Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling.
Author's Note: Thanks to MissMrprk, sunlitmist, riduculouslyriddikulus, dracosbabygrl, laurahonest, Heather Gernenz, Miss Myrtle360, WhiteCamellia, Untamed Loner, alli88, and shreya for reviewing! I really appreciate it!
"Oh my God," Lily said. She could feel her breathing become heavy, its rate increasing significantly. Her right hand flew to her forehead, where she pushed strands of red locks out of her eyes.
Sirius, still not wanting to believe his eyes continued to pour through James's trunk. He began to take things out of it, hoping that by removing the clutter, he'd find the invisibility cloak and broom at the very bottom of the wooden trunk. In a matter of minutes though, Sirius came to bottom of the trunk, without finding what he was looking for.
"What're we going to do?" Lily asked, worry written all over her face. "Where could he be?"
"I don't know," Sirius solemnly answered.
After a moment of silence, Lily said, "You know, maybe we're just jumping to conclusions. I mean, maybe he's out playing Quidditch."
"Why would he take the cloak and map if he was just playing Quidditch?"
"I don't know…he could get in trouble for being out of the castle so late at night," she answered.
"He's been gone since dinner, at the very latest, dinner time. Anyone can be outside until nine, no questions asked," Sirius remarked.
"I'm just trying to look on the bright side of things," Lily snapped.
"Okay, we'll look around the castle for him. I'll check the kitchens; you check the Head's meeting room. I can't really think of anywhere else he'd be though."
"Yeah…I'll check the Head's and Prefects bathrooms too, just in case. And you should check the Great Hall too," she replied. "And soon as you're done, meet me back here."
"Okay."
With that said, they both went on their separate journeys through the castle in search for James Potter.
As Lily made her way down a flight of stairs, she couldn't help but wonder what inspired James to disappear without anyone knowing his whereabouts. She thought that everything with Rander was settled in his mind; after all, he told her that he was over the ordeal. It was highly possible that he still was upset by the incident though, and needed to be alone and think it over. But Lily had a gut instinct that James's flight wasn't about Rander. James already grieved over the act; he'd already locked himself away from the world in the solitude of his bedroom for a few days.
She tried to think of the events in the past few days, something that would trigger this sort of response from James. The only major incident that she came up with though, she highly doubted was what made him leave. She could feel her cheeks redden as she thought about it, what they had experienced together. She thought it was magical, an act passed between two people who were so in love, that it was the only way to show it. She and James had made love; something that she felt brought their relationship up to another level. It signified that they could share anything with each other, showed that they loved each other.
No, that couldn't have been what made him leave. It couldn't be. She was certain that James's attitude toward what they did was the same as hers. She was positive that he viewed it as a passionate way of showing how much he cared for her. Yes, she was certain.
Or was she? Could James have viewed it differently? After all, it wasn't his first time. He had sex with Marissa before, on some drunken night. But this was different, wasn't it? Maybe he thought it was too much of a commitment, maybe it scared him. She didn't know, and could only hope it wasn't true. She could only pray that her mind was playing tricks on her, forcing her to think of awful situations.
She shook her head, trying to destroy the images she built in her mind, the images of James leaving her.
"Miss Evans." As soon as Lily heard her name, she stopped dead in her tracks, all images of James leaving her mind.
"Yes Professor," she said as Slughorn approached her.
"What are you doing, I thought you left a while ago," he commented.
"Oh I did," she answered, "I was just on my way to the Head's meeting room."
"Of course," he said, a smile on his face. "I was so thrilled to hear that you earned the title of Head Girl, although it really wasn't much of a competition, was it?"
"Oh, well, thank you," she said, unsure how to respond.
"It still is curious though, how Potter became Head Boy," he commented.
"Sometimes I think it still shocks him," she answered, a smile playing at her lips as she recalled when she found out he was Head Boy.
"It's a shame that Shaun was named Head Boy, the two of you would have made a great team," he informed her.
"But he's not," Lily brightly said.
"No, but I did see you two together, after the dinner in my office. You looked happy together," he said, and then added, "Now, I hope you don't think this is too bold on my part, but you and Shaun, well, that'd make a pretty nice couple."
"Sir, with all due respect, I'm already involved with someone else," she answered, staring him in the eye as she spoke.
"I see," he answered. "Who, if you don't mind me asking?"
"James Potter," she answered.
"Oh, I see," Slughorn said, looking embarrassed as he learned about Lily's love interest.
