Chapter 9: The August Boys

In the early morning, Lily was awoken by the soft morning light coming into the room she was in. She was slightly aware of someone holding her. She suddenly remembered where she was. She could see that James was still fast asleep. She couldn't see Sirius and Remus from where she lay. She decided to not disturb them and decided to stay put. She had never really been inside James' room before. Her eyes couldn't help but to wander around. Lily couldn't deny that the boy who was holding her intrigued her.

The room was simply decorated. The large bed where she lay was the largest piece of furniture. On the wall opposite, was desk that contained all of James books for the upcoming year. A bookshelf sat in the corner with some old textbooks and rather large books. Lily made a note to herself to snoop around and see what he read. On the third wall of his room stood a large wardrobe and a couch. On his walls, James had several Quiditch posters with players that moved around. He had also hung all of his old Quiditch Jerseys in order from second year to sixth on the wall across from his bed. Clearly he was fondest of the one from last year, as this one has Captain Potter written on the back, because it was encased in a glass frame.

Lily hadn't realized that the window was open until an owl swopped in. Lily knew the owl, Georgette, as it belonged to Alice. Georgette dropped a letter into Lily's hands and flew off.

"JAMES TOBIAS POTTER. How dare you not tell me that my best friend is staying with you at your house? I had to find out from Frank, who was told by his mother, who heard it from Molly, who heard it from Arthur, who was told by your mother. Do you see the problem here? And Lily if you are there and listening, you have some serious explaining to do. How could you not tell me about your parents? But enough with the yelling are you all right doll? Owl me please. I need to know how you are doing. I'll come and see you as soon as I get back, which should be in about a week. I would come sooner, but believe me Frank's mother is not someone you displease. Take care doll, owl if you need anything. I love you, Lily." With that the howler from Alice tore itself apart.

Lily heard three separate groans from the boys.

"Sorry, it opened as soon as I touched it."

"Thanks a lot Red, you cut down on my beauty sleep" Sirius said throwing his pillow at Lily.

"Padfoot, we apologize. We know you need those extra hours. Must be hard living with a face that looks like a mutt's" Remus added, while standing up.

"Very funny Moony." Sirius replied sarcastically.

"Sorry about the Howler. I should have written to her, but with everything that's been going on I haven't even had time to deal with it all. I should probably go write to her now, before she sends another one." Lily said.

"By the way, Red, whenever you're done and want to put that Head Girl brain of yours to work, I have a challenge for you." Sirius replied.

"What in the world are you up to Black?"

"I am going to make a motorcycle fly!" Sirius said almost leaping with joy.

"You can not be serious?"

"Ohhh, but I am." Sirius replied wiggling his eyebrows.

"Padfoot, we've told you time and time again that isn't funny anymore." James told his friend, while rolling his eyes at him.

"Sirius, we have been over this. A flying motorcycle is illegal." Lily enunciated. "Do you want to end up in Azkaban?" Lily tried to reason.

"But Red, I have someone on the inside at the Ministry and he guarantees that I shall not be arrested for this."

"Who?" Lily challenged.

"You remember Molly? Well as you may know, she married Arthur Weasley, who just started interning in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. Anyways he found some loopholes for me."

"I still think it's a bad idea." Remus added. Lily nodded her agreement. James secretly thought it was a great idea, but he didn't want to let Lily know that.

"I can do this without any of your help. I was just offering something for all of us to do." Sirius said with an air of arrogance.

"I'd like to see you try." Lily countered.

"Would you like to make things interesting, Red?"

"Sure Black. What do you have in mind?"

"If I can make it fly before we go back to Hoggy, then you have to be my slave for a week and you have to do everything I tell you to do. And if I can't make it fly, then I will be your slave." Sirius said, stretching out his hand for Lily to shake.

"I wouldn't take that bet if I were you Lily." James said nervously.

"I'll be fine James. There is no way he can do it in two weeks." Lily replied genuinely smiling at James to ease his concern. She turned to face Sirius again. "As long as you don't receive any help from anyone living or dead, magical or not, then I accept you bet."

