Chapter Eleven: The Map Tells All
"Shh," James hushed as he walked. It was late, and he was certain that Remus, Peter, and Sirius were already fast asleep. Still, when the likeliness that they were asleep, he didn't want to be caught doing anything he wasn't ready to get out yet. He held Lily's hand and guided her, his hand invisible under his cloak.
It had been weeks since school had returned from holiday, weeks since they had last been together. While stealing moments here and there was thrilling, he was becoming ever desperate to taste and hold Lily. He needed more from her, and she could feel it too, though neither of them was ready to move their relationship in the open.
"Are you sure that they aren't going to wake up?" Lily whispered as quietly as possible.
"Who cares if they do?" James teased; his own voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"James, really," Lily giggled as she fought to keep from being loud. James had slipped his hands under the cloak and touched her rather intimately. She held the cloak in place as she climbed into his bed and he pulled the curtains closed around them tightly. Lily continued to fight to keep quiet as James tickled her as he removed her clothing.
"Shh! If you get any louder you are going to wake everyone in the castle," James said as he lay above her.
"It's your fault," Lily practically moaned as he covered her mouth with his own.
Wide awake, Sirius shot Remus a look. They were both sitting there, watching in awe and inspiration James' bed. They knew what James and the mysterious whispering girl were doing; at least they had a good idea and a pair of fantastic imaginations. A sly grin was on Sirius face as he headed toward the bed, just to stop when Remus beat him there and stood between Sirius and the edge of the curtain.
"No, Sirius," Remus mouthed to Sirius. Sirius hesitated before retreating back to his own bed.
"Do you think James will ever introduce us to his girlfriend?" Sirius asked as he sat on the edge of his bed, trying not to picture in his mind what exactly was going on in the bed mere feet from his own, but failing.
"I don't know," Remus said making a face. He had to give it James, only he would have been bold enough to risk having a girl in his bed, and to have the restraint not to be making a whole lot of noise.
"Do you think you two could keep it down?" Sirius asked loudly. He was irritated that he wasn't the daring one who had a girl in his bed.
"Sorry!" James laughed. The girl was saying something unheard by Remus or Sirius.
"You don't think it is Lily, do you?" Sirius asked quietly. Remus shrugged.
"Hmm," Remus thought a moment. "I don't think she is the type that would sneak into the boys' dorm to have sex with James. They don't exactly get along, do they?"
"Nah," Sirius agreed. "You are probably right. Hey Prongs, do you think you'll let me scoop up your seconds?"
"Umm, no," James said. They heard her laugh, muffled by a pillow or perhaps James' mouth.
"Go back to sleep," she called to them in a whispered that added nothing to their quest of finding out who James Potter had brought into his bed.
"Selfish," Sirius teased loudly. He had decided a walk around the castle would clear his head and give him a chance to forget that there was a naked girl with in reach of his own bed. For good measure, he grabbed the map from his bedside. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Sirius whispered, tapping the Marauders' Map with his wand.
Sirius looked at the map to see where the various teachers were and curiosity (pure, perverted curiosity) had him glance at his own dorm room. There he was in his bed, but nearly out of it. Peter was in his bed, snoozing, and Remus was heading back into his own bed. He froze, wand inches from the parchment, as he looked at James' dot on the parchment. He was there, in his bed, just feet from Sirius' bed. Next to James' dot, but nearly overlapping, was the dot of no one other than Lily Evans.
"I hate to bother you, James," Sirius called out loudly in the dark. The silence was nearly deafening. "But, can I have a word with you?"
"Yes?" James replied tensely.
"Um, is our map ever wrong?" Sirius asked oddly. The room was dead silent; you could have heard a pin drop in the silence that had fallen over the dorm room.
"No," Remus answered when James failed to answer.
"Damn it," James swore suddenly. He appeared quickly from behind the curtains of his bed. He pulled the curtain tightly closed behind him and stood in front of them, naked, except for his sheet that he clutched tightly below his belly button. "Give me the map, Sirius, now."
"Make her take it from me," Sirius challenged, looking at his best mate rather threateningly. James' muscle clenched in his arm as he held the sheet a bit tighter; he was trying to gain control of the situation.
"What is your problem, man?" James asked as he began feeling a little vulnerable standing there with his chest exposed, naked sans for the sheet. James reached his hand out to Sirius, willing him to give up the map.
"You lied to us," Sirius spat. "You are like a brother to me and you lied to me."
"No, I didn't! I just didn't tell you the truth," James explained.
"Oh, like there is a difference!" Sirius challenged angrily.
"What is he talking about?" Remus asked James. Sirius moved closer to James threateningly but then backed down.
Sirius looked from Remus to James and then back to Remus before shoving the map into Remus' hand. He brushed hard past James as Remus looked down at the map, trying to figure out what had pissed Sirius off so much. It wasn't like James and Sirius to fight. He saw the dot, her dot, on the map in James' bed. Remus looked at James for answers then at Lily as she appeared from behind the curtain, now dressed in her shorts and a shirt.
"I'll go explain since I made you promise not to tell them," Lily said to James as she headed toward Remus. She looked at Remus and kissed his cheek, taking the map from him. "Please, Remus, don't be mad at James."
Lily left the dorm, the map in her hand, her bare feet soundless on the stone floor. She glanced around the map, seeing Sirius' dot pacing in the astronomy tower. She couldn't help but smile, amused that the Marauders always seemed to feel the safest in the Astronomy tower. She hurried along, cold despite the melting snow outside. She saw Sirius standing at the window, looking out across the dark school grounds.
"Sirius?" Lily asked quietly as if asking permission to approach. He wouldn't look at her, but she felt as if he had granted her permission to approach him so she stepped forward.
"How long have you and James been together?" Sirius asked quietly, still not looking at her.
"Well, if you mean dating then we really haven't, but if you mean sleeping together, then since the Christmas Holiday," Lily replied honestly. She crossed her arms against the chill in the air, and the chill that Sirius seemed to send out. "I made him promise not to tell you all."
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"I didn't want it getting out," Lily said. Sirius turned and was looking at her with his face in a pained sort of misunderstanding.
"No, I mean why are you sleeping with him?" Sirius tossed at her as he looked back across the grounds. Lily smiled slightly.
"Because I love him," Lily said simply. Sirius rounded on her quickly, startling her.
"You could have trusted us with your secret, Lily," Sirius said hotly. He was standing just inches from her, radiating heat that was normally absent in the air of the Astronomy Tower. "We trusted you with our secrets."
"I didn't think I would fall in love with James," Lily defended. She glanced back at the door way. "I know I didn't want to fall in love with him, but it happened. I couldn't help it; I couldn't help myself. I just happened. It was sudden."
"Are you sure you love him?" Sirius asked as he pulled Lily into his arms. He lowered his mouth to Lily's, his tongue touching her lips, sliding past them into her mouth, caressing her tongue with his. Unable to pull away, Lily turned her head away from him.
"I am certain, Sirius," Lily whispered. "I love him."
Lily pulled free of Sirius' reluctant arms and handed him the map. She turned and walked out of the Astronomy Tower, leaving him to his thoughts. She wanted to return to James, but out of fear of what she had done to his friendship, she decided that it would be best to head off to her own dorm room and leave the boys to work it out alone.
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