January 20th, 1977

It felt like Lily Evans was sleepwalking as she stepped out of Dumbledore's office. Her legs knew that she had to make it back to Gryffindor Tower and did the work, while her mind was racing. Although her body was tired, her mind was speeding. She was worrying about poor Hestia Jones, who had already finished her interview with the Ministry Wizard, who came about two hours ago. It took forever since Hestia was hiccuping throughout in an attempt to not sob. Lily thought it would be best if she were interviewed first, so that Hestia can return to her own room and rest.

Lily also couldn't shake the thought of still unconscious (but alive) Dirk Creswell, and the anonymous wanker who nearly killed her housemate. He was fine and under the capable supervision of Madam Pomfrey, so the prefect knew that Creswell would be fine. But it still terrified the crap out of her.

Once she reached the Fat Lady's Portrait, Lily gave the password. The Fat Lady quickly opened up the portrait before retuning to another portrait to gossip with her friend. By the morning, not just the portraits would be gossiping. Lily stepped inside and already heard her bed calling out for her. It referred to her as Evans though. Normally when Lily was sleep deprived, her bed tended to refer to as Lily, not Evans. Strange.

"Oy, Evans? Are you even in there?"

Lily looked up from her zombie walk and saw James Potter sitting on the couch of the common room. The dim light of the fire set an orange haze around him as he read a book.

"Bloody Hell," he murmured as he leaned forward to get a better look at her, "you alright? You look like you've… well, seen Hell."

"Clever, Potter," she said in a sort of dazed voice, not able to cultivate the power for a sassy retort.

"Seriously, Evans? Are you okay?" He stood up and walked closer to her, but paused a few steps away. "What happened?" He murmured, staring at a prominent black and blue mark on her knee.

Lily looked down. "Oh, that's nothing…" she said weakly. "It's just that… oh, where to begin?" She let out a breathless chuckle towards the end.

"Did someone hurt you? Merlin, was it Greyson? " He asked rapidly. He had more questions too, but was halted from proceeding when Lily put her entire hand over his mouth.

"Shhh…" Lily insisted tiredly. "You talk too much, Potter."

James didn't argue with this as Lily removed her warm hand from his lips. Was it weird that he wanted kiss each of her fingertips? They were so soft and delicate.

Yes, definitely weird.

"Someone tried to kill Dirk Creswell," Lily said in a hushed voice.

James' eyes widened. "What?"

"However, what got me was that his body was hanging in the air of the Grand Staircase. I don't know how long he had been up there, unconscious too. But, then he just dropped," Lily went on.

James could see how tired she was. She had her eyes closed and rubbed the back of her neck. He just had to know though. "Dirk's okay though, right? Fuck, you saw all this?"

"Yes, I was there. I caught him actually."

"Evans, you have chicken legs for arms."

"Oh, fuck off, you twit," she hissed. "I used a spell."

James gazed at her appraisingly before asking, "What spell can catch a person mid-fall. Descendo?"

Lily let out a sigh. "No, it's not important," she said impatiently. "What is important is that Cresswell is fine." She let out another yawn. "And that there is also an attacker in Hogwarts."

James wiped a hand over his face slowly. "Fuck," he groaned. He then looked down at Lily again. Her eyes were blinking slowly, and she was leaning against the wall. She completely leaned against the wall and slid down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," James murmured as he leaned down to catch her before she fell completely.

"No, no," she said, smacking his hands away. "This is a choice. Sitting," she said dreamily.

"Evans, you can't just sleep there."

"And who says?"

"Your bum is going to get flatter than it already is."

"Ha. We both know that is not true, Potter. It's my only asset," she laughed weakly. "Haha, see what I did there? Ass-set?"

James tired his hardest not to laugh at her poorly made joke. He simply said, "And we both know that is not true either," as he leaned against the couch.

Lily popped one eye open. "Flattery won't get you far," she said coolly.

"Oh, don't I know?"

The ginger couldn't help but chuckle. She let both eyes close, and James just wished he could've taken a picture of her. Just like that. She looked so natural in that moment.

"You deserve it though, flattery," he added. "You just saved Cresswell from literally a falling death."

