelled, pounding her fists on Sirius's back.
"Finally!" Peter Pettigrew shrieked, and Dorcas, Emmy, Alice, Remus, and Frank Longbottom stood at the doorway, and all of the other Gryffindors in the common room stood out behind them, wide eyed and smiling. Even the girls from James's fan club looked grudgingly accepting, though we were sent more than one murderous glare. But I didn't care at all-all I could do was smile at James.
"Nah, it's alright," James pulled his sweatshirt over to shield our faces and we kissed again, sweeter and longer, lips moving together as I tangled my fingers in his hair, his arm that wasn't holding the sweater around my waist. Happiness bubbled up inside me, filling me completely-I almost started crying with joy when everyone watching us burst out into applause, cheering and wolf whistling when we broke away. I buried my face into James's chest, pulling him against me tightly.
"How'd you know we were out here?" James asked, rubbing my back.
"Mate, I'm surprised that the whole school didn't know you two were out here," Sirius rolled his eyes, smiling. "And can I say-finally!" If it was even possible, I grinned some more, and James pulled me into another kiss, and I stood on my toes to reach him.
We finally walked down back into the common room, arms still around each other.
As cliché as it sounded, I felt like I could fly-James Potter was by my side, and I could never be safer, happier, or more content.
When we had come to Hogwarts and people had seen James and I as friends, they'd been shocked and amazed, and now, mere weeks later, they were seeing us kiss. Some would think it was just the calm in the storm...but they were wrong. The storm had come to an end a long, long while ago.
A/N Come on guys, it's not a blood sacrifice I'm asking for. Please review, I've been a little lacking in feedback lately:D Thanks!