Another one out! This one came speedy quick! No promises for the future! Hope everyone is having an awesome summer!

Disclaimer: I hope by know you've figured out I don't own anything Potter related.

Blind and childish
I won't fight it
Here I hide
Underneath my innocence
Grow, Grow

Grow, Rae Morris

Chapter Seven: Marked

Sitting outside in the common room, James waited impatiently for Lily. He had had the whole night to think through her words for him, his resolve not letting him go without a few choice words back. If she thought their conversation had finished in the quidditch stadium, she was up for a rude awakening.

James folded his arms, the rumbling in his stomach indicating his lack of breakfast. He had heard Lily come back last night, stumble through the portrait at 1:30 in the morning. She couldn't hide in her room forever. A confrontation was coming her way and James' pulse was racing at the thought of it. He had had plenty of time to plan his rebuttal and mark how he would defend his character.

Looking at the clock above the fire place, its hands pointed to 11:45. How odd, Lily was always out of her room before 10:00 on weekends. His plan of an ambush diminishing quickly, James unfolded his arms, debating whether it be better to go to her. Ten strides across the room and he would be at her door. A twist of his wrist and the door handle would unlock, popping the door open. Lily would have nowhere to go. He was a hunter and she was his prey.

He was at her door before he could reconsider, his hand outstretched, the brass cool against his palm. Just one twist of his wrist. That's all it would take. A nagging pulled at the back of his mind though. Was he ready to violate her privacy just to throw some choice words her way? Is that what this had become? Pulling his hand back, James retreated, his resolve gone. No, not gone, just postponed. He would still have this conversation with her, it just wouldn't happen now. He could respect that.

Grabbing his sweater, James tossed it over his head and shrugged it into place. He had missed breakfast in his attempt to ambush Lily, he wasn't about to miss lunch too.

****77

The air was stiff in Lily's room. If only a window were open to relieve the staleness. Lily hadn't the drive nor the effort to so. Instead, her blankets lay crumpled at the bottom of her bed. She had somehow pushed them off in a restless sleep. She could barely recall moving from the floor to her bed; the night had concluded in a hazy fever of panic tremors and silent sobs. The pain in her wrist throbbed as blood pooled to the injury in an attempt to heal it. How backward was is that the body cause more pain and bruising to right a wrong. Deep purple shadows snaked around her wrist where Avery Mulciber had held onto it, pinning her to the wall. If only she could forget the whole incident. Ignorance was a beautiful as it was bliss.

She was hungry by this point. Her efforts of self-soothing -or lack thereof- had drained her both physically and emotionally. Her restless sleep had done little good to replenish the expenditure of the previous night. Food was the energy she desperately needed, and food was found in the great hall at this time.

After an internal war, rationalisation won over self-pity. Lily couldn't hide in her room forever, despite a tense want to curl up in her bed. She needed food and the price was exposure. Another glance at her wrist and Lily concluded a long sleeved shirt was necessary. She wasn't ready to tell anyone what had happened. She didn't need the fuss nor the attention it would warrant. She would figure out a way to deal with Mulciber quietly. Such a bold move from him was unwarranted. She had been scared at the time, hell, she was still scared now, but a bully left unchecked would solve nothing.

At the time of her attack, her priority had been escape. She had had her night to express her woes, would probably continue to do so later. Maybe all it would take was a quick conversation with McGonagall or Dumbledore to make her problems go away. The faculty would know how to handle the situation in a calm and collected manor. It was by far the safest and quietest route.

Settled with her resolution, Lily moved from her bed. Her arm throbbed as she stood up, the blood pooling down. Lily sighed as she reached for the first long sleeved shirt her fingers could find. She felt like a criminal with a secret covering up the evidence, not the victim she supposed she was. Hair tied back and arms covered, Lily made her way out of her room, relieved to be exiting its stuffy darkness. The room had become something akin to a prison. A place where she was trapped with herself alone. A quick stop in the bathroom to check the condition of her current appearance and Lily exhaled with defeat. Her pallor was sallow, her eyes hollow and tired looking. If she hadn't known why, Lily would have pegged herself as ill. Frustrated with her appearance, Lily smeared some concealer under her eyes. The blue pulled through underneath nevertheless, forcing Lily to give up lest she look like a cake face.

Finished with her losing battle against the mirror, Lily left the bathroom and made her way to the portrait. Pushing the door open, Lily poked her head out to ensure the hallway was clear. Tugging her sleeve down once again for extra measure, Lily stepped into the hall with a little courage. Her body protested as she forced her legs down the corridor towards the great hall. Any and every person she passed seemed suspect to her, every one of them capable of violence they didn't know they possessed.

