DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 6: The End of School and Slughorn

The year was quickly coming to a close, and NEWTs were rapidly approaching. With full-blown adult life encroaching on many seventh-years' radar screens, there were understandable breakdowns. No less than a half-dozen students wound up in the hospital wing demanding calming potions because they were in hysterics. Emily Clarence was so hysterical she had to get sent to St. Mungo's. Debbie Winslow left and went home in tears, convinced that she was useless.

Lily could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only a month left before the end of school, when she could be free of Slughorn's oppressive presence forever. Naturally, it made her so deliriously happy, she told James and Sirius to go ahead and hex Snape, she didn't care because there was only a month left of school anyhow.

"Did you hit her with a couple too many Cheering Charms?" Sirius asked James in disbelief as Lily left to go find Dani and Persia. "She did just say that we could hex Snape, right?"

James laughed and shook his head. "I dunno. I hope that mood stays though, it'll make tonight a whole lot easier."

Sirius and Remus both laughed, Remus still studying desperately for the Potions NEWT the next day. "Ah, you'll be fine, Badge-Boy," Sirius assured him. James smacked him across the head.

"She can't possibly say 'no', she likes you too much," Remus agreed.

"Well-spoken, Remus," Sirius said airily. "Now, I'm going to take full advantage of the opportunity and test a new hex out. And if anybody objects… the Head Girl gave me permission."

"Well, the Head Boy says that the Head Girl isn't in her right mind and had she been certainly would not have given her permission, therefore I'm voiding her comment," James said with a grin. Sirius smacked him across the head and took off, quickly followed by James.

Remus looked at Peter. "They're not… actually…?"

"I think they are," Peter replied, getting to his feet.

Remus jumped and tore off after his friends. "SIRIUS! JAMES! GET BACK HERE!"

"Where are we going, James?" Lily asked that evening, as the young couple went down another hallway underneath James' Invisibility Cloak.

"You'll see," James replied, keeping one hand lightly covering her eyes.

Lily laughed when James removed the Cloak and took his hand away. "That was very anticlimactic, James," she said. "The bathroom?"

"Ah, yes, but not just any bathroom," James said with a grin.

"Yes, the prefects' bathroom, and?" Lily said impatiently as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

James leaned in and kissed her. "Can you not think of anything that happened in here?" he prompted, kissing her again.

Lily, who could remember every single second she'd spent in here with James in the last two years, said coyly, "Remind me."

"Well," James said, nestling her against the wall. "You saved my life once in here."

"I remember that," Lily murmured, one hand drifting down to James' side, where she knew his long jagged scar from sixth year was. "I stopped hating you in here," she added, giggling when James kissed her neck.

"I like that," James laughed. Then his face went serious. "I figured out what Slughorn was doing to you in here," he said softly, kissing her again.

Lily bit her lip. Then she watched his eyes as she replied, "You promised me you wouldn't let him hurt me again in here."

"I've kept that promise, haven't I?" James asked, caressing her face lightly.

"Yes," Lily murmured. "Yes, you have."

"What else happened in here, I know I'm missing something," James continued. He faked a look of deep thought and grinned as Lily laughed and cuffed him in the head.

"This is where you asked me out and I said 'yes'," Lily said in a put-on huff. "If you can't remember that…"

"There's something else…" James said.

"We had our first kiss in here," Lily offered.

"Mmm, I definitely remember that, you were bawling your eyes out," James laughed. Lily laughed at that, too. Nuzzling her neck affectionately, James finished, "I'm sure there's something else."

Lily thought. "No, I don't think so," she replied.

"I know what it is, it's just slipped my mind," James insisted. "Okay, I remember now."

"What?" Lily asked curiously.

James leaned in and kissed her again, a long, lingering kiss. When they broke it, he said softly, "Well, this is where I asked you to marry me."

Lily's heart stopped. "James," she said carefully, "you never asked me to marry you anywhere, let alone in here."

"Didn't I?" James asked, a sparkle in his dancing eyes. "Guess I'd better backtrack then."

Lily felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched him pull out a small black box. When he handed it to her, she opened it carefully and gasped. Inside was the most gorgeous diamond ring she had ever seen in her life. Looking back up at James, she felt like she'd never be able to speak.

"See, and I had a whole speech prepared and I've gone and forgotten it now," James said with a soft smile, kissing her. "I only remember the last two lines."

"And what would those be?" Lily asked.