"If you'll excuse me, Professor," Lily said, saving them both from the awkwardness that was sure to come about if she stayed much longer.
"Yes, of course. See you tomorrow, Miss Evans," he replied.
"Bye, Professor."
With the obstacle of talking with her potions teacher out of the way, Lily resumed her search for James. Yet, as she walked down the empty corridors, she couldn't shake the words of Slughorn. Why did he think that she and Shaun would make such a good couple? Especially on the same night that Shaun had asked her to leave James for him.
Why was this all happening at once? Why did James have to disappear? Why did she have to be put through constant opinions about herself and Shaun? She wasn't sure she could deal with it all at once.
Soon enough, she reached her destination, muttered the password, and entered the Head's meeting room. To her displeasure, as she looked around the room, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. There was no sign that anyone had entered the room at all. Still, she wondered into it.
"James," she called out, only to be greeted by silence. "James, please, if you're in here, come out." Still nothing.
She left the room after peeping around for a couple more minutes, deciding that he was definitely not in there. She then went into both the Head's bathroom and the Prefect's bathroom. Still, she didn't see anything. There was no sign of James Potter anywhere.
Sinking her head down, she solemnly walked back to Gryffindor common room, hoping that Sirius had some luck. But as she walked, she knew he didn't. James wouldn't bring his broom with him if he was going to the kitchens or Great Hall.
Still, she went into the common room, hoping that he would be there, standing there with his smiling face and messy black hair. To her dismay, only Sirius stood there, looking just as upset as she was.
"No luck?" he asked.
"No, you?"
"Nope."
"What do we do now?" she questioned.
"Tell Dumbledore," Sirius answered.
"Okay, let's go."
The two made their way to the Headmaster's office, both walking fast. Neither of them wanted to tell Dumbledore that James Potter was missing, but they also knew that they faster they informed him, the faster James would be back.
Unfortunately, when the two seventh years students got to their Headmaster's office, they forgot one important factor. Neither of them knew the password that would grant them permission to enter the room.
"Fuck," Sirius said, hitting the wall with his hand.
"Crap, what would it be?" Lily asked.
"I don't think of candy, it's always candy."
"Gumdrops."
"Lemon drops."
"Chocolate frogs."
"Jellybeans."
Sirius and Lily tried every candy they could think of, but nothing worked. Nothing budged the rock doors. They were stuck outside, both getting very frustrated and angry. Sirius even went as far as kicking the door, only to seriously injure his toe.
"Open up, damn it!" Lily shouted.
"Miss Evans, watch your language," Professor McGonagall said, sneaking up on two of her students.
"Professor!" both Lily and Sirius exclaimed as they saw her.
"We need to see Dumbledore, now!" Sirius said, almost shouting to show his urgency.
"Black, quiet down," she snapped. "Why do you need to see the Headmaster?"
"It's urgent," Lily said.
"I'm sure I can help you both," McGonagall told them.
"James is gone," Lily informed her.
"What do you mean gone?"
"She means he's gone, as in not in the castle anymore, no where to be found," Sirius said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh no," McGonagall said. She then said the password to Dumbledore's office and rushed the two students inside.
Lily and Sirius followed McGonagall up the spiral staircase, not bothering to wait for it to finish bringing them up; they all ran up the stairs, McGonagall included.
"Albus, we have an emergency," she frantically told the Headmaster.
"What is it Minerva?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes. "Good evening Miss Evans, Mister Black."
"Potter is gone," she shrieked.
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes vanished as he heard the news. "I was afraid that this would happen," he commented.
"Professor, neither of us have seen him since you called him out of Potions to talk to him," Sirius informed the Headmaster. "What happened?"
"He didn't tell you," Dumbledore said, it wasn't a question, it was statement.
"Professor, please, what happened?" Lily asked, her green eyes shining.
"Sit down, both of you," he instructed. The two students sat in chairs facing his desk. He then informed the two students the news he had told James earlier that morning. "Late last night, there was a death eater attack. Unfortunately, James's parents were both murdered. The house was destroyed, no one made it out alive, not even the house elf…The ministry sent officers down to the house, and they're looking for any evidence that may lead to who did and how they did it. As of now, we only know that the dark mark was above the house, and both of the Potter's are dead."
