Chapter 32

March 24th, 1977… maybe?

Dorcas Meadowes stood in a field of dead grass, wondering how she had gotten to such a dismal place. The sky was gray, even for a Scotland spring day, and there was no one in sight. All that Dorcas could see was a broken down hut in front of her. Something about the ugly little thing looked so familiar.

There was no way that Dorcas would enter or even step closer to the house. She wasn't bloody stupid and had seen enough horror films in her sixteen-plus years of life. Fuck that.

"Shit!" she shrieked. At least there was no one around to hear her make such a high-pitched noise, but anyone would if they saw what she saw. A large black snake slithered past him; it was as long as an Anaconda like the ones she saw on David Attenborough's nature shows. If the snake could be vertical, it was probably as tall as Hagrid, the Game Keeper.

The Snake slithered past her, hissing wildly. Dorcas fumbled away from it. Luckily, it wasn't after her, or maybe after anything at all. The snake instead circled around the small hut, as if it were guarding it. There was a part of her that wanted to say that she had no damn intention of entering that wreck.

The snake circled around until its body looped around the hut roughly four more times. It let out a terrible screech that made goosebumps run down Dorcas' arm. After it finished its scream of terror, Dorcas' eyes widened at the sight.

Snake babies, or so Dorcas assumed, crawled out of the house, letting out their own individual screeches. There were now three snakes, hissing and spraying their venom. One baby was large and most definitely angry; the other was still hissing but not as intensely as its sibling. The parent was the worst, still having its pitchforked tongue hissing.

It was such a disgusting sight that Dorcas wanted to desperately look away, but just as she was about to turn her head and walk away, one snake slithered out of the house. It was a tiny snake, a small and stealthy one, which crept away through the dead grass.

Dorcas stepped forward to the snake, wanting to know where it was going. She felt childish, like Alice following the Rabbit. However, she would not make it to Wonderland. The snake was eaten by a rabid one eyed, white fox. The do ate it in one gulp, just slurped it down.

Dorcas' breath hitched as she took a step back. The fox licked its lips when it was done with its meal. It let a high-pitched cackle, so high-pitched that Dorcas woke up.

Dorcas' eyes flung open as she lay in her bed, dripping with sweat. Her chest heaved, and her fingers clutched the bed sheets. She felt as if hell fire flames literally engulfed her.

Well, School wasn't much better.

Dorcas' dorm mates stared at her with wide eyes, clearly terrified by the external results of her dream. She gulped before asking them, "What happened?"

The three other girls did not respond, just stared and began to back away. Dorcas wanted to shout at them for their cowardice, but was more focused on Slughorn's arrival with Lucinda Talkalot.

"Thank, Merlin," Lucinda sighed heavily. She tugged on the sleeve of her Professor's nightshirt, like a tired child. "At least she's awake now. She was writhing in her bed, speaking Parsletongue too!"

Dorcas' jaw clenched, as did Professor Slughorn's. The large professor tried to hide the worriedness in his mind, but Dorcas could hear it loud and clear. Parsletongue was never a good sign, especially from students who've probably never heard the language spoken.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Dorcas said quietly, removing herself from her bed.

"Don't apologize, Miss Meadowes," he said hesitantly. "But, it's best we tell the Headmaster about this."

Dorcas looked to her dorm mates. For some reason, she expected some kind of attempt support. But, these weren't her friends. So, without any further hesitation, Dorcas reached for her gold shawl at the end of the bed and followed the professor out of the dorm.

March 25th, 1977

As the Marauders sat on their individual beds in their dorm, Peter sat the most irritably. His short legs shook as he looked at the papers in front of him. There was a list of names, locations, and themes. Just looking at them made Peter's anxiety spike.

And this wasn't even his homework.

Peter looked up from his paperwork for the support his friends, but was met with nothing. Sirius was smoking a cigarette while flipping through the latest edition of the Prophet. Remus was snuggled under his covers with a Transfiguration textbook. And James was completely knocked out.

"Mates," Peter called to attention. "We've got to figure this weekend out."

"What's this weekend?" Remus asked dully. He licked his finger before turning to the next page.

Peter grunted, throwing up his hardworking lists in the air. He pointed to James' unconscious body and mouthed dramatically, "BIRTHDAY."

"It's next Thursday," Sirius said as if it were obvious.

Peter made a face. "But, I thought we were having the party this weekend? I mean, next week Remus is going to be in full Moon mode. Also, we have loads of exams next week for the end of the term."

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"C'mon!" Peter demanded.

Sirius put out his cigarette into his ashtray. He gave his little friend an indifferent look and said, "James isn't a complicated bloke. Get him a sufficient amount of booze, weed, and a birthday cake; he'll be more than satisfied."

"And get Lily to pop out of the cake, he'll be ecstatic," added Remus. The thought of it made him cough a bit, but he did not linger. Instead, he re-focused on staying warm inside of his bed and away from the world.

Peter let out a long sigh. He was about to protest further, but he knew he would be met with irritation naturally. Not that he blamed his friends. Sirius grieved in his own way, and Remus dealt with the beginnings to his Moon. Maybe Peter longed for his own hardship, something to burden his mind instead of throwing his leader's seventeenth. Their lives were so unique, so unordinary, and so perfect.

Sometimes Peter really did wish to be like the Marauders.

Lily Evans wished for relief. Her tense body deserved some rest and relaxation; every girl does. But, she was tired: prefect duties, NEWT classes, and even friends. It was all becoming too complicated and hard on the body. She wanted release so badly that she wanted to be shot into space and see bloody stars.

And thank Merlin that James Potter was helping to make that dream become a reality.