"I love you so much, Lily," he said into her skin as he nuzzled her again. "I feel like I couldn't live without you with me. Will you marry me?"

Lily melted into his arms as she said, "Of course, James. But that was three lines, you know."

"Oh, so it was," James laughed, whirling her around as his face burst into a grin. Setting her back down, he slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her again.

James walked back into his dormitory on clouds. He didn't bother trying to sneak in, Sirius and Remus would both be sitting up waiting for him and Peter slept like a rock.

"So? So?" both of his best friends demanded at once as they looked up from the Marauders' Map. He knew they had been 'watching' the whole time, trying to guess what was going on.

James held out the empty, open box and grinned like a fool. Sirius let out a whoop of excitement, catching his best friend in a friendly tackle. James laughed and wrested Sirius off him as Remus watched with a smile on his face.

Lily crept back into her dormitory, still struck speechless.

"So, Lily?" Dani asked excitedly in a low hiss from her bed next to Lily's. "Where'd he take you? What'd he say? He never takes you out of the tower after curfew!"

"We want to know everything," Persia added from her bed on the other side of Lily.

"I'm not telling you where he took me," Lily said happily, changing into her nightdress and climbing into bed. "That's strictly for James and I to know."

"What'd he say, then?" Dani demanded.

Lily sighed again. "He asked me to marry him."

"What?!" Persia shrieked, making Janet and Sarah jump awake.

"What's going on?" Janet asked sleepily.

"What did you say?!" Dani shrieked.

"It's 1 AM, guys!" Sarah complained. "What is possibly important enough to wake us up?"

"James Potter proposed to Lily!" Persia exclaimed.

"What?!" both Janet and Sarah demanded.

"What did you say?!" Dani repeated.

Lily sighed happily. "I said yes, of course."

"Lumen lamps!" Sarah said, waving her wand around the room and immediately the lamps lit up, bathing their room in light. "Let me see the ring!"

The other four Gryffindor girls all crowded onto Lily's bed, clamoring over the chance to be first to see.

Lily showed them and Sarah, whose parents were jewelers, exclaimed, "Do you know how much that must've cost?" She examined the ring closely. "That's solid elvish gold, that is! And… blimey, where'd he find a dragonfire diamond? There must be one place in all of the United Kingdom that sells those, and they don't come by cheap!"

"Merlin, he must really like you, Lily," Dani cracked.

Lily laughed, feeling a little like she must look like an idiot. But she just couldn't seem to stop the smiles and laughs from coming even if she wanted. She was marrying James.

Of course, Janet Bones had one of the biggest mouths and widest circle of friends in the school, so by the time breakfast came around, everybody in Hogwarts and probably a few people outside of Hogwarts had heard that James Potter and Lily Evans were engaged. Lily was swarmed by the other girls in seventh year from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, along with quite a few fifth- and sixth-years as soon as she walked into the Great Hall. Even a few of the Slytherins were eyeing her jealously from across the hall. Laughing, she patiently let them exclaim and jealously look over her ring, the girls with steady boyfriends shooting clear 'top this' looks at them while the boyfriends glowered at James with 'thanks a lot' looks.

"Excuse me, James Potter?" said one little Gryffindor third-year as he approached the group of seventh-years after they had finished their practical Potions NEWT that evening. The poor boy looked terrified at the thought of actually speaking to a seventh-year, let alone the Head Boy, never mind the James Potter.

"Hmm?" James asked, looking at him.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you," the boy said, holding out a note. James took it, read it and then shrugged, standing up. "He says that if he's not in his office when you arrive, just wait and he'll be there shortly." Once he had been thanked, the third-year took off like lightning.

"I'll be back," James said, squeezing Lily's hand gently and leaving towards Dumbledore's office.

"Well, I'm going to go get some last studying in for Defense tomorrow," Remus announced with a sigh that clearly indicated a desire to be doing anything else.

"I've got an Astronomy NEWT," Lily sighed. "Tell James I'll meet him in the common room afterwards, would you, Sirius?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied nonchalantly.

Lily walked down the deserted hallway towards the location for the Astronomy NEWT, feeling a little uneasy.

All of a sudden, she felt a familiar tugging sensation. 'No, Lily, fight it,' she told herself sternly. 'You have an Astronomy NEWT, remember? You have to get there. Ignore it.' But the tugging kept getting more and more insistent, Lily finding herself frozen in place as she fought against the pull.

However, the pull succeeded and Lily, still fighting every step of the way, soon found herself in Slughorn's classroom.

