Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 87: Encounters in the Corridor
The school days of autumn continued, and the sixth year students soon realized that despite the extra study time they were still easily falling behind in their studies. James had held Quidditch tryouts and added two new Chasers to the team. They were a little younger than James had hoped for but they had some raw talent that James hoped to develop. Because of that he called extra practices, adding to the heavy study load of the team members.
Alice and Frank were now out in the open, no longer hiding their relationship. James tried to recall the old saying, 'Be careful what you wish for.' Exposing their relationship and forcing them out into the open now subjected everyone around the couple to good old-fashioned PDA, or public displays of affection. Initially, it was kind of cute to see the new couple so happy together, but as time progressed and as people around them were forced to witness the baby talk and goo-goo eyes and kissing, it led to a general feeling of nausea. Most people around them tried to focus on their studies, however it was difficult to concentrate on work when Frank and Alice were having a playful argument on who loved who more.
Marlene opted to escape to hang out with her latest boyfriend, a seventh year Ravenclaw. She found it ridiculous that Alice and Frank had to be so dopey about going out. After all, she had never felt the need (or had the stomach) to act so outlandish about a relationship.
Lily felt somewhat isolated with both her friends absorbed in their relationships. She felt like a third wheel most of the time, and couldn't bring herself to hang out with either couple for very long. She felt slightly betrayed that both her friends were ignoring her (even though they didn't realize they were). She also felt jealous, especially of Alice since she found her happy ending. Lily wondered why life had to be so complicated for herself.
One thing that helped was her study time with Emm and Remus. They were her constants, the friends she could count on to meet her on a regular basis for study as well as friendly chitchat. Despite their collective single-ness, Lily could sense something different with both Emm and Remus. Lily had a suspicion that Remus harbored some feelings for Emm. She noticed it the previous year but had never asked Remus about it. Lily wasn't certain, but she thought that Emm shared Remus's feelings but both were too shy to admit it. A few times Emm had dropped a few hints however Remus was either blind to them or he had chosen to ignore them.
"You okay, Remus?" asked Emm one evening as the group was finishing their Transfiguration homework. "You're not getting ill again, are you?"
Lily glanced nervously between Remus and Emm as he ran a pale hand through his hair. "I suppose I could be coming down with a cold." He cleared his throat and added, "I always get one around the change of seasons."
"Oh," said Emm. She stared at the quill she was twirling between her fingers and nervously said, "So if you're getting sick again, does that mean you won't be going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?"
Remus, knowing that the full moon would fall on that evening, shook his head and said, "Maybe it would be better for me to stay indoors."
Emm nodded and said, "I see."
Lily, knowing that Alice and Marlene would be on dates that weekend, asked Emm, "Do you have any plans for Hogsmeade this weekend, Emm?" Lily hoped that Emm would be free to hang out with her in town.
Emm blushed and said, "Well…Martin Willis asked me to go with him."
Remus dropped the book he was trying to fit inside his bag and looked up, asking, "Did you say yes?"
"I told him I'd think about it," started Emm, "but I think I'm going to go with him. He seems nice." She glanced at Remus, but he was looking down at the table, his eyes hidden from her view.
Lily watched as Remus picked up his dropped book and felt a mixture of pity and frustration. She felt bad that Remus's crush was going to go on a date with someone else, and she felt frustrated that yet another one of her friends had become attached to someone.
By the time Remus had finished packing his books, he gave Emm a quick but forced smile and said, "I hope you have fun this weekend."
On the way back to the common room, Lily walked with Remus. Lily, unable to stop her curiosity asked, "So what do you think about the whole Emm/Martin thing?"
"Thing?" he asked. "I thought it was just a date."
"Yeah," said Lily. "But that could lead to them becoming a couple. What would you think about
that?"
Remus paused, causing Lily to stop and turn to see him. He had a troubled but resigned look in his eyes as he replied, "If that makes her happy then that's what should happen."
Before Lily could grill him further about Emm, she heard a familiar voice down the hall that made her want to turn and run.
"Lily Evans! Is that you?" came the trademark voice of Gilderoy Lockhart.
