Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling.
Author's Note: Thanks to TakenFlight, JPx3LE, dancechic12345, Your Authoress, Heather gernenz, zuska1985, Red Hair Green Eyes, sugur-huny-bun, MissMrprk, An Aspiring Author, AnIrishLily, Jutey, Miss Myrtle360, EastCoastHPgrl, Violetcrumble10391, Trocle, redglasses, and Katie Pie for reviewing!
Also, THANKS A MILLION to my newest Beta, Jen for helping me edit this chapter!
Please enjoy!
Lily sighed as she heard her alarm clock go off. She felt as if she could stay in bed for another five hours. With James gone last night, she had spent hours doing her schoolwork. She had caught up on a few papers, most of which she'd planned to do a couple of nights ago, but had been distracted due to the events in James's life. In fact, she didn't get to bed that night until two o'clock in the morning.
Now though, it was early in the morning and she really wished that she had put her work away last night and gone to bed. She groaned slightly, but threw her covers off anyway.
After showering, getting dressed, and putting on a small amount of make-up, Lily set out for the Great Hall. She walked down the stairs, trying not to make them creak. She hated that sound, always thought it made too much noise for her light footsteps.
Once she entered the Gryffindor common room, she was surprised to see another student down there. She couldn't quite make out who it was, for she could only see the very top of the student's blonde hair peeking out from above the large plush chairs that sat near the fireplace. Lily debated whether or not she should go over to the student, see exactly who it was. After all, it could be written off as her duty as Head Girl.
In the end, she opted to tip toe over to the student. Once she came closer, she rounded the chair to get a better look at who it was. To her surprise, it was Peter Pettigrew, soundly sleeping in front of the dying fire.
She was curious as to why the boy was here, and not up in his dorm room. Her first instinct concerning the matter was that James and Sirius were being assholes to him, picking on him so severely that he'd left their room. Despite the fact that Peter was one of their best friends, they often found it easy to degrade the poor boy, just because he was smaller and weaker than the two of them.
Still, Lily found that explanation hard to believe. Over the years, the two Marauders had grown up a lot; they hardly ever teased Peter to the extreme any more. Not to mention the fact that last night had been a full moon-- they wouldn't be mean to Peter while in their Animagi forms.
"Peter," Lily said lightly.
She didn't receive any response from the slumbering boy.
"Peter," she said again, this time a bit louder.
Still, nothing.
Lily frowned as she looked at the blonde-haired boy. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she took a step closer to him. She leaned down close to his ear and said, "Peter, wake up for God's sake."
That sent him jumping to his feet, startled at the loud noise in his ear. He looked around for a moment, as if he were a lost child in a large shopping mall. Finally, his eyes settled on Lily and he sighed. "God Lily, you scared me."
"Sorry, but I thought you might need a wake-up call," she apologized, now feeling guilty for waking him up. She then asked, "Peter, why are you sleeping down here and not upstairs?"
Peter suddenly got a very grave look across his face. With his eyes glued to the floor, he replied, "Something happened last night."
Lily felt her heart stop. How could something have happened? James had assured her that everything was always okay. So many questions scrambled through her mind. Was James okay? Had Remus bitten someone? Had they been caught in their Animagi forms? Were all the Marauders going to face years in Azkaban for breaking the law?
"Where's James?" she finally asked, her face becoming pale and her heart speeding up.
"He's in the hospital wing; he's okay," Peter assured her. "I went to check on him, Sirius, and Remus early this morning. James is fine, I promise. He's only got a few scratches and bruises-- nothing that Madame Lingwood can't fix."
"Sirius?" Lily asked, her eyes filled with worry.
"Not as good," Peter answered, biting his lip as he spoke. Earlier this morning, when he traveled down to the hospital wing, the only one of his dear friends who'd been awake was James. He told Peter the entire story-- everything that occurred after Peter left to fetch the headmaster.
"And Remus?"
"Worse than he usually is after a transformation, but not as bad off as Sirius," he replied.
"Peter, what happened last night?" Lily asked, her emerald eyes latching onto Peter's watery blue ones.
"We went to Hogsmeade-- you know, the usual routine. Everything was going fine; we were just playing a game. Then Padfoot smelled something… people," Peter began.
Lily gasped as she learned the story. She listened intently to the rest of Peter's tale, her hands covering her lips for the most part. She hated hearing about the physical actions that had to be taken to control Remus, but knew she needed to hear them. She needed to hear exactly how Remus was injured.
