Author's Notes: I love you guys. Seriously. You all gave me 115 reviews? And I don't even know how many alerts/favorites I've gotten... Seriously, you all. You're amazing.
I reread my ENTIRE story to look for something I can't remember if I wrote or not, and found a BIG goof. So I had to go rewrite part of Chapter 27 (Halloween). For some reason, I missed my note about how Frank is a seventh-year. I fixed it, though.
So I didn't get any response to whether or not you want more in James's POV. Should I take that as a "No way, Juju. Keep it in Lily's POV" or "What? I think I missed that in Chapter 30's Author's Notes since you tend to write a novel, so please, more James!"
I'm so so so so so so so so so sorry about the wait! Between my full-time job, freelance work (with deadline), my friends coming to Florida from California, Halloween with the sister and boyfriend, prepping for an event I ran in Tampa, and a family emergency that resulted in my three days notice to fly out to Massachusetts (hometown) for five days, I've been SWAMPED. I just don't feel creative in my free time. I'm really sorry, I swear!
To add insult to injury, my laptop will be going into the shop tomorrow after I'm done at work to get a new AirPort card installed. So I won't have my computer for about 5-7 days.
And keep the story recommendations coming! I've read all that was suggested so far... XD
Finally, to end this all-too-long Author's Note, I figured I should mention that yes, I did change the title of this story. We have changed from "Love and Other Notes" and are now "My Life as a Hogwarts Sitcom." Something about the title wasn't working for me, anymore, so I changed it. It's the same story, I swear.
Chapter 31: Overkill
Wednesday, December 14, 1977
"Guys? Don't you think this is over-reacting just a little bit? I can walk to class without any issues, you know. Lunch, too. You're keeping me from my food!
"Can't take chances," Sirius said from my right.
"Seriously, guys. This is bloody overkill!" I exclaimed. I've been protesting since we left my common room.
"Lilypetal, please. We have to take every precaution," Marlene stated from my left, as if it was obvious.
"Marles, don't call me Lilypetal. I'm already tempted to hex all of you as it is, don't give me reason to actually give into temptation."
"You know that you shouldn't give into temptation, Lily," Dorcas stated with a grin from my front right.
"You're making it look really inviting, Dorcas," I mumbled.
This has been going on every day since Mary was attacked. I never told the others about what Sev told me while we were searching for Peter in the Room of Requirement, but for some reason they insist on this routine.
Every morning the whole lot would meet James and me in our common room. Then they would take the same positions around me. James directly in front of me, with Peter on his left and Dorcas on his right. Sirius is on my right, while Marlene was on my left. Remus was behind Marlene and Emmeline was behind Sirius.
They claim it is to "protect me."
I believe it is to make me go completely barmy.
Honestly? It's been four days. I don't have far to go at this point.
Especially with today's "upgrade."
"This is ridiculous! We have gone past overkill. We're in the 'there is no hope in identifying the remains' territory."
"Actually, I thought Rouquin was a nice touch."
"Shut up, Em," I mumbled, clutching the green lead that was guiding a very irritated Rouquin down the hall with me. "You know he'd follow me anyway, and with him around I don't need you morons."
"I will agree with Lily, there. The lead wasn't necessary," Remus said.
"Thank you, Moony. Just for that I won't make you take the lead off him," I turned and smiled at him. "But you aren't completely off the hook." He shrugged in return.
"Why is taking the lead off him a big deal?" Peter asked.
"Just look at Rouquin. Whoever takes that lead off him, or even touches him at this point is going to need a blood-replenishing potion," Remus pointed out. "That's one disgruntled Kneazle."
I put my finger on the tip of my nose. Dorcas caught me in the corner of her eye and followed my example. Marlene was quick to join in, barely beating Emmeline. Emmeline then nudged Remus and gave him a look as to say "copy me." He put his finger to his nose again, a look of realization on his face. James saw Dorcas and put his finger to his nose as well. One glance from him to Peter and Peter touched his nose as well.
I turned to Sirius and handed the lead out to him, never removing my finger from my nose. "Nose goes."
"What?" he asked, looking at the rest of us. We looked mighty silly standing there in tight formation, fingertips to noses and a (very brassed off) Kneazle on a lead. "Okay, that's not cool."
"Take the lead off him, Padfoot," I told him, shaking the lead a little in my hand to silently tell him to take the damn lead.
He took the lead from me and glared at Rouquin. "If you do anything I will make it a point to make your life hell, furball," he growled at him.
