Thank you to those who are following this story and also to any people who give this story a chance! Another into-ish chapter. I hope you like it!
Wisdomsqueen: Thank you! I have so much fun writing these characters and their interactions with each other.
TrueHomiePiP: I'm glad I reeled you in ;) I made Remus the Head Boy for a specific reason that will become clearer in the next couple chapters. There is a reason though! Thanks for reviewing!
Much love
bbs
"You would've hated every second of it but I wish you would've been there, Sev."
Severus Snape glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, leaning close to the cauldron as he carefully added two drops of unicorn saliva to their nearly finished potion. They watched as it went from a cloudy blue color to molten silver. She was just close enough that he could smell the bonfire on her hair from the night before.
"How thoughtful of you, Lily."
She laughed and continued cutting the dried mandrake root. The door to the classroom swung open and in walked a grinning James Potter and Sirius Black. Professor Slughorn frowned at the two boys who didn't look the least bit sorry they were late for his class. They joined Peter and Remus at the desks behind Lily and Severus. She glanced at her partner who visibly tensed when the two walked in. She tugged his sleeve, tearing his thoughts away from the two boys as he looked into her eyes
"The Black Lake after classes?"
"Evans! I got your first years to their classrooms safe and sound."
She moved her body to block Severus from their view. James found this amusing because while Lily Evans was a rather tall girl, she was nowhere near James' and Sirius towering height. The memory of her throwing her head back and howling lingered in his mind. He remembered watching her afar, warm from the Firewhiskey, imagining running his fingers through her red hair, his lips on the smooth skin of her neck…
"Thank you."
James blinked at her
"Sorry?"
With a dismissive hand gesture, she turned back around to add the diced ingredients to her cauldron
"Don't make me say it again, Potter."
The James and Peter exchanged a look and the latter shrugged. James smiled at Lily's back
"Anytime."
Lily took one last bite of her apple and threw it into the lake A tentacle came out of the water lazily and then dragged the apple core back under its depths. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and laid back on the shore, blocking the sun with her hand as she squinted up at her closest friend,
"What are your plans after Hogwarts?"
Severus threw the rest of his apple in the water and laid back next to her, painfully aware how close his hand was to hers.
"Something in potions, I guess."
Lily grinned
"A teacher?"
Severus snorted
"Could you imagine?"
She deepened her voice in a horrible imitation of him
"Students, turn to page 394."
"That sounded nothing like me."
She erupted into giggles and he gave a rare smile, relishing this time with her. Suddenly her face was hovering above his and his heart leapt.
"But really. What do you want to be?"
Her long hair fell into his mouth and eyes and he made a sputtering noise, wiping the red hair away.
"I can't answer with your bloody hair in my mouth."
She leaned away and poked him in the side
"Stop being a baby and just answer the question."
He closed his eyes, the sun warm on his face.
I don't care. As long as you're there.
A terrified scream pierced the air and he shot up. Lily looked towards the Forbidden Forest and before Severus could stop her, she took off, sprinting towards the source
"Lily, stop!"
She drew her wand, her muscles burning as she followed the sound of the scream. About fifty meters into the forest, she ran into someone. The shorter person fell to the ground and Lily recognized the dark-haired girl as a sixth year, Mary McDonald. Behind her stood a sixth year Hufflepuff boy, face white as a ghost. The older girl picked her off the ground, staring into the frantic girl's eyes, her voice calm and strong
"What happened?"
Tears ran down the girls cheeks,
"We were just taking a walk when we saw…Something tore it apart. There's so much blood…"
She pointed them to the castle,
"Go get a teacher. Fast."
They nodded and took off and Lily walked slowly towards the clearing, her heart pounding and her wand steady. Sticks snapped under her feet and she no longer heard the gentle song of birds. She smelled it, the sickly scent of death.
When she saw it, she froze, lowering her wand
At first glance, she thought it was a human, its lower half laying several yards from its human torso. Its insides spilled out of it, spread across the bloody grass. The centaur's eyes stared blankly at the treetops, its throat and chest torn open messily.
"Lily!
Severus pulled her into his arms and turned her away from the scene. She gripped him tightly, grateful for his familiarity. He felt his stomach churn, returning her tight embrace. She squeezed her eyes shut. As gory as the scene was, it was the eyes that got her. They empty eyes forever holding the image of a monster.
