A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I'm back at school now and something about this chapter just doesn't sit well with me. Plus I keep getting distracted by future chapters. SO if I get four reviews on this chapter, anyone can request a scene from a future chapter that focuses on a character of their choice. An intense one, probably.
Thanks for reading!
The Great Hall was simply too bright for Lily. For Merlin's sake, it had been cloudy out all day but the hall still managed to shine and glimmer just as it always does. Cheery faces could be seen at every table as people began to stuff their mouths with beans and pudding, carelessly tossing bread and napkins at their friends while spitting and laughing. There were only six aurors in the hall tonight, and Lily wondered whether security had been decreased or if the aurors were just more spread out through the castle today.
What a stupid thought. As if security would be decreased two days after a professor was murdered.
Lily thought she must be the only sane person left at Hogwarts. Fourty-eight hours after a professor had been found dead, and the entire castle had already moved on to talking about the next Hogsmeade trip or something or other. She had figured that the students would talk of nothing else for weeks, that she would have trouble escaping the greusome subject. But the student body seemed to have collectively decided that Marcus Higgins' death was only to be mentioned as a murmured anecdote about how dangerous living at Hogwarts may actually be.
Safest place in Britain, probably in all of Europe. It's what she had told Marlene, it's what she had told Mrs. Prince, it's what she had told everybody. She believed it still, she just now realized that even the safest places can let in a little darkness.
Lost in thought, Lily found herself thumbing a piece of crumpled paper in her pocket. She had ripped out the article from the prophet about disappearences, wanting to check the names just one more time. Unable to remember one, she took out the paper.
"Aren't you going to eat, Lily?" Sophie was watching Lily as she read the article. Her gaze was so innocently sweet and full of concern that Lily felt compelled to smile and put some mashed potatoes on her plate. Sophie was appeased and continued her conversation with Cammie. Marlene, however, continued to watch Lily.
"What?" Lily snapped. Marlene shrugged but didn't look away. "I'm eating, see?" Lily took a bite of potatoes and waved her spoon around for Marlene to see, whose face betrayed no thoughts or emotions, but for some reason made Lily feel inexplicably guilty.
"I never said anything about your eating." Marlene said simply, but she looked away.
Lily sighed, placing the article back into her pocket, promising not to forget Richard Finnegan, and pushed around the mashed potatoes on her plate. She tried to take another bite, but she could hear the rustling of the papers in her robes when she moved her arm, and, instead of facing further reminders of those who'd been lost, she lifted her head to the cloudy ceiling above. For a few minutes, she watched as the dark clouds swirled with the white fog, slowly becoming pink as the sun began to set. I hope it rains. If it rains, I'll go flying.
A sudden clanging sound caused Lily to jump, and looking around she saw Charlotte using a napkin to clean up juice form the goblet that she had just knocked over. Lily handed over some napkins, watching thoughtfully. They had paired together during Herbology that day, doing their work in silence except when Lily would make some comment about their task. Charlotte was talented in Herbology and the pair had finished earlier than the rest of the class, giving Lily ample time to try and fail to get Charlotte involved in conversation. As far as Lily knew, Charlotte hadn't spoken a word since her apology the night before.
Perhaps sensing Lily's stare, Charlotte looked up at her and blushed slightly. Lily tried to smile as sincerely as possible, hoping that her frustrated curiosity would be successfully masked.
"Gavin just accosted me, Lily. We've got rounds tonight." Remus had sat down in the empty seat next to her, as James, Sirius, and Peter took the remaining seats around them.
Lily sighed softly but shrugged. "We knew this was bound to happen. Slytherin heads always mean the worst slots for the Gryffindors, and Galina has always been just the sweetest to me."
"Why is the fact that you have to patrol a surprise?" asked Marlene.
"Prefects patrol generally every two weeks, but head students get to assign when," Remus explained.
"And we're the lucky pair that get to patrol during Broom Rattling 1976," finished Lily.
"Ahhh yes, the Great Broom Rattling." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at the girls and Lily snorted at the comical expression on his face.
"Should I even ask?" Cammie grinned.
"You shouldn't have to, considering you were one of the many participants last year," answered Lily, waving her spoon towards Cammie in accusation.
