And so I'm back! I know, it's been insanely long since my last update, but what can I say? School always comes first.

Once again I indulged myself maybe a little too much and, as you will see this chapter so long it's almost indecent.

A big thanks once again to furaiz for looking through this for me. My beta did an awesome job!

I live on reviews so don't hesitate and tell me what you think of the story so far. Shout out to anonymous readers! I appreciate you silent dedication :)

-8-

Small, dirty hands sticking out of an overlarge coat; thin, pale legs and unkempt hair.

The first time Lily Evans set her eyes on Severus Snape, all she knew about him were the rumors that were circulating around the neighborhood. Rumors that were being spread by the action-seeking, misery-hungry and pathetic housewives that plagued the girl's street. Women talked about an uncared for child living on Spinner's end, often seen throwing rocks at nearby cats and jumping in front of passing by cars for kicks.

Spinner's end was situated in the shabby part of Cokeworth; commonly regarded by the inhabitants of the town as a thorn in their side. People living down there were rumored to produce more offspring than they could afford and to neglect their children's needs in order to buy themselves threads of happiness from shady salesmen lurking in dark corners.

It would have been easy to discard Severus as another one of these troubled kids, with their ill manners and their angst filled eyes. The boy had certainly looked the part.

However, Lily was no stranger to the devastating impact of such gossip and always took good care not to take everything bored homemakers came up with at face value.

Although there was some kind of roughness to Severus that came along with his belief he would forever be disregarded as an underdog, Lily, looking past his social awkwardness, had found a great friend in him.

This relationship of theirs was unusual and unexpected to say the least, but it is to say that two people sharing the same dream tend to find their way into each other's life.

For both kids, whose lifestyle in the muggle suburb had left them with the feeling of being inadequate, Hogwarts seemed like a safe haven. They would finally find a place where they belong.

Of course, Lily and Sev had been brought down to earth brutally.

It seemed like people always found ways to make you feel inferior if you let them the chance. Magic did not prevent prejudices to grow inside strangers' heart: it only made haters most likely to jinx you at any given opportunity.

The magical world was hostile in many ways and in this regard, Lily had truly been let down. However, she was not the kind of girl to be disheartened by so little and she reasoned that, as long as she had Severus by her side, she would not let other's misconceptions affect her enthusiasm for the exciting path that now stretched before her feet.

Never could she have foresaw that, one day, Snape would put his own survival above everything else; above her.

Because that was it. That was all there was to it. There could not be another explanation.

The name calling, the dodgy curses, the snarky words: everything. Lily knew Severus. He was nothing like that.

The boy was ending up being the perfect Slytherin after all. It didn't matter that he knew better than to think muggleborns were untalented magic thieves or that muggles, muggles like Lily's mother, were nothing like the undefined and unsophisticated beasts the Pureblood made them out to be. All that really mattered was that his new friends thought he bought into the crap that spewed from their mouth.

And it hurt. It hurt knowing she was not deemed important enough to be worth fighting for.

Lily was an independent witch: strong and fierce. She liked to believe she needed no knight in shiny armor. However, in her darkest moments, the girl was starting to question whether she was cursed with bad company.

Lily did not have that much friends to begin with. Friends you can truly rely on; the ones that stand by you no matter what, were hard to find. On the rare occasions when the redhead thought she had found her right match, she had been harshly let down.

First her sister and then...

Lily had been incredibly indulgent. The other Gryffindor girls had not understood her patience. They had not been able to wrap their head around as to why Lily would play the part of the dumb girl stuck in an abusive relationship.

Lily's mother often said she was too kind for her own good. Petunia, on the other hand, often said Lily was an attention seeker that liked people to think she cared.

None of them got it at all. Severus needed her. How could the girl abandon someone whose home wasn't a home at all?

Nine years old Lily Evans tossed and turned in her bed unable to find sleep, eyes scrunched up and lips pinched in displeasure. The girl was mad.

Severus had failed for what seemed like the hundred billionth time to show up to their daily come together in the meadow beside the riverbank. This was not like him. No matter how he whined about how far their meeting spot was or how often Petunia seemed to come up unannounced, he was always waiting for Lily by the time she got there.

He had been acting weirdly lately, fidgety and more skittish than usual. Every time Lily had called him out on his behaviour, Severus had always eluded her questions, saying that things had become slightly awkward between his parents and that it made him nervous.

"It's a grown up issue." he kept telling her. "They will figure it out eventually."

Lily did not have much experience with good liars. Petunia was a particularly bad one. Were she to try lying, her eyes would dart from side to side and her whole body would become incredibly stiff. However, the redhead girl's intuition was usually spot on and something told her Severus' problems went beyond some spat between his mother and father.

Lily huffed and stared at the ceiling as if it had personally insulted her. Why wouldn't Severus simply tell her what was really going on? Did he not trust her to keep his secrets for herself?

The girl squeezed her eyes shut to try and prevent fear to overcome her. Ever since she had befriended the dark boy, Lily couldn't help but worry. What if Severus lost interest in her somehow? After all, Martha Stinton had stopped talking to her after she had shown her how she could make the hairs of her dolls stand on ends at her birthday party two years ago.

