Hey everybody! So, I know I haven't posted anything in a while. Sorry! I have more planned for you, so don't worry, but here is the next chapter. It's kind of short, but I decided that what happens next in the story wouldn't really go with the rest of this chapter. But hey, be happy, this means that you get to read this much much earlier! Well, don't forget to review me! I wanna do you proud!

Chapter Ten: A Bump in the Night

I rolled my eyes as I faced the empty stretch of hallway where James Potter had stood merely seconds before. With a sigh I turned in the opposite direction and began the lonely walk back to the Gryffindor common room.

As I passed painting after painting and door after door, I couldn't keep the sex-god out of my mind. James Potter! It was absolutely insane. There had to be something wrong with me. How else could I feel this way about him? And worse, how could I be okay with it? Because I had realized something during Astronomy as we gazed at the stars; I found that I could really imagine a life with James, outside of school and years in the future. I could imagine marrying him and living with him, walking through Diagon Alley holding the hands of our children as we went to buy their school supplies.

And you know what? I actually like it.

I passed a painting of a wizard dissecting a dragon leg and couldn't help but smile; it was the spot where James had first asked me out after Charms in our third year. Sirius, Remus and Peter were snickering together at the end of the hallway, shooting pink confetti hearts out of the ends of their wands at random passerby. I remember the look on Severus' face- THUNK

"Ahhhh!" I cried out as I felt my forehead pulse in pain. Due to my lack of attention I had walked right into someone in the dimly lit hallway. I pulled out my wand with my right hand and gripped my forehead with my left.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my eyes watering from the pain. Even though my vision was blurred, I could just make out an upright figure about ten feet away from me.

"Woah, Lily, relax, it's me." A horse voice replied. I thought I saw the figure lunge for me and in a panic I accidentally set a jet of red sparks at them. They dropped to the ground to avoid being hit in the face

"Aggghhh! What's the matter with you?" The voice yelled, only it sounded more familiar now. As my vision grew sharper I gasped as the person's face caught some of the light from a nearby torch.

"Severus! What are you doing here?"

He stood up, brushing off his pants. "I might ask the same of you." Then he caught me with that familiar stare, a gaze so intense I had trouble looking away.

"I have N.E.W.T. level Astronomy, not that it's any of your business." I told him as I looked at a spot just above his right shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me." I made to walk past him but he grabbed my arm.

"Wait, Lily. Can I just talk to you? Please."

I turned toward him and sighed as I took in his pathetic look. "You have two minutes."

His swallowed and put a hand on my shoulder. "Lily. I know things are bad right now. I know what you think of me. But you have to realize, it's all for you."

I scoffed, "Yeah, Sev, you hate the Marauders for me."

His eyes narrowed and the muscles of his face tensed, but he shook his head. "No, I'm not talking about... them. I'm talking about- about my friends, like Avery. About the Death Eaters."

I raised my eyebrows and took a step away from him. "We're done here, Severus." I turned to leave.

"Lily, please!" He said as he followed me. "You have to realize it! If I'm a Death Eater, if I get into You-Know-Who's inner-most circle, I could protect you! I could save you from them!"

I whipped around, my hand now curled around my wand in a fist. "Who says I need you to protect me, huh Severus? Who?"

"No one, Lily, but I just-"

My voice was surprisingly calm. "You think I'm going to swallow that one? Really? You didn't join the Death Eaters because you want to protect me. You joined it because you think you're better than Muggles. Don't bother denying it either, Severus, don't you dare. I remember what you used to say about my sister, even if I was too stupid to understand it then."

Severus stood there with his hands open at his sides, his face pleading. "Lily, there's going to be a war. It's unavoidable and you know that there are going to be casualties. I don't care that you're a Muggle-born, I don't care that you hate me right now, but I could never live with myself if you were hurt because I didn't do enough to protect you."

I put a hand over my eyes and sighed. I was too tired to fight, too done with him to care. "We're done here, Severus. I'm just too tired to listen to this tonight. I'm just going to pretend we never ran into each other and go to bed, alright?"

Severus opened his mouth in protest but closed it again. I knew from the way he looked at me that he was hurt, but I held myself back from speaking to him. I turned and walked away, from him, going through four different corridors until I finally felt it was safe to stop. I leaned my shoulder against the wall by a window that overlooked the grounds. It was a full moon, and the grass in front of the castle shone silver from the glistening of dew and the soft glow of the moon. I stood there for a few minutes, just thinking about James and Severus and how screwed up my life was, when I saw a stag emerge from the Forbidden Forest. He was a beautiful creature, with a bright walnut coat that shone in the moonlight. Following him out of the woods was a huge shaggy black dog with paws the size of Mexico. For some reason I imagined that they were friends, and I laughed to myself as I imagined the conversations that would go on between a dog and a stag. Something else began to creep out of the forrest, and I eagerly watched it's progress until it was illuminated in the moonlight. With a small scream I covered my mouth with my hand: standing there by the stag and the dog was a fully grown werewolf.

I had never seen a real werewolf before, at least not a transformed one. It was large and thin, but very muscular, with shining yellow eyes and hair all over. I silently watched as it sniffed the air, the dog and the stag watching it carefully. Then, as it stood up on it's hind legs, the werewolf gave out a loud, dangerous howl. I don't remember running, but the next thing I knew I had come to a halt in front of the Fat Lady.

"Detergent," I panted, looking at the corridor behind me, half convinced that the werewolf was chasing me.

"You get some sleep, dear," the Fat Lady told me as she swung forward, "You look as though you need it."

"Good idea." I said as I climbed through the portrait hole. I quickly walked through the empty common room and dashed up the staircase to my dormitory. Once I was in the safety of my room I looked out of the window next to my bed. The dog, the stag, and the werewolf were all out there, running around and chasing each other, almost as if they were playing.

And that's when it hit me: Remus was a werewolf. James' nickname was Prongs, and Sirius' was Padfoot. Oh Merlin.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't. I stared at them, my brain buzzing with excitement. It was a wild and crazy idea. Too perfect to be true. Too perfect...

I shook my head. "Wow, Lily," I whispered to myself as I took off my sweater, "You really are tired." Of course I was running away with my imagination again. It couldn't be Remus, James and Sirius down there for two big reasons. First, I doubt that Dumbledore would allow Remus to roam around the grounds while he was transformed into a fully grown, dangerous wolf. Second, there were only three animals down there. If Remus was the wolf, James the stag, and Sirius the dog, where was Peter?

After a minute the wolf turned and ran into the forrest, the dog and stag close on it's heels. I shook my head again and collapsed onto my bed. I needed to sleep.

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