Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 31: Return

Lily was startled by the sound of the bell. She picked her head up and saw the rest of her year leaving the classroom. She quickly gathered her things and joined the crowd.

The teachers had been gone for just about a week now. They had left lesson plans for the substitutes, but the new professors were still having difficulty. The classes were so big that many people just talked to their friends all class without the teacher noticing. Since there were only four teachers, four of the years would have class at once – the other three would have free periods. Then those three years (fifth, sixth, and seventh) would have class and the rest would have free time, and one teacher would get a break.

Lily had been having trouble sleeping. She kept imagining Dumbledore being killed or the teachers finding James' mangled body. She had woken up screaming more than once and her friends were getting even more worried. She wouldn't tell them where she had gone, what had happened to her there, or where James was. Remus had also realized that she must know where the teachers had gone and the group began asking her about that too. Lily began trying to avoid them and it wasn't hard with so many people in one class. During free periods she would walk around by herself or find someone from another house to talk to.

However, whether she was surrounded by people or not, she felt completely alone. It wasn't all because of James. She would walk by and see Miranda, Megan, and Tina laughing with each other. Sometimes Lily would see Gina there too. It made her wish nothing had ever happened between them when she remembered the good times they had had. Then she would pass by her own friends and notice the absence. It wasn't the same without Andrea. She knew everyone else felt it too, especially Sirius. It was even harder for him than the others since now his best friend was gone somewhere too and he had no idea where.

As Lily was walking from Charms her bag suddenly split open. She let out a frustrated groan and knelt down to pick it up.

"Need some help there, Evans?" asked Sirius, coming to a stop beside her. They were on better terms ever since Lily had come back from the mission – she'd needed someone to turn to, to cope with Andrea's death. He hadn't gotten over it yet either so they helped each other. They were still on a last name basis though, more or less, but in a friendly way. The only Marauder Lily wasn't close to at all now was Peter. Not to say she didn't like him; he was fine enough, she just wasn't particularly close with him.

"No, it's fine, I'll just be a minute," Lily said. Sirius shrugged and kept walking, but stopped at the opening of another corridor.

"What do you think's going on over there?" he said, gesturing at the hall. Lily repaired her bag and shrugged it onto her shoulder, coming up to him.

"Where?" she asked. Then she saw a small group heading in the direction of the hospital wing.

"Hey, that's McGonagall!" exclaimed Sirius in a whisper when she turned around. He and Lily ducked behind the wall to avoid being seen by their Transfiguration professor.

"I guess they're back," said Lily thoughtfully as the group headed into the hospital wing. The doors closed and they heard murmurs coming from the room.

"Come on!" said Sirius and led Lily to the door. They pressed their ears up against it, trying to hear what was going on.

"…doesn't look good," they could hear Madam Pomfrey saying. "But I'll do my best. As for the rest, they'll be fine. I can fix them up in a jiffy and all they'll need is a good rest. However, if I can do nothing for him, we will have to send him to St. Mungo's."

"Thank you, Poppy," came a woman's voice. Lily didn't recognize it but Sirius obviously did.

"That's James' mom!" he whispered. Lily's body suddenly felt like it was filled with ice. They had found James.

She felt a tugging on her arm.

"Let's go," Sirius said. "They're coming." Sure enough, just when they turned the corner again they saw the doors open and Dumbledore come out. He was followed by McGonagall, Mrs. Potter, and the other Hogwarts teachers.

"I'm sorry, Julia," McGonagall said, putting a hand on Mrs. Potter's shoulder.

"Albus…she'll be able to help him, won't she?" James' mom asked Dumbledore sorrowfully.

"If she can't, the healers at St. Mungo's will. I'm sure he will be fine," Dumbledore replied, but he sounded worried. "I'm afraid we can do nothing until Poppy examines him."

"But why did he collapse like that? Right when we got to the Hogwarts grounds?"

"It must have been too much for him," said McGonagall. "I cannot even imagine what that poor boy has endured."

"Let us have a cup of tea in my office," Dumbledore offered. He, McGonagall, and Mrs. Potter all headed off down a corridor while the rest of the group went the other way.

Lily and Sirius exchanged glances and ran into the now empty hospital wing. Well, not completely empty. There were several aurors and teachers lying on beds, all asleep. At the far end of the room, there was a bed surrounded by curtains.

Lily and Sirius rushed over. What they saw horrified them.

James was lying on the bed, his hair dirty and messy. Mud and numerous cuts covered his face and neck. His eyes were closed and they could barely see his chest rising and falling.

"James," Lily whispered. "What did they do to you?" Sirius stood over his best friend solemnly. Then he turned to Lily.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Don't you hate him? You know, him being an 'arrogant prat' and all?"

Lily shook her head and put her hand over James'. Sirius furrowed his brows but said nothing and looked back at James.

"What happened to him?" he said softly.

"Death Eaters," Lily whispered and Sirius' eyes widened. Before he could say anything though, a noise came from the room on the other side of the hospital. Madam Pomfrey emerged carrying a bottle with a purplish liquid inside.

"Ms. Evans! Mr. Black!" she exclaimed in shock. She looked from them to James, then back at them again. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"We wanted –" Lily began but was cut off.

"Never mind, just go! You shouldn't be here!" Madam Pomfrey bustled over and shuffled Lily and Sirius away from James' bed. "Out!" she ordered and closed the curtains in their face.

The pair walked quietly out. Then Sirius suddenly perked up.

"Hang on," he said excitedly.