Before the bend that took her to the main hallway, Lily hesitated. The grand room would be filled with hungry, rambunctious teenagers. Two of them would be eagerly awaiting her presence, questions of her date on their minds no doubt. Deciding maybe she wasn't so hungry after all, Lily turned on her heel.

"Oh," she gasped. Severus Snape stood behind her, his greasy hair covering half his face. It had been over two months since she had last seen him, the summer doing nothing to better his appearance. He had sent her one letter over the holiday however, a quick note wishing her a lovely break. That was all there was to it, a torn piece of notebook paper with his messy handwriting wishing her well. She supposed he had sent it in a moment of guilt. They had used to spend their summers together, a time that now felt void without his presence. She had stashed the note away deep in a cupboard, no intentions of replying. He had lost her trust and respect long ago. That still didn't mean she felt nothing for him though. He was her gateway into the world of magic and would always have a place in her heart.

"Evans," Severus acknowledged with a scowl. His eyes seemed to have a way of boring into hers, a quiet intensity only some possessed.

Lily cleared her throat, clearly at a loss for words. "I, uh…" Her arm seemed to burn now, as if her body knew danger was near.

"If you'll excuse me," Severus muttered, clearly annoyed by their transaction. He brushed past her despite the hallway only containing the two of them. Lily turned on her heel once more, as if she could beckon him back and have the heart to heart talk they dearly needed.

Frustrated by men in general, Lily stood still in her undecidedness. She was hungry but she didn't want to deal with people. All she wanted was her food. Her stomach rumbled with cheers for sustenance and Lily grit her teeth as she turned around the bend into the main hallway. She followed the steady stream of students into the hall and took the nearest seat she could find closest to the wall and out of sight.

Eva and Alice were nowhere to be seen, Lily thanked the gods as she readied herself for her meal. A first year cried out in disdain as Lily pulled the closest dish towards her. He was hallway through serving himself but quickly closed his mouth at the dangerous look Lily shot him. Try me. Dumping the smashed potatoes onto her plate, Lily eagerly searched for the gravy. Upon finding it, Lily poured half its contents into her potatoes, drowning the vegetable. Satisfied with her gravy to potato ratio, Lily dug a fork in and jammed it into her mouth. Sweet mother of baby Jesus. What a wonderful invention smashed potatoes and gravy was. It took her less than five minutes to scarf the meal down. It took less than three for the second helping.

Finally satiated, Lily was ready to head back to her isolation and curl up in her bed until dinner. The food had offered her the energy she needed to deal with her thoughts and seclusion. With her plan in mind, Lily sat up from her seat and turned towards the open double doors. Well damn, it seemed the universe had other plans in store for her. The Marauders were sauntering in; Sirius waving his hands dramatically in conjunction to the story he was telling. Remus listened with mild interest as Peter asked questions, James coming in last. Lily ducked down back into her seat, earning a weird look from Potato First Year. She was on the side closest to the wall at least, making her chance of escape slightly higher. Making a break for it, Lily raced down the short distance to the door, crouched low. She was out and into the hall with a swiftness capable of a swan. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but the avoidance of conflict was well worth it.

She was just about to give herself a congratulatory pat on the back for her sneaky escape when a male voice reached her ears. "Running away, are we? Never knew you were one to flee from a fight." James' deep voice echoed out into the hall. Lily closed her eyes, wishing he would disappear with a childlike need. "Too good to even look at me now, are you?" Lily sucked in a deep breath and turned slowly on her heel.

"Please, not today, Potter," she practically begged. She would have sacrificed a perfect mark on her OWLS for James to leave her alone. The boy had other plans however.

"I think today is as good as any." James closed in on her, the distance between them slowly disappearing. Lily held her ground, knowing backing up would look suspicious. James clearly needed to get his words out, clear his anger and then he would leave her alone. All she had to do was wait his coming rant out. This was the price for her potatoes and gravy. Nothing ever did come free.

Lily folded her arms and winced as the skin on her bruised arm pulled. James mistook it for annoyance, only fueling his ire more. "Get on with it then."

James folded his arms, mirroring Lily. "You seem to have the whole world figured out, don't you? You have everyone and everything categorized, all in perfect little squares. You don't even take a moment to really consider people. You just merely look at someone and make a snap judgement about them. You couldn't even be bothered to look deeper, find out what's really going on in their life. Nope, Lily says this is what you are so that's all you'll ever be. God forbid you try and change her mind." Lily held her tongue. James was pushing for a response, he was always after the fastest way to get her goat. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. She wanted her bed and James was the only thing in her way. Best to douse the flame as quickly as possible.

