Chapter 22

Lily was so sick of it. Of everything, of having government officials at the entrance and exit of every door. Of taking detours to not run into Potter. Of having to be alone at exactly 8:04 every day. Maybe Constance and Petunia we're right, she was a freak. She was sick of the confusion, the pain, the arguing.

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Lily and Gemma walked down the aisle in the great hall, heading to the end where Michelle and Adrian were waiting. Neither of them has slept much lately. Gemma out of worry, Lily out of pain.

It had been weeks since her fight with Potter. Lily still refused to talk to him, although he bugged her to go out with him regularly. Why the hell did he think she would honestly go out with him? That was the most absurd idea she had ever heard. Her attacks were getting worse, they were lasting longer and longer each time, even when they were gone Lily felt the pain. That's all she was made of. Layers and layers of pain. Pain from the attacks, Pain from lying, pain from James, pain from Severus.

The last one was a rather new addition. He had been acting more and more strange. His already white skin was paler then it had been. His hair hung in slimy clumps. His chest shaking with tasks as simple as breathing. His eyes darted around every room he entered as if he suspected something terrible to be waiting. She was trying to be there for him so he would be there for her. But all he did was telling her there was nothing she could do.

'There was nothing she could do' what an accurate yet ironic statement. Of her life, she was in control of absolutely nothing. Or at least that's what she felt like. Sometimes it literally felt like her free agency was slipping through her fingers, leaving her a pawn in some else's cruel game.

"I'm serious Pad foot, it was NOT funny, and I cannot believe you would that."

"Chill it Prongsie. You've been at it all night, besides no one got hurt."

"Ch-?" Potter made a series of highly disbelieving noises "No one got hurt? Do you have any idea how close it was Sirius? He could have died"

"If he did it wouldn't be a service?"

"WHAT? Paddy how could you even say that? We're always telling ourselves that we're better then Death Eaters!"

"Well, apparently you are, St. James."

Lily and Gemma were almost to their destination when they heard this snippet of conversation, without speaking they both slowed and sat down. Far enough that they weren't actually BY the Marauders, but close enough to still hear them.

"Stop messing around Sirius! "

"It was only a prank"

"You could have gotten Snape killed. Now I don't like him any more then you do, but I would hate to have that on my conscience for the rest of my life."

"Well apparently I don't have a conscience, a fact you have kindly pointed out to me numerous times"

Potter sighed and put his head into his face. He looked exhausted, not only today either. There were deep bags under his bloodshot eyes. He started slowly rubbing his temples.

"Where's lupin?" He asked without look up,

"He locked himself in the bathroom; you didn't have to tell him you know."

"I didn't-"This seemed to be the last straw for Potter, he stood up, knocking over a goblet in the process, he didn't do anything about it. Simply picked up his bag, slopped to hiss something at Black before marching away. Pad foot looked offered but he didn't say anything, only locked his jaw and glared.

Lily waited for a few moments before looking up at Gemma.

"What the crap?" She asked. Gemma shrugged, looking just as confused as Lily.

"Well, it obviously had something to do with Severus."

"It definitely sounded like it."

"Wow, it must have been something to get Black and Potter fighting. I wonder what?"

Gemma's eyes locked on something behind her. "I have a feeling your about to find out."

Lily looked confused before slowly turning around to see Severus. Who was looking at her with panic and obvious we-need-to-talk vibes.

"Um.. I'm going to go talk to him." Lily said standing up, Gemma nodded, and winced as Lily did, her entire face grimacing with the pain from Arameo.

She stood up and walked across the great hall, Snape leaping up to follow her, trying, and failing, to do so discreetly. A few Slytherins glared in his direction but no one got up to stop him. Lily lead the way out and to an empty corridor, he jogged for a bit to catch up with her.

"What's going on Sev?" she asked, twirling around to face him. He walked up to her side quickly.

"I'm lucky to be alive Lils."

"Excuse me?"

"There's something wrong with Lupin."

