Chapter 18

James usually felt sensational and full of unreleased energy whenever they shared their adventures under the full moon, but tonight, it seemed that something wasn't right. It seemed something sinister was stirring amongst the shadows and the treetops. As he galloped in his stag form, a few minor cuts and bruises already forming on his skin from Remus' unintentional attacks; there was a strange, indescribable uncomfortable feeling that pulsed in his veins.

It was almost as if something terrible was going to happen in the night.

He felt himself let go as the wind passed by in great long whooshes. His hooves were stomping on the thick sheets of snow that hadn't melted, leaving a trail of footprints. And then he saw something which made his heart miss several beats as he came to an abrupt halt.

A speck of yellow light was clearly coming out from the tip of a wand, and a shadowy figure was slowly approaching the 3 beasts. As the figure drew closer, the stag distinctly recognized a flaming mop of long, flowing dark red hair. And he stopped breathing…literally.

Werewolf Remus was already advancing on her, his inhumane, yellow eyes showing hunger and a string of saliva was left behind as he bound towards his unsuspecting victim. He howled towards the moon, a mixture of excitement and delight at finally finding prey he'd hunted for so long.

Realizing immediately what was happening, James and Sirius followed suit, yet their speed didn't match the werewolf's. Lily still didn't seem to be registering what was happening and the pale beam of light from her wand continued to advance on them.

James pounded his legs and only one thing seemed to matter now: saving Lily. He and Sirius managed to exchange desperate glances in their animal forms, and still understand each other. Sirius stride was longer than James', and he hurriedly bit the werewolf's leg as he closed in, causing it to howl in pain, as dark blood seeped out of the wound at an alarming rate. Sirius prayed for Remus to not blame him…but he was more certain that Remus would probably never forgive them or himself if he murdered Lily tonight.

The werewolf and the dog had begun an ugly brawl, their strengths and abilities evenly matched. James galloped at full speed, and finally reached Lily's side. He'd thought after seeing him, she would be afraid or protective. But there was only surprise in her eyes as she shone her wand at the gallant stag that stood high above her.

She tenderly reached out and was just about to pat the stag before a terrible holler of rage and pain came from where the dog and the werewolf were fighting.

Lily had suddenly registered what she was actually face to face with. There was a fully grown werewolf out in the Grounds tonight, accompanied by a great shaggy dog, and a beautiful stag. It just didn't seem to make much sense. No sense at all.

The stag's eyes were a dazzling hazel. In fact, they seemed to look almost familiar. As Lily reached up to touch it, she couldn't help but feel some sort of bond between her and the animal. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the werewolf tear free of the dog and run maniacally her way, an empty look in its eyes. They were both in grave danger…and yet Lily didn't feel very afraid. Somehow, she knew the stag wouldn't let it hurt her.

The stag leant down, and its eyes bore deep into hers. It almost seemed to be communicating with her. There was a desperation, a panic in its eyes that told her she needed to find safety. She felt her heart beat faster at the animal's beauty, its coat of fur glistening under the moonlight.

After being nudged several time on the side by the stag, she finally broke into a run, constantly turning back to see what was happening with the 3 animals. The stag stood tall as it watched her scurry away. And then, the werewolf advanced on it. The last thing Lily saw before entering the Castle was the stag receiving a deep gash on its body as the werewolf slashed his sharp claws across its flesh.

Lily felt burning tears in her eyes as she continued her way up to the Heads Common Room, her pace now slowing down. She felt so useless at being unable to protect herself. There always had to be somebody to save her. Actually, now that she thought about it, it was only James Potter that had saved her life twice. And now, there was the stag. The beast had almost seemed…human.

Lily felt stupid, why didn't she just stay inside? If she hadn't had that stupid impulse to suddenly come out for a stroll, none of this would've happened! She hastily wiped the teardrops away with the back of her hand. Now, the stag was probably going to either die, or be seriously injured. And it was all her fault.

As Lily was admitted by a cross looking Distressed Damsel, her feeling of guilt was as strong as ever. She flung herself on a cushion in front of the fire as silent tears still streaked down her face.

How much time had passed, Lily didn't know, but it appeared that she'd dozed off, and she woke uneasily. Looking out the window, the night sky was pitch black and there were no stars or moon visible. She groggily wiped her eyes and tossed her mane of hair behind her shoulders. Her neck hurt from leaning on it for so long. Suddenly, there was a creak as the portrait of the Damsel swing open just as she'd fully opened her eyes, and she was immediately on full alert. Only one another person could possibly enter the room…and that was James Potter.

