A/N: Oh my gosh... I'm in double digits for reviews!! hundreds of fanfiction authors who have hundreds of reviews regard author with digust Oh, well, it still makes me feel loved! You guys are so awesome! Keep them coming!

And now here is Chapter 6 of My Thunder!

Disclaimer: It isn't mine, you say? Wow, that's an astute observation!

My Thunder

Chapter 6

Cold Water, an Experiment, and a Fever

Lily

I was fairly surprised when Alice and Colleen didn't come into the Head Tower to bug me that night. I had given them the password on the walk back from the Quidditch pitch, but they didn't show. I thanked my lucky stars and went up to my room to do my homework before Potter showed up.

The next morning when I woke up, I had a headache and felt kind of sick. Dismissing it as a cold, I got dressed and packed my bag.

I was careful not to run to the stairs, but it appeared Potter had already left for breakfast. I hurried to the portrait hole, pushed it open, crawled out...

...And was promptly doused with a bucket of the coldest water it has been my misfortune to be soaked in. I screamed and tumbled out of the portrait hole, swearing like a sailor. Looking up, my teeth chattering, my damp hair clinging to my face, I saw the horrified expression of one Sirius Black, the amused face of Remus Lupin, and the small, meek smile on Peter Pettigrew. Spotting the bucket being suspended at the end of Sirius's wand, I guessed who was responsible for my morning dousing.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" I roared, whipping out my wand. He yelped.

"Lily, calm down!" he shouted, fleeing down the hallway.

"Calm down?!" I shouted back. "You slimy git! Have YOU ever been doused in FREEZING COLD water at 7:30 in the effing morning?" I murmured, "Aguamenti!" and waved my wand, sending jets of the chilliest water I could produce at him. He shrieked in a very unmanly manner and leapt a foot in the air. Turning over my shoulder, I called, "Remus, can you clean up, please?" He nodded and I followed Sirius, continuously dousing him.

Finally, out of breath, we reached the Great Hall, and I cut off my spell. Every head in the Great Hall turned to see the two of us, sopping wet and laughing, followed by Remus, murmuring a drying spell was he went, effectively cleaning up after us.

I sank into my seat and Remus sat next to me, tapping me with his wand. I warmed up and dried off quickly and smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Remus," I said, and he grinned back.

"Okay Moony, my turn," said Sirius from across the table, extending his hand to Remus. Remus looked at it, thinking, and then shook his head.

"What?" squealed Sirius, shaking his head like a dog and soaking everyone around him. Alice and Colleen, who had just walked in, winced and stepped back hurriedly, and Peter groaned and looked down at his wet eggs unhappily. Remus tapped me, then my friends, and dried us off, but ignored Sirius. I looked at him.

"Black, why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he answered, looking at me with confusion etched into his face. "Oh, get you wet? Well, that wasn't actually intended for you."

I stared at him, and then nodded. "Potter."

He grinned wolfishly (well, technically, that's how Remus would grin, but you get my point). "Yep. I've been waking him up like that since first year. Almost every morning, unless his owl wakes him up before I get up... then he gets revenge."

I winced. "No wonder he's in such a bad mood in the morning," said, feeling a slight sympathy for the boy. "Well, leave it to me to get him up in the morning, okay, Black?"

Sirius nodded. "Okay, Lilykins," he answered. Just then Potter slid into the place next to me. "Morning, Lily," he said.

"Good morning, Potter," I muttered, annoyed. Potter looked at Sirius and blinked. "Uh, Padfoot? Why're you all wet?"

Sirius glared at his friend. "You're lovely girlfriend decided to give me a morning bath."

Suddenly, he reeled back. "Bloody hell, Lily! What was that for?" he shouted, clasping his head, which I had just hit very hard.

"Let me say this very clearly and slowly for you, dimwit," I snarled back. I. AM. NOT. JAMES. POTTER'S. GIRLFRIEND. Get it now?" I finished my breakfast and got up, hurrying to class. Alice and Colleen got up after me, and I heard James say as I hurried away, "You deserved that, Padfoot."

I sighed and stopped outside the Transfiguration classroom, leaning against the wall. My head ached even more, and I felt alternately cold and then hot. Alice and Colleen hurried up to me. "Lily, what happened?" asked Alice.

I grinned wearily at her. "Don't worry about it. Being splashed with cold water in the morning doesn't exactly put me in a good mood. You guys go eat. Really," I added, when they looked at me unconvinced.

"All right..." Alice said. She and Colleen walked back to the Great Hall, looking back at me continuously.

I sighed, and then screamed. Through the windows in the corridor soared black figures, cloaked in tattered robes, each with an aura that froze me to the bone. On the second day of school?I thought angrily, and, as the despair the dementors spread leeched into my bones, I waved my wand, summoning a memory of swinging with my sister, Petunia. A happy memory. "Expecto Patronum!" I shouted, and a thin spurt of silver ejected from my wand.