Lily frowned. Severus would never be scared of her like that. He told her himself that he was a wizard and that she was a witch!

But what if...

Tink!

Lily jumped in surprise and muffled the scream that threatened to come out of her mouth and wake the whole house up. Eyes opened wide, she stood still, waiting for the noise to be heard again.

Tink! Tink! Tink!

Scrambling to her feet, she ran to the window and pushed it open. Peering into the darkness, she tried to see through the shadows in which the back garden bathed. A rustling noise attracted her attention to the bushes near the wooden fence she had helped her father paint white the Saturday before last.

"Who's there?" she whispered trying to sound fearless.

"Lily?" came a voice within the obscurity.

"Severus?" called back the girl with uncertainty.

"Thanks Merlin, I thought for a moment that I had gotten the wrong window." A dark form stumbled out of the bushes. The streetlights from the alley illuminated the boy from behind, making it impossible for Lily to discern his features, but there was no doubt as to exactly who was standing under her window in the middle of the night. Severus took a few steps in her direction but did not venture out of the shadows.

"Have you just been throwing rocks in my window?" hissed Lily.

Severus visibly recoiled. "Did you not tell me that's what muggles do to get their friends to come out at night to speak to them?"

"Yes, I also told you that only happened in those teenage romance movies full of goop Petunia likes to watch. Not in real life!"

"Yes, well. I'm sure any muggle boys would wake their friends like that if they all slept as tight as you! I've been trying to get you to open the window for ages." he spluttered. Even in this pitch black darkness, Lily could guess the blush that was slowly spreading on Severus' cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" asked Lily brusquely. She was trying to stay angry at him and he was making it hard to do so.

Severus seemed to hesitate. Kicking a football Lily had left lying around that afternoon he cleared his throat. "I came to apologize."

"What for?" replied Lily snootily, trying to come off as haughty as her sister could sometimes.

This was an attempt at getting him to spill the beans and he was perfectly aware of that.

Let him sweat.

She felt the heat of Sev's glare on her. "I'm sorry I could not make it today."

"Or yesterday. Or the day before or even the day before that!" burst out Lily, too mad to contain herself any longer. "You have been avoiding me!" she accused him.

"I did not mean to, I swear!" squeaked Severus raising his hands in the air.

"Then why?" spat Lily.

"It's been hectic at home. You know how it is!"

A cough came from the bedroom next to the girl's and both children froze. Once the danger had passed, Lily turned her head in Severus' direction. "You always say that!" she said in low tones.

"Well it's true. Father have been coming home late at night the past few weeks. Mother and him have been at it for days now. They won't stop yelling at each other." muttered the boy, rubbing his neck.

Goosebumps appeared on Lily's arms and a sense of dread she did not quite understood overtook her. "You're lying. You're not telling me the whole truth."

Severus' head snapped up. "No I'm not! I don't know why I came here if it's for you to accuse me of being a liar. You know what? I won't be coming to the meadow anytime soon. Don't expect me there in the next days." snarled Severus in anger. Without another word, he turned on the spot and plunged back in the darkness.

"What? No!"

Tearing herself from the window sill, Lily barrelled across the room, grabbing a flashlight on her way out. Hurrying outside, the girl ran towards the fence door and pushed it opened. She turned on the torch and lit the passageway trying to figure out in which direction Severus had gone. As she turned her face to the right, she saw a well-worn sneaker disappeared in between the trees of the woody area that led to the river. Severus had probably went through there to cross the distance that separated his house from hers. Lily ignored the shivers that racked her small frame and, with no consideration for the rocks that were hurting her bared feet, she went after her friend.

"Severus! Sev! Wait for me!"

The pursuit was short-lived. Lily may not have look like much but she was a really fast runner. She was behind Severus in an instant. However, the boy seemed determined not to let her catch him and doubled his effort to lose her. Realizing he could not outrun her, he decided to put his cleverness into use. Dodging trees left and right in an attempt to confuse Lily, he tried to make her lose sight of him long enough to find a place to hide in the woods until she got tired of looking for him.

This was foolish of him of course. Lily was stubborn. Finally catching up with him, she took her opportunity. Yelling out a weird war cry, the redhead launched herself at him and tackled the boy to the ground. The flashlight flew out of her hand and landed a few feet away from them, lighting the scene. Thinking she had won, Lily threw her head back and laughed, convinced Severus would follow suit. Surely he wasn't still mad after all this excitement. She certainly wasn't.

However, Severus did not seemed inclined to enjoy the moment with her. In fact, the boy had started wriggling under her, desperately trying to get the girl straddling him off his legs.

"Let go Lily! Let go! Just let me go please!" he cried, covering his face with his arms.

Surprised by the panic she sensed in him, Lily looked at her friend in confusion. "Calm down Sev, it's me."

"Just let me go home Lily. Please. Just let me go." the boy whimpered.

Scared by this sudden turnaround, Lily sat back and let him get up quietly. "God, Sev. Why don't you just tell me what this is about?" she asked him softly.

Slowly, Severus' hand dropped from either side of his face. In the dim yellow light, splashes of black and purple were exposed.

Lily could not helped but gasp. "Christ, what happened to you?"

"I don't know."