"Oh my God," Lily said, her hand flying to her lips. She couldn't believe her ears. James's parent, dead? How could that be? True, Lily only met them that one time when she stayed with James over Christmas break, but she still felt a connection with them. They were nothing short of nice to her, making her feel as if she were part of the family. She couldn't think of two people less deserving of death than them.
She glanced over at Sirius, who she could see was trying to cover his face. He was crying, which made Lily feel very uncomfortable. In the seven years that she knew Sirius Black, she had never seen him shed a tear, not even when he fell three stories high off his broom in their first year. Now though, he looked vulnerable, like a lost puppy trying to make it home.
"Why them?" Sirius asked, wiping a strand of tears from his cheek.
"No one knows for certain," Dumbledore answered. "They were two of the finest wizards and witches I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."
"It's not fair," Sirius remarked, wiping away another thread of tears.
"I know, Sirius, I know," Dumbledore said, reaching across the table and placing a supportive hand on Sirius's shoulder.
With one last wipe of tears, Sirius took a deep breath and pushed his feelings aside, focusing on why he came to the office in the first place. "Professor, what about James?"
"Can either of you think of where he might be?" Dumbledore asked.
"His house… maybe in the backyard, where he plays Quidditch. Maybe Hogsmeade… I can't really think of where he'd be," Sirius answered.
"I, I don't know," Lily quietly said.
"Minerva, will you please inform the Ministry of this, and have them look around the house and Hogsmeade for him," Dumbledore asked, focusing his attention on the Transfiguration teacher.
"Yes, Albus," she said before walking out of the office to report the emergency.
"Now, very important, I need you two to tell me; did he take the invisibility cloak with him?" Dumbledore asked, never looking so serious in his entire life.
"How'd you know?' Sirius asked.
"That cloak has been in the Potter family for three hundred years," Dumbledore answered. "Now tell me, does he have it with him?"
"Yes," Sirius said, and then added, "He took his broom too."
"Okay then, this won't be easy, but we'll find him," Dumbledore said. "Now, thank you both for telling me this. There's not much else for either of you to do, so I want you both to go back to your rooms and try to get some sleep. But if you think of any other place he might be, owl me immediately. And if I hear of any sign of him, I'll alert you both."
"What? That's it? I want to help," Lily shouted.
"Miss Evans, I know you do, but right now, there's nothing you can do," he informed her.
"Professor, please," she pleaded.
"Miss Evans, it's late and he could be anywhere, I don't think it would be wise for you to go out as well. I don't want to have two lost students."
"Please," she begged.
"Miss Evans, I'll make a deal with you. If you promise you won't leave the castle tonight, I'll allow you, Mister Black, and Lupin and Pettigrew to all help in the morning," he informed her.
"Alright," she said, praying that James would be found soon.
"In the mean time, Ministry workers, most of the faculty, and I will be searching for him," Dumbledore assured her.
"Thank you," she said.
"Now, both of you, get to sleep. And remember, tell me if you hear and sign of him."
Just as they promised, Lily and Sirius both made their way back to Gryffindor. Once there, neither of them went to their dorm rooms to sleep. Instead, Sirius went upstairs to inform Remus and Peter of the night's events, which led the three boys all coming back to the common room to join Lily.
"I know he's upset, but I don't understand why he would leave Hogwarts," Remus announced. He said what everyone was thinking, but too afraid to break the silence of the common room.
"I know, usually, when bad stuff happens to him, he locks himself in his room," Sirius commented.
"But look at this, it's probably the worst thing that's ever happened to him," Peter said.
"I know, but still, it just doesn't seem like him…Besides, what's he going to do, wherever he is, that he couldn't do here?" Remus asked.
"He probably just wants to be alone, get away from everyone, including us," Sirius told his friends.
"What do you think, Lily?" Remus asked, watching her stare off into space.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"Never mind," he replied, but then asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm just worried about him," she answered. "It's dangerous out there, away from the castle…and what if, what if something happens to him?"
"Don't worry, he'll be okay," Sirius told her, getting up from his spot in a warm, comfortable chair to sit by her side on one of the red plush couches.
"But, what if, what if the death eaters go after him?" she asked, looking up at Sirius with watery eyes.
"He's got his wand, his broom, and the cloak…he'll be okay," Sirius promised, giving her a friendly hug.
"I hope so," she said before allowing her tears to emerge, soaking into Sirius's shoulder.
The four friends stayed in the common room all night long, not wanting to be apart from each other, just in case any news came. It wasn't until nearly four in the morning did any of them start to drift off to sleep. They all wanted James safe return to the castle, but were disappointed in the morning when they woke to find that he was still not back.