Yet, the person that came stumbling in looked very different. There was no air of arrogance that usually followed James. The figure was hunched over, and it seemed he was fighting back immense pain. Lily saw him clutch his side which blood was seeping out at an alarming rate and she gasped in horror.

There was no ounce of nastiness or spite she felt towards him as she rushed over to give him support. It seemed he wasn't in condition for proper speech, and made grunting noises that slipped between his teeth.

As she slowly slipped him onto a lime green sofa chair, she immediately began searching through the textbooks for a spell that would stop his bleeding. James' eyes showed pain beyond belief, but he also radiated courage and a spirit that seemed to always burn inside him.

James panted heavily as huge beads of sweat were pouring from his forehead. It was as if he felt boiling hot, and then the next second, freezing cold. It was definitely uncomfortable, but as he watched Lily bustle around trying to clean up his wounds with only concern in her eyes and no sign of dislike whatsoever, he kind of felt that all the pain he was suffering was worth it.

He managed only a half smile, before the cut on his face that seemed to have healed already began bleeding again. He was only half awake, his eyelids drooping heavily, as if forcing him into unconsciousness, but he wouldn't let them. He wanted to stay alert as he watched Lily, for once, actually caring for him. The feeling was indescribable and he was sure it was near heaven.

"Oh Potter…look at the mess you've gotten yourself into. I bet you've been dueling again. Or got a taste of your own medicine? Someone hex you when you were unaware?" Lily was now dabbing a purple liquid which was fizzing on his cheek and James was personally quite worried as to what would happen. He winced as he felt a sharp stinging.

He tried explaining to her, but to his great annoyance, it seemed no noise could come out of his throat. He brought up his arm which seemed to be also bent at a painful angle, and nearly shouted out loud when he heard a loud cracking sound from his elbow.

"But then and again, who would dare hex you? Everyone fears you anyway…and I doubt Sirius Black or Remus would've done this. In fact…" She squinted at his wounds. "These almost seem like creature bits. A foul and dark creature"

James grunted, and it seemed his ability to talk had come back to him. He managed a twinkle in his eye, and a tiny smirk. "You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, Evans" James tried to chuckle, but he only ended up coughing violently and it felt as if someone had whacked him hard right in his ribs.

"Ouch…" James was now biting his lower lip so hard that it started to bleed.

"You're in such a mess! I would send you down to Madame Pomfrey, but I don't think she'll be particularly happy to see you in this state, especially at this hour. And since I've read a lot about healing…I think I can manage these wounds." James' cheek seemed to be already painless after the purple concoction had been applied, and he felt another wave of praise and love for Lily.

"Thanks" he managed to rasp, before promptly falling into another fit of coughing.

Lily mumbled something incomprehensible, and a tinge of faded pink appeared on her cheeks. However, it was clear to both of them that Lily wasn't going to become friends with him anytime soon. In fact, James felt the situation now avoided many awkward moments, and a small glint appeared in his eyes as memories flooded through him.

Lily was now tending to the deep gash in his side, and her touch on his well muscled body sedated him, and brought a wave of peace over him. How she could have this effect on him James would probably never know, but all he knew was that the moment was perfect, even with his body aching everywhere.

Lily briefly met his sparkling eyes, and a jolt surged through her body as realization hit her. It was the same jolt that had passed her when she met the stag's eyes. But it was preposterous…how could it be possible? James seemed perplexed by her deep and confused staring, but she couldn't help it. They were too familiar. And his wounds! Everything seemed to match…but then again, nothing seemed to match. She was in so much conflict. Before she knew it, her voice slipped.

"Y-you were the stag weren't you?" she realized now she had been furiously dabbing the healing mixture on his wounds they were now turning a deep shade of violet. She hastily put the bowl aside. A sort of panic momentarily passed his face, but as quick as she thought it had come, it vanished.

Whether it had been a trick of the mind she wasn't sure…but her heart told her it was so. Unexpectedly, James smiled widely, and his eyes almost looked appraisingly at her. What it meant she wasn't sure…and she didn't want at all to find out.

"You know…you never cease to amaze me, Evans" And with that, James Potter promptly fainted, his head falling on his chest, and his injured arm dropped onto the armrest.

Against her will, Lily had to smile, as she continued to tend to his wounds. It took a full hour or more to finally set him in place. By now, he was snoring quite loudly, and Lily made a disgusted face. Perhaps he hadn't fainted at all, but merely fell asleep. She levitated him up the stairs and into his bed.