"Then James said that we needed to check on the person, make sure he was okay," Peter said. "We weren't sure where he went though, so Sirius became Padfoot again. He ran up ahead of James and me, leaving us behind. He came back a couple of minutes later, transformed back into himself, and told us who it was."
"Who?" Lily asked, intently listening to the story.
"Avery," he replied.
"Oh my God, what happened next?" She was on the edge of her seat as she spoke, staring at Peter with pure astonishment.
"James told me to go get Dumbledore, and then he and Sirius went on to try to get to Avery," Peter concluded.
"But they didn't have wands, did they?"
"Nope."
"How did they manage to come out alive?"
"Ask James. He told me everything, but I think you should hear it from him, not me. I wouldn't do the story any justice," Peter said.
"Oh my God," Lily said once again. "Are they still in the hospital wing?"
"Yeah, James said Madame Lingwood wouldn't let him go for another day, Remus for another couple days, and Sirius can't go for at least a week," he answered.
"Okay, I've got to go see them," Lily said, standing up and making her way towards the portrait hole. She paused for a moment and turned to look at Peter before asking, "Are you coming?"
"I was down there earlier this morning. I'm going to go take a shower, and I'll go back in a little while," he replied. "I'll let you see James for a bit."
Lily smiled at Peter as she left the room. There was something about him that she liked, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that he knew she wanted to see James by herself now, or perhaps it was the boyish traits he possessed. Either way, she grew to like Peter more and more each day she spent time with him.
Lily thought about Peter more as she wandered down the castle halls toward the hospital wing. For the first time, she could truly see why James, Sirius, and Remus enjoyed his company. He certainly wasn't the bravest of the four boys, or the smartest, but he did bring something to the group.
Her thoughts of Peter were easily dismissed once she entered the hospital wing. She saw James sitting up in his bed, a bored expression across his face. She knew he hated being there; there wasn't ever any excitement.
"Hey you," she softly said as she neared his bed.
James's face lit up as he saw her smiling face. She looked beautiful today, just as she did every day. She wore her Hogwarts school uniform, which generally wasn't flattering on anyone. However, Lily seemed to pull it off. It fit her in all the right places and her emerald eyes stood out against the black robes.
"Lily," he said, beckoning her to come closer.
"How're you feeling?" she asked as she approached him, her eyes wandering up and down his face and arms. She could see where his flesh was bruised and the thin scar that ran along his cheek.
"Better now that I see you," he answered, trying his best to sound smooth.
Lily only rolled her eyes and smiled. Sometimes James could act so oddly towards her, as if he were still trying to impress her. Yet, it was that small aspect of his personality that she found charming and sweet.
"You flatter me," she finally said, a joking tone in her voice.
He grinned at her, revealing rows of sparkling teeth. "You know, I don't bite; you can come a little bit closer."
Once again, Lily found herself chuckling at him. Still, she did as she was told and wandered even closer. Once she stood at his bed, she reached out and lightly pushed a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. In the process, she saw another cut, this one just above his left eyebrow. Her fingers accidentally brushed the wound, making him wince beneath her touch.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's okay," he replied.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, it's just a few cuts and bruises. It's nothing Madame Lingwood's potion won't cure," he answered, flashing a mocking grin. It was a commonly known fact that all of the potions that Madame Lingwood gave her students tasted absolutely repulsive. True, they yielded excellent results-- cuts and scrapes were usually gone within twelve hours-- but they tasted like sour milk.
"I'm sorry," she said, sympathizing with her boyfriend.
"Don't be; it's worth it," James replied. He then reached out and grabbed Lily by the waist, pulling her onto his bed. She gasped as she landed on the cushioned surface, surprised by his action. She didn't complain though; she enjoyed being close to James. Just feeling his breath on the back of her neck reassured her that he was okay.
Lily leaned her head against James's white pillow and brought her hand to his thigh. She let it rest there, above the blankets, just a simple reminder that she loved him.
"Peter told me what happened," Lily quietly began, "but he said you should be the one to tell me what happened after he left to get Dumbledore."
"When'd you see Peter?" he questioned.
"Right before I came here; the poor kid fell asleep in the common room. He was really worried about you guys," she answered.
"He's a good kid," James stated, thinking about his slightly chubby friend.
"Yeah," she replied, "And he admires you a lot too. But anyway, tell me what happened."
