Lily Evans stood with her hand clamped over her mouth, the disillusionment charm she cast hastily sliding down her spine like a raw egg. She was afraid to breathe too loud lest she draw the attention of the pack of boys currently sitting in the common room. And that's truly what she thought of them as, a pack of animals instead of the young lords and heirs they were supposed to be. The tea she'd snuck down to the kitchens to get soured in her stomach as she listened to them speak.
"I'm telling you, Prongs, just call a Blood Feud and be done with it! Surely Mother Magic hates the greasy git as much as we do. Then no one can say anything when Snivellous turns up dead!"
"Hmmm," Prongs, Heir James Potter, the bane of Lily's existence, hummed," It's not a bad idea, Padfoot. But I'll need a proper reason to get Dad to agree. Besides, Snivellous thinks he owes me a life debt now, the slimy git. Do you know how much fun we could have with that?"
"Does he owe you a life debt?" An excited, avarice filled voice that Lily recognized as Mr. Peter Pettigrew asked. She could picture his face, she'd seen it a thousand times. Fawning, nearly lovestruck, with a hint of greed. It was disgusting.
Potter laughed, "Of course not, Wormtail! Do you think I'd let any bond of any kind form between me and that poor excuse for a wizard? I don't think he's really a New Blood. I think he figured out a way to charm a ring with all that seedy magic he studies to convince people he is. Why else would my Lily-flower spend any time with him?"
A book slammed closed and Lily immediately recognized the voice of Mr. Remus Lupin, her fellow prefect. "This is getting ridiculous! I told you both–"
"Aww, Moony," came a whine from the Master of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
"Don't Moony me, Sirius! The last time you tried to murder him, you nearly got me caught and killed! A Turned killing another student? They would execute me faster than Hagrid would try to claim me as his pet!"
"Not really," Potter said, and Lily could hear not only his smugness, but the sound of the snitch repeatedly hitting his palm. "I thought so, at first. That's why I ran after him. But after the way Dumbledore reacted? I imagine he would have made it seem like the git had an accident with the Whomping Willow. Afterall, would a politician like Dumbledore kill the best mate of the heirs of the Honorable and Most Ancient House of Potter and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black? Especially when that would mean he would have to admit to allowing said werewolf on the grounds in the first place?"
"No?" Pettigrew hazarded a guess.
"Exactly!" Black howled with delight, "That's a brilliant bit of thinking there, Prongsy."
"Thank you, thank you," Potter replied, as the sound of clapping (only one set of hands) filled the air. Lily just knew he was bowing.
Remus released a defeated sigh. "I'm going to bed. We're all going to bed. Now. We have O.W.L.s all week!"
"Moony–" Black whined again. He really did sound like an overgrown dog.
"Now!" There was an edge of growl and authority to Remus' voice that Lily had never heard before.
She wondered why. He'd always said he couldn't get Potter and Black to do anything, but the quiet grumbling and the sound of four pairs of feet tromping up the stairs proved otherwise. She'd always been a little softer toward Remus. He was the best of them, always put upon, trying to uphold his duty and keep his friendships. But it was a lie. All of it was a lie. Lupin was as bad as the rest of them, simply less obnoxious.
Lily waited, still conscious of her breathing, in case one of them had forgotten something. Questions flew through her mind. She'd known something terrible had happened to Severus. For weeks he hadn't slept until she'd cajoled him into letting her keep guard for an hour at a time as he caught a quick nap in the library or the kitchens, both places the Marauders couldn't simply pop up without some kind of alarm sounding first - Ms. Pince in the library, and the horde of house elves in the kitchens. But even then he'd sometimes whimper and mumble things. He'd told her what he could without breaking whatever vow the Headmaster had him under, but to hear it so plainly, to hear them brag about it and try to make another plan, made her sick. And that the Headmaster did nothing? Lily was never more reminded of her Muggle roots than in this moment as she pictured herself breaking his nose with her fist.
What bothered her even more was Potter's magic. The magics of the Ancient houses were said to be living entities, in a sense. It was something she and Severus strived for when they made their plans to become blood siblings and found their own house after graduation, that their House would be attributed some day. Malfoys were extremely vigilant, Weasleys were affable, Blacks were noble, and Potters were honorable. It was said that liquid honor ran through their veins, and any lady or gentleman need not worry about their virtue near them. But Lily always worried when Potter was nearby and she didn't think she'd ever seen him do an honorable thing in the five years she'd known him. She understood that they were still young. She understood that she couldn't begin to understand how the Potter Family Magic judged situations. But every time she found the four of them cursing Severus blind (literally once) or Potter once again asked her on a date no matter how many times she'd said no, she couldn't imagine how the Potter magic still sat easily in him.