No. No, this couldn't be happening. Lily fought against the spells yanking her back towards his living quarters, sometimes succeeding to stop dead in her tracks before she started walking again. Once, she even managed to take a step backwards.

But she was soon in the living quarters.

"Hmm," Slughorn said in a fake pleasant voice as he stood up from the couch. "Took you longer than usual." Walking over to Lily, he reached over and shut the door, locking it. "That ought to take care of any pesky intruders." He caught her arms tightly, pushing her back towards the bed. "I've missed you this year, Lily," he breathed into her ear.

Lily tried to yank herself out of his grasp, succeeding in freeing one hand to try and grab her wand. "Let me go," she demanded.

"I don't think so," Slughorn said, reaching into her pocket to take her wand away. Roughly, he pinned her arm back down and leaned in to kiss her when Lily kneed him sharply.

"Let me go!" she cried, struggling when he had caught his breath and tightened his hold on her as a result. "Let me go!"

"I really shouldn't do this a second time," Slughorn said nastily as he pulled out his wand. "Seems to affect… proper functioning… if applied a second time. Just ask Katharine Gordon. She, too, figured out the spell's weak point: love breaks its power."

Lily blanched and tried to struggle even more.

"For years, I've tried to figure out how to fix that problem," Slughorn continued. "I was lucky with Katharine. The fool she fell in love with didn't truly love her back. He used her and he left her. She was so upset, she couldn't even fight against my call. But she wasn't having any part of me anymore. I had to reapply the spell… I believe the man she married after she left just divorced her," Slughorn continued. "Seems that she's rather… listless… disconnected… during intimacy. I know Roger Lecourse quite well, you know, he told me the whole sad story. And when she broke it to him that she would never be able to have children, well, that just sealed her doom."

Lily's heart stopped. She was reasonably certain that James wouldn't leave her just because she couldn't have children. But to not be able to enjoy their physical relationship… that would destroy them. "Please, no…" she begged, struggling again.

"I have to admit I wasn't expecting you to latch onto James Potter," Slughorn said. "But I wasn't too worried when I first heard about it over the summer. After all, who was James Potter except a troublemaker? A brilliant, handsome troublemaker, but you'd tire of him soon enough." He paused. "But then school started again, and you were still with him. Still, I expected to hear about your break-up any day. James Potter was the type of person who expected complete and utter loyalty from his girlfriend, and you couldn't possibly fight against my call forever. He was bound to figure out that there was somebody else, and he would leave you."

"But he hasn't," Lily snarled. "James has always known about what you've done to me. He still loves me."

"Yes, I saw that when he and his irritatingly loyal friends had you protected from my presence daily," Slughorn said impatiently. "I thought he must've figured it out. I thought I would seize my opportunity on the train, since I had heard from one of my old students at St. Mungo's that his father had taken a turn for the worse. Foolish, loyal sons are always so predictable, I knew he wouldn't leave until he was certain his father was stable. But he had warned his friends about me, and they had you with them the whole time."

He sighed. "I saw that he was determined to keep you away from me when he kept taking my notes in class, burning them before you could pick them up. He had figured out that forewarning was part of the spell's working. Of course," he laughed, "you don't always need it, if you call strongly enough. At any rate, I thought, this unlikely relationship couldn't possibly last. By Christmas, I thought, by Christmas you would be free and you would come back to me."

Christmas, Lily knew, was when they had really cemented their relationship. The deaths of Raymond and her mother and her brother had proved to her that James would do anything to keep her safe and happy. She glowered and tried to yank her arm free again.

"But then Christmas came and went, and now you were living with him!" Slughorn continued his story, keeping her tightly pinned down. "I had to do something, but what? Now awkward questions were going to arise if I called you to me and made you break up with him. People who have been together for six months and who are living together do not just simply break up. I had to be careful if I was to ever regain your loveliness. Still, I kept hoping that something would happen, something that would tear you apart."

"Nothing is going to make James stop loving me," Lily snarled. "Or haven't you heard? We're getting married."

She flinched when he grasped her wrists so painfully, she was sure he was going to snap them. Angrily, Slughorn snapped, "I did hear that, and that was the last straw! Complianus!"

But before he could take advantage of her helpless state, the door burst open and Lily's frantic, clouded mind felt Slughorn being yanked away and warm, strong, familiar arms wrapped her up tightly. Burying her face into James' chest, she cried, knowing that she should've had such a sense of relief and love at the fact he had rescued her, but instead of those feelings, there was only dead emptiness.