James had paused, as if waiting for a response. When it appeared she wasn't going to give one, he continued on. "My family has money. Material possession is a part of my life. Big whoop. Money doesn't make you a prude. Having a stick shoved up your arse does. Maybe if you tried to look past the surface, you'd be surprised by what you find."

Lily kept quiet. If this was as angry as he was going to get, she could handle it. Apparently James wasn't. "Not in the mood for a rebuttal? I find that hard to believe. Are am I not speaking slowly enough for you?" Here we go. "You know, you make it really easy for people to pick on your kind."

"My kind?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think them through. So much for staying quiet.

James shoved his hands into his pocket, the anger dissipating and turning to a sick calm at her reaction. She had given him exactly what he had come for. "Muggleborns, Lily dear, do try and keep up. I wonder why I even bother trying to protect you. You give more than enough reason for someone to hate you. Between the stuck up attitude, your constant bitching, and your feeble attempts to prove yourself as one of us, it's all really pathetic." Ouch.

"You know what, Potter? You can go fuck yourself." Lily moved to walk past him, finished with their conversation.

"Finally a response! Hallelujah! The girl can speak!" James raised his arms above his head as if preaching to the heavens.

"It's called fuck off, and it's located over there," Lily snapped, looking for an exit. James was effectively blocking her off. "Shove it, Potter. I'm done with you." Seeing no other way, Lily pushed forward, her shoulder colliding with James chest. Indignant, James reached out, grabbing her arm to stop her. Men and their stupid need to constantly grab her arm. Lily yelped as his hand closed around her bruised wrist, pain receptors firing off angrily. James let go immediately, a look of shock spread across his face.

"What the hell?" he gasped. Lily instinctively backed up, her arm protectively tucked into her chest. The pain, which had subsided to a dull throb, was now violently pounding again. James moved closer, his eyes flashing from her wrist to her eyes. Lily could feel the shock and pain etched across her face. She was an open book and James was reading right into her. "Show me your arm," he demanded. Lily backed up further, alarm poising her body. "Damn it, Lily! Show it to me!"

James closed what little distance there was between them. Before Lily could move, the boy was in front of her, a quick movement and her hand was in his. She hissed furiously as he shoved her sleeve back, revealing the dark bruises beneath. James stood motionless, his breath coming out slowly. It was an eerie and alarming calm. What seemed like an eternity passed before he spoke again, his words low and dangerous. "Who did this?"

"I... uh," Lily searched his face, looking for a tell-tale sign of what he was going to do. James refused to make eye contact with her, his attention fully on her wrist.

"Who did this?" he repeated slowly. His grip on her hand tightened uncomfortably.

"I have it under control," Lily breathed. She had never seem James so angry before.

James held Lily's wrist up as if showing her the extent of the damage. "This is under control? Bloody hell, Lily, this is not under control. If you don't tell me who did this, I swear to god I will find out myself. And when I do-"

"Mulciber, okay!" Lily cried out, her resolve breaking fast. She was tired and angry and the look in James eyes was starting to scare her. She wanted to be left alone and if the price was one name, so be it.

James dropped her arm, and turned on his heel hotly. He was gone before Lily could even call out his name out.

*******7

James raged with fury. His insides twisted with a deep wrath, one that would only be sated by ramming Mulciber into the wall. The boy would be as good as dead by the time James was done with him. All the anger he had placed on Lily was superficial compared to this. He had regretted every word he said to her. He knew he was pushing the boundaries by playing the muggleborn card. He had just wanted her to hurt as he had done. What he was not expecting was to find the marks that marred her wrist. A twisted purple that puckered her skin where it should have been soft and smooth. All anger towards her had drained away instantly. His desire to protect was fierce, and someone had hurt what was most precious to him.

Storming to his dormitory, James sought the one thing he needed to locate Mulciber. The Marauders map was stuffed under his mattress for safe keeping. He all but nearly threw his mattress across the room in its retrieval. It took him only moments to find the Slytherin's name located in the dungeons. Only one other name stood by his, some sixth year nobody. Easy. James could take out two in no time.

The trip to the dungeons was a swift one, fury pushing James' stride past normal gate. The sleazy Slytherin stood leaning against the main corridor's left wall as he chatted with his friend, his back to James. Before Mulciber's acquaintance could alert him, James was on the boy with a hasty vengeance.

"What the hell-" Mulciber cried out as James yanked him around, his fist connecting with Mulciber's jaw bone. The blonde stumbled back into his friend, stunned by the sudden onslaught. James didn't give the boy a chance to recover as his fist came pounding in for a second time, a satisfying crack reverberating down the hall. Mulciber clenched his nose as blood began to pour down his face.