Lily's face fell but she nodded acceptingly. "Yeah, I did," she said softly. She tried to push her body up, but she was too tired at the amount; her legs nearly gave out. This time she didn't push James away when he grabbed her by the wrist. "Thanks," she whispered quietly.

"Lily," he said, still holding her wrist but with a softer grip, "are you all right? Was there anything else that happened?"

There was a short moment when Lily just didn't move, not even blink. She shook herself out of the moment and said, "There was a note; it was tapped on Cresswell's body."

James tensed, but waited for her to continue.

"It said, Usupers will fall," she continued softly. She looked up at him, and James sucked in his breath at her stare. He would never use the word sad to describe Lily Evans, but her stare sure was at the moment. "I think someone is after the child Mason Nagut, James."

James noticed Lily's limp hand and tried not to to notice the fact that she called him James. She seemed exhausted, and he shouldn't have kept her up for this long. "We'll talk about it in the morning," He suggested. He let her hand down gently and said, "You need to get to bed."

"Yes, I do," she agreed.

James, in his finest hero moment, bent down and reached out his arms to scoop Lily up. His well-intentioned plans were foiled when she flicked his forehead.

"Dammit, Evans," he grumbled, "I'm just trying to help - you look like you're about to faint."

Lily closed her eyes and held a blank expression. "I refuse to be carried like that anywhere," she said simply. She turned to walk away and added, "You can't come up to the girl's floor anyway."

James scoffed. It was oddly satisfying to watch her walk up those stairs alone.

Lily explained everything to her five housemates the next morning, before they all went down to breakfast. They listened to her intensely, but she could barely stay awake. She still had dark circles under her eyes and spoke in a dreamy sort-of voice. "And then, McGonagall and Filch found us," Lily finished as they stepped out of the Fat Lady's Portrait.

"Merlin," Marlene whispered in a soft voice. "Lily, that's incredible. You're a hero."

The ginger shook her head. "It's not that big of a deal," she said quietly. "I did what was necessary."

"That's putting it lightly," Remus scoffed. "There are a countless number of ways in which Cresswell could be in a coffin, not in a Hospital Bed: broken neck, bashed in head, heart attack-"

"Our ray of morning sunshine," Sirius smiled as he clapped his friend on the back. Remus gave him a crossed look, but didn't disagree. "Accept the compliment, Evans. Even if what you did was necessary, it was still important."

Lily gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"Oy, Lils!"

The five turned around and saw Connor Greyson running over to them. "Bloody perfect," Lily said with a forced smile. "What do I say to him?"

"The truth?" Peter offered.

"Oh, yes for any functioning relationship, we must tell the truth," Sirius mocked. "Let's discuss our illegal plans with the dear ole Head Boy."

"Actually, he may be helpful," James offered quietly. He was picking his teeth with a toothpick and then pointed at Lily with it. "He may offer up a bit more info on Nagut now that he didn't let up before."

Lily blinked her eyes as she watched Connor run over with a wide smile. "Hello, Marauders," Connor greeted them joyously. He was always a morning person.

"Oy, give up the details," Marlene said as she slung her arm around Connor's arm. "Who gave Cresswell dead man's hang?"

"No one was talking to you," James deadpanned as he tossed his toothpick into the nearest garbage.

"McKinnon," sighed Greyson, "please don't go around trying to hype this up. Bunches of students are already freaking out about the news. I don't need anymore panic to go around."

"People need to be told the truth," Marlene insisted coolly.

"Of course," Connor agreed, "but once we have the truth. We don't know what the bloody hell happened to Cresswell last night, so we shouldn't go preaching about it either."

Marlene opened her mouth, but said nothing. Perfect Headboy always had a comeback. Connor then looked at his tired girlfriend and pushed a piece of falling hair back. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, just sleepy," Lily reassured.

"Well," Sirius said as he clapped his hands together, "I'm personally more of a news person instead of a rom-com for my morning telly. Tea, Mates?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at Sirius for intruding, but said nothing as her friends walked away. Marlene poked at her side before leaving and made a not-so-subtle sexual gesture. "Fall down the Grand Staircase," she hissed.

"Oh, too soon, Evans," Marlene mocked. "Too soon."

Lily made an impatient noise, rolling her eyes in the process. "She's terrible," she grumbled.

