A Curse Not Forgotten

One: Just Friends

Lily was lying on her bed waiting for her annual Hogwarts letter. She had also written to James and Remus, and she hoped they would respond. Her wish seemed to come true as two owls soared into her bedroom. The first, a tawny owl, carried the familiar letter written in emerald green ink on creamy parchment. The second, a chocolate colored dwarf owl, was Lily's Sweetie.

Lily opened the Hogwarts letter first.

Dear Miss Evans,

You have been selected to act as head girl this term. I hope that you can fulfill your duties along with those necessary for continuing advanced transfiguration. Also, you may, this year, get an Apparition license from the MoM. Good luck on your N.E.W.T.s! Professor M. McGonnagal, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

She then opened the other package. She recognized James' uphill scrawl, and Remus' neat cursive.

Hey Lily, what's up?

This is James, and I just got a letter that I am Head Boy! It says that you can start to learn to Apparate, so we are going to try.

Love, James

Hi Lily, this is Remus.

I don't think you know this, but because of the amount of first years, there is going to be a separate dorm for Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl. James says the password is FunnyMoney, so you can get in. See you next week at King's Cross!

Lily went downstairs to tell her parents that she was Head Girl, but as she descended, she heard her parents' angry voices. "Where is she?" Mr. Evans roared. "I don't know, Harry, but she usually comes to you, not me," Mrs. Evans replied. "Daisy, how can you be calm about this!!!???" Harry Evans ranted. "She's nineteen for crying out loud!" Lily knew they were talking about Petunia, her older sister, and she remembered what she had said. "Lily, I'm leaving! I can't stand it. I'm moving. Don't tell Mum and Dad, or I'll come back and kill you"

Petunia's words floated in Lily's head. Should she break her word and tell her parents? Remembering what she came down for, she cautiously approached her mother. "Mum, I've been made Head Girl" "Wow, Lily, that's great, I'm so proud of you!" "I am also able to learn how to Apparate!" Lily, seeing their confused looks, explained, "Appearing in one place from another instantly." "Oh, good," Mrs. Evans said. "Do you know where Pe-" Mr. Evans started "Let me get breakfast," Mrs. Evans cut him off. "Daisy!"

Lily had a quick breakfast before she went back to her room. She got her diary out of her trunk, and wrote:

Dear Diary, Petunia's gone missing. She told me she would, and not to tell Mum and Dad, but I didn't believe her, I thought she would be back. Perhaps she still will come back. After all, even though she's a royal pain, she's still my sister. I hope she stops dating that Dursley freak though. All he wants to do is work at the drill firm. How boring! Well, write later, Lily.

She reread it and stashed it in her trunk disguised as Advanced Transfiguration, Grade 7. She then realized that she didn't tell James and Remus that she was Head Girl. She hastily grabbed some paper and scribbled:

Dear R & J, I'm Head Girl. Congrats to J for being Head Boy, thanks for the heads up about the dorm changes. Love, Lily

A/N: first, I forgot the disclaimer, so: this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling as well as various publishing houses including, but not limited to, Warner Bros., Bloomsbury Books, and Scholastic Books. No money is being made, nor are any trademark infringements intended. All original characters are mine, so don't take them!

Second, I'm sorry if this is a bit messed up, because I just switched to Word from WordPerfect, and the formatting is different, so I needed to edit the whole thing. Here goes the next chapter.

Two: Or Maybe Not?

The days passed slowly, and nothing really happened until September 1st. Lily went to King's Cross and was about to get onto platform 9 3/4 when she heard her name.

"Lily?" She turned.

"Hey, Remus!" Lily said. "Lily," Remus said dreamily.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked skeptically.

"Yeah, um, gotta go" Remus said hurriedly.

"Uh, bye," Lily said as she walked into the barrier.

"Hey Lil," James called, "Over here."

"Coming," Lily called back. They found an empty compartment in the prefects area.

"So..." Lily said, "what's up with Remus?"

"Umm, what? I didn't notice anything," Sirius said.

"I did," James said, "At our sleepover, he talked a lot about you, Lil. I think he likes you."

"Yeah, I think he does, too," Sirius agreed.

"Well, why don't you guys go out? We'll be okay with it," James said.