"What in the world are you jabbering on about. "

"Lupin, haven't you noticed anything…strange" he looked excited, it made Lily's stomach hurt, or maybe that was Arameo.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well-"he looked around at s a few groups of passing students; finally he leaned in a whispered into her ear.

"What!" She jumped back so suddenly several people looked; she didn't tear her face from him. "Are you ruddy insane?"

"It's true!"

"There's no way, he's too nice… calm"

"Think about it Lils, he disappears around the full moon, comes back looking so stressed out, so do them."

Lily didn't have to ask how he meant by them, she didn't want to hear his name anyway. She didn't believe him, but still didn't want to talk about them.

"… Last night I confronted black about it" Severus was saying, so much for not talking about them. "He told me to go to the Whomping Willow. Did you know that if you took a root then the whole tree will freeze? That's what they do, they took it and then sneak out of the castle-"

"Really Sev?" She asked suddenly, Severus who had been pouring into the tale straightened up, looking sad that she interrupted him. "They sneak out of a patrolled castle, freeze an enchanted tree, sneak out of school grounds and run around with a werewolf? How do they do that without getting caught every single month, how do they run around with a growing werewolf and survive? Really Sev, this is pushing it."

He frowned at her words; this was not going as planned, as they started walking, he planned a different approach,

"Your being totally misunderstand Lils, I thought we were supposed to be friends. Best friends."

"We are Sev, but I don't like some of the people your round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"

They has reached the end of the courtyard, lily sighed, and leaned against of the pillars, looking up into Severus's face. He was starting to look extremely uncomfortable.

"That was nothing, "he managed out "it was a laugh, that's all-"

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny-"

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" he asked suddenly, red creeping into his yellow face. Lily's patience was dimming; couldn't he tell she didn't want to talk about that git just now?

"What's Potter got to do with anything?"

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

"He's ill, they say he's ill-"

"Every month at the full moon?" there was a ring of smug correctness in his voice that made Lily want to slug him

"I know your theory." She said as evenly as possible, Arameo's web flared slightly at her emotion. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."

He looked at her until she felt heat rush to her cheeks. She suddenly remembered the actual point of their conversation and dropping her voice she continued it;

"They don't use dark magic though. And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there-"

"Saved?" He sputtered "Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to- I won't let you-"

"Let me? Let me?"

Her patience for this conversation, for life, broke with an almost audible snap.

"I didn't mean—I just don't want to see you made a fool of-He fancies you! James Potter fancies you! And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero—"Through his tone Lily was reminding how he still hated potter more than she did. But her eyebrows slowly swept up her forehead. Did he think she wasn't painfully aware of this?

"I know James Potter's an arrogant toe rag. I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulibers and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them." Lily was forced to notice how his entire body relaxed at her first statement, she tried not to be too concerned about that. He was just a good friend looking out for her. He nodded slightly, and Lily felt good for making him smile.

They started walking again, out of the courtyard and onto the grounds, they chatted idly as they walked. It wasn't until they past a crowd of stones neighboring Hagrids Hut didn't she get a shock at all. It seemed to be a perfectly normal Hogwarts morning, a few students here and there, studying or playing or just laying down on the grass. Aurors patrolled as they regularly did, they presents had become so normal Lily had a hard time remebering they hadn't always been there.

When they passed the rocks, Lily was very grateful Severus and not her was currently speaking, for on the rock facing the Forbidden Forest, there was a crack. A seem cutting jaggedly through the rock, it was wider at the bottom and slowly grew more and more narrow. Lily wouldn't have noticed anything at all if not a spider perched at the top of the crack. It was long and spindly. It looked exactly like Arameo. When her eyes locked on the spider, her chest burnt painfully and she felt Arameo flex his appendages. She couldn't breathe she could barely see. She was dimly aware of Sev still chatting beside her and the spider, flexing its arm before disappearing into the crack.

Hey! Sorry it took so long to post this one, I know it's been month, I guess I just got busy with school and whatnot. This chapter has sat abandoned for way to long. Anyway, please PLEASE tell me what you think in a kind review? Pretty please?

LIZIES