The dementor nearest me drew back slightly, then charged forward again. I swore. I knew that it wouldn't harm me, but this was for a grade, and I had a reputation to protect.

It was getting harder to stand. These were very good fakes. I staggered slightly, suddenly hearing feet running towards me. A strong arm wrapped around me and held me up. "Come on!" I heard Potter shout. "We've got to get her out of here... we can't cast Patronuses!"

Suddenly the dementors disappeared, there one moment, then gone. I collapsed out of

the arms holding me, and felt big hands rubbing my arms, trying to warm me up. I looked up and saw Sirius, who was frowning worriedly at me. I dropped my head and closed my eyes.

"I failed this," I whispered.

"Actually, you didn't fail, Ms. Evans," came a creaky voice, and I looked up to see Dumbledore. My confusion must have shown on my face, because he said kindly, "You were a bit of an experiment, Ms. Evans. The other teachers and I wished to see how lifelike our fakes were."

"Very lifelike," I said, hoarsely. Sirius wrapped an arm around my waist again and helped me to my feet.

"We're taking her to the hospital wing," said Remus firmly, as if daring one of the teachers arrayed behind Dumbledore to protest. They were McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick, none of whom said anything. I noticed Potter and Peter watching me worriedly, and Alice, Frank, and Colleen standing off to the side, looking upset.

Dumbledore nodded and Sirius helped me walk to the hospital wing, followed by a small procession of my friends. When we reached the hospital wing, I collapsed on one of the beds. Madame Pomfrey gave me something nasty, "for the shock", and then bustled off. I sat propped up against some pillows. Remus, Alice, and Colleen sat on my bed, and Sirius, Frank, and Potter sat on the one next to me.

"I'm sorry!" Alice and Colleen cried in unison as soon as Madame Pomfrey had gone.

"Why?" I asked.

"We couldn't help you," explained Alice, while Frank and Colleen nodded. "We didn't know how to cast a Patronus!"

I laughed. "Well, neither did I. It's okay." I looked at them and the Marauders. "You guys were there to keep me standing. Thanks."

"It's no big deal," said Sirius. Then he turned to Remus. "How do you cast a Patronus, anyways?"

"A Patronus is really advanced magic," explained Remus. "You need to concentrate on a happy memory, and only on that memory."

I nodded. "That's my issue, I guess," I sighed. "I didn't have a happy enough memory in my repertoire."

After a few minutes I was feeling able to stand, even though my head was pounding and my stomach churning slightly, so my friends and I went to Transfiguration.

After a long day, I collapsed onto the couch in the Head Tower. I had a ton of homework, but I didn't feel like doing any of it. I was feeling sicker than ever, but I still wanted to find a happy memory that I could use to cast a Patronus.

I sat there and thought, and after each memory I thought might work, I tried to cast a Patronus. None of them worked; going to Diagon Alley, a day when Severus and I had sat by the Black Lake the week before school let out, eating candy and talking, my first time on a broom at Alice's house... nothing worked.

And, before I knew it, I fell asleep, exhausted after my day and the repetitive spell casting.

James

When I walked into the Head Tower sometime after dinner, I was feeling worried about Lily. She hadn't come down to eat, and I had wanted to search for her. However, I remembered what Colleen said about being her friend, and I wouldn't have freaked out looking for Sirius or Remus, so I sat tight.

Suddenly, I stopped short. There she was, pale and sick-looking, curled up on a couch. I blinked and then walked over to her, standing next to her, looking down. I gently leaned down and pressed my hand to her forehead, which felt very hot. Lily's eyes flew open, looking up at me blearily, then sharpening. She shoved my hand from her forehead and sat up, then stood. "What were you doing?" she spat.

I held up my hands, backing away. "You look sick," I explained. "I was seeing if you had a fever."

Lily glared at me. "I don't believe you," she hissed, and she pulled out her wand to hex me. Before she could try anything, though, she staggered.

I rushed over and caught her before she fell. "Believe me now?" I asked, frightened by the fact that her small body was buring up.

She groaned. "James... I don't feel so good."

I normally would have rejoiced at her calling me James, but I was too worried. It just proved how ill she was. I hesitated, then picked her up, putting one arm under her knees, the other at her back. Lily nestled her hot head against my shoulder, her wand held loosely in her hand, and I kicked open the portrait hole.

I carried her gently down the stairs and to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey gasped and hurriedly directed me to a bed. I put Lily down and sat in a chair next to her.

"Ms. Evans, what on earth happened to you?" asked Madame Pomfrey as she bustled around, getting potions down and mixing some foul smelling liquids in a glass.

Lily didn't answer. Her eyes were closed, so I tried to answer. "Well, she was already tired out and not feeling well from the fake dementors this morning," I said. "But I don't know what made her so sick all of a sudden."