Remus smirked and Lily inwardly cringed as he approached them. Gilderoy was still sporting his enormous white smile, all the more enhanced by what Lily guessed to be a rather obvious tanning charm. His blue eyes twinkled as he grabbed her hand and did a dramatic bow, leaning over to kiss her knuckles.
"Hi Gilderoy," said Lily, throwing a pleading glance at Remus who looked more than a little amused at the situation.
"You look as lovely as ever," gushed Gilderoy. "It's been ages since I've seen you. Where have you been hiding?"
Lily didn't think the polite thing to say was that she had been hiding from him, though she was tempted. Instead she replied, "I've been pretty busy with my prefect duties."
Gilderoy nodded and said, "I understand. Professor Dumbledore wanted to ask me to be a prefect, but I think he knew I was needed elsewhere. I've been asked to give several interviews about my latest trips to Yugoslavia. There was a colony of vampires preparing to attack some towns near Zagreb."
"I'm sure you played a huge part in stopping them," Lily commented dryly. Remus stifled his laughter next to her.
Gilderoy finally noticed Remus's presence and asked, "And who is this, Lily? Is he your escort?"
Lily gave Remus another pleading look, and Remus decided to play along and throw his arm around Lily's shoulders. "I am," he replied.
"Really?" mused Gilderoy. "That's a shame, Lils. I thought we might be able to spend some more time together in Hogsmeade."
Lily shrugged her shoulders and said, "Gee, that's too bad, Gilderoy. Remus and I already have plans, don't we?"
Remus paled slightly and replied, "Erm, yeah…we do."
"We should really get going Gilderoy," said Lily, trying to direct Remus away from Gilderoy.
As they were walking away, Gilderoy called out, "I need to give you my latest photo. Unfortunately I just gave the last one I had away. Maybe next time?"
Lily rolled her eyes and called back over her shoulder, "Of course, Gil. I can hardly wait." As she and Remus were further out of earshot, Lily added to the sentence, "I can hardly wait to line my owl cage with it."
Remus laughed, but something about what Lily had just said struck him as odd, yet he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"Thanks for saving me back there," said Lily.
Remus, still trying to think about what had just happened, muttered, "Umm hmm." Suddenly, something occurred to Remus and he said, "Lily, about this weekend and Hogsmeade-"
Lily waved it off and said, "Don't worry about it. I just made that up to get him off my back."
Remus nodded, inwardly relieved that he didn't have to explain why he wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade that weekend. Still, there was something that was nagging at him…
They reached the end of the corridor, about to walk around the corner out of sight of Gilderoy who was still lingering on the other end checking his reflection in a suit of armor. As they walked around the corner the two of them came face to face with James, who tensed at the sight of Remus's arm around Lily.
Remus and Lily froze for a moment, Remus realizing what must have been running through James's mind at that moment. He released Lily, who looked somewhat apprehensive. He looked at James and could see all the different scenarios playing through his mate's head at that moment. "Hi," he said.
"Hi, mate," said James, stressing the second word. Glancing between Lily and Remus, he asked, "What's going on, here?"
"I should get going," said Lily, looking…guilty, for lack of a better term.
Remus was confused, because neither he nor Lily had feelings for each other and had not been doing anything inappropriate, so there was nothing to feel guilty about, especially with Lily's antagonistic attitude toward James. Seeing that Lily was trying to make her escape, he replied, "Okay. Good night. I'll see you around."
"Good night," said Lily. Turning to walk past James, she paused and glanced at him, her eyes not quite meeting his. "Potter," she said.
James scrutinized her for a moment before replying, "Evans." As she walked away, James turned back to Remus and studied him for a moment, as if he was trying to decipher the truth before he could grill his mate. Finally, he repeated his earlier question, "What was going on?"
Remus raised his eyebrows and, trying to put out any tiny fires before they could become full-scale infernos, he said, "It's not what you think, Prongs."
"And what is it you think I think?" asked James, his jaw tense.
"I think you're over thinking the whole situation," explained Remus. "Lily and I were on our way back from the library when we ran into Lockhart. He was about to ask her out to Hogsmeade and she interrupted him saying I was taking her. It was all a lie to get him to leave her alone. I put my arm around her just to give him the idea that he needed to back off."