The way James kissed her should've definitely been illegal; he literally took her breath away. Her chest heaved under his as they held each other on his bed. One hand held the back of her head tightly while the other was literally inside of her. Not the whole bloody thing, but two fingers pumped away inside of her. He kept hitting the spots. Her toes curled, and her grip on James' shoulders was almost painful. But the moment was too perfect for either one to stop at any moment.

Somehow times aligned nicely. Peter had to work on a muggle studies project in the library because he hadn't studied at all. Sirius went on a walk to clear his mind, or drink an entire bottle of Firewhiskey. And, Remus had to get out of his bloody bed; He chose the common room couch next. Since James had free crib, the opportunity was practically begging. And the two students had to take a chance.

And once again, thank Merlin they did.

Lily felt a familiar knot coiling in her stomach. She ripped her mouth away from James and let out a long moan. "J-James," she panted, "I'm going to, mmm…"

James groaned as he peppered Lily's neck with kisses. He bit down on her flesh lightly, trying to contain himself as Lily came. She shook, holding onto him for dear life. She tried not to scream, because the walls in this damn castle were so thin. It was a soft noise that made James' erection harder than a damn log.

When she finished her climax, Lily's grip relaxed considerably but she didn't let go of him. She still clung to him, holding him close, as she breathed through the aftershocks.

James pressed a soft kiss to her temple. He rested his forehead on top of hers and pressed another kiss to her nose.

"Ew," she chuckled softly.

"Ew, Evans?" he repeated sarcastically as he pulled his fingers out from her core. He stuck them in his mouth to wipe them, causing Lily to gasp in shock. She shouldn't have been surprised, because it was James Potter. "Really?"

Lily bit her lip and shifted her weight around a bit. She grazed her leg a bit, feeling his still rock-hard erection. She blinked up at him, her eyelashes fluttering delicately.

"Feel something you like?" James asked, wagging an eyebrow.

If he had said this at any other time, Lily Evans would've punched him in the throat. But, since he was shirtless and just gave him a much-deserved orgasm, he had quite a good point.

"And if I do?" She countered slyly.

James smirked, the crooked smirk. "You've always been the type to take matters into your own hands."

Lily blushed, or she could blame it on the orgasm. She reached down for the hem of his trousers, feeling goosebumps rise on his calloused skin. Maybe she could make him reach the stars too.

But how many girls had made James Potter cum before? How many girls gave James Potter a handy before? How many girls had lay in this exact spot with him? It was no secret that James was far from virginity, but Lily wasn't on the same boat.

"Oi, Lily, you all right?" He asked slowly, snapping her out of her inner interrogation.

Lily's fingers trembled, trying to reach for James' pants but just unable to do it. She closed her eyes and said, "I have something to tell you."

James sat up and gave a remorseful look. Did he already know her secret? He exhaled softly as he leaned backwards and onto his hands. "You're allergic to semen, I reckon?" He said.

"What?"

"Are you?"

"No!"

"Okay, worst-case scenario is out of the way," James sighed happily. He ruffled his hair and added, "What'd you want to say?"

Lily gulped, suddenly feeling lighter, but still ridiculous. Her stomach churned as she looked down at her hands.

"You can tell me," James said honestly.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" Lily asked quickly.

James closed his eyes and scratched his head. "Uh, a few days after my fifteenth birthday."

"Oh."

"Is that all?"

"No. How many girls have you slept with?"

"Slept next to?"

"Sod off."

"Shit, Evans, you asked the question."

"Yeah, I did. And you know I meant shagging."

"Innuendos are intentionally ambiguous, so expect a response accordingly. Come on, Lily, what's wrong?"

Lily rubbed her shoulders, suddenly feeling rather cold. She took a deep breath before revealing, "I've never done…" She couldn't even finish her sentence she was so nervous.

"Oh…"

Lily's head dropped.

"Any of it?" James continued.

"No, I've done, er, things."

James cocked an eyebrow. "What sort of things?"

"… Everything but."

"Oh. So, what's the issue?"

Lily shook herself as if she had just heard the War had ended. "What's the issue?" She repeated. "That doesn't freak you out?"

"No," He said honestly. "I mean, we all start with virginity, Evans. It's not that big of a deal."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "You really think that?" She asked. All the guys she's met, including her most recent ex, found virginity to be a strange territory. Some found it tantalizing in the creepiest ways, while others veered away 100%.

"I mean, everyone thinks about it differently," he explained. "Remus doesn't sleep with virgins, but he's also Mr. One Night Stand. Sirius doesn't care either, but he's also not very sensitive about it. I, personally, don't think it's my business to have an opinion."

Lily tilted her head. There was something wise about his words, but she wasn't sure she understood yet.

Once James realized that she wasn't going to respond, he added, "It's not that I'm indifferent. It's just that… well, it should matter to you, Evans, not me. I'm perfectly content not thinking about straight shagging. Clearly, there are other fun, very fun, things to do besides penis-vagina sex."

Lily groaned. Of course, he'd make it sound like that.

"So, if you want to shag, we can shag. If you don't want to shag, we don't have to. I'm really content just… doing whatever." He added a smile at the end, a genuine one. It was like the one he'd have while practicing quidditch in the courtyard or hanging out with his friends: it was real. And, Lily couldn't believe it.

So, she leaned forward onto her hands. She enjoyed the audible gulp from his throat. She kissed him gently but for a long moment. When she pulled back, she said, "I may have been wrong about you, James Potter. Very wrong."

"Love, don't I know?" He smirked before pulling her in for another kiss.

A/N - You know the jist: follow, favorite, or review! Let me know what you think!

Rose