It was the most bizarre thing, but one of Lily's favourite pastimes was quick becoming not only keeping company with her two best friends, but also to enjoy the rather over adventurous company of The Marauders. They had told her that name just the other day. Apparently they had fashioned it for themselves some time ago. They even told her their nicknames, although were vague about where they had got them from.
One of oddest parts of it, was that they were the only 4 boys in the school that genuinely seemed to like her presence, and were not under the misapprehension that she was flirting with them in any way. She had always liked boys, they were loud, they rolled in the dirt without a care and laughed themselves stupid over the most trivial things. For the first time in what felt like ages she was having enormous amounts of fun. Sadly, Lauren seemed to get a bit bored in their company and Alice was too busy trying to stand around looking pretty for James to be much involved. So, Lily inevitably was the one that became part of their group, if not an actual marauder.
"You can be like, a Marauderette." Sirius said confidently. The five of them were trudging through heavy snowfall, late on Christmas Eve. "We should get you something to symbolise your coming into our group."
"Such as what?" she asked intrigued.
"We could...steal her something..." James offered; he was serious too. She knew she shouldn't exactly encourage that sort of behaviour but something about the way James said it, the way his eyes sparkled with excitement, made her giggle.
"Like what?!"
"Oh no!" both Remus and Sirius moaned at once,
"What?" James demanded.
"James you've done it..." Sirius said, his voice all mock dissaproval.
"Really done it." Remus put in, grinning.
"You have turned our Lily, our innocent Lily, into a thief."
James grinned and put on a face of great outrage, "how dare you suggest such a thing! I?! One could never turn her into a thief...look at her...she's a bloody angel!" Lily who had been laughing throughout this exchange, felt her cheeks going slightly pink as James beamed at her. He had sounded too close to sincerity... She hoped they just thought her cheeks were cold from the snow.
"No," said Sirius looking heartbroken, "Don't try to comfort me...she's gone forever."
"Hey Sirius." Lily called. He looked up, only to have a massive lump of snow fly into his face. His friends roared with laughter as Lily grinned triumphantly, twirling her wand. She had always been so good with charms.
The rest of their time outside was a mere blur. Throwing snowballs left and right, finally resorting to just picking them up by hand, whilst Peter dodged panicked in-between them all, refusing to be a part of a fight where no-one was winning. It had been immensely fun though, and, breathless, they returned to the castle.
As they reached the inside of the doors, two of the younger men that had come from the ministry swooped down upon them.
"Where have you all just been?!" the first demanded. He couldn't be that much older than they, two three years at the most. But, he was using every month to his advantage it seemed.
"In the snow," Sirius shrugged.
"You've all been asked to stay put so what the hell do you think your doing cavorting around the school grounds when -"
"Michael?" the other said softly, "You said you wanted to go on a break, I'll handle this for you, its fine." Michael scowled and stormed off.
The other shrugged, "Sorry about that, he just gets a bit paranoid is all." This one, unlike his partner, had an overwhelmingly friendly face, and although rather broad in shoulder and clearly quite strong, he moved carefully and slowly, as though wary of bumping in to people.
"I didn't realise the ministry had left some men behind..." Remus asked tentatively.
The man grinned wryly, "We hardly count for their men. We're just supposed to keep an eye on things. Being trainees we can't really do anything helpful apparently, so they sent us here."
"What are you training to be?" James asked curiously
"Auror." The boys looked impressed. Lily wasn't surprised; it was without a doubt, especially now, one of the more dangerous professions.
"What's your name?" asked Sirius
"Frank Longbottom." Lily frowned as she saw Sirius' eyes, glittering with amusement, look briefly at James. But James was still staring, somewhat in awe of Frank. "How long you gotta train for?"
"A long time," Frank smiled, "It varies a lot to be honest. For the particular field I want to go into, I've got to train for seven years." Frank frowned, "You look really familiar..."
James looked a bit awkward, "Uh, my parents were Aurors."
"Oh," Frank delicately let the matter drop, he had obviously registered who they were.
"There you guys are!" Alice was walking towards them, "Where've you been?"
"We were just out in the snow." Lily answered.
She nodded and stopped suddenly, she looked a bit surprised to find someone else there. "Who are you?" she demanded suddenly, frowning at Frank, who had gone slightly pink when she spoke. He gave his name, to which she nodded, smiled politely, but then proceeded to ignore him as she told them that as it was Christmas Eve there would be some entertainment at tonight's meal. Vaguely excited, they all proceeded to say goodbye to Frank and walked up to the Gryffindor common room.
