Chapter 19: Down the Alleyway
"I don't understand how it's already time for a Hogsmeade trip," I say. "Where has all of October gone? How was this not even on my radar?"
"Well, to be fair, Lily, you have been extremely busy," Alice says from her armchair by the fire.
"We all have been extremely busy," Emmeline says. She has her Arithmancy homework spread across the table in front of her.
"Even I've been busy," Marlene yawns. She's sprawled on the rug in front of the fireplace, one of the throw pillows from the sofa propped under her head.
"Right?" I say. "I mean, I feel like we haven't even had time recently to all hang out together like this."
Alice hums her agreement while Emma continues scratching away, her quill bobbing across her parchment. It's late Friday night and we more or less have the common room to ourselves.
"So what's the plan, then?" I ask. "Where do we head first tomorrow? Three Broomsticks for lunch?"
Alice clears her throat. "Actually..."
I look at her. "Actually what?"
"I'm not going to Hogsmeade with you lot tomorrow." She turns faintly pink and bites back a smile. "Frank invited me to go with him." Then she can't contain her smile. "And I said yes."
"Alice!" I say, delighted. Marlene goes, "Awww..." from where she's laying. "Congratulations," Emmeline says, pausing to smile at Alice.
"Thanks," Alice says, still smiling, and self-consciously smooths her skirt. "I'm quite excited, but like I said, that means I have to bail on you guys tomorrow."
"Good enough reason," I say, grinning. Alice rolls her eyes, but I can tell she's pleased. "Okay, then. Marlene, Em? Tomorrow?"
"Actually..." Marlene says.
I throw a pillow at her. "You're not serious. What, you have a secret date tomorrow, too?"
Marlene catches the pillow easily and laughs. "No, I don't. But I'm being serious. Stacy and Andrew and I, and some of the other Quidditch people from the other houses, are headed to Sprintwitches first thing – rumor is they just got in a bunch of new gear, and maybe even the newest Cleansweep. Plus, I desperately need new gloves."
"Marlene," I whine.
"Sorry Lil! But maybe I'll see you for lunch?"
"Emma?" I say, turning to her.
"Hmm?" My studious mate doesn't look up.
"Hogsmeade?"
She finally pauses to placate me with a smile. "Of course, Lily. You know I wouldn't miss a Hogsmeade trip."
I grin back. "Finally. A mate who remembers going to Hogsmeade with me is just as fun as meeting up with a bloke or looking at broomsticks."
Marlene sticks her tongue out at me, but Alice just smiles.
"Oh Lily... just you wait. Hogsmeade trips will feel very different the day you want tospend it with the right bloke."
/
The next morning, we wave goodbye to Marlene and Alice as they go their separate ways, then head off down the street ourselves. Autumn is in full swing, and all the trees lining the cobbled streets are golden. The brisk breeze sends the fallen leaves skittering. Our planned destination is Scrivenshafts, but, even though we just had breakfast, the spicy, buttery smells wafting from the bakery attached to Tomes and Scrolls detour us, and we spend a happy hour browsing books and eating apple cinnamon scones.
The morning is going delightfully by the time we finally do exit Scrivenshafts, Emma lovingly toting a bag with a brand new eagle feather quill. There'd been a very handsome pheasant quill I'd admired and thought I might send Mum and Dad a mail order form as a little hint for a Christmas gift. It's nearing noon when Emma looks at her watch. "It should be just about time to meet Marlene at Three Broomsticks for lunch," she says.
"Yeah, that sounds… good…" but I trail off in my response. Because there they are, huddled together in the square – Lestrange, Rosier, Mulciber, and Regulus Black. Again, no Severus. Was it possible that they might use today for whatever they'd been up to on their previous Hogsmeade trips?
Before any of them can spot me, I duck into the nearest doorway and drag Emma with me.
"Lily? Careful, you'll crumple my new quill!" Emma says, annoyed. "What is going on?"
"Shhh..." I say, peeking out carefully around the doorway.