A small voice shook Lily out of her reverie. Blinking rapidly, she stared at the girl sitting in front of her on one of the beds of the now bustling infirmary. "What?"

The teen rolled her eyes at her. "Err, you asked me what had happened to me and I just answered. I don't know. The spell came out of nowhere. It was yellow and it hurt like hell. Can I go now?"

Lily had to resist hexing the brat all over again. "Actually, no, you can't. You have to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey one last time and then you're good to go."

The girl huffed in annoyance and Lily forced a smile, battling with herself not to lose her cool. She definitely did not remember acting as obnoxiously at this age. She bit her tongue to hold in the snappy remark that bubbled in her head. She had been doing that a lot lately, whether it was at home or at school did not change much.

Eyes filled with disdain all looked the same and seemed to blend in together after a while. She'd been given the cold shoulder by more people than she could bare these days. Sister, ex-best friend, pureblood bigots put aside, Lily struggled to find someone that would not send the stink eye her way. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to remain impassive. She was going to develop an ulcer at this rate. So much for trying to be the bigger person.

Madam Pomfrey's voice reached Lily's ears and the young witch nearly jumped out of her skin. After fighting good-naturedly with the nurse to try and convince the matron to let her stay and help a bit more, the redhead had to concede victory to the older woman and made her way out of the infirmary.

Lily then hesitated and started walking. What to do? Professor McGonagall had cancelled her class due to the duel and there were still a few hours to wait until Lily's next lesson.

Tending to the injured students had given Lily a sense of purpose. Left with nothing but the adrenaline that pumped into her veins since the beginning of this disaster, the girl found herself quite disconcerted and a bit desperate for something to occupy her mind with. She did not want to rehash the event of the morning, nor did she want to obsess over the betrayed look in Severus' eyes or the way his mouth had pursed in anger or even the horrible curses that had left his wand or...

Dammit.

Lily stomped her foot and leaned against the wall, banging lightly her head against the stone. What was the purpose of musing over something she had no control over? He had made his choice, she had made hers.

It was over.

She just had to get over the fact that the Severus she had held so close to her heart was gone. The little boy that wanted nothing more than to grow up to be a better man than his father was dead. He had been murdered by peer pressure and his own insecurities. There wasn't anything she could do anymore.

You can't fight someone else's battles.

Still. It hurt and Lily felt her resolve crumbling. Shaking her head, Lily opened her eyes, only realising then how she had closed them in exhaustion. Looking around, she tried to figure out where her feet had led her to while she got lost in her own little world. Recognizing the painting of the three drunk monks that hung near the library, she situated herself on the third floor. Waving at the jovial friars and returning weakly the smile that split their red-tinted cheeks, Lily decided to put her free time to good use and headed in direction of Madam Pince's domain. Might as well get some homework done.

She had not made it further than five meters when she stopped abruptly. There, lounging on the window sill looking as if he didn't have a care in the world, was James Potter, head burrowed into what seemed like old decrepit parchments and eyes roaming fervently over the notes as though the boy was looking for something in particular.

Upon seeing him, Lily's heart dropped and she almost turned right on the spot. She had been doing a fine job of avoiding the Marauders like the plague since the beginning of the semester. The unreasonable fury she felt whenever her path crossed theirs made her apprehend the lengths she would go to, was she to confront them and let her temper loose. She did not think the Hogwarts' populace was ready for the storm that would then rage or the insults that would rain on the four boys' swollen head.

As soon as she considered retracing her steps to beg Madam Pomfrey to let her assist her a little longer, Lily decided against it. She was not about to let James Potter rule over her actions. Striding forward confidently, she made to pass by him, her heart thumping in anticipation.

One step, two steps, three steps... Nothing. As she made her way down the passageway, Lily felt her throat tightened. She did not know what she had been expecting but it certainly wasn't this. Unconsciously, Lily slowed down.

What? No jabbing, no smirking, no inappropriate flirting?

He was just going to ignore her? Her and the overwhelming pent up rage she had been accumulating all through summer?

He did not have the right. He had responsibilities for Christ's sake. He was the reason she felt such like a bloody mess. Without him, she would not feel so alone and defeated. Without him, Severus would not have thought of himself as being so out of place. Without James freaking Potter, Severus might still be...

"Evans?"

There. That seemed more like it.

"What do you want Potter?" asked Lily, her tone as cold as ice. She stopped in her tracks but did not turn around, in case the boy noticed the eager look in her eyes.

"Ah? Er.." the boy stuttered and Lily felt her patience wearing thin. "I guess I wanted to thank you. For earlier I mean. If you hadn't intervened, Snape would certainly have hexed the shit out of me."

Lily whirled around, her hair flaring around her dramatically, or so she hoped. "Let's make something clear. If it wasn't for you and the ticking bomb you call your best friend, the cataclysm of this morning could have been avoided all together. So don't go deluding yourself into thinking I stopped Snape because of some change of heart I've had about you. My feelings are the same as the last time I had the misfortune of being in your presence for longer than five minutes. I did it because it was what was right and because it is my duty as a prefect. Don't flatter yourself."

The faint smile James had worn quickly faded as she delivered her ridiculously long rant. His face grew serious as he slowly stood and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes were soft in resignation.

