She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Peppermint Kisses

"Hurry, hurry!" Maggie ran through the crowd, a birdcage containing a ruffled-looking grey owl in her hands. She pushed her way through families, holding out the cage toward a pair of waiting, gloved hands. "Emma, Emma, here!" She said, as I took the cage from her and the Hogwarts Express began to pick up speed. "Oh for heaven's sake – don't lose him!" She yelled to me, like it had been my fault we'd arrived at five to eleven and nearly missed the train and I'd forgotten my owl, who now perched in his cage and hooted indignantly at me. "And have a good time at school!" She added.

I bit back a grin as James and Sirius dragged me back from the window (I had been close to falling out) and we smiled at one another.

"Saw your mother back there on the platform too, Siri," I said to him. "She tripped over something and nearly fell onto the tracks. How do you feel?"

"Excellent," Sirius said briskly, as we set off to find our usual compartment. "Best moment of my life, actually."

We laughed, and made our way down the train corridor to the end where, to my delight, we found Remus and Peter waiting for us, but no Lily (which actually wasn't a delight to me, nor James) and we greeted each other enthusiastically as we made our way into the compartment to find it already occupied.

"Snivellus!?" James and Sirius cried in disgust, and even I felt myself bristling at the mere sight of him. After all, this was Severus Snape, and he'd tried to kill me, even though he had told the headmaster that it wasn't his intentions. James and Sirius disagreed. I disagreed.

Snape looked up from the book he was reading, saw that it was us, and was on his feet in an instant, wand out.

James and Sirius copied the final action, of course, but Remus said: "Hold on a minute." He spoke quietly, but he might's'well have shouted it, because we all turned to look at him questioningly. "Let's just go somewhere else, guys…" Remus said, and James and Sirius let out yells of equal disbelief but, in doing so, they missed the significant glance Remus gave me.

"This is our compartment, mate," Sirius told Remus in disbelief. "Why should we have to go somewhere else?"

Remus looked at me again, and this time Sirius didn't miss it. His eyes dark narrowed in comprehension, and suddenly I felt his hand snake around my waist, drawing me closer toward him.

I'm sure my face went pink.

"Besides," Said Peter nervously. "I was looking as we walked down the corridor – everywhere else is full…" He seemed to cower under the looks of rage the other two gave him.

"W-what!?" James looked thoroughly annoyed. "Are you sure, Wormtail, hang on a minute…" And he dashed out of the compartment.

None of us said a word. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other murderously, and I was thankful that there was at least one sane person (Remus) in the compartment. Sirius kept his arm around me the whole time.

Less than a minute later, James was back, looking slightly out of breath and more annoyed than he had been before. "There's nowhere else left," He said, glaring at Snape. "So…so Snivellus is just going to have to sit outside." He decided.

"I agree." Sirius said immediately.

"Whatever." Remus sighed, looking slightly bored.

Peter nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh for God's sake, grow up you four!"

Even I realised how much I sounded like Lily then, and I gasped, startled. The Marauders were all giving me looks of utter shock, and even Haphazard had seemed to go quiet, as I stood there, staring at a spot on the wall where someone had scrawled R.A-something + something-P = LOVE. Who was that? R.A…hmm…must be some fourth year student or something.

But Snape's voice brought me back to reality. "I don't need help from a filthy mudblood like you!"

In an instant, red clouded my gaze, and the familiar anger I had felt before washed up and over me. My wand was out in an instant, I don't remember what I shouted – but James, Remus and Sirius had all cursed Snape at the same time I did, and Snape slumped to the floor of the compartment.

I gaped at Remus. Since when did he do something like this?

Remus seemed to be wondering about something, his golden eyes were faraway, as we all bent over to have a look at the damage we had done to Snape.

"Oh my God…" James said in mock-shock. "I think that…we killed him…"

"YES!!" Sirius cheered loudly, hid arm still around my waist (not that I minded it).

"Who used Densuageo?" Remus asked.

"Me." Said James, smirking at Snape's now rabbit-like teeth. Peter snickered.

Remus nodded. "I used Conjunctivitis…oh dear…it looks like Furnunculus and 'jelly-legs' shouldn't be mixed…he seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face…" It was disgusting. He looked like a sea anemone.

Sirius cheered again and this time he and I hi-fived each other. "Best thing I ever did, teaching you that jelly-legs curse, Emmy. You're getting really good at that." Sirius told me, giving me a quick kiss and I KNOW my face turned red then. Sirius smirked. "And you blush." He added, as the others pushed and kicked Snape out into the corridor, where James stood on his nose for good measures. They rejoined us, and we all sat down, Remus and Peter on one side facing me, Sirius and James.

"Emma, d-did you get a broomstick for Christmas?" Peter asked the obvious, and I refrained from rolling my eyes as I glanced at where it was stowed above our heads.

"Yes, Peter," I said patiently. "James seems to think he can make a Quidditch player out of me. What's the matter James, getting too big for your Quidditch robes?"

As the others laughed, James gave me a Look. "No," He said. "I just thought it would be a nice thing to do." He said sarcastically.

I laughed. "Oh, is that what you were trying to do? Only, it's sometimes very hard to tell with you…"

The countryside became more forresty and mountainy as the train chugged on into the snow. We played Exploding Snap, Wizards Chess and I attempted to learn the Diffindo spell from Remus.