"That's it, it's seven thirty, and there's no word, I'm going to see Dumbledore," Lily announced. She woke up an hour ago when a sixth year came down to do some homework, waking up the four sleeping friends. Since then, Lily and the three boys had all showered, changed their cloths, and were ready for the day.
Lily couldn't stand not knowing about James though, and was watching the clock tick before it was a reasonable hour to see the headmaster.
"I'm going with you," Sirius said, and his response was quickly followed by Peter and Remus wanting to go as well.
With that said, the four friends marched down to Dumbledore's office, said the password and entered the room.
"Professor," Lily called as she climbed the stairs.
"Miss Evans, I was expecting you," he said once he saw the four students standing in front of him.
"Any word?" Remus asked.
"No, I'm afraid not... We've been searching all night, Hogsmeade and around the Potter house, but couldn't find anything," Dumbledore answered.
"Let us help you look for him, please, you promised," Lily said.
"I know I said that, and as I am a man of my word, I'll allow the four of you to help look for him, if you wish, but you must stick together, in pairs. And no one, I repeat, no one is allowed to go into Forbidden Forest as part of the search. Hagrid is in there as we speak, looking for James," Dumbledore said.
"Wait, you mean we can't leave Hogwarts grounds?" Lily asked.
"I'd prefer it if you stayed here, and around Hogsmeade," Dumbledore answered.
"But you said people already checked Hogsmeade," Lily protested.
"Parts of Hogsmeade, the major stores and places that he could have been hiding in overnight," Dumbledore replied. "Now, I would like it if perhaps two of you stayed on Hogwarts grounds, checking the Quidditch fields, down by the lake, even mysterious corners of the castle, anywhere he might be. The other two, I'd like to check in Hogsmeade, placing the young people like to be, but don't leave the town…I'm going to contact all of James's surviving relatives, make sure he isn't with any of them."
"I'll check Hogsmeade," Lily volunteered.
"I'll go with you," Sirius said, leaving Remus and Peter no choice but to stay within the castle grounds to search for James.
"Alright then, and if you find James, remember, owl me immediately," Dumbledore told his students. "And Miss Evans, Mister Black, if you are not able to find him, Mr. Filch will meet you at the usual entrance at six o'clock tonight. If you do find him, I will collect you as soon as I receive an owl."
By eight o'clock, the four students set out in search of James. Remus and Peter searched the castle grounds, hoping that James might be somewhere close by. They were given the passwords to the Head's and Prefect's rooms, just in case.
Meanwhile, Lily and Sirius went to Hogsmeade. It was a sunny April day, so it wasn't too cold, which meant that James was just as likely to be outside as he was inside. So everywhere in Hogsmeade was fair game as to where he might be, whether in a store or outside sitting on a rock.
"So, what do you think the likelihood of him being here is?" Lily asked.
"I honestly don't know, but I really hope he is here," Sirius responded.
"I know, I never realized just how much I miss him, and he's only been gone a day," she said, it was more to herself that to Sirius.
"So, where shall we check first?" Sirius asked, ignoring Lily's last comment.
"I don't, a Quidditch shop maybe," she suggested.
They went to the Quidditch shop, but he wasn't there, nor had the owner seen him recently. Then they went to the sweetshop, the joke shop, and the Three Broomsticks. He wasn't in any of them though.
"Maybe we should check that bar down on the other end of the town," Sirius suggested.
"A bar? Really?" Lily asked, looking slightly disgusted.
"What? Do you have a problem with going into a bar?" he questioned.
"No," she snapped, and then added, "But do you really think James will be in bar?"
Sirius gave her a doubtful look before sarcastically saying, "Do bears shit in the woods?"
She jokingly glared at him before seriously saying, "But he doesn't drink."
"Very often," Sirius added. "But certainly not never."
"Well, I know not never, but he told me the last time he drank, Marissa happened, and that he wouldn't do that anymore. He said too many stupid things come out of it," Lily informed him.
"Did he really say that?" he asked, looking very amused.
"Yes," she replied.
"Well, maybe he meant he wouldn't get smashed again, because he certainly has had a drink since then."
"When?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, over Christmas break sometime."
"But I was with him for most of that."
"Before he went o see you, him, me, Remus, and Peter were bored," Sirius said. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Well, no," she replied, but was slightly aggravated that James lied to her. She let it slide though, due to the current situation.