"You still had your arm around her, though," James pointed out.
"Just until we got out of sight of Lockhart, which would have been as soon as we finished entering this corridor. We ran into you, instead," said Remus.
James relaxed a little and said, "So…you don't like Evans?"
"Of course I like her," said Remus. Before James could react he added, "As a friend, and that's all."
James shook his head and smiled, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "Of course, you're right. Sorry I jumped to conclusions. I was just going downstairs for a quick snack. You want to come?"
Remus shook his head and replied, "No thanks. I'm pretty wiped out. I think I'll just go back to the dormitory."
"All right," said James. Studying his friend, he said, "You going to make it? You're looking pretty exhausted, and the full moon's only a few days away."
"I'll make it, like I always do," replied Remus. "I'm just dreading Sunday when Madame Pomfrey hovers over me. She never lets me leave when I want to. It's not like I haven't been over there every month for the past 5 years."
"Don't worry, mate," said James. "I'll find a way to sneak you out on Sunday."
"You'll probably have to come that night. She's already on to me since I've been sneaking out practically every month since first year," said Remus.
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"So how are you gonna explain your bruises?" asked Peter. The three Animagi had returned to their human forms and were on their way back through the tunnel to the Whomping Willow exit.
"Same as the other ones I've gotten, I guess," replied James, tentatively touching the large purple bruise that was forming on his right arm. "Quidditch."
"I still can't believe you tried to jump that fence," laughed Sirius.
"I made it, didn't I?" James said haughtily.
"Only after you caught your leg in it and fell over the fence, landing on your face," said Sirius.
"Not exactly graceful," added Peter with a smirk.
"Oh, like you could have made it," snapped James.
"So when do you want to spring Moony from the hospital wing?" asked Sirius.
"Probably will be easier at night," said James. "Pomfrey nods off once the lights dim."
"I dunno," said Peter. "She's always suspicious of Moony now since he always sneaks out before she's ready to release him." He climbed out of the Willow's exit and transformed to his Animagus so he could hold down the knot. The other two climbed out and walked to a safe distance. They were all in the shadows from the Willow and, despite the early light of dawn, the boys felt they were well concealed.
Once Peter caught up with them and returned to his human form, the three boys walked toward the Hogwarts entrance. "I suppose if Pomfrey is going to insist on standing by Moony's bedside to make sure he doesn't leave early, then we'll have to find a way to draw her away from the hospital wing," said James.
Before they could climb the steps to the entrance, a figure stepped out from the bushes. A pair of beady black eyes peered over a wand which was trained on the Gryffindor boys.
"Snivellus," spat Sirius.
"What are you doing?" asked Peter, warily eyeing Snape's wand.
"I could ask you the same question," said Snape, looking almost triumphant at having caught his nemeses doing something out of bounds. "You look like you've been out all night. From what I recall, students aren't allowed to be out after curfew."
"Don't get so excited, Snivellus," said James. "It's not even 6 a.m. Curfew isn't over and it looks like there's a certain greasy Slytherin who's also out of bounds."
Snape scowled and retorted, "I'm sure once the staff sees your state then they'll focus more on your punishment than mine. Where did you get those bruises, Potter?" His scowl twisted into a slight smile as he added, "And where is your friend, Lupin? Odd that he should be missing at this time."
James grabbed his wand and started to aim it at Snape, but the Slytherin was ready for him and fired a curse, throwing James backward six feet where he slammed into the ground, getting the wind knocked out of him.
Seeing James get cursed like that threw Sirius into a fury, and while Snape was focused on his temporary victory over James, Sirius took the opportunity and plowed into Snape. The two fell over, causing Snape to drop his wand. He tried to grab it, however Sirius pulled him over and held him down, throwing several punches in the process.
Peter was frozen, unsure of what to do. He hated Snape and was glad that Sirius had stopped him from cursing the rest of them, but he wasn't sure if he should stop the beating Sirius was giving Snape. Peter always knew Sirius was loyal to his friends, but he was surprised to see the lengths he went to in order to exact revenge. Seeing that Sirius was not stopping his assault, he finally settled for a tentative, "S-Sirius?"