"Me!? But- Ohh…." Cammie's eyes glossed over and her face lit up as she smiled. "Jennifer Marsters. She was lovely."
"So Broom Rattling… is a snog fest?" questioned Marlene, attempting to cover the amused glint in her eyes with a frown.
"Snog fest, shag fest, what have you," Sirius answered. Remus and Lily exchanged grimaces.
"Let's not relive that one, mate."
"What makes tonight so special?" Peter asked through a mouth full of cabbage.
"First night back after the feast. Long lost lovers finally finding each other's arms." Sirius said smiling.
"Horny berks who haven't seen a girl all summer," Remus amended. Sirius nodded earnestly.
"It's a sacred tradition that has scarred many a prefect."
Charlotte suddenly stood up, apparently done eating, and walked out of the Great Hall without a word. Lily watched her go, and stood up as well, almost instinctively.
"Let her go, Evans."
James said it casually, but he was watching Charlotte leave with what Lily thought was apprehension.
"She's not helpless, she can find her own way."
"Shove it, Potter." Lily slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked out of the Great Hall. She jogged slightly to try and catch up to Charlotte who had disappeared in a mass of students entering for dinner. Once she had escaped the crowd herself, Lily could see only an empty Entrance Hall. Turning around on the spot to try and see if Charlotte hadn't left after all, she found herself face to face with James.
"I can find my own way too, thanks," she said, eyes narrowed. She turned from him and began to walk in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
"Can't help that we're going to the same place, Evans." He too was looking around the hall as if trying to spot someone.
"You didn't even have your dinner." Lily craned her neck as she stood on the staircase that lead to the second floor. If Charlotte had gone that way Lily would be able to see her from there.
"Not hungry." He answered. "Where are you going?" James frowned and trotted after Lily as she walked in the opposite direction.
"Out to the grounds, why?" Lily continued to walk quickly towards the door, not looking at James.
"Because it's not exactly safe to go wandering about!"
"Go back to your friends then, if you're scared. I on the other hand can handle a few sharp blades of grass."
"Evans-" James was suddenly in front of her, hand lightly grabbing her arm to stop her from walking. His eyes stared into hers, and for a moment Lily thought she saw fear flash through the hazel mess.
"Seriously, Potter, there are four aurors just in this hall." She tried to continue walking but he continued to block her path.
"Six," he corrected.
Lily scowled.
"Four!" she insisted.
James smirked and shook his head, seeing her nose crinkle in frustration. He pointed his chin towards where a tall, dark haired boy was leaning against the wall next to a suit of armor. When Lily had seen him earlier, she had written him off as a student, but looking now she saw that his robes were almost identical to the school uniform except for the fact that they were missing a house patch.
"They're... posing as students?" Lily asked, looking up at James.
"Not exactly. At least, I don't think so. More likely he's just trying to blend in, hoping someone will let something slip when they walk by. I doubt Dumbledore would actually allow aurors to impersonate a student." Lily's eyes widened in surprise.
"But that means they suspect a student is involved, or knows something!"
"Knows something about what?" James asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
Lily gaped at him. "About Marcus Higgins. Has that seriously slipped your mind?"
James looked at her incredulously and Lily felt her insides squirm in embarrassment. "You don't seriously believe all these aurors are here just to find out about Marcus Higgins?"
Lily stood up straighter. "Of course not! They're here for protection. But they are investigating it."
"Yeah, but that's not all they're here for," James said darkly. A group of first years walked by them then and they stopped talking. Before Lily could ask what James was talking about, he grinned at her and said "Do you want to guess where the other one is?"
"The other auror?" James nodded enthusiastically and, despite herself, Lily felt her lips pull into a grin. "Okay."
She took her time looking around the room, very aware of James' eyes on her, taking note of anyone she didn't recognize, anyone who seemed to be standing in one place for too long. She scolded herself for not realizing before that the dark haired boy wasn't a student- his stiffness made it obvious even if his robes didn't. There were mostly groups in the hall, which Lily ruled out as potential aurors. After a few minutes, Lily was ready to give up. She opened her mouth to admit defeat, but then something in the corner of the hall caught her eye.
"I don't.. oh!" She walked towards a tapestry depicting a dying banshee that hung next to the entrance of the dungeons.
