Lily's Point of View
"What's up with Potter?" Marlene McKinnon ran over to me in the common room that night. "I heard that Snivellus tried to hex him in the corridor after your potion class today and apart from hexing him to the ceiling, James did nothing."
"That's true," I confirmed distractedly as I scoured through my Potions text book looking for the answers for the questions about potions based transfiguration that Slughorn had set this afternoon. "I was there when it happened. I was the one who let him down off the ceiling when Potter walked away. And his name is Snape," I rebuked her gently, hating the way that the foul nickname rolled so easily off her tongue
"But James never backs down from a chance to hex Snivellus," Marlene spluttered, completely ignoring me. "That can't be the real James Potter! It's like an unwritten law of the universe that any confrontation between James and Snivellus, there has to be some kind of epic duel where James shows that Slytherin slimeball just who exactly is the better man. Half Blood Prince indeed! If you ask me, he's just trying to make the fact that he's only a half blood sound more impressive than it really is for when he becomes a Death Eater" She said coldly, sending a chill of fear into my heart at the mention of the Death Eaters. As a Muggleborn witch, I knew that the minute I left Hogwarts, I would be one of the people most at risk from these pureblood fanatics and a person would have to be insane not to be scared almost witless at the thought of what they could do to a person.
"Please, Marly, don't say things like that," I pleaded with her, hating the thought of my old friend getting caught up in something like that. Despite the fact that we were no longer friends and the fact that recently he had started openly treating me with contempt, I still cared for him and wished that one day he would wake up and see what was really going on with Voldemort and his Death Eaters and do what's right. "You can't know that that is what he will do and it's not nice to speculate like that. And please don't call him Snivellus. It's almost as bad as calling someone a Mudblood and he is still a person and he still has feelings. It must hurt a lot for him to have everyone calling him that, day in, day out," I pointed out, knowing that it was futile but making the effort anyway. I know some people make fun of me and think that I'm too kind for my own good but I just can't help it. Sometimes you just can't stop defending people and caring for them, even when they clearly don't want or need you too.
"Lily, you're too nice and trusting for your own good," Marlene shook her head. "If he doesn't want people being nasty to him then he shouldn't be a completely nasty piece of work himself. It's karma coming round to bite him in the ass!" She justified her actions with a shrug and a grin.
"Better watch your own ass carefully then," I suggested dryly to her, not buying her explanation one little bit. "Or karma might come and bite you there too,"
"If it does it won't be for calling Snivellus names," Marlene shook her head, ignoring my warning. "Anyway, let's not fight about Snivellus. We have more important things to talk about," She insisted.
"Yes, because James Potter is the most important topic of conversation this decade," I commented dryly.
"More like this century," Sirius Black sniggered as he walked past my sofa on the way towards the common room entrance. He was on his own so I guessed he was off to meet his girlfriend. If he was going to cause mischief or set up some elaborate prank then Peter Pettigrew, Remus and James would have been with him.
"Go away, Black!" Marlene glared at him impatiently, not wanting to hear his take on James as a topic of conversation. "Go and find your girlfriend and leave the rest of us in peace," She told him bossily with a wink as she tried to distract him from what he had overheard. Marlene is quite close to James and if I didn't know her better I would swear she had a slight crush on him. If James knew that she had been talking about him then he would tease her something rotten about it tomorrow.
Sirius laughed and with a nod and a wink back at Marlene, carried on towards the portrait hole. "And make sure your back by curfew, Black. I'd hate to have to dock points if I catch you trying to sneak back in when I'm on patrol later," I yelled after him teasingly. I've never caught Black out of bounds after curfew on any of my patrols but it was common knowledge that his attitude towards the curfew was more that it was a guideline for when students should consider going back to the common room rather than a set in stone rule and because he knew where all the secret passages where in the school he was never caught roaming the school after hours.
"I promise I won't, Tiger-Lily," He called back to me as he swung the portrait hole open and disappeared out through it. I blushed at the nickname, once more reminded of how bad my temper was on the rare occasions that I lost it. He doesn't mean anything bad or malicious by it and in fact he probably thinks of it as a term of endearment, in a purely platonic way of course, but I hated being reminded of the lack of control I sometimes had over my temper.