As she finally settled into the covers of her own bed, Lily, to say the least, was pooped. But for a reason she didn't know, she felt the happiest she had been in a long time, and a wide grin was planted on her lips as she fell into a dreamless sleep, James Potter's wavering image settled in her brain.

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Finally the new term had arrived, and Hogwarts was once again, bustling and joyous for most. Tension was as thick as ever in the Gryffindor Common Room as pressure of exams were dawning on the Seventh Years more than anybody else. James had kept a tally of how many times Remus had apologized to them, and he was currently on a thousand and forty seven.

No matter how many times Sirius and him tried to convince Remus that it was no big deal, one look at his nearly healing wounds and Remus would break down again. Peter had returned to school from his vacation as sulky as ever, and now, every small movement out of the usual would make him twitch nervously or jump in fright.

One time, he accidentally yelled when a clumsy second year had knocked over a vase, but managed to turn it into a cough. This was pretty unusual with Peter, and that was saying a lot since Peter, well, wasn't your average teenage wizard. He was more stressed than the three of them put together, and nobody could have more than a four word conversation with him. He would either chuck a tantrum or just give them the cold look.

To the reason behind the odd behaviour, the 3 Marauders had many discussions, but nobody seemed to find an appropriate conclusion. Sirius had proposed that he could be possessed by demons, and he swore he wasn't joking. However, that kind of got James thinking…maybe it wasn't demons that were possessing Peter…perhaps, there was something more sinister.

Lessons were more tedious than ever, and even James and Sirius were beginning to dedicate more of their time completing the now, average 15 inch essays they were receiving nearly every night. Rumours about how students were coping with the stress were spreading around like flies.

Apparently, 2 Fifth years and 4 Seventh years had fainted again, and a few had major breakdowns in lessons. A Seventh Year Ravenclaw had also supposedly hexed herself during Charms and had no idea how it happened. Generally, spirits weren't exactly high amongst the students.

No word of the werewolf incident had been mentioned between Lily and James. Lily was eager to talk about it, but seemed unable to pick an opportunity to bring up the particular topic. They rarely talked during their time in the Heads Common Room, but there was no awkwardness they used to experience. Sometimes, there would be a rare smile exchanged, but nothing more.

Although confused as to why Lily's feelings of dislike for James were slowly diminishing, she wanted nothing more than to crack the mystery of the stag…and she wanted to do it soon. Somehow, she just couldn't shake the odd feeling that it had something to do with James Potter.

Eva had also come back from her vacation, as bright and cheerful as ever. Brittany was still not showing any signs of making up with Sirius, but her mood was gradually improving, to the relief of many. After informing Eva of Dumbledore's request, Eva immediately agreed with not much thought at all. And Lily and Brittany were the same. All three would willingly sacrifice their lives for the better of the world.

Dumbledore hadn't spoken to them after Lily and James' unfortunate time in the hospital, but it was clear what his meaning was: Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be striking again at the next Hogsmeade trip, which was approaching quickly…and all of them had to be prepared for the unexpected.

Quite unexpectedly, it was Brittany who volunteered to make the declaration to James, Sirius and Remus (James had wisely decided not to include Peter in this little activity they were partaking in).

It was outside the Heads Room just after dinner as the three girls had caught up to the three Marauders. Lily had a half frown on her face as she saw the excited glint in James' eye as they approached.

"Oi! Potter, Black, Remus!" Brittany called out. It was an old tradition that Remus Lupin was never called by his last name by the 3 girls.

The teenage wizards halted in their tracks, and turned around, James and Sirius with wide, fake surprised looks on their faces, while Remus was just looking…interested. James ran a hand through his messy hair which caused Lily to frown again and raised his eyebrows, while Sirius folded his arms and leant against a nearby wall, both his eyes rested on Brittany.

"Well, what do you think?" Brittany scowled as she saw where Sirius Black's gaze fell, and felt extremely irksome as she felt her heart beat as she met his black orbs.

"About what, dear Davies?" It was James who replied, but his gaze was locked firmly on Lily. Needless to say, Eva and Remus caught each others glances and were highly amused.

Lily clicked her tongue, a sign that she was very annoyed. "You know very well, Potter. What Dumbledore declared."

"Oh…that" and James grinned suggestively.

"We" Eva gestured to her, Brittany and Lily "think that it's best if we all stick together in Hogsmeade." Eva felt it was best to speak up before the four blew their heads off at each other again.