"Mr Potter! Miss Evans! Where have you been? I've sent every Prefect in the school looking for you!"
The others grinned wickedly at them and ran off as Lily and James, grumbling, turned and walked back towards Professor Mcgonagall.
"We were just out in the snow and thought -"
"Never mind, never mind. We have a lot to do! Tonight's entertainment and such. Come along. You both must help -"
"Professor," Lily interupted, "we're very cold and wet from the snow, could we change first before-"
"Absolutely not! Change before dinner if you will, but right now you will have to deal with it. Here -"
The professor most unhelpfully got her wand out and simply removed all water from her hair. The result was a pile of frizz was all that remained. James quickly stifled a laugh. Professor Mcgonagall winced slightly, but then shrugged, "well, come along then." Lily quickly scraped it all into a bun, James giggling quietly beside her.
Hours later, with just half an hour before the feast, everyone moving in the opposite direction, James and Lily trudged, exhausted towards the seventh floor. Lily rubbed her neck; it was hurting a lot now. As they began walking past the library, James frowned at her, "What's wrong with your neck?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing."
"You keep rubbing it. Does it hurt?" He looked directly at her, and so she sighed. "I injured it a little while ago, so it hurts sometimes."
Suddenly he put a hand behind her neck. Shivering slightly she quickly ducked out of the way, "What are you doing?"
He laughed, "I'm not like going to injure it further... but you can feel what's wrong with something...so my dad used to say. Look, I'll show you..." Warily she stood still as he put his hand behind her neck and gently moved his fingers. She had goosebumps... and she wasn't about to admit it...but it felt kind of nice. With a twinge of regret, she watched him pull his hand away.
"You've pulled the muscle quite badly you know."
She shrugged, "It's ok, I-"
"No I mean it," he said seriously, "Look," he put his fingers back on her neck, "that right there, where my thumb is," she winced slightly, and he nodded, "yer, that's it, you've got to go see -"
He cut off as suddenly Severus walked out of the library. Sev just stood there... looking at them, eyeing the hand James had rested behind Lily. Lily felt terrible...she hadn't done anything wrong though...had she?
Severus turned and walked quietly off the other way.
It turned out that for the evenings entertainment, (supplied by the ministry as compensation for their being practically locked in Hogwarts), they had retrieved, somehow, the infamous band Wolfsbane. The reaction was unanimous. They were thrilled. The tables had been pushed aside, food was instead served on tables lining the sides of the hall, punch flowed out of glass fountains and various bits of mistletoe had been dotted around the hall for effect. All in all, it looked impressive. Screaming along to the music, Lily suddenly felt herself being pulled back and looked around. Remus and Sirius had both pulled her back into their rather violent circle of boys, who were shoving each other enthusiastically to the music. Laughing she joined in, but on seeing a defenceless girl had joined them, they all simply piled on top of her roaring in delight. As the song ended everyone, breathless and laughing stumbled to the sides of the hall for punch. Lily had noticed a steady decline in everyone's speaking skills...she suspected something had gone awry with the punch...
Giggling uncontrollably, she promptly slid down the wall next to Remus and Sirius.
"It's good that you joined our group Lily!" Remus declared loudly, gulping down some more punch.
Sirius yelled his agreement, clapping her on the back, and she burped slightly. They both laughed uncontrollably. She blushed, giggling, "I'm ever so sorry!"
"Don't be!! THAT can be your initiation into the group. You are now officially a Marauderette!"
They all clanged their goblets together with a loud, "CHEERS!" well...perhaps it sounded more like 'sheerbs'.
"Where...where's that Jame- Where's Potter?"
Remus shrugged. Sirius however looked at her with a very upset look on his face, "Lily, why, why did you never say yes to James? He asked like so many times!! I was sure one day you would say yes... you had to! I even told him you would!"
Lily laughed, "I had to? Don't think so. And anyway, before this year you have to admit, he wasn't exactly being nice."
Remus and Sirius both shook their heads adamantly.
"He wasn't perfect," said Remus, rather loudly, looking at her imploringly "But Lily I have never...never met someone who has done as much as he did for me! He is the best...the best of people Lily I swear!"
Sirius nodded vigorously, "Lily seriously..." Sirius giggled suddenly, "'seriously' sounds like Siriusly, did you ever notice that Remus?"
"No Padfoosh!! I did not!!" They both giggled hysterically for a good long minute. Lily was frowning to herself.