Panting, Lily felt ire bubbling in the pit of her stomach. How dare he look so calm?

"Still. I owe you."

What?

Where was the yelling? Where were the fists clenching, the teeth grinding, the cheeks burning? Since when was James Potter acting like the mature one in their dynamic duo? This was not what Lily needed from him right now. She didn't want his freaking understanding or his stupid thanks.

How did he manage to make her feel like the petulant child in this situation? She was entitled to feel angry damn it!

Lily was growing desperate to get a rise out of him by now. "What's with the new attitude, Potter?" she breathed after a moment of silence. Her voice was low, barely more than a whisper: a glaring sign that she was beyond exasperated.

James' eyes searched her face as he tilted his head slightly to the side. The boy, arms stilled crossed, leaned in. A tiny crooked smile stretched on his lips and Lily then realised he could see right through her act. "What is it exactly that you want from me Evans?"

She wanted him to give her a reason to hex him into the next century.

She wanted to blast him of his feet and wipe that bloody smirk right off his face. She wanted her fury to finally come out of her and leave her in peace already.

For the first time in her life, Lily Evans wanted to start a fight and the only person that could have given it to her simply refused to cooperate.

Before she could even think of a good comeback a loud noise startled her. Glancing in the direction of the disturbance, she saw the gargoyle, which she knew hid the entrance to the Headmaster's office, slipped aside, the sound of stone grinding against the floor filling her ears.

James frowned in confusion. "Did anyone get sent to Dumbledore because of the fight?" he asked Lily.

Nonplussed, the girl shook her head. "Not that I know of."

James brought the parchment he was still holding close to his face and looked at it for a second before his eyes suddenly widened. Immediately, he stuffed the notes into his pockets and fumbled in the depths of his robes from which he extracted a long shimmery piece of cloth. As the boy wrapped himself with it, Lily noted in surprise how parts of James' anatomy seemed to simply flicker out of sight.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" she squeaked. Well that explained a lot.

"Yes." answered James impatiently. "Now, hurry and get under."

Lily snorted at this. "No way in hell."

James cursed and looked up in exasperation. Then, without warning, his hand shot forward and the wizard grabbed the girl's wrist, yanking her towards him and sending her crashing against his chest. His arm went around her and James got a firm hold of her waist, preventing her from escaping his grasp. Furious, her head shot up and, as she opened her mouth in order to give him a piece of her mind, the boy raised a finger to his lips and signalled her to keep silent. Just as Lily was about to begin shouting obscenities, sound of feet descending the stairs of Dumbledore's office reached them and James' grip tightened slightly.

Down came a tall woman dressed in robes made of material so rich she might as well have been wearing a gown. She reminded Lily of witches from another time, ones that looked down their nose and sneered at her from their canvas hanging on the walls in school library every time the girl took place in a reading alcove. Everything about her, from her delicate eyebrows down to her high cheekbones, literally screamed aristocracy.

She seemed familiar, as if she was related to someone Lily knew but, the girl could not quite put her finger on who. The redhead did not have to wait long to discover why.

Trailing behind the woman was Amelia, walking with all her habitual grace as her mother marched down the corridor looking as if she just had swallowed a whole lemon. The two witches nearly grazed the invisible teens as they passed by them. James and Lily that had to squish themselves against the wall to avoid collision.

As soon as the women were out of earshot, James made to follow, pulling on Lily's arm to drag her along. Curiosity getting the best of her, the girl let him. After a few minutes of silent pursuit, James seemed to figure out where the witches were headed. Turning abruptly left, he lifted a tapestry, which apparently hid the entrance of a passageway, and led Lily down the narrow space, never taking his hand off her wrist.

Finally they arrived at what seemed like the end of the hidden hallway and James took his parchments out again. Whispering a quiet lumos, he studied them for a second before a triumphal smile lighted his face. He motioned to Lily to stay close to him. As they made it out of the passage, Amelia and her mother came around the corner. Lady Deauclair then opened a door to their right and waited for her daughter to catch up with her.

Amelia stopped a few feet away from the older woman and stared blankly at her. The girl's indifferent gaze was met with a warning glare. Amelia finally preceded her mother into the empty classroom. Before the hem of Lady Deauclair's robes could disappear inside, James surged forward, almost lifting Lily in his haste. They made it out in time to slip through the door as it slowly swung close.

Hastily they huddled in the corner the nearest to the entrance and turned their attention to the front of the room, where the teacher usually stood, facing the rows of desks. There, standing on the pulpit, stood Amelia and Marguerite Deauclair, facing each other.

When Lady Deauclair finally spoke up, after an eternity of heated silence, her voice was devoid of all warmth. It took a while for Lily to figure out why her speech sounded so familiar yet so strange. Apparently Lady Deauclair reverted to speaking in French when angered. Good thing Lily's parents took Petunia and her to La Rochelle every summer.

By the way James squinted at the older witch, listening attentively at what she was saying, Lily had no doubt the boy was also fluent in French.

Well, it made sense.

When she was in elementary school, Lily's teacher had told her class how the French language had been considered for a long time as the nobles' speech, making it the most learned language among high society.

Aristocrats remained the same whether they were magical or not it seemed.