"She's… something else," Connor laughed lightly. He leaned in and kissed her temple. "I'm glad you're safe," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Drowsy Lily was also horny Lily.

"I am too," she said as she leaned against her. "It wasn't me who was up there."

"You did a brave thing."

"A smart thing."

Connor chuckled. 'Yes, smart indeed," he said rubbing her back. His hand skimmed down to her lower back; his fingers tickling her skin through the cotton shirt. "You had me worried, and I'm upset with Dumbledore that he didn't tell me until this morning." He brought her in close and kiss the top of her head. "I'm glad it wasn't you up there."

Lily looked up at him as Connor stared blankly, even though she could tell that much was going through his mind. She stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "Why would it have been me?"

Connor snapped back into reality and looked down. "I-I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly. "It's just all… rather unnerving."

"What's happening, Connor?" Lily asked in an exasperated sort of way. "No more omission, no more lies. Just tell me. Something is happening here. I saw what that letter said on Cresswell's body. What do you think they mean by Usuper?" She hated feigning ignorance, but this served a purpose. She needed to know how much Connor knew. "Please, Connor."

Connor pinched the bridge of his nose and held his breath for a moment. "Fucking hell, fine! Fine! I can't hide this from you anymore," he said loudly. He pulled her to the side of the staircase so that no one could see them talk. He dropped her arm and began his ramble:

"Mason Nagut was a fucking Grindlewald fanatic; the worst of the worst. He took everything the sadist said as pretty much God's word, and further. He used to attack muggle women, in the worst ways you can imagine, as birthing vessels for young witches and wizards. He wanted magic to control the world. Some say that Grindelwald looked at Nagut like his child."

Lily's eyebrows raised. Now that was a new piece of information.

"And on his viking escapade," Connor continued, "Nagut must've hurt hundreds of women. And since he's as much of narcissist as is he is a sociopath, he wants to find his apparent child."

"Merlin…" Lily added for a good portion of believable dramatics.

"The reason why we didn't get the Prophet for two days is due to the fact that the Headlines were all about Mason Nagut claiming that his child is here at Hogwarts."

"Here at Hogwarts?" Lily repeated.

Connor nodded solemnly. "And now it seems that a student is after the said child. I don't know how the assailant would've know that the child would be at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was very diligent about letting the newspaper back into the school, making sure that Nagut wasn't mentioned in any of the articles. He didn't want to start a witch hunt."

"That makes sense," Lily mumbled, thinking about if any of her housemates let it slip. However, that seemed unlikely. The Marauders were known for their secrecy, and Marlene may have had loud mouth tendencies, but she knew when to shut it if it were absolutely necessary. It couldn't have been one of them, right?

"The last part is that Mason Nagut made a very interesting claim," finished Connor. "He says that this child is a legitimate heir to rule the Magic World. He thinks that the child is more suitable than Voldemort."

Lily nodded her head and wiped a hand over her mouth. It seemed that Connor didn't have much to offer besides knowing that Nagut was like a son to Grindlewald. That explained the fanatic side to Nagut. Some kids would do anything for the approval of their father.

"That's all I know," explained Connor. He gave her a stern look. "I mean it, Lils. I really don't know if there's anything else to the story, but what worries me is that someone figured it out."

"Right," Lily agreed after moment of hesitation. "Is there any other way people might've found out that news?"

Connor let out a long sigh. "No," he answered honestly, "I really don't see how."

Lily dropped her head and sighed, "This is… complicated."

Her boyfriend stroked her hair delicately and said, "It is, Lily. That's why we can't let this spread around the school. There is enough bullying here as is, and if there really is an offspring at Hogwarts, then it will be a full-throttle student investigation. The potential child will be… attacked further than we can imagine."

Lily's eyes fluttered open, because her tired mind finally put something together. Puzzle pieces fitting together, causing a lightbulb to go off in her pretty head. She hid it though, rather well too. She couldn't share the news with Connor, not yet. She had to be sure.

"Thank you for telling me," Lily said softly. She kissed her boyfriend's cheek gingerly. "I know it must've been hard for you to tell me."

Connor smiled, the bright one that made Lily's heart melt slowly. "I'm glad I told you," he sighed, "it feels a lot better to be honest. I hate keeping things from you."