After a few calls from Peter, Sirius finally slowed down and looked at the bruised and bloody face of the boy who'd constantly mocked him about his family's hatred of him. Despite the bruises and swollen eyelids, Sirius could still see those beady black eyes staring at him, continuing to mock him. Sirius leaned over, grabbing Snape's throat so he could whisper, "I suggest you keep your mouth shut about tonight. And if you ever try to hurt my friends again, I'll kill you."
"Sirius," said James, who had finally caught his breath and sat up. "We need to get out of here before a certain someone arrives," he said, indicating Madame Pomfrey who would soon be out to meet Remus.
"What do we do about him?" asked Peter.
Sirius stood up and kicked Snape's wand into the thick set of bushes. "Leave him here," he said. "Pomfrey'll find him." He looked down at Snape and added, "He should know by now to keep his greasy mouth shut."
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Lily tried to sleep in. It was Sunday and she was caught up with her homework. Despite that, she was unable to keep her eyes shut past 8 am. It was quite irritating, really, to have some extra sleep time and despite that be unable to take advantage of it. Besides, she was going to have patrol the corridors that evening and would likely be up late.
After about an hour of tossing and turning she finally decided to surrender to consciousness and get out of bed. She looked over and saw that Marlene and Alice were still sleeping. She decided to get breakfast, take a walk outside, and return. Hopefully by that time her friends would be awake and they could find something to do together.
Lily sat at the Gryffindor table by herself, feeling rather isolated since her friends were all elsewhere. She tried to chat a little with some fourth year students, but they seemed preoccupied with their own dramas. Finishing her breakfast, she walked outside and paused a moment to take a breath of the cool morning autumn air. The leaves were changing color and Lily felt tranquility fill some of the loneliness she had felt minutes earlier at the breakfast table. She loved this time of the year.
Walking down the steps she heard a slight groan coming from the nearby bushes. She paused, not sure if she wanted to find out what had made that sound, but realizing that as a prefect she had a responsibility to make sure that nobody was hurt or misbehaving. She approached and peeked around the corner, shocked at what she found.
"Severus!" she exclaimed, rushing toward the heap of Slytherin robes on the ground. She knelt down beside him
and said, "Are you all right?"
Snape shivered from having been outside for several hours. He glared at Lily and growled, "Does it look like I'm all right, Evans?"
Lily felt a familiar surge of annoyance, a reminder of what he had called her after the DADA O.W.L. the previous year. She tried to remind herself that he was injured and he would be ruder because of the pain, but for a few moments she was tempted to leave him there. She saw him struggle to sit up so she reached over to help him, but he waved her away. Once he was sitting up, he leaned over looking slightly nauseated.
"What happened?" asked Lily.
"That is none of your concern," said Snape.
"Bullocks," said Lily. "I'm a prefect so I have a right to know. Who did this to you?" She bit the inside of her cheek, dreading the Slytherin's response.
Snape watched her for a moment, wondering if he should tell her what had happened. He was certain she would let Potter and Black have it and it would obliterate any lingering respect she had for them. On the other hand, Black had made it quite clear what would happen if he said anything, and Snape felt it unwise to come forward at that time and risk his neck. No, he would rather bide his time and find out what they were hiding. He was certain it was something big - something that would get them kicked out of Hogwarts. He would wait and keep his eyes open, and the revel in the fact that he would play a big role in the fall they would take from their self-imposed pedestals.
"Nobody did this to me, Evans," replied Snape. "I fell down the stairs."
Lily gave him a dubious look and said, "And you managed to fall all the way over here by the bushes?"
Snape shrugged his shoulders and said, "I suppose I dragged myself over here. I think I hit my head and I probably didn't know what I was doing." Before Lily could say anything to challenge him, he painfully stood up, deciding to prepare a potion to help ease his pain. He certainly did not want to deal with Madame Pomfrey's attention.
Lily watched him walk inside, wondering if she should follow him to make sure he was okay. She opted not to, because he wouldn't have let her help no matter if she tried to forcibly take him to the hospital wing or not. Instead, she walked by the lake, her mind playing different scenarios about what had actually happened to Snape. She was certain he had not gotten bruised from falling down the stairs. She couldn't help but wonder if James had anything to do with what had happened.