Emmeline copies me. When she sees the group of Slytherins, she jerks her head back. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Lily!" Then she gathers her bag up to her. "I told you I'm not getting mixed up in this anymore. If you need me, I'll be at lunch with Marlene."
And without another word, she marches right out the door, her crossed arms doing double duty keeping her bag pressed to her chest and conveying her irritation. I watch her go, my mouth open with surprise, too surprised to protest or try and stop her. She breezes right past Rosier. He glances at her then does a double-take.
I duck back into the doorway, heart beating in my throat. If he recognized Emmeline, does that mean he suspects I'm around her, too?
After a minute, I peek back out. Emmeline's nowhere in sight and the Slytherins are on the move.
Well, if Emmeline didn't want to tow suspicious Slytherins, I guess I can't blame her. It's not her job. I just hope she's not too frustrated that it's mine.
And I kind of do want to.
I hurry and throw the hood of my cloak over my head in a quick, hopefully effective disguise, and steal after them.
This is becoming far more routine than I would have anticipated, I think as I keep a safe distance between myself and the boys. I never would have guessed how frequently I would need to sneak around, trail suspicious people, fly under the radar. Good practice for when I'm an Auror, I think enthusiastically, leaning casually against a wall while I watch them deliberate outside Zonko's Joke Shop. I think I'm already getting pretty good at it, too.
I startle when Rosier suddenly leads the others down a narrow alleyway next to Zonko's and hurry after them. The alley looks narrow enough and dark enough that I worry if I don't get there quickly, I'll lose them. I'm not going to let that happen. I'm determined to get real answers today.
Quiet as I can, quick as I can, I step into the darkness. I have no clue where this alley leads either, further complicating my fear I'll lose them. There's quite a few empty crates and boxes and rubbish stacked up, and I quickly lose sight of the main road as I weave through the debris, wrinkling my nose at the smell of rotting food.
Then quite suddenly, the space opens up behind the shops. But more importantly it dead ends, and the Slytherins are nowhere to be seen.
"Huh?" I say aloud.
"What's the matter, Evans? Lost?"
I whirl around. Rosier, Lestrange, Mulciber, and Black prowl out of the alley I just exited.
"A little," I say, lifting my chin. They've startled me, and I have no clue how I somehow passed them in the alley without noticing. There must have been an offshoot hidden behind all the garbage in there, but I'm sure as heck not going to let them see how panicked I feel being trapped back here alone with the four of them. "I don't suppose you're here to help me back out?"
"Maybe I'd feel more inclined if you hadn't been following us," Rosier says.
Hmm. Not as good at tailing as I thought. Dang it.
"Just keeping an eye out," I say. "Head Girl things, you all understand."
"So are you following loads of other students around, or just us?" Regulus Black challenges.
"Only the ones I think might be up to trouble," I say before I can help myself.
"Up to trouble?" Rosier muses. "I suppose you wouldn't be wrong..." Lestrange twitches and Regulus raises an eyebrow at Rosier. Even Mulciber looks a little surprised.
"Care to share?" I ask. "Save me the detective work in the future?" As we talk, I assess the situation. The four Slytherins have planted themselves right in the mouth of the alley, cutting off my only clear exit. Some of the buildings around us do have doors, though I'm unsure if any of them are unlocked. If I yelled loud enough, would anyone come out to investigate?
Rosier laughs. "No, I don't think so. In any case, don't you have Severus on the case for you?"
"I - Severus?" I say, distracted from my internal planning. Had he told them I was onto them? Betrayal.
"Because if you have talked to him, you know we're not really up to anything," Rosier says smoothly. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Just helping the Ministry out."
It matches what Sev told me before, and yet...
"Too bad I don't quite believe that," I say. "I'm not sure what about potion research has to do with secret trips into Hogsmeade."
It's their turn to be caught off guard. I watch Regulus, Lestrange, and Mulciber exchange looks, though Rosier stays focused on me. His eyes narrow.