I'd hoped that that slight interruption would have distracted Marlene from what she wanted to talk about because I felt a little bit uncomfortable talking about James like he was some sort of specimen in a science experiment or something. He was sort of my friend and it just felt disloyal to talk about him like this.
"So what is wrong with James?" She demanded, proving that I just wasn't that lucky. "Why the hell didn't he hex the hell out of Snivellus?"
"Maybe because he's the Head Boy and it's up to him to set an example to all the other students how to act and hexing other people in the corridor isn't the best way to set a good one or maybe he's just grown up over the summer and doesn't have to hex everyone in sight just to prove that he's a good wizard," I suggested impatiently with a sigh. "I really don't know, Marlene, you'll just have to go and ask him." I suggested calmly knowing that she would never even dream of doing that.
"James Potter growing up and maturing?" Marlene shook her head at the thought. "The biggest prankster in the school settling down and following the rules, it's just not right. It's like snow falling in hell or the Malfoy family becoming avid supports of Inter Muggle-Wizard relations, it just shouldn't happen,"
"Why ever not? People can change and grow up, you know," I reminded her softly. "It's not for us to say who or what someone else can be," I pointed out.
"I know, I know," She sighed. "It's just if Potter and Black stop playing their pranks, it will be like something is missing from Hogwarts, like some of the magic has disappeared." She laughed wistfully and I joined in at the thought of Hogwarts losing any of its magic. It had to be the most magical place in the world and would always be so in my eyes. I will never ever forget my first sight of Hogwarts castle, six years ago from the boats that carried the first years over the lake to the castle.
"Somehow, I can't see Black ever giving up playing his pranks on people, Marly," I reassured her with a grin. Some of their pranks in the past had been rather funny at times and I'm not so straitlaced and rule abiding that I won't openly admit that. "So I doubt any of the 'magic' will be missing,"
"True," Marlene grinned, visibly cheered up by this thought. Sometimes I just can't keep up with Marlene's mood swings. She can go from being mildly irritated by something to angry or irritated to depressed to happy all in the space of a few seconds. It makes my head spin sometimes just trying to keep up with her. "So does that mean you would give him a chance if he asked you out again?" Marlene asked curiously, changing the subject quickly.
The change came completely out of nowhere and I had no idea what she was talking about so all I could do was stare blankly up at her for a moment. "Give who a chance?" I asked confusedly.
"James, of course, silly! You said sometime last year that if he would just grow up a little and stop showing off so much he would be the kind of guy that you'd want to date. He's funny, intelligent and incredibly good looking, what more could you want in a guy?" She pointed out, reminding me of that particular comment.
"Marlene," I sighed. She's been trying to pair me up with someone ever since our third year when she got her first boyfriend but I'd always managed to avoid her attempts at matchmaking. I didn't want to go out with anyone unless I had proper feelings for them and I just hadn't met anyone yet who made my heart beat faster, who stood out from the crowd as being someone special, someone who deserved my love. "Whatever you're plotting, please don't."
"Me? Plot anything?" She pretended to look shocked at that but she couldn't manage to hide the twinkle in her eyes as she said that. She was about to defend all the plans that she had made in the past that had completely failed when the common room fell silent for a second. I looked up from my book to see James appearing in the door to the stair case that led up the boy's dormitory. I guess everyone was still talking about the fact that he didn't hex Snape today and his reasons behind them. No doubt the rumour mill was in full swing, embellishing every little detail with something wildly improbable and unbelievable. I glanced back at Marlene who seemed to be studying James closely like this was the first time she had ever seen him. "You know," She said thoughtfully after a moment as though she had only just realised something which should have been obvious to her all along. "You two would make a great looking couple," She observed.
"What?" I stared at her in shock. "What on earth are you going on about?"
"Well what could be better? One of the handsomest guys in the whole school and the best looking girl in the school dating?" Marlene asked in surprise as if unable to grasp my disinterest in what she was talking about. "You'd make the cutest couple Hogwarts has ever seen,"
"And good looks are all that matters in a relationship?" I arched my eyebrow sceptically at Marlene. She is my best friend in the whole world but even after knowing her since first year, I still don't always completely understand her thought patterns and logic.