Looking up briefly, Lily saw that both Sirius and Remus were the ones who had yanked Slughorn off, and had their wands pointed at his heart, anger crackling in their eyes. James was busy trying to comfort her, sending dirty glares at Slughorn, who still had a smirk on his face.

"What is going on here?" came McGonagall's demand as she stopped dead in the doorway, catching herself on the doorjamb to steady herself and a hand flew to her heart.

Rumors about the situation flew around the school the next day. James kept her protectively within his arms and threatened detention and disembowelment at anybody who dared try approach Lily with questions. Sirius was short-tempered because James was upset, and must've hexed a good one or two dozen students who made the mistake of saying that they thought Lily had brought it on herself or were in the vicinity of somebody who said that without disagreeing. Remus kept snapping at people who tried to ask him questions, thinking that, as a prefect and one of the ones who had come upon the scene, he would give them answers. The professors were refusing to answer questions.

Slughorn had been disgracefully sacked – while nobody could prove what he'd done or was intending to do, the fact that a distraught female student was on his bed in his living quarters, bruises forming on her wrists, didn't look very promising.

There were a few students, Lily noticed dully as she let James guide her away from the general crowds to come sit down after their Defense NEWT, who looked as though they might've been other victims of Slughorn's. Girls who cast fleeting, frightened looks at her, as if thinking it could have very well been them.

James kissed her cheek softly. Normally, Lily's stomach would give a pleasurable squirm at that gentle display of affection, but today, nothing. "You all right?" he asked.

Lily nodded, unable to look him in the eye. She let him settle her securely against his chest, one arm wrapped lightly around her waist. "How did you know to go looking for me?" Lily asked softly.

"Well, when I got to Dumbledore's office, McGonagall told me that he'd left early in the morning. There was no way he could've sent that note. I thought it might've been a plot by Slughorn, and when Sirius and Remus showed up, yammering about the Map and you being in Slughorn's office…" James replied, kissing her. "'Course, the Map's confiscated now, Filch got them."

Aching for the emptiness inside, Lily tried desperately to feel something, anything. But there was nothing there. So instead, she bit back a sob.

"Lily," James murmured, pulling her hair away from her face. "Lily, he's gone. It's over."

'No, it's not,' Lily wanted to tell him. 'It's never going to be over. He's wrecked me, James.' How was she supposed to tell him – James, her fiancé, the man she loved so much – that his touch, his voice evoked absolutely nothing in her anymore? It would crush him.

Lily sniffled, still watching the Black Lake to avoid looking at James, terrified that he would see the emptiness and misinterpret it.

"Lily," James repeated, an edge of panic in his voice as he kissed her again. "Lily, come back to me."

Lily felt the tears well up again as she remembered just how much she'd lost, and she buried herself in James' chest again, silently pleading for her sensation of physical pleasure to come back. She couldn't live with this… this empty feeling every time James touched her, every time he kissed her.

James left Lily at the North Tower for her Divination NEWT the next day, promising her he would come back in three hours to meet her when it was done. Then he went towards the staff room, a single question burning inside: what had happened to Lily? There was something wrong with her: never before had she been this… listless. Even if she was distraught, upset, grieving, she had always responded to his touch.

"What is it, Potter?" McGonagall asked with a slight edge of exasperation in her voice. The professors were obviously having another 'what are we supposed to do about this situation' meeting while the fifth- and seventh-years were in exams and the other students were all outside enjoying the day.

"Is Professor Ashton here?" he asked softly. McGonagall's expression softened slightly and moments later, the Defense Against The Dark Arts professor appeared at her side.

"Potter would like to speak to you," McGonagall said.

"Come with me," Ashton said kindly to James as he closed the door behind him. "I was wondering when you'd be coming."

"Professor," James started to say, "what happens if the Compliance Spell is applied twice?"

Ashton stopped dead in his tracks and stared at James. "Is that…"

"He put it on Lily in first year," James said. "But he put it on her again two days ago because she'd broken free of it. She hasn't… she hasn't been the same since."

"First year…" James heard Ashton breath to himself. "Merlin, how many others…"

"Professor?" James asked.

Ashton looked back at him. Merlin, what a horrible thing to have to tell the boy – only just engaged… "Potter… the first thing you need to understand is that the Compliance Spell is among the most wicked spells a person can cast. No decent wizard would ever use it, because it takes away a person's free will. It forces her, because the victim is very often a woman or girl, into a state of perpetual submission and secrecy. It's a sexual predator's favourite spell."