"What's Potter done that so great?" Sirius looked at her very seriously, (or 'Siriusly'), "Lily, he is like my brother..." the boy actually looked on the verge of tears, "He has been...so good to me...him and his family...like a brother...and for Remus...It was all his idea you know! All the time and effort we spent to keep Moony company it was all his idea! He's so good Lily, If only you knew!! I fucking...I fucking love that boy. He is my brother, I don't care that we're not related...hey we're both pure bloods maybe we're related anyway!! I just...I just wish you'd say yes to him...just once because James...James loves you. He has forever. He never spoke about it that much...but I...I can tell... He denied it this year he does, but he do, he does love you. He's like obsessed with you!! NO, not in a bad way...he just can't seem to get you out of his head. And I...I've never felt that way about any girl...Don't be, getting me wrong or anything, your a fantastic girl honestly, I just...find most girls like... boring. I'll kiss them and that, that bits obviously fun!!But, as long as I got people like Prongs alongside me, I'm not fussed about them. Not really, you know? What about Remus, you, you Remus...you haven't had a girlfriend yet either have you?"
Remus looked rather depressed, "I...it'd be...unfair to ask." Sirius nodded sadly. Lily wasn't really concentrating on what they were saying. Her mind was oddly blank... James loved her did he? Why then, was he kissing Alice underneath the mistletoe?
Suddenly a loud voice boomed throughout the Great Hall.
"EVERYONE IS TO RETURN TO THEIR COMMON ROOMS IMMEDIATELY. STAY CALM, NO-ONE IS IN DANGER."
Immediately, something of a panic arose. What was going on? Various people started moaning about Voldemort being in the castle, despite the assurance that there was no danger. Lily, feeling rather wobbly, got up with Remus and Sirius shuffling alongside her. They were drunk. And no denying it. Someone had definitely put something in that punch. She saw James ahead. She thought she might cry. She had no need of course; obviously she was just drunk.
On reaching the common room, Lily felt herself starting to sober up. They had been waiting there for quite a while, only a few contemplating what might be happening. Most sat rather quietly, expecting the worst. Mcgonagall finally came through the portrait hole and Gryffindor stilled completely. The Professor looked very grave...very grave indeed.
"I am going to call out everyone's names. You must all say yes immediately if your name is called. If anyone does not call back, then if someone knows where they are say so immediately." Her tone was final. As soon as names were called, loudly and quickly people began answering their names. One or two were in the hospital wing, a cold or some such. Everyone else was present, and as Mcgonagall reached the end of her list, she began to visibly look more relaxed. She finished and lowered her list, they all looked at her expectantly.
"Well, I suppose you are all wondering the need for such activity." She took a deep breath, "Several students...more than several, left tonight. I'm not going to pretend this isn't the case, but I do not, do not want this to effect your view on others from their house, understood!?" she shrieked the last, but did not wait for a reply, "but most of those missing are Slytherin. It is sadly believed they have left to join...their master." Their was a deadly hush. Somebody sobbed slightly in the background. "They, they declared themselves Death Eaters on the note they left behind. They have no intention of returning. But, contrary to whatever you may think of them, I ask...I beg you to wish for their safety...they are ALL young. Misguided may be, but no-one I have seen passing through this school I could name evil. Please remember that." Her gaze swept over them all, and suddenly she turned, marching out through the portrait hole.
Christmas was barely acknowledged. The atmosphere within the school had been changed irreversibly. It had never really hit Hogwarts. The deaths of many family members, whilst horrible, whilst continuing to happen, could be ignored, could be endured. The pain of it was not overtly clear, and so although a worry, it could, without much effort, be put aside. Torturing of loved ones outside Hogwarts was too awful to even consider thinking about...another aspect also ignored. None of the students themselves had been hurt yet, it was not an issue. The war raging around them had not in any obvious way, hit Hogwarts. But seeing the Slytherin table, (a large portion of it now empty), and being in classes where half the pupils were missing, knowing where they had gone, and what to do, was too much. The pupils of Hogwarts were touched by the war as they had never been before. They began to feel afraid. To feel desperate. They worried constantly for their families, waking up in the middle of the night gasping, images of blood, of pain, of screams flashing through their heads. At first, the school had seemed too quiet. People, however much they had disliked the various Slytherins now gone, wanted them back, if only to delude them a little longer that they could go on ignoring the problems of this war. But after a while...people began to shiver over the idea that one night whilst they slept, those people would indeed return, but only to finish them off.