Lily didn't like the smirk Sirius was giving her, as they shook hands.

"You shouldn't have done that, Lils. Believe it or not, Sirius is actually pretty decent at charms. He could probably give you a run for your money." Remus told her with a look of almost pity, for he was certain that she would loose.

"Well, what is done is done. And if you excuse me, I have a letter to go write."

Lily turned around and walked out of James room with a sense of dread over her.

XXX XXX

Dear Alice,

James got your howler today. I hadn't realized that I missed waking up to the sound of your screeching voice. Well obviously you heard what happened. I'm sorry I didn't write to you sooner, but it was like by telling you it seemed more real. I wasn't, and still, not ready to confront everything. Petunia wrote to me, after everything happened, and told me that she didn't want me in her life anymore. So I am kind of alone, you are the only person I have got left now Ali. I should also tell you that the Potters have asked me to stay with them, even after Hogwarts. I haven't told James that I'm not sure if I am going to stay. I couldn't impose myself on them. Dumbledore filled me in on a lot of things, and I couldn't put the Potters in danger by living with them. I'm grateful that they have asked me to stay. I have nowhere else to go at the moment, and I feel safe here. The mansion is beautiful, but it feels empty at times with just the four of us and James' house elf.

I miss them Alice, so much. At times I feel like it's not real, that I am not an orphan. Sometimes it just feels that I am on holiday at the Potter Mansion. Other times all I want to do is cry. I miss you too Ali. I can't wait to see you too.

You young lady have also been quite this summer. You have to tell me everything about meeting Frank's family. How is your future husband? Has he proposed yet? I think he will before you leave France. So what if both of you are young! You are both of age and it's clear to anyone who sees you together that the both of you are mad for each other.

I almost forgot to tell you. I got Head Girl! And you will never believe who the Head Boy is. Write to me soon! And please come and see me soon.

Love from your bestest friend in the whole world,

Lily

Lily contemplated telling Alice about sleeping in James' bed last night, with him in it. "I better not, knowing Ali, she will read more into than what actually is there. Which is nothing. Nothing is going on between James Potter and I." Lily thought to herself.

She hopped in the shower and got dressed. As she did so, her mind started to drift of thoughts of last night. It was a nice feeling falling asleep in James' arms. The feeling of knowing that nothing could harm her while she was there was just what she had needed last night. What does that mean though? Did she like James Potter? Or was her mind so confused because of her grief? Did she simply want to be reassured that someone loved her? Did James love her? Did she want James to love her? Her mind drifted further into thoughts of his muscular arms and the sight of his toned chest. She was startled out of her daze by a loud knock on the door, causing her to blush because where her thoughts were headed.

"Lily? Can I come in?" Asked James.

"Yea come on in." Lily was trying to bring down her blush. She was finding it hard to keep thoughts of James' body out of her mind.

James stepped into the room. He had showered and dressed in muggle clothing. Lily noticed that he seemed nervous. "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with me. Sirius wants to get started on working on his bike and Remus wants to make sure he doesn't cheat. It wouldn't be like a date thing, you know. Just two friends spending a day together. Maybe you could teach me to bake or I could teach you how to fly."

"How do you know I can't fly?"

"There are lots of things I know about you. Lily, I know you better than you think I do. So is that a no?" James asked again.

"That is a yes, I'll hang out with you. But first, can I borrow your owl to send this letter to Alice? I wouldn't want a repeat of this morning." Lily laughed.

"Well it wasn't all bad." James said with a far off look in his eyes. Unbeknownst to Lily, James was pretending to be asleep that morning. Did anyone expect him to sleep while the girls of his dreams lay in his arms? Waking up with Lily in his arms was one of the most euphoric moments in his life. He wished that the circumstances were different. He had made more progress with her in the past week, than in six years of knowing her. However, he wasn't going to push her. She needed to grieve and now was not the time for James to woo her.

Lily chose not to answer to what she just heard. She knew how much James cared for her, but she wasn't ready to go there yet. If she gave in to her growing feelings for James, it would give him the power to shatter her already broken heart.