After answering Dumbledore's questions, Lily retreated to the library. Severus had insisted he'd stay with her but she had wanted to be alone. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't avoiding Marlene and Alice. She had no desire to gossip about the event; she wanted to forget it. She walked along the isles and up a staircase to the second floor of the library, heading towards her favorite table in the back. She had found it her third year over Christmas break when she was still naïve enough to think she could explore every inch of Hogwarts. She ran her hand along the dusty spines of the books, until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and stuck her hand in the shelf, stopping when she felt a glass bottle.
She pulled it out from its hiding spot, staring down at the bottle of muggle whiskey before screwing off the top and taking a long sip. She didn't make a habit of drinking by herself, but she figured it would be okay to make an exception.
"Already hitting the bottle, Evans?"
She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, her throat still burning
"Bugger off, Potter. I've had a rough day."
She slid down the bookcase and sat on the floor, taking another sip. James watched her with concern wondering exactly what you say to someone who found a mutilated centaur just hours before. When he found out about her running through the Forbidden Forest towards the danger, he was furious. Without thinking, he found her on the map and went searching for her. He had prepared to yell at her. Instead he sat next to her. Even he could tell yelling wasn't what she needed from him right now.
He was surprised when she didn't order him to leave and instead offered him the bottle. He held it up to the dim light, examining its amber contents before taking a sip and finding that he liked it. He handed the bottle back to her, their fingers brushing
Lily thought it was wasn't that terrible of a feeling
"It's muggle whiskey," she paused, "How'd you find this place?"
She turned to face him for his answer and found their faces only inches apart. James felt the map burning in his pocket, but his grin was easy
"Here? I know all the best snogging places at Hogwarts."
Something like anger flared in Lily
"Do NOT snog in my spot."
"Oh is this your snogging spot?"
Lily blushed but she blamed the whiskey. She gestured towards the area
"No! It's just my spot."
James shrugged, taking the bottle from her and felt relieved that this wasn't where she made out with guys that were not him
"I don't see your name on it."
Lily stuck out her arm, almost knocking him in the face, and pointed at the table,
"On that table, carved in the lower left hand corner, is 'Lily Evans'. Mine."
James laughed and handed her the bottle. Lily took another sip to hide her smile. His arm was warm against hers and she leaned into it
"Alright then the table is yours for snogging but the room is a shared space."
"You're infuriating."
He looked at her, smelling pine and sweat through her perfume from her run through the forest. He imagined her lips would taste like salt and whiskey if he closed the small gap between them.
Her stomach growled loudly and Lily groaned with embarrassment. James laughed and stood up, holding out a hand to her,
"Come on, you crazy woman. We're going to the kitchens."
Lily grabbed it and he pulled her up. She held up the bottle
"Can I bring this?"
"Obviously, Evans. I'm not bringing you for the company."
She hit him, wondering if she would always have to be slightly intoxicated to enjoy his presence this much.
She shouldn't have been surprised to see Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the kitchens, but she found herself hiding the bottle behind her back. Remus smiled widely, lighting his pale face up. Lily thought he was very handsome when he smiled like that
"I thought we were starting over today?"
She held out the bottle to him,
"Please take a drink so I don't feel so pathetic."
He grabbed it from it from her, taking a sip
"Always here to help."
Sirius stepped forward, arms crossed
"Well Evans I hope you're alright with being fifth wheel. You're kinda ruining our double date and Peter does NOT like to share."
Peter stopped eating his sandwich and swallowed
"I can share James with you, Lily."
"You're a bloody traitor, Peter."
Lily laughed, feeling deliciously warm. A heaping plate of food was shoved in her face and her stomach growled again. She grabbed the plate from James' hand and sat on the ground, digging in. James smiled softly and caught Sirius' eye who gave him a knowing look. He shrugged and joined her on the kitchen tile.
An hour later they were on the floor of the kitchens laughing, tears streaming down their faces. The bottle sat empty on the ground, knocked over by a flying limb. Lily was gasping for air next to James. He gripped his stomach laughing thinking he was quite possibly the luckiest person on Earth to have these people as his friends. He turned his head to Lily who started giggling again.
Definitely the luckiest.
"She's going to murder us."
Lily Evans was not light but James would carry her all the way back to the Head dorms if it was the last thing he did. Her head lolled against his chest, her hair tickling his chin. Remus held the map under the light of Peter's wand.
"She's not gonna… Professor Binns is heading this way. Hide!"
