So Lily's gone…So this is Hogwarts without her.

CHAPTER 10: Lily-less

Lily's friends were following James. Determined to get him to tell them what was going on. James was convinced they were taking shifts. Jamie was at Quidditch practice watching the team play. James tried to ignore her, but it wasn't working because every so often she would cast Sonorus, causing her voice to be magically magnified so it was like she was yelling through a megaphone. She would shout at the players causing them to miss passes or loose the snitch or miss goals.

"What are you doing here Jamie?" James asked her.

"Tell me what you know. Why did Lily leave?" She demanded leaning over the wall so she was closer to James.

"I don't know." James said looking her right in the eyes.

"But you were taking her things to the headmaster's office." Jamie said.

"Because McGonagall asked me to." James said. "Now go away. Unless you want the Gryffindor team to loose, let us get back to practice."

"So you really don't know?" she asked.

"No, I don't." At this Jamie huffed leaving.

"What was that all about?" Sirius asked once James flew to the center of the pitch.

"Jamie wants to know why Lily left."

"Lily left?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah." He said. "OKAY! Good practice everyone!" James shouted. Everyone landed and changed meeting just inside the gate.

"Okay so the first game of the season is against Ravenclaw." James said to his team. "Now I know we can take them." There was cheering at this, "Yeah, so I'll see you all on Thursday for our next practice. Sleep well and be ready." Everyone departed at this point going to lunch to study.

"Good practice Prongsy." Sirius said on their way back to the castle.

"Thanks Padfoot." James replied.

"I mean really. It was brilliant!"

"Was there something else?"

"You said Lily left." Sirius said.

"She did."

"Is she coming back?"

"Of course she's coming back. She had to leave for a family thing is all."

"Then why didn't you tell Jamie that mate?"

"It's not my place." James said.

"So now you're keeping secrets for Lily?"

"It's complicated."

"Your whole relationship with that girl is complicated! 'I like her', 'no I don't.' 'Yes I do.' 'No' 'yes' 'no'." Sirius mocked slapping his own cheek. "Do you get it?" James laughed.

"I do not go around claiming to dislike Lily."

"You don't go around slapping yourself either." He countered winking at a group of sixth years. They giggled huddling closer. Sirius watched their retreating figures.

"I think I'm going to try again." James said.

"Huh?" Sirius asked having missed everything his friend just said. James pushed him.

"Smooth." James teased.

"Hey, let's go to the lake." Sirius suggested.

"Let's eat first."

When they got to the Great Hall Remus was reading and Peter was snacking on some chips.

"Hey Moony." Sirius said messing up Remus's hair.

"Sirius." He replied flattening his hair with his hand not even looking up from his book.

"Have you already eaten Moony?" James asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering." He said sitting down. Sirius took the seat beside him. Sirius took some sandwiches and immediately scarfed them down.

"Wha' wit you?" Sirius asked his mouth full. Remus looked at him over the top of his book. James looked up at his closest friend then around the room.

"I'll tell you by the lake." James said. He wasn't sure how much he could tell them. He had promised Lily that he wouldn't say anything, but he needed to tell someone or he would explode. He had spent the night will Lily Evans. Grant nothing happened except she cried and some hugging, but still. She had let him in, just a little.

"Then let's go." Sirius said. He was surely going to be sick.

Down at the lake under the tree they spent so much time under James quickly explained that no one could know that Lily's father had died and she was at his funeral. Also he had found her in the prefect's bathroom then brought her to the room of requirements where she fell asleep with him on a couch.

"So you're this worked up and you didn't even kiss?" Sirius asked. "You're pathetic."

"Well at least he can stick with one girl." Remus said from the water's edge. He was just wading occasionally gathering pebbles to skip.

"I like variety." Sirius said leaning against the tree, his fingers laced behind his head.

"I'm sure you do." Remus muttered so Sirius couldn't hear. James, who was lying in the grass, however could

"I'm bored." Sirius said to them.

"So then what do you want to do?" James asked him.

"I wish it were snowing." Sirius said.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because then there would be something to work with." But James knew that he wanted to have a snow ball fight. "Then again…" James turned to see Snivellus alone under a tree with several books scattered around him and a piece of parchment in his lap that he was feverishly writing on.

"Come on Prongs you haven't taught Snivellus any good lessons lately." Sirius persuaded.

"No." James said.

"You know he won't Padfoot." Remus said.

"Yeah. He promised." Peter squeaked.

"You mean to Lily?" Sirius asked. "You didn't really take the unbreakable vow. So come on Jamesy, just this once. She'll never know."

"Yeah!" Peter chimed. James grinned.

"Not a chance."

"It'll be just like old times. Come on!" But James shook his head. "Alright then I'll do it!"

"Sirius. Don't you dare!" James warned.

"You're not dating him, you're not even dating Evans. Sides it's just for a laugh." Sirius said already walking toward Severus.

"Padfoot!" James called. Remus looked at James expectantly. Peter was so excited he was nearly wetting himself. James cursed running after the moron set out to ruin him.

Snape was pulling out his wand while struggling to get to his feet. His greasy hair hung around his face, his beady eyes glaring at his enemies.

"Hey Snivellus" Sirius chanted. "Long time no tease."

"Sirius!" James yelled. They were attracting attention. Some of the students were waiting expecting them to hang Snape by his ankles up in a tree, like they used to. The younger ones, who had never witnessed bulling toward Snape were looking nervous or curious.

Sirius was still ignoring James. Sirius raised his wand, but for once Severus beat him to it. Severus jinxed Sirius causing him to fly back. This caused anger to fly up inside James, so without thinking James hit Severus thinking, 'Levicorpus!' With a flash of white light Snape was hanging upside down by his ankle. His wand fell to the ground, his robes tangling around his head.

Just like old times. Only he didn't feel satisfied, he didn't have the feeling he used to have. The one that gave him pleasure at hearing people laugh at his jokes or pranks. He wasn't sure what he was feeling.

James rushed over to Sirius, who was sitting up.

"That foul Git!" Sirius roared jumping to his feet. Snape seemed to realize his mistake, but couldn't get away. Sirius went right at him huffing angrily.

"SIRIUS DON'T!" James hollered. James cut Sirius off tackling him, knocking him right to the ground.

"Get off me!" Sirius shouted fighting to get James off him. Sirius managed to get James off, by which time he didn't care about beating the living hell out of Snape. He was pretty pissed that his friend would pick some girl's ex-friend over him.

James pointed his wand at Snape's still struggling figure thinking 'liberacorpus'. Severus fell to the ground.

That night when James went into to the dorm after doing his head boy duties he found that Sirius was already asleep. Or pretending to be. James decided that he needed a way to get his best mate to forgive him.

And the only way to do that was through a prank. So by dawn Sirius woke up with a bed covered in dog toys. He couldn't help but laugh at James's attempt. Sirius took a squeaky ball, throwing it at James's head.

James sat up after the third toy bounced off his head. He sat up looking over at the thrower.

"Alright Prongs I forgive you."

"Thanks Padfoot. Although if I'd known you'd forgive me so easily I wouldn't have covered muggle studies in toilet paper."

"You did that for me?" Sirius asked.

"You're the only person I'd do something like that for." James said. "Now let's get some breakfast."

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