Pulling back the fabric, Lily revealed a short, round man with thick eyebrows and a bulbous nose leaning against a wall of the hidden nook, eyes shut. His mouth hung stupidly open beneath a bushy blonde mustache, and a bit of drool was making its way down his chin.
"You sure this ones an auror, Evans?" At the sound of James' voice, the man jolted awake. He looked between the laughing James and smirking Lily in shock.
"Shouldn't you be in class, Potter?" He seemed to inflate as his face reddened. James' laugh died, but Lily looked at the man and said:
"Actually, sir, it's nearly 11 o'clock. In the evening." The man's eye's bulged and he jumped out of his hiding spot, pushing away the two students as he did so. A group of first years shrieked in terror as the man suddenly appeared, and he turned to glare at Lily as he realized what she'd done.
"What's your name, girl?" Lily's smirk faded to a sneer as she met his glare with a fierce one of her own.
"Lily Evans. Sixth-year Gryffindor prefect. And yours?"
She could see the man's hesitation to give his name, but he was saved from making a decision when the young auror Lily had thought was a student called to him.
"Hawlish!" Lily, James, and the man called Hawlish all turned to see the boy jogging over to them. "You're needed for Roundabout G, sir," he said when he reached them, addressing Hawlish. He grinned at James and Lily, soft blue eyes twinkling, pushing back the dark waves of hair that had fallen gracefully into his face. He couldn't have been more than twenty years old, although neither James nor Lily had any recollection of him at Hogwarts.
Hawlish grunted in response and murmured something incomprehensible, looking at his cohort with mingled embarrassment and disdain before walking away from them and out onto the grounds. Not seeming to mind, the young auror stuck his hand out to Lily and introduced himself as Jack Collins. Lily took the hand hesitantly, and introduced herself as well. Collins then turned to shake James' hand, who was standing stiffly next to Lily, eyes slightly narrowed at the auror before him.
"James." He said shortly as he shook the hand in from of him. "How long have you been an auror, then?" Lily thought his tone was unnecessarily abrasive, but curious herself she said nothing.
"Fresh out of the Academy last July. Enrolled right after getting my NEWT scores." Collins gave no indication that he thought James' question had been rude,except to draw himself to his full height, so the two inch difference between the boys was obvious. He then turned to Lily smiling and said "Don't mind Hawlish. He's been working nights the past few weeks, reckon he's just adjusting. " The smile had sent a cool breeze over her that seemed to simultaneously calm her and send a shiver down her spine.
"They don't teach the importance of vigilance during auror training?" asked Lily, raising an eyebrow. Collins chuckled and said
"Somewhere between casting spells and brewing potions, yeah."
"Sleeping on the job is the kind of thing that could get you suspended, isn't it?" asked James, unsmiling.
Collins' smile didn't waiver as he turned to James, his cool eyes studying the thin face and clenched jaw of the skinny sixteen year old.
"It might. I should go join Hawlish for the round about. See you around, James, Miss Evans." He nodded to them both and then departed.
"What's a roundabout?" Lily wondered out loud, watching him go.
"I can't believe it. What does the ministry think they're playing at? A dowdy old auror who can't be bothered to open his eyes and him." James pointed his thumb towards Jack Collins' retreating back, face twisted in a scowl.
"What? He seemed nice. And he got into the auror Academy straight out of school, he must have had fantastic NEWT scores."
James' scowl deepened. "You act like he's so impressive. Didn't you realize he got Hawlish away from us on purpose?"
Lily laughed "Because two sixth years are so terrifying to a fully qualified auror."
James opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it and decided to brood silently instead. They had unconsciously started to walk towards the stairway that would take them to Gryffindor Tower. They continued their journey mostly in silence; once or twice, James tried to strike up a conversation about something other than Death Eaters and aurors, to which Lily made no response. Instead, her thoughts were consumed with plans and plots, her reasoning for leaving the Great Hall forgotten as a path seemed to weave in front of her- one where there'd be no reason to kidnap an auror.