Emmeline snorted from behind him. She and I had a conversation after we found Peter amongst all the junk in the Room of Requirement (who declared he was afraid to change back because he didn't want to get stuck somewhere and get hurt out of fear of explaining things to Madame Pomfrey after the fact), letting her release all the excitement of her newfound knowledge of the Marauders' biggest secret.
Flashback, Saturday, December 10, 1977 - Head Girl's Dorm Room
Emmeline, Marlene, eight fluffy pillows, two Kneazles, and I were laying on my bed. Marlene and I were lounging, petting the cuddling Kneazles.
Emmeline could barely sit still.
"He's an ANIMAGUS! They're ANIMAGI! Can you believe it?" she exclaimed, grinning ear-to-ear.
"Yes, Em. We know," I said, laughing.
"And if we didn't, we definitely know now. You've said that about a dozen times already," Marlene added.
"He's so cute as a dog!" she squealed, ignoring Marlene.
"You get the 'scruffy' comments, now?" I asked her.
"He's not that scruffy, but yes. I get them, now."
"He's scruffy," Marlene and I said in unison.
She ignored us. "Wish I could see James as a stag. Must be incredible!" she said, a dreamy look in her eye.
"I'll let you know when I see it," I mumbled.
"You haven't seen it?" Emmeline said in shock.
"No reason to have. And it isn't like Peter or Sirius who are of decent size. James is huge," I said with a shrug.
"Oh, really?" Marlene said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Did you really just twist her words around to make a sexual innuendo, Marles?" Emmeline asked through a shocked laugh.
"Dorcas isn't here. Someone has to do it," she replied, shrugging.
"We can't tell her, can we?" Emmeline said.
"Of course we can. I know exactly what I'll say. 'Hey, Dorcas. You know our friends, the Marauders? Well, one is a werewolf, and the other three are unregistered Animagi that go with him at the full moon to the Shrieking Shack to keep him company.' That would go over so well," I answered sarcastically.
"A simple no would have worked, Lils," Emmeline said, pouting a little.
"The whole thing is need-to-know, and only the Marauders have the authority to decide when people need to know," Marlene explained. "The easiest way would be to get Dorcas and Peter to get into a relationship..."
The three of us looked at each other and burst out laughing at the thought, continuing until our sides ached. After a while, Emmeline just sat there, a look of deep thought on her face.
"What's up, Em? Knut for your thoughts?" Marlene asked, her laughter subsiding.
"Is this why James's patronus is a stag, while Peter's is a rat, Sirius's a dog, and Remus's a wolf?" she asked.
Marlene turned to me. "Wow, Lils. She's quick," she said to me, flatly.
"Looks like the match between her and Sirius is perfect," I replied.
"Hey! I'm still here, you know!"
"We know," Marlene and I said in unison. This caused another eruption of laughter.
Back in the present, Wednesday, December 14, 1977 - Great Hall, Lunchtime
"Lily, I love you. But I hate your Kneazle," Sirius grumbled over his minestrone soup, his hands covered in fresh cuts.
"Not my fault you aren't quick enough," I said with a grin, the memory of Sirius trying to get the lead off Rouquin. A lot of hissing, swatting, and obscenities (including one very loud "I'm just trying to help, you fucking furball" from Sirius, which echoed throughout the Entrance Hall) were involved. Now Rouquin is asleep and purring curled up in a ball in my lap.
"Yeah, well, he should watch out. If he's ever alone, I'll get him," Sirius mumbled in return.
"Don't try anything, Padfoot," warned James.
"I'm not making any promises," he replied quietly, slurping his soup. "My hands really hurt. Are Kneazles poisonous?"
"I offered to heal those up for you several times," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "And plants are poisonous, Padfoot. Animals are venomous. There's a difference. And no, Kneazles aren't venomous."
"I could care less, Moony."
"So you do care, then?" Marlene said with a chuckle. I gave them my best "lets not do this now" look, but it was apparently lost in translation.
"What are you getting at, McKinnon?" Sirius grumbled.
"You said, 'I could care less.' That means you care. You should say, 'I couldn't care less.'" she told him with a smug smile.
"Well, then, I couldn't care less if you end up with minestrone in your hair," he told her, slowly picking up his bowl to prove a point.
"Padfoot! The house elves make the best minestrone! And they don't do it often or by request! Is it really worth it to waste it over Marlene's hair?" I told him, putting my hand on his wrist to make him lower the bowl.
"You got off lucky this time, McKinnon," Sirius said, continuing to slurp his soup.
"I'll keep that in mind," she chuckled, eating her sandwich.
