Chapter Twenty-Seven: Saved by the Marauders
James glanced at his watch again, frustrated. She was late. He raked his hand through his hair and paced in front of the portrait. If he waited much longer, he wasn't going to be able to get back into the common room. As it was, the Fat Lady was tapping her foot rather impatiently. She couldn't go visiting in the other painting until James decided whether or not he wanted to come in.
"Where is she?" James growled as he looked at his watch again. She should have met him back here ten minutes ago.
"Perhaps she has already headed inside, like you should," The Fat Lady said rather indulgently.
"Did you see her go inside?" James snapped at her. The woman looked affronted.
"Young man, all day long Gryffindors come and go. I can't be expected to remember each and every student that comes through this door," The Fat Lady said rather affronted.
"It would have been in the past fifteen minutes. How many students could have possibly come through this portrait opening?" James barked at her. She glared at him.
"No one has entered in the past fifteen minutes, and I would rather you watch your tone with me young man," She snapped at him. "Either get in here or don't. You have a minute to decide, or I will make the decision for you."
James paced a moment more. If he had the map with him, he would be able to check it and see where Lily was. As it was, Sirius had the map and was out and about with it. James new it would be a while until Sirius returned, and who knew what time that would be. James growled and headed through the portrait hole, slamming it behind him much to the displeasure of the Fat Lady.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Remus asked as James came into the dorm, kicking a book that had been left on the floor.
"Lily wasn't waiting for me at the portrait hole," James said with his jaw clenched. Remus glanced at Peter who was laying across a chair that should have been tucked into the dorm room desk.
"That is unusual," Remus said to James. He checked his watch. Lily was punctual to a fault. A knock echoed through the dorm room and the three looked over at it quizzically. James was the closest so he crossed the room to it and swung it wide open. Alice was standing there, looking rather nervous.
"So, you are back?" Alice confirmed. She glanced around the room, searching for a face she did not see. "Lily still hasn't returned and I am worried about her. She was acting strange before she left on patrol. Oh, I told her not to go!"
"Lily hasn't returned?" James asked. He could feel his heart beginning to pound. "Where could she be?"
"It is so dead out there," Sirius growled as he entered the dorm room. James nearly pounced on him.
"I need the map," James told him. Sirius looked at James confused but pulled the parchment out of his pocket. James snatched it from him and tore down the stairs and out through the portrait hole, just moments before the Fat Lady disappeared from it, making it impassible. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
He searched the school, finding dots here and there. His eyes darted from dot to dot, looking for Lily's dot. His heart turned to ice and fell into the pit of his stomach. Down near the Slytherin wing of the school, in an empty class room, Lily's dot was stationary as Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy's dots were in close proximity. He felt hot tears slip from his eyes. She was late because she was with Malfoy. James pressed his wand to the parchment and began to whisper-
"Mischief Manage…" He trailed off as a tiny speech bubble seemed to erupt from Lily's dot.
"Help!" The bubble read. The map had never done that before.
James' blood ran cold and he tore off down the hall, wand lit despite the complaints of the portraits. He watched and prayed that whatever trouble she had managed to get herself into, he would make it there in time. He willed her to hang on, though he knew he might just be too late. James could feel his legs complaining, but he pressed on, knowing that he was the only one who knew that Lily was in trouble.
"The door!" James gasped as he came to the door. The handle was locked, but his adrenaline was raging and he threw himself against the door. The door crashed opened and James skid to a stop.
"James!" Lily screamed. Her voice had returned. James felt anger, hot and raw, boil up in him at the sight. Lily was being held down by Crabbe and Goyle as their hands pressed deep into the flesh of her arms and thighs, her buttons ripped clear from her shirt. Malfoy stood over her, holding the buckle of his belt as he struggled to keep his pants up.
"What the hell do you think you are doing to my girlfriend, Malfoy?" James growled as Malfoy turned to see what had interrupted his attempts at a flesh-driven union with Lily Evans.
"Potter!" Malfoy shouted. Crabbe and Goyle jumped, startled at James' entrance, and Lily clambered away from them.
"Answer me, Malfoy, what were your intentions with my girlfriend," James demanded as he approached Lucius, his wand raised in a threatening manner.
"Nothing, nothing," Malfoy defended. "I was just trying to scare her a bit."
"It didn't look like you were trying to scare her, Malfoy," James said as his words dripped with anger and hate. "It looked a lot like you were trying to defile her."
"No, no, I was just trying to scare her," Malfoy defended. He backed away as James pointed his wand right at Malfoy. "I swear, I only wanted her to think I was going to hurt her. I was going to stop."
"You liar!" Lily screamed as she gripped her wand. She pointed it at Malfoy, anger flashing in her eyes. "Ava.."
"No Lily!" James shouted in shock, swinging his wand off Malfoy and towards Lily. Lily felt herself fly back off the table she had been crouching on and felt the cold, solid stone wall stopping her suddenly. Lily slouched to the floor as James turned to Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle who were fleeing the room. "This isn't over, Slytherins!"
James rushed to Lily's side to find her relatively unharmed. She was struggling to regain composure as she pulled herself to a sitting position. Tears had formed in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks. She had her trained to the floor, her wand resting in her lap. Her shirt was in shreds, no longer concealing her body.
"Why did you stop me?" Lily asked as her fingers ran the length of her wand. She wasn't focused on anything; instead tears were swimming in her eyes and were falling into her lap.
"You are better than an unforgivable curse, Lily," James said as he nudged her chin. He forced a smile, aware that if he had been a moment later, Lily's fate would have been far different from just `a scare'.
"How did you know where I was?" Lily asked him, still not looking up at him.
"The map had a speech bubble calling for help," James said as he held the map in his hand. He could see his and Lily's dot next to each other. A speech bubble appeared next to his dot- `I love you' and her dot replied- `I love you, too'. He forced a grin and made her look at him.
"I love you," James said grinning. Lily looked into his eyes, her own wide with surprise.
"You do?" Lily asked. He laughed.
"The map says that you should say- `I love you, too', Lily, and the map is never wrong," James teased. She let a smile cross her face.
"I love you, too."
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