Lily bit her lip and kissed him softly. "Breakfast, shall we?"

"Breakfast indeed," Connor agreed, kissing her on the top of her head.

January 21st, 1977

Hogwarts was a melting pot for gossip, and nearly everyone acknowledged it. The castle was big enough to hold thousands in it, but that didn't negate the fact that it was still small. The rumors of Cresswell's attempted assassination left students in a tizzy, with enough gossip to last them until end of the term.

The rumors spread drastically. Some students believed that it was a prank by blood supremacist students. It was a reasonable assumption since Cresswell was a muggle-born and a rather bright student. He had been bullied by a few pureblood students, but nothing as serious as this.

The other rumor was that Cresswell got too involved with Goblin magic. Most students who knew the 5th year also knew that he spent most of his free time reading about Goblin lore, language, and culture. Some postulated that maybe he interrupted a Goblin ceremony in the Forbidden Forest and got cursed as a result. That seemed rather outlandish, but honestly, who knew?

And the last one was that maybe a ghost did it. There were some spirits in the castle whom were just nasty, like Peeves, and there were some ghosts like the Bloody Baron. However, the moment that the rumors got to Dumbledore, he squashed them immediately by reminding students that ghosts could physically not harm humans.

And these were just some rumors.

Lily, however, had her own beliefs. She had been ruminating about them for what felt like forever. She didn't have a chance to share her ideas yet with her housemates because well, they were all busy with being students. It was reasonable, but she felt extremely frustrated.

In the library, after her DADA class, Lily sat tapping her quill against her parchment absentmindedly. Her eyes however were fixated on several students in a corner: Mariah Avery, Caleb Parkinson, Alex Mulciber, Evan Rosier, and Severus Snape. The five of them sat there, whispering furiously to one another. She had a feeling they weren't discussing nonverbal charms like their textbooks would indicate.

"Evans?"

Lily finally looked away from the Slytherin table and then looked up to see James and Remus standing in front of her.

"You look… distracted," noted Remus as he turned back to look at the whispering Slytherins.

"A bit. Sit with me," Lily offered as she moved away some of her school items from the table she sat at.

Both of the boys sat down opposite of her. "I can see the wheels churning in your head," noted James. "What's going on in that fiery head of yours?"

"Where's everyone else?" She asked. "Marlene? Peter? Sirius?"

"Marlene is working on a Muggle Music project. Peter has detention with Professor Slughorn. And Sirius… well, I have no clue," Remus revealed honestly.

Lily scrunched her nose and shrugged. "I figured out some interesting news," she said and leaned in. "Connor mentioned something that I didn't think of until he and I were speaking about it."

"Which is?" James asked.

"Connor explained that Grindelwald viewed Nagut as a son, which is very interesting to me," she explained.

"Yeah," James agreed, "some says Grindelwald even raised him."

"Yes, well that provides an interesting theory because Nagut also claimed that this child is more worthy than Voldemort."

James and Remus exchanged glances, not quite sure where Lily was headed with this line of thought.

The ginger rolled her eyes. "What's the one thing we know about Voldemort?" Lily asked rather obviously.

"More twisted than a labyrinth," James offered.

"Darker than night itself," Remus suggested.

Lily nodded, "Yes, that's all rather true, but not what I meant. Voldemort is a narcissist."

"Yes…" James and Remus said slowly, not seeing how that played an integral part in this discussion.

"Voldemort can't fathom the thought of anyone being more suitable to reign the Magical World than himself," Lily clarified in a hushed voice. "Even if it's just a rumor, he wants to squash it and make sure that no one is threatening him or his position. His ego is inflated beyond measure. Voldemort must be the one after the students; he was the one after Cresswell."

James stared at Lily's scrutinizing gaze. It made sense the way Lily put the pieces together, but there were still some unanswered portions to the theory. "Who would be doing his bidding then?" James queried.

Lily said nothing but just titled her head in the direction of the Slytherin students. James and Remus looked back at the table; they did't need to look long to figure out whom she meant.

James raised an eyebrow. "You really think that?" he asked doubtfully.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked defensively.