"Well," James began, looking down at the top of her red head as she snuggled against his chest. "It was really dark out, and Sirius had just come back to tell Peter and me that it was Avery in the old cottage at the edge of town. I sent Peter to get Dumbledore, knowing that he would be able to handle the situation better than anyone else. Then Sirius and I headed toward the cottage. We could smell the danger in the air, but it didn't stop us…"
At that, Lily looked up at James, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. "James, are you pulling my leg here?" she asked, a skeptical look written all across her face.
"Not at all," he fibbed. Okay, so not all of his story was completely accurate; they couldn't exactly smell the danger, but it made the story sound so much cooler. James playfully ran his rough fingers through Lily's red locks before he continued with his tale, exaggerating nearly every aspect of the story.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked, peering up at him with her deep emerald eyes.
"For the most part," he honestly replied before bending his head down, meeting her lips with his. The kiss felt like magic to him. It had just the right mix of tenderness and passion.
Somehow, Lily and James maneuvered their way around the bed so that they were in a more ideal position. James was still beneath the covers of the hospital bed and Lily was still outside the covers, creating a boundary between their bodies. They were cautious, taking care to avoid making James's already bruised skin feel any pressure.
After several minutes of kissing, the young couple broke apart. Lily hovered above James's lips, staring down at his longing face. "We really shouldn't be doing this here," she began, "Madame Lingwood could walk in any second or one of your friends could wake up."
"She came in just before you arrived," James replied. "And Remus and Sirius won't be up for hours; she gave them a sleeping potion."
"Are you sure?" Lily questioned.
"We can close the curtains too."
Lily looked around the bed, but didn't see any curtains. "James, what are talking about?"
"Magic, love, magic," he cheekily answered. He reached into Lily's robe and took out her wand, knowing exactly where she kept her most prized possession. He then said a simple spell, conjuring white curtains all around the four-poster bed.
Lily smiled at him once more before lowering her face back onto his. She had missed this; just the two of them together sharing sweet kisses. With everything going on, it seemed like it had been ages since she and James last shared a kiss-- well, anything more than just a peck on the lips anyways.
She adored his kisses. His lips against hers always seemed to make her knees buckle and her heart melt. It was as if James was pouring his entire soul and body into one simple kiss, reassuring her that she was the only woman he would ever love.
After several minutes of kissing, she broke away from his lips once more and stared deeply into his hazel eyes. It was at that moment that she truly took in the story that James had told her concerning the previous night. He could have died out there; he'd put his life in danger. If things had worked out differently, she wouldn't be able to kiss him right now. She wouldn't be able to see him right now.
She felt her eyes begin to well up, which she tried to hide by burying her face into his shoulder, as if she wanted to cuddle with him. Lily didn't know what caused this sudden outburst of emotion-- perhaps her lack of sleep over the past few nights. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't received more than six hours of sleep any night for the past week.
"Lils," James gently said, running his fingers through her soft hair. Hearing the tone of his voice, Lily knew that James could tell she was crying and was trying to figure out what had prompted her tears.
"You could've died," she whispered, still pressing her face against his body, which muffled her words.
"Sorry, love, can't quite make out what you're saying," he teased, trying to make her smile.
"You could've died," she repeated, her voice just as indistinct as before.
James sighed, causing Lily's head to ride up and down with his deep breath. "Lily, sweetie, I love you. Don't worry about me… sure, things could have ended badly last night, but they didn't. I'm okay, I promise you that… And Sirius and Remus are recovering pretty well too; they'll be back to normal in no time at all. I guarantee, in a few days time you'll be wishing that Sirius was still injured just so that he'll stop bugging you."
James's last words made Lily smile and nearly choke on her tears as she softly chuckled. She knew he was only joking about that last remark, but it did ring true. Of course, Lily would never wish ill of Sirius, but she was certain he would continue his routine of making small, playful jokes about Lily.
"There, I knew I could make you smile," James softly told her, kissing the top of her head.
"You did, but I still worry about you," she replied, revealing her puffy red eyes to him.
"I know you do, but I promise you, everything will always be okay. After all, I am James Potter, and nothing can keep me away from you," he teased. He was in his joking mode today, which Lily was actually grateful for. After serious events occurred, James had the tendency to choose one of two different means of coping, the first being comedy, the other being sadness and depression.
Lily's tears stopped after a few moments, and she viciously wiped at her eyes. She then rested her head against James's shoulder again, this time so that she could look up at the ceiling. She felt James's arm snake beneath her, holding her close to his body. They lay in the bed in silence for a few moments, James softly rubbing her upper arm with his hand.