"Milady, please allow thy humble servant to escort thee to the owlry." James said in a mock old English voice.

"Why of course, kind sir." Lily giggled and took James' arm and headed out her room.

XXX XXX

"Ohhh no, you can not be telling the truth. That was you lot?" Lily exclaimed on the verge of another laughing fit. They had been walking around the grounds of the Potter Estate since after breakfast.

"Yup. We turned Dumbledore's beard multicolor. And to believe that was our first prank together." James said. He had been entertaining her for the last hour with tales of the Marauders and their adventures.

"You guys haven't grown up since then."

"Why, Lily, how can you say such a thing? We have a prefect and a Head Boy amongst our ranks."

"That's right. I keep forgetting you're Head Boy."

"You know we'll have a tower all to ourselves. No more annoying first years taking the good seats in front of the fireplace."

"Easy for you to say. I can't seem to be able to get away from the biggest prats in the school." Lily joked.

James noticed that whenever she laughed her emerald danced with delight. He never wanted those eyes to stop dancing. He wanted to keep her laughing, always.

"Hey, we aren't as bad as those crazy birds that call themselves our fan club. I'm not sorry to get away from them."

"James?" Lily asked in a more serious tone. "Haven't you ever considered going out with one of them? They obviously like you." Lily couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth.

James pondered over his response. He didn't want to be too forward and scare her off.

"To be honest, I couldn't date one of them because I would just be leading them on. My heart has been set on someone for quite some time. And I'll wait for her, no matter how long it takes for her to realize that we are meant for one another."

His answer satisfied Lily, it gave her the usual rush she feels whenever James stands to close to her.

"She will come around, I can tell." Lily replied. "James?"

"Yea Lils?" James couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth. Did she really just say that they would be together some day?

"Promise, you won't give up on this girl of yours?"

"Believe me, I couldn't even if I tried. And I've tried."

Lily looked up at him and started giggling. "Do you really have our wedding planned?"

James groaned. " I cannot believe Dad told you that story."

"I like your parents. I can see where you get your wit and mischief from."

"Good because they like you too. Mum will probably kidnap you when she gets back. She always wanted a daughter."

This made Lily feel guilty for wanting to refuse the Potter's offer of making this their home. James misinterpreted her silence and assumed she was thinking of her own mother. He decided to liven things up a bit.

"Hey, have I told you about the time that Padfoot jinxed Moony with a singing hex." James continued to tell Lily about yet another adventure. They continued walking well into midday.

XXX XXX

After lunch James decided to accompany Sirius in the garage and watch him work on his bike. Lily didn't let them go until they both agreed to be put under an integrity charm. Remus and Lily went to the library to catch up on the books they were reading. After about three hours or so Lily finished her book, Love amongst the Dragons. She looked up to see how far along Remus was in his reading.

Lily had always admired Remus' sense of concentration. James and Sirius could be bringing down the whole of Hogwarts and he could probably still be able to concentrate on his readings.

"Can I do something for you, Lily?" Remus asked politely.

"How'd you know I was looking at you?"

"I have a sixth sense about these things. Padfoot and Prongs learned really quickly that the it was easier to get my attention by starring than by creating havoc."

"I was done with my book and I was wondering if you wanted to take a break and have some tea."

"Sounds great. You drink Earl Grey, right?"

Lily nodded her consent. Remus approached a table against the east wall of the library, where a tea set was available to use. He charmed a boiling spell on the water and began to prepare the tea.

"Remus, can I ask you something. I would ask James but I feel like he wouldn't tell me. And well I'm not that close with Sirius." She saw how Remus tensed up at her words and she wasn't sure how he would take it.

"Depending on the question, I may not be able to tell you myself either. It wouldn't be because I don't trust you. It's just that we have a Marauder's code." Remus felt tense. She could ask so many things, being a werewolf wasn't his most well kept secret.

"So, I know that you are a werewolf and that's why the others call you Moony. But I don't understand the other nicknames. Where did they come from? If I've learned anything about the four of you in the past six years, is that nothing concerned with the Marauders is coincidence."