The five of them ducked into classroom waiting until the dot moved away from them on the map. Sirius shook his head
"Bless this fucking map. We are geniuses, lads."
James gently adjusted Lily in his arms and she mumbled something. He carefully moved a piece of hair from her face. Peter leaned over and he jerked his hand away.
"You know, she's not so scary when she's asleep."
She snuggled closer to his chest and he felt his heart beat wildly. He'd disagree.
Finally they arrived at the Head dorms and Remus led them into the common room. A dark brown leather couch, love seat, and recliner with deep red and gold pillows and thick throw blankets. Although with the way the carpet felt underneath his feet, he imagined the furniture wasn't entirely necessary. A fire roared in the corner, an enormous ancient clock hanging above it. The mural above them moved with a pacing lion, soaring raven, slithering snake, and curious badger interwoven with intricate designs and colors.
James laid her gently on the couch, laying one of the blankets over her. He sat on the floor next to her and found he was right about the carpet. Sirius sat in the recliner and whistled,
"Bloody Hell, Remus. You've been holding out on us."
Remus sat next to Peter on the love seat,
"I believe when Miss Evans and I moved in she said her only rule was that this was a James and Sirius-free zone'."
Sirius leaned in towards Lily's sleeping face,
"That was hurtful."
James threw a pillow at him
"Let her sleep."
Remus frowned,
"She's had a bit of a day, hasn't she?"
For a minute the only sound was the crackling fire and Lily's soft snores. Peter was the one who broke the silence
"What do you think did it?"
Remus ran a hand through his hair
"Couldn't have been a werewolf. There wasn't a full moon last night."
"Thank you, Moony. Your keen sense of observation, once again, astounds us all."
Another pillow was launched at Sirius who grabbed it and tucked it under his head while he hugged the one James threw at him to his chest
"You're just hurting yourselves throwing all the pillows at me."
Remus stood up, stretching while Peter grabbed a blanket and tried to fit on the smaller couch
"Right. So I assume you guys are sleeping here. Good luck explaining that to Evans when she wakes up," he paused in the doorway, "I think until whatever killed the centaur in the forest is caught, maybe it's best you guys don't come with me…"
"Shut up, Moony."
"Oh fuck off, Moony."
"Seriously mate."
Remus smiled sadly, knowing he didn't deserve his friends but was happy to have them. With a flick of his wand, the lights went out.
"Piss off. All of you."
Something nudged James in the shoulder and he swatted at it, covering his face with his blanket
"Five minutes."
The nudge came again
"Seriously Padfoot. Fuck off."
One last nudge and James picked up his pillow and swung it at the nuisance
"Ow, Potter!"
He sat up startled, fumbling with his glasses. The face looking at him was no longer a blur but rather a very clear, very amused Lily. A blanket hung over her shoulders and her long was pushed to one side. Her green eyes were sleepy but sparkled with mischief.
"Oh that didn't hurt, you big baby."
She stopped herself from reaching out and touching the pillow imprint on his face and whacked him with one instead,
"What are you doing in my room?"
James ran a hand through his hair, hoping it didn't look too wild. He smirked
"Your room? I don't see your name on it."
Lily smiled and pointed to the name plate on the wall reading "Head Girl: Lily Evans". James pointed to the one right below it that read "Head Boy: Remus Lupin".
"This is a shared space, Evans."
She rolled her eyes when she felt a sudden sinking feeling
"Oh no…How did I get back last night?"
"I threw you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried you back here."
James watched as she dropped her head into her hands
"Horribly embarrassing."
"Evans," her green eyes peeked from behind her hands, "I'm joking. You walked back."
She collapsed against the couch, breathing a sigh of relief
"Oh thank Merlin."
He thought of the feeling of her in his arms and how she had huddled close to him. She was much too far from him now. He stood up from his spot on the floor,
"Thanks for letting us sleep here last night."
"Us? Did Remus break my 'No Sirius' rule?"
"I thought it was 'No Sirius or Potter'?"
She smiled
"It's my rule to change, is it not?"
James smiled back, walking backwards to the door
"Right you are. See you later."
"James," He wanted to ask her to say it again, wanted to watch her lips as she said it. He wanted to hear her yell it, whisper it, cry it out, again and again, "Thank you for everything. I needed that."
"I'd get drunk and have a picnic on the floor with you anytime, Evans."
He left the room and didn't hear her say his name again, just to remember how it felt on her lips.
…