"Does bringing shame to your family amuse you somehow? Do you find it pleasurable?"

"Really mother, when pleasure crosses my mind, a lot of things come to me but I can tell you that none of them is family." replied Amelia with a nonchalant eye roll.

Lily's eyes widened. The mutual displeasure of being in each other's presence was blaringly obvious and for the redhead, whose relationship with her mother was more than enjoyable, such a show of outright disrespect was shocking.

"Don't you think I do not know what you are trying to accomplish here. Merlin, you are still hung up on this boy. This is all his fault. I should have known you would not let it go." hissed Lady Deauclair, pointing an accusing finger at her daughter's chest.

"By Morgana, get off your high horse. It is only a House. It barely means anything." said Amelia brusquely. Lily could tell the girl was trying to wave her mother's comment away but the stiffness of her neck betrayed her agitation.

"Only a House? You are I both know it means much more than this around here. You could have come down the street and made a statement for all the different it would have made. I remember perfectly what Lady Black had to say about the Gryffindor House. It is full of mudbloods and muggle-lovers."

James tensed behind her and Lily could tell without glancing at him that the boy had a murderous look on his face.

"Lady Black said a lot of things, every single one of them sounding crazier than the other, so pardon me if I do not give much weight to her words." spat Amelia.

Lady Deauclair took a menacing step forward. "Enough. People have already started talking. Lady Parkinson has had the audacity to ask about your peculiar behavior already. Have you not known this would happened you would already have written home to inform us yourself of your sorting." Her voice had gone up an octave.

"I was not aware our relationship was one where we cared about each other's whereabouts." Amelia said offhandedly. This only served to infuriate her mother more so.

"I will not tolerate your insolence any longer. If you think that I have married so well only to produce an offspring whose actions make people question my allegiances and the way I raised my daughter, you are sadly mistaken." nearly screeched the woman, trembling all over.

At this, Amelia burst out laughing, looking at her mother with something akin to pity. "Marguerite, I do hope this was simply a show of your indecent naivety. You cannot have possibly married into the Deauclair family thinking it would give you a free pass to breathe freely and preserve you from all the scrutiny. It would pained me to know you were such an idiot." sneered the girl with upmost condescendence.

The resounding smack that then echoed in the room took Lily by surprise and it was only James's quick thinking that prevented them from being discovered as he clamped his hand over the redhead's mouth to muffle the sound of the gasp she let out. Disbelieving, Lily turned to look at James in shock. However, the boy did not meet her gaze. He was staring at the scene before them with dark eyes, hardened with anger, and Lily could tell, by the way his jaw shifted, that he was grinding his teeth into dust.

Back on the podium, Amelia had reeled back from the shock and was holding a hand to her stinging cheek, head downcast. Slowly she straightened as to face her mother and, as she did, warmth seemed to be sucked out of the room. Lily shivered.

"You know" said Amelia, her whisper barely reaching Lily's ears. "Given my condition, one would say it would be best not to anger me."

Unaffected Lady Deauclair leered. "Ah yes. Why don't you remind me of your abnormality once again. As if it hadn't got us in trouble once too many time already."

Amelia suddenly smirked. Her smile, wicked and downright terrifying in its inappropriateness, was unnerving: it was too large, it showed too many teeth and it was so cold in a way that made the girl look more like a food-deprived wolf than the young witch she was supposed to be. Lily took an involuntary step backwards and fell right back in James' arms.

Just who was Amelia Deauclair?

"Maman. My dear mother. If I am so much of a burden why don't you simply make me a dreaded souvenir? I hear disownments are all the rage in Britain these days." said the doll-like girl, almost with a giggle. Clearly Amelia believed the thought to be a risible one and taunted the woman in order to aggravate her.

Lady Deauclair did not take the bait however and Lily felt a change in the air, as if the tables had turned and that Amelia was only too slow to realise it.

It was Marguerite Deauclair's turn to smile haughtily. Noticing this, Amelia's features froze and she squinted her eyes in suspicion. It seemed like the mother had as much flair for the dramatics as her daughter for she took a few instants to pat the fabrics of her robes down before she dropped what would obviously be a bombshell. "I am afraid this is not an option. Your father seems to think you might still be useful. As the heiress of the Deauclair family, you hold responsibilities and you will be expected to be true to your lineage."

All colors from Amelia's already pale face were drained from her cheeks and Lily feared the girl might faint on the spot. "I see. Has a suitor already approached Father in my regard?"

Lily's eyebrows shot up in surprise and her heart skipped a beat. They were only sixteen for heaven's sake, surely the Deauclairs were not envisaging their daughter's engagement. That would be barbaric.

"That should not be before too long. Once the rumor of the first proposal is out, many will follow. Your father and I will have to consider every and each one of them carefully. Britain is in a precarious situation, a refusal in these times of conflict could be disastrous given our status. You understand of course, that, being a looming figure of the magical community as we are, our every move will be judged and will have consequences. This cannot be taken lightly."

It took a while for Amelia to fully comprehend what the witch had said but, the second the girl took her mother's words fully in, a hard glint shone in her eyes and her lips thinned. "You never intended to let it slide, didn't you? Is this why we moved here, so you could get back at me in that twisted way of yours?"