My eyes wondered over to the Slytherin table, meeting Sev's eye. He gave me a quick look of concern, then broke the contact. His words kept repeating themselves in my mind.
"They're determined to hit all the Muggle-borns in some way."
Will there be another attack before Christmas hols? Should I tell the others? Should I tell Dumbledore that the Slytherins may have a hit list? Things have been quiet since Mary was attacked, and she's fine now. A little shaken up, but she's fine. And safe with just Thomas.
My thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of something falling on my hand. I looked down and saw a folded-up piece of parchment. Opening it, I saw a familiar scrawl:
Lily - Meet me at the boathouse after Transfiguration. I heard you talking to Snape. - Peter
I looked up and met his eye, doing my best not to attract attention from our friends. He looked genuinely concerned for me.
Now the fun part.
Ditching the Royal Guard.
"Wow, that was easier than I thought it would be," I told Peter when we were in the boathouse. Peter simply told the group that I promised I'd tutor him in History of Magic for the final exam of the term before Christmas hols.
Needless to say, one mention of History of Magic made them all scatter like roaches.
"People need to give me more credit," Peter grumbled. "I'm a quick thinker when I need to be."
I nodded in agreement, playing with my fingers out of nerves. I didn't realize I would have to talk about what I said with Sev.
At least the fidgeting was warming my hands. I stupidly left my gloves in my room. Stupid stylish jacket having stupid small pockets... Who's brilliant idea was that, anyway?
"So..." Peter trailed off, looking around the boathouse. "Didn't know we had a boathouse."
"Wormy, where do you think they stashed the boats the first years use at the start of term?"
"Good point."
This is ridiculous. He pulled me out here in the cold boathouse (which, might I add, is colder because of being by the water), and can't get the words out?
Yeah, no.
I sighed. "Wormy, didn't you want to talk to me about what I talked to Sev about?"
He sighed and looked a little ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, I didn't mean to, I swear!"
"I know. You were a rat running from some crazy people. You didn't know you'd run right into a private conversation," I told him. He laughed a little, and I continued. "The others don't know, right?"
"I haven't told them, no," he said, shaking his head. "I actually thought the 'extra precautions' they were taking were over the top, and I know that the Slytherins are planning something. I actually think it would draw more attention to you. Like attacking you would affect more people."
"At least someone was keeping a sane mind throughout all this," I chuckled. "So, what do you think, Wormy?"
"Think about what?"
"Should I tell the others?"
He sat there, quiet and thinking, for a few minutes. "Well, I know you should tell Dumbledore. We may not have proof, and we don't have to give Snape's name if you don't want to, but e should be aware that something may be going on. As for the guys..."
"You have no idea, either, do you?"
"Not a clue."
My shoulders slumped. "Thanks for the help."
"That's just it. We can not tell them, and they'll freak out when the rumor mill kicks in, especially if they find out you and I already knew. Or we could tell them, and they'll freak out because of what's happening and drag you to Dumbledore, freak out some more, and make the meeting more difficult."
"So we're anticipating a freak out either way, aren't we?" I said, looking up at him in my slumped over position.
"Without a doubt."
"Well, you and I could go see Dumbledore now, then tell them after. Delay the freak out and make telling Dumbledore easier," I said, standing.
"Without the distractions, that would be easier," Peter agreed.
"What type of distractions?"
Peter and I froze at the sound of the new voice, turning slowly towards to where the sound came from. I wasn't surprised that there wasn't anyone there. And by the look on Peter's face, he wasn't either.
"Prongs, come on out," he said with a sigh. James pulled off the cloak, and luckily, he was alone. "How long were you here?"
"The whole time. I saw you guys heading this way and thought it was an odd spot to study History, especially with how cold it is this evening. So, what did Sniv, er, Snape have to say?"
I sighed, took a deep breath, and told James everything Sev told me while he was taking Mary to Hospital. When I finished, I braced myself for the oncoming freak out.
James stood there, deep in thought. After what felt like an eternity, he just sighed and said, "Was that it?"
I couldn't help but stare. "'Was that it?' That's all you have to say? No freak out or anything?"
"Well, like I said, I was here the whole time. I figured that what Wormtail said made sense, about our over-protection making you more of a target. Also, if he can be so calm this whole time, why can't I?" James said with a proud smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "I also agree that we should go to Dumbledore now and tell the gang later. They will freak out. And I believe we should go now, you're shivering," he finished, tightening his grip on me.
Peter and I looked at each other, nodded in agreement, then walked back to the castle with James.