Lily gnawed her lip and looked firmly at the ground, while Brittany bit her cheek in order to not protest in outrage and stared blankly at the wall. The 3 Marauders exchanged highly amused glances, and were faking pondering looks. James' heart was beating a million miles a minutes, while Sirius had turned a brilliant magenta around the back of his neck.

They smirked attractively, and suddenly, James came up with the perfect idea.

"Well…" he lengthened the word, and Lily knew that nothing good was going to come as she saw the devious glint in his eye. Lily's head snapped up, and she took a few steps towards James.

"Yeah, what brilliant idea have you come up with this time, Potter?"

"Hmmm…now that you mention it Evans" James loved seeing her fumble with her hands and look worry. "Don't you think it would be a little suspicious if the six of us, who err…to put it mildly, all have interesting reputations stick together in Hogsmeade? I can assure you that many people will not understand."

Lily, who had been about to snap back at what she thought would be a stupid comment from him, stopped mid-way and considered this. He was right…with everyone knowing that she and James and Brittany and Sirius were like fire and ice, how could they explain that they suddenly got together?

"I---" she stammered. She noticed Brittany was also scratching her head in thought.

"I have an idea!" James immediately cut in.

"Well, spill it out, Prongs" Sirius had already guessed what his best friend in mind, but decided to play along with the little act.

"We need a reason to tell everybody why were together. It won't be suspicious if we declared that we were on dates! Obviously, Eva and Remmy are together. Davies, no offence, but I don't think we'll work out so I suppose Sirius and you will have to be a hot item. And so that leaves me with you Evans" James grinned broadly, his sparkling white teeth showing.

Sirius had to hold his nose to not burst out into snorts of laughter, and congratulated himself on only spluttering a little. Remus was also concealing a half grin.

"I'm glad that's settled then. It'll be a date." And with that, the 3 Marauders sauntered down the corridor like nothing important had happened with James and Sirius congratulating each other on the fine feat they'd accomplished.

Eva turned to her best friends whose jaws were hanging so wide they nearly touched the floor. Their expressions were ones of disbelief and shock horror. She smiled inwardly.

"So…what clothes do you think you'll wear?" she asked innocently.

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A/N: Hahahahaaaahahahahaa! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter…maybe it didn't really go as some as you had hoped, but I really hope it didn't disappoint anybody too much!

Sorry for not updating earlier, but I had to make this stupid model of a pig shed, which took AGES! Anyway, thanx to everybody who gave me support and feedback. It really helps when you know people out there are reading what you wrote and giving back comments!

In response to:

Alix33: Thanks for commenting on particular lines in the story. I'm sorry for the weird spelling errors e.g. 'differeNt'. I kind of don't know how they happen, but I think I accidentally pressed the Caps Lock…and stupid Auto Correct doesn't correct it. Oh well, thanx for your review! And all your comments, I really enjoyed reading them!

Lizzi, Elizabeth: Ahhh…I was wondering where one of my best reviewers went! Thanx for keeping with the story…and thx so very much for your review! Gosh, you're right about the rest of the Slytherins. I didn't mention anything, but as you read, they ran away when Snape was actually killing Lily…so they're actually quite cowardly. THX HEAPS!

WhiteCamelliaOnce again, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really really happy you're enjoying the story immensely. Tell me what you thought of the chap!

Jumpernumbernine Thanx for your kind words! Keep up the great effort with your story. I'm not that keen about reading Lily and James dying…but your writing style is so excellent! Hope this chapter didn't disappoint you!

ChaosblazenLOL! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Plz plz plz tell me what you thought of my chap! I really greatly appreciate your comments!

Countess Jackman: Wow! Interesting nick. Thanx for all the feedback, and I'm so glad you enjoy my work. Seriously, it really does make a difference when someone reviews…my heart swells a lot and stuff! Lol, thx heaps!

Il0v3captain0ats: Lol! I had to check 4 times to make sure I'd spelt your name right! Thx heaps for your review…and indeed, Lily lives! Plz REVIEW!

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Chikichiki Lol! Hope you liked the chapter…sorry Lily didn't find that they were Animagus, but I hope the contents was interesting anyhoo. Thx again so much for reviewing! Luv you really much!

THX AGAIN TO EVERY1! (sorry if I missed anyone. U can punch mi in your review)

EVERY1 REVIEW PRETTY PLEASE WITH HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS, MARSHMALLOWS AND A FAT STRAWBERRY ON TOP!

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