"You didn't actually think we came to live in Britain so you could learn from the great Albus Dumbledore? Please tell me you weren't that naive." said Lady Deauclair. Clearly she was overjoyed to be able to throw her daughter's own words back at her.

Lily could not help but to hate the woman's superior air. How could someone be so unpleasant?

Amelia was beginning to feel cornered and panic showing through her voice. "You do not know what you are talking about. You do not understand. These people, they are dangerous." she insisted with urgency. "They do not care who they harm. This goes beyond any will for Pureblood supremacy. Moving is here, only to make me earn my lesson: it was reckless. Did you actually believe they would call it quits if you simply handed me over?"

Lady Deauclair shook her head knowingly. "We were perfectly aware of the risks when we took our decision. You did not leave us with any other choice. The usual warnings were not enough. More discipline was required, more leverage I'd say. Besides, I doubt they will ask for more after you become one of them. Nothing will be asked from us anymore, especially once they know what you are capable of." she drawled.

Amelia seemed to have realized trying to reason with her mother was not going to do any good. Her eyes became steely and she stood straighter. "This is not going to happen. I won't let it. I will not become some Dark Lord's puppet, only so you can have the satisfaction of having the last word. I refuse."

There was a desperation in her demeanor that made Lily wonder just how far Amelia was willing to go to make sure she stayed true to her words. The redhead's heart went out to the witch.

"You refuse? Pardon me, but did I, at some point, imply your willingness was in any way part of the question? Don't fool yourself, had the events of last spring not taken place, your fate would have remained the same." stated Lady Deauclair severely.

Amelia stayed silent. Her eyes were drilling holes in the wall and her face was once again a mask of blankness.

"Now. As I said, nothing has been settled yet. I might, in my benevolence, allow myself to be swayed. However, for me to feel enough sympathy and attempt to change your father's mind, you will have to show signs of the obedience you used to have and that you seem to have forgotten the meaning of."

Lady Deauclair paid rapt attention to her daughter's features, seemingly drinking in the slightest tremor, the barest twitch that betrayed the girl's uneasiness. Amelia did a good job at putting up a front of indifference. If anything, the lack of expressions was the most obvious glaring sign of the disquiet she surely felt.

After a moment of silent jubilation, Marguerite Deauclair had finally fed off the younger witch's discomfort enough and made her way to the door. "Well everything has been said. I will show myself out."

And with that she was gone.

The silence that descended upon them then was unlike any other Lily had ever experienced. It was like Amelia was lifting a weight off her shoulders and pouring it out in the air surrounding her. Lily felt like choking.

Suddenly Amelia grabbed the inkpot that rested on the teacher's desk and threw it against the wall, kicking a chair as the sound of glass shattering and scattering on the floor filled the room. As the girl pulled at her hair and tried to control her ragged breath, Lily exchanged a troubled glance with James.

It had been nearly a week since the beginning of the semester and, despite Lily's best efforts, Amelia had kept her distances from her. Except for the occasional empty pleasantries, the witches had barely talked to one another. This was the first time the redhead ever saw Amelia expressing so much raw emotions. By witnessing someone else's breakdown, Lily felt as if she was guilty of some kind of sick voyeurism.

Deeply disturbed, Lily was about to gesture to James that it would be best for them to leave when Amelia suddenly straightened from her prostrated position. After running her fingers through her golden locks, she picked up her wand and conjured a mirror which she used to check her appearance briefly before storming out.

Apparently, the girl was not willing to indulge in self-pity any longer.

Once her footsteps receded and James was certain they were alone, he pulled the cloak off them. Lily found she could barely breathe better.

They stood there for a while, avoiding each other's eyes, at lost for words.

When Lily finally found it in her to speak, her voice lacked the outrage she felt, the turmoil she was in. "So what is going to happen to her? Are they going to force her into a marriage she doesn't want? Is that even legal?"

"It is. In the magical community, arranged marriage are still common, especially among purebloods." sighed James, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Good God, it's as if wizards were still stuck in the Regency era!" spluttered Lily angrily.

"Different world, different rules Evans." James told her with a hollow tone that gave an idea of his opinion on the question.

Lily had to give it to him: at least Potter did not seem to buy into the purebloods' misogynist views of women. Nor their take on muggleborns, or muggles for that matter.

Potter was a strange bird.

"What concerns me the most is that they are considering giving her hand in marriage to a Death Eater." added James, brows furrowed.

Lily licked her lips nervously. "But those were empty threats. Weren't they?" she asked with half-heartened hope.

The way James looked at her then, with his eyes full of pity, confirmed her fears. "Old magical families consider that a witch is the property of her parents until the day she weds. She then becomes her husband's responsibility as well as his property. His decisions are hers as well and it is her duty to obey his demands."

"That's... That is…"

Unable to finish her thought, Lily stopped talking and focused on the swelling feeling she got in her airways. Now was not the time to stop breathing.

As Lily tried to remember how to function properly, James shook himself out of the pensive state he had been in and made to leave the classroom as well. Dumbfounded, Lily watched him walk, robot-like, towards the exit. "Where are you going?"

James blinked owlishly. "To the kitchen."

"The kitchen? Is it really the time to think about eating?" stuttered the girl. This was unbelievable.

James grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. "Well this is a lot to take in and I can't think on an empty stomach." As on cue, a loud rumble was then heard. Blushing lightly, James put a hand on his midsection and gave Lily a pained look.

Had the situation not been so bloody dramatic, the redhead might have laugh. In this instance, all she managed to do was close her eyes tiredly. "Lead the way, Potter."

Lily did not fully understand what possessed to do so, but she followed James out. Once again, she found herself trailing after him: down stairs they went; turning left, turning right, slipping through hidden doors and behind various suits of armor. Whereas Lily could not have find her way back to the Gryffindor Common room for the life of her, James seemed to know perfectly where he was going.

After an eternity, they halted in front of a wall-length painting of a bowl of fruits. Leaning in, James raised an arm, and, to Lily's surprise, began to tickle a green plump pear, who then proceed to giggle. Giggle.

Apparently this gesture acted as a password for the painting unexpectedly swung open.

Immediately as they came through, they were assaulted by a dozen of squeaky creatures that clung to their knees and looked up at them with adoration. House-elves, whose existence Lily had discovered by accident in fourth year, were servile and eager entities. Falling over each other in their excitement, they inquired what they could do to please their masters.

After a few confusing minutes, Lily found herself sat in front of a hot cocoa with James by her side. The boy, she noticed, had become gloom after having dealt with the house-elves. Surely he was still musing over what had happened back in the classroom.

Frowning, Lily began to worry her lips unconsciously. Now that the adrenaline was slowly ebbing away, the girl could feel the anxiety creeping in.

Lily was no idiot. She had known He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a menace. Unlike a lot of her fellow students, she had taken the threats thrown in muggleborns' direction very seriously. The children born from non-magical parents had been the targets of too many attacks and sneak tricks not to pay attention to the on growing danger.

The prejudices against her kind becoming more and more present in her everyday life, Lily had understood something was changing and had not been willing to be caught unaware. She had spent the entire summer vacation scanning the Daily Prophet carefully. What she had gathered by reading in between the lines was alarming.

She was also aware that some kind of aspirant Death Eaters group had begun to form here, in Hogwarts. She had been slowly losing Severus to these people all along.

However she had somehow thought, albeit foolishly, that joining these wannabe terrorists, for that was what they were, was a personal decision. Realizing that some were forced into this, like some sort of child soldiers, was earth-shattering.

"What are going to do about it?" blurted out Lily without thinking.

James jumped, as if she just had awaken him from a trance, and turned his head towards her with a nonplussed expression. "Do what about what?"

"We have to do something to help her. We just can't let things the way they are." said Lily with conviction. Now that she had said it out loud she felt as if inaction was out of the question.

How could she ever live with herself knowing she had allowed some girl to become a child bride? As if being married to a Death Eater wasn't bad enough...

"I don't understand what you mean."

Annoyed, Lily raised her eyebrow at James. "Potter are you daft? I meant: how can we help Amelia?"

It was James' turn to act as if Lily had lost a few brain cells. "Surprisingly enough, I had gathered that Evans. What I don't get is just how you think she'll accept your help. And this is assuming you find a way to queer her parents' pitch."

James' dubitative tone took Lily by surprise and disappointed her for some reason. She had expected him to jump right on board with it.

"I'll find a way." The girl was aware of how childish she sounded but she honestly had no clue how to act anymore.

She was getting so tired of feeling useless.

"Good luck with that." the boy snorted.

Suddenly Lily's temper flared. Was he purposely being a prick or what?

"What is your problem?" burst out the girl, beside herself with anger. "I would have thought you would have jumped at a chance like this. This girl: she's a Pureblood, and she wants nothing to do with the Dark Lord. She's willing to go against her parents' will not to be associated with him. Aren't you willing to lend her a hand?"

Something changed in the way James looked at her then. His jaw clenched and his eyebrows creased: the perfect representation of stubbornness. Lily had finally succeeded in making James Potter angry.

"Right, back up for a second. The way I see it, Amelia Deauclair doesn't give a rat's ass about You-Know-Who. I know this type of girls, Evans. People like her are proud more than anything; all that matters to them is themselves. Deauclair doesn't care about what He-Must-Not-Be-Named stands for, she doesn't want someone dictating her life, that's all."

"Say you're right. Who cares? Call it teenage rebellion if you'd like, but right now, Amelia is on our side. What difference does it make what she's in it for?" retorted Lily hotly.

"What difference does it make? Seriously?" asked James, eyebrows raised so high they disappeared behind his fringe. "It makes the difference between someone that's gonna take a stand and someone that's gonna stand on the sidelines while bitching about it."

"So what? Because she isn't a true fighter like you, a fierce defender of muggleborns and muggles alike; she isn't worth saving. Is that what you are saying?" Lily's cheeks and neck were becoming tinged with red. That prat saw the world as if it was black and white, acting as if he knew everything.

James threw his hands in the air in frustration, letting out a small cry of exasperation.

"Of course not. Don't be silly. All I say is that you can't count on Amelia Deauclair. You're ready to put your head on the block for this girl, but when the time comes, she won't deliver. She has already had an opportunity to make a total turn around, to distance herself from all this bullshit and she didn't take it. She's not willing to make sacrifices." he growled out, obviously making a reference to the events surrounding Amelia's odd sorting.