"Do you realize that we're only going to be at Hogwarts for another four weeks?" Lily asked.
"I know; it's hard to believe."
"It's been like a second home for the past seven years, and after the next four weeks go by, we'll probably never see it again," she commented. "Does that ever scare you?"
"I try not to think about it," he replied, dropping his funny guy routine and becoming serious. He knew that Lily needed him right now, needed him to be sincere for her.
"We've had so many good times here," she added.
"Of course we have; it's where I met you," he sweetly told her, making a light shade of red appear at her cheeks.
"What's going to happen to us once we leave?"
"What do you mean?"
"We won't see each other every day… I mean, I'll be at my parent's home in Surrey for a while, until I get a job and can afford a place of my own. And you-- well, you and Sirius are going to move in together, right?" Lily wished she hadn't mentioned anything about post-Hogwarts as soon as the words left her lips. How could she be so stupid to mention that she was gong to live with her parents when James had no one to go to?
"Yeah, Sirius and I will probably get a flat somewhere," he replied, still playfully rubbing her arm with his fingers. "But that doesn't mean I won't see you often. I mean, Lils, think about it. Sirius and I will have our own place; you'll be able to come and visit whenever you like because there will be no one telling you that you can't come over."
"Except for my parents."
"I suppose," James agreed. "But other than them, there's not going to be anyone who can keep me away from you. You want to know why?"
"Yeah."
"Because I love you," he said, kissing the side of her head after he spoke.
"I love you too," she replied. "But is that enough?"
"Trust me, Lils, there's nothing in this world that can keep me from you… there's nothing in this world that can stop me from loving you," he answered.
Lily tilted her head upward and met James's lips with her own once again. He spoke the truth; nothing could stop them from loving each other. The emotions that they felt for each other were too strong for anyone to tear apart; they loved each other too much.
Once they separated, Lily whispered, "I love you, James Potter."
"I love you too," he whispered back.
Of course, their sentimental moment didn't last long, nor should they have expected it to. After all, they were located in the hospital wing, where three of the four Marauders occupied beds.
"Hey, lovebirds," Sirius called, "Would you mind stopping all that romantic crap, it's making me sick."
Lily laughed as she got off James's bed and opened the curtains. Across from her, she saw both Remus and Sirius sitting up in their beds, both of their arms crossed in front of their chests.
"Glad to see the two of you are finally awake," Lily informed them.
"Glad to see that you and James aren't permanently connected at the hip," Sirius shot back, a grin appearing on his face.
"You feeling okay?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of a nearby bed.
"In a little bit of pain, but otherwise feeling great," Sirius replied.
"Remus?"
"The usual," he answered, tenderly rubbing his arm.
To make the group complete, Peter came bursting through the doors, huffing and puffing as he dropped down on another empty bed. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was on my way down here when… when McGonagall saw me not heading toward her class… I've never run so fast in my entire life as I did trying to escape from her."
Everyone laughed at Peter's story, glad to hear that everything was normal. It was typical for the Marauders, who were always running away from trouble.
"Did I miss anything?" Peter suddenly asked.
"Just James telling Lily that in a couple of days she was going to wish I was injured again," Sirius slyly replied, eyeing his best friend as he spoke.
"Wait, you were awake for that long?" James questioned. "And you didn't say anything?"
"It was like listening to one of those Muggle devices; what's it called-- a rodeo?" Sirius replied.
He was instantly corrected when Lily swiftly said, "Radio."
"Yes, the radio. I could hear what was going on, but not see a single damn thing," he sweetly said.
Sitting with the Marauders, Lily quickly glanced at each one of the four boys. She couldn't believe it had taken her until her seventh year to realize what amazing people they were. Now, she couldn't imagine life without them. She adored her own friends, but the bonds she'd made with the Marauders seemed like they'd last for life.
As the five seventh-year students laughed and make jokes, Lily knew that she would always regard Hogwarts as her home. She had met truly incredible people here, formed friendships she knew would last a lifetime.
With just one month left at her beloved school, Lily knew that it was time she started making the best of it. She wasn't going to lose another moment of time away from the friends she loved.
Author's Note 2: Okay, I know it's very sappy, but I was in the mood for one of these. And before anyone gets on my case about Peter, he was their friend at the time, I can't just disregard him. He was part of the Marauders, so he needs to be in the story. Also, although this may seem like an ending to a story, it's not, I promise. As I mentioned earlier, I was just in the mood for writing a fluffy piece, so I came out with this. Anyway, please review!