Last week, James had been having the time of his life, for the first time in what seemed like ages. This week, he was miserable. And it wasn't just this new depression that seemed to have befallen the majority of the student body. He understood that Lily must be upset, just as everyone else was, over the missing Slytherins, especially on hearing that Snape had been the one leading Death Eaters out of the Castle. But why, (Merlin's beard, why?) was she being so off with him? What had he honestly done? Perhaps she believed, despite the fact he'd called her down on it, (much to his regret), that he still was to blame over Snape's behaviour? That was preposterous though. She was smarter than that...he knew she was. One of the girls from his Potions class managed to smile at him, he strolled on past though, wrapped up in his own thoughts. He didn't even notice when Sirius called out his name.
"Oi! Prongs! I'm talking to you!"
He looked around and grinned at him, "Sorry, your highness." Sirius, thank goodness, was exactly the same. Even if Voldemort himself decided to climb into bed with him one night, Sirius would still be the same, nothing seemed to get at him. Sirius pushed him on the shoulder roughly, and stepped in beside him "come on, what the hells up with you. You've been as hormonal as a fucking woman." James almost grinned. This was Sirius' way of saying "What's wrong, you seem sad."
James didn't feel like talking about it though. He'd moaned enough about Lily last year he was sure. Instead he grinned, (he prided himself on being able to grin so well) and shrugged. "Just thinking about stuff...all the Death Eaters leaving and that... big news don't you reckon?"
Sirius shrugged non-committally, "Suppose. Glad Snivellus is out though." James repressed a wince and nodded. That brought him right back to thoughts of Lily.
"Full moon tonight."
James nodded slowly, "Yeah, it is. We going out, yeah?"
Sirius grinned, "Of course! I have a great idea for a new game tonight you know...of course Peter might not be too happy about it, but he is the smallest..."
James laughed reluctantly, "Sirius one day he is going to get you back baaaad you know."
Sirius, still grinning, shrugged and growled ominously under his breath.
"No-one ever gets me back Prongs."
James scoffed, and promptly slammed Sirius into the wall with a shout of triumph. Sirius laughing loudly and shoved James all the way back to the opposite wall. The wall crashed into James' back but he just grinned even wider, yelling, and the two of them, as always, starting scuffling across the corridor, both giggling despite both being winded.
"Oi! Mcgonagall is on her way!" Sirius and James both leapt up, Remus was running towards them, ushering them to move. The three of them made a run for it.
"The head boy!" Sirius called across the corridor, "I can't believe your irresponsible behaviour James Potter – what the hell do you mean by it!"
"Shut your face, Black. You should be more careful, wouldn't want to harm what little parts you have -"
"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, my parts are just fine! And you Prongs, can't even get that broomstick up from what I hear." James tried to lunge across Remus but missed and went flying into the wall. Remus and Sirius collapsed in fits of laughter...and they didn't recover until they had walked all the way back to the common room.
Still chuckling slightly the three of them sat down. The chuckling sounded odd in the rather sober atmosphere of the common room.
"James you should know," Remus said, his smile fading slightly, "Alice was asking after you again."
Sirius snickered. James moaned. That had been a bad idea. It had been an accident. He had been fairly drunk, there had been mistletoe, and she just sort of threw herself at him. He fended her off eventually, but the damage was done. He knew very well that she ,(at the very least), was attracted to him and he had done the wrong thing in encouraging it like this. Remus nodded, he was quiet a time and then said, "Lily saw you, you know."
James stared at Remus, Sirius and Remus both watched for James' reaction. After a moment he shrugged awkwardly, "Well, what she say?"
Remus shrugged in return, still looking at James very directly, he hesitantly started to speak again, "Nothing much, maybe slightly...annoyed. But I couldn't help noticing...she's being a bit off with you lately yeah?"
James frowned, "Yeah, so?"
Remus seemed to be holding back a smile. Sirius suddenly grinned looking at Remus.
"What?"
Sirius turned to James, looking genuinely happy – a rare thing in Sirius...
"What if she's jealous?"
James gulped slightly thinking it through. He couldn't help it, he smiled, happily back at Sirius.
"But this also is a problem is it not?" Remus put in timidly.
"Why?" Sirius demanded.
"Well...I can't imagine she'd do anything as long as her friend seems to like you...and on top of that, she surely won't trust you."
James couldn't help it...he dismissed Remus' objections...this was his best plan yet... he already had an idea of how to gain Lily's trust , and nothing was going to stop him. Nothing. He'd not asked her out this year because for the first time, he had truly believed she would never say yes. He was indeed every bit as arrogant as she had suggested. But now that he had hope, even the tiniest, he was going to have Lily whatever Remus said.
"Remus old friend, I have a great...a very great favour to ask of you..."
He eyed James warily, no doubt he saw that manic look James was well aware he got whenever he was worked up about something, "what?"
"I...I would like...with your permission...to tell her about Moony..."
Even Sirius stared at him.