Ah. There it was: what had been bothering James so much. Realization hit Lily like a ton of bricks.

"You can't be possibly going there Potter. You can't simply compare her to Black, that's totally unfair." the girl stated.

She understood where James was going from. She did. Words of Sirius' estrangement had gone around and Lily honestly doubted there was still a soul in the whole castle that hadn't heard about it. However, no matter how much courage it had taken Sirius to tell his parents to stuff it with all their irrational beliefs, it did not mean everyone could do the same. In this case, the situation was completely different.

"Really, how?" inquired darkly James, leaning on the back of his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sirius had you to back him up! It makes all the difference in the world!" urged Lily.

Something in James seemed to snap. "So what do you suggest Evans? You want me to become best buddies with her? Offer her one of those matching best friend bracelets, uh?" he asked mockingly. "In case you haven't noticed she isn't exactly open to new relationships. You doesn't want your help nor mine and she doesn't care for friends."

"Well, that's the biggest lie ever told. You and I both know that." deadpanned Lily. James didn't answer, but glared moodily.

His attitude was irking her deeply. He always did that: judging people before he really got to know them and then refusing to make up his mind no matter what happened next. How stupid was that?

How the hell could he not get into his little head that, more often than not, there was more than what met the eye?

"You know what your problem is? You're unable to recognize your mistake. You painted her black from the second you met her and now that you realise she isn't the monster you thought she was, you can't..."

James didn't let her finish. "Bloody hell, Evans she isn't a saint either! Stop being so..."

Determined to make herself heard, Lily interrupted him and practically yelled her next sentence. "Sometimes what we live at home forces us to act a certain way!" she looked at him with contempt. "I wouldn't expect you of all people to understand but not everybody's parents worship the ground their children walk on. What one needs is not to be faced by another set of bullies when summer is over."

Flashes of Severus' bruised cheek came to Lily's mind.

The boy seemed to guess her train of thoughts. "This is not about Amelia Deauclair anymore, is it?" he breathed with an unreadable expression. "For your information, Evans, I know a lot more about parental pressure and mistreating than you can imagine. And it does not justify acting like a right prick the moment you're out of their reach."

"Well, that is a bit hypocritical coming out of your mouth." snapped the redhead.

James' eyes flashed. "The marauders and I never picked on anyone without a good reason." he snarled.

"Without a good reason?" cried Lily, daggers coming out of her eyes. "You're joking, aren't you? What about Severus? You've been bullying him for years now and what for? A petty rivalry and your own amusement! Or are those what you call good reasons?!"

"Snape had what was coming for him! He's a vile, creepy, bootlicking bastard and he always was!" ranted the bespectacled boy.

"Severus was not like that!" choked Lily, ignoring the burning sensation behind her eyelids. "You made him out to be! You pushed him around, poked, jeered and laughed at him so much that he started believing being himself wasn't enough. You made him seek out their protection. Because I wasn't enough to keep you and your intimidating ways at bay. It's because of you he lashed out at me! You made him!"

The chair James had been sitting on scraped and crashed on the stone floor as he jumped to his feet. On the other side of the room, a few house-elves squeaked in terror and one even dropped to the ground, falling into a dead faint. "If you think Snape ever needed my help to call you names, then you're better think twice." thundered the wizard, a finger jabbing the air in between them. "Do you honestly think that last semester was the first time Snivellus had called you a mudblood? He was being a jerk to you before we ever were on his case!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, James seemed to regret them and Lily felt her extremities go numb. "You're messing with my head."

This couldn't be true.

James took a step back as if to give her some more space. "Yes, I must be..." he mumbled softly. He was staring at her the same way he had when she had called Lady Deauclair's menaces a bluff; contemplating her as if she was too fragile for this world.

She was beginning to hate that look on his face.

She needed to get out of there.

"I really don't know why I asked for your help: I guess that of all the things I thought you were I never would have guessed you would turn out to be such a coward." she said, out of spite.

She turned on the spot and left, nearly trampling over Black, as he made to open the door of the kitchen.

As she walked away, Lily shook her head in an attempt to clear it. She was not going to let Potter get under her skin. He had been lying for sure: he had wanted to hurt her and he had succeeded. There wasn't more to it and she wasn't about to let this slow her down.

Amelia needed help and Lily was going to make things right whether with or without him. She had to.

Who needed James Potter anyway?

You do Lily. You really do, you just don't know it yet.

And to say some people think James and Lily didn't belong together. Honestly, these two care way too much about others. Can't think of how Harry ended up with a hero complex...

I know Lily may come up a bit annoying at this point, but take a moment to remember how much Harry complained about everything in OOTP.

You know some people when they reach puberty, they eat a lot. Some worry about their appearance way too much. Some psychoanalyze themselves until they feel depressed about themselves.

Others, like Harry and Lily, are angry at the world (I'm not saying they don't have good reasons to).

People kept telling Harry how similar he was to his father physically. What they forgot to tell him, in my opinion, is how much he acted like his mother: incredibly kind, open-minded and a bit prone to dramatic rants.

That's my time people! See you next chapter!