"But knowing James, he's probably had a few drinks in him after he heard the news," Sirius informed her.
"What makes you think that?"
"Please tell me you're kidding," he said.
"No, I'm dead serious, what makes you think that?" she asked.
"I don't know, maybe because he's normal," Sirius suggested. "He's going to be a bloody mess, and not know what to do. And honestly, when you're in a situation like that, all you want to do is escape it, and alcohol is certainly a good escape."
"Great, just great. My boyfriend is not only missing, but he's probably a drunk, missing person. This is just great," Lily grumbled.
"Lily."
"No, I'm not trying to be funny, or cause a scene or anything," she protested. "It's just, I mean, something could happen to him. He's out here somewhere, and I don't know where. And if he's drunk, well, anything could happen to him." With that said, she knew she couldn't fight back her tears any longer. Her hands flew to her face, wiping away her watery eyes.
"Lily, he'll be okay," Sirius promised, devouring his petite friend in a hug. They stood there for a moment, Lily crying into Sirius's shoulder.
After a few minutes, Lily backed away from Sirius, wiped her eyes and said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you're just worried," he responded.
They walked along the dirt road, toward the bar in silence before Lily said, "Thank you, for right there. And thank you for last night too."
"Don't mention it," he casually said.
"I mean it, Sirius, thank you…I don't know what I'd do right now, if you weren't here with me," she told him.
"At the risk of sounding cheesy, what are friends for," he said, giving her a large grin.
She smiled, not only because of his antics, but also because of the friend part of it. She always considered Sirius a friend, but more of a friend through James, a guy that she would never actually spend time with without James being there too. Now though, she was glad to hear that Sirius considered her a friend. It was what she needed right then, someone that she could talk to, a friend.
"Here we are," Lily said as the two teenagers stood in front of the large wooden door. She opened it up to find a large room, one that looked much bigger on the inside than on the outside. There were about fifteen stools at the counter, but this early in the morning, no one occupied them. In fact, there weren't any customers in the entire place. Only the bar tender stood there, a girl who looked to be about thirty.
As Lily observed the place, she was surprised to see that it was actually very clean inside. She didn't think that too many people came here, but at second thought, knew that it must be crowded late at night. She could hear music coming from the jukebox, but didn't recognize the artist.
"Can I help you two?" the woman at the bar asked after looking up from her magazine.
"Yes, actually, we're looking for our friend, James Potter," Sirius replied. "He's about six feet tall, he's got really messy black hair, and he's our age."
"Then he's probably too young to be here," she said. Neither Lily nor Sirius liked her tone, it was as if she was trying to be witty.
"We are well aware that we aren't allowed to purchase alcohol from this, place," she let place roll of her tongue in a bitter tone. "But, he may have been able to persuade someone he was old enough."
"Okay, if I see him, I'll let him know you two are looking for him," she said, her eyes back down on her newspaper.
"Wait, I've got a picture," Lily said, walking closer to the bar. She took out the picture, one of her and James while she was at his house during Christmas break. It was one of Lily's favorite pictures. It showed the two of them at a small, deserted playground about a mile away from James's house. It was the type of place that you couldn't find unless you were truly looking for it. The picture showed James sitting on a swing, which he was much too large for, while the snow gracefully fell around him. Every once in a while, he would look up with an enormous smile on his face, as if he heard a humorous joke.
"You know, now that I see him, he does look familiar," she slowly said, studying the photograph.
"Was he here?" Sirius questioned, alert shown in his eyes.
"Hold on a second," she said before turning away from them and going into the backroom of the bar. She came out a minute later, bringing a man with her. He was a younger than she was, probably only twenty-five at the oldest. He was carrying a towel in his hands, and Lily guessed that he was in charge of cleaning all of glasses.
The bar tender showed the younger boy the picture of James and he looked at it for a moment before saying, "yeah, he was in here last night."
Lily felt her heart leap at that news. As of last night, James was still alive and still doing all right. Also, she hoped that perhaps the people in front of her could lead them to James's next location, or at least see if he would come back that night.
"Did he say where he was going?" Sirius asked.
"No, he left in a hurry," the boy recalled. "About eleven thirty last night, two agents from the Ministry came in, said they were looking for some kid that escaped from Hogwarts. We told them there weren't any kids from Hogwarts here, we weren't serving any kids alcohol, but they looked around a bit anyway. But right after they came in, I saw this guy your after leave. He put some money on the counter, gathered his stuff, and darted out the door."