"If you ever fucking touch her again," James swore, "I will personally knock every one of your teeth out." As if to prove his point of promised violence, James grabbed Mulciber by his collar before shoving him into the wall. Mulciber hit the stone with a heavy thunk, slumping down to the ground. His friend had deserted him as soon as James made the first hit. A Slytherin's loyalty for you.

Spitting blood from his mouth, Mulciber grinned with an idiotic sneer. "Jealous, are you? Angry I made it father with her than you ever had in seven years? You should ask her how good it felt, to have her bare skin underneath me. Have you ever wondered what her skin feels like, Potter? It's damn smooth for the filthy little mud blood she is-" James placed a well-aimed kick in Mulciber's ribs, shutting the boy up effectively. Mulciber cringed, curling in on the pain before snickering. "Poor Potter's girl, left all alone for anyone to take." James swung his leg, connecting with Mulciber again. "Better be careful where you leave her. I was only the first," Mulciber spat, blood flying out of his mouth. James lunged at the boy, fists flying with rapid fire. He would have kept on hitting if strong arms hadn't wrapped around him, pulling him off the Slytherin.

James struggled with the new force, not yet done with Mulciber. Sirius's voice broke through the red haze James was seeing through, pleading him to stop. Reasoning's of "he's not worth it," and "you're better than this," poured into his ear. Mulciber scrambled off the floor at the reprieve, throwing James the middle finger before scurrying down the hall and out of sight.

James breathed heavily, the adrenaline wearing off. He focused his eyes on Sirius, as if only really seeing him for the first time. "You okay?" Sirius asked, letting his friend go.

James wiped his arm across his forehead, sweat smearing into his hair. "Yeah."

"What the hell!" came an exasperated yell. It was Lily, storming down the hall, eyes wide in shock. "This is your solution?"

James met her halfway, grabbing her hand to expose the marks on her wrist. Sirius lowered his head when he saw the reason for James wrath, understanding flooding his eyes. "This will never happen again," he all but demanded.

"You're not my keeper," Lily protested, yanking her arm back.

"You don't get a choice," James argued back.

"I can take care of myself. You think this was the first time? You're delusional! I handled the first threat, I could have handled the second!" Lily yelled in reference to the anonymous letter she had received earlier. She had thrown this bit of fact in his face to persuade James of her capability, it instantly back fired though.

"The first threat?" he seethed.

Crap almighty. "The first was nothing," she clarified quickly. "Just a stupid letter with a silly warning."

"A warning for what?" James breathed.

Lily stammered. "I don't know. It was vague," she answered.

"Damn it, Lily," James cried out, slamming his first into the wall. "How am I supposed to protect you if you don't tell me about these things?"

"You don't need to protect me. As I recall, you saw no reason to do such a thing. Something about my stuck up attitude, constant bitching, and trying to fit in making me the perfect target! Why would you ever want to protect that?" Lily was screaming now, throwing everything back in his face. "You said it! I'm practically worthless!"

"You know exactly why I said those things." And she did. She had started it, he had only been reacting in whichever way he could. It was a dirty game and they both played with whatever cards they had.

"I don't care," Lily spoke childishly. She was too tired to think of anything better. "I don't need a babysitter. All I want is go to my room and sleep and not think about this." Lily sucked back a frustrated sob. "I don't want this anymore. I don't want to be a stupid mudblood if this is what it means. I'm done with it!" James bowed his head as Lily frantically brushed her few fallen tears away. "I don't want this anymore."

"I can't take away what you are," James spoke quietly. "I would never want to. But I can take you to your room though. Safely."

Lily would have argued against him, but she was too defeated. She nodded slowly, biting the inside of her check to stop another sob. "No more fighting, James. Not on my account." It was the first time she had said his first name directly to him in seven years. The effect was not lost on him.

"Okay." It was a lie and they both knew it.

James gave Sirius a quick nod, grateful his friend had found him when he had. He suspected Lily had something to do with it, but that would be dealt with later. Right now Lily was his one and only concern. Leading the way, Lily began down the hall, James following in her stead. The walk was long but uneventful, Lily slumping her feet across the stone floor the entire way.

Once in the dorm, Lily made her way to her bedroom, turning to face James as she opened her door. "You're not my keeper," she whispered before closing it behind her.

James' heart sped up as he watched her close the door, vowing to be her protector for as long as she needed it, whether she wanted it or not.

JLJLJLJLJLJL

Awwwwww, what a guy James is, punching first and asking questions later. So romantic.

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