Remus wondered if he should tell her the truth. Prongs wouldn't have a problem with Lily knowing. Wormtail would side with him and Prongs, since he usually sided with the majority. Padfoot would be the problem. Considering how he was raised it's no surprise that he has trust issues and problems with allowing people to get close to him. Lily waited patiently for Remus to begin to talk.

"The others might feel like this is my secret to tell, but really I feel like it's theirs. It's not something to take lightly, Lily. I would need your word that you won't tell anyone. The others would get into some serious trouble if someone found out. It is more serious than me being a werewolf."

"I give you my word Remus. Despite the rocky history between the Marauders and myself, I consider you guys friends now. I haven't had a chance to spend time with Peter, but he is one of you, and you guys are a package deal. I would never intentionally hurt you or them." Lily replied, looking Remus straight in the eyes conveying her sincerity.

"Padfoot and Prongs figured out in first year what I am. This was shortly after we pulled our first prank together. I didn't even think I could go to Hogwarts after I was bit."

"When did that happen?" Lily interrupted. She had never heard the story from Remus.

"I was bit as a small child after my father angered the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Dumbledore assured my father that I would not harm anyone. The year we started Hogwarts was also the year the Whomping Willow was planted. Padfoot and Prongs thought my visits to my sick mother to be suspicious, so they followed me. Every full moon I'm taken to the Whomping Willow, which happens to lie on top of the entrance to the shrieking shack. You know how they say it is haunted? Well it's not. The yells and screams heard are the noises of my transformation. They didn't see me transform, but they confronted me with their conclusion. I avoided them for days. We had just names ourselves the Marauders and written up our code. I didn't want to give them the chance to un-friend me".

Remus returned to the couches that Lily and him had been sitting on with a tea tray.

"So, when they managed to track me down, I told them that I understood why they wanted to no longer be my friend. I mean who would want to be friends with a monster? They thought I was barking mad. They didn't want to un-friend me; they wanted to help me. Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail had been in the library researching ways to help me. I think they expected to find a cure for me. I will always be shocked at how smart James and Sirius actually are."

"Did they find a solution?" Lily asked, totally enthralled by the story.

"They did and they were only 11. For the next couple of years, they tried to actually achieve their solution. I refused to help them because I just simply couldn't let them do it." Remus paused to take a drink of his tea.

"Well, go on. What was their solution?"

"They wanted to become animagi. If as a werewolf I were to bite one of them as humans they would change. The theory was that as animals the bite of a werewolf wouldn't affect them. They prepared for years. That's how they got a bad reputation with the professors. Instead of working on assignments they would be trying to turn into animagi. By third year they were ready to try it out, and by the beginning of fourth year they managed to do it. The first full moon they came along with me was rough on them, that is when the ended up in the hospital wing for a month. As time went on, the transformation became easier. I did less damage to them and to the shrieking shack. So to answer your question, their nicknames stem from their animagi form. Sirius is a dog, James a stag, and Peter a rat. They have been at my side every full moon since then."

"It all makes sense now. I always wondered why you never stopped them from bullying Slytherins or from pulling mean pranks. They have done so much for you, that you would feel guilty for not going the extra mile for them."

"You know Lily, your observational skills are uncanny. Lily can I say something to you?"

"Of course Remus."

"I want you to know that James' feelings for you are not a game to him. He really cares about you and he just knows that you are it for him. He is my friend and means the world to me. So be kind to him Lily. Don't lead him on."

"I'm learning just how much he cares for me." Lily replied as her mind drifted to thoughts about how James makes her feel. Remus noticed that she was pondering something over, so he picked up his book and continued to read and drink his tea.

XXX XXX

Lily couldn't sleep that night. She had been tossing and turning for hours. Lily had had a James overload day and her mind couldn't stop thinking about him. When she wasn't with him, she was thinking of him. Her conversation with Remus was what bothered her the most. James was willing to sacrifice his life for that of his fiend. How stupid do you have to be to run around with a werewolf every month? However, she couldn't help to admire his bravery and loyalty. And how did three fifteen-year-old boys manage to become illegal animagi? That would require an exceptional amount of skill.