"Okay, well, thank you, thank you so much," Lily told them both.
"It's no problem," the boy answered, "just hope you find him…If I see him, I'll tell him he's got a couple of nice people looking for him."
"Thank you," Lily said again.
"Yeah, thanks," Sirius repeated.
After learning the new information, Lily and Sirius left the bar and went straight for the post office. This was important news; news that Dumbledore needed to hear about. Once inside the post office, Lily scribbled a note and watched as the owl flew off.
"What now?" Lily asked as she and Sirius walked out of the building and were back on the streets. It was becoming a rather crowded day, due to the beautiful weather. Most the shoppers were adults, some mothers with their small children.
"Well, we checked all the shops that James would ever set foot in, so I think we should stick to looking outside," he told her.
"Okay, I agree," she answered and they made their way down the street, going towards a wooden area that lots of students went to when they had nothing better to do.
They walked in silence for most of their journey, both keeping their eyes peeled for James. It wasn't very likely that he would be among the crowds of shoppers, but neither of them were willing to take the risk of not looking. Once they started drifting away from the prime shops, however, the crowds of people died down.
"Shaun Dunstan kissed me last night," Lily said, surprising both Sirius and herself.
"What?" he asked.
"He kissed me, and told me to consider breaking up with James to be with him," she honestly told him. It felt like a burden was released from her chest when she finally told someone the news.
"What made him think you would break up with James?"
"I don't know…we were having dinner with Professor Slughorn, you know, his usual little group…And after that, he asked if he could walk me back up to Gryffindor, and being an idiot, I said yes. On the way, he started blabbering about what it was like when he and I dated, and then it happened," she confessed.
"Okay, as your friend, not as James's friend, but as your friend, what did you going to do?" Sirius asked.
"I told him I loved James, and that kiss meant nothing to me," she said.
"Good," was all he had to say.
"I still feel guilty though," she confided in him.
"Did you kiss him?"
"Well, no, he kind of pinned me against the wall," she answered.
"Then don't feel guilty," Sirius replied. "And, unless you want Shaun to get hexed until we graduate, I wouldn't mention this to James either."
"I figured that, which is why I told you."
"Listen, Lily, as James's best friend, I want you to know something. When he comes back up to the dorm after spending time with you, he's got the same look on his face as he does after winning a Quidditch match. No, actually, that's not true; it's a much happier look. You mean the world to him, and I couldn't picture someone better for him," Sirius informed her.
She smiled up at him, glad that he was James's best friend.
"Okay, now none of this sentimental crap anymore," he said with a large grin on his face to show he was kidding.
"Shut up, Black," she said with a laugh.
"Okay, now here's what I'm thinking," his tone was serious again. "I'm going to transform into Padfoot, that way, if he's under the cloak, I can still smell him."
"Good thinking," she replied.
After making sure that no one was around, Sirius transformed into the large, shaggy, black dog. He wandered around the wooded area, jumping up on large rocks, his snout almost glued to the floor though. Lily, on the other hand, went about the situation by calling out James's name, hoping he'd hear her and come out from his hiding spot.
After an hour of calling his name and sniffing around the place, neither Lily nor Sirius had any luck at all. James wasn't here. Sirius transformed back into his human self, and had a look on his face, a look of disappointment.
"I don't think there's anywhere else to look," Lily miserably stated as the two teens made their way back into town.
"Where the fuck could he be?" Sirius complained loudly.
Lily plopped down on a bench on the side of the road. She hated to admit it, but she was tired and hungry, and needed a break. Sirius sat down next to her, sighing. A minute later, as if he read her mind, Sirius pulled out two sandwiches from a bag he was carrying.
"Food," Lily said, her eyes lighting up.
Sirius laughed at her as he gave her one of them, surprised at how Sirius-like her reaction was. "Snagged them from the kitchens before we left."
"Good thinking," she replied before stuffing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her mouth.
"Did James ever tell you how we discovered the kitchens?" he asked, a grin on his face.
"No, tell me," she answered.
"Well, we were in second year, running away from Filch. I think we might have just set off some kind of explosion outside his room. So we were all running, me, James, Remus, and Peter, but we didn't have the cloak with us, we were so naive then, not thinking we'd need the cloak. We could tell he was catching up with us, and couldn't afford to get another week's worth of detention. But then James remembered some advise that his father gave me and him right before we went back to school," Sirius said with a smirk.