"We are looking at the same lot, right?" James took off his glasses, fogged them a bit, and wiped them. The other two gazed at him boringly as he looked back at the Slytherins at the same table. "I reckon that's Mulciber, Avery, Parkinson, Rosier, oh, and yes, I do believe that's Snape," he finished.

"Sod off," Lily groaned.

The Slytherin lot noticed James' obvious staring, and their whispers dimmed. Mulciber popped his head up and asked, "Got a problem, Potter?"

"No, no," James said dismissively as if he were speaking to a servant. "Just taking a peak at the views. Nothing special to see."

Lily and Remus rolled their eyes at James' cocksure attitude that never seemed to fade, despite the gravity of the situation.

"Oh, sure," laughed Avery, "says you. Look at your company, Potter."

Remus scoffed and continued scribbling down notes on his parchment, while Lily glared long and hard. She wasn't focused on Avery, but on the silent Snape. It felt like the beginning of their fifth year all over again. Lily would be teased and mocked by Slytherin students, while Snape would pretend not to hear. She grounded her teeth in frustration.

He isn't going to change, Lily's superego reminded her rationally as she stared at the back of her former friend's head. He doesn't even have the courtesy to look you in the eye.

"At least my company has moral character," scoffed James. "I mean, look at you lot. You got Mulciber practically on a leash like a hound; Rosier looks like he needs to go to the loony ward at St. Mugno's; Parkinson resembles a duller version of Slughorn with that incoming potbelly; and Snape, well, that speaks for itself."

Severus turned his head slowly to face James. He narrowed his dark eyes and moved a few strands of hair from his face. "At least, we are all worthy to sit in the seats that we are in," he countered coolly. His eyes flickered towards Lily, causing the ginger to lock her jaw.

Lily held back the wind-up punch that she wanted to utilize on Snape's throat. She instead cleared her throat and shrugged, feigning indifference, "Yes," she agreed, "and at least, we aren't on our way to join some sadistic terrorist group and loose our moral worth. Not that you lot had much to begin with."

Remus and James eyed Lily carefully, impressed by her gall. They had always known she had it, but neither one had seen it used against Snape. For the past five years prior to this one, the gall had only been reserved for those who would tease and make fun of Snape. It felt strange to be on the same side of that gall.

"Well," James said as he clapped his hands together, facing back towards the Slytherin group, "there you have it. Why don't you unsettling lot finish whatever sinister business you have going on, eh? Like drowning kittens."

"One day, you'll regret the decisions you made in this school, Potter," Parkinson said in an uncomfortably chipper voice. He stacked his papers on top of one another and motioned to his cohorts. "Let's go. I feel a bit of his traitor influence wafting this way."

James let out a loud, almost embarrassed laugh. The bloke consistently demanded having the last word, especially around Lily. (This time, however, he would never admit it was because of her.) "You want a waft, Parkinson?" James challenged confidently. He was about to pull out his wand, but was halted by a swift kick to the shin. "Fuck!" He whispered softly before glaring at Lily.

Lily, however, was staring at the Slytherins departure. She scrutinized them like the way she did her notes: purposefully and intensely. "Look how Snape is walking," she murmured after a moment.

James and Remus directed their attention to Snape. At first, they noticed nothing but after several more steps, the two noticed a slight hobble in Snape's step. He was more grounded on his right than his left.

"He looks hurt," Remus observed.

Lily nodded in agreement. "Or like he was attacked."

James paused for a moment because this couldn't be right. Was Lily actually thinking of the… unthinkable. "You really think that Snape and them are after Nagut's child?" James asked, still unsure.

Lily turned back to James, and he immediately swallowed his breath; he hated these moments. The moments where she'd stare into his eyes and practically suck the soul out of him with just a glance. He sat a little straighter as she asked, "Why are you doubting me?"

"I'm not doubting you," James insisted.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes."

"No-"

"Okay, stop that," Remus demanded lowly. He took a short breath before saying to Lily, "It's hard for us to wrap our heads around it."

"Around what?" Lily asked curiously.

"Around the fact that you actually do think that Snape might be a part of the Nagut plan," Remus explained as if it were obvious. He noted the surprised, yet embarrassed expression on his friend's face. "For years, we were used to seeing you defend Snape. It's just a bit peculiar to see you accusing him of something, and something so big."