Lily gave up on sleeping and decided to head to the kitchen to have some hot chocolate. She quickly arrived and decided to not bother Effie and so she began to search for ingredients herself.

"Couldn't sleep, either?" asked a voice behind her.

"Sirius! Don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack. I can feel my heart trying to jump out of my chest." Lily scolded him. She was clutching her chest trying to calm down her pulse.

"Sorry, Red. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. Do you want to some hot chocolate?" Lily asked, finding the last of the ingredients.

"Sure, why not? You never answered my question." Sirius said as he got some mugs out from a cupboard.

"Yea, I couldn't sleep. I have too much on my mind"

"Remus told us what he told you this afternoon."

"Ohhh. I think what you do is very noble, stupid, but noble. Remus is lucky to have you lot as friends." Lily handed him a mug with hot chocolate.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Red. I don't like that he told you. And I don't like how you are raising Prongs' hopes, that he has a chance with you."

"Why don't you like that I know?" Lily replied, genuinely confused.

"You have the power to hurt us. You could turn us in. We are illegal animagi for Merlin's sake."

"I wouldn't do that Sirius. Nothing could ever justify doing that. Remus is my friend. James and his family have taken me in and given me somewhere safe to stay. Alice is one of your favorite cousins. I would loose more than you would if I told someone. And furthermore, I am not leading James on."

"Didn't you ask him to wait for you today. That's not fair to him, because he will do it." Sirius sighed. At times he couldn't understand how James could still be in love with her after all this time.

"I asked him to wait. I want him to wait. I think if Voldemort hadn't murdered my parents this thing between us would be moving a lot faster. I'm seeing sides to him that I didn't know where there. Yea last year we become sort of friends, what with Alice and Frank always wanting to hang out with you guys, but I'm really getting to know him. You want to know why I couldn't sleep tonight?"

"Pray, tell."

"I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about him."

"My, my Red. How the tide has turned. Who would have guessed that you are falling for James, and he isn't even trying to get you to like him."

"Sirius, you can't say anything to him about this."

"What? Why not?"

"I'm not ready for him to know. And I'm not ready for things between us to progress. It's mentally draining to hate someone for five years, and then become sort of friends, to almost fancying him."

"Birds are crazy. I promise I won't say anything to him. He'd rather hear it from you anyway."

"What about you?" Lily asked.

"Well I obviously don't fancy James. He is all yours Red." Sirius said feigning confusion.

"You know what I mean. Anyone you do fancy?"

"Well if you must know there is."

"And? Who is she?"

"If I told you, I'd have to obliviate you." Sirius said with a wink.

As their conversation progressed, Lily found out how much Sirius liked to gossip. They spent hours talking about all the people at Hogwarts who had dirty little secrets.

"And then Dorcas Meadows found him in the broom closet with Marlene, in a rather compromising position if I may add." Sirius concluded his tale.

"I would have never guessed that about Marlene." Lily said awed.

XXX XXX

Once Lily had finally found her way back into her she, she began to cry. It had barely been over a week since she talked to her parents, even though it felt like a life time ago, She missed them so much it hurt. Her grief overpowered her and she began to sob, she couldn't help how loud she was crying. She wished that she could see her parents one more time, she wanted them to hold her and love her. She wished she could tell them how much they mean to her.

The Marauders helped her forget. She wanted to forget they were dead, but she didn't want to forget them. Lily heard James come into her room, she knew it as him because she now knew that nothing would keep him away. James engulfed Lily in the comfort of his arms.

"Let it out, Lily. You're so strong all the time. You can lean on me Lily. I'm here for you, now and always."

Eventually, Lily sobs subsided. She fell asleep in the security of James' arms, but not before she felt James kiss her forehead.

"I love you, Lily." James whispered in her ear, hoping that his words would bring her comfort in her sleep. He too quickly drifted into a sleep.

A/N:

Sorry for the late submission. I have gotten caught up with school work. But alas, here is this next chapter. I hope you like it.