Disclaimer: However much I might wish I did, unfortunately I do not own any of these characters… They all belong to JKR.
Some of this will be a little confusing to know whose point of view, when and where so before each little section, I will tell you. If it confuses you more, ignore it, if it doesn't - great.
Chapter 3 – Memories
Previously;
He felt her shiver as his arms enveloped her. He wrapped a cloak around them. The invisibility cloak.
Before they could say anything, a crowd came into their private clearing. One of the boys had long white blond hair. He recounted the events of the dance to roaring laughter. As he went further into the story, James held onto Lily tighter.
He knew why she was crying.
(Lily, Marauders' dorm, present)
Through a tiny slit in the hangings, warm Sunday sunlight bathed Lily's eyes, awakening her to reality. As she realised it was not a dream, tears began to fall down her cheeks again. A strong arm around her waist, bringing her closer to a well- muscled torso confused her for a second. She looked up and brushed the raven hair out of those comforting hazel eyes.
"James, how am I going to face them?" He snuggled her closer to him, the flowery scent of her hair filling his world, capturing a memory he was going to have forever: Lily Evans waking up in his arms. She looked up at him, her sparkling eyes filled with pain and fear.
"Don't worry, we'll all help you get through it. There's one more thing though."
"What?" She wondered what the next step could be.
"Dumbledore has to know." Her eyed widened and her cheeks flushed as she pictured herself telling Dumbledore. "Do you want me to come with you?" Lily managed a nod before burying herself into his chest again. She wouldn't complain about him being late because of quidditch again in a hurry.
(James/ Lily/ James, Marauders' dorm, previous night)
When James had carried Lily up the stairs to the Marauders' dormitory the night before, he was met by three surprised and concerned looks. He had shook his head and placed Lily down into his bed. She had nearly cried herself to sleep.
Lily was just able to remember James lying down beside her, feeling his chest vibrate and rumble as he muttered to his friends what had happened. She had even felt a salty tear drip from his eyes onto her cheek. The tip of her tip of her tongue had tasted his tear and her heart had melted.
"We'll stay downstairs for tonight." Sirius had promised.
"I'm sorry." Remus had whispered as he drew the hangings on James's bed.
(Professor McGonagall/ Narrator, her office/ Dumbledore's office, present)
There was a knock on Professor McGonagall's door and James Potter walked in followed by Lily Evans.
"Potter, it's normally me dragging you in here for some misdeed not the other way around. What ever is the matter?" She asked noticing the tearstains on the girl's face and the black hoodie she was wearing that was clearly not hers.
"Professor, I'm sorry, but we need to talk to Professor Dumbledore. Urgently."
Without another word the young woman stood up from behind her desk and led the students out of her office and towards a gargoyle. She knew it must be important.
"Sugar Quill." The gargoyle leaped aside and they stepped onto the lift to the Headmaster's office. She timidly knocked and opened the door. She stepped into his office, "Mr Potter and Miss Evans to see you, Sir." He looked up from The Prophet with a slightly startled look, his eyebrows raised into his chestnut hair.
"Thankyou, Minerva." She turned to go, but James moved slightly to the right, blocking her path.
"Professor, I think you should stay to hear this." As Dumbledore conjured seating, Fawkes fluttered over to James and three glistening tears traced the paths of the three deep, bloody slashes on his face. James took Lily's hand as she stared at the phoenix, and led her to the two-seater sofa. Fawkes flew into the air and landed on Lily's shoulder. He began to cry again, but this time, the moisture landed on her heart.
Dumbledore stared at the bird before seeing Lily's tears mingling with Fawkes's. "There is an easier way." She looked up at him, uncomprehending. He continued, "would you permit us to relive your memory?" Lily thought about it for a second and then nodded. Dumbledore touched each person with his wand, and James felt a soaring sensation in his stomach as Dumbledore's office spun out of view to be replaced by the Great Hall.
"People cannot see or hear you, but I advise you to keep within a close distance of Lily so not to lose her."
(Lily, Great Hall, Lily's present memory, previous night)
He bent down slightly as he whispered in my ear, "We are quite the common focus here tonight." He dropped his voice so it was barely audible over the dance, "Slytherin Common room?" Over the noise, all I heard was common so I smiled and nodded. He took my hand and linked it through his arm and we walked out of the Great Hall, with people whistling at us or whispering to their neighbours about us as we passed. He led me down a series of corridors past the Potions classroom that I had never seen before. We stopped at a picture of a snake sneaking through grassland, slithering after a lioness with her cubs. "Pureblood," He said. He smirked at me and drew me through the opening portrait into the Slytherin Common room decorated with green and silver where my common room was red and gold. There were dark green sofas clustered around a fire. I recognised faces and saw flashing lights telling me to get out. Lucius held onto me harder and walked me into the middle of the crowd.
(James, Slytherin Common room, Lily's present memory, previous night)
With Dumbledore and McGonagall, I followed Lily through the corridors into the Slyhtering Common room. Faces turned to them; I saw Macnair, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Black. Lucius stepped into the middle of the crowd and turned to face his admirers, a position very familiar to me. As Malfoy began to talk to his followers, James felt a memory float to the front of his mind.