Fury and fear combined together and caused her magic to shimmer across her skin as she finally marched upstairs and locked her door with every single locking spell she could think of. As she brushed her hair for the night and fed it to the candle flame with a whisper of thanks to Mother Magic, she knew deep in her heart that it was time to get away from James Potter once and for all. She and Severus both. Potter and the rest of the monsters he called friends could have her brother's life over her dead and magicless body.
A dull headache pounded behind Lily's eye, as if a miniature bludger was wreaking havoc inside her skull. It'd been three days since she heard the Marauder's conversation in the common room. She'd been so on edge, waiting for them to strike, that she hadn't been able to sleep. Not that she'd been trying to get much of that, she'd been studying. Not for the O. like she should be, but protection wards and rituals, runes that could be stitched in clothing and scratched into leather boots, charms that could be worn. Unfortunately most of them required time and rare ingredients, neither of which they had. Even worse, Lily's study of family magic led her to a conclusion concerning James Potter which made her feel like she'd swallowed ten acid pops whole while a brood of ice mice nested in her heart.
He was the only heir the Potter line had and family magic always strove to survive. Not only that, but he was so obsessed with her and he hated Severus so much that in his twisted mind he truly believed, with utmost sincerity, that she belonged to him, that he loved her, that she was his future wife, and Severus was the villain standing between them, whispering lies in her ear and guiding her affections elsewhere. And everyone knew how Potters felt about love.
Lily had searched for anything she could use to get him out of their lives. She thought of adults. Professor Slughorn, Severus' Head of House and Sponsor, consistently sucked up to Black and Potter, especially Potter, so much that Lily was surprised his lips weren't permanently pursed. The less said about Dumbledore the better. Her sponsor, the Impartial and Most Ancient House of Shafiq, was exactly that, impartial. Her relationship with the family was very… distant. She would always be thankful for their sponsorship, but she'd always wonder what it would have been like to be sponsored by a family willing to take her in, instead of one that believed in a very strict, tutor/tutee relationship only.
The only other hopes she'd had were Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Her Head of House always seemed strict, and she absolutely adored the Charms professor. She planned on impressing him enough for him to agree to be her Master, so she could learn both charms and dueling from the best. Those hopes had buoyed her as she had traveled towards the staff room, only to hear Professor McGonagall chortle about the latest Marauder prank against the Slytherin Quidditch team, and then to confess to Professor Flitwick that she still had hopes about making James head boy, if only he'd get a few less detentions. Her respect for the professor sunk so quickly that she thought she was going to collapse.
So Lily was particularly aggrieved as she strode towards the outside, hoping only to relax with Severus in their spot by the lake. She needed it desperately. So when she stepped outside only to see a quickly gathering crowd, and heard Potter's arrogant voice and Black's twisted laughter on the wind, something snapped in her. It seemed the fools had forgotten how much power a lioness had, and how desperately she was willing to fight. She would remind them of their place.
Taking a deep breath, she employed every trick of etiquette she had learned, and then she channeled the most terrifyingly confident witch she knew, Narcissa Black. People parted before her, sensing her aura, as she strode to the front. She didn't even hesitate when saw Potter and Black laughing as Severus choked on the pink suds dripping from his mouth.
"Expelliarmus!" she stated primly, twice in quick succession, catching both Potter and Black's wands as they flew into the air. "Ten points from Gryffindor, a piece, for attacking another student."
A quick finite and the suds stopped generating in Severus' mouth. Potter and Black gaped at her a moment before bursting into laughter. Pettigrew was behind them, shifting from foot to foot like an excited child waiting to be told what to do, while Lupin had the good grace to grimace.
Potter tousled his hair, "My dearest Lily-flower, if you wanted my wand you only had to ask. How about you give me yours in exchange, say this weekend, at the Three Broomsticks?"
Black let out another bark of laughter, "Pretending to take points from us, that's so cute. Besides, Remus could just give them back. Isn't that right, Moony?"
Lily sent Remus such a look of disdain that he recoiled. She refocused on the two of them and sneered down her nose as if they'd just tried to touch an Oligarchy maiden unasked.
"Heir Potter, Master Black, I have never given you leave to use my first name. Such disrespectful behavior shames both of your Houses. Attacking a lone classmate, who you've already disarmed, further shows your cowardice, and shames the House of Gryffindor. Heir Potter, I have had enough of you blatantly disrespecting my choices and my words. I will not court or go on betrothal dates until I've finished my Mastery, unless I'm one of the few lucky witches who has been given a soul mate and finds them before then. You are certainly not it. I will never go on a single courtship date with you, ever. Even if you threaten me at wand point. In fact, from now on, every time you ask me to go with you, especially when you're holding my friend at wand point, I will treat it the same as I would if I caught anyone else coercing a maiden for a betrothal, or trying to steal her Maiden's Kiss. I will deduct 20 points, refer you for detention, and then I'll make an official complaint to both my sponsor and the Head of House Potter. And if you continue? I'll swear an Unbreakable Vow in front of the entire school that I will never court, date, bond or marry you. Is that understood?"