"Not as stupid as your Mudblood status would make you seem, are you, Evans?" His tone has shifted, from mocking to dangerous.
"No, it would seem not," I say, slipping my hand as casually as I can to my pocket, feeling the reassuring smoothness of my wand in my grip.
But I guess I'm as bad at casually reaching for my wand as I am tailing, because Rosier smirks, and all four of them withdraw their wands. No one raises theirs, but still, the tension in the air condenses.
I sigh and take mine out, too. Lestrange laughs right out loud. "Going to take on all of us by yourself, Evans?"
"Only if you make me," I reply lightly, twirling my wand in my fingers, but inside my heart races and I'm running through all my options more urgently than before. I'm a pretty decent dueler, better than average, even, but four on one is a bit excessive, even for me. I might possibly be able to take down one of them and draw the others away from the exit long enough to sprint out...
"Not by herself," a new voice says, and this time it's the Slytherins who spin in surprise.
"Oh, thank Merlin," I breathe as James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew come into view, squeezing their way out from between a couple stacks of crates and into the larger space.
The Slytherins pull back in surprise, giving the Marauders enough room to come stand with me. Their wands, previously held idly at their sides, rise defensively in front of them.
"Lily," James says, nodding as he falls into place shoulder to shoulder with me, like we've just happened upon each other in the corridor at school. Only his eyes, tight at the corners and burning, let slip he's actually furious.
"Aww, Reg, I thought I told you to find a better crowd to hang with than this," Sirius says from my other side.
Regulus sneers at his brother. "You ought to take your own words, Sirius."
Sirius glances around at his friends. "You know, I think I'm good," he says.
Rosier laughs scathingly. "Listen to your little brother, Black. From where I'm standing, it's not looking so good to me." He lets his eyes linger over each of us – Peter's wand trembling in front of him, Remus's tattered robes, James standing protectively at my shoulder. "A Mudblood, a coward, an invalid, and a blood traitor." He smirks. "You're right, you really should be proud of where you stand." Mulciber, Lestrange, and Regulus all laugh.
For the first time, Sirius looks genuinely angry by any of the Slytherins' words. He grips his wand tighter and starts to raise it but James jumps in, pushing forward. "Rather standing here than with you lot." He cuts his gaze across the four of them. "Blood purist gits, only looking to serve under a more powerful, more intelligent head, right?" He drops his voice, his tone deadly. "Death Eaters, right?"
Lestrange roars in anger and a jet of purple light flies from his wand.
"Watch it!" James shouts, but I've already thrown a Shield Charm up in front of us. The spell rebounds and we duck as it explodes against a wall, showering us with rock and dust. I cry out when something hard pings off my temple.
In an instant, we've straightened back up, all poised to strike now. Even Peter, who clearly felt less up to a confrontation than any of us, holds his wand at the ready.
"Go on," I hiss. "Try it again. I won't be so kind this time." I feel a trickle down the side of my face – sweat? Blood? - but I don't raise a hand to check, don't let my defensive stance waver.
"Unless you think you don't want to fight when it's a little more fair?" James jabs. "Only capable of a fight if it's the four of you on Lily? With her back up against the wall, no less... It's no wonder none of you ended up in Gryffindor."
Rosier scowls and Regulus spits angrily on the ground, but none of them make a move.
For a moment, we all just eye each other, wands tensed and ready, trying to guess what the others will do.
Finally, Rosier lowers his wand. "Let's go," he mutters to the others.
We keep our wands trained on them as they glare at us and shuffle back towards the alley.
"Next time don't be so shady!" I spit at their retreating backs. None of them turn to acknowledge me.
"Lily. You okay?" James says, dropping his wand and turning to me as soon as Mulciber, bringing up the rear of the group, disappears. His free hand hovers anxiously around my face for a second before going to his hair without touching me. Sirius stands at the mouth of the alley, watching them go in distaste, and Remus and Peter still have their wands drawn.
