Their Seventh Year

Your reviews have been wonderful, thanks!!!!

Someone asked if I ship anything.  Nope.  I wanted to do a Lily and James fic because they’re so canon, other than that I really don’t care.  Really, I’m open to any ship if it’s presented realistically.

Short Chapter, but that’s better than nothing, right?

Chapter 14- Consequences

While McGonagall loomed above them, white with fury, James looked around at the people still standing, and saw the same question in his friends’ eyes....who had cast the crucio? James, for his part, didn't even know HOW to do that curse...he knew the words, but he had certainly never tried it. Of course, since no one had fallen to the ground writhing in pain, it hadn't worked, but...

He looked again to McGonagall, and while she was plenty mad, he didn't think she had heard the unforgivable curse. "You all..." She gestured to those who were still standing. "Go straight to my office! NO, you are not walking back!" She snapped as they started to turn. "Use the floo in the Three Broomsticks. Go!"

While she began conjuring stretchers and trying to rouse the unconscious Slytherins, they hurried inside under a glare from Madame Rosmerta, and flooed to her office. They stood around uncomfortably, nobody wanting to mention what they were all thinking.

"We're in so much trouble." Lily finally said in a small voice.

"It wasn't our fault, we didn't start it." Sirius said hurriedly, obviously trying out the line he planned to use on McGonagall. "Thanks." He added as Flora handed him a handkerchief to press against the cut on his cheek. "Damn Nott."

"You guys..." James looked around at them all. "Who did it?"

They didn't need to ask what he meant. They all looked at each other.

"Well, it wasn't any of us!" Peter said quickly. "It had to be one of the Slytherins!"

"Yeah, they know all that stuff...unforgivable curses...dark arts...."

They couldn't discuss it further because McGonagall stepped out of the fireplace, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Professor, it wasn't our fault, they started it!" Said James, Sirius, and Flora all at once.

"Quiet!" She snapped. "I am absolutely appalled at your behavior! When you are in Hogsmeade you represent this school and Gryffindor House and I am shocked that members of my house, along with our head boy and girl, were brawling in the streets like first years! Not to mention that as seventh years you are expected to set a better example for the other students!"

"Professor, really, Avery started it." Lily said quietly, trying to sound like she was in control of the situation. "He..erm...bumped into me...and..."

"What Lily is too polite to say-" Flora interrupted hotly. "-is that he ran into her...um...strategically...and on purpose, and then when she told him off, he took her wand!"

"That's true Ma'am." Said Sirius earnestly. "James was just trying to get it back!"

"That's enough!" Said McGonagall. "Regardless of what Mr. Avery may have done, that does not condone fighting. You can rest assured the Slytherin students will be punished accordingly when they are released from the hospital wing."

James felt at least a small amount of satisfaction that they had to go to the hospital wing.

"As for the lot of you...there will be no more Hogsmeade visits foe the rest of this term. One hundred points from Gryffindor, which I'm sure you will enjoy explaining to the rest of your house."

"But Professor-"

She held up a hand. "Mr. Black you are lucky I am not involving the Headmaster in this. Now be quiet." Sirius looked down at his feet. "I will be sending owls to all your parents, and you will all serve detentions." She finished. "I'm sure Mr. Filch can find a use for you."

All in all, James felt it could have been worse.

"Well, at least we'll all get to bond with each other, since no one elsein Gryffindor will speak to us after losing a hundred points." Sirius remarked pragmatically.

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When they got back to the common room, it was only first and second year students, the others were not yet back from Hogsmeade. James shooed away some second years so they could all sit nearest the fire.

"I'm definitely going to get a howler." He said glumly.

"Me too." Muttered Flora. "Probably two, one from my parents and one from my sister."

Lily reflected that some times it wasn't so bad to be muggle born. Her parents might be mad, but they couldn't embarrass her in front of the entire school.

A group of chatteringfourth years came through the portrait hole. "Nice going Potter." One of them called in his direction.

"Make a note of which kid said that." He said mildly. "When I'm not already in trouble, I'm going to hex his pants off. Literally."

They caught snatches of the conversation was the fourth years moved off "..lost a hundred points..." "What?! A hundred....?"

"I would suggest we all retire to our rooms before the rest of the house gets back." Remus sighed.

"I think you're right mate."

Lily started to follow Flora up to their dorm, but then turned and went back over to the boys staircase. "Potter?"

He turned around, while his friends exchanged a look and then continued up the stairs. Lily walked up the first few steps so that they were out of sight of the people in the common room. "You got me in trouble..." She began.

"For Merlin's sake Evans, I was trying to help you!" He interrupted hotly. "And don't tell me you had the situation under control because from where I was standing it looked like Avery was about to hex you with your own wand."

She crossed her arms over his chest while he had this little outburst. When he finished, she went on quietly. "If you could let me get a sentence out without interrupting me. You got me in trouble, but for all the right reasons. So, I appreciate it, and....thanks." He could not have looked more shocked if she had hexed him, but she turned and fled to the girls dormitory, leaving him staring after her.

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Detention, lost points, and no more Hogsmeade visits (well, no more school sanctioned Hogsmeade visits) didn't seem like anything to smile about to Sirius, but James came back into their room with a silly grin on his face.That boy had it bad.

Sirius was pacing about restlessly. McGonagall had not precisely confined them to their dormitory, but they didn't dare go back to the common room until the other students had gotten over the loss of points, so he felt trapped anyway.

"Who d'you reckon it was?"

They didn't even ask what he was talking about.

"Well, it wasn't any of us." Peter said, but there was a hesitation in his voice, and he gave Sirius an odd look.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

"I wasn't!"

Sirius threw up his arms in frustration. "Sure Wormtail, I've been practicing Avada Kedavra, I'm going to use it on you all while you're sleeping."

"That's not funny Padfoot." Remus said quietly.

"Neither is Peter acting like I was throwing around unforgivable curses!"

"He didn't say that. And I'm sure he didn't mean that." Said James sternly. "It must have been one of the Slytherins."

"Well, it would have to be either Burke or Nott then."

"No....after Avery tried to disarm you and you petrified him....before Burke tried to hex me..." Sirius gestured to the cut on his cheek, no longer bleeding but still visible. "A whole bunch ofpeople came out of the Three Broomsticks to watch......it could have been any of them too."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed that." James turned his gaze to the other two. "You guys didn't see?"

They both shook their heads. Sirius resumed pacing and went through the whole thing in his head again: Rictumsempra- not a very dangerous curse, but an annoying one, that had been Nott. He had deflected it with Protego. The Reducto, cast by Burke,had caught him across the cheek and caused the cut, and Remus had used the Stupefy. And then Sirius had petrified Nott before he could react, but he hadn't seen who had used the unforgivable curse. "Damn." He said aloud.

"Maybe you ought have Madam Pomfrey get rid of that cut." Peter suggested.

"Nah." Sirius shrugged. "I think it makes me look sexy."

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