Black had an unreadable look on his face, his eyes calculating. Potter gaped like carp floundering on land.
"Lily-flower, er, Evans! You don't mean that. You'll see, I'll convince you how much I love you."
He was so painfully earnest that Lily wanted to pluck his eyes out. Instead she cast a jelly legs jinx at the both of them. Pettigrew finally moved, his wand raised. A lowly growled disarming jinx from her left had him skittering backward as Severus deftly caught his wand and stood beside her.
"If you have any honor left in you, , you won't move," Lily stated.
The Werewolf bowed his head in acceptance.
Lily took Pettigrew's wand from Severus and considered it and the two other wands in her hand. Then, cooly, she flicked her wand and banished them into the Black Lake. Black and Potter both sputtered while Pettigrew made a pathetic whining noise. A few gasps came from the crowd surrounding them.
Lily lifted her chin, defiant, "I do hope you're properly bonded to your wands. Perhaps when you can feel your legs again, you and your lap dog can go for a nice swim and fetch them. If the squid hasn't claimed them first. Mr. Snape? Will you please escort me inside?"
Severus immediately straightened and offered her his arm at precisely the right height. She took it and walked resolutely back towards the castle. She could feel her friend watching her, a million questions streaming through his head, but he did not ask and she offered no answers. When they finally reached the Great Hall, she locked eyes with him immediately.
'We need to move quickly! Follow me!' She pushed toward him.
He picked up the pace immediately and Lily led him through twists and turns, dusty corridors, and moving staircases, until they were on the seventh floor next to a portrait of ballet slipper clad trolls. She paced, thinking of her need for a space that the Marauders couldn't find, where she and Severus could talk freely and openly without fear. After three circuitous routes, their breath harsh in the air, a door appeared and Lily quickly tugged Severus in.
Her knees nearly buckled, the relief that swept through her as the door shut behind them was so heady.
"Lily, what was that?" Severus asked in a mix of awe and disbelief as he steadied her, "And what is this place?"
"Magic," Lily couldn't help but quip before leaning into him. "I only know it's somewhere safe. I found it after Petunia formally disowned me. Needed a good cry. It appeared with everything I needed - enough tissues to get lost in, the fluffiest blanket I've ever felt, a nest of pillows, and a whole pile of things I could throw and break."
He squeezed her and then pinched her elbow. "And you didn't show me before?"
"I was afraid they could track us," Lily admitted, "And I don't ever want them to find this place, who knows what they would do with it."
Severus nodded solemnly, "But they're distracted now. Fishing their wands. Out of the lake. Where you threw them."
Lily looked up and caught his eye and they both burst into near hysterical laughter, the stress from the experience seeping out of them. When they were finished and all tears were wiped away, they stepped further into the room.
There was a large, cozy fireplace, a large table filled with scrolls of parchment, quills, and ink. A plate of biscuits and two steaming mugs of hot chocolate were waiting for them, as well; along with an absolutely comfy couch, blankets, and pillows all decorated in shades of black, green, and gold. Lily sunk into a cushion with a wistful sigh.
"Lil? This looks serious," Severus stated, his voice somber as he eyed the Butterbeer biscuits.
Lily swallowed heavily, her heart constricting in her chest. "It is, Sev. A matter of life or death."
"What? If those miserable curs threatened you in any way, I'll–"
"Severus, stop," Lily whispered, placing a restraining hand on his forearm. He quieted immediately. "I walked in on them conversing, they didn't know I was there. I know what happened with Lupin and Black now, Severus. Black wants to kill you desperately still. He was trying to goad Potter into calling a Blood Feud. Potter would have except he liked the idea of you thinking you owed him a life debt.
"I don't!" Severus hissed desperately, "I don't care what Dumbledore claims, he wasn't trying to save me! I know it!"
"It's going to be alright, Sev," Lily soothed. "Potter agreed with you and admitted as such."
Severus inhaled sharply, probably in both relief and surprise, Lily guessed. "But Severus, they aren't going to stop until you're dead and I belong to James. And I won't let that happen, I won't. You're my brother, the only true family I have left. And I will fight for you, for us, and our magic until there's nothing left of me. Always."
"Always," Severus agreed, and their magic sealed it in place.