The walk to Dumbledore's office felt like it was longer than usual, but maybe it was just nerves. What's the point? What can he do about it? There's no physical "proof," after all!
We arrived at the familiar gargoyle, gave the password ("Coconut Clusters"), and entered. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, his half-moon spectacles halfway down his nose while he poured over the stacks of parchment on his desk. Fawkes, his phoenix, perched proudly on his stand nearby, looking as elegant as ever. I had the opportunity to see him on a burning day once, and that's an opportunity I never want to see again. Freaked me out pretty good in my first year.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, oh, and is that Mr. Pettigrew I see? So it's safe to assume that this isn't Heads' business, I take?" he said, looking up at us and crossing his hands on his desk.
We shook our heads. "Well, not exactly, Professor," James replied.
"Have a seat. Help yourself to some sherbet lemon, please."
I took a sweet from the bowl near the chairs as I sat down between Peter and James.
"So, what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Lily has something she wants to inform you about," James said, taking my hand. I gave James a pleading look. I didn't want to say it! That's why I took a piece of candy!
Dumbledore turned to me. "What do you need to inform me of, Miss Evans?"
Always when you put a piece of candy in your mouth... I pushed the candy to my cheek and spoke as clear as possible. "I was informed by a student that the Slytherins are planning to attack all the Muggle-borns. I just don't know when or how. They already got Mary Macdonald. Last Saturday while we were at Hogsmeade."
"Yes, I am aware of the incident surrounding Miss Macdonald. She seems quite well, now."
I nodded. "It was just some basic curses, but she did pass out, sir."
Dumbledore nodded. "And I am also aware of what Mr. Snape has informed you about the intended attacks."
"So is there anythi... wait, how did you know it was Snape that told me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He came here Sunday morning after breakfast to let me know himself, actually."
"He what?" the three of us said in shocked unison.
Dumbledore just chuckled. "Yes, so it seems you need to think a little higher about the morals of your peers in Slytherin?"
"Not bloody likely," James muttered next to me. I shot him a glare. Peter just scoffed in response to Dumbledore.
"So what are you going to do, Professor?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do. I have no evidence pointing to whether or not it was the Slytherins that attacked Miss Macdonald last Saturday. All I can do is ask you, as Head Boy and Girl, to make sure the prefects never split up on rounds, especially those who are Muggle-born or even half-blood. Also don't walk to classes alone, but don't do anything to draw extra attention to yourselves," Dumbledore said, raising an eyebrow at James and Peter.
I gave them each a "I told you so," look.
"Although, I have to admit, the Kneazle was a nice touch," Dumbledore added, a small smile forming on his lips. "I hope Mr. Black's hands are doing well?"
I let my face fall into the palm of my hand with a groan, while James and Peter snickered.
"You saw that, huh?" Peter asked, slightly embarrassed.
Dumbledore nodded. "I caught some rather colorful language in the Entrance Hall while I was on my way to get a delicious corned beef sandwich for lunch. Easy to pinpoint the origin to one Sirius Black."
I let out another groan.
"He'll be fine, Professor," James told him, laughing. "Remus offered to heal those cuts."
"No better student for the job," Dumbledore said proudly. "Now, I must cut this meeting short. I do have to finish these forms. Just remember what I said and good luck."
"Luck for what?" I asked as I stood.
"You have to tell the rest of your friends, don't you?" he said, the small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
I let out a third groan, this one louder than the rest and joined in by James and Peter.
"That's what I thought. I'll keep my eyes open and inform the staff of the potential of more attacks. That's all I can do at this time," he said from his desk.
"That's all we ask, Professor. Good evening, sir," I said as I lead James and Peter out of the office and back into the corridor.
"How long can we hold off on this?" I asked them.
"The longer we wait, the worse the freak out will be," Peter said.
"Lets go find them," James said, taking my hand. "We'll do the talking, all right? Peter, go get them. We'll meet you in our common room."
Peter nodded and went towards Gryffindor Tower. I turned to James. "We could just use my pendant, you know. They'll all bound to be with one of the girls."
"I'm prolonging this the most I can for you," James said, smiling down at me.
"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" I said up to him.
"Once or twice."
"Not enough," I said, pulling him down to kiss me.
"Well, good, since I'll never get tired of hearing it," he said, closing the gap between us. He broke the kiss briefly, "I'll keep you safe, I promise. I'll never leave you."
"I'll hold you to that," I said, closing the gap once again.
Author's Note Part 2: Okay, what is up with this editor? Second time I had to reformat before publishing! ARG!