"I'm fine," I say, letting out a shaky breath. "But I think you guys got here just in time. How did you find me?"
"Would you believe we were tailing them, too?" James says wryly. "Except not as well – we lost them at Zonko's." He shakes his head, frowning and rubbing his hair in annoyance. "I can't believe we lost them! I should have been keeping better track, especially knowing you were likely to go charging into trouble. We only checked the alleyway on a whim."
"Well, I'm glad you did," I say fervently.
"Why were you alone?" he asks.
"Alice is on a date, Marlene was with Quidditch people, and Emma ditched as soon as I got involved with the Slytherins – she's not about this whole investigating business," I reel off.
"You can't go off alone like this," James frets.
"Well, I didn't end up alone, did I?" I say. "Thanks to you lot, always turning up unexpectedly."
"Well, did you at least get something out of putting yourself in danger?" James asks.
"Maybe?" I say. "Rosier kind of admitted they're up to something?" I say.
"Oh, thank goodness you followed four hostile Slytherins down a deserted alleyway just so you could get them to 'kind of' admit guilt," James says, using air quotes and rolling his eyes. But I can't even find it in me to get frustrated at him and his snarky comments; I'm riding some kind of giddy survivor's high and also feeling way too grateful they showed up to save me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong, independent witch who can fight her own battles, but I'm also realistic enough to know that me versus four wizards, even if their skill levels weren't quite equal to mine, would be a battle I wouldn't walk away from.
"Oh, you're just being contrite because you were worried about me," I tease.
"I was," James says, very seriously. "I'm really glad you're okay, Lily." He reaches out again and this time he doesn't pull back. Very quickly, gently, he runs his thumb down my cheek. "You're bleeding," he says quietly, looking down at the smear of red on his hand.
"Oh," I say. "Right. Thanks." But I don't move to wipe my face. Can't move.
He turns quickly away.
"Let's get out of here," he calls loudly to his mates, who are still clumped together by the alley.
I'm still frozen in shock. The fire-hot trail James's thumb had traced down my face smolders.
"Lily, you coming?"
I start. James is looking at me, about to follow Remus, Sirius, and Peter out. He smiles when I meet his eyes. My cheeks get hotter.
"Yeah," I say, hurriedly wiping the blood off my cheek with my sleeve. "Coming!"
/
It's a relief to be back on the street. I revel in the security of seeing other students and Hogsmeade residents wandering up and down the cobblestones on their various outings. We join the bustle, me drifting behind the boys. They're such a cohesive unit, I don't even know how to hang around them, how to be a part of this group, but I'm reluctant to part with them just yet. They add to the sense of security I feel out here. I wonder if they've already forgotten about me, the way they all easily fall into step together, but then James drops back to walk with me.
"Where you headed?" he asks.
"Um, I'm not sure," I mumble. I'm having a hard time looking him in the face after that whole... moment a minute ago in the alley, the way it tangled my stomach, and not even in a bad way. Come on, Evans, I chide myself. Woman up. It was just a touch to my cheek. Barely a second. Nothing, really. I clear my throat and try again.
"I mean, Emmeline and Marlene were meeting for lunch at Three Broomsticks, but I'm not sure they'd still be there now."
"I could do lunch!" Peter says enthusiastically, dropping back to push between us.
"So could I," Sirius says, and Remus nods his agreement. None of them are making it a secret they'd been eavesdropping. It makes me wonder how much they caught between James and me earlier.
I expect James to agree with his mates, but he surprises me by checking with me. "Lunch, Lily?"
"Oh! Uhh..." I'm not sure how I feel about spending my afternoon in Hogsmeade lunching with the Marauders, but they did just rescue me and I am hungry...
"You really shouldn't be roaming Hogsmeade alone," James says seriously. He adds in undertone, "What if Rosier and his crew are still around?"
And there is that.
"Yeah, okay," I say cautiously. I've had enough of being on my own today. "I could eat."
Peter cheers, and the five of us make our way through the busy streets to Three Broomsticks.