An half hour after Remus had left for patrol, James and Sirius found themselves walking towards the kitchens- a decision that neither of them had made aloud but which was what each knew that the other wanted. Sirius was explaining an idea for a prank to welcome the first years, and could hear how James was laughing just a little too loudly and giving just a little too much encouragement. He had the faint idea that James wasn't listening to him at all. Once Sirius finished explaining the idea, to which James gave a hoot of laughter, they fell into a comfortable silence. Comfortable besides the fact that Sirius was aware that this should be the time for James to take the usual role of expanding Sirius' outlandish prank into something more realistic. Yet his friend remained silent as he tickled the pear, and only spoke to the hous-elves to greet them, leaving Sirius to order their usual bout.
"Do you recognize the name Gabriel Turner?" asked James finally. Sirius thought for a moment as he chewed on the chicken leg, and waited until he swallowed to answer.
"It sounds familiar. Turner is a pured-blood name, but not a very old one. " James nodded, he had already realized this. "Why? Who is he?" asked Sirius.
"Dunno. The name's been in my head all day." James made an effort to meet Sirius' eye and tried to smile as if he hadn't said anything strange. Sirius frowned, looking slightly annoyed, and James could see he was about to press further. In order to prevent any further questioning, James reached above his head-they were sitting smack in the middle of the kitchen- grabbed a block of cheese and threw it at Sirius. Sirius opened his mouth and caught it, almost instinctively, but the block was too large to fit into his mouth. Determined, Sirius attempted to chew on the block, half of it still outside of his mouth, and proceeded to choke. James let out a burst of laughter as he watched his friend struggle, cheerfully eating his own cheese in small bites. Sirius growled at the still laughing James once the cheese had been successfully eaten, and reached above his own head to throw something. Unfortunately for James, what he found was a bowl of chocolate pudding. Sirius threw it, bowl and all, and James let out a cry of pain and disgust.
"Padfoot!" He lunged at his friend and whacked him over the head with the chicken bones that Sirius had been chewing on. Sirius laughed, which only frustrated James who wanted to transfer the throbbing pain in his head to his friend. Hopefully with increased pain.
Between barks of laughter from Sirius, James registered the sound of a door opening. He froze in his whacking, shoving Sirius to get him to shut up. He worried for a moment that it might be Dumbledore-it wouldn't be the first time that the boys and their headmaster had fancied a snack at the same time- but relaxed when he caught a glimpse of familiar red hair. And then he panicked.
"Evans!" James shouted, voice cracking. He could hear Sirius snort beside him and gave him one last good whack. "Want some pudding?" He grinned sheepishly, holding out his arms to her so she could appreciate the massive amount of chocolate on his body. Next to her, Remus was looking at his friends with disgust.
"Chocolate and chicken?" he exclaimed, but no one took notice. Next to him, Lily seemed to be having some internal battle. Habit and duty required her to berate the troublemakers, but the scene before her was too humorous to do anything but laugh. She stifled this, and compromised by raising an eyebrow at the boys before her.
"Evans…" began Sirius, a grin creeping onto his face, " you wouldn't have been manipulating Remus here into skyving off prefect duty just because you missed dinner, right?"
Before Lily could give her scathing reply, her stomach growled loud enough to cause the surrounding house-elves to jump and bring her a platter of rices. Sirius laughed loudly prompting Remus to chuckle, while James continued to watch Lily cautiously, unable to keep a smile from his face. After a moment, Lily grinned despite herself and grabbed a bowl of rice that the house-elves were offering her, pegging a few grains at the laughing boys around her.
After that, the laughter didn't die for nearly a half hour, as Lily and Remus teased James and Sirius for their appearance, and the latter two continued to do ridiculous things with their food. This had to be put a stop to by Remus when Sirius went as far as to try and swallow a marshmallow while it was still on fire, but Sirius only grinned and chewed on the charred remains instead.
"Moony, ever hear of Gabriel Turner?" asked Sirius, licking his fingers and ignoring James' pointed glare.
"Don't think so. Who's he supposed to be?" Asked Remus.
"I think Prongs is in love with him," Sirius snickered.
"Shut up, Sirius."
"Can't stop thinking about him, you see," Sirius howled with laughter at his own joke, which made Remus smile and James redden. James timidly glanced at Lily, and was surprised to see that her previously joyous face had suddenly turned green.
"Evans? What's wrong, did you eat some bad pudding?"
"Why do you want to know about Gabriel Turner?" If she was trying to keep the accusation out of her voice, she was failing. Under her gaze, James felt uncomfortably hot.