"Thanks guys, I'll try it," Lily replied, "Where is he?"

"Dunno," James said. Just then, the doors opened revealing Remus.

"Hey, guys," He said.

"Remus, Lil has something to say to you," James winked at Lily.

"Not NOW!" Lily could feel color rising in her face.

"Remus, can I meet you in the Library tomorrow?" Lily asked.

"S-sure," he replied, stuttering.

"There are a few start of term announcements," the headmaster's familiar voice filled the Great Hall, "The Dark Forest is Forbidden to all students, and the Prefects will be having a new dormitory, the Head Boy this term is James Potter, and the Head Girl is Lily Evans, so if you have any questions please ask them. That is all."

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily," Professor McGonnagal announced. The Transfiguration teacher was much younger, having graduated only fourteen years earlier. The first years all looked quite nervous as they lined up alphabetically. "Penelope Burns," came up to the stool and was sorted into Ravenclaw. "Roger Clayton," came up next to be sorted into Hufflepuff. A fair skinned blond girl then came up, and she was extraordinarily beautiful. "She must be part Veela," Sirius whispered. "Antoinette Delacour" was also sorted into Ravenclaw. The cheering among the male population of Ravenclaw was amazing. "Eliza Florentine" was the first Gryffindor. "Samuel Henderson," "Joseph Klein," and "Elizabeth Norbert," were sorted before the table quieted. "Bonnie Phillips," was sorted with Hattie Phillips (her twin) into Slytherin. "Caitlin Smith," was sorted into Hufflepuff. "Chris Towton," sorted into Gryffindor. And finally, the last first year was a redheaded boy by the name of "Bill Weasley," who was sorted into Gryffindor.

The feast went on through the night, and, as usual, there were no early morning classes the next day.

The next morning, during their break, Lily snuck up to the Library to meet Remus. She was not at all keen on having her friends hear her asking one of them out. She had noticed the Hogsmede weekends were posted, so she thought it would be a great opportunity to have a butterbeer together while Sirius and James were in Zonkos'. "Lily, what is it?" Remus asked. "Uh, would you like to go get a butterbeer this weekend at Hogsmede, like just the two of us?" She knew what the answer would be.

"Yeah, of course," Remus looked markedly relieved.

“Okay, well then, see ya around!" Lily said as she strode out of the Library.

That night, the boys' Prefect dormitory was fully awake as Remus recalled the morning to the rest of the group. "Well, boys, you're looking at Lily's new boyfriend!" Remus said proudly. "And none too modest," James muttered. They heard the incredulous voice, "that Mudblood?" "Snape, you greasy-haired git, go back to your own dorm!" Remus growled angrily. "I knew we shoulda put a charm on that door!" James whispered. "WHAT DID YOU CALL HER?" Remus roared. "Shhh, you'll wake up the whole castle!" Snape left the room to prevent being the target of Lupin's wrath, amid whispering and scuffles. "Just go to sleep, you guys," previously quiet, John Hendring whispered to regain their quietness. " Wait 'til Peter and Sirius hear about this!" Remus ended the conversation when a snore emitted from James' bed.

The weekend had finally arrived after the first week of grueling classes. "I'm out of dungbombs," James complained, "anyone else want to go to Zonkos'?" "Count me in," Sirius answered. "Me too," Peter Pettigrew replied. "'Kay then, we'll leave our lovebirds by themselves at the Three broomsticks," James raised his voice to Lily and Remus. "Oh, honestly," Lily called from the other side of the Common Room. "Let's go then!" As they clambered out of the portrait hole, Remus offered his hand tentatively, which was taken quickly by Lily. She didn't want him to feel at all bad about this, and Lily did share some of his affection honestly.

They walked towards the town remembering their first visit in their third year. "Remember the first time we went to Honeydukes?" Sirius recalled. "Yeah, I had about thirty of those Levitating Sherbet Balls!" Peter replied. "Those were the days," James said dreamily, "But who says we can't still enjoy it?" "Yeah, I guess we can," Sirius agreed.