On the way back inside she ran into George Cooper, a seventh year Gryffindor prefect. He smiled as soon as he saw her and said, "Hey, Lily! I was hoping I'd run into you."
Lily smiled back. She and George had always gotten along during the prefect meetings. "Hi, George! What's up?"
"I wanted to let you know that Remus wouldn't be able to patrol tonight. He's not feeling well, so I volunteered to take his shift," said George.
"Oh, okay," said Lily. "Where do you want to meet?"
"How about the common room at 8 pm?" suggested George.
"Sounds good," said Lily. "I'll see you then."
George gave her a big smile and said, "Yeah, see you at eight!"
Lily smiled as she walked to the common room. She enjoyed her patrols with Remus, but George was nice and she would enjoy chatting with him. She felt energized and hoped that her friends would be awake by then. Whispering the password to the Fat Lady, she walked inside only to bump into Marlene.
"Hi, Marlene!" said Lily. She hadn't had much time to spend with Marlene or Alice between their heavy study load and her friends' love interests, and Lily was excited to be able to catch up on some girl-time. "Do you want to do something?"
Marlene gave her an apologetic smile and said, "I can't. I have to meet Brighton. He promised to help me with my Muggle Studies homework." She glanced at her watch and said, "Oh, bugger! I'm already late. See you later, Lily!"
Lily watched Marlene rush through the portrait hole and felt some annoyance creep into her. It seemed like Marlene always had a boyfriend, but Lily never remembered her neglecting their friendship. Besides, Lily had always helped Marlene with Muggle Studies. She felt a bit jealous that Marlene had sought out another student's help, even if he was her boyfriend. Lily took a few breaths, trying to remind herself that while Marlene had always had a boyfriend, she might not have noticed her absences as much since Alice had been around to keep her company.
Looking around the common room, Lily felt her stomach sink when she saw her other best friend sharing an armchair with Frank. They were engrossed with each other and Lily knew at that point that she would have to find something to occupy her time for the rest of the day.
Time must have played a cruel trick on her, Lily decided. She had tried a million different things to keep her occupied, from revising her homework to reading to walking outside to exploring the library. The day just couldn't go faster than a snail's pace. She finally caught up with Alice at dinner however her friend was still in her own world, sharing glances with Frank and giggling for no apparent reason. The loneliness that had started to seep into Lily that morning was now like a lead brick weighing her down.
Lily got up from the Gryffindor table and left, certain that Alice hadn't even noticed her departure. She walked up to her dormitory and read until it was time to go downstairs and meet George.
His smiling face greeted her and they left to start their patrol.
"So how's sixth year going so far?" asked George.
Lily told him about her classes and George sympathized, having already finished sixth year. He talked about seventh year, though he didn't make it sound too optimistic as far as the amount of work that would be involved for N.E.W.T.s.
"Frankly, I don't mind all the work," said Lily.
"Are you mental?" joked George.
Lily laughed and said, "No…well, maybe I am a little. It's just that I haven't had much else to do this year. My friends are all absorbed in their own personal relationships. Ironically, the only time I get to socialize is when I'm studying."
"Or during patrols," said George.
Smiling, Lily admitted, "That's true."
"So what about you?" asked George.
Lily raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you mean?"
"You said your friends are occupied with their relationships. What about you?" asked George.
Lily shrugged and said, "There's nothing on that front."
"You mean Potter hasn't won you over, yet?" asked George.
Lily stopped walking, forcing George to stop and turn to see her. She sighed and said, "Nothing is going to happen with Potter."
"You sure?" asked George. "From what I saw, he's a rather persistent guy."
"That's putting it mildly, though he hasn't really pursued me as much this year," replied Lily.
"And what if he did?" asked George.
Lily looked down and shook her head, replying, "Like I said, nothing is going to happen."
George smiled and said, "So is there anyone else you have in mind?"
Lily shrugged and said, "Not really."
He stepped a little closer and said, "Not even an older guy? One in your own house?"