"I heard his name before- I can't figure out why I know it. Evans, what's wrong?" he pressed, getting frustrated when he saw her face pull into a slightly pained expression.
"Gabriel Turner was a Slytherin two years above us. He was a known Death Eater." Lily stared into the distance, as if the rest of the story was written there where no one else could see it.
"Was?"
"Well, You-Know-Who doesn't have much use for permanent residents of St. Mungoes." Lily grimaced. "Especially when it was probably under his orders that Gabriel Turner was cursed."
"What, he got crucio'ed by his Death Eater mates?" Sirius asked, eyebrows raised.
Lily looked appalled. "It is not funny, Black. The Cruciatus Curse is only one of the horrible curses they used on him." Lily shivered visibly and James resisted the urge to put an arm around her shoulders.
"What did he do that pissed off the Dark Lord then?" Sirius asked. Lily met his eyes expecting to see humor in them, but only saw a cold hatred.
"Nothing, as far as the papers ever figured out. From the information they managed to gather, it seemed that You-Know-Who wanted to make an example of someone. But, then again, what do they know," she finished darkly.
"Where did you say that you heard his name said, James?" asked Remus.
"Just in passing. Overheard some students mentioning him." His eyes didn't move from Lily's face as he said this, which he watched regain some color with unease.
"How come you know about this, Evans?" Sirius asked.
"I read, Black. It was in the papers." She noticed then that James was staring at her and glared at him, but his hazel eyes only seemed to bore into hers further.
"But how come none of us remembered?" Perhaps he didn't mean to sound annoyed or suspicious, but that's what Lily heard in Sirius' voice.
"I don't know, Black. Maybe none of you bothered to care about what happens to a Death Eater,"
"Well, I certainly would have preferred it be our side that put him in the hospital, but I would count it as a victory. Another prick out of the way." Sirius sneered and looked between James and Remus for agreement.
"Is that how you're going to fight?" Lily asked, voice rising. "You're just going to use unforgivables on them until they can't move? Until they're unrecognizable?"
"Lily, he doesn't-" started Remus, but Sirius and Lily ignored him.
"I might yeah, if it's someone who deserves it."
"And how do you decide who get's to be tortured? How do you decide who deserves to live and die?" Her eyes were flaming as she glared at him, and a smarter man than Sirius would have cowered away from their gaze.
But Sirius grinned at her instead. "I'll start with the murderers, I guess."
"And once you kill a Death Eater, won't you be the murderer, Black?"
"Evans," James stepped between her and Sirius, watching as his friend inflated in anger behind him, "that's not the same and you know it."
"Isn't it? He was eighteen Potter. Who deserves that kind of fate at eighteen?"
The house-elves were watching them fearfully, the shouts having woken up those who had been asleep. Lily looked at a small house-elf who had introduced herself as Sashie, and who was practically trembling before her. Lily shrunk, feeling guilty as the giant orbs looked between her and the boys fretfully.
"He chose that fate." Sirius answered her finally.
Lily snorted and stood up, taking out her wand. All three boys tensed when it appeared, and Sirius quickly had is own out as well. However, Lily merely waved her wand on the floor to clean up the scraps of food and globs of chocolate that they had left there.
"What would any of you know about choice?" she turned from them and left the kitchen, not before hearing a humorless chuckle and Sirius muttering "More than you, I'd reckon."
James watched her go, baffled. For a whole happy half hour, they had managed to enjoy each other's company. The four of them had laughed together, and James' heart had leaped as it momentarily forgot anything about the world besides how it existed in that kitchen. But then Sirius had brought it back, crashing around them with a simple question to which only James could take the blame. The three boys stayed in silence for a few minutes, each thinking about Gabriel Turner and his defender. James took out the Marauders Map to make sure that Lily was safely making her way back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Wouldn't you?" Remus and James both turned to face Sirius, whose only physical betrayal of the storm of emotions inside him was his perfectly blank face.
"Wouldn't we what, Sirius?" asked James, frowning.
"Kill them. Do whatever it-" he drifted off. James and Remus watched Sirius and then looked at eachother, neither knowing what to say, neither knowing what an honest answer would even sound like.
"I guess we'll find out." James said, and putting the Marauders Map back into his pocket, he lead the way out of the kitchens and back to their dormitory.