"Madame Rosmerta? Could we get two butterbeers over here?" Remus called. They had chosen a corner table away from the crowd. "Right away!" The signature sparkled shoes rushed off to get the butterbeer. "So, Remus, how have you been? My studies have prevented chatting with you guys lately," Lily prompted. Wow, she's so beautiful. And smart, and just..."Huh? Oh, yeah I've been...perfect"

Remus snapped out of his reverie, "Err sorry, I was just, um, distracted..." "Oh, that's all right, I often forget to think about one thing when I'm thinking of something else." Just then, Lily thought she heard a faint giggle. "Oh, ok then," Remus said. "Here are your butterbeers, dears" Madame Rosmerta put two frothy mugs on their table, "Anything else?" "No, thanks."

Remus took a sip from his mug. Although the signs of Autumn had appeared, Remus felt warmth course through his body. "Mmmmmmmmm" Lily had also sipped her butterbeer, and was enjoying its pleasant warmth when she heard a cold voice saying, "So, he was telling the truth. Miss Mudblood is going out with Wolfboy!" "Severus, you have no right to invade in my personal privacy!" Lily said, "And just because Remus was bitten doesn't mean you can tell about it!" "Well now, you're defending him, huh? Just because Dumbledore told me not to tell anyone doesn't mean I don't know..." "Enough! Wingrdium Leviosa!" Severus' jug of butterbeer was suddenly pouring onto his greasy hair. "Ugh," Severus was attempting to wipe his clothes off. Lily could hear a distinct guffaw that sounded muffled slightly by a Cloak... "James?" Lily whispered. At your service, Mademoiselle," James' head appeared out of nowhere floating in thin air, then disappeared. "Do something!" "My pleasure," Severus tripped and fell, then decided it would be better to retreat. James took off the cloak revealing him and Sirius. "How did you both fit? and where's Peter?" "I did a little expanding charm and uh..." James said. "Well, um," Sirius started.

"What?" Lily demanded."WHERE'S PETER?" Lily knew what could have happened, so she wanted to make sure that the Head Boy was acting like a Head Boy. "We...uh, he's in the hospital wing, Lil," James said. "Uh, yeah, we... never mind," Sirius concurred. "Oh, but I do mind! It's my job as Head Girl to make sure that these things don't happen," Lily retorted, "Now tell me what happened or you will be facing 50 points off Gryffindor, even though it is my own house." "She can't do that, it's against the rules," James muttered to Sirius, "Okay, we'll tell you," He said out loud. "All that happened was that we put some Filibuster's wet-start fireworks along the Secret hallway, meaning to give the people in Honeydukes a bit of a scare, but it turns out, Peter was practicing his transformation there and we singed a bit off his legs... nothing too bad!" James explained. "Well, Madame Pomfrey will fix him up, but you two better be more careful," Lily amended, "Especially you, Potter."

Remus had been sitting quietly through this whole episode, as was usual for the timid boy.

"Let's go guys," he said, successfully avoiding an argument. "Lil, there was an accident in the dorms so they moved the Head Boy and Girl to the guest staff dormitory," James advised, "you can move your stuff when you get back." "Accident?" Sirius said incredulously, "I'll bet Snape had something to do with this!" "Thanks for the warning, James," Lily said. "You know Snape's friend, Malfoy?" Remus said. "The one from Durmstrang?" Sirius asked "Yeah, he used to go there, but now he's coming to Hogwarts," Remus informed them. "He's a real Slytherin, that one." "Anyway, he's bunking with the prefects because Snape is his guide." "Ugh, another Muggle hater I expect." "That's too bad, Remus is only quarter blood," Sirius observed. "Lil is Muggle-born though," James reminded him. "Yeah, but who in their right mind would do anything to someone that pretty," Sirius answered. "She's MINE" Remus reminded him playfully. "Err, yeah, of course" Anyway, I have to go back," Lily called over her shoulder as she started for the door. "Me, too," the rest replied as they headed back.