Lily looked up and froze, noticing his proximity. It suddenly hit her that he liked her. A flurry of thoughts crossed her mind. She hadn't really thought of George as a romantic interest, but he had always been kind to her. Standing this close, she could see the flecks of gray interspersed with the blue of his eyes. He watched her, looking hopeful.
Before Lily could say anything, George leaned over and kissed her. Lily watched him for a moment after he pulled back, wondering how she felt. The only thing she could think of was less lonely. Maybe George didn't make her think of fireworks, but he was a great guy and she felt cared about - something she hadn't felt for most of the school year. On a whim, Lily reached up and kissed him, trying to force out some more of her loneliness. He happily responded, but a sudden noise from nearby caused them to break apart.
Lily looked over and felt the blood drain from her face. "Potter?"
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James rushed down the corridor trying hard not to laugh. He ducked behind a statue and tried to catch his breath. He didn't have to wait long before he saw the stern face of Professor McGonagall storming down the corridor.
"In all my years I still can't believe the audacity of some students…" she muttered angrily as she marched toward the hospital wing.
James watched her disappear around the corner and let out a few coughs from trying to hold his breath after running. He figured it would only be a few minutes before Professor McGonagall returned with Madame Pomfrey in tow. He had just barely escaped being seen by the Deputy Headmistress after he and Sirius had pulled off the first part of their plan to get Moony out of the hospital wing.
They had just finished sticking Peter to the outside of the building, three floors up. Peter hadn't been thrilled with the idea, but was easy enough to convince, especially since his charm work was inferior to James's and Sirius's. For added effect, Sirius had transfigured Peter's nose into an elephant's trunk to make it seem as if he had been hexed.
The next phase of the plan would have involved James and Sirius luring Madame Pomfrey out of the hospital wing - most likely via a letter sent by a school owl. That plan was nixed when they saw Professor McGonagall's dot rapidly approaching on the map. James told Peter to started yelling for help and then he and Sirius took off in different directions to elude being caught.
James stepped out from behind the statue, wondering if he should wait for Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall to pass him on their way back to Peter. He heard a distant 'meow' and turned to see Mrs. Norris further down the corridor. Seeing that he was limited on time to escape, James didn't bother consulting the map and took off, sensing the pursuit of Filch's cat. He ran around a corner and slipped, sliding into a tapestry that hung from the wall. Rather than feeling the firm impact of the stone wall behind the tapestry, James felt himself slide underneath it and soon found himself in a dark corridor.
He watched the light that crept under the edge of the tapestry from the lit corridor on the other side. Soon enough, he was able to make out four small shadows, presumably paws, slow down outside where he stood. Not bothering to question where he was or where he would end up, James took off at a jog down the dark corridor, making note to investigate this secret passage later for the Marauder's Map.
It seemed like a good five minutes of a steady quick walk/jog and a near tumble down a set of stairs before James saw another sliver of light approaching. He sped up and smiled, wondering where he would find himself. He couldn't wait to tell the other Marauders of his find.
Pulling aside what must have been another tapestry, James felt a flood of light hit his eyes, causing him to squint. Hearing a slight noise from his right, he turned to see the source and couldn't believe his eyes. Lily was kissing…George Cooper???
Without thinking, James stepped out of the secret corridor, his mind unable to comprehend what his eyes were telling him. He felt himself collide with a suit of armor, creating a loud clanging noise and immediately causing the two prefects to break apart and look at him.
A million thoughts rushed through him as he watched Lily and Cooper break apart. Why were they kissing? Since when did George Cooper like Lily? Did Lily actually like the bloke back? Why did she like Cooper better than him? What was so great about Cooper compared to himself?
James was so filled with anger and hurt and confusion that he barely heard Lily say his name. He looked at her and saw that she was glancing between him and George and the floor, her face pale and her hands shaking.
"Potter," said George. "You're out of bounds. It's after curfew."
George's words sparked some of the anger in James, and he momentarily wondered if this was some of the rage that Sirius was battling on a daily basis. He looked Cooper in the eyes and coldly replied, "Really? Seems to me like prefects are supposed to be patrolling the corridors and not snogging in them!"