Lily sighed as she looked back out towards the exit. They could no longer see the Slytherins, but she sure could feel them. "He's changed so much," she said in flat voice. "It took me a long time to see that, I admit. But it all makes so much sense. Voldemort would be using students to conduct his business around the school, and which house has the most Death Eater followers?" Even though Lily knew she was right, she didn't look happy about it. "I mean, fuck, look at poor Henley. She spent all night I heard by Cresswell's body."

James and Remus turned their heads to see a red-eyed Camilla Henley. Her eyes were puffy, and her hair was a bit frazzled; all of these attributes were extremely unlike Camilla. She bit her nails frantically as she collected her notebooks to stuff in her bag.

Before James really knew what the hell was doing, he found himself on his feet following her. "I'll see you guys later," he said as he grabbed his book bag.

Lily and Remus just watched, trying to figure out what he was doing at first. It didn't take long to realize that he intended to follow her.

Remus noticed the neutral expression on Lily's face. Neutral barely flickered across Lily's face because the girl was filled with passion and life. She had an opinion about everything and was definitely not afraid to share it. Maybe except now.

"He fancies her?" Lily asked without looking at him.

"Uh…" Remus rubbed the back of his neck and told the truth, "He isn't not into her."

A weak smile lifted the corner of Lily's mouth. She turned to Remus and said, "As long as he's happy, right?"

Remus opened his mouth to ask Lily what the fuck she meant by that, but chose after a moment of internal deliberation not to say anything. He simply nodded his head and repeated, "as long as he's happy."

Out in the first floor corridor, James ran to catch up to Camilla. "Oy, Camilla," he called out as he placed a hand on her delicate shoulder. She stopped and turned around; tears were forming.

"Oh, fuck, not you," she moaned as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hand.

"Awe, come on, I'm not that terrible," laughed James as he put his hands in his pockets, nervously clenching his snitch.

Camilla actually giggled a bit. "No," she agreed, "you're not." She cleared her throat before looking up at him. "I just prefer if you didn't see me in this state."

"What state?"

"Oh, my eyes red as Rudolph's nose, and my hair looks like a troll's-"

"Camilla," James said in a stern voice, causing her to stop her rambling, "you look fine, I swear. Especially considering the fact that I heard you stayed up all night in the Hospital Wing."

Camilla opened her mouth but hesitated. "How did you know that?"

James shrugged, "Birdie told me."

She gave him a curious look, but said nothing. James took her to the side of the corridor, not wanting to block anyone during class transitions. "Either way, are you okay?"

"I'm not the one who was attacked," she said breathlessly, her voice breaking towards the end. It was still hard to say the truth about the event; it scared her.

"No one wants to know that their friend is targeted," James comforted. "It can still be… traumatic to see someone like that."

"I just hope he wakes up soon," she said as she looked away. "It's the waiting, you know? Madam Pomfrey doesn't know when he's going to wake up, or even if he's going to wake up. I want something to at least look fucking forward too. I'm… I'm…" She had so much to say, but her words couldn't come out.

"Scared?" James offered. Camilla bit her lip and nodded quickly. She was doing her best to hold back some tears. "If there is anything I can do, let me know?"

Camilla looked down at her feet and asked sheepishly, "Are we still meeting at two tomorrow?"

James looked taken back. After all she had been through, James thought that Camilla would surely been uninterested in discussing aerial sports with him in Hogsmeade.

"I could use the distraction," Camilla said earnestly as her eyes peered up at him slowly. "I'll still treat you."

James leaned against the wall and said in a calm voice, "if that's what you actually want to do."

Camilla nodded her head. "I'm only Human, Potter," she said as she turned away. "I need some… happiness every now and then too."

James watched as she walked into the Transfiguration classroom at the end of the hall. She stopped before going in completely and looked back at him as she held the door. She waved, and he returned one. Despite still looking like she was about to cry, James couldn't help but think that she actually looked rather beautiful right then and there.

A/N - And another one! Thank you for the all positive response; I hope you enjoyed these tiny Hogwarts interactions! This was a much more lowkey chapter, but still important. I hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to follow, favorite, or review if you liked it. I'll try to get another one up this week!

XOXO,

Rose