"Well it doesn't hurt to have a good looking partner," Marlene pointed out. "And he is one hell of a good looking guy,"
"And what about feelings and personalities?" I asked softly looking back down at my book to hide the blush forming on my face. Marly sometimes teases me about my view on romance and relationships but it seems to me that there isn't anything wrong in secretly hoping and dreaming that my life might have a fairy tale ending. "Isn't the way a person is on the inside more important that how good a person looks on the outside?"
"Of course it is," A voice spoke quietly in my ear and I jumped in surprise knocking my text book off my lap and onto the floor. James chuckled and knelt down to pick it up, causing me to blush in embarrassment again that I'd been so clumsy. "But you, my dearest Lily, are truly gorgeous on the inside and the outside. A man would have to be blind and stupid to not instantly fall hopelessly in love with you the moment they saw you," He joked softly with me and my blush deepened. I knew he was only trying to make me blush, to joke with me like a friend but I couldn't help but be charmed by him.
"Thank you, James," I smiled back at him, all the while mentally willing my body to cool my burning cheeks to no avail.
"So they'd have to be like you then not to notice that," Marlene teased James and he glanced away from me. I shot Marlene a grateful smile that she distracted him while I tried to get my face to return to its normal colour. She had a weird glint in her eyes that if I'd have been paying closer attention too would have worried me a little but I was too distracted to notice.
"I'll have you know that I fell in love with the most heavenly and beautiful Lily on the planet the first time I saw her and have faithfully worshipped the ground she has walked on ever since, forsaking all other goddesses to focus on the greatest of them all," He said, trying to look seriously but there was a burning intensity in his eyes that told me that he meant every word. I've known for a while that James has a slight crush on me but I've never acknowledged it at all because I don't know how I feel about that and I don't want to hurt his feelings. Even before he matured, when he was still hexing anything that so much as even twitched in the corridors in past years, deep down he was still a nice, loyal, dependable guy who didn't deserve to have his feelings stomped on and hurt.
"Oh, we know," Marlene laughed.
"Stop messing around, you two," I said gently, smiling at both of them. "Is there anything you wanted James?" I asked him softly and his eyes swung back to me, his face losing some of the teasing expression as it did.
"Yeah," He sighed. "As much as it pains me to abandon my wild and reckless ways to become rule abiding and responsible, even for an hour or so, it is time for us to do our rounds," He reminded.
"Is it that time already?" I asked as I sighed and placed my textbook back in my bag. Sometimes it seemed like there was never enough hours in the day to finish all my school work.
"Unluckily for you but luckily for me, it is that time of night again," He sighed. "Sometimes this responsibility malarkey seems like more bother than it's worth," He chuckled.
"Only sometimes?" I questioned curiously. "I would have thought you would have found all of it more bothersome than it was worth," I teased him jokingly.
"Well any time spent with you could never be anything but life changing, Lily darling," He winked outrageously at me as he teased me back and I couldn't help but laugh at the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
"Oh stop your babbling," I told him as the flush I'd worked so hard to banish from my face reappeared. "Come on, the sooner we start the sooner tonight's patrols will be done,"
"It's not babbling, Lily, it's called flirting," Marlene pointed out coyly. I just ignored her, placed my bag carefully next to her chair where no one would move it till I got back.
"I'll see you later," I told her with a grin. "Don't forget to make a start on that Charms essay that's due in tomorrow. Flitwick won't be too pleased if you forget to hand another piece in," I pointed out, remembering how much trouble she had gotten into the last time she had forgotten to hand one in.
She groaned and pulled her own textbook out of her bag. "Thanks for the reminder, Lily," She said sourly. "I was hoping if I just ignored it and refused to acknowledge its very existence it would just disappear altogether,"
"You wish," I laughed before turning and following James over to the portrait hole. He swung it open and then stood aside for me to step through it first. He followed quickly through after me and then put his hand gently on my arm to lead me in a different direction to route we normally took. "Erm, James?" I said questioningly as he led me down the corridor.
"Yes?" He asked, looking down and meeting my eyes.
"Why are we going this way?" I asked curiously. "We never normally go this way," I pointed out. The corridors we were walking down weren't the most commonly used ones in the school because they didn't really lead anywhere where students would particularly want to go.
"I know," He sighed softly and I noticed that his eyes hardened a little as though there was something troubling him that he wanted to talk about but couldn't quite make his mind up whether to ask me. "But there might be something I need to ask your advice about and if that is the case I don't want anyone to overhear us,"
"Oh," I said, unsure what to say about that. "How can there be something you only might need advice on? Surely there either is something I can help you with or there isn't," I pointed out, confused.
"I'm trying to work out whether it's worth wasting your time with or not," He admitted sheepishly. "I can't help thinking it might just turn out to be nothing,"
"Tell me anyway," I offered. "They do say that a problem shared is a problem halved," I reminded him. I won't deny his mysterious words had aroused my curiosity and I badly wanted an explanation now but I wouldn't force him to tell me if he didn't want to.
There was sudden pause as though he was thinking carefully about what to say. It surprised me a little because I don't think I've ever seen James at a loss for words before. Something really must be bothering him for him to be like this. "I don't know where to begin." He admitted after a couple of seconds had passed.
"Is it to do with a girl?" I guessed, weirdly feeling a sense of relief when he shook his head that was only partly to do with the fact that I'm probably the last person someone should come to for relationship advice, having no experience in anything like that.
"No, no, no," He smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing to do with that. It's actually to do with Sniv…" He started to say but then saw my glare and quickly changed what he was trying to say, "It's to do with Snape actually and because you two were friends for so long I thought you might be able to give me an insight into what he might be up to," He trailed off awkwardly, looking down at his feet for a moment.
"I doubt I'll be any more the wiser than you," I said truthfully. "I haven't spoken to him in any great depth since the end of fifth year and I think he must have changed an awful lot since then,"
"But you know how his mind works, how he thinks about things in a way I don't," James said quietly. "And I know I might just be overreacting to something he probably just said to make himself tough and to try and scare me a little, but I can't help thinking that someone might get seriously hurt if I don't heed them carefully,"
I frowned, not liking the tone of his words. "If Snape is threatening to hurt someone you have to tell McGonagall or Slughorn," I told him quickly. "They can stop him before they get hurt,"
"I can't go to them yet," James sighed shaking his head in annoyance.
"Why not?" I asked softly. If James didn't want to go and tell a teacher just yet there had to be a good reason.
"Because he hasn't actually threatened anybody outright, hell he hasn't even actually come right out and made a threat at all," James sighed in frustration. "That's the problem really, he just spouted some nonsense about me not being able to win every fight and that there are some games that I don't know the rules to, let alone the right strategies to win it,"
"That's very cryptic," I agreed, my brow furrowing in thought as I considered his words. A silence fell for a couple of minutes while I struggled with trying to work out what the boy I knew years ago would have meant by that?
"Any ideas about what he might have meant and whether I should take him seriously?" James asked, interrupting the silence when it became too much.
"Definitely take his words seriously," I told him firmly, this much I was confident about. "Sev never wastes his breath saying things he doesn't mean. If he's insinuated that he's going to do something that you won't expect then he will be planning something,"
"But what is he planning?" He demanded softly. We turned a corner and headed up a flight of stairs to a corridor that I didn't recognise. I guess this was a part of the castle that either I had never been in before or that I had only been through a couple of times and it just hadn't registered on my memory.
"Something subtle and underhand," I guessed. Severus loved the subtle intricacies of plots and deceits that were ripe within his own house and had learnt from the best how to take the most painful form of revenge possible. "Unlike you, he won't go for an open and fair attack because from past experience, anybody with two brain cells to rub together will know that that won't work. He'll try and strike you where he perceives you are at your weakest where he can be at his strongest with all the odds stacked in his favour," I shrugged, hoping that I was right and not leading James up the wrong train of thoughts.
"Shit," James swore under his breath. "That could be anyone of four people," This made me extremely curious as to what James's weaknesses were. He comes across a lot of the time like the kind of person who doesn't any fears or weaknesses, even though I know that that idea is crazy because everyone has some weakness. I guess it's just the way that he always seems to face everything face on and unflinchingly.
The corridors seemed to get darker and darker as we walked along and until the point that some of these empty, echoing corridors took on a gruesome, eerie feeling that sent shivers down my spine. I pulled my wand and muttered Lumos under my breath. James looked curiously at me when I did that, obviously having not felt the same feeling of unease I did. But to be honest he's probably used to the dark corridors after all the years he's spent roaming the corridors after hours, probably discovering all the secrets of the place. Hell, he probably knows this place better than any other person who ever walked these corridors.
"Is there anyway of narrowing down the options?" I prompted softly to take my thoughts of the unsettling stillness around me. I always find these night patrols a bit weird because I'm so used to the bustling corridors full of students and when they are empty, it's just completely different like it's a whole new place.
"Maybe three if he still fears what Dumbledore will do to him if he breaks his word," James mused to himself in a whisper as though he was thinking out loud and didn't intend for me to hear them. The louder and clearly aimed at me he asked, "Is there anyway that I could find out anymore on what he's planning?"
"You personally?" I questioned. "I highly doubt it. Without Veritaserum you don't have a cat in hell's chance of Snape telling you what he's planning," I told him honestly.
"Does Slughorn have any knocking around in his office?" James asked and I could tell just by looking in his eyes that he was already plotting and scheming. I could have kicked myself for giving him the idea; it was that obvious what he was planning. It was a typical Potter and Black way of dealing with things.
"No he doesn't!" I glared at James. "Its use is strictly controlled by the Ministry and it's so tricky to make that I doubt even I could mix it up," I told him sternly. It was the kind of thing he should know about. After all, he is a pure-blood wizard.
James nodded, accepting that forcing the truth out of Snape wouldn't be achieved that way. "What about you?" He asked me suddenly.
"What about me? I've just told you I can't mix a potion that complex up," I told him, rolling my eyes in exasperation. I wouldn't even dream of attempting to mix it up, I'd probably end up mixing some poison that would kill the person who drank it or made them grow an extra head or something.
"No, I mean would you be able to get him to tell you what he's up to?" James corrected me.
I thought about this for a moment. "Two years ago I would have said that I could have gotten anything out of him but now I probably couldn't even get today's date out of him," I sighed. "He wouldn't trust me not to tell you and he would tell people he trusts unconditionally,"
"Damn!" James swore again. "So basically all I can do is sit around and wait for the bastard to attack someone in whatever foul way his twisted brain can think up with what ever dark curse he wants and there's nothing I can do to stop him," He looked like he wanted to punch the wall in his anger.
A sudden brainwave came to me. "Wait a minute," I said slowly. "Someone might be able to goad it out of him if they can get him mad enough. He loses some of his control when it comes to what he says when he really loses his temper. That's probably your best bet if you really want to know," I told him.
"So all I need to do is get him angry and he should spill the beans?" James repeated.
"No," I interrupted. "You need to get someone else close to you to wind him up and get him angry. Even when he's angry he's not stupid enough to give you any more clues. My advice would be, and if you tell anyone I suggested this I will deny all knowledge of this conversation," I warned him quickly. "Is to get either Sirius or Remus to do it while you're not around to do it for you. We can't have the head boy picking a fight in the corridors after all."
"Good point," He agreed with me. "I'll get them right onto it tomorrow,"
"No," I said quickly. "Leave it for a few days."
"WHAT?" James yelled at me in shock at my words and I flinched away from him in shock. He saw this and quietened his tone when he spoke again. "We can't wait a few days! Snape might do whatever he's plotting while we wait!"
"He won't," I said confidently. "He'll draw this out for as long as he can," I told him seriously.
"How do you know that?" James demanded.
"Because he's got you, the mighty, infallible James Potter, squirming and dancing to his tune while you wait for him to make his move and he'll want to make that last as long as possible, draw the tension out until you're so close to snapping that you'll slip up and make a huge mistake or something,"