"I've been feeling sick all day," Lily murmured from the bed. "And I was practicing my Patronus... I guess I got tired out." I watched as she opened her eyes to accept a potion from Madame Pomfrey. She drank it with a grimace and then slipped down, curling up on her side.

I bit my lip worriedly. Lily looked so tiny and vulnerable. I didn't want to leave her, but I knew what I had to do. It'll be better for you in the long run, I reasoned with myself. "Hey, Lily," I whispered, and she turned and looked at me.

"Potter... thanks."

"Uh..." I was at a loss for words. How does one react to thanks from someone who was just going to kill you? "You're welcome."

Lily's eyes fluttered and I said softly, "Do you want me to go?"

She nodded. "I want to sleep. But... come back tomorrow, with the others, please?"

"Of course," I said. Lily closed her eyes, turned her back to me again, and went to sleep. I stood, looked down at her for a moment, and then left the hospital wing.

The next morning, Colleen, Alice, Frank, the Marauders, and I all trooped down to the hospital wing, bearing flowers, or, in Alice's case, a case of Chocolate Frogs. "Where'd you get those?" I asked.

"They were part of Lily's birthday present," she explained. "But I thought I'd give them to her now."

Lily was sitting up when we walked in, looking much better. She smiled when we came in. "Hey, guys!"

We sat on her bed and on the beds next to her, presenting her our gifts. Since it was Saturday, we had no classes, so we sat and talked for a long time. I noticed Lily shooting me some surprised glances as I kept the conversation flowing away from me, Quidditch, and my relationship (or lack thereof) with her, something that apparently everyone found surprising, judging from their facial expressions.

When Madame Pomfrey bustled over and ordered us out, I didn't linger, but waved with the rest and walked out... only to brush by Severus Snape marching in. He glared at me, and I glared back, but I didn't hex him. I glanced back to see Severus and Lily both giving me shocked looks. I smiled to myself. This being her friend thing might actually work.

Lily

I stared after Potter in shock. He had just walked by Severus Snape without hexing him, had not talked once about himself, Quidditch, or our complete lack of a relationship, had not complimented me, and had not asked me out. It was like he was an entirely different person.

Plus, there was last night. I had been quite rude to him, and all he was doing was looking out for me. I'll have to thanks him for bringing me down here.

And there was the mysterious fact that every time I thought of being carried to the hospital wing in his arms I blushed...

Sev came and sat next to me, looking uneasy. I noticed his discomfort but still smiled at him. Even though we really didn't talk much these days, I always tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Hey, Sev," I said.

"Hello, Lily," he answered, and he smiled a little, his eyes searching my face worriedly. "Are you all right? What happened?"

I sighed. "Nothing. I just got sick. It happens."

"So... it wasn't Potter, then? Because I thought it might have been..."

I laughed. "Not everything is Potter's fault, you know."

"Whatever," Sev growled.

Suddenly, Mulciber came staggering into the hospital wing, covered in giant boils. I smirked slightly until Sev stood, quickly backing away from me. I frowned and bit my lip. So that's how it was. Sev didn't want to be seen with me, the mudblood.

"-stupid, blood-traitor Potter and his blood-traitor crony Black and that Lupin... I'm going to kill them! It's my business who I call mudblood-" He noticed me and glared. He leaned over towards me and whispered, "Or maybe I'll kill you... Potter's little mudblood girl... after all, it's your fault I have these boils."

I glared and pulled out my wand, but smirked inwardly. So the Marauders had been at work protecting me from insults... how nice of them. "Don't make me hex you, Mulciber," I warned.

Before he could answer, Madame Pomfrey had hurried over and had separated us, pulling Mulciber over to a bed on the other side of the room, handing him a potion to drink that would make the boils disappear. I sighed and sank down onto my pillows. Sev slowly came over when Mulciber dozed off a few moments later, due to the potion.

But I shook my head. "It's okay, Sev," I said, trying to hide how hurt I was. "You don't have to stay."

He bounced on the balls of his feet, but didn't leave. "Are you sure, Lily?"

"Yeah," I said. "Go ahead. It's fine."

Sev smiled. "'Bye, then, Lily," he said, and then quickly hurrying away, looking ridiculously like a bat in his long black cloak.

And, then, tears slowly trickling out of the corners of my eyes, I whispered, ""Bye, Snivellus."

A/N: There it is! Snape betrays Lily for his Death Eater friends... shame, eh? Anyways, please tell me what you think, even if it's only one word... if the reviews stop, I stop... not that that's much of a threat, but still!!

(P.S. I am planning to change the title of this story to "And Then Came the Rain", but I'm a relatively new user of this site, and I'm not sure if this will mess up alerts people have placed, or anything like that... can one of you lovely readers answer this question? Please PM me or put it in your review! Thanks!)

(P.P.S. If you like me, my writing, and Ron/Hermione pairings, check out "Speak!" by me.)

))Riiko Shea((