"I know what it does, what happens if a person gets it twice?" James asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there, Potter. Now, somebody breaking free of the spell happens very rarely, because the only thing that breaks the binding powers of the spell is love. True, unadulterated, romantic love. Most women who get hit by the Compliance Spell have a very hard time recognizing what a healthy relationship is. They think they're in love but they're really not. The fact that Miss Evans could break free speaks volumes about the strength of your relationship, Potter. You need to remember that."

"What happens when – " James started to ask again, beginning to get a little irked.

"I was about to tell you, Potter. It is an extremely cruel thing to strike a person with the Compliance Spell twice. Twice means they broke free the first time, which means that they have found true love. The second the second spell hits her, it condemns her to a half-life. It takes away her ability to feel physical pleasure, and though it's a very narrow percentage who ever are affected by it, it removes her ability to bear children. Most relationships that survive past the initial stage of the second spell being cast crumble very quickly – I'm sure you can understand why, it's extremely damaging to the other person's ego. The majority of those relationships never make it far enough to be affected by the infertility side. That's why a second Compliance Spell is often applied to women in wizarding brothels who want out in order to marry. It's a cruel thing to do, Potter, very cruel." He paused when he saw how pale James was. "Sit down, Potter," he ordered, pointing to a nearby bench.

"So she…" James asked softly. "She doesn't love me anymore?"

Ashton sighed and sat down next to James. "Potter, true love is more than just a feeling. I don't doubt that she still loves you. But…"

James stood up. "Thank you, Professor," he said tersely. It was almost four o'clock, Lily would be getting out of her exam soon and he'd promised her he'd meet her there, he didn't want to be late again lest she panic. Besides, he didn't want to hear Ashton's 'but'.

Lily sighed and frowned at her astrology chart. She wasn't entirely sure she'd done it correctly, she could swear she had two Saturns…

"Ten minutes remaining," she heard the examiner call. Lily set down her quill and resigned herself to having two Saturns. Twisting her engagement ring around her finger, she tried to imagine life with James now. She had a funny hunch that he'd gone to see Professor Ashton once he'd dropped her off here. Once he learned what had happened to her, would he still want to be with her? Or would their love crumble, just like Katharine's Gordon's marriage?

She was laughing, twirling around in exhilaration. She could feel James wrap his arms around her waist and nothing had ever felt as good as that did right then.

"Welcome home, Lily Potter," James' voice came whispering into her ear, and Lily felt as though she might burst from the thrill. "I love you so much."

And then suddenly, she was nestled against James' side, watching as he slept, one of his muscled arms gently holding a baby boy asleep on his chest while the other held her lightly against him. The little boy, no more than a year old, had downy jet-black tufts of hair that stuck up in every direction. Once he was older, she could tell he would look like James.

Harry. Her son. Harry James Potter.

Lily came back to the present when Persia poked her gently. "Lily, exam's over."

"Oh," Lily said distractedly, still reeling from the implications of the vision. Was it a vision she had seen? Or was it simply a dream, a dream that was never to be? "Right."

"Are you okay?" Dani asked worriedly.

It was so clear… she could feel every sensation as if it were happening at that very moment. It couldn't be just a dream… could it?

"I'm fine," Lily replied, getting up. "You guys go on ahead, James was going to meet me back here after the exam."

"Sure," Dani said, pulling Persia off.

When the room was empty, Lily looked around momentarily. Then she bit her lip. She would go to James, she would tell him what she'd seen, see what he thought.

Lily climbed down from the classroom, to see James waiting patiently for her just below. The look on his face told her he had indeed gone to Professor Ashton, but he still caught her waist and helped her down.

Lily's heart gave a small flutter of excitement when she felt her stomach squirm faintly. She was feeling.

"So?" James asked expectantly as he tucked her back into her familiar place in his arms. "How was the exam?"

"Oh, the exam could've gone better, but I've got to tell you something," she said excitedly, smiling when she felt a deep sense of contentment at his arm settled around her.

"Tell me what?" James asked, a slight smile crossing his features when he noticed the change in her demeanour. "What happened?"

Lily told him the whole story, growing more and more animated until she almost felt like her old self. By the time she'd finished, her eyes were sparkling and James' eyes were dancing as he kissed her again. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad you're back," James murmured into her skin.

"Oh, believe me, so am I," Lily replied.