"Remus?" Lily had stayed behind to pay for her drink. "Yes?" He had insisted that he would pay, but it was a battle of wills, and Lily had won. "Uh, well, since James and Severus so kindly interrupted, do you want to do something later? Well, there are rumors about a Halloween ball..." "Sure!" Remus said, "Uh, wait...is that a full moon this year?" "No, isn't it the week after next?" Lily asked. "Oh, yeah, sometimes I lose track," Remus said. "Well, if there really is a ball, then I'll go because Head Girl and Head Boy have to lead," Lily said. "Well, let's go back," Remus reminded her, "They might suspect that we're doing something..." "Yeah," Lily said. They walked back to Hogwarts, not wanting to miss dinner. "Well, it took you long enough," James and Sirius snickered, "what were you doing? Having a nice long snog?" "We were paying for our drinks!" Lily exclaimed, "You were right Remus they did suspect something." "Well, let's eat," Peter squeaked. "Yeah, good show Wormtail," James, Sirius, and Remus agreed.

A/N: This is just a short chapter; I expect to format this quickly. I know that someone is reading this, but I have no reviews. As this is my first story, I realize that it could use improvement. Unfortunately, I know what's going to happen, and therefore I can't judge where I need to improve. I would really appreciate it if you reviewed, and as soon as I upload all of what I have already typed out, I'll ask for a beta reader. Well, enjoy!

Three: The Halloween Ball

They walked in with the rest of the students, assembling at their own tables. As soon as everyone was seated, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I'd like to make an announcement," the Great Hall went silent, waiting for him to continue, "As many of you may have heard, there is going to be a Halloween Ball, instead of a feast. I would like to ask that all the prefects to come early, because you will be leading the dance." Whispers erupted throughout the Hall; Lily heard several "Will you go with me?" or "Hey, wanna go to the ball?" Lily automatically leaned to ask Remus from across the table, but James cut her off.

"You guys want to do the usual?" He meant that they would go as a group so that they wouldn't have to stay because they would pull a few small pranks at the table. "Count me in!" and "Yeah, why not?" greeted his question in eager response.

"Um, I have a date," Remus announced indicating Lily.

"Er- yeah, um, look guys, I guess we have to be the faithful three." James conceded.

"Or maybe this is way out, but why don't you just GET A DATE?" Lily was a bit annoyed at them.

"Er, Lil, do you think I could choose between the THOUSANDS of girls that want to go out with me? I wouldn't know how to act!" James replied.

"Well, why don't I show you?" Lily said, "Sorry, Remus, but that means I may not be able to go with you," Lily added with genuine sincerity.

"No problem," Remus replied.

Halloween night...

Lily was in her dormitory trying to pick out a set of dress robes for the ball. She had already picked out robes, but they were meant for Remus, and they were a bit more revealing than she would like James to be staring at. After all, they had only really become friends in 6th year, after Lily had covered up one of their pranks. she had no idea how James became Head Boy, but she knew that she shouldn't question Dumbledore's authority and that Remus was absent so much he couldn't be Head Boy. Lily finally settled on a dark turquoise set of robes, along with her signature emerald pendant. It was a gift from her mother when she had been accepted to Hogwarts, and she rarely went anywhere without it. The robes fell to the floor elegantly flowing as she walked. The low neckline showed off the pendant, and the sleeveless robes felt perfect for the occasion. Lily rarely wore a lot of makeup, so she just put a touch of Glitter's everlasting lip shine, a magical lip gloss that would only come off with a certain spell, so it would last all night. She then put on a bit of blush, blending the color into her porcelain cheeks. Last, as she sprayed a splash of fragrance, the aroma of Easter lilies filled the air. Her hair fell almost to her waist, waves of red-gold swirling around her. I'm ready, she thought. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, James was in the other bathroom of the Head Boy/Girl dormitory, putting on a set of midnight blue robes. By 6th year, he had lost most of his arrogance, but he still thought he looked terrific. James put a little Sleekeazy's hair potion on his hair, making it look windswept but decent. Lil will love this ball! James thought.

"Lil, are you ready?" James called as he stepped into their shared dormitory. "Yes," Lily replied as she stepped out of the bathroom. James felt his jaw drop. "You look, er, fabulous!"

“You don't do half bad yourself,” Lily replied, eyeing James' robes carefully, “but don't you know how to iron?” Lily was referring to the wrinkle on his robes. They gave the effect of being stuffed in a trunk until this morning.

A/N: thank you to Muirnin who actually reviewed my story; for the rest of you readers, please review! You do not know how much it means to me to have reviews; as many of you fellow writers know, it is the only thing that keeps a person going. Well, enjoy!

Four: Lessons in Love

"Close your mouth," Lily snapped, "Lesson one. Don't stare at your date. It will make her uncomfortable and it's rude, not to mention it is quite unbecoming." Lily walked over and closed James' mouth, while he remained awestruck.

As soon as he regained his senses, he retorted, "What, are you some sort of Mary Poppins?"

"Mary Poppins? Oh, no, I'm just giving you your lessons. Soon girls will line up to date you!" Lily replied.

"Well, let's go then," James suggested. He offered his arm to Lily, who took it in flawless formality. When they arrived at the Great Hall, James opened the door for Lily.

"You're doing quite a bit better than I expected," she commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James queried indignantly.

"Oh, well, I just sort of thought that you were some sort of, well, never mind what I thought," Lily answered, "Well, let's get a seat with the rest of the gang."

Sirius, with his natural "charm," had managed to get a date with a Ravenclaw, Eliza Holbecker, who was one of the prettiest girls in their year. Remus, after James and Lily's deal, had been asked by a 6th year, Susan White, to the ball, but Peter remained single.

“How's the new dorm?” Sirius asked when they sat down.

“Great! The staff rooms are really nice, and they put an extra bathroom in it too,” James replied.

“I still think it was Peeves,” Sirius said.

“No, someone was trying to break in. It was probably a Death Eater,” Lily replied.

“A Death Eater? No, don't you think they would have told us?” Sirius wasn't totally sure about that.

"Well, you very well know that even Hogwarts isn't completely safe these days," Lily said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that it's always a Death Eater," Sirius said, "Unless there's enough evidence."

"Evidence? There's plenty of evidence! Weren't you listening to the announcement Dumbledore made?" Lily retorted angrily.

"No," Sirius replied easily.

"They found a wand somebody dropped, and when Priori Incantatem was performed, they found the Cruciatus curse and a summoning charm on something, although they won't even tell the Head boy and Girl what!" Lily said indignantly.

"Calm down, Lil, you don't want the whole world to hear you, do you?" James was attempting to calm his date.

"I guess your right," Lily said as the music started, "would you care to dance?"

"Sure, why not?" James answered.

They danced that song, and the next and the next, totally unaware of the golden glow that was surrounding them. This was the glow of true love, visible only when the each of the couple is completely immersed in the other, and nothing else. At first, The danced as friends, but slowly, Lily's arms came around James' neck, and James slipped his arms around Lily's petite waist, drawing her close, and inhaling her perfume, the Easter lilies' aroma mingling with her smell, the smell of magic. Lily looked up into James' brown eyes, he looked into those vivid emerald pools, and kissed her. It was nothing like any other girl, they were simple swings at the Three Broomsticks. It was nothing like when Lily had kissed Remus: that had been awkward, feeling like kissing a friend; this was the kiss of a lover. It wasn't just a deal anymore, they knew, as other people had already assumed, that they were meant for each other. Unfortunately, at that moment, Remus had turned away from Susan to look towards his two friends. He turned around quickly, no longer enjoying the ball, knowing that Lily's affection had gone to James. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, James and Lily officialized their new relationship, apologizing profusely to Remus, who had stopped talking to them. They were both upset and confused at their love and the effect of it on their friend. But there was little they could do, except refrain from public display of affection, resorting to the Charms classroom during Prefect patrolling duties. They had several times been caught after hours, usually making excuses about Head Boy and Girl duties, although their shared dormitory made thing easier. Professor McGonagall had temporarily separated them, but she was unsuccessful.

Five: The Whirling Winds of Emotion

"Remus, forgive me!" Lily called after him. Earlier that day, they had been paired up in Charms, but Remus, whose emotions caused the hawks they were supposed to charm to dance, ended up making them fly out the window paralyzed. Lily had attempted to explain, only making it worse. She walked towards James sulkily.

"You know what this means, don't you," Lily said, "I can't see you James; I can't do this to Remus."

"But--"

"We can still be friends, just I need to work things out with him." "See you later then."

"Remus, I'm sorry, James and I aren't seeing each other anymore. I don't want to hurt you, it just happened," Lily said to Remus.

"'Kay, I'll be fine," Remus said, "So, we're back to where we were?" Remus kissed Lily lightly, but passionately, and she returned it carefully.

"Don't worry, I am totally over James," Lily said. It was a lie, but Lily was willing to start over with Remus and forget that one kiss.

Remus. That's right. It will never be the same. He'll resent me. I'll see James when we kiss. I can't love him. He won't love me. I love James. Lily walked through the corridors lost in thought, and she didn't even notice that she walked straight through a wall. She snapped back to reality, and sitting in an armchair, she recognized the Room of Requirement. She realized that she had missed dinner, and food appeared on a small wooden table with a setting for two.

Two? She thought.

Then, she heard the floor creak, but she saw nothing. The body seemed to be coming toward her, she could hear someone breathing. Then James appeared in front of her.

"I should have known," she muttered, too preoccupied before to remember that James had an Invisibility Cloak. "James!" she cried out loud, "just the person I need to see."

"I came here because I needed a place to study," James said. He knew that studying was the only thing that Lily would respond to.

"Okay, let's go back to our dorm then," she smiled. Just then, she heard the 10:00 chime, and said, “We need to patrol first, though." Lily got up, and made to leave the room when James pulled out the Marauder's map. Even though they had been good friends since 6th year, James had only shown Lily the map for use with Head Boy and Girl duties, and earlier, he had given it to Remus for his prefect patrol. He had put a special charm on it so it would only reveal what was needed for patrolling, so he could still keep the other features (such as various recommendations on what prank could be pulled safely) secret.

"Tell me who is up to no good," James said to the blank piece of parchment. The map of Hogwarts spidered out, red dots signifying anyone who was out after hours unauthorized. James scanned the map, muttering things here and there to see the different levels, and satisfied, wiped it clean by saying, "Information attained." "Now, let's go." Lily insisted that they double check some of the hallways, and check the library. Once they were done, they headed back to their dorm, showered, and began to study. James was doing an essay on the theory behind Transfiguration for cooking, titled "Now it's a bagel, now it's a steak." The assignment was to write about why you either agree or disagree with food Transfiguration. James was scanning Advanced Transfiguration of live things, a guide to animal transformations and meat preparation charms, a book that James felt was extremely useful for his animagus transformation. Lily, on the other side of the room, was studying for the Charms N.E.W.T.s, because even though they weren't for another three months, the Charms professor, Prof. Flitwick, was holding a practice exam for the class to know what they needed to work on. She looked sleepily over to the clock, noticing that it was already past midnight. She picked up another book: Practical Charms of the 20th century.

"Lily, would you come over here? I can't figure out what this means," James was lying on his stomach on his bed with pages of notes and several books open before him. He was now studying for a Potions exam, what Professor Kaldron called a check-up, but what in actuality was a grueling three day practical potions exam with one day of essays, one of actual potion making, and one day of a rigorous 500 point test. Lily, having started a Defense against the Dark Arts essay that wasn't due for two weeks, leaned over James' shoulder to read the text.

"Moonstone powder, combined with monkshood extract, simmered for six hour during a full moon, will cause restlessness and recklessness, while a similar compound, of Moonstone powder, Mint, and mothsmane essence brewed during the new moon can placate even the wildest beast," Lily read, "Well, the assignment was to determine the effects of each moon phase while brewing a base potion such as the moonstone and mothsmane compound. "Well, you know what the full moon and new moon does, so just find out the others. Let me see, first quarter, last quarter, waning and waxing gibbus, and waning crescent is all you need, because waxing crescent and first quarter have the same properties. Lily sleepily rested her head on James' shoulder, lying beside him on the double bed. James read the book for a little while, then closed it and put his notes away. He noticed that Lily had fallen asleep, so he carefully shifted his body and fell asleep as well.

Six: Dark Activities

The next morning before dawn, Lily opened her eyes to see James sleeping beside her, his arms around her waist. At first, she was slightly shocked, and then she recalled the night's events.

“Just studying,” she whispered groggily, slightly disappointed. She saw him stir then open his eyes. James sat up, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Lily shifted her head and rested her lips on his. They fell back again, deepening the kiss.

They ended the kiss, remembering the agreement that they made.

“I can't do this,” Lily said.

“Do what?” James asked.

“I can't lie to Remus, James,” she explained, “I want to be with you, and he knows that. I can't pretend otherwise.”

James let out an audible sigh of relief. “What are you going to tell him?”

“Exactly what I told you. I can't keep lying; it would only hurt him more.”

Just then, they heard a crash echo through the halls. They grabbed their wands and hastily pulled some clothes on.

“Oh, shoot, I forgot the Marauder's map!” James exclaimed.

“No time to go back. Here, Accio Map!” The map flew into Lily's hand, and then she handed it to James, who was running slightly ahead of her.

“Professor Dumbledore!” Lily gasped as she came to a stop in front of the Headmaster's office. He had just walked out, obviously dressed in a hurry.

“I was just about to summon you,” the headmaster explained, “but I suppose you have saved me that trouble.” He chuckled before becoming serious.

“Headmaster, sir, what was that?”

“I believe it was someone trying to breach the magical boundaries of Hogwarts.”

“You mean that someone very powerful was trying to Apparate in?” Lily understood what Dumbledore was saying, because she knew all about the enchantments.

“Yes, Miss Evans, that's exactly what I am saying,” he answered.

“Who do you think it is?” Lily asked anxiously, although she thought she knew the answer.

“I believe that it was Voldemort,” James flinched slightly, “or one of his followers. He is still not powerful enough, and I happen to have in my possession several items that could be of use to him. I have, of course, made several safety precautions,” Dumbledore added looking at Lily's face, “but he wants these items quite badly. You yourselves have a set of such items.” They looked at him questioningly, when he explained, “Your wands. Miss Evans, do you remember that time in your fourth year when you came to me because you wand seemed to be a bit faulty? But then you performed a bit of magic that most grown wizards can't do. And you, Mr. Potter, that map of yours,” he said.

“You know about that?” James was suddenly alarmed.

“Yes, I do, in fact, I believe it is quite useful, and I have duplicated it for my own private use. But anyway, you successfully crated that. And do you know that you successfully Transfigured a vulture to a Phoenix in third year? Animal transformations are extremely difficult to do, especially magical animals.” Dumbledore then stated, “You have another item in store for you.” The Headmaster winked knowingly, but did not disclose his thoughts.

“Well, let's check out the damage,” James said in a suddenly business like tone.

“Right,” Lily agreed.

“Ah, that's the spirit," Professor Dumbledore smiled.

“Well, there isn't anyone in the castle that we don't know about,” James said checking the Marauder's Map, “Let's see, er, Miss Norris, Filch, Peeves, and Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Kaldron are here, er,” he ticked them off on his fingers, “No, I think we're all here.”

“Well, that means that whoever was attempting to breach the Apparation barrier failed,” Lily stated matter-of-factly.

“Well deduced,” the Headmaster commented. He was purposely letting James and Lily figure out what he had figured out, both to give themselves the satisfaction that they can do it, and to prove Dumbledore's confidence in their abilities, both mentally and physically. The group went to the source of the action, finding little, except for the fading remnants of an attempted Dark Mark, although it obviously failed. This was shown by the fact that it looked rather like the fading head of a snake, although it was unmistakable what it was.

“Er, Professor, what are we to do?” James asked tentatively.

“Well, I suppose you'd best get to breakfast, it's a little past 6:00 already,” he replied. “I'll meet you in the Great Hall, I have to get something,” Lily called as she headed towards the Head dorm. Lily grabbed her diary, and went back to the Great Hall. While it appeared that Lily was simply taking Notes in an Advanced Transfiguration book, Lily wrote an entry in her diary as follows: Dear Diary,

We were woken up quite early, as someone had attempted to breach the Apparation barrier, and, it appears, the Dark curses barrier as well, because we found an incomplete Dark Mark. I'm going to break up with Remus today. I am going to do this because I love James, and I don't want to hurt Remus by pretending my affections are towards him. He's very practical, so I'm sure he'll understand. Especially since I got him out of that mess last Thursday, when Severus did the full bodybind on him. I hope he's not too sour with me, because he's my partner for the N.E.W.T's practice quiz. Well, I don't have much else to say now, so bye.

Yours, Lily R. Evans