(James's memory, Gryffindor Common room, past)
The crowd of cheering Gryffindors parted to let the Marauders through, cheering at their latest prank. James and Sirius smirked sat each other and stood on the table in the middle of the crowd, recounting the prank in loud voices. He faltered as he noticed Lily push past a group of first years and storm up to the girls' dormitories. He was about to call her name, but the front of the crowd was waving their arms at Sirius and James as if they were hailing them.
(James, Slytherin Common room, Lily's present memory, previous night)
He watched as Bellatrix handed her a small glass filled with a light blue liquid. She motioned for Lily to drink the glass. Lucius motioned her to stand up and he levitated her as if she was on a platform. Lily wasn't moving. Lucius held up a purple velvet book, found his marked page, then began to read. Out of the corner of his eye, Dumbledore tapped Lily with his wand again, and again James felt a soaring sensation in his stomach before he began to visualise the diary entry Lucius was verbalising.
(James, Lily's childhood home, Lily's past memory, past)
As a bystander, James watched a little girl with two red braids being led blindfolded out into a garden by her mother. In front of them, there was a small crowd of children hushing each other with big grins on their faces. In front of them all, another girl of about seven stood next to a big cake with candles that a tall man was lighting. The young Lily bit her lip with anticipation, trying not to smile. When they were standing in front of the cake, Lily's sister reached out and took her hand before her father held up three fingers. One, he mouthed and put a finger down Two, he put a second finger down, when he put the third finger down, mouthing Three, Lily's mother removed the blindfold and Lily jumped a bit when she heard then all shout, "Happy Birthday!"
James watched the muggle birthday party go on as a game of tag started. He followed Lily as a raven-haired boy, not unlike himself chased her. They ran until he caught up with her and tagged her, pushing her accidentally a little bit too hard into a recently watered flowerbed. Her knee scraped across a fragment of broken pottery in the flowerbed and as she brought her knee up, some water dripped onto the cut, turning the soil into mud. The mud began to run down her leg, mingling with the trickle of blood.
(Lily, Slytherin Common room, Lily's present memory, previous night)
As I heard my childlike tones go through my birthday party, leaked out my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks. I had tried to be strong, but it wasn't working. After the drink I had felt my muscles freeze as I was levitated for all to see as Lucius finished my diary entry. He was still smirking! What else could he do to me? Nott's wand lowered me a little, just so my feet were nearly on the ground. The tears fell off m cheeks and landed on my chest, the curves of my breasts directing them into the middle. Their eyes followed the path of the tears as I cried harder, although willing myself not to as I realised what they had in mind.
Bellatrix stood up and smirked at me before walking out the common room and up the staircase. I turned my eyes back to Lucius. He had taken the responsibility for my levitation and he spread himself out over the sofa watching while Macnair moved closer to me. Nott mirrored him and they both put burning hands on my waist, pushing my dress down and breaking the flimsy straps. The silky dress flowed down my upper body, but stopped when it came to my hips. Thank my mother for those hips that stopped me fitting into small sizes and being able to step out of skirts. As the hands on the right side of my body moved up, the hands on the left side of my body moved down. I knew it as useless to try and move, my arms and legs were frozen by the potion and I couldn't even move my lips to scream. The clock on the mantelpiece chimed midnight and two figures appeared on the staircase. Bellatrix and Narcissa. The latter spoke, "Malfoy, you promised me you were mine after midnight. I kept my part of the bargain." Malfoy smirked and tucked the top of my dress into the top of my strapless bra. He stood up and offered her his arm.
"Take her back to the dance, boys." He lowered his wand completely and Crabbe and Goyle each took one of my arms. My legs had barely recovered enough to walk, when they esorted me through the halls after Lucius and Narcissa. When the couple strode into the Great Hall, Crabbe and Goyle took me the other way and led me into the maze of gardens outside. Glowing insects surrounded me as I used all my energy to escape into the hedges before I collapsed to the floor. I struggled to get myself into a sitting position as my body was burning, feeling pins and needles all over. A howl tore trough the air, but I was too distraught and cold to care. Minutes later I heard single footsteps and the hedged moved in front of me. "Lily?" Someone appeared before me. "Lily?" James' voice made me raise my head. As I looked into his face, I saw three bloody slashes across it and heard a sharp intake of breath before realising that it was me. He crushed me into a hug before I could say anything. He sat himself on the ground and lifted me into his lap I was too weak to protest and grateful for his warmth and protection. As he wrapped a cloak around me I realised that he actually cared about me and didn't just want me because I kept rejecting him.
(Dumbledore, gardens, Lily's present memory)
I tapped the eyes of Minerva, James and Lily so they could see through James's invisibility cloak. I watched the Slytherins invade, not knowing that they were being overheard. I looked at the marks on James's face, and heard the howl of a werewolf in the distance.
I feel bad about doing that to Lily, but it had to happen.
Well you get Chapter 3 the day after Chapter two! Aren't you lucky! Keep reviewing! xXx