"That's none of your concern, Potter," said George, taking a step closer to Lily, who resembled a person who had been petrified. "Just because you have a thing for Lily doesn't mean you have any say in what she does. Now go back to your dormitory before I have to give you a detention."
James snorted and reached up to ruffle his hair, causing the sleeve of his robe to drop, exposing some of he bruises he had gotten the night before. Lily's eyes gravitated to the bruises and widened, suspicion forming a theory in her mind.
"Let me tell you where you can put your detentions-" started James.
"Where did you get those bruises?" interrupted Lily.
James paused in his rant to Cooper and looked at Lily, who was still staring at his bruised arm. James tugged down his sleeve and said, "Kind of late for you to be concerned about me, isn't it, Evans?"
"Where did you get those bruises?" repeated Lily, more insistent.
"Quidditch," lied James.
The three stood there for a minute, James refusing to move in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, Lily thinking, and George wondering whether he should start doling out detentions to their star Quidditch captain.
George finally opened his mouth to speak, but before he could Lily looked up at him and said, "Could you leave us alone, George? I can handle this."
George studied her for a bit before looking at Potter and saying, "I don't think I should leave you alone."
Lily raised an eyebrow and said, "I can take care of myself, George. I doubt Potter is going to assault me. Besides, the upstairs corridors still need to be patrolled."
George looked hesitant but finally said, "All right, but come find me if you need me."
Lily gave him a slight smile before whispering, "Thanks."
After George had left, Lily took a deep breath and turned to face James, who was several feet away, still standing by the suit of armor.
James, noticing the silence between them, felt sarcasm creep into him as he said, "So now you have me all alone, Evans. Gonna snog two blokes in one evening? Didn't think you had it in you."
Lily squeezed her hands into fists, trying to resist the urge to give him a black eye to match the bruises on his arm. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before repeating, "Where did you get those bruises, Potter?"
"Really, Evans. Do you have a Redundancy Hex on you or something?" said James. "You keep repeating yourself. I already told you where I got the bruises."
"You told me a lie," countered Lily. "Would you like to explain how Snape ended up bruised in the bushes outside this morning?"
"Are you playing his savior again, Evans?" asked James. "I didn't think you'd want to after what he called you last year."
"You're not answering the question!" exclaimed Lily.
"What is your question, Evans?" asked James. "Is it about the bruises, because I already answered you. Or are you accusing me of yet another crime against Snape?"
"It's both," said Lily. "You always target him, and now you both have nasty bruises on the same day. It's a logical question!"
"Logical?!" scoffed James. He took a step closer to her and said, "How's this for logical? I want to know what it is about me that makes you hate me so much. I want to know why you always run the other direction when you see me or why you never give me so much as a friendly greeting. What did I ever do to you?"
"Do?" echoed Lily. Her hands fiddled with the edge of her robe pocket as she struggled to reply, "You pick on other students, you hex them when you feel like it, you act arrogant and-"
James let out a frustrated groan and took another step toward her saying, "I'm not asking what I did to others, I'm asking what I ever did to you to make you treat me like I don't exist?"
Lily frantically picked at the edge of her pocket, looking slightly pale as she stuttered, "I-I…"
James suddenly realized something that he had never noticed during the last several years. "Why won't you look me in the eyes?"
Lily's eyes widened slightly, and she looked down and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Potter."
"My eyes, Evans," he repeated. "I can't think of the last time you actually looked me in the eyes." Seeing her turning away from him slightly, he closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the elbow, forcing her to turn and face him. Still, her gaze didn't meet his, but instead focused on the middle of his face.
She tried to back away from him but he followed her step for step, still holding her arm until she found herself backed up against the wall. "Let go of me, Potter," she said.
"Not until you look at me," he said.
"Let go of me," she said more insistently, sounding rather nervous, trying to get free.
"Look at me!" he roared, causing her gaze to look up and meet his. The impact was like hitting the ground after falling off his broomstick. He had forgotten how pure and green her eyes were, and at that moment he was focused more on being able to have a direct look at her beautiful eyes more than his anger and frustration.
