A/N: OK, wow, everybody harness his or her chi, ok? :P Let me respond to a few concerns:
No, Remus is not in love with Lily. He just, for one brief moment, found her beautiful. Peter does not even love Lily, really, but that is a matter for the sequel. ;)
Lily is just asleep because Madame Pomfrey gave her a sleeping potion. I figured you all would catch that without me writing it in. My apologies.
Peter and the Slytherins… …read on and find out. Muahahahaha.
Chapter 17: First Night
Night brought an eerie calm to Hogwarts. The moon was bright and full, illuminating the fine mist that hung low
about the ground. Students stayed in their dorms, unnerved by the stillness of the air. It was just as well. Dark
things were unfolding.
Deep in the forest, a werewolf hunted. Remus had not made it to the Shrieking Shack on time and now roamed the forest
at his pleasure; a dark, skulking figure in the shadows.
A low noise attracted the wolf's attention. He crept towards a small clearing, keeping low to the ground. He
didn't find dinner there, however. What he saw would have terrified Remus the human, and probably gotten him
killed. The wolf, however, stayed lurking in the shadows, watching. Deciding to find easier prey, he crept away from
the clearing with a low growl. His wolf instincts knew better than to mess with the red eyes.
********************
Unaware of the goings on around them, Lily and James slept blissfully on. Wrapped in each other's arms, they gave each other warmth no blanket could provide. Their dreams were filled with light and love. No darkness could touch them tonight. They slept at peace, the only ones for the time being.
*******************
The moon had set, leaving everything in a murky darkness. Luckily, Rabastan and Rodolphus had their wands out, tips
lit, to guide the way so no one would fall. Calista walked between Severus Snape and the rat, hiding her bloodied hands
in the folds of her robe. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, trying to block out the memory of what had happened,
who she had met, and what she had just done. The company reached the edge of the forest and halted, huddled in the
shade of a massive oak tree.
"Get lost, rat," Bellatrix hissed scathingly. Without a word, Peter yanked his hood over his head and
departed, making a beeline for the comforting warmth of Gryffindor Tower.
I wonder how he got dragged into all this? Calista thought idly.
"We go back in pairs," Lucius said. "Say to the shadows. . . "
If they forced him like they did me. . .
The Lestrange brothers left.
If he had to do what I did. . .
Bellatrix and Lucius were gone. It was just Calista and Severus now. She started to leave, but Severus grabbed her
hand and pulled her back for a moment.
"No regrets, are there? He'll know if there are," Severus whispered.
"Of course not," Calista said. She prayed her voice and face showed more defiance than she felt. Inside, she
was shriveled and whimpering. Severus looked at her a long moment, then smiled his approval. He released her hand.
Calista turned to start back up to the castle. Severus leaned in and whispered once more in her ear, making her skin
break out in goose bumps.
"That's my girl."
Oh god. . . . .
*********************
Sirius awoke to the blistering light of dawn. He shut his eyes again to block out the glare of the sun. The grass was
making him itch. He scratched irritated at his skin and weakly sat up. The world swung back and forth and he groaned
and held his head in his hands.
Grass?
Ignoring the nausea, he jerked his head up and opened his eyes to stare around him. He was in the woods, he wasn't
exactly sure where. Birds were chirping, happily unaware of the dealings of wizards.
All right and I got here how?. . . . I was talking to Sara about. . . . . what were we talking about? Sirius
screwed up his face trying to remember. He and Sara had been in the hallway, and there was a sense of urgency, but what
they were talking about was completely erased from his memory. Also gone was whatever the urgency was about. He simply
couldn't remember.
Sirius' entire body ached but when he looked over himself and saw nothing to ache about. No bruises, no scratches,
no bite marks. Nothing.
"Bite marks?" he said softly. His voice was scratchy and hoarse, like he'd been screaming for hours. He
cleared his throat. "Why would I think bite marks?" He again combed his memory, trying to remember, but once
again came up with nothing. That was when Sirius realized he was alone.
"Sara?" He looked around for her, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
"SARA!" His voice sent a nest of birds flying into the air, but no Sara. Nothing.
********
Lily slowly opened her eyes to find James smiling down at her. His hand was gently stroking the side of her face.
She hesitantly smiled back at him.
'Hey' he mouthed silently at her.
'Hey' she mouthed back. She gave him a curious look. I wonder why we aren't talking? Lily opened
her mouth to speak, but James put a finger on her lips, put it to his own, then pointed. The door to Madame
Pomfrey's office was wide open and she could be seen sitting in her chair, fast asleep.
Lily smiled, then looked back at James. Without a word, he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Lily closed her
eyes and sighed against his mouth. I could wake up like this every day. . .
She put her hand on his neck and drew him closer to her. His body settled next to hers as one hand slipped into her
hair while the other traveled down her side to her waist. She moaned and tried to deepen the kiss, but James broke off
and, panting slightly, buried his face in her neck.
"Nice way to wake up," she whispered in his ear. He gave a low chuckle and the feel of his breath sent
delicious tingles up and down her spine.
"Missed you," he murmured. Lily closed her eyes and hugged him close.
"Missed you too," she said.
They stayed that way for the longest time, until both had slowly drifted off to sleep again.