"What'd he say?" Lily asked.
"He looked us straight in the eye and said, 'Boys, I know you've gotten into a lot of trouble last year, which can't keep up. But I also know that boys will be boys, so if you find yourself in trouble remember two very important things. One, portraits are always hiding things. Two, these words are very important: oddsbodikins, dilligrout, and baubles. And three, sometimes a little tickle will do.'" Sirius smiled as he recalled Mr. Potter's words, words that were like wisdom to the boys.
"What?" Lily asked, looking confused.
"Yeah, we were pretty confused at the time too, we thought he was of his rocker," he admitted, laughing a little.
"Okay, so back to being chased by Filch," Lily reminded him.
"Right, so we were being chased when James remembered his dad's words. So he began going up to random portraits and saying those three words, and tickling them. We all stared at him like he was crazy, but then he reminded me of the story, and informed Remus and Peter about it. Pretty soon, we were all saying those weird words and tickling the pictures. It must have looked like quite the sight actually," he said.
"But it worked," Lily added, finishing his thoughts.
"It sure did. Soon enough, James was at the portrait of the fruit bowl and he must have been lucky, because he tickled the green pear and it opened up into the door. We were all mesmerized at first, but once we heard Filch yelling for us to come back, we jumped inside the door. And then we saw it, the mountains of food. We knew we'd never go hungry again," Sirius said with a chuckle.
"Wow," was all she had to say. "Sounds like fun."
"It was," he replied. "Ever since then, we've been sneaking down, but with the cloak, just in case."
The two friends remained talking for a while, sitting on the bench and eating their sandwiches. Sirius would tell Lily about other adventures he and the Marauders encountered, most of them taking place at Hogwarts, but some at James's house too. In return, Lily tried to explain some muggle things to Sirius, but it was hard for him to grasp the concept of a record player, so they didn't get very far.
"You know, we should probably go wait for Filch at the entrance," Lily said, getting up from her spot on the bench.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed.
As they walked and talked some more though, Sirius stopped dead in his tracks, his words slowing down to a stop as well.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
"The Shrieking Shack, we never checked it," he said.
"Oh my god, you're a bloody genius," she exclaimed, running over to the nearly abandoned shack. Sirius followed her, kicking the door open.
"James," Lily called, but there wasn't a response.
"I'm going to be Padfoot again, just in case he's under the cloak," Sirius informed her. He transformed again, into the big, shaggy, black dog. It was odd watching him. His skin and clothes seemed to melt into his body, forming fur instead. His nose became elongated, stretching into a dog's snout. Finally, the process was completed and Sirius wondered around the small room and tunnel, sniffing the ground.
Lily, on the mean time, looked around the shack. She had never been in there before, but had heard plenty of stories about it. She could tell why James wanted to keep Remus company during his transformations; it looked like such a lonely palace. It was dark and musty, and she could see cobwebs on the ceiling. "James," she called again.
"Hey, Lily, come here," Sirius said, emerging from the tunnel in his human form.
She walked over to him and saw what he was pointing at; it was an empty beer can. "Do you think it's his?"
"Yeah."
"So he must be here," she said, her eyes lighting up the room.
"Or was here," Sirius said. "I don't think he's here anymore though."
"Why not?"
"I couldn't smell him here, and if he was coming back, the scent would be fresher… I don't know what it is, probably the dog instinct, but I feel like he left last night, late last night," he said.
"Where is he then?" she asked, hope deflating from her voice. They'd looked everywhere in Hogsmeade, and only came across clues. But James Potter was no where to be seen.
"I don't know, but we've got to tell Dumbledore about this," Sirius said. Once again, the two teens went to the post office and wrote a message to Dumbledore. Then, they went to meet Filch, heading back to the castle, only praying that someone had luck in finding James.
They soon discovered that their prayers were not answered. No one had luck finding James. Lily and Sirius had the most luck of all, at least they were given clues. Dumbledore assured them that ministry agents would be at the Shack and bar all night long, looking out for James, but as morning came, he reported that no one had seen him.
Once again, the four teens found themselves in Dumbledore's office. All five of them were getting restless in their search. It was coming on the third day of James's absence, and they were all losing hope.
Author's Note 2: Hey guys, see, I promised it would be a quick update! Yay! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; it's one of the longest I've ever written! Please remember to review and thanks for reading! Also, my guess is, that my next chapter will set the story over 100,000 words! Yay!