He heard a sharp intake of breath and realized it had come from Lily, and he wondered if she was feeling something similar. His heart raced, and he felt a strong urge to lean down and kiss her, to deepen the connection he felt from looking into her eyes. He found himself pulling closer to her, almost close enough to place his lips on hers and see if they were as soft as he imagined. He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent and feeling her breath near his lips.
Suddenly he felt her tense and push herself free. He opened his eyes to see her pacing around the hallway, almost in a state of panic. "Evans-" he started.
"We can't do this, Potter," she said. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"
"You can't honestly tell me you didn't feel anything there, Evans!" said James.
Lily continued to pace the hallway, her movements becoming more frantic. "Why can't you just take no for an answer, Potter? Why do you have to keep pursuing me?"
"We almost kissed, Evans!" said James.
"You tried to kiss me!" retorted Lily.
"Don't act like you didn't want to kiss me, because you were about to let me!" countered James.
"Erm…what's going on, here?" asked a familiar voice.
James looked behind Lily and noticed that Remus was there, watching the argument with wide eyes.
"Let you?!" said Lily. "It wasn't like I could go anywhere. You had me pinned against the wall!"
James forgot about Remus's presence and said, "Oh, like it would have been a horrible thing, kissing me!"
Lily back up and said, "I've had enough of this. Remus, could you make sure he gets back to the
dormitory?"
Before waiting for an answer she started to walk away, but not before James yelled after her, "I'll have you know I'm a great kisser!"
As Lily walked by Remus she called back, "Probably about as good as you are at ice skating."
She rushed away, and James started to go after her but Remus stepped in his path. "Moony…" warned James.
"You're not going to do anything other than make things worse at this point," said Remus. Something was starting to click in his mind, but he didn't want to tell his theory to James before he could talk to Lily. He needed to see if he was right first…
"But-" started James.
"Let me go talk to her," said Remus. "She's more likely to listen to me at this point, anyway."
James looked down the corridor where Lily had disappeared, tempted to go after her despite Remus's advice.
"You should get back anyway before you're caught," said Remus. "I'm a prefect so I at least have a plausible excuse to be out after curfew."
"Fine," said James. "I'll see you in the dorm later."
"See you," replied Remus, turning to leave. He wasn't certain, but he had an idea of where she might be. He decided she had better be there when he arrived because it was a long climb up several flights of stairs and he was still tired from the full moon.
As he walked, his theory started to play through his mind again. If he was correct, then that would open up a ton of other questions. It could either help James or in the end hurt him more. He reached the entrance to the Astonomy tower and climbed the final flight of stairs, hoping Lily had sought out the solitude and beauty she had once told him she liked about the tower.
To Remus's relief, he saw Lily sitting at the other end of the deck, her back to him. She was huddled over slightly and from the slight quiver of her shoulders Remus suspected that she was crying. He approached her silently and looked over her shoulder, surprised at what Lily was looking at.
She was holding a photo taken of her and James during their first year. He suspected Marlene had taken the picture when she had caught the two holding hands after James had finally gotten the nerve to ask Lily to be his girlfriend. The photo looked worn and slightly faded, as if she had carried it in her pocket for some time.
"Lily?" he said.
Lily started, jumping in her seat and turning to find Remus behind her. Her eyes were red and watery as she unsuccessfully tried to hide the photo in the pocket she had been fiddling with earlier in the corridor. She swiped her sleeve across her eyes, hoping the dim light would hide her features from him. "Remus," she shakily said. "What are you doing here?"
Remus looked her in the eyes and asked, "How long have you remembered, Lily?"
"Remembered?" asked Lily, looking pale in the moonlight.
"You know what I'm asking," said Remus. "I'm talking about first year. How long have you remembered first year?"
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A/N: Oh goody! So glad to have this written. I've had this chapter in my head for ages - the last half, at least. So what do you think? Are you utterly confused? Happy? Mad? Please review!
Thanks to my latest reviewers: cutie claud, MariaD, Dificult (x6), God'sgirl, divya, German Wings, Jenny, loonymoony8, LarryTrotter, Mani12191, granger1191 (x2), Golden Phoenix, tigerfairy, Alex, Miss France, Calypso, and Alicia78.