"What?" asked Lily without interest.

"Accio Cloak!" Sirius pointed his wand at the general direction of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Sirius, what are you –" Lily stopped, mid-sentence, by a whizzing sound. Before she knew what was happening, something flew by her, straight into Sirius' hands.

"Invisibility Cloak," he explained grinning.

"What?"

"Come on, get under." Lily did as she was told.

"Where did you get an Invisibility Cloak?" she demanded.

"It's a friend's. Let's go."

"It's James', isn't it?"

Sirius made no reply and started leading them to the hospital wing. They had left the door open on their way out and Madam Pomfrey was coming over to close it. They barely made it inside before the hospital wing was locked.

"She really can't see us?" Lily whispered as the nurse walked away.

"Nope," Sirius said. "It's not soundproof though, so be quiet." They made their way over to James' bed, where Madam Pomfrey was leaning over him. They could see that she had already washed the dirt off of his face. She poured some of the purple liquid onto a white cloth and began to wipe the cuts with it.

'Disinfectant,' Lily thought.

When she was done with his face and neck, Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and James' clothes were replaced by sweatpants. This allowed the three to see what was on his upper body.

Lily could barely silence her cry. She looked at Sirius but he was staring at his best friend with a horrified expression.

The cut from the werewolf had faded away but a new one had been formed in the same place and was bleeding freely. Drops of blood from a small gash across James' left collar bone were trickling down his chest. Several more cuts were on his body, red but not bleeding. However, one caught their attention the most. Right where the right shoulder began (near his armpit but not actually under the arm) was a squiggly sort of line. It was rounded at the end with a straight line coming out from that. It was glistening with drops of blood and Lily suddenly realized it looked like a snake.

Madam Pomfrey gave a gasp.

"Oh dear," she whispered. She ran to a black square on the wall, tapped her wand once against it, and began speaking. "Albus! You must come down here at once, this is very serious!"

"We will be right down, Poppy," came Dumbledore's voice.

"It's like an intercom," Lily whispered. Sirius gave her a confused look. "I'll tell you later."

Several minutes later, Dumbledore arrived back at the hospital wing, followed closely by McGonagall and Mrs. Potter.

"Come, come, you must see!" Madam Pomfrey led them over to James' bed. Mrs. Potter gave a small cry.

"I can't belie- he's been- " she stuttered and suddenly broke down in sobs.

"What is it?" whispered Lily to Sirius.

"It's a mark – Voldemort marks all of his victims with it. Or," Sirius swallowed, "his future victims. The ones he kills himself, not by his Death Eaters."

"He wants to kill James?"

"I guess he's a threat to him, somehow. James' dad had one too, when they found his body. Only 3 people have ever been marked with it, who weren't dead yet when it was found on them and it's always on that spot of the body."

"Who were the three people?"

"Frank and Alice Longbottom were the first two. They graduated about three years ago, I don't know if you remember."

"I remember," Lily whispered. "Is James the third?" Sirius nodded. "What happened to Frank and Alice?"

"They're still alive. They got away from Voldemort three times and on the last time, a year and a half ago, he marked them. You never know how long a person is going to last after they've been marked."

"So…eventually, James is going to be killed? By Voldemort?"

"Nah, it's not certain. There's always a possibility he'll leave James alone, or James will kill him or something. I don't even know why he wants him dead. He's sixteen, what kind of threat could he be to Voldemort?"

"I don't know, but he obviously wants him gone," said Lily and turned her attention back to the adults.

"He can't be marked, he can't be!" wailed Mrs. Potter. "I can't lose him too! He's all I have, what will I do?"

"Poppy, please give Julia a Calming Draught and take her up to my office. I will be up shortly."

"Of course, sir," said Madam Pomfrey. She found a little bottle, full of dark blue liquid and gently prodded Mrs. Potter to drink it. Then Madam Pomfrey led her out of the hospital, telling her that she would be able to help him, not to worry.

"Albus, perhaps I should accompany them?" offered McGonagall with a sad gaze at James.

"If you wish to." McGonagall nodded and left. As soon as she was gone, Dumbledore turned towards Lily and Sirius. "You can come out now," he said. Lily's eyes widened and Sirius hesitantly pulled off the Cloak. The three of them stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Professor," Lily finally said, "what's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," answered Dumbledore. "We will have to wait and see. But for now, we are all safe. That is what's important." After another moment, he patted James' hand gently. "I must take my leave now. Feel free to stay as long as you want." He turned and left quietly, his purple robes gliding across the stone floor.

Lily sat down next on James' bed and placed her hand over his again.

"He'll be fine," said Sirius, moving to the other side of the bed. "You heard Dumbledore, we're safe for now. Especially since we're at Hogwarts – as long as we're here, we're safe."

"I know. Really, I do. It's just weird, seeing him like this."

"I know."

A bell toll suddenly boomed in the distance. Lily jumped.

"How long have we been here?" she wondered.

"An hour, probably. Come on, we should get back," said Sirius.

"Yeah." Sirius gathered up the Cloak from where it had fallen on the floor and got his and Lily's bags from by the door.

"Coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a second." Lily leaned down and pressed her lips to James'. Then she got up and took her bag from Sirius.

"Ooh, kinky," he grinned. She laughed and chased him all the way to the Entrance Hall. They stopped to catch their breath and Lily suddenly hit him on the back. "Hey!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You've met your match, Sirius Black," Lily smirked.

"Touché," he said and, slinging an arm around each other's shoulders, they headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower.