Trials and Tribulations
Summary: Harry Potter knew he was going to get shocked when he visited his parents graves. He knew that'd he'd see family he never met; like grandparents, uncles, and aunts. But one thing he didn't know was that he was going to meet his sister.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any profit off of this fanfic.

Chapter Seven: The Compromise

'I'll never understand your cravings.' James thought, as he and the other Marauders watched Lily eat her pickles with honey mustard. Alice and Elizabeth had grown accustomed to the things Lily ate, but the Marauders hadn't.

"Do you have a problem with my breakfast?" Lily snapped, looking at James.

He looked at his plate. "No," he said quickly. He began eating his breakfast. The Marauders followed suit.

Lily glared at them, and continued eating. A few other students were watching Lily, and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable under their stares. 'If they have problems, they need to deal with it, not stare.'

Alice tried to hide her smile, and she continued to eat her oatmeal. The owl post had come earlier that morning, and she was letting Elizabeth read her Daily Post.

Lily finished her breakfast, and stood up. "I'm going," she said simply. She didn't acknowledge anyone's answers, and she left.

When the Marauders were sure she was out of hearing distance, they heaved a sigh of relief. "What's going on with Lily?" Peter asked.

Elizabeth slid into Lily's vacant spot. "Not only are her hormones building up, but Violet and Marie are just pestering her. Recently they've decided to do their nails and spray all their perfume after Lily leaves for Head Duties, and the entire time through them, so when she comes back the room is intoxicating. Every time Lily comes into our dorm, she gets dizzy and sick just by breathing."

"It doesn't help that the spell we use to clear the air only works when there's a strong breeze outside." Alice said.

"She isn't sleeping well, and her morning sickness is getting worse." Elizabeth added.

"That isn't healthy," Remus said.

Alice and Elizabeth nodded their heads. "Everything we do, it just makes it worse. Lily even went to McGonagall, and McGonagall gave them detentions. That really made it worse." Elizabeth said.

"Hmm…I wonder if—"

James stopped. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Remus put his head in his hands, and grab his hair. Sirius saw this too, because he asked him, "You okay Moony?"

"Just—I'm going to see Madame Pomfrey." He stood up abruptly. "I'll see you later."

James and Sirius gave him sympathetic looks, and then they turned back to Alice and Elizabeth.

"Is he going to be okay?" Elizabeth asked.

"He'll be fine."

xoXoXoXox

It was late afternoon, and all the 7th year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's were going into McGonagall's room for Advanced Transfiguration. Just before McGonagall shut the door, Lily slid into the classroom.

"Evans—"

"Sorry Professor, I was—"

"See me after class."

Lily looked sadly at McGonagall, and then she went to the last empty seat next to Snape. Snape gave a disgruntled grunt at Lily's request to sit beside him, and then he moved his things over.

The Marauders sent Snape a glare. It meant that if he did one thing to Lily, then he'd be in for it. Snape just sneered back, mouthing, 'Why would I touch a Mudblood?'

Luckily, Lily didn't notice, because she was close to bursting into tears.

McGonagall wrote that days assignment on the board. "Today," she began, her voice nice and crisp, "you shall write a thirteen inch essay on Transfiguration. It is due at the end of class. The topics are on the board," McGonagall stepped out of the way. Nearly fifteen different topics were on the board. "No one at the same table shall write about the same topic." James raised his hand. "Yes Mr. Potter, you must do well on this essay, because this is going to tell me how much I need to teach before N.E.W.T.'s. Any more questions?"

James lowered his hand. He never understood how she always knew what he was going to ask.

"Good, you may begin. Keep the talking to the bear minimum." McGonagall stood at the front of her desk until she saw that all her students were working. She then sat down at her desk, and began grading parchments.

She kept an eye on the Marauders, Snape, and Lily, because she knew something might happen before class was over.

Lily bent over and began searching through her bag for a quill and parchment. She couldn't find her quill, but she did find a sugar quill at the bottom of her bag. She used that instead, and then she grabbed her parchment. Using her wand, she measured it to thirteen inches, and then she began writing.

Lily wrote silently. She concentrated on her writing, knowing that she'd have to do well if this was going to reflect anything on N.E.W.T.'s.

James picked the easiest topic he could thing of: Wand movement While Transfiguring. He was done with his essay a quarter of the way through class. Sirius and Remus were close behind him.

James sighed and put his head in his hand. 'I wonder where Lily was at lunch. Probably in the kitchens…'

"Or snogging another man in the corridor."

James jumped and looked at Sirius. He was grinning at him, while writing his name at the top of the parchment.

"What are you talking about?" James hissed.

"Prongs, mate, brother of mine, I can read your mind," Sirius said. "Now hush, other people are trying to do their essays." He could feel McGonagall's stare on him.

James shook his head. He turned to Remus who was sitting on the other side of him. Remus shook his head. "Leave him be. I think he's crazy."

James laughed quietly.

Halfway through class, more and more people were getting done with their essays. Alice and Elizabeth were sitting in the back of the classroom in their normal seats, except Violet was sitting beside Elizabeth, instead of Lily.

"What's going on with Evans?"

Elizabeth looked at Violet through the corner of her eye. "Nothing."

"Yes there's something wrong with her…Well, there's always been something wrong with her. What disease has the Mudblood brought upon herself?" Violet said this quietly, knowing that Elizabeth would control herself in a classroom.

Elizabeth shifted slightly, and then tipped Violet's chair, sending Violet crashing to the floor.

Everyone jumped at the loud clatter, except Alice and Elizabeth. Alice was giggling, trying to keep her eyes on her parchment.

"Talk about Lily again," Elizabeth hissed, as McGonagall neared them.

"Violet!" McGonagall spluttered. "Try to remain in your seat. Another disruption like that will be a detention for you."

McGonagall righted Violet's chair, and watched as Violet climbed back into her chair, rubbing her bottom.

Lily turned towards Elizabeth and Alice. She lifted an eyebrow at them, and Elizabeth just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Alice did the same.

Lily sighed and turned back to her essay. She was nearly finished. She glanced at her watch, and saw that class was just about over.

Lily quickly jotted down some more sentences. Then McGonagall came around and began collecting the parchments. She took Lily's, and reminded her that she needed to stay after class.

When McGonagall dismissed the class, James turned towards Lily. "Do you want me to wait for you?" He asked.

Lily was about to shake her head, but then she nodded. "Please?" She added. James smiled at her, and agreed.

He left the room and told the other Marauders that he was going to wait for Lily.

Lily stood up and went to the front of McGonagall's desk. "Professor?" she asked.

"I see you have taken a liking to nearly coming to class late," she began, looking up at Lily. With a flick of her wrist, she brought a chair up to her desk. "Have a seat," she stated.

Lily sat down. She was blushing, thinking that McGonagall was criticizing her.

"I know this year will be tough for you, so I am willing to make a compromise," McGonagall stated. She watched as Lily's brow furrowed. "You don't eat lunch before you come here, which isn't healthy." McGonagall opened one of her desk drawers.

"I know. It's just I get really tired after charms, and I need a nap, so I sleep through lunch," Lily said.

McGonagall put a tin on her desk. She took off the lid, and offered Lily a biscuit. Lily took one and nibbled on it.

"The entire staff has already spoken to Dumbledore about your condition, and it's fine with me, if you have snacks in here, since you sleep through lunch," McGonagall said. "Not a full on meal, but something to hold you over, I suppose."

Lily smiled brightly at McGonagall. "Thank your Professor!" Lily said happily, glad that McGonagall wasn't mad at her.

McGonagall offered Lily one more biscuit, which she took gladly. Then she said, "I'll write you and Potter a pass."

xoXoXoXox

"I am so sick and tired of Head Duties," Lily said, walking beside James.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "We're done for the night. And you look just about dead on your feet, so you should really go to bed."

"I'd be less tired if my roommates weren't jerks," Lily muttered angrily. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"They're still doing all that stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was worse after our classes. Violet and Marie sprayed some type of air freshener or something. It smells awful James. Alice spent nearly an hour in the Library trying to find a spell to charm it all away."

"I think we may need to have a talk with them then."

Lily shook her head. "There's no use."

The Fat Lady's portrait was nearing them. James said the password, and she swung open.

Barely anyone was in the Gryffindor Common Room. James kissed Lily before she left and went up her staircase. James went up his and walked into his dormitory.

Peter was sitting on the floor in front of his bed, shooting sparks from his wand. Remus and Frank were playing chess, and Sirius was nowhere in sight.

Remus looked up as James walked in. James deposited his robes on his bed, and then looked at the chessboard.

"Thought you were Padfoot for a second," Remus said, moving his last pawn two squares forward.

"Where'd he go?" James asked.

"The kitchens to get me a sandwich." Remus replied. James laughed, and then walked into the bathroom. He took a shower and brushed his teeth. He was planning on sleeping in since the next day was Saturday.

'Heh. It's been one week since Lily and I started dating.' James thought as he stared at his reflection. 'One heck of a week.'

James walked out of the bathroom, and saw Remus and Frank still playing their game. But now Remus was eating a sandwich. Sirius was still nowhere in sight.

When Remus noticed that James was out of the bathroom, he offered him a roast beef sandwich with onions and salt. James declined, saying, "I just brushed my teeth." He sat down on the floor in front of his bed, and began digging underneath it. He needed to find some socks to clean. "Where's Sirius?" James asked after a moment of sock searching.

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "He went back to get butter beer. My cravings are strange this month. Butter beer and roast beef. Pretty soon I'll want pickled—"

Someone knocked on the door. It was a soft knock.

James laughed at Remus's comment, and was about to stand up, when Peter stood up. He crossed the room and opened the door.

Remus, James, and Frank tried to see who was at the door.

Peter turned around and beckoned James to come to him. James stood up and went to the door. He was thinking it was something a student needing the Head Boy, but then he saw that it was Lily. She was clad in her pajamas, and she was holding a pillow. Her hair was down, and parted in the middle.

James smiled at her. "What's up?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"It's really bad in my room, and I don't want to sleep on the couch…Can I sleep in here? I can sleep on the floor or whatever, just please don't send me back to my room."

James turned towards his roommates. "Is it okay if Lily stays here for a little bit? Violet and Marie have been treating her badly."

It was quiet a moment, and then Frank looked up from the chessboard. "I speak for everyone when I say our room is your room. Just tell Sirius that there's a person of a different gender staying in here."

James turned back to Lily. She smiled at him, and James let her in. He showed her to the bed. "Under no circumstances are you going to sleep on the floor. Do you know what's on there?" James asked.

Lily laughed. She sat down on the edge of his bed, and took a deep breath. She liked the smell of the room a lot better than hers.

"Prongs, where're you going to—"

"PARTY!"

Lily jumped as Sirius barged into the room, carrying a few cases of butter beer. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Lily. "Ahem. I mean, would anyone like to have a butter beer with me?" Sirius asked.

"Padfoot, it's too late," James said. "And Lily is staying with us for awhile, okay?"

"That's fine," Sirius said. "I guess no partying tonight…whatever shall I do with all this butter beer?"

"Give it to me." Remus held out his hand, while moving his chess piece with the other. Sirius gave him a look, but when Remus noticed that he didn't have the butter beer in his hand, he glared at Sirius. "Now."

"Okay, okay," Sirius said. He handed Remus all the butter beers, and watched as Remus muttered something and took the top off a bottle.

Frank shook his head. Lily laughed and shook her head. "I didn't know he gets that bad."

"Shows what you know," James said, sitting next to Lily.

Lily shook her head. Then James crawled into the bed, and Lily lay beside him.

"Look at the lovebirds!" Sirius cooed. "I think I sh—"

Frank picked up a pillow and threw it at Sirius. "Leave them alone."

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: This chapter didn't end well...I actually hate it. :(

I want to wish everyone a Happy Flag Day! (It's my favorite Holiday!)

Have a GREAT DAY!

Love,
Bob Bennit

P.S. I have a new fanfic idea, and it's about Ron and Hermione...and neither of them are pregnant! GASP! LoL