"Diffindo!" I cried, pointing my wand at a piece of cloth being held up by Peter. Nothing happened, except that it sort of wavered slightly. I was getting frustrated. I wasn't as good at magic as I'd hoped I'd be, it was a near on miracle I had managed to learn even the ones I did know!

"With feeling," Remus said quietly, gazing at me intently. His tone was very gentle, I knew without a doubt that he'd make a perfect teacher later on in life. "A little louder this time, I know you can do it, Em. Come on – Diffindo."

"Diffindo!!"

"Hey!" Peter jumped to his feet, as the front of his jumper was cut to ribbons. "Emma!" He gave me a Look. "Thanks a lot!"

James, who had been in the midst of thrashing Sirius at Wizards Chess, now laughed along with me and Sirius. "It's easily repaired Wormtail, here – Reparo!"

Peter looked down at his jumper, which was sporting re-sewn on bits of fabric in the wrong spots and now looked decidedly weird. "Oh, thanks a lot." He said sarcastically.

"Anything off the trolley?" We heard the trolley-lady call from down the corridor, and we all looked at each other. "Anything off the-AURGH!!!!"

The five of us jumped to our feet, and James flung open the compartment door, to find the trolley lady gasping at the sight of Severus Snape, who was still knocked out and some five feet away from our compartment. His face still sported all of those little tentacles, and his nose was still covered in blood. He looked a right mess.

People all the way down the corridor were flinging open their doors as well, and many of them gasped at the sight of Snape. Girls screamed and turned away, clearly disgusted.

Arranging our faces into what we hoped were looks of shock (when all I wanted to do was laugh), the Marauders and I claimed that we hadn't known anything about it. A few of the people who worked on the train (what're they called again?) came a took Snape away, and the boys and I bought some stuff off the trolley, including some of the Every-Flavour Beans, since I'd packed all the stuff I'd gotten yesterday into my trunk.

We sat back down again.

"Oh God, I just about died trying not to laugh at the looks on all their faces." James was clearly enjoying himself, as he ate a minty-green All-Flavoured Bean. "Huh. Toothpaste. Anyway, just classic guys, excellent stuff."

"You're so mean," I said, rolling my eyes. "But…yeah, I think I broke two ribs myself. Definite chest ache now." I said, and James and Peter laughed. Remus smiled at me as he glanced up from his book briefly.

Sirius leaned close to me then, and whispered in my ear so that only I could hear him: "I could kiss it better for you, if you'd like?"

OH. MY. FREAKING. GOD. Inside, I think some part of me jumped off a cliff. No one has ever said that to me before.

And then I said, whispering back to him: "Well not here, Siri – some under-aged peoples might see us."

He smirked.

Oh my God, where did THAT come from? I wondered vaguely.

James and Peter were too busy deciding whether or not to try a strange lime-green bean or not.

Remus, however, frowned slightly, a look that reminded me of ice coming into his eyes. I had never seen that look in anyone's eyes before, let alone in Remus Lupin's, and was just trying to figure out what it meant when the door to our compartment slid open, and a beautiful girl with thick red hair and glowing green eyes, dressed all in periwinkle blue, stepped into the compartment.

"I might've known you'd be involved with what happened to Severus." Lily said sternly, gazing mainly at James who seemed to have started choking on an Every-Flavoured Bean. Sirius pounded him on the back.

"T-thanks Padfoot," James said, turning to look at Lily.

"Serves you right." She said, raising her eyebrow.

"Aww, come on Evans," James said. "Why the hell do you waste your time with Snivellus anyway?"

"What I do with my time should be of no concern to you," Lily told him, eyeing him with every look of great dislike. "I only came to see Emma and say hi – hi," She smiled at me.

"Hi." I said, smiling more at the stunned look on poor James' face than at anything else. He looked devastated.

"And to tell Remus that we have a meeting when we get back to school." She finished.

James looked at her for a second, and then held up the box of Bertie Bots Every Flavoured Beans. "Bean, Evans?"

She regarded him suspiciously for a moment, as if she thought he'd put a Love Potion in them or something.

"How do I know that you didn't put anything in these?" Lily asked James warily.

A-ha!

"Evans!" James complained, looking a lot like a first year when he did this.

Lily didn't look convinced.

To show her that they were alright, I grabbed one from the box and ate it. "Hmm…see? Nothing wrong with them…oh, it's peppermint, that's my favourite."

Finally convinced, Lily took one and popped it into her mouth. "I got strawberry," She said, with a small smile. "My favourite." And, with that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the compartment, sliding the door shut with a snap behind her.

James looked renewed with this new piece of information – Lily Evans likes the flavour of strawberries! He was a bit of a hopeless case for the final duration of the trip, and when we pulled into Hogsmeade station it had stopped snowing.

"Hey, Emmy?" Sirius grabbed my arm before we could leave the compartment. Ahead of us were our friends, James still thinking about Lily, and Remus carrying my owl and broomstick for me.

"Yeah?" I turned around, and was startled to find Sirius' face about an inch away from mine.

"If peppermint really your favourite flavour?" He wanted to know.

I nodded. "Oh, you bet it is